The National Hurricane Center says the area of low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico is becoming better organized. They say the disturbance will likely become a tropical or subtropical cyclone later today. GOHSEP spokesperson Mike Steele says many parishes are already handing out sandbags in preparation for what is mostly forecast now to be a rain event, and is expected to peak Wednesday and Thursday…:
Cut 14 (12) “another issue”
A Tropical Storm Warning continues along the Louisiana coast.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating a double homicide, which they say occurred yesterday evening in the Pearl River area. No further details are currently available.

The LSU Tigers are licking their wounds today after an embarrassing 13-1 loss last night to Oregon State in the College World Series. The Bayou Bengals now head into an elimination game against Florida State tomorrow night.

Louisiana becomes the first state to “ban-the-box,” prohibiting state colleges from inquiring about a potential student’s criminal history during the application process. Annie Freitas, the program director with the Louisiana Prison Education Coalition, says this bill, that the governor signed, had bi-partisan support after public testimony…:
Cut 6 (o9) “people’s lives”
She says the recidivism rate drops by at least 40-percent when a convicted felon is able to access any kind of higher education.

The 10th annual Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off gets underway today at the CajunDome in Lafayette. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says it’s great that the Acadiana region is hosting such a high profile event…:
Cut 9 (10) “for Lafayette”
The cook-off, which is relocating from New Orleans, will feature a dozen Louisiana chefs competing.

Tropical storm conditions are expected to reach the state late today. The National Weather Service is calling for four to eight inches of rain across southeast Louisiana, with isolated amounts of 10 inches…:
Cut 13 (12) “red flag”
That’s Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness spokesperson, Mike Steele who encourages the public to get ready now.

Louisiana is the first state in the country to ban the box on college admissions asking if a prospective student has a criminal record. Annie Freitas, with the Louisiana Prison Education Coalition, says this is a step in the right direction for prison reform…:
Cut 4 (10) “criminal conviction”
She says the recidivism rate drops by at least 40-percent when a convicted felon goes back to school.

The Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off gets underway in Lafayette today…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Louisiana’s craft beer industry keeps growing, as 6 new breweries opened last year, and even more are in the planning stage. That’s according to Executive Director of the Louisiana Craft Brewers Guild, Cary Koch, who says they hope policymakers will create more incentives for the industry, like the option for self-distribution…:
Cut 12 (10) “the distributors”

The National Hurricane Center says a tropical storm warning is in effect for most of Louisiana’s coast, as a system churns in the central Gulf of Mexico. They say the disturbance is expected to be near the Bayou State late Wednesday. GOHSEP spokesman Mike Steele says one of the biggest problems from this could be flash flooding on the roads…:
Cut 15 (10) “still applies”
Forecasters are calling for 3-6 inches of rain statewide, and up to 15 inches in some areas.

LSU’s 17-game winning streak came to a screeching halt as the Oregon State Beavers devoured the Tigers 13-1 in a winner’s bracket contest in the College World Series last night. Coach Paul Mainieri says the turning point of the game was when starter Eric Walker left the in the third with forearm soreness. The Tigers play an elimination game tomorrow night against Florida State.

Louisiana is the first state to prohibit public colleges from asking about criminal history on a prospective student’s application…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The 10th annual Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off gets underway today at the CajunDome in Lafayette. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says a dozen Louisiana chefs are taking part…:
Cut 7 (09) “next year”
This is the first year the event will be held in Acadiana, as it usually takes place in New Orleans.

LSU’s 17-game winning streak came to a screeching halt as the Oregon State Beavers devoured the Tigers 13-1 in a winner’s bracket contest in the College World Series last night. Coach Paul Mainieri says it was not a pretty game for the Bayou Bengals…:
Cut 16 (16) “excellent ball club”
LSU’s offense managed just four hits as Oregon State pitcher Bryce Fehmel pitched eight strong innings. Tigers center fielder Zach Watson says Fehmel kept them off balanced…:
Cut 18 (09) “struggled to hit him”
The Tigers play an elimination game against Florida State tomorrow night.

