Three people are dead and two others seriously injured from an explosion and fire at the Williams Partners’ natural gas facility in the Terrebonne Parish town of Gibson. State Police spokesperson Evan Harrell says the workers were performing maintenance on the facility, which was not operational at the time and did not have gas flowing through the system…

cut 13 (08) “that facility”

Harrell says the two workers who were seriously hurt are now in the care of doctors who treat burn victims.

Early voting for the October 24th election begins Saturday and runs through October 17th, excluding Sunday. Secretary of State spokesperson Meg Casper says early voting is becoming quite popular among voters…

cut 4 (08) “their schedule”

Early voting will be available from 8:30AM to 6PM daily at registrar of voters offices across the state and other select locations.

State Police announces they will use the Louisiana Department of Transportation’s website, twitter accounts, and smart phone app to relay information about traffic crashes, congestion and roadway construction. Trooper Dustin Dwight says L-S-P currently uses the Nixle alert system to provide notifications but now they’ll work even more closely with D-O-T-D to give traffic updates…

cut 7 (11) “significant improvement”

Dwight says State Police and DOTD are teaming up to give drivers a more unified message about what’s going on in your specific region.

State Police say three people were killed in Terrebonne Parish today as a result of a natural gas explosion and fire at Williams Partners’ natural gas facility in Gibson. A cause of the explosion is not known. Company officials say the workers were performing maintenance on the facility which was not operational at the time of the explosion.

Louisiana lost a cooking icon today as internationally known chef Paul Prudhomme passed away at the age of 75. Wendy Waren of the Louisiana Restaurant Association says this is a tremendous loss for their industry…
cut 12 (13) “…John Folse”
Prudhomme was born in Opelousas. The youngest of 13 children strated to gain fame in the early 1980s after opening K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in the French Quarter.

State Police say a 5-year-old was struck and killed by a passing vehicle on LA 83 in St. Mary Parish last night. Master Trooper Brooks David says the child was outside chasing his dog…:
CUT 9 (09) “in time”
The child died at a hospital. David says the driver of the vehicle was unable to avoid hitting the child and was not cited.

The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of one of its deputies who was killed in an off-duty crash involving a juvenile. Lt. Tommy Carnline says state police responded to the scene where they found 32-year-old Deputy Troy Verheyden dead upon arrival…:
CUT 3 (11) “the intersection”
Verheyden leaves behind a wife and two children.

Internationally-known Louisiana superstar chef Paul Prodhomme has died following a brief illness. Eric Gill has more…
cut 2 (30) “…reporting”

State Police report three people were killed and two others seriously injured as a result of a natural gas explosion in Terrebonne Parish. It happened in the town of Gibson around 11 o’ clock this morning at a facility owned by the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company, a subsidiary of Williams Partners, which is a natural gas supplier.

The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s office is mourning the death of one of its deputies, who was killed in an off-duty crash involving a vehicle that was driven by a juvenile. 32-year-old Troy Verheyden was killed when a car driven by a 16 year old ran a stop sign. Rapides Parish Sheriff’s office spokesperson, Lt. Tommy Carnline, says they appreciate the public’s support….
cut 5 (10) “…tragedy like this”
Verheyden leaves behind a wife and two children.

In the latest televised gubernatorial debate, three of the candidates discussed how they would solve Louisiana’s budget problems. Republican Scott Angelle says he plans to create a commission to look at the various tax breaks the state gives out…
cut 8 (08) “….to Louisiana”
Early voting begins on Saturday.

Legendary Cajun Chef Paul Prudhomme has died. The Opelousas Chef gained fame at Commander’s Palace where he became executive chef in 1975. Wendy Waren, with the Louisiana Restaurant Association, says part of Prudhomme’s popularity was his relatable personality, but it was the food kept people coming back…:
CUT 13 (10) “and produce”
The Opelousas native was 75-years-old.

State Police say a 5-year-old child died after he was chasing after his dog in the road in St. Mary Parish. Master Trooper Brooks David says the driver of the vehicle, 38-year-old James Hopkins III of Baldwin, was not cited in the deadly incident…:
CUT 11 (11) “was unable to”
The child died at a local hospital.

