More than 1900 prisoners are slated to be released today before their sentences are complete – the first step in a criminal justice reform package approved in the last legislative session. State Department of Corrections’ Jimmy LeBlanc says those getting out will still be monitored…:
CUT 12 (10) “control of”
Those who oppose the new laws believe this will put a bigger burden on law enforcement.

Tickets sales for the LSU versus Alabama game in Tuscaloosa Saturday are the biggest for the Crimson Tide this season on the secondary market. That’s according to Stub Hub’s Cameron Papp…:
Cut 7 (08) their calendars”
He says the average ticket price is going for about 300 bucks.

A Caldwell Parish teen is in police custody after he allegedly burned down a building that belonged to a historic church in Rayville…:
Cut 3 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Exxon Mobil in Baton Rouge caught fire early this morning, but officials say the blaze is now under control. They say there were no injuries and there is no off-site impact.

The steakhouse at Harrah’s in New Orleans has been renamed BH Steak, instead of Besh Steak. The move comes a week after the casino broke ties with celebrity chef John Besh amid reports of sexual harassment within the company he operates. The name BH Steak honors Bill Harrah, who founded the Harrah’s gambling empire.

19-hundred non-violent offenders will be released starting today as part of approved changes in criminal justice reform…:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Kelley Ray”

LSU takes on the Alabama Crimson Tide this Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and ticket sales are on fire. Cameron Papp with Stub Hub says the average ticket price is going for about 300 bucks…:
Cut 8 (11) “college football”

November marks the final month of Hurricane Season, but State Climatologist Barry Keim says Louisiana has never seen tropical activity this month since record keeping began. But he says the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season ranks among the top 10 most active in history..:
Cut 5 (06) “major hurricanes”
This was the first year in four that Louisiana was impacted by storms.

A Caldwell Parish juvenile is in custody for allegedly destroying a building that belonged to St. Paul Baptist church in nearby Richland Parish. Richland Sheriff Gary Gilley says the suspect is also accused of stealing an Entergy truck before setting fire to the church’s new sanctuary..:
Cut 14 (12) “Caldwell Parish”
Gilley says the juvenile will be facing arson in his parish.

Over 19-hundred non-violent prisoners will be released today as part of the state’s new criminal justice reform. The governor says this will lower the incarceration rate in Louisiana, and produce better outcomes for non-violent offenders. Winn Parish Sheriff Cranford Jordan (jer-dun) opposes:
Cut 10 (11) “job properly”
But supporters say the reforms will save the state money and reduce the recidivism rate.

The hurricane season ends after this month, but a named storm has never struck Louisiana in November in 167 years of record keeping. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the state dodged a bullet in 2009 when Tropical Storm Ida formed on November 4 then churned in the Gulf..:
Cut 4 (08) “was spared”
But he says the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season ranks among the top 10 most active in history.

The SEC matchup of the year is this Saturday when LSU takes on Alabama. Emelie Gunn takes a look at ticket sales on the secondary market…:
Cut 1 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Today Governor John Bel Edwards will travel to New Orleans for a tour of NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, and to announce new job creation projects while highlighting the recovery of New Orleans East.

The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office says two men, one of them armed with a handgun, stopped a school bus because they felt the bus driver was speeding. Lt. Col. Ward Webb says after producing a copy of the ordnance, an altercation apparently ensued and the bus driver drove away and called police. He says it’s always the best to call police if faced with a similar matter…

Cut 8 (11) “the peace”

Baton Rouge Police are investigating a crash off Airline Highway, which left two people dead including a toddler. Sgt. Don Coppola says witnesses told detectives they saw the driver of a 2009 Mustang driving erratically and crossing over the median multiple times before hitting an 18-wheeler head on…

Cut 5  (11)  “his injuries”

A woman was arrested after allegedly using pepper spray on several people inside a Chuck E Cheese’s restaurant in Metairie.  Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Jason Rivarde says they were called to the scene and arrested Katarian Marshall of New Orleans after she hit some children and adults with the spray following an apparent argument…

Cut 4 (06) “by paramedics.”

