The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration has released its 2016 Atlantic Hurricane season forecast. NOAA Administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan says there is a 70-percent chance of 10 to 16 named storms during this season….
cut 6 (06) “…or higher”
Sullivan admits this year’s forecast is challenging because of various of factors related to sea surface temperatures and how strong La Nina and its impacts will be.

A 23-year-old man from Allen Parish was killed when attacked by a large swarm of bees while hiking in a park in Arizona. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Deputy Joaquin Enriquez says a law enforcement officer tried to rescue Alex Bestler of Elton from the aggressive bees…
cut 4 (13) “…of him”
But Enriquez says despite those efforts Bestler was pronounced dead after he was stung over one-thousand times.

An arrest has been made in the murder of East Feliciana School Board Parish member, Broderick Brooks, who was found dead in his vehicle in north Baton Rouge last week. Cpl. L’Jean Mckneely says 19-year-old Jaquez Griffin has been charged with first degree murder….
cut 9 (12) “…degree murder”
McKneely says a motive is still under investigation.

Former Sulphur police officer Brian Theirbach has been sentenced to one-year supervised probation for shooting a dog while responding to a call in April 2014. The dog owner’s said his dog was not aggressive and the shooting was unwarranted. Thierbach pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge.

NOAA is predicting we’ll see between 10-to-16 named storms during the 2016 hurricane season. Federal forecasters believe we’ll also see between four to eight hurricanes with one to four major hurricanes. During an average season, we see 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

A Louisiana man is dead after he was stung by one-thousand bees while hiking in a Phoenix-area park. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Deputy Joaquin Enriquez says 23-year-old Alex Bestler of Elton and a friend were attacked without warning by a swarm of bees. He says Bestler’s friend was able to escape into a bathroom, but Bestler was overcome by the swarm….
cut 3 (08) “….the bees”
Enriquez says Bestler was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. An examination of his body showed over 1,000 bee stings.

La-politics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says the call for a second special session could be released by Governor John Bel Edwards as early as today. Edwards wants a special session in June, so lawmakers can address the state’s 600-million dollar revenue shortfall. Alford says proposed changes to personal income taxes could be part of the call….
cut 25 (10) “…special session”
The regular session ends June 6th and the special session could begin as early as that night.

If a person targets a uniformed officer just because that person is a police officer, it could result in a hate crime under a new law signed by Governor Edwards. The author of the legislation, Alexandria Representative Lance Harris, says this is long overdue…
cut 14 (09) “….in place”
Louisiana is the first state to classify attacks against first responders as a hate crime.

The Edwards administration has told the Senate Finance committee that the changes the House made to next fiscal year’s budget are unacceptable. Legislators have been struggling with how to fund state services, because of a 600-million dollar shortfall. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says the House’s attempt to shift money around will not work…
cut 12 (08) “…right now”
One of Dardenne’s biggest concerns is with how the House shifted dollars around to put more money towards the TOPS Scholarship.

Because of these budget difficulties, Governor Edwards is planning to call another special session. La-politics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says hints have been dropped on how to increase state revenues and avoid cuts to critical services…
cut 6 (08) “….the call”
Governor Edwards has signed the Blue Lives Matter Bill into law, which makes Louisiana the first in the nation to expand its hate crime laws to protect police, firefighters and EMS crews. Author of the legislation, Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says the new law allows prosecutors to seek tougher penalties against individuals who intentionally target first responders because of their profession.
Cut 13 (12) “in jail” 2x
President of the Louisiana NAACP, Ernest Johnson says this law is just a knee jerk reaction to the Black Lives Matter campaign and unnecessary.
Cut 15 (09) “our firefighters”
Five other states have tried to pass similar bills, but they all failed to pass.

An Allen Parish man from Louisiana died in Arizona after being stung more than 1,000 times by bees. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office says 23-year-old Alex Bestler was hiking with some friends at a park when he was attacked by a swarm of bees. Deputies say his friends reported they tried to help Bestler, but they couldn’t because of the aggressive, massive swarm. He later died at a local hospital. The park is now closed.

