Louisiana’s public schools performed only slightly better on ACT scores compared to last year, but with an average of 19.6 — that’s up from 19.1 since 2013. State Superintendent of Education John White says the number of students who qualify for TOPS also grew at every level of the award this year…:
Cut 10 (10) “than did in 2012″
There were also gains among African Americans who scored an average of 17.5 this year.

NOAA now says there is a 60 percent chance of an above-normal Atlantic Hurricane season, up from May’s prediction of 45 percent. NOAA lead hurricane season forecaster Gerry Bell says wind patterns are conducive for storm development and sea surface temperatures are well above normal…:
Cut 7 (06) “will persist”
The prediction now calls for 14-19 named storms.

Baton Rouge Police say a truck driver from Tennessee was robbed then killed while changing a tire in a parking lot Tuesday morning. They believe 49-year-old Keith Odom, of Jonesborough, was shot after he turned over his possessions to the robber. He later died at a local hospital. No suspect in the killing has been identified…:
Cut 5 (12) “a call”
That’s BRPD’s Sgt. Don Coppola.

South Louisiana authorities are still looking for Lafayette businessman Lawrence Michael Handely, who is wanted in the kidnapping of a woman. Detectives believe two men who drowned when evading West Baton Rouge Parish Deputies were involved in the crime. How all of this connects remains unknown at this time. The Lafayette Police Department has only said that the woman’s abduction stemmed from an ongoing domestic dispute” between her and Handley.

NOAA has increased its projected total of named storms for this hurricane season. In May, government forecasters predicted 11 to 17 named storms, now they believe we’ll see anywhere from 14 to 19 named storms. NOAA lead hurricane season forecaster Gerry Bell says the chance of an El Nino forming has dropped significantly, which is another reason the total rose:
Cut 8 (06) “wind shear”
He says sea surface temperatures are also well above normal.

A Lafayette Parish grand jury has indicted a man with murder in connection with the death of Jacqueline “Daisy Lynn” Landry. 22-year-old Malik Davis is accused of second degree murder. Family members and friends still can not find Daisy Lynn since she was last seen in May. Little else is known about this case, including Davis’ involvement and what may have happened that lead to the murder charge and indictment.

Baton Rouge Police say a truck driver from Tennessee was robbed then killed while changing a tire in a parking lot Tuesday morning. Sgt. Don Coppola says 49-year-old Keith Odom, of Jonesborough, was shot after he turned over his possessions to the robber…:
Cut 4 (09) “by the robber”
He later died at a local hospital. No suspect in the killing has been identified.

Many schools got back in session today, which means the school buses are back on the road. Kip Diggs with State Farm says buses usually move a little slower than regular traffic, not to mention their regular travel in school zones. He says drivers should consider that and leave a little earlier because if you get stopped behind a bus, all you can do it wait…:
Cut 14 (12) “in your day”
He says it is never safe to pass a stopped school bus.

NOAA predicts there could be as many as 19 named storms this hurricane season…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The State Department of Education announced today that students in public schools increased average ACT scores from 19.1 in 2013 to 19.6 today. Superintendent of Education John White says more kids are also getting college acceptable scores..:
CUT 9 (10) “college benchmark”

Kids are heading back to school, which means school buses are getting back on the road. Kip Diggs with State Farm reminds drivers to be extra cautious when a bus is stopped for loading and unloading. He says it is never safe to pass a stopped school bus…:
Cut 12 (09) “hit a child”
Louisiana law requires vehicles to stop 30 feet away when children are getting on or off the bus.

A federal judge has blocked a current state law saying foreign born applicants can’t obtain a marriage license without a birth certificate. A Lafayette man who was born in an Indonesian refugee camp and doesn’t have a birth certificate filed a suit, because he’s unable to marry his fiancee.

NOAA has increased its projected total of named storms for this hurricane season. In May, government forecasters predicted 11 to 17 named storms, now they believe we’ll see anywhere from 14 to 19 named storms. NOAA lead hurricane season forecaster Gerry Bell:
Cut 6 (09) “extremely active”
He says this could be the most active season since 2010.

