The second special session is underway, and Governor John Bel Edwards is calling on legislators to fix the state’s budget problems. Halen Doughty has more…:
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Senate President John Alario says he is not opposed to altering state income tax rates or removing exemptions, if it means all of the state’s priorities will be funded…:
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Lawmakers have also proposed reducing or eliminating some corporate tax exemptions.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office says they are investigating the drowning death of a three year old in Terrytown. It’s reported it happened in a hot tub at an apartment complex.

The University of New Orleans will soon have a new digital animation lab on campus. UNO fine arts instructor Jeff Rinehart led the effort to secure a $94-thousand grant for the school’s new Innovation Lab, which will be open to all students working on digital media projects. Rinehart says the department is working toward creating a new media and animation degree…:
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Rinehart says the lab should be open to students by the 2017 spring semester.

The lineup has been unveiled for this year’s Voodoo Fest and features The Weekend, Arcade Fire and Tool. The VOODOO Music and Arts Experience will run Halloween weekend, October 28th thru October 30th.

Lawmakers are looking at their options to raise revenue to fill the budget holes, as the second special session of 2016 is currently underway. Halen Doughty has more…:
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Governor Edwards is set to address a joint session of the state legislature at 10 this morning. Edwards says revenues need to be raised the budget that was passed in the regular session is in bad shape…:
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Plans have been unveiled for a Riverfront Improvement Project in Natchitoches. Mayor Lee Posey says the project will update some infrastructure along the river and improve handicap accessibility…:
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Posey says they hope to have everything ready by the beginning of next year so it can hopefully be done in time for the Festival of Lights in November of 2017.

A Baton Rouge man is behind bars for allegedly strangling his wife to death following an argument. The Sheriff’s Office says 42-year-old Donald Germany contacted family members and confessed to the crime.

The 2016 regular session has ended with lawmakers failing to approve a construction budget for next fiscal year. House leaders didn’t like the changes made to the spending measure by the Senate. The stalemate over the construction budget bill will have to be resolved in the special session.

Governor Edwards has signed the Louisiana Family Caregiver Act into law, which requires hospitals to offer caregivers instruction and demonstration of medical tasks. Andrew Muhl, with AARP Louisiana, says this legislation will save the state money by reducing costly hospital readmissions, as family caregivers will be able to perform the tasks patients need…
cut 8 (10) “….be required”
Twenty-two states have similar legislation.

The special session to also address a $600 million dollar budget shortfall is underway. LSU economist Jim Richardson also serves as the chairman of the task force for long term budget reform. He says one option to raise revenue is to change the income tax brackets, which would impact everyone…
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The special session must end by midnight on Thursday, June 23rd.

The court has appointed a fiscal administrator for St. Joseph, which is needed to stabilize the Tensas Parish town’s finances. The governor’s director of communications, Richard Carbo, says this is an important step towards bringing clear, clean drinking water for its citizens…
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Once the town’s finances are in order, St. Joseph will be eligible to access eight million dollars in state funding to repair the drinking water system.

One session comes to an end and another one begins at the State Capitol. Halen Doughty spoke with political analyst Clancy Dubos on what passed and what didn’t in the regular session…
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State lawmakers also approved a 26-billion dollar spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1st. But with the state facing a 600-million dollar revenue shortfall, several areas of the budget are underfunded, like TOPS, public education, universities and hospitals.

A special session designed to raise revenues to close a 600-million dollar budget deficit begins at 6:30. A key bill to watch is House Bill 11, which would limit federal itemized deductions on income taxes. LSU economist Doctor Jim Richardson says this would mostly impact higher income taxpayers…
cut 4 (11) “…income brackets”

The Governor has signed the Louisiana Family Caregiver Act into law, which supporters say will provide critical help for families. Advocacy Director for AARP Louisiana, Andrew Muhl says this will assist the more than 660-thousand family members who help out an aging relative…:
CUT 6 (08) “more independently”
Muhl says this measure requires hospitals to offer caregivers instruction and demonstrations of medical tasks.

Lawmakers will begin a special session tonight at 6:30 pm to attempt to raise $600 million to close the budget deficit for next fiscal year. LSU economist Jim Richardson, also serves as the chairman of the task force for long term budget reform and says to raise that much money, lawmakers will likely have to alter personal income taxes….
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Governor John Bel Edwards will address a joint session of the legislature at 10 AM tomorrow.

The Louisiana Family Caregiver Act has been signed into law. Advocacy director of the AARP Louisiana, Andrew Muhl, says the measure requires hospitals to offer caregivers instruction and demontrations of medical tasks…
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Muhl says this measure should reduce costly hosptial readmissions as family caregivers will be to perform the tasks the patients need.

A fiscal administrator has been appointed for St. Joseph, which the governor’s office says is a significant step towards bringing clear drinking water to the Tensas Parish town. The governor’s communications director Richard Carbo it’s been a priority for John Bel Edwards since he took office…
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A fiscal administator is needed to get the town’s finances in order, so they can receive state funding to fix their drinking water system, which is currently producing brown looking water.

Authorities say a man who was urinating along Interstate 10 in St. Charles Parish started a chain of events that led a Houma man being killed and two others injured including a State Trooper. Trooper Melissa Matey says charges are pending against Louis Hernandez of Meridian, Mississippi…
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A 42-year-old from Little Rock was critically injured and the unidentified trooper suffered minor injuries.

A second special session for 2016 begins tonight at 6:30 PM and lawmakers will look at changes to income taxes as they try to close a 600-million dollar shortfall for next fiscal year. Halen Doughty has more…
voicer 1 (29) “….I’m Halen Doughty”

Legislators are also finishing up their work on the regular session, which must end by 6:00 tonight. A bill making it out of both chambers today would create electronic driver’s licenses. It would allow drivers to open an app on their phone and show their driver’s license to law enforcement.

