The Louisiana Department of Corrections is warning that unless additional tax revenue is raised by June 30th, thousands of inmates will be released. Those released would be non-sexual and nonviolent offenders. Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc says that’s because the department would have to cut payments to local sheriffs who house state prisoners…
Cut 11 (07) “with them”
Leblanc says his department is staring at 62-million dollar cut in state funding, if legislators are unable to raise revenue in a special session that’s expected to begin after Father’s Day.

A call for that special session is expected to be released today. The chairman of the House Republican delegation, Lance Harris, has asked the governor to allow for the filing of bills that will let legislators approve budget reform and cost savings measures.

A CDC report reveals Louisiana has seen a massive spike in suicides since 1999. Connor Ferrill has more.
Cut 1 (28) “I’m Connor Ferrill”

Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves is optimistic the Water Resources Development Act can help move along flood, hurricane and coastal projection projects. Graves says language in the bill gives state and local governments the opportunity build projects that are currently assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers…
cut 9 (08) “….more efficient”
Gaves says this legislation heading to the Senate can save millions of dollars and years of delays.

A new C-D-C report finds Louisiana’s suicide rate is up 29-percent since 1999. The national average is 25-percent during that time period. Louisiana Health Department Suicide Prevention Coordinator Danita Leblanc says the state needs to beef up its suicide detection efforts, because some troubled individuals are turing to the wrong health professionals…
cut 7 (10) “….to that”
The C-D-C report also found that 54-percent of suicide victims had no no previous mental health issues.

A 17-year-old from Many has been charged with careless operation in a fatal crash that killed a pastor from Sabine Parish. State Police Trooper Scott Moreau says 46-year-old Matthew Haggard was jogging on Highway 6 Thursday morning when the teen driver lost control and struck Haggard…
cut 4 (07) “…the scene”
Haggard leaves behind a wife and two sons.

The Louisiana health department announces plans to keep more people with serious mental illnesses out of state nursing homes. Executive counsel for the Department of Health, Stephen Russo, says the state is enhancing its mental health evaluations of nursing home patients and will find an approprirate home or a community-based setting, if needed. Russo says this will also help with the state’s budget situation…
cut 11 (06) “…nursing home setting”

The state wildlife and fisheries department has lifted a feeding ban in East Carroll, Madison and Tensas Parishes, because sampling tests did not detect chronic wasting disease among white-tailed deer. Extensive testing has been ongoing after a buck tested positive for C-W-D in Mississippi near the Missisippi River.

The US Justice Department reaches an agreement with Louisiana to help ensure people with serious mental illnesses are not living in a nursing home.
Cut 2 (30) ” I’m Matt Doyle”

Will we see the release of 10-thousand inmates after July 1st. State Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc says it will happen, unless the legislature replaces the some of the revenue lost when over a billion dollars in temporary sales taxes expire June 30th. Governor Edwards is expected to issue a call for another special session to give legislators another chance at passing tax bills before the end of the month.

A Sabine Parish pastor was killed while jogging after he was struck by a pickup truck driven by a teenager. Troopers responded to the crash just before 7 am on Thursday on Highway 6. State Police Master Trooper Scott Moreau says a 17 year old male was behind the wheel of the Chevy pickup that hit 46-year-old Matthew Haggard….
Cut 3 (07) “…on the westbound shoulder”
Moreau says the teen driver from Many was charged with careless operation.

It’s summer time and kids are out of school, but the state department of education says it’s important to make sure parents keep their children in engaged in learning. Assistant Superintendent Rebecca Kockler says find subjects that interest your child and participate in that learning…
cut 28 (12) “…what they are learning”
Kockler says there’s also a lot of good math programs on the internet that makes learning fun.

The summertime is here and while kids may be enjoying time away from the classroom, but as Kevin Barnhart explains, the experts say it’s an important time to make sure they stay engaged in learning.

Cut 3 (24) “Im Kevin Barnhart”

Governor John Bel Edwards indicated last night that he will be putting out the call for the third special session of the year today, and the 7^th of his administration, with the goal of raising revenue to head off a potential 30 percent reduction to TOPS and 96 million dollars in cuts to higher ed. The last session collapsed in the last moments as a tax bill that would have fully funded government, and reportedly had the votes for passage, was filibustered by an anti-tax legislator.

