The defense attorney in the Will Smith case believes once all of the evidence comes out his client will be innocent. Cardell Hayes has been charged with second degree murder in the fatal shooting of the former-Saint, who was killed after a three-car fender bender turned violent in New Orleans. His lawyer is John Fuller…:
CUT 8 (09) “on that night”
He hopes more details of the incident will come out in a preliminary hearing.

Former Saints & LSU star, Hokie Gajan, has succumbed to his illnesses. He was 56 years old. Gajan was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in December of 2015, and he had to miss the final games of last season as he underwent chemo. The Saints color analyst’s daughter, Kristin Gajan Sell, told WWL her father did not get depressed and he remained in good spirits till the end….:
Cut 18 (11) “to be Hokie”

The House Civil Law Committee will hear testimony today on the “Pastor Protection Act,” which would allow a clergy member or religious organization to deny participation in a same sex marriage. Bossier City Representative Mike Johnson, says the bill should not create a lot of controversy…:
Cut 10 (06) “essential”
But Matthew Patterson with Equality Louisiana says if this law really only pertained to ministers and religious organizations, it would not be necessary because they are already protected under the First Amendment…:
cut 12 (08) “to do”

A legal expert says a claim of self-defense will be hard to prove in the murder of former Saints standout Will Smith. Cardell Hayes is facing a charge of second-degree murder, but he claims he was not the aggressor. Legal Analyst Chick Foret says the investigation is still ongoing, but at this point forensic evidence seems to tell a different story than what Hayes is suggesting.

cut 14 (08)  “the defendant”

Hayes is being held on a one million dollar bond.

Southern University is mourning over the death of two of its students who were killed when gunfire rung out an apartment complex early Sunday morning. Baton Rouge Sergeant Don Coppola…

cut 5 (04) “….hospital”
One person has been arrested and police hope to make another arrest in the near future.

Two children were killed in Livingston Parish after being hit being struck by an apparent drunk driver. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (31)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

A 22-year-old has been booked by Covington Police for his role in the death of a teen who smoked synthetic marijuana. Jabari Pea allegedly sold the drug to two teenagers, and one of them, 17-year-old Alexander Shelby, later died from using the drug. Pes has been charged with second degree murder and is being held in St. Tammany Parish Jail on a $200,000 bond.

A bill to address equal pay in Louisiana will be heard on the Senate floor Tuesday. Emelie Gunn has more…
voicer 5 (27) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The Edwards administration will also present to lawmakers on Tuesday the proposed budget for next fiscal year. The governor has already described the spending plan as “very sobering,” because of a 750-million dollar revenue shortfall for the financial year that begins July 1st. This means higher ed and health care are subject to more cuts.

The House Civil Law Committee will hear testimony Tuesday on the “Pastor Protection Act,” which would allow a clergy member or religious organization to deny participation in a same sex marriage. Bossier City Representative Mike Johnson says the bill should not create a lot of controversy….
Cut 30 (06) “essential”
But Matthew Patterson, with Equality Louisiana says what the bill actually does is give organizations with any sort of religious affiliation to deny service to people in same sex relationships. He says this could include places like hospitals, homeless shelters and food banks that are typically associated with a religious group….
cut 23 (07) “…harm to people”
However, Johnson is confident that once people read the legislation and understand it, any opposition will be withdrawn.

The man who is accused of shooting and killing former-Saints defensive end Will Smith is claiming he was not the aggressor. Michelle Southern has more…

CUT 2 (30)  “I’m Michelle Southern”

Autopsies of the two 19-year-old Southern University students who were fatally shot reveal that one of the women was shot in the head and the arm, and the other was hit in the torso. A ballistics test that could prove which of the two shooters involved fired the deadly shots will not be released until later this week or possibly next week.

A fatal accident in Livingston parish left two Baton Rouge children dead. Trooper Bryan Lee says the vehicle that struck five people on the side of the road was driven by 26-year-old Jerry Ervin, who is believed to have been impaired. He says they also believe 50-year-old Travis Rose was drunk and left a garbage compactor in the road after it fell out of his truck, which started the series of tragic events.

CUT 7 (09) “no insurance”

Lee says the two children were pronounced dead at the scene.