Baton Rouge authorities are searching for the gunman who fatally shot a Tennessee truck driver, while he was changing a tire on his 18-wheeler Tuesday morning. Sgt. Don Coppola says this tragic incident claimed the life of the 49-year-old man…:
Cut 3 (10) “robbed him”
They believe Odom turned over his possessions then was shot and killed. A suspect has not yet been identified in the case.

The State Department of Education announced today that students in public schools increased average ACT scores for the 4th year in a row, from 19.1 in 2013 to 19.6 today. Superintendent of Education John White said there is also substantial rise in the number of students achieving college acceptable scores. He says since 2012, 3900 more students scored a 21 or higher in 2017.

LSP in Troop C, which covers southeast Louisiana, is worried about the uptick in preventable traffic fatalities in the area….:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

West Baton Rouge Sheriff Mike Cazes is certain the two bodies pulled out of the Intracoastal Canal on Monday are connected to a kidnapping case in Lafayette. It’s believed the men jumped into the waterway while fleeing the police…
cut 12 (10) “….out that water”
South Louisiana authorities are still looking for Lafayette businessman Lawwrence Michael Handely, who is wanted in the kidnapping of the woman. Detectives believe the two men who drowned were involved in the crime.

It’s the first day of school in Livingston Parish and kids are receiving free breakfast and lunch for the school year, because of last year’s devastating floods. Livingston Superintendent Rick Wentzel says the USDA is funding the free meals…
cut 5 (11) “…our parents’

The controversy over how the pumps operated in New Orleans during the weekend flooding event is not over. Michelle Southern reports..:
Voicer 3 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

State Police Troop C, which covers the bayou parishes, is concerned about the recent increase in preventable traffic fatalities. Troop Commander Captain Frank Besson (Bay-sawn) says not wearing seat belts and impaired driving are the biggest factors…:
Cut 7 (10) “the crashes”

Livingston Parish students and teachers are looking forward to a year of normalcy as they begin classes today days ahead of the one year anniversary of the historic flood. School superintendent Rick Wentzel says after dealing with the devastation of homes, schools and businesses, the community is ready to get back into a routine…:
Cut 6 (10) “safe environment”
This year all students in the parish will receive free breakfast and lunch.

Two suspects in a Lafayette kidnapping apparently drowned in the Intracoastal Canal after evading deputies in a chase. West Baton Rouge Sheriff Mike Cazes, who says deputies made a shocking discovery when they searched a van the two men abandoned near LA 1 when they gave chase…:
Cut 11 (10) “manhunt started”
The men were later found drowned in the canal.

State Police in the Troop C area, which covers parishes in the Deep South of Louisiana is concerned about the recent increases in preventable traffic fatalities in the area. Troop Commander Captain Frank Besson (Bay-sawn) says they have investigated 31 fatality crashes, resulting in 37 deaths, so far this year, up 35-percent in 2016. He says DWI arrests are up this year…:
Cut 8 (10) “as well”
Besson says it’s easy to make good driving decisions, like wearing your seat belt and never driving under the influence.

NOAA will issue an outlook update at this hour going into the peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season. There have been six named storms over the first nine weeks of this season. Initially, NOAA predicted an above-normal season with 11 to 17 named storms, of which five to nine could become hurricanes, including two to four major hurricanes.

Students and teachers in Livingston Parish are heading back to school today and hoping for some normalcy this year. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Baton Rouge Police say a truck driver from Tennessee was robbed then killed while changing a tire in a parking lot Tuesday morning. They believe 49-year-old Keith Odom, of Jonesborough, was shot after he turned over his possessions to the robber. He later died at a local hospital. No suspect in the killing has been identified.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced changes in the management of the Sewerage and Water Board, due to unreliable information given to the public in the wake of Saturday’s storm that flooded homes and businesses. The board’s Superintendent, Joe Becker, told the city council Tuesday that all of the pump stations were working at maximum capacity. But City Councilman Jason Williams called that a fabrication and asked Becker to clarify…:
Cut 14 (10) “(angry crowd jeering)”
Landrieu said he will ask for Becker to resign.