Governor John Bel Edwards is trying to convince the Senate to put a stop to House amendments made to the budget bill. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne told the Senate Finance committee that the spending plan put together by the lower chamber simply won’t due. One of the major changes the House made to HB1 was reallocating money towards TOPS and away from hospitals that provide care for the poor. Dardenne explained what would happen if TOPS was fully funded…:
CUT 11 (08) “unacceptable budget”
The Senate Finance committee is expected to approve its own version of the budget in the coming days.

Governor Edwards has signed the Blue Lives Matter Bill into law, which makes Louisiana the first in the nation to expand its hate crime laws to protect police, firefighters and EMS crews. But the Louisiana NAACP strongly opposes. President Ernest Johnson says if you classify hate crimes by occupation, everyone should be included…:
Cut 16 (06) “news reporters”
Previous hate crime laws only included people on the basis of race, gender, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or affiliation with certain groups.

NOAA will issue its outlook for the 2016 hurricane season today. State climatologist Barry Keim says if this season does lean in one direction, it would probably lean towards a more active season because 2016 already produced Hurricane Alex in January…:
Cut 9 (11) “gonna be”

The Blue Lives Matter bill has been signed into law by Governor John Bel Edwards, making Louisiana the first state to include police, firefighters and EMS in hate crime legislation. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 3 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

We’ll find out today what NOAA predicts for the 2016 hurricane season. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the forecast likely won’t call for an above average season, but The Bayou State should still be prepared…:
CUT 8 (05) “in Louisiana”
Keim says an average season typically includes around 12 storms.

Governor John Bel Edwards is expected to issue the call for another special session any day now, according to Jeremy Alford, publisher of LaPolitics.com. Edwards has said a second session is needed to raise revenues to address a 600-million dollar budget deficit for next fiscal year. Alford says it’s likely lawmakers will not get a break from the State Capitol…:
cut 4 (10) “after adjournment”
Alford says the special session may only last as long as two and a half weeks.

State Police say impairment is likely a factor in a Gonzales crash that claimed the life of a 57-year-old man. They say Brion Landry of Baton Rouge was riding his motorcycle at 2am, when it ran off the road and ejected he and his passenger. He sustained fatal injuries, the other occupant minor injuries. Troopers believe Landry was impaired.

The Edwards administration is urging the Senate to reject the House amendments that were made to the proposed budget for next fiscal year. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne told the Senate Finance committee that the spending plan the House approved is not acceptable, because it will result in deep cuts to programs that assist the elderly and disabled…:
Cut 10 (09) “shortfall”
The Senate Finance committee is expected to approve its own version of the budget in the coming days.

A bill that says underage drinkers shouldn’t spending time in jail received final legislative passage. The measure eliminates the mandate that someone under 21 sit behind bars up to six months if they are caught with an alcoholic beverage. The violation still carries a $100 fine, and offenders could still be cited — but it wouldn’t show up on criminal history records.

NOAA issues its 2016 Atlantic hurricane season outlook today. Emelie Gunn has more on what federal forecasters might predict…:
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Louisiana is the first state in the nation to expand its hate crime laws to protect police, EMS and firefighters. Governor Edwards signed the Blue Lives Matter bill into law. The NAACP opposes and thinks it won’t hold up in court. But Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says this is long overdue…:
CUT 14 (09) “in place”

Governor Edwards has signed the Blue Lives Matter Bill into law, which makes Louisiana the first in the nation to expand its hate crime laws to protect police, firefighters and EMS crews. Author of the legislation, Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says the new law allows prosecutors to seek tougher penalties against individuals who intentionally target first responders because of their profession.
Cut 13 (12) “in jail” 2x
President of the Louisiana NAACP, Ernest Johnson says this law is just a knee jerk reaction to the Black Lives Matter campaign and unnecessary.
Cut 15 (09) “our firefighters”
Five other states have tried to pass similar bills, but they all failed to pass.

