Louisiana’s unemployment rate is at a three-year-low at 5.5 percent. Don Molino has more on the latest jobs report…

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For the first time ever a trade agreement will allow Louisiana to export rice to China. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says this is a huge achievement for the industry.

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Baton Rouge drivers who use the Old Mississippi River Bridge will have to find an alternate route this weekend as the bridge and US 190 are closed until Monday morning at 8. Rodney Mallet with DOTD says they’re doing what they can to keep delays minimal.

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For up to date travel information, visit 511la.org.

Twenty-one-hundred soldiers at Fort Polk will deploy to Iraq this fall for anti-terrorism operations. Base spokesperson Kim Reischling says they are committed to providing support to the families of the deployed soldiers. She says Fort Polk provides these families with the services they need while their loved ones are deployed.

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The Advocacy Center has filed a lawsuit to gain access to inmates at David Wade Correctional Center after prisoners claimed they were forced to bark like dogs for food. Attorney Katie Schwartzman with the McArthur Justice Center says it’s their job to investigate claims of abuse.

Cut 4 (11) “of that prison”

The Department of Corrections has not issued a statement.

An investigation is heating up in St. Tammany Parish, as an autopsy shows a Lacombe woman was actually not killed in a house fire. The coroner says Nanette Krentel was fatally shot before the home was set on fire. The sheriff’s office and the state fire marshal’s office are investigating the incident, as Krentel is the wife of the local fire chief.

US 190 at the Old Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge is closed all weekend as crews work to repair the railroad track there. Rodney Mallet with the state department of transportation says the highway will remain closed until 5 a.m. Monday. So drivers will have to use an alternate route.

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Motorists can get back on the highway using either LA 1 or LA 415.

More than two thousand soldiers from Fort Polk will deploy to Iraq this fall for antiterrorism operations. Base spokesperson Kim Reischling says members of the 3^rdBrigade Combat Team have trained for the last year.

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Reischling says 60-percent of the unit will be deployed, and the rest will continue training on the base.

After a two-year-old from Arkansas spent 15 minutes underwater, doctors at LSU Health New Orleans helped regrow her lost brain matter. Jeff Palermo has more…
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Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain expects Louisiana farmers will benefit from a new trade agreement that results in China importing U-S rice for the first time ever…
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China imports an estimated five million tons of rice every year.

Data from the Louisiana Workforce Commission puts The Bayou State’s unemployment rate at 5.5-percent, a three year low. The report also shows nonfarm jobs increased by nearly 21-thousand over the last 12 months. L-W-C Executive Director Ava Dejoie says three industry sectors reached all-time highs in employment.
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The Advocacy Center files a lawsuit against the David Wade Correctional center in Homer after mentally ill inmates claim they had to bark like a dog for food. Attorney Katie Schwartzmann says it’s the Advocacy Center’s job to investigate abuse allegations, but prison officials won’t let them.
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The D-O-C has no comment.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate is at a three-year-low, 5-point-five percent. Don Molino has more on the latest jobs report…
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The St. Tammany Parish Coroner has determined that a Lacombe-area woman found dead in a home fire, was actually shot first and died from the gunshot wound, not the fire. The victim, 49-year-old Nanette Krentel, is the wife of St. Tammany District 12 Fire Chief Stephen Krentel. The fire took place last Friday.

The US has reached an agreement with Chinese officials that will allow for the first time Louisiana and other states to export rice to China. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says it took so long for the trade agreement to be finalized because of safety protocols.
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Louisiana produces the most rice in the U.S. just behind Arkansas and California.

Traveling to the Capitol City? The Old Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge, which is Highway 190, closes at 8 p.m. tonight so crews can repair an old railroad track there. Rodney Mallet is with state Department of Transportation.
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US 190 is expected to reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday.

The June jobs report came out today and it shows Louisiana has added nearly 21-thousand jobs since June 2016 and the unemployment rate is down to 5.5 percent, a three-year low. Construction has seen the largest gains , with an increase of 15-thousand jobs. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Ava Dejoie says Lake Charles continues to be the fastest growing job market with an increase in 55-hundred jobs over the last year….
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Baton Rouge, Monroe and New Orleans also saw job gains over the last year.

Governor John Bel Edwards announced the resignation of State Police Commissioner Calvin Braxton. WWL-TV found evidence that Braxton allegedly intimidated a trooper after the trooper arrested Braxton’s daughter for DWI.

Some shocking allegations have come out against David Wade Correctional Center in Homer. A lawsuit has been filed claiming mentally ill prisoners are forced to bark like dogs, before they were fed. Attorney Katie Schwartzmann says the Advovacy Center has been denied access to talk with the prisoners about the claims…
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The state department of corrections is not commenting on the suit.

Motorists heading into the Baton Rouge area need to know the U.S. Highway 190 Bridge will be closed starting at 8 PM to repair railroad tracks and the closure is expected to last the weekend. DOTD spokesperson Rodney Mallett says drivers planning to use the Old Mississippi River bridge need to find an alternate…
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The Advocacy Center files a lawsuit against a Louisiana prison after they were denied access to inmates who made claims of abuse. Attorney Katie Schwartzman with the McArthur Justice Center says they’re concerned about the prisoner at David Wade Correctional Center in Homer.