Pinwheels lined the front of the state capitol today as a display of child abuse prevention awareness, and Governor John Bel Edwards declared April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. State Police Major Doug Cain says the public can get involved in raising awareness about this issue.

cut 10 (07)  “it represents”

A defense attorney for 28-year-old Cardell Hayes says there may have been a second gun recovered at the scene where former Saints star Will Smith was fatally shot on Saturday night. Hayes has been charged with second-degree murder. NOPD Chief Michael Harrison has only said one gun was found.

Two children were killed in Livingston Parish after being struck by an apparent drunk driver. Emelie Gunn has more…
voicer 1 (31) “…I’m Emelie Gunn”

Baton Rouge police are waiting on ballistics tests before they charge anyone with murder in the death of two Southern University students who were fatally shot when gunfire erupted outside of an apartment complex early Sunday morning. Sergeant Don Coppola says they know there were two gunmen…
cut 3 (08) “…young ladies”
So far police have arrested one person and charged him with attempted murder.

Most parishes north of Interstate 10 are under a severe thunderstorm watch until seven o’ clock tonight. CS Ross, with the National Weather Service in Shreveport, says there’s already been reports of Hail in the Texarkana area and there’s good chances we’ll see heavy downpours with these storms…
cut 16 (05) “…of rainfall”
Current radar shows most of the heavy rainfall in northeast Louisiana.

A lawyer representing Cardell Hayes, the man accused of killing Saints Super Bowl champion Will Smith, told reporters that someone other than Hayes may have had a firearm. Legal analyst Chick Foret says if Hayes wants to use self-defense as a claim, it will be hard to prove unless police found a gun in Smith’s vehicle…
cut 13 (09) “….in this case”
Hayes is being held on a one-million dollar bond.

Today, Governor John Bel Edwards declared April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. State Police Major Doug Cain says law enforcement are getting the tools and training nececessary to recognize and prevent abuse…
cut 11 (11) “…change it”
According to Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana, there were over 12-thousand victims of child abuse and neglect in 2014, the latest year statistics are available

Two children are dead in a suspected drunk driving wreck in Livingston Parish last night. State Police Trooper Bryan Lee says 26-year-old Jerry Ervin of Holden plowed into a six and four year old child who were standing on the side of the road as adults were attempting to remove a garbage compactor from the highway. Lee says investigators suspect Ervin was impaired…
cut 8 (08) “…this week”
Lee says three other people were also injured, after Ervin’s vehicle hit them.

Southern University is mourning over the death of two of its students who were killed when gunfire rung out an apartment complex early Sunday morning. Baton Rouge Sergeant Don Coppola…
cut 5 (04) “….hospital”
One person has been arrested and police hope to make another arrest in the near future.

A legal expert says a claim of self-defense will be hard to prove in the murder of former Saints standout Will Smith. Cardell Hayes is facing a charge of second degree murder, but his attorney says Hayes was not the aggressor in what cops are calling a road rage incident. Legal analyst Chick Forest….:
CUT 12 (09) “this together”
Hayes is being held on a million dollars bond.

Baton Rouge Police say another arrest will almost certainly be made in the shooting incident which took the lives of two 19-year-old Southern University women. Sgt. Don Coppola says they’ve already arrested 22-year-old Ernest Felton for the attempted murder of an injured male victim. He says investigators believe the women were not the intended targets of the shooting…:
CUT 4 (08) “gunfire exchange”
The victims are 19-year-old Lashunte Benton of Lake Charles and 19-year-old Annette January of Indiana.

State Police say two children are dead after a fatal wreck on a highway in Livingston Parish last night. Trooper Bryan Lee says impairment is suspected on the part of two of the four vehicles involved. Lee says the two children killed were ages four and six and they were standing on the road as adults were attempting to remove a garbage compactor from the road..:
CUT 6 (09) “those vehicles”
He says the driver of that vehicle is suspected of being impaired as is the driver of the vehicle who lost the garbage compacter, 50-year-old Travis Rose of Denham Springs. So far Rose is the only charged in the vehicular homicides.

