Numbers released by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program finds Louisiana once again leads the nation for murders, with a rate of 11.8 killed per 100,000 persons. New Orleans based Crime analyst Jeff Asher says this trend has gone on for some time..:
Cut 4 (09) “unfortunate distinction”
The report found that in 2016, there were 554 homicides in Louisiana.

The Coast Guard says it has suspended its search for a missing man who was unaccounted for after an explosion on a platform in Lake Pontchartrain near Kenner. He is identified as 44-year-old Timothy Morrison of Katy, Texas.

Tony the Tiger, the roadside attraction who was housed at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, has been euthanized due to heath issues. A statement indicates the 17-year-old tiger had to be put down due to kidney failure.

As authorities in Baker are still trying to piece together the case of the 13-year-old girl who left her newborn baby on a teacher’s doorstep, the Department of Children and Family Services is reminding residents about the state’s Safe Haven law. Child Protective Services Program Manager Mona Michelli says a mother can visit Louisiana-safe-haven-dot-com to find a place where they can give up a child less than 60 days old…:
Cut 7 (10) “relinquishment laws”
Michelli says the locator website was just launched last week but they’re hopeful mothers will use it to their advantage.

Louisiana once again leads the nation for murders.  Kelley Ray has more…

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Kelley Ray”

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The state Department of Children and Family Services has launched a Safe Haven locator website to prevent newborn abandonment. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Investigators are continuing to piece together the strange case of a baby born to a 13-year-old girl in Baker.  Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 3 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Louisiana is once again tops for murders in the country.  The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program says the states murder rate was 11.8 per 100,000 persons, with 554 homicides in 2016.  New Orleans based Crime analyst Jeff Asher says this trend has gone on for some time…

Cut 4  (09) “unfortunate distinction.”

Asher says even if you didn’t count New Orleans, Louisiana would remain tops in the country.  But why does the state have the highest homicide rate in the country?  Asher says it could be a number of factors…

Cut 5  (08)  “in between.”

Asher says even though Louisiana has the highest homicide rate in the county, the number of murders have declined over the last two decades…

Cut 6 (10) “hundred thousand.”

Asher says he hopes to see State Legislators to take the lead in helping to pass laws to help decrease the murder rate further.

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The state Department of Children and Family Services has posted an online mapping tool called Safe Haven Facility Locator in an effort to prevent newborn abandonment. Child Protective Services Program Manager Mona Michelli says a mother can visit Louisiana-safe-haven-dot-com (louisianasafehaven.com) to find a place where they can give up a child less than 60 days old…

Cut 7 (10)  “relinquishment laws”

A 13-year-old Baker mother left her new born baby at her teacher’s house yesterday, according to police. Michelli says the locator website was just launched last week but they’re hopeful mothers will use it to their advantage.

Cut 8 (11) “the mother”

If a mother or parent is not able to locate a facility, call 911 and an emergency responder can transport the child to a facility. Michelli says there are many Safe Haven locations for a mother of a child under 60 days old to relinquish her newborn.

Cut 9 (10)  “fire stations”

Michelli says it’s important to remember a mother faces no legal recourse if she follows the Safe Haven laws.

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Waitr is looking to help feed needy families. Starting this week, when customers order food service from the Lake Charles based app, they can donate between two and ten dollars and Waitr along with participating restaurants will match a customers’ donation.  Chief Marketing Officer Sonny Mayugba (MY-ooh-buh) says the “Share Thanksgiving” food drive will be conducted in all 130 markets…

Cut 10 (10)  “in need.”

Mayugba says unfortunately there are many people who need help putting food on their tables, so they want to make sure Thanksgiving is a day of hope for those in need…

Cut 11 (13) “excited about.”

Mayugba says their goal is to ensure no one goes hungry during Thanksgiving week…

Cut 12 (10) “excited about.”

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Investigators are piecing together the strange case of a baby born to a 13-year-old girl. Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn says the family wasn’t aware she was pregnant and she gave birth in her bedroom.  Dunn says the teen dropped the newborn off, with the umbilical cord still attached on a school teacher’s front porch…

Cut 13 (07) “right place.”

Dunn says after the baby was born the teen got her brother to assist with dropping the child off at a neighbor’s house…

Cut 14 (08) “they know.”

Dunn says he’s getting the word out about this incident because Louisiana law allows mothers to legally relinquish their newborns without repercussions…

Cut 15 (05) “for you.”

Police suspect the father is also just 13-years-old.