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The Department of Corrections has not made a statement on the suit.

For the first time ever, Louisiana will be able to export rice to China thanks to a new trade agreement. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says this is a huge achievement for the rice industry.

Cut 6 (06) “13 days”

Louisiana is the third biggest rice producer in the US behind Arkansas and California.

At 5.5 percent, Louisiana’s unemployment rate is down to a three year low. Executive Director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, Ava Dejoie, says the Houma are has gained 600 jobs since Ma7, and Lafayette has added jobs in four out of six months.

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Constructions jobs saw the largest one month gains with 4,000 new jobs.

Fort Polk is deploying more than 2,000 soldiers to Iraq for anti-terrorism operations. Base spokesperson Kim Reischling says 60 percent of the unit will be deployed, leaving less than two thousand men and women of the combat team on the base.

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The 3^rd Brigade Team has trained for this deployment for the last year.

New data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics shows The Bayou State’s unemployment rate at 5.5-percent, which is a three year low. The June employment report also shows nonfarm jobs increased by nearly 21-thousand over the last 12 months. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Ava Dejoie says three industry sectors also reached all-time highs in employment.
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The Old Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge will close today at 8 p.m. so crews can repair the railroad track there. Rodney Mallet with state Department of Transportation says drivers can use LA 1 or LA 415 as alternate routes. He says motorists should expect some delays, but DOTD is doing what they can to alert drivers of the closure.
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US 190 will reopen at 5 a.m. on Monday.

Mentally ill inmates at the David Wade Correctional Center in Homer claim they were forced to bark like dogs for food. Jeff Palermo has more…
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Two Shreveport business owners have been arrested in connection to a multi-state human trafficking investigation, according to State Police. After receiving a call from Missouri State Police alerting authorities, the owners the Palm Massage were arrested after police found evidence indicating that Chinese women were trafficked from the east coast to Louisiana and forced to work.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate is at a three-year-low, according to new numbers from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Don Molino has more…
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The good economic news doesn’t stop there. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain expects Louisiana farmers will benefit from a new trade agreement that results in China importing U-S rice for the first time ever…
cut 8 (07) “…good news”
China imports an estimated five million tons of rice every year.

Twenty-one hundred soliders from Fort Polk in Vernon Parish will deploy to to Iraq this fall for an antiterrorism operation. Base spokesperson Kim Reischling says support is in place to help spouses and children that are left behind when their loved ones are overseas…
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Reischling says once members of the third Brigade Combat Team deploy, there will be just under two-thousand active soliders at the base.

Some shocking allegations have come out against David Wade Correctional Center in Homer. A lawsuit has been filed claiming mentally ill prisoners are forced to bark like dogs, before they were fed. Attorney Katie Schwartzmann says the Advovacy Center has been denied access to talk with the prisoners about the claims…
cut 5 (09) “….Advocacy Center”
The state department of corrections is not commenting on the suit.

The Advocacy Center has filed a lawsuit against the David Wade Correctional center in Homer after inmates claimed they were forced to bark like dogs for food. Attorney Katie Schwartzmann with the McArthur Justice Center says it’s the Advocacy Center’s job to investigate allegations of abuse, but prison officials won’t let them in.

Cut 4 (11) “of that prison”

The Department of Corrections has not issued a comment on the suit.

The US has reached an agreement that will allow Louisiana to export rice to China. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says it took so long for the trade agreement to be finalized because of safety protocols.

Cut 7 (09) “product”

Over 2-thousand soldiers from Fort Polk are deploying to Iraq this fall to handle antiterrorism operations. Base Spokesperson Kim Reischling says members of the 3^rdBrigade Combat Team have spent the last year training.

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She says 60-percent of the unit will be deployed to Iraq.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate is at a three-year low. According to the Louisiana Workforce Commission, in June the state law the largest over-the-month job gains since 2010.

Here’s a look at commodity prices…

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A lawsuit has been filed against the state department of corrections claiming prison officials prevented an investigation into claims of inmate abuse at David Wade Correctional Center in Claiborne Parish. Attorney Katie Schwartzmann says one of the allegations is that some inmates are forced to bark like dogs for food…
cut 3 (12) “….suicide watch”
The department of corrections is not commenting on the pending litigation.

Louisiana will be able to export rice to China for the first time ever under a landmark trade agreement involving the U.S. and the Asian country. Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain says this is a huge achievement for the rice industry.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts China will import 5 million tons of rice in 2017 and 2018

Governor John Bel Edwards says now is the time for lawmakers to work on a plan to address the looming fiscal cliff. Over a billion dollars in temporary taxes expire in July of next year, and Edwards says something must be done to fill that budget hole…:
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That’s the message the governor sent to House Speaker Taylor Barras.

It’s been just over a year since a gunman ambushed Baton Rouge police officers, killing three and injuring three — and one of the injured deputies is back at work. Doctors put a titanium bar in Lt. Bruce Simmons’ arm because the bone was shattered by bullet, but he was determined to return to work…:
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That’s sheriff’s office spokeswoman Casey Hicks.