A poll on the governor’s race commissioned by an anti-David Vitter group shows Democrat John Bel Edwards leading the field with 28% to the Republican US Senator’s 27%. The Public Policy Polling survey shows Vitter losing to Edwards by a 50 to 38 percent margin in a potential runoff. Public Policy Polling’s Tom Jensen says this is a huge difference from a year ago…

cut 10 (08) “point shift”

The poll conducted on behalf of GumboPac also found Republicans Scott Angelle and Jay Dardenne with 15 percent and 14 percent respectively.

With the rising popularity of online fantasy football, many fans in Louisiana want to know why they can’t participate for cash. Kelly Duncan, a gaming lawyer in New Orleans, says Louisiana’s gambling law prohibits these fantasy companies from letting people here play for money to win a cash prize…:

cut 4 (08) “Louisiana”

LSU’s only Heisman trophy winner Billy Cannon is super excited about Leonard Fournette and his chances to win college football’s most prestigious award. Fournette is already the odds on favorite to win the Heisman after running for 387 and 6 touchdowns in 2 games. Cannon says he’s watched Fournette develop into a fantastic running back.

cut 7 (11) “the safeties”

Cannon says Fournette’s 19 carry, 228 yard outing against Auburn last weekend was an award winning performance.

Here on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Rita making landfall in Louisiana, efforts continue to raise money to build the National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Lake Charles. Gray Stream is leading the fundraising efforts and says he’s pleased where they are so far with 42 million collected and 15 million more to go:
CUT 8 (10) “successful”
He says they hope to have it open by 2018.

The Attorney General’s Office says they’ve made a second arrest in an elaborate financial fraud scheme that claimed hundreds of stolen social security numbers and millions of dollars. Assistant AG Kurt Wall says the alleged leader of this scam, 24-year-old Donald Batiste of Baton Rouge, is charged with felony racketeering facing 75 years in prison…:
cut 14 (08) “think about that”
64-year-old Brenda Taylor of Carencro is accused of co-conspiring with Batiste.

The current chairman of the state House Republican Delegation is another lawmaker who automatically gets his seat back as his opponent drops out of the race. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says he’s hopeful the legislature can start getting things done under the new governor to get us out of this budget mess. He says they need a plan laid out over several years…:
CUT 5 (08) “fiscal footing”
He says he’s grateful and humble to get to serve his district another 3 years.

Another court has once again upheld the ruling that a former state Senator and convicted felon Derrick Shepherd can not run for a House seat. A constitutional amendment bars convicted felons from seeking public office for 15 years but Shepherd was trying to argue the wording on a technicality. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal upheld the disqualification, but says it cannot rule on the constitutionality of the law.

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating two armed robberies connected to false accounts on the dating website “plenty of fish.com.” Capt. Dawn Foret says they caught 4 people who were involved in using a fake profile to trick people into meeting up then robbing them at gunpoint. She says when it comes to crimes linked to technology, you can’t hide behind it…:
Cut 11 (09) “catch them”
20-year-old Aaron Kenny of Houma and 21-year-old Gregory Holloway of Schriever were charged with two counts of armed robbery with a firearm. 20-year-old Taylor Williams also got charged with online impersonation.

The East Baton Parish Coroner says a man who died after cops say he tried to attack them and was tased as a result, had overdosed on drugs. They say 32-year-old Kevin Bajoie of Zachary had a mixture of methamphetamine and synthetic drugs in his system which is what caused his death in June.

The Attorney General’s Office says they’ve made a second arrest in an elaborate financial fraud scheme that claimed hundreds of victims and millions of dollars. They say 64-year-old Brenda Taylor of Carencro is accused of conspiring with the original suspect, 24-year-old Donald Batiste of Baton Rouge. Batiste allegedly used a “credit repair” company as a way to steal more than 300 identities and $5 million dollars nationwide.

