A new political group is launching an ad campaign to get the word out about what they say is the truth out about Gov. Edwards’ tax plan. Jeff Palermo has more.:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Southeastern Louisiana University receives a $10 million bequest, the largest single donation in its history. S-L-U spokesperson Mike Rivault now the university should be able to award up to 600 scholarships every year…:
Cut 10 (11) “or not”
The donor is the late Seth Ryan, a Class of 1953 graduate.

After a closure in Bossier City, Louisiana is now down to three abortion clinics in the state. They are located in Shreveport, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. New Orleans Abortion Fund Executive Director Amy Irvin says one less clinic in the state is not good…:
Cut 5 (10) “for women”
The Louisiana Right to Life is pleased to hear there is one less facility in Louisiana destroying the lives of innocent unborn babies.

Louisiana’s top highway safety official says distracted driving is becoming a “dangerous epidemic” in the state and will only get better when those behind the wheel modify their behaviors. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Executive Director Katara Williams is reminding drivers to stay attentive to what is happening on the road, as April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. According to LHSC, 192 people were killed in Louisiana from 2011 to 2015 because of some distraction.

A new group called Truth in Politics has launched a campaign which targets Governor John Bel Edwards’ tax plan. Executive Director Kelli Bottger says the aim with this six-figure digital ad run is convince constituents to contact lawmakers and ask them to reject the governor’s tax proposals…:
Cut 6 (11) “really want”
Governor Edwards’ communications director Richard Carbo referred to TIP as a deep-pocketed special interest group.

Louisiana Tech’s elementary education program has been ranked number 1 in the state, and No. 4 in the nation by College Choice’s 35 Best Elementary Education Degrees for 2017. Dr. Don Schillinger is the Dean and he says they are proud of this ranking, because producing better teachers has a lasting impression on elementary education…:
Cut 4 (09) “of that”

The feud continues between Governor John Bel Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry. The AG’s office has filed a lawsuit against the governor saying the state doesn’t have the right to withhold an escrow account containing settlement money it claims is for the Department of Justice’s use….:
Cut 25 (06) “this office”
The governor says that the money that is coming from 2014 pharmaceutical settlement and belongs to the state, not the DOJ.

A 71-year-old man from Baker is under arrest amid allegations he locked his 13-year-old son in a horse trailer overnight as punishment. The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office says Douglas O’Neal told authorities that whipping the victim was no longer working so he decided to put the teen in the trailer with manure inside.

Attorney General Jeff Landry has once again filed suit against Governor John Bel Edwards. Don Molino has more…
Voicer 2 (27) “I’m Don Molino”

The former Louisiana State Museum interim director Tim Chester claims Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser has used museum’s property for his own personal use and caused political interference with the agency’s operations. Nungesser says Chester is an angry old man…
cut 9 (11) “…in my opinion”

Louisiana Tech University’s elementary education program ranks fourth in the nation and first in the state, according to College Choice. College of Education Dean, Dr. Don Schillinger says Tech students complete a full year of student teaching. He says their students are placed in schools in August and stay with a teaching mentor until graduation day…
cut 3 (10) “…student achievement”
Schillinger is hopeful this ranking will attract more students, even from other states.

State Farm reports dog bite claims have increased 15 percent nationwide over the last year. Company spokesperson Kip Diggs says State Farm saw total of 36-hundred dog bite claims in 2016 and Louisiana had quite a few of those…
cut 14 (06) “….million dollars”
Diggs says more than 50 percent of the dog bite claims they see are for children.

The feud continues between Governor Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry. The AG’s office has filed a lawsuit against the governor saying the state doesn’t have the right to withhold four-million dollars in settlement money that Landry says is needed to operate the Department of Justice…
Cut 10 (06) “this office”
The governor says the money coming from 2014 pharmaceutical settlement belongs to the state, not the DOJ.

Louisiana is down to three abortion clinics, as Bossier City Medical Suites has closed. Executive Director of the New Orleans Abortion Fund, Amy Irvin says the only remaining clinics are in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Shreveport, which isn’t good…:
Cut 4 (09) “more childcare”
The Louisiana Right to Life says they look forward to a day when all babies are protected by law.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser announces Louisiana had a fifth consecutive record breaking year for tourism. Halen Doughty has more…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Three finalists have been named to become the next president at McNeese State. Two of them currently work for the school, Jeanne Daboval and Daryl Burckel. The third finalist is the chancellor of SOWELA Technical Community College, Neil Aspinwall.

Louisiana broke a record for tourism in 2016 for the 5th year in a row. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says tourism is a great investment which needs to be protected by keeping historical sites, like Confederate monuments, in tact. He says that’s why he’s asking for President Trump’s to intervene.
Cut 8 (12) “repeating itself”

Louisiana is down to just three abortion clinics statewide, as Bossier City Medical Suites has closed. Executive Director of the New Orleans Abortion Fund, Amy Irvin says they are calling on lawmakers to cease their attacks on abortion access…:
Cut 6 (08) “in our country”
Pro-Life groups are pleased to see the clinics close and look forward to a day where babies are protected by law.

The feud continues between Governor John Bel Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry has once the AG’s office has filed suit against the administration. The lawsuit states the governor’s office doesn’t have the right to withhold 4 million dollars in operational funds from his agency. Landry says Edwards is being a hypocrite…:
Cut 12 (06) “that cause”
The Edwards Administration released a statement claiming this lawsuit is nothing more than a dog and pony show.

Tom Benson, who made millions of dollars in the auto sales business before buying the New Orleans Saints, is adding to his dealership empire. It was announced Tuesday that Benson is buying Cadillac of New Orleans.

