Governor John Bel Edwards wants to raise the minimum wage in Louisiana but he’s facing opposition from a key member of the upper chamber. Columbia Senator Neil Riser, who chairs the Labor Committee, says he will oppose any bill that raises Louisiana’s minimum wage. He says it would do nothing but harm the state’s fragile economy…:
CUT 3 (10) “to 50-percent”

The man responsible for a deadly mass shooting at a Lafayette movie theater left a journal with writings that including thanking the Charleston Church Shooter. John Russell Houser opened fire during a movie in July 2015 where two women died and 9 others were injured. Lafayette Police released the journal today.

Republican Presidential candidate Ted Cruz, who was in Louisiana this week, has receieved the endorsement of Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson. In a video endorsement, Robertson says qualifications for a president include someone who is godly and would kill a duck and put him in a gumbo.

There is strong opposition to Governor John Bel Edwards executive order to expand Medicaid access in Louisiana. Eric Gill reports…
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Eric Gill”

A 15-year-old student who allegedly called in a bomb threat to Plaquemine High School has been arrested by the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office and booked on two counts of terrorizing. They say a 911 call came in on Tuesday saying a bomb had been placed at the school and classes were cancelled as a precaution. The same thing happened in December and with the help of the FBI, they were able to track the calls to the juvenile who was booked Wednesday.

Pictures of the hotel room and journal of a man who opened fire on a movie theater full of people on July 23rd, 2015 have been released by the Lafayette Police Department. Investigators discovered John Russel Houser’s journal following the murder of two people and injuring of 9 at the Grand 16 Theater in Lafayette. The writings include ramblings praise of the Charleston church shooter.

The chair of the Senate Labor Committee says he’s not going to support any measure that would increase the state’s minimum wage. Governor John Bel Edwards reportedly wants to increase the minimum pay in Louisiana by $1 to $8.25 an hour. But Columbia Senator Neil Riser feels $7.25 an hour gives employees a fair starting point…:
CUT 5 (08) “paying jobs”
Any bill that would raise Louisiana’s minimum wage would likely come through Riser’s committee.

Got Powerball fever? People in Louisiana are buzzing all over today about tonight’s $1.5 billion dollar jackpot, but not everyone. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are less than 1 in 292 million. This Louisiana resident told us he won’t buy a ticket because lots of winners lose control of their money…:
cut 14 (05) “flat broke”
If that’s not you, 9pm is the cutoff to purchase a ticket.

There’s expected opposition to Governor John Bel Edwards decision to expand Medicaid access in Louisiana. But the Louisiana AARP applauds the executive order. State Director Denise Bottcher believes Medicaid expansion will go a long way to make Louisiana a healthier state. She believes this will give residents peace of mind that if they get sick they’ll get the health care they deserve without going bankrupt…:
CUT 9 (09) “to internists”
But others say this is a waste of resources and the state has bigger fish to fry right now.

The Lafayette Police Department has released a copy of Lafayette theater shooter John Russell Houser’s hand written journal. Jeff Palermo reports…
CUT 2 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to elected Metairie lawyer, Jim Garvey as its new president. There are eight new members on BESE’s 11-member panel. Former BESE President Chas Roemer decided not to seek re-election to the panel.

President Obama is arriving in Baton Rouge tonight and will be met by Governor John Bel Edwards.

Louisiana AARP applauds Governor Edwards executive order to expand Medicaid. State Director Denise Bottcher says this can make a real difference in the lives of thousands of Louisianians…:
CUT 8 (08) “in Louisiana”
But others who oppose the move to expand Medicaid eligibility say there are bigger problems facing the state and the existing program should be repaired before it’s expanded.

A Livingston Parish convenience store owner is booked on drug charges after two high school students overdosed on synthetic vapors they allegedly purchased at his business. Denham Springs Police Det. Glenn Lemoine says the students told investigators they purchased “Juicy” from 36-year-old Essam Farhat’s store where cops found over 200 bottles of the synthetic drug. He says while the students recovered, the chemicals in synthetic marijuana can be dangerously toxic…:
cut 12 (10) “and die”

There is strong opposition to Governor John Bel Edwards executive order to expand Medicaid access in Louisiana. Eric Gill reports…
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Eric Gill”

Edwards is roaming the state today to get updates on the flooding situations with the Mississippi And Atchafalaya Rivers. Edwards held a Unified Command Group Meeting this morning before making appearances in Vidalia, Krotz Springs and Morgan City. The governor will meet President Barack Obama at the airport in Baton Rouge tonight. The president is speaking at McKinley High in the morning.