Northern and Central Louisiana could get hit with more heavy rain, as the National Weather Service issues a Severe Thunderstorm Watch. Forecaster CS Ross advises people to keep an eye to the sky today and tomorrow…:
cut 15 (07) “or two”

New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison says he visited with the wife of former Saints player Will Smith Sunday. Smith was shot to death in an apparent road rage incident and Cardell Hayes is booked in the murder. Harrison says Smith’s wife, Racquel, was also shot and injured…:
CUT 1 (08) “tough time”
Hayes is being held on a million dollars bond.

A 4-year-old and a 6-year-old were killed in a four vehicle fatality crash in Livingston Parish Sunday evening, and State Police say impairment is a suspected factor. They say a man dropped a trash compactor in a roadway, left it there and returned home. 34-year-old Michelle Ramsey and another vehicle stopped to try to remove the object, when a drunk driver drove through hazard triangles and crashed into five people. The 2 young Ramsey children died on the scene. 4 others were seriously injured, including the impaired driver. The man who dropped the trash compactor was located at his home impaired and was arrested on many charges including vehicular homicide.

Today Governor John Bel Edwards declared April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Louisiana. State Police Major Doug Cain says kids are our most important resource, and everyone needs to do what they can to them…:
CUT 9 (12) “look into it”
According to Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana, there were over 12-thousand victims of child abuse and neglect in 2014, the latest year statistics are available.

An 85-year-old man was killed as he tried to cross the interstate in Westlake, according to cops. They say Walter J. Kibodeaux of Sulphur was pronounced dead at the scene.

The New Orleans Police Department says there are no new updates in the case of the shooting death of former Saints player Will Smith. The suspect in the case, Cardell Hayes, faces second degree murder charges after police say he rear ended Smith’s vehicle and then shot and killed him after an argument. Hayes is being held on a million dollars bond. His attorney claims his client did not start the fight and looks forward to the details of the case coming out.

Baton Rouge Police are looking to arrest another gunman in the shooting that killed two Southern University students and injured another man. 22-year-old Ernest Felton has already been arrested and charged with attempted second Degree murder in the case. Sgt. Don Coppola says investigators are working to determine who fired the gun killing the two women…:
CUT 3 (08) “young ladies”
He believes the 19-year-old women were caught in a crossfire.

Even though lawmakers weren’t able to raise enough to fill the budget hole for next fiscal year which still needs $750 million dollars, it looks like we may end the financial year that ends June 30th with a surplus. State Treasurer John Kennedy says it could happen if tax increases that came out of the special session generate more than what the legislative fiscal analysts predicted…:
Cut 15 (09) “as well”
He says tn December, the state revenues were down 15-percent, but now revenues are only down 6-percent.

The Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office arrests a man accused of shooting a killing another man. They say 54-year-old Lorenzo Zeigler of Calhoun allegedly shot the victim, 26-year-old Mario Wiley following an argument. Zeigler is charged with second degree murder.

Longtime WWL radio analyst Hokie Gajan, who has been battling cancer, has been moved into intensive care according to the station.

Bond has been set at one-million dollars for 28-year-old Cardell Hayes. He’s the man accused of fatally shooting former Saints star Will Smith after the two men were involved in a minor car accident. Hayes attorney John Fuller claims his client was not the aggressor in what police have called a road rage incident.

Baton Rouge Police are looking to arrest an additional gunman in connection with a fatal shooting that claimed the lives of two students who attended Southern University. Authorities have already charged 22-year-old Ernest Felton, who is a former member of the Southern football team, with attempted second-degree murder.

Covington Police have called a one PM press conference to announce an arrest has been made in the death of a 17-year-old who was found in a flooded ditch last month. The coroner’s office has suspected that the teenager from Mandeville died after using synthetic marijuana, also known as “Mojo.”

State Treasurer John Kennedy says there’s been a rise in state revenues as a result of increased tax collections…
cut 14 (06) “….personal income”
Kennedy says it’s possible if revenues continue to rise, the state could end up with a surplus once the fiscal year ends on June 30th, despite Louisiana facing a huge shortfall prior to the special session.

The first woman to enlist in the infantry in the US Army is a native of Natchitoches Parish. Emelie Gunn has more…
voicer 1 (30) “…I’m Emelie Gunn”