Grammy, Emmy award-winning entertainer and New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr. will sing the national anthem at the Kentucky Derby next month.

Tornado survivors in Livingston and Orleans parishes have through today to register for assistance with FEMA. The site is disasterassistance.gov.

Louisiana now has just three abortion clinics in the entire state, after Bossier City Medical Suite closed. Jeff Palermo reports…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A 71-year-old man from Baker is under arrest amid allegations he locked his 13-year-old son in a horse trailer overnight as punishment. The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office says Douglas O’Neal told authorities that whipping the victim was no longer working so he decided to put the teen in the trailer with manure inside and a makeshift bed of saddles. O’Neal was booked on a count of cruelty to juveniles.

Attorney General Jeff Landry is once again suing Governor John Bel Edwards, and this time it’s over money. The AG’s office says the state is taking ownership of an escrow account with settlement money that Landry says is supposed to be for the Department of Justice’s use…:
Cut 11 (09) “the courts”
The Edwards Administration released a statement claiming this lawsuit is nothing more than a dog and pony show.

Louisiana is number 28 in the nation for the number of claims paid by State Farm for dog bites. The state had 28 instances in 2016, for $1.4 million dollars. Kip Diggs with State Farm says it’s important for both dog-owners and dog-lovers to be careful…:
Cut 15 (08) “don’t know”
State Farm released this report as it’s National Dog Bite Prevention Week.

Attorney General Jeff Landry has once again filed suit against Governor John Bel Edwards. Don Molino has more…:
Cut 2 (27) “I’m Don Molino”

For a fifth consecutive year, Louisiana broke a record for tourism. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says in 2016, the state welcomed a record 47 million visitors who spent an average of $360 a person…:
Cut 7 (11) “million”

After a closure in Bossier City, Louisiana is now down to three abortion clinics in the state. They are located in Shreveport, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. New Orleans Abortion Fund Executive Director Amy Irvin says one less clinic in the state is not good…:
Cut 5 (10) “for women”
The Louisiana Right to Life is pleased to hear there is one less facility in Louisiana destroying the lives of innocent unborn babies.

State Farm reports dog bite claims have increased 15 percent nationwide over the last year. Company spokesperson Kip Diggs says State Farm paid more than $121 million in dog bite claims last year. He says the cost of those claims is on the rise…:
Cut 13 (10) “in cost”
State Farm has paid over a billion dollars in dog-related injury claims in the past decade.

The feud continues between Governor John Bel Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry. The AG’s office has filed a lawsuit against the governor saying the state doesn’t have the right to withhold an escrow account containing settlement money it claims is for the Department of Justice’s use….:
Cut 10 (06) “this office”
The governor says that the money that is coming from 2014 pharmaceutical settlement and belongs to the state, not the DOJ.

Louisiana is down to just three abortion clinics statewide, as Bossier City Medical Suites has closed. Executive Director of the New Orleans Abortion Fund, Amy Irvin says the only remaining clinics are in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Shreveport, which isn’t good…:
Cut 4 (09) “more childcare”
The Louisiana Right to Life says they look forward to a day when all babies are protected by law and welcomed with joy.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser announces Louisiana had a fifth consecutive record breaking year for tourism. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Tornado survivors in Livingston and Orleans parishes have through today to register for assistance with FEMA. The site is disasterassistance.gov.

The 2017 Louisiana survey finds most Louisiana residents approve of Medicaid expansion. Michelle Southern has more…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Michelle Southern”

For the second time since taking office, Governor John Bel Edwards will face Attorney General Jeff Landry in court. Landry is suing the governor after the administration withheld 4 million dollars from the AG’s operating fund. But the governor says Landry has not legal claim to the money, which came from a 2014 pharmaceutical settlement.

The Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating an early morning incident in which they believe a person or persons drove by a bunch of houses and cars and started shooting at random. Chief Deputy Mike Haley says they received reports of gunfire in Mt. Hermon around 4am.

Cut 15 (10) “been shot”

He says the investigation is ongoing.

For a fifth consecutive year, Louisiana broke a record for tourism. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says in 2016, the state welcomed a record 47 million visitors, which is more than a 2 percent increase over the previous year. He says tourists spent an average of $360 a person.

Cut 7 (11) “million”

73% of small businesses in the state oppose a gas tax hike. Dawn Starns, State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business, says their survey indicated owners don’t feel increased revenue would actually go towards roads. She says state government needs to do more with what they have available to them…:
Cut 5 (08) “transparency”

The House Ways and Means Committee began looking at various tax proposals today that will be discussed over the next several weeks. Jackson Representative Kenny Havard is pushing legislation that lowers income taxes on residents and asks businesses to pay a little more:
Cut 10 (08) “that’s unfair”
A vote was not taken on Havard’s proposed legislation. There are over 140 tax bills filed in the House.

Most Louisiana residents approve of Medicaid expansion, according to an LSU survey. Director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, Dr. Michael Henderson says 72 percent of respondents approve of the state expanding government-funded health care insurance. He says the survey also found more people approve of the Affordable Care Act…:
Cut 12 (10) “more favorable”
An Easter egg hunt with numerous children in attendance turned violent when a Thibodaux man’s ex-girlfriend showed up with a shovel handle.Thibodaux Police Corporal David Melancon says 33-year-old Junius Boyd and 25-year-old Florence Robinson just ended their relationship…:
Cut 6 (10) “his arm”
He says Boyd then got out of the vehicle and starting hitting Robinson with the shovel handle. They both face aggravated battery charges.