Not everyone in Louisiana has Powerball fever despite a record 1.5 billion dollar jackpot. There are some who are not interested in forking over the two dollars buy a ticket. We spoke to some of them. One woman says it’s just not worth the potential risk…:
cut 13 (07) “I’m into”
You have until 9 tonight to get the $2 ticket.

Edwards wants to raise the minimum wage, but a key member in the Senate says he’ll oppose the measure every step of the way. Columbia Senator Neil Riser, new Senate Labor Committee Chairman, says would hurt job creation and on top of that, Louisiana’s business community cannot support the pay hike…:
CUT 4 (05) “over the state”
The governor reportedly wants to increase the state’s minimum wage to $8.25 an hour, one dollar above the federal minimum that Louisiana currently recognizes.

There are many who oppose Governor John Bel Edwards executive order to expand the Medicaid program in Louisiana. Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany feels it’s irresponsible to take such a step without making changes to the current program. He says we should look to provide health care that is affordable with a focus on quality…:
CUT 7 (06) “of those things”
Louisiana AARP applauds Governor Edwards’ executive order, saying it will go a long way to make us a healthier state.

State Police has issued a Level II Endangered/Missing Child Media Advisory on behalf of the Shreveport Police Department for a 2-year-old and a 7-year-old who are believed to have been taken along with their mother by a violent criminal and are in imminent danger. They are looking for 2-year-old Elijah Wong and 7-year-old Donnie Dawon and their mother, 28-year-old Antonette Wong. They were abducted by force by Keith Rogers who is armed and considered dangerous.

Senate President John Alario announced committee assignments and appointments for the start of the 2016-2020 Louisiana Senate. Ville Platte Senator Eric LaFleur will chair the Senate Finance Committee, Revenue & Fiscal Affairs will be led by New Orleans Senator JP Morrell. Parks Senator Fred Mills will chair Senate Health & Welfare and Senator Page Cortez of Lafayette will oversee Senate Transportation. Senator Blade Morrish will chair Senate Education.

A Denham Springs gas station owner is under arrest for allegedly selling a dangerous synthetic drug, known as Juicy, at the store, which caused two high school students to overdose. 36-year-old Essam Farhat faces 228 counts of possession with intent to distribute. Denham Springs Police Det. Glenn Lemoine says the students, who had to be hospitalized following the overdoses at Denham Springs High School, told detectives that they had purchased the drug at that Farhat’s gas station…:
Cut 11 (10) “30-40 bucks a bottle”

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed an executive order to expand Medicaid access in Louisiana. Dawn Starns, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, says they are disappointed in the governor’s decision. She feels there are bigger problems facing the state that should be handled first…:
CUT 6 (10) “down the road”
Edwards says accepting the federal dollars to expand the Medicaid program would benefit more than 300,000 low income workers in Louisiana.

Edwards is going to meet President Barack Obama tonight at AirForce when with the president arrives in Baton Rouge. Mr. Obama is in town to speak at McKinly High in Baton Rouge tomorrow morning. Whether the two men will sit down and talk is unknown at this time. The president is known to travel the country following his state of the union which he delivered last night.

A Denham Springs gas station clerk is under arrest for allegedly selling a dangerous sythetic drug at the store, which caused two high school students to overdose. 36-year-old Essam Farhat faces 228 counts of possession with intent to distribute. Denham Springs Police Det. Glenn Lemoine says undercovers went in and bought the drug and later executed a search warrant
CUT 10 (08) “in the wall”
Lemoine says the drug is a liquid known as “Juicy” and it’s injested through a vaporizer.

The price of oil per barrel has hit 30-dollars for the first time since 2003. Eric Smith with the Tulane Energy Institue says to stop the crash in oil prices, the supply has to meet a weak demand for oil, and in the short term the only way to do that is to cut back on production….
cut 11 (07) “…some more”

Governor John Bel Edwards wants to raise the minimum wage in Louisiana but he’s facing opposition from a key member of the upper chamber. Columbia Senator Neil Riser, who chairs the Labor Committee, says he will oppose any bill that raises Louisiana’s minimum wage. He says it would do nothing but harm the state’s fragile economy…:
CUT 3 (10) “to 50-percent”
The governor reportedly wants to increase the state’s minimum wage to $8.25 an hour, one dollar above the federal minimum that Louisiana currently recognizes.