Fundraising continues for the building of the National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Lake Charles here on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Rita. Emelie Gunn has more…:
CUT 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The Attorney General’s Office says they’ve made another arrest in connection with a nationwide Louisiana based financial scheme. Assistant AG Kurt Wall says 64-year-old Brenda Taylor of Carencro is accused of co-conspiring with 24-year-old Donald Batiste of Baton Rouge who was running a phony credit repair business with stolen social security numbers. He says the exact number of victims is not known..
CUT 13 (10) “guy’s behavior”
Wall says the conspiracy also affected financial institutions and car dealerships and resulted in more than $1 million dollars in funded auto loans.

A poll paid for by an anti-David Vitter group shows Democrat John Bel Edwards would beat the GOP US Senator by a 50 to 38 percent margin. In the primary, the poll conducted on behalf of GumboPAC, found Edwards with 28 percent, Vitter 27 percent and Republicans Scott Angelle and Jay Dardenne with 15 and 14 percent respectively.

Governor Bobby Jindal’s chief of staff is the latest to have her car wrecked by the new security system at the State Capitol. Melissa Mann was driving into the parking lot when the steel poles that restrict the entrance came up and crashed into the front of her SUV. This happened to several legislators in the last session after the bollards were installed in April. A reported 14 total incidents.

Alexandria Representative Lance Harris joins many other lawmakers in being re-elected to his state House seat after his opponent dropped out. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (27) “I’m Eric Gill”

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating two armed robberies connected to the creation of false accounts on the website “plenty of fish.com.” Capt. Dawn Foret says the suspects would pretend to be meeting men for a date, then when the victim arrived he would get robbed at gunpoint. She says there are four suspects including a 20-year-old man frmo Dulac…:
CUT 10 (10) “marijuana”
She says this is another case where a someone did not get away with a crime on a computer.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees is confident that he can play this Sunday against Carolina. Brees says he’ll put in extra time this week to rehab is bruised shoulder, so he can play against the Panthers. The quarterback says his desire to play is not just because the team is 0-2…:
cut 16 (11) “be smart”

Efforts continue to raise money to build the National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Lake Charles. Gray Stream is leading the fundraising efforts. He says research will take place at the museum to help better protect Louisiana from future hurricane damage with the goal of collecting information and distribute it to other experts:
CUT 7 (09) “positive way”
Supporters of the project have collected 42-million dollars in pledges and they’re still seeking another 15-million.

The Louisiana Lottery Corporation says there were no winners in the two major jackpots in Louisiana Lotto and Powerball drawings last night. Lotto now goes all the way up to an estimated $2.9 million for Saturday and the same night the Powerball goes to an estimated $267 million.

The Attorney General’s Office says they’ve made a second arrest in an elaborate financial fraud scheme that claimed hundreds of victims and millions of dollars. Assistant AG Kurt Wall says the original suspect, 24-year-old Donald Batiste of Baton Rouge, allegedly marketed stolen social security numbers for a “credit repair” company
CUT 12 (11) “car loan”
64-year-old Brenda Taylor of Carencro is accused of co-conspiring with Batiste. Each face 75 years in prison on felony racketeering.

The East Baton Parish Coroner says a man who was died after cops say he tried to attack then and was tased as a result, had overdosed on drugs. They say 32-year-old Kevin Bajoie of Zachary had a mixture of methamphetamine, amphetamine and synthetic cannabinoids in his system which is what caused his death in June. BRPD says they were justified in their actions and followed training.

The current chairman of the state House Republican Delegation is another lawmaker who automatically gets his seat back as his opponent drops out of the race. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says the recent report from the Jindal Administration that Louisiana ended its most recent fiscal year with a deficit is troubling…:
CUT 4 (10) “that nature”
Harris is hopeful that legislators can make appropriate changes to the budget under the leadership of our next governor.

Despite his bruised rotator cuff, Saints Quarterback Drew Brees is confident that he can play this Sunday against Carolina. Brees’ banged up shoulder has been one of the biggest news items in the state this week. The veteran Q-B says he is a little surprised with all of the media attention its getting…:
cut 18 (10) “of a deal”

The game kicks off Sunday at noon.

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating two armed robberies connected to the creation of false accounts on the website “plenty of fish.com.” Capt. Dawn Foret says during both incidents, each victim believed he was meeting a woman from the dating site, but when he arrived to meet her, it wasn’t what he expected…:
CUT 9 (12) “gunpoint”
She says they tracked the account to 20-year-old Taylor Williams who, along with 2 other men and the woman they used as bait, were all sent to jail.