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A major story line heading into Saturday’s SEC West matchup between LSU and Ole Miss is the return of head coach Ed Orgeron to Oxford. Orgeron was the Rebels head coach from 2005 to 2007 and won just ten games. During his Monday press conference, Coach O downplayed the trip back to Oxford…

Cut 16  (19)  “about the team”

Orgeron will take a Tigers team to Ole Miss that’s feeling really good about themselves after emotional victories over Florida and Auburn. It appeared LSU’s season would crash and burn, but Orgeron says the lessons he learned at Ole Miss has helped him in Baton Rouge

Cut 17 (19)  “wouldn’t do that” 

LSU is coming off an impressive performance by its defense, holding Auburn to just 64 yards in the second half. For the first time this season, edge rusher Arden Key had a meaningful impact. Orgeron says the potential first round pick is starting to look like himself after missing spring practice and then offseason shoulder surgery

Cut 18 (13) “fantastic” 

Investigators are continuing to piece together the strange case of a baby born to a 13-year-old girl in Baker.  Police say the family wasn’t aware she was pregnant and gave birth to the baby at home in her bedroom.  Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn says he’s getting the word out about this incident because Louisiana law allows mothers to legally relinquish their newborns without repercussions…

(CUT 15) (:05) “for you.”

Police suspect the father is also just 13-years-old.

Zachary Police have charged a 33-year-old man with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting, stabbing and beating an 11-month old child. Police Chief David McDavid says they found several weapons in the house and the autopsy shows the baby died of multiple stab and gunshot wounds….

(Cut 7) (:06) “head also.”

Three victims from last night’s energy platform explosion on Lake Pontchartrain remain in critical condition and the search for a 44-year-old worker from Katy, Texas continues.  Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto is not releasing much information on that person…

(CUT 5) (:12) “find em.”

The fire on the platform is expected to burn out…

The three constitutional amendments on Saturday’s ballot passed and are now law. President of the Public Affairs Research Council Robert Travis Scott says the first amendment which establishes a property tax exemption for construction work in progress will make things more certain for tax assessors.

Cut 9 (11)  “be taxed”

The fire is out at the platform that was the site of an explosion last night on Lake Pontchartrain. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto says the platform is just a storage facility and owned by Clovelly Oil Company:
Cut 4 (12) “supply boat”
The Coast Guard is continuing to coordinate the search for a Texas man missing since the explosion occurred.

Investigators are piecing together the strange case of a baby born to a 13-year-old girl. Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn says the family wasn’t aware she was pregnant and gave birth in her bedroom. Dunn says the teen decided to drop the newborn off, with the umbilical cord still attached on a school teacher’s front porch…
Cut 13 (07) “right place.”
Police suspect the father is also just 13-years-old.

Zachary police say a man accused of allegedly murdering his 11-month-old baby is in custody. 33-year-old Fabian Smith is charged in the death of Jericho Smith. Police arrived on the scene to find the baby lying in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds. Police Chief David McDavid says Smith did not own up to the incident initially…
cut 6 (08) “….tragic event”
An autopsy report has determined the child stabbed and shot multiple times.

Voters approved all three constitutional amendments on Saturday’s ballot. Public Affairs Research Council President Robert Travis Scott says with the passage of amendment two, spouses of all first responders who die while on duty will receive a full property tax exemption and it’s retroactive….
cut 10 (10) “…valuable job”

The search continues for a missing worker after an oil and gas platform exploded in Lake Pontchartrain on Sunday…
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

New Orleans is on the verge of electing its first female mayor. Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell and former Municipal Court Judge Desiree Charbonnet are in the November 18 runoff. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says with history in the making, expect to hear more about this race…
Cut 12 (07) “sharp edged.”

An autopsy on an 11-month old East Baton Rouge child finds that the infant was shot, stabbed and beaten. Authorities have charged 33-year-old Fabian Smith with first-degree murder. Zachary Police Chief David McDavid says they responded to the home after another child in Smith’s house alerted a neighbor of what happened…
cut 8 (07) “….call 9-1-1″
Police are still searching for a motive.

Baton Rouge police say a homeowner fatally shot another man during a verbal altercation in his front yard. Sergeant Don Coppola says 26-year-old Clayton Bradford died at the scene on West Brock Place…
cut 16 (11) “…fired”
Coppola says the 36-year-old shooter is cooperating and no arrests have been made as of yet.

Zachary Police have charged a 33-year-old man with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting, stabbing and beating an 11-month old child. Police Chief David McDavid says they found several weapons in the house and the autopsy shows the baby died of multiple stab and gunshot wounds….
cut 7 (06) “…head also”
McDavid says Fabian Smith was the only adult home at the time of the murder. A motive hasn’t been established.

Also in East Baton Rouge, Baker Police say a 13-year-old secretely gave birth to a child and then left the baby, with the umbillica cord still attached on a teacher’s front porch. Authorities say the mother’s parents didn’t know their child was pregnant, but the baby appears to be healthy.

The search continues for a missing worker who was present during an explosion on an energy platform in Lake Pontchartrain. Three other workers are in critical condition.

The statewide turnout for Saturday’s special election for state treasurer was just 13-percent. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says the two men who made the runoff, Democrat Derrick Edwards and Republican John Schroder have their work cut out for them, when it comes to securing votes….
cut 13 (09) “…a ballot”
The runoff is November 18.