LSU announced Monday senior center Elbert Robinson will leave the basketball team due to medical reasons, but will remain in school to graduate. Coach Will Wade’s roster now consists of 12 scholarship players, following Robinson’s departure.

Ragin’ Cajuns baseball player Jam Williams officially joined the UL-Lafayette football team on Monday. Williams becomes the fifth dual-sport athlete for the Ragin’ Cajuns in the past four years.

A wrestler from Airline High School in Bossier City is the 16-year-old that was murdered on Father’s Day, according to reports. Cops say an ongoing dispute is likely what lead to the death of Jamarcus Gay who had competed in the LHSAA Wrestling Championships in February. 19-year-old Phillip Woods of Springhill is charged with second degree murder in the incident.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries cited two men for allegedly selling red snapper illegally in Terrebonne Parish, which agents say also lead to drug charges. They say the men did not have a commercial wholesale dealer’s license, and drugs and pot were found on their boat.

Tropical storm conditions are expected to reach the state later today and state officials are gearing up for potential flooding…:
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A tropical storm warning is in place for portions of Louisiana’s coast as that weather system approaches from the Gulf of Mexico.

In the College World Series last night, LSU found out why Oregon State has just four losses, but the struggling Tigers also helped them in a 13-1 defeat to the top seeded Beavers. LSU plays an elimination game against Florida State tomorrow night.

Louisiana is the first state in the country to ban the box on college admissions asking if a prospective student has a criminal record. Annie Freitas with the Louisiana Prison Education Coalition says the recidivism rate drops by at least 40-percent when a convicted felon goes back to school…:
Cut 5 (05) “public safety”
She says it was great to see this measure signed into law with bi-partisan support.

Louisiana’s craft beer industry is growing rapidly, according to Executive Director of the Louisiana Craft Brewers Guild, Cary Koch. He says 6 new breweries opened last year, and even more are in the planning stages…:
Cut 10 (08) “out of state”

State officials are preparing for potential flooding as a strong storm moves towards the southwestern coast of Louisiana. Mike Steele with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says the National Weather Service is calling for three to six inches of rain across much of the state, with some areas a foot of rain.

Cut 23 (12) “red flag”

Steele encourages the public to prepare for the coming storm now.

Governor John Bel Edwards says there’s no guarantee he will call a special session to address the fiscal cliff, when temporary taxes are set to expire in 2018. Edwards says the options before the legislature won’t be any different than they were this year.

Cut 7 (09) “more seriously”

Edwards remains skeptical a special session would be any more effective than this year’s disappointing fiscal session.

It was three years ago today, Jefferson Parish Congressman Steve Scalise was elected US House Majority Whip. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says Scalise says both parties and the national media view Scalise as a rising political star.

Cut 13 (09) “for his party”

Scalise continues to recover from a gunshot wound incurred at a Virginia shootout on members of congress.

Louisiana needs to improve the way it serves older adults and those with disabilities, according to a scorecard from AARP. Advocacy Director for AARP Louisiana, Andrew Muhl, says Louisiana has an unbalanced long term care system because Medicaid dollars tend to go towards nursing homes when many older adults want to stay at home with help from family and friends.

Cut 15 (10) “doing that”

He says as a state, we have a lot of work to do.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect for much of Louisiana’s coast, as Tropical Storm Cindy is moving towards the Bayou State. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the biggest threat to Louisiana is lots of rainfall.

Cut 4 (09) “inches”

Flash flood watches are also in effect for much of south Louisiana through Friday morning.

There may or may not be another special session for lawmakers to address a looming fiscal cliff in 2018 when temporary taxes are set to expire. After the disappointing fiscal session, Governor John Bel Edwards is skeptical anything would be accomplished in another special.

Cut 6 (10) “call one”

Three years ago today, wounded Congressman Steve Scalise was elected House Majority Whip. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says Scalise is a classic Louisiana politician in the best sense.