Governor Edwards has signed the Louisiana Family Caregiver Act into law, which requires hospitals to offer caregivers instruction and demonstration of medical tasks. Andrew Muhl, with AARP Louisiana, says this legislation will save the state money by reducing costly hospital readmissions, as family caregivers will be able to perform the tasks patients need…
cut 8 (10) “….be required”
Twenty-two states have similar legislation.

A State Trooper is recovering after his patrol car was struck by an alleged drunk driver. Trooper Melissa Matey says it happened early Sunday morning in St. Charles Parish on the Bonne Carre Spillway…
cut 13 (06) “…reckless operation”
Matey says the Trooper was on the scene of a fatal wreck that involved another suspected drunk driver.

A special session designed to raise revenues to close a 600-million dollar budget deficit begins tonight at 6:30. A key bill to watch is House Bill 11, which would limit federal itemized deductions on income taxes. LSU economist Doctor Jim Richardson says this would mostly impact higher income taxpayers…
cut 4 (11) “…income brackets”

The town of St. Joseph in Tensas Parish has agreed to a fiscal administrator which paves the way for the state to provide dollars to fix their tap water, which has been a murky brown. The governor’s communications director, Richard Carbo, says they’re making progress, but it’s unknown when clear drinking water will be avilable…
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St. Jo needed a fiscal administrator, because the town failed to provide an audit of its finances, so the state couldn’t provide them money to fix the drinking water.

The Louisiana Family Caregiver Act has been signed by the governor and it goes into effect August 1st. Michelle Southern tells us what it does….
voicer 2 (30) “…I’m Michelle Southern”

Legislation that would allow for an electronic driver’s license is heading to the governor’s desk. It could be used by Louisiana drivers as a form of identification when they are pulled over by police. All they would have to do is open the app. The electronic licenses could not be used to gain entry into a bar or other private establishments.

The Governor has signed the Louisiana Family Caregiver Act into law, which supporters say will provide critical help for families across the state. Advocacy Director for AARP Louisiana, Andrew Muhl says this will assist the more than 660-thousand family members who help out an aging relative…:
CUT 6 (08) “more independently”
Muhl says this measure requires hospitals to offer caregivers instruction and demonstrations of medical tasks.

The special session to address the $600 million dollar budget shortfall begins today at 6:30. LSU economist Jim Richardson also serves as the chairman of the task force for long term budget reform. He says changes to income taxes will likely need to be made which would impact everyone…:
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The regular session must end today by 6pm.

A trooper was injured in a fatal St. Charles Parish crash that involved two suspected drunk drivers and a man who stopped on the Bonne Carre spillway to urinate into Lake Ponchartrain. State Police trooper Melissa Matey says Louis Hernandez pulled his truck over to pee, and at that time a man suspected of being impaired, 42-year-old Joel Ybarra, crashed into the stopped vehicle
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Ybarra is charged with vehicular homicide. Another drunk driver who hit the respnoding trooper is also charged in this incident.

Citizens in Franklin Parish continue to mourn the death of a Winnsboro Police Department officer who died in a car crash while he was on-duty over the weekend, according to officials. They say Sergeant Derrick Mingo, who is also a former employee of the Franklin Parish Sheriff’s Office, was on his way to help another officer dealing with a drunk driver, when he left a roadway and crashed into a tree. State Police say he was not wearing a seat belt.

A second special session for 2016 begins tonight at 6:30 pm, and lawmakers will look at changes to income taxes as they try to close a $600 million shortfall for next fiscal year. Halen Doughty has more…:
CUT 1 (29) “I’m Halen Doughty”

A trooper was injured in a fatal St. Charles Parish crash that involved two suspected drunk drivers and a man who stopped on the Bonne Carre spillway to urinate into Lake Ponchartrain. State Police say it was Louis Hernandez who pulled his truck over to pee, and at that time a man suspected of being impaired, 42-year-old Joel Ybarra, crashed into the stopped vehicle killing the truck’s occupant. A trooper responding to the scene had his unit hit by another impaired driver who was also charged in the incident.

A small Tensas parish town is one step closer to having clean water after being plagued by murky brown tap water for the better part of a decade. The town of St. Joseph has agreed to appoint a fiscal administrator so audits on the town can be cleared up and work can begin to repair the town’s water system. The governor’s Communications Director, Richard Carbo says getting a fiscal administrator is a step in the right direction….:
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Carbo says they’re making progress, but at this point it’s still not clear when clean water will flow from the taps in St. Joseph.

Last night the House finally approved a $26 billion dollar budget, but there’s still a $600 million dollar hole in expenses for the fiscal year that begins July 1st. The plan on the table currently contains deep cuts to TOPS and partnership hospitals. LSU economist Jim Richardson, who also serves as the chairman of the task force for long term budget reform, says to raise that much money, lawmakers will likely have to alter personal income taxes…:
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Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s confident lawmakers will make the tough choices needed over the next two weeks in the special session to balance the state’s operating budget.

Tropical Storm Colin continues to gain speed and strength as it heads to Florida, which forecasters say could cause serious flooding along much of the state’s gulf coast. The system should have no impact on Louisiana weather.

Looking back on this final day of the session, it’s been and up and down for the governor. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says one of the many things Governor Edwards is dealing with right now is pressure to veto a bill that gives patients the ability to see a physical therapist without a doctor’s referral…:
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The regular session must end by 6 today, and the special session will begin at 6:30.

Another bill on the governor’s desk would force pet stores to display licensing information on the animals it sells. Alicia Haefele with the Louisiana SPCA says the aim is to stop puppy mills from selling sick puppies who have been living in unsanitary conditions….:
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Haefele says these regulations do not apply to animals up for adoptions from shelters.