State police are reminding those out for Halloween activities tonight that this holiday is more dangerous for drunk driving than New Years.  Trooper Melissa Matey says last New Year’s Eve there were seven deaths in Louisiana, five were alcohol related with similar numbers last Halloween…

Cut 13 (09) “to alcohol.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation says deaths from impaired driving make up half of all traffic fatalities…

The suspect in the high profile Grambling State University double murder has hired a defense team to argue his innocence. Attorneys Ronald Haley and Dedrick (Deed-Rick) Moore would not reveal 19-year-old Jaylin Wayne’s side of the story, but said the focus should switch to the environment at Grambling. Moore says there is a culture of gun violence on campus:

Cut 10 (08) “continue to take place”

A Caldwell Parish teen is in police custody after he allegedly burned down a building that belonged to a historic church in Rayville. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3   (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”  

The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office says two men, one of them armed with a handgun, stopped a school bus because they felt the bus driver was speeding. Lt. Col. Ward Webb says the bus was traveling down the road with students on board yesterday afternoon when 58-year-old Clifton Hamby and 60-year-old Kerry LaSaicherre(Les-sha-share) refused to let the driver pass.

Cut 7 (10) “with speeding”

A report from the Centers for Disease Control finds children are four times more likely to be hit by a vehicle on Halloween than any other night of the year. State Trooper Melissa Matey also adds it’s illegal for sex offenders to participate in any Halloween events where children may be present. She says L-S-P will be out in full force tonight.

Cut 15 (09) “the wheel”

The suspect in last week’s double murder at Grambling State University, Jaylin Wayne, says he’s not guilty and has hired a defense team. Attorney Ronald Haley says there was yet another suspected shooting on campus this past weekend, and they feel more light should be shed on a bigger problem at Grambling…gun violence…
Cut 11 (11) “3.6 GPA”
Wayne faces first-degree murder charges.

State Police asks the public to make smart decisions tonight, especially if they attend a Halloween party…
cut 14 (10) “….to drink”
Trooper Melissa Matey says State Police responded to several fatal accidents last Halloween weekend where 11 people lost their life, six of those wrecks were alcohol related.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff deputies arrested a woman for allegedly pepper spraying people at a Chuck E. Cheese in Metairie. Lt. Jason Rivarde says 24-year-old Katarian Marshall was angry and started indiscriminately spraying pepper spray, hitting five adults and two kids:
Cut 4 (06) “by paramedics”
Marshall is charged with disturbing the peace by fighting.

Ascension Sheriff deputies arrested two Prairieville men for allegedly stopping a school bus and one of the men was armed. Lt. Colonel Ward Webb says 58-year-old Clifton Hamby and 60-year-old Kerry LaSaicherre (Les-sha-share) were angry with the bus driver for speeding on the road they lived on. Webb says the men should have called police instead…
cut 8 (11) “…the peace”
Webb says the men never threatened the bus driver with the gun.

The suspect in the high profile Grambling State University double murder has hired a defense team to argue his innocence.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”
KNOE TV say someone is in police custody after a church fire in Richland Parish. St. Paul Baptist church in Rayville just had their 137th anniversary. Reports says the old building is fine, it was the new building that was burned. The fire marshal along with police are investigating the fire that started at around 9:30 this morning.

State Police is reminding those out of the street for trick or treating or attending Halloween parties that this holiday is more dangerous for drunk driving than New Years. Trooper Melissa Matey says last New Year’s Eve there was 7 deaths in Louisiana and five were alcohol related.
Cut 13 (09) “…to alcohol.”
Matey encourages people to make smart decisions before heading out to parties tonight.

Baton Rouge Police are investigating a crash that took the life of a 23-year-old and a two-year-old. Sgt. Don Coppola says they received calls of a Mustang driving recklessly down Airline Highway before hitting an 18-wheeler head on. He says the driver is identified as Wallacea Swazer of Baton Rouge and two year-old Carter Northern.
Cut 6 (06) “the crash”
A 19-year-old male was a passenger in the vehicle and was transported to the hospital with moderate injuries.