Cut 11 (09) “key democrats”

Dubos say no matter his condition, the injured congressman still has a bright political future.

LSU freshman pitching ace Eric Walker will start on the mound for the Tigers in tonight’s College World Series game against Oregon State. The right-hander is 8-1 and hasn’t pitched since he threw 8 shutout innings in LSU’s victory over Rice. Walker says he’s ready for the big stage.

Cut 9 (10) “great club”

Walker is 2-0 in those postseason outings.

Tropical Storm warnings and watches are now posted along the Louisiana coast as strong tropical wave bears down on Louisiana’s coast. State Climatologist Barry Keim…
cut 3 (10) “…very closely”
The National Hurricane Center predicts the area of low pressure will hit southwest Louisiana coast on Thursday and the potential for a large amount of rain is possible.

The last update from doctors in Washington DC is that Congressman Steve Scalise is making good progress after being shot last week. It was three years ago today that Scalise was elected as House Majority Whip. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says Scalise has a very bright future in Congress, because of his close ties to President Donald Trump…
cut 12 (05) “…the House”

After lawmakers struggled to pass a budget in the regular and special sessions, Governor Edwards says he may not call another, even though budget woes are looming. Halen Doughty has more…
Voicer 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Louisiana is the first state in the country to ban the box on college admissions asking if a prospective student has a criminal record. Governor John Bel Edwards signed the measure into law. Research finds two out of three people with convictions stop filling out their college application after seeing this box.

An area of low pressure has the potential to bring Louisiana a foot of rain later this week. Emelie Gunn has more…
voicer 1 (27) “….I’m Emelie Gunn”

Doctors continue to be encouraged by the recovery Congressman Steve Scalise is making from the gunshot wound he sustained to his left hip. It was three years ago today, Scalise was elected US House Majority Whip. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says Scalise remains a rising political star…
cut 13 (09) “…for his party”

Governor John Bel Edwards says he doesn’t see a point in calling another special session to address the fiscal cliff in 2018, unless House leadership gives him an idea of what kind of plan they would support. He says almost any option would be much better than the alternative…:
Cut 8 (11) “state general fund”
Over a billion dollars in temporary sales taxes expire in July 2018.

A scorecard from AARP finds the Bayou State needs serious improvement when it comes to serving older adults and those with disabilities. Advocacy Director with AARP Louisiana, Andrew Muhl, says Louisiana is ranked 40th overall when it comes to meeting the needs of the elderly. He says these individuals are not getting the adequate day to day help that they need.
Cut 14 (08) “adults”
He says Medicaid dollars tend to go towards nursing homes when many older adults want to stay at home with assistance from friends and family.

Governor John Bel Edwards says there’s no guarantee he will call a special session to address the fiscal cliff, which is the loss of over a billion dollars in revenues when temporary sales taxes expire in July 2018. Edwards says the legislature had an opportunity in the regular session to address the problem, so he won’t call a special session if nothing will get done…
cut 7 (09) “….more seriously”

State and local emergency preparedness officials are concerned about the possibility of flooding from a potential tropical storm or depression that’s likely to form in the Gulf in the next 48 hours. State Climatologist Barry Keim….
cut 4 (09) “…10 to 20 inches”
Sand bagging operations have already started in several south Louisiana parishes.

A scorecard from AARP finds Louisiana is ranked 40th overall when it comes to meeting the needs of eldery and those with disabilities. Advocacy Director with AARP Louisiana, Andrew Muhl, says the state spends way too much on nursing home care and not enough on in-home care…
cut 16 (09) “…term care”
Muhl says Medicaid dollars tend to go towards nursing homes when many older adults want to stay at home with assistance from friends and family.

Tonight in the College World Series, it will be LSU versus Oregon State. The Beavers are 55-and-4 and freshman pitcher Eric Walker will get the start for the Tigers….
cut 10 (06) “…get a win”
Walker was the winning pitcher in his two postseason starts this season. First pitch is at 6 PM.