Governor John Bel Edwards could issue the call for the next special session as early as today, according to Jeremy Alford with LaPolitics.com. Halen Doughty has more…
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

NOAA will issue its outlook for the 2016 hurricane season today. State climatologist Barry Keim expects the federal forecasters will predict an average season. He says there are two factors working against each other, cooler than normal sea surface temperature, which is an indication for fewer storms, and La Nina coming later this season, which is an indicator for more storms.
CUT 7 (08) “normal season”

Every student would be guaranteed that at least part of their TOPS scholarship would be funded if lawmakers have to make some cuts to the program, under a bill nearing final passage. Hammond Representative Chris Broadwater says it would be better to reduce the award for all than to cut some 13-thousand students out of the program…
CUT 5 (12) “this year”
The bill has one more stop in the Senate before heading to the governor’s desk.

Governor Edwards has signed the Blue Lives Matter Bill into law, which makes Louisiana the first in the nation to expand its hate crime laws to protect police, firefighters and EMS crews. The new law allows prosecutors to seek tougher penalties against individuals who intentionally target first responders because of their profession.

A Senate-approved measure that would let patients see physical therapists without a doctor’s referral receives the support of the House as it nears final passage. But West Monroe Representative Frank Hoffman says patients should see a doctor before seeing physical therapists, because doctors have more medical training. He says if physical therapists missed something in a diagnosis, they could seriously injure that person.
cut 10 (05) “real problem”
But Ville Platte Representative Harvey LeBas aruged physical therapists have the necessary training…
cut 12 (08) “…disease states”
The measure passed on a 65-33 vote in the House and heads back to the Senate for concurrrence on House Language.

The House has approved a bill that would require cursive writing to be taught in public schools. The Senate still has to agree to House changes. Under the proposed law, the cursive writing requirement would go in effect for the 2017-18 school year.

Earlier today the price of oil rose above 50 dollars a barrel for the first time since October. Executive Director at LSU’s Center for Energy Studies David Dismukes says this marks an important milestone and it might put an end to the job losses in this industry…:
CUT 6 (10) “woods yet”
Crude oil was below 30 dollars a barrel earlier this year.

In case the legislature is not able to fully fund TOPS, a bill that would ensure all students get at least part of their scholarship is nearing final passage. Currently, 51-thousand students receive TOPS. Hammond Representative Chris Broadwater says, without this bill, 13-thousand students could lose their award which would be bad for the state’s economy…:
CUT 3 (05) “do it”
The measure passed the House and now heads back to the Senate so changes made to the bill can be approved.

Patients would not have to see a doctor before visiting a physical therapist under legislation that’s close to final passage. Ville Platte Representative Havey LeBas says Louisiana is only one of seven states calls for you to get a doctor’s referral to see a physical therapist. Lebas says because of this, P-T grads are leaving Louisiana…
cut 11 (07) “…other states”
The measure passed the House on a 65-33 vote and heads to Senate for concurrence on House amendments.

An investigative report by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums finds that the Baton Rouge zoo is not at fault for the deaths of two elderly giraffes, who died in March during a severe thunderstorm. Baton Rouge zoo director Phil Frost says they welcomed the findings of report and were glad the investigators found that the zoo did all they could for the animals…
cut 14 (10) “…that too”

In case the legislature is not able to fully fund TOPS, a bill that would ensure all students get at least part of their scholarship is nearing final passage. Halen Doughty has more…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

The House has approved a bill that would require cursive writing to be taught in public schools. The measure goes back to the Senate for concurrunce on House changes. Under the proposed law, the cursive writing requirement would go in effect for the 2017-18 school year.

A Senate-approved bill that would allow patients to see physical therapists without a doctor’s referral is nearing final passage. There is opposition. West Monroe Representative Frank Hoffman says patients should see a doctor before seeing physical therapists, because doctors have more medical training…:
CUT 9 (08) “doctor’s training”
Supporters of the proposed law say the bill will empower patients.

Oil rose above the $50 mark this morning for the first time since October. Executive Director at LSU’s Center for Energy Studies David Dismukes says the biggest catalyst for the uptick has been the recent fires in Canada….:
CUT 7 (10) “to that”
Dismukes also says the rise in the price of crude oil could possibly stave off additional job losses in the oil industy.