The Attorney General’s Office says they’ve made a second arrest in an elaborate financial fraud scheme that claimed hundreds of victims and millions of dollars. They say 64-year-old Brenda Taylor of Carencro is accused of conspiring with the original suspect, 24-year-old Donald Batiste of Baton Rouge. Batiste allegedly used a “credit repair” company as a way to steal more than 300 identities and $5 million dollars nationwide.

Fundraising continues for the building of the National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Lake Charles. Emelie Gunn has more..:
CUT 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Governor Bobby Jindal has issued a proclamation to commemorate today as the 10 year anniversary of Hurricane Rita which devastated southwest Louisiana.

Alexandria Representative Lance Harris has been re-elected to his state House seat after his lone opponent withdrew from next month’s election. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (27) “I’m Eric Gill”

Monroe Police say a man suffered only minor injuries Wednesday after being hit by a train. They say the man was wearing headphones while walking on the railroad track and he couldn’t hear the conductor blowing the horn behind him. The train was able to slow down before striking the man. The man was issued a summons for trespassing on railroad tracks.

Efforts continue to raise money to build the National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Lake Charles. Supporters of the project have collected 42-million dollars in pledges and they’re still seeking another 15-million in the hopes of opening the 68-thousand square foot facility in 2018. Gray Stream is leading the fundraising efforts…:
CUT 6 (06) “save lives”
Today is the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Rita which ripped apart many communities in southwest Louisiana.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees says he is confident he’ll be able to take the field on Sunday in the away game against Carolina. He says it’s not just because the team is 0-2 as he remains optimistic the Saints can turn things around…:
CUT 17 (13) “start cooking”
Kickoff Sunday is at noon on Fox.

The October 24th primary election is one month from today and UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says it’s finally starting to feel like election season. Eric Gill reports…:
Cut 2 (27) “I’m Eric Gill”

Syracuse is getting ready for the thousands of LSU fans expected to head their way for the game against The Tigers and The Orange. The Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau reports that some bars will be opening as early as 8am to accommodate the fans and plan to have enough alcohol on hand ahead of the 12 NOON eastern kickoff.

Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany reflects on the destruction caused by the devastating Hurricane Rita which made landfall in Louisiana 10 years ago today. He says though recovery has been slow in Cameron Parish, he has confidence in the extreme resilience of the communities over the past decade. Boustany also says over those years, they developed a strong understanding of storm surge to better prepare for future natural disasters…:
Cut 6 (11) “hurricane damage”

Alexandria Representative Lance Harris has been re-elected to his state House seat after his lone opponent withdrew from next month’s election. He says he’s grateful for another term in office…:
CUT 3 (06) “more years”
Harris, who is the current chairman of the state House Republican delegation, is hopeful that legislators can make appropriate changes to the budget under the leadership of our next governor.

There is a record number of graduates from Louisiana’s Community and Technical Colleges. Jeff Palermo has more….

cut 3 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

According to recent figures by the American Association of University Women and the federal government, Louisiana continues to have the most unequal pay gap between men and women in the United States. The study shows that women in Louisiana make 65-cents to a man’s dollar. They say the wage gap remained present even when similar jobs with similar education and experience were compared.

It’s the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Rita and many, including Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany, remember the destruction it caused only a month after Katrina. Boustany says the recovery in Cameron and Calcasieu parishes proves that after a natural disaster, the people of south Louisiana come back better than before…

cut 5 (08) “of opportunity”

Boustany says they learned many lessons after Hurricane Katrina, so the response for Rita was much improved.

Despite his bruised rotator cuff, Saints quarterback Drew Brees is confident that he can play this Sunday against Carolina. Brees’ banged up shoulder has been one of the biggest news items in the state this week. The veteran Q-B says he is a little suprised with all of the attention it’s getting…

cut 18 (10) “of a deal”

Brees says he’ll put in extra time this week to rehab his bruised shoulder so he can play against the Panthers.