The police chief in Shreveport is on paid administrative leave after he fired his gun at an armed robbery suspect. Emelie Gunn has the story…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The suspect in the Grambling State University double murder has hired a defense team to argue his innocence.  Attorneys Ronald Haley and Dedrick Moore won’t reveal 19-year-old Jaylin Wayne’s side of the story, but say the focus should be on the environment at Grambling and their culture of gun violence.

Cut 10 (08) “continue to take place”

State Attorney General Jeff Landry wants to take control of a lawsuit filed by Governor Edwards suing opioid manufacturers. Landry also wants to hire former Mississippi AG Mike Moore who successfully sued tobacco manufacturers in the 1990s.  Landry is asking the court to allow him to supersede the state Department of Health’s lawsuit against more than a dozen pharmaceutical firms.  He wants to include allegations of the increased cost to the criminal justice system and the loss of workforce productivity.

A woman was arrested after allegedly using pepper spray on several people inside a Chuck E Cheese’s restaurant in Metairie.  Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Jason Rivarde says they were called to the scene and arrested Katarian Marshall of New Orleans after an apparent argument…

Cut 3 (07) “the woman.”

The suspect in the double murder at Grambling State University, Jaylin Wayne, says he’s innocent and has hired a defense team. Attorney Ronald Haley says there was yet another shooting on campus just this past weekend, and they feel more light should be shed on a bigger problem at Grambling, that being gun violence. He says school officials aren’t saying everything…:
Cut 11 (11) “3.6 GPA”
Wayne faces first-degree murder charges.

The FCC has approved Monroe headquartered CenturyLink’s acquisition of Level 3 Communications, paving the way to close the deal. The company says this is great news and means everything is now in place to complete the transaction, which they anticipate will be effective tomorrow. CenturyLink and Level 3 believe the merger will allow CenturyLink to compete with AT&T and Verizon Communications in the business communications market.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office says a Metairie woman is under arrest for allegedly pepper spraying people at Chuck E. Cheese’s. Lt. Jason Rivarde says 24-year-old Katarian Marshall was angry and started indiscriminately spraying pepper spray, hitting five adults and two kids:
Cut 4 (06) “by paramedics”
Marshall is charged with disturbing the peace by fighting.

Two men apparently angry about a school bus they said always speeds down a road in Ascension Parish are now facing charges for trying to take matters into their own hands. Lt. Col. Ward Webb says one of the suspects was armed when the two stopped the bus and confronted the driver…:
CUT 9 (10) “is legal”
But he said the two should have called police to report the problem, instead they were both charged with obstruction of a highway and disturbing the peace.

The suspect in the high profile Grambling State University double murder has hired a defense team to argue his innocence. Attorneys Ronald Haley and Dedrick (Deed-Rick) Moore would not reveal 19-year-old Jaylin Wayne’s side of the story, but said the focus should switch to the environment at Grambling. Moore says there is a culture of gun violence on campus:
CUT 10 (08) “continue to take place”
They say cops framed this as an isolated incident, but they feel it is not.

Baton Rouge Police are investigating a crash off Airline Highway, which left two people dead including a toddler. Sgt. Don Coppola says witnesses told detectives they saw a 2009 Mustang driving erratically and crossing over the median multiple times before hitting an 18-wheeler head on…:
Cut 5 (11) “his injuries”

The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office says two men, one of them armed with a handgun, stopped a school bus because they felt the bus driver was speeding. Lt. Col. Ward Webb says the bus was traveling down the road with students on board yesterday afternoon when 58-year-old Clifton Hamby and 60-year-old Kerry LaSaicherre (Les-sha-share) refused to let the driver pass…:
Cut 7 (10) “with speeding”
The two men were both arrested and charged with obstruction of a highway and disturbing the peace.

Saints and Pelicans Owner Tom Benson is said to be doing very well and was expected to be released from the hospital today.