The defense attorney in the murder case of former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith 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, stemming from what cops call a road rage incident. Hayes’ lawyer John Fuller hopes more details of the incident will come out in a preliminary hearing…:
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Fuller has filed a motion to preserve all ballistic evidence.

Beloved former Saints and LSU player Hokie Gajan lost his battle with cancer on Monday. He was 56. The longtime Saints color analyst and Baker High alum first announced he had a rare form of cancer in November. Gajan was drafted by the Saints in 1981, and injuries forced him to retire in 1987. But he spent 13 years as a scout for New Orleans and another 16 in the broadcast booth. Funeral arrangements are pending.

The equal pay bill will be heard on the Senate floor this afternoon. It has the support of Governor John Bel Edwards and the matter was a big part of his gubernatorial campaign. Edwards says women in the state earn only 65 cents for every dollar a man makes and that has to change…:
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Business interests strong oppose saying the measure would open up floodgates of litigation.

The Southern University community is mourning after the death of two students. Jeff Palermo has more…:
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A television station in New Orleans has obtained surveillance video which they say shows a vehicle matching the description of the one driven by Will Smith possibly hitting the back of the suspect in his murder’s Hummer before the shooting incident. Cardell Hayes’ lawyer stands by his claims that there was another gun at the scene and Hayes was not the aggressor.

A bill that would allow clergy members and religious organizations to decline to participate in a same sex marriage will be heard in the House Civil Law Committee today. Halen Doughty has more..:
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Longtime Saints radio analyst and a man who had been involved with sports in Louisiana for more than 40 years, Hokie Gajan, died at the age of 56 Monday. Gajan was diagnosed with cancer last year, and his daughter, Kristin Gajan Sell told WWL he’d been moved to ICU over the weekend. She says the outpouring of affection from everyone has been a true blessing…:
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Arrangements are pending.

A bill will be heard on the Senate floor today to address equal pay. Governor John Bel Edwards supports the legislation and says Louisiana comes in dead last in the country when it comes to the wage gap between men and women. He says women in the state earn only 65 cents for every dollar a man makes…:
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A recent study finds Louisiana’s pay gap is costing women close to 11 billion dollars a year.

New Orleans Police say they plan to add a charge to Cardell Hayes in the shooting and injuring of former Saints star Will Smith’s wife, Racquel. Hayes is already charged with second degree murder in the death of Smith. But his lawyer, John Fuller, says the public doesn’t know the full story in this incident. He says this was Hayes’ first encounter with Smith..:
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Fuller stands by his claims that there was another gun at the scene and Hayes was not the aggressor.

Southern University will hold a candlelight vigil tonight for the two students that were shot and killed outside of a party near the LSU campus. Interim Athletic Director Roman Banks says 19-year-old Annette January of Indiana and 19-year-old Lashuntae Benton of Lake Charles were both athletes…:
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One person has been arrested in connection with the case but no one has been charged with the murders.

A bill to address equal pay in Louisiana will be heard on the Senate floor today. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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Louisiana sports fans woke up to the news that Hokie Gajan, who played for Baker High, LSU and the Saints — and took pride in the fact that his football career was distinctively Louisiana, lost his battle with cancer Monday at the age of 56. Gajan was diagnosed with cancer just in December of 2015 and was moved to ICU over the weekend after his condition took a turn for the worse. Arrangements are pending.

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…:
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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….:
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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…:
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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…:
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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.

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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…

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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…

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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…
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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….
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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….
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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…

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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.

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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.

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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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….:
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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…:
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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..:
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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…:
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