State Police Troop C covering Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption, and parts of St. James and St. Charles parishes says they have investigated 31 fatality crashes, resulting in 37 deaths so far this year. Captain Frank Besson (Bay-sawn) says they are cracking down on drunk drivers by upping check points and…:
Cut 9 (09) “get blood”

Two suspects in a Lafayette kidnapping apparently drowned in the Intracoastal Canal after evading deputies in a chase. That’s according to West Baton Rouge Sheriff Mike Cazes (Caze), who says Iberville Parish deputies called for assistance in a pursuit down I-10…:
Cut 10 (08) “his problem”
He said the chase ended in a manhunt, then the two bodies were later found in the canal. Lafayette Police believe these two individuals were connected to an aggravated kidnapping.

Livingston Parish students and teachers are looking forward to a normal school year as they head back to school today. School superintendent Rick Wentzel says crews worked extensively on 8 campuses damaged in the flood last year. Three of those are complete, but five in the Denham Springs area will not be fully rebuilt for some time…:
Cut 4 (11) “next summer”
This year all students in the parish will receive free breakfast and lunch.

LSP in Troop C, which covers southeast Louisiana, is worried about the uptick in preventable traffic fatalities in the area. Emelie Gunn has more.:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

There were no jackpot winner’s in last nights Mega Millions drawing which now goes to a whopping $382 million dollars. The top prize for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing is $307 million. This is the first time ever that, U.S. lottery players will have a choice of games offering jackpots topping $300 million.

Livingston Parish students and teachers are looking forward to a year of normalcy as they begin classes today just ahead of the one year anniversary of the 2016 flood. Livingston Superintendent Rick Wentzel says this year all students in the parish will receive free breakfast and lunch through the USDA…:
Cut 5 (11) “parents”

State Police in the Troop C area, which covers parishes in the Deep South of Louisiana, is concerned about the recent increases in preventable traffic fatalities in the area. Troop Commander Captain Frank Besson (Bay-sawn) says not wearing seat belts and impaired driving are the biggest factors…:
Cut 7 (10) “the crashes”
He says they have investigated 31 fatality crashes, resulting in 37 deaths, so far this year.

The controversy over how the pumps operated in the city of New Orleans during the weekend flooding event is not over. The city council called a meeting just before Sewerage & Water Board Executive Director Cedric Grant announced his retirement. The board’s Superintendent, Joe Becker, said that the system is not designed to handle that much rain in a short period…:
Cut 13 (11) “four and five hundred more pumps”
But the board admitted to not being totally honest about pump capacity during the event. Mayor Mitch Landrieu said he is going to recommend the termination of Becker.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch through this evening for East Carroll, Madison, Morehouse, Richland and West Carroll parishes. Forecasters say thunderstorms in northeast Louisiana could produce rainfall amounts of one to two inches in a short period that could lead to flash flooding.

The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Coastwide Nutria Control Program is looking for south Louisiana landowners and hunters to help combat the invasive rodent. LDWF Biologist Catherine Normand says these pests can cause serious damage to an already vulnerable coast.

Cut 9 (11) “in place”

Normand says the goal is to reduce Nutria induced marsh damage by removing about 400-thousand rodents per season.

Mandeville Police have arrested a 25-year-old man accused of brutally raping a 53-year-old woman inside her home. Chief Gerald Sticker says they were able to catch up with Ronald Moore Jr. of Lacombe at his home after releasing to the media a photo of him on surveillance video.

Cut 12 (08) “of this rape”

A man in Caddo Parish has been charged with cruelty to animals after allegedly fatally shooting his neighbor’s dachshund, because he thought it was an alligator. Caddo Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Bobby Herring says the dog was found in the pond with multiple gunshot wounds.

Cut 7 (07) “on it”

Tommy Collinsworth Jr told cops he thought the dog was an alligator.

Louisiana Lottery players have two shots at millions this week. Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is up to $350 million, while the Powerball is also soaring at $307 million. Louisiana Lottery spokesman Dustin Annison encourages everyone to check their numbers right away and sign the ticket if it has any winning numbers.

Cut 16 (08) “to everybody”

Mega Millions cash value for tonight’s drawing is $218 million.