Louisiana is the worst state in the nation according to Politico Magazine. The publication releases the list annually on the occasion of the State of the Union address. The findings look at factors such as education, health and well being, crime and unemployment. Mississippi has been at the bottom of the list the past two years. Louisiana was second to last in 2015.

Governor John Bel Edwards is traveling the state today to get updates and discuss current and future operations related to flooding along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers. The Governor is speaking in Vidalia at this hour, before traveling to Krotz Springs and Morgan City. Edwards will then welcome President Barack Obama to Baton Rouge tonight at the Metropolitan Airport.

Don’t forget to get your Powerball ticket today for the world’s largest jackpot. $1.5 billion dollars is up for grabs in tonight’s drawing…:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The ball is rolling towards expanding the number of people who can receive government-funded health insurance. Jeff Palermo has more…

cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Governor Edwards will meet President Barack Obama when he visits Baton Rouge, although the visit may be a brief one. The governor will greet the president on the tarmac when Air Force One lands tonight. It’s uncertain if the two-men will actually have a sit down meeting. Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo says, at this point, there has been no meeting set beyond the greeting on the tarmac.

Today’s your final chance to purchase a ticket for tonight’s $1.5 billion PowerBall jackpot drawing. Louisiana Lottery Spokesperson Kimberly Chopin says they’re seeing a lot of first time players because of the world record jackpot. She advises players to not be quick to throw away their ticket tonight, even if they didn’t win the PowerBall jackpot…

cut 5 (08) “any prize”

The deadline to purchase a ticket is 9PM.

NOAA has issued new regulations allowing fish farming in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Critics feel this would cause fisherman to lose fishing grounds and possibly be put out of work. But NOAA’s Deputy Director of Aquaculture, David O’Brien, says aquaculture can compliment wild fisheries and help support fishing communities…

cut 14 (09) “support each other”

O’Brien says these new rules have been in the works for about 10 years.

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed an executive order to expand Medicaid in Louisiana. The goal is to have 300-thousand low-income, working citizens covered by Medicaid by July 1st. Edwards says they will follow other states lead for a smooth enrollment sign-up…

cut 9 (08) “help us”

The state will have to hire 248 people to help with the enrollment process and it will cost 2-point-8 million dollars, but health care providers are expected to pick up that bill.

The PowerBall jackpot has shot up to 1.5 billion dollars, making it the biggest jackpot in the world. Louisiana Lottery Spokesperson Kimberly Chopin says ticket sales keep going up as the jackpot grows. She says when ticket sales continue to climb they’re able to transfer more money to the state of Louisiana…

cut 4 (09) “for us”

The jackpot has a cash value of $930 million.

Oil prices have hit 30 dollars a barrel, which is the lowest price since December 2003. Eric Smith with the Tulane Energy Institute says we could see the price drop even lower as 2016 goes on. He says it will be tough for oil companies to make money with oil trading at that price…

cut 10 (12) “category”

A glut in supply of oil has led to this huge decline in oil prices.

Fish farming will now be allowed in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, after new regulations were issued this week by NOAA. NOAA’s Deputy Director of Aquaculture, David O’Brien, says they’ve been pushing for this because 90% of U.S. seafood is imported…

cut 13 (10) “here in the US”

This means commercial seafood can now be harvested in enclosures on the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico.

Over 300-thousand Louisiana residents who can’t afford or struggle to pay for health insurance could be eligible for Medicaid as a result of an executive order signed by Governor John Bel Edwards. Former Governor Bobby Jindal refused to expand Medicaid, because he said it would become too costly for taxpayers. But Edwards disagrees…
cut 8 (11) “…other program”
More than 1.4 million Louisianians are already insured by Medicaid.

Crude oil is trading at 30-dollars a barrel which is a 12-year low. A glut in the supply of oil has led to a crash in oil prices. Eric Smith with the Tulane Energy Institute says countries in the Middle East are showing no signs of cutting back…
cut 12 (10) “…bumper production”
Smith says prices could decline even more.

Brisk sales are expected again today as those hoping to become instant millionaires buy tickets for tonight’s one-point-five billion dollar Powerball jackpot. Louisiana Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin has this advice…
cut 6 (04) “…ticket early”
And Chopin says if you don’t match all six numbers, check to see if matched enough numbers to win one of their many secondary prizes.

Fish farming will be allowed in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, after new regulations were issued by NOAA. Michelle Southern reports…:
voicer 3 (30) “…I’m Michelle Southern”