The three constitutional amendments on Saturday’s ballot all passed. Public Affairs Research Council President Robert Travis Scott, says with the passage of amendment three, the state has created a new fund that will only receive money, if the legislature decided to increase the gasoline tax….
cut 11 (07) “…have now”
Scott says that means new revenues from a gasoline tax must go towards highway construction. The approval of amendment one means property taxes can not be collected during construction work of a home or business.

An autopsy on an 11-month old East Baton Rouge child finds that the infant was shot, stabbed and beaten. Authorities have charged 33-year-old Fabian Smith with first-degree murder. Zachary Police Chief David McDavid says they responded to the home after another child in Smith’s house alerted a neighbor of what happened…
cut 8 (07) “….call 9-1-1”
Police are still searching for a motive.

In nearby Baker, police say a 13-year-old secretly gave birth to a child and then left the baby on her teacher’s front porch. The umbilical cord was still on the newborn. Police believe the girl gave birth to the child herself and her parents didn’t even know she was pregnant. The father is also believed to be 13-years-old. But Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn told a Baton Rouge TV station that the baby is fully healthy.

New Orleans will see it’s first female mayor in it’s history. Kelley Ray has more on the upcoming runoff election…
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

Voters approved all three constitutional amendments on Saturday’s ballot. Public Affairs Research Council President Robert Travis Scott says with the passage of amendment two, spouses of all first responders who die while on duty will receive a full property tax exemption and it’s retroactive….
cut 10 (10) “…valuable job”

The fire is out at the platform that was the site of an explosion last night on Lake Pontchartrain. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto says the platform is just a storage facility and owned by Clovelly Oil Company:
Cut 4 (12) “supply boat”
The Coast Guard is continuing to coordinate the search for a man missing since the explosion occurred.

The November 18th runoff will decide the first woman to be mayor of New Orleans, after LaToya Cantrell and Desiree Charbonnet advance from the first round of voting on Saturday. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says this is a historic first, but not a surprise two women in the runoff..:
Cut 14 (12) “have two”
Voter turnout for the Mayoral primary was 32 percent.

A 13-year-old girl left her newborn baby at the front step of a teacher’s home in Baker, according to cops. They say the teen told authorities she didn’t know what to do with the baby, so she left it at the teacher’s door and left. Apparently the teen’s parents didn’t know she was pregnant, and the girl gave birth alone in a bedroom. At this point they are not expecting any arrests.

Detectives in Baton Rouge are investigating a fatal shooting last night that left a 26-year-old dead after a homeowner claims he brandished a firearm and charged at him. BRPD Sgt. Don Coppola says the 36-year-old homeowner told police he was standing in his yard when he shot Clayton Bradford after a verbal altercation…:
Cut 15 (10) “crimes unit”
He says this is an ongoing investigation.

Authorities are still looking for a worker who may have gone missing after an explosion on a platform in Lake Pontchartrain last night. Four of the seven injured people have left the hospital while three are critically injured. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto is not releasing much information on the 8th worker that remains missing…:
Cut 5 (12) “find em”
They said the fire is almost out, and it doesn’t appear there is any pollution in the water.

City Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell and former Municipal Court Judge Desiree Charbonnet are headed to a New Orleans mayoral runoff; and the city will see it’s first female mayor ever. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says that makes this race far more interesting…:
Cut 12 (07) “sharp edged”
Voter turnout for the Mayoral primary was 32 percent.

The three constitutional amendments on Saturday’s ballot passed and are now law. President of the Public Affairs Research Council Robert Travis Scott says the first amendment which establishes a property tax exemption for construction work in progress will make things more certain for tax assessors…:
Cut 9 (11) “be taxed”
Amendment number two will give the spouses of volunteer firefighters, EMS, and paramedics who die on duty, a full property tax exemption. With the passage of amendment three, the state has created a new fund within the transportation fund.

The search continues for a missing worker after an oil and gas platform exploded in Lake Pontchartrain on Sunday….:
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

We’re feeling significantly cooler weather today in Louisiana, and State Climatologist Barry Keim says we may have broken the back up summer…:
Cut 26 (07) “be over”
Most of the state will see highs just in the 70s today, and minimum temps in the upper 40s low 50s.

Zachary police a man allegedly murdered his 11-month-old baby. 33-year-old Fabian Smith is charged in the death of Jericho Smith. Police arrived on the scene Saturday to find the baby lying in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds. Zachary Police Chief David McDavid says Smith had allegedly locked other children outside…:
Cut 6 (08) “tragic event”
Smith has been charged with first-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to juveniles.

State Police say a 4-year-old was killed over the weekend after being struck by a vehicle in Iberia Parish. They say Raylen Jones of New Iberia had wandered outside of his home Saturday night without detection and ended up in the street. LSP responded to the accident around 10:30pm that night. Troopers, along with the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office Juvenile Division are continuing the investigation.