Three gubernatorial candidates participated in the latest televised debate and one of the topics was Louisiana’s budget problem. Democrat John Bel Edwards says he wouldn’t raise income taxes, but instead expand Medicaid to create more money and lower tax rates…:
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Republican Jay Dardenne says all options need to be considered, including an income tax hike. Republican Scott Angelle wants tax exemptions to be combed through. Republican David Vitter did not attend.

SEC officials say the game between South Carolina and LSU at 2:30 on Saturday in Tiger Stadium will be televised on ESPN. Reports indicate the network had to move around at least 5 other games to make this happen. The contest was moved to Baton Rouge due to historic flooding and devastation response in Columbia. LSU says minus expenses for hosting the game, all ticket sales will be transferred to South Carolina as it is the Gamecocks’ home game.

Louisiana Cajun food lovers are mourning the loss of superstar Chef Paul Prudhomme who has died at the age of 75. Wendy Waren, Vice-President of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, says Chef Paul, a native of Opelousas, was one of the first people to promote Louisiana cuisine to the world…:
cut 14 (07) “contact with”
Prudohmme’s New Orleans restaurant, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, said he passed after a brief illness.

Sad story out of St. Mary Parish. State Police say a 5-year-old died after being hit by a vehicle while he was playing with his dog. Master Trooper Brooks David says the child chased his dog into the road just as 38-year-old James Hopkins III of Baldwin was driving by. He says the driver hit the dog and child…:
CUT 10 (05) “the hospital”
He says Hopkins was not cited in this tragedy.

In the most recent televised gubernatorial debate, the three major candidates discussed Louisiana’s budget problems. Emelie Gunn has more..:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Company officials confirm there was an explosion and fire at the Williams Partners’ gas facility in the Terrebonne Parish town of Gibson. They say four contractors who were performing scheduled maintenance at the facility were being treated by emergency response personnel. The severity of the injuries can not be confirmed at this time.

Internationally-known Louisiana superstar chef Paul Prudhomme has died following a brief illness. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 2 (30) “I’m Eric Gill”

Company officials confirm there was a pipeline explosion this morning at the Gibson Williams Gas Plant in Terrebonne Parish and that four contract employees were injured, but the severity of the injuries cannot be confirmed at this time. Houma Today reported that one worker died and three others were being taken by AirMed and ground ambulances to area hospitals.

State Police say they worked a crash investigation involving a juvenile that sadly killed an off duty Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Deputy. RPSO Lt. Tommy Carnline says troopers believe 32-year-old Deputy Troy Verheyden was hit by a 16-year-old driver who they believe ran a stop sign. He says Verheyden had been with the Sheriff’s Office since 2013…:
CUT 4 (09) “2006 to 2010″
Authorities say the car that ran the stop sign was occupied by two juveniles who received moderate injuries.

Many LSU fans attending Saturday’s game in Tiger Stadium against South Carolina are planning to wrap their arms around their opponent who was forced to move their home game to Baton Rouge due to catastrophic flooding in Columbia. The LSU Tiger Marching Band is learning the South Carolina Alma Mater and fight song for the contest as USC was unable to send a pep band due to the last minute change in venue. ESPN will televise the game with a 2:30pm.

Internationally known Louisiana Cajun and Creole Chef Paul Prudhomme has died. His restaurant, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen confirmed the news this morning. Wendy Waren, Vice-President of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, says this is a tremendous loss…:
CUT 12 (13) “John Folse”
The Opelousas native was 75.

State Police say a 5-year-old was struck and killed by a passing vehicle on LA 83 in St. Mary Parish. Master Trooper Brooks David said the child was outside chasing his dog when the animal ran into the road…:
CUT 9 (09) “in time”
The child died at a hospital. David says the driver of the vehicle was unable to avoid hitting the child and was not be cited.

Authorities in Terrebonne Parish are on the scene of a reported explosion at Williams Gas Plant in Gibson. Houma Today is reporting that fire officials confirmed a pipeline exploded and one person was killed. We’ll have more on this as it develops.