Researchers say the Gulf of Mexico “Dead Zone” off the Louisiana coast will grow to the size of Connecticut by the end of July, as part of its yearly expansion resulting from the tons of chemicals that ride down the Mississippi from Midwestern crop fields. The dead zone is an area with little oxygen, which drives away aquatic life. LSU Professor Dr. Eugene Turner says the size fluctuates, but has trended up over the years.

Cut 13 (10)  “temperature” 

Nicholls State is launching a new program, called CROWN, aimed at helping young black men stay at college, and finish their degree. After reviewing information from last year, the university discovered that only 53 percent of African American men returned after their freshman year. Education research indicates first generation students are a vulnerable population, and Chadwell says those students could use a helping hand.

Cut 6 (10) “…with their peers.”

Nicholls State is launching a new program, called CROWN, aimed at helping young black men stay at college, and finish their degree. After reviewing information from last year, the university discovered that only 53 percent of African American men returned after their freshman year. In response the university created the CROWN program, pairing freshman with upperclassmen mentors. CROWN Administrator Sean Chadwell says there was a lot of enthusiasm for it.

Cut 5  (12)  “…like other students”

The US Department of Justice has teamed up with several state agencies to help ensure people with serious mental illnesses have the opportunity to live in a community setting. The agreement follows a review by the DOJ in December of 2016 that claimed the state was unnecessarily relying on nursing homes to serve people with serious mental illnesses. Executive Counsel for the Department of Health, Stephen Russo:

Cut 10 (12)   “…for them is.”

Researchers say the Gulf of Mexico “Dead Zone” off the Louisiana coast will grow to the size of Connecticut by the end of July, as part of its yearly expansion. LSU Professor Dr. Eugene Turner says Planting season fertilizers, and other chemicals are dumped every year into waterways that feed into the Mississippi River, eventually making their way down into the delta. Turner says it’s been going on for hundreds of years.

Cut 14 (11) “watershed”

GOP House Delegation Chairman Lance Harris wrote a letter to Governor Edwards, in anticipation of the year’s third special session, calling on the Democrat to consider expanding the scope of the next session to more than just tax bills. Hes looking for reconsideration on a transparency measure known as Louisiana Checkbook, a reordering of the state’s calculations for expenditures, and is asking for the legislative auditor to have the authority to audit any state agencies financial records.

The US Justice Department reaches an agreement with Louisiana to help ensure people with serious mental illnesses are not living in a nursing home. Matt Doyle has the details.
Cut 2 (30) ” I’m Matt Doyle”

Could we see the release of 10-thousand inmates after July 1st. State Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc says it will happen, unless the legislature replaces some of the temporary sales taxes that are set to expire on June 30th. Governor Edwards will give legislators another chance at passing tax bills before the end of the month as the call for a third special session this year could come out today.

Nicholls State has a new program, called CROWN, aimed at helping black students stay in college, and finish their degree. The university discovered only 53 percent of African American men returned after their freshman year. CROWN administrator Dr. Sean Chadwell says in many cases the young black men who dropped out of college after one year are the first member of their family to go to college.
Cut 4 (09) “…think of it as theirs”
The program pairs freshmen with upper classmen who will mentor and guide the students through their early years.

LSU scientists predict the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone is expected to be larger than Connecticut this summer. Fertilizer, urban runoff and sewage flowing down the Mississippi River and into the Gulf creates the dead zone, which is an area of water which lacks oxygen, forcing fish to flee and killing sea life…
cut 15 (08)_ “…kroker”
That’s LSU researcher Doctor Eugene Turner.

Louisiana Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc says unless the leiglsature approves a tax bill to increase state revenues, he’ll be forced to release 10-thousand inmates starting July 1st. LeBlanc says his department is currently looking at a 75-million dollar cut. He says the inmates they would release would not be violent or sex offenders.

Louisiana’s health department says they will move people with serious mental illnesses out of state nursing homes and into community-based settings. Executive counsel for L-D-H, Stepen Russo, says they’ve already moved more than 25-hundred mentally ill people to community settings and more health screenings are underway…
cut 12 (12) “….subject matter experts”
This initative is the result of a lawsuit that claimed the state was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not having seriously mentally ill in community-based settings.