Three gubernatorial candidates discussed the budget during last night’s televised debate. Republican Jay Dardenne says he would consider everything on the table, including an income tax increase…:
CUT 6 (11) “options are”
Democrat John Bel Edwards said he would expand Medicaid to create money and lower taxes. Republican Scott Angelle says tax breaks on industries need to be examined. Republican David Vitter was in Washington D.C.

We just got the news that superstar Cajun and Creole Chef Paul Prudhomme, has died. He was 75 years old. It was confirmed by his restaurant, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen who said Chef died after a brief illness.

The SEC announces the LSU game against South Carolina in Tiger Stadium on Saturday will air on ESPN at 2:30. It’s reported that at least 5 games had to be shuffled around on the network to make it work. Tickets to the general public go on sale today at 6pm.

LSU Coach Les Miles said Wednesday that he hopes fans will shuffle some plans around and come to the game so they have a nice showing in Baton Rouge to show support for the Tigers and the Gamecocks. Visit Baton Rouge President Paul Arrigo agrees this is also an opportunity to show love to South Carolina fans…:
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Volunteers from the Red Cross will be at Tiger Stadium on Saturday.

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is sending personnel to South Carolina in response to the devastating floods impacting the state. Director Kevin Davis says South Carolina sent his office a request for assistance through the federal Emergency Management Assistance Compact…:
cut 2 (06) “South Carolina”
The Emergency Management Assistance Compact allows states to send personnel, equipment, and commodities to help disaster relief efforts in other states. Davis says GOHSEP stands ready to help those in other states who face disasters such as this one.

State Police say an 84 year old woman from Larose was killed in a crash this morning in Lafourche Parish. They say Eugenie Defelice crossed the centerline in the roadway and entered the opposite lane of traffic as a dump truck was traveling in the other direction. Investigators found the two vehicles struck head on, and Defelice was killed instantly.

LSU fans are still putting plans together to head to the last minute game against South Carolina in Tiger Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff will be at 2:30 and season ticket holders have until 5 today to get their spot and then the general public will be able to get tickets at 6. LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva says you’ll notice a difference in this game…:
CUT 13 (09) “normally do”
ESPN will televise the game the SEC announced Thursday.

The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of one of its deputies who was killed while off duty in a crash involving a juvenile. Lt. Tommy Carnline says state police responded to the scene where they found 32-year-old Deputy Troy Verheyden dead upon arrival…:
CUT 3 (11) “the intersection”
The two juveniles in the truck received moderate injuries.

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness sends personnel to South Carolina in response to the devastating floods. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Eric Gill”

Meanwhile volunteers from the Red Cross will be at Tiger Stadium on Saturday to accept donations for flood victims. You can also help by visiting RedCross.org or texting REDCROSS to 09000 to make a $10 donation.

And again the SEC has announced at this hour that the LSU game versus South Carolina will air on ESPN at 2:30 pm. The network had to move around five other games to make it work.

LSU football season ticket holders have until 5PM today to purchase tickets for Saturday’s game against South Carolina in Tiger Stadium. LSU Athletics Director Joe Alleva says at this time they are not anticipating a crowd of 100-thousand for Saturday, but they do hope to have a great atmosphere inside Tiger Stadium…

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Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 6PM.

With the unexpected change of venue for the LSU-South Carolina game, Baton Rouge should see some extra visitors this weekend. President of Visit Baton Rouge Paul Arrigo says many people already have plans for this weekend, and that includes weddings, but he hopes people can adjust their schedules to go to the game…

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Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30PM.

A U-L Lafayette grad student took an alternate route when it came to developing her thesis project and it benefits women who love the water. Emelie Gunn has more…

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State Police say a two vehicle crash in Rapides Parish has taken the life of an off duty Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Deputy. They say a car, driven by a juvenile, ran a stop sign and collided with a truck driven by 32-year-old Deputy Troy Verheyden. Verheyden was pronounced dead at the scene. The two juveniles in the truck received moderate injuries and transported to local hospitals. Deputy Verheyden leaves behind a wife, a daughter, and a son.