Only 53 percent of black men at Nicholls come back to school after their freshman year, so the University is starting a new mentorship program called CROWN…
voicer 1 (30) “…I’m Becca Dill”

Summertime is here and many kids are enjoying time away from the classroom, but experts say its an important time to keep kids engaged in learning. So what are the best ways to do that? The State Department of Education’s Rebecca Kockler says parents need to make learning exciting during the summer break.
Cut 7 (08) “…help them do that”

Researchers say the Gulf of Mexico “Dead Zone” off the Louisiana coast is expected to be larger than Connecticut by the end of July. The dead zone is an area with little oxygen, which drives away aquatic life. LSU Professor Dr. Eugene Turner says the size fluctuates, but has trended up over the years.
Cut 13 (10) “temperature”

With it being summertime, some parents struggle in keeping children engaged in learning. Assistant state Superintendent of Education Rebecca Kockler says it’s important that your child keep reading during the summer. She suggests find books in subjects that interest your child and much of that reading material is as close as the palm of your hand…
cut 9 (09) “….to keep practicing”

The state health department announces plans to keep more people with serious mental illnesses out of nursing homes. Executive counsel for the Department of Health, Stephen Russo, says the state is enhancing its screening and evaluations for all individuals with serious mental illness who are currently living in a nursing facility and will find an approprirate home or a community-based setting, for individuals in warranted cases. Russo says this will also help with the state’s budget situation…
cut 11 (06) “…nursing hom setting”

The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has lifted a feeding ban in place in East Carroll, Madison and Tensas Parishes, because sampling tests did not detect chronic wasting disease among white-tailed deer. Extensive testing was conducted after a buck tested positive for C-W-D in Mississippi near the Louisiana border.

A statewide poll from JMC Analytics shows despite a 42 percent national approval rating for President Donald Trump, Louisianans are still on board, as 56 percent of those surveyed approve of his administration. Pollster John Couvillion says “never Trump Republicans” never caught on in the Bayou State.

Cut 12 (09)   “amoungst Republicans”

The poll also indicates the president has strong support amongst white Democrats and independents.

But Couvillion says there’s two cities that just never bought in.

Cut 13 (08) “New Orleans” 

Results were also released for an early peak at the Secretary of State’s race, where Representative Leger, who’s made headlines in the most recent special session is polling in single digits, alongside Representative Stokes, who could be heard shouting at Representative Seabuagh during his dramatic last second filibuster Monday night.

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In a letter sent to Governor Edwards, US Senator John Kennedy expressed his concern over what he called an “inexcusable waste of taxpayer funds at the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.”  Kevin Barnhart has more…

Cut 1 (31)  I’m Kevin Barnhart“

Governor Edwards used his veto pen to take out 40 projects contained in the state’s three-point-six billion dollar construction spending plan. Most of the projects are in parishes represented by Republicans, who have voted against his tax plans. This comes just a day after Edwards vetoed a gas station bill that would have benefitted GOP House Chairman Lance Harris’ personal businesses.

A statewide poll from JMC Analytics shows an indecisive early start to the Secretary of State’s race. The special election will be held in fall as a result of a sexual harassment scandal that toppled the former Secretary Tom Schedler. It looks like most folks have no clue who many of the possible candidates are at this point, and Couvillion says that likely means it’ll take a big name to break the race open.

Cut 14 (11)  “ballot race”

A Shreveport woman is facing felony charges after her three dogs were found dead in her car.  Bossier City Police Spokesperson Mark Natale says that 47 year old Nancy Western was at Willis Knighton Medical Center, when she left her two Labrador retrievers and cocker spaniel in the vehicle

Cut 6 (12)  “…longer than that”

Two Louisiana men have been cited for alleged Louisiana Black Bear violations in St. Mary Parish on November 12^th, 2017. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries spokesperson Adam Einck saysThe bear was found in an open field six miles off Highway 83 near Glencoe, and Einck says the Department had no idea the bear was shot and killed…

Cut 4 (10) “black bear.”

It’s National Seersucker Day. Created in Louisiana during the early 1900’s, the seersucker suit has withstood the test of time to be a signature look in the south and an iconic apparel around the country.  It has since become a congressional tradition on the first Thursday of June to wear the suit, and now, Laurie Haspel with the company behind the look has expanded the celebration to a national holiday.

Cut 9 (08)  “…Thursday in June”

So what is the best way to celebrate National Seersucker Day? Haspel says it’s all about enjoying an afternoon beverage.