Legislation to soften the penalties for those convicted multiple times for marijuana possession continues to make progress in the legislature. Jeff Palermo has more…:
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Power is slowly being restored throughout the state after thousands of residents woke up in the dark this morning on the heels of a strong line of storms that moved through Louisiana overnight. The storms produced frequent lightning, gusty winds and heavy rain and meteorologists say there could be more wet weather on the way especially this afternoon.

It’s being reported that former US Senator Mary Landrieu is joining a lobbying firm in Washington advising on public policy and regulatory issues dealing mostly with energy, natural resources and infrastructure.

Shrimp season opened just over a week ago and local shrimpers are seeing prices at the dock take a nose dive. One shrimper says he’s getting 55-cents per pound for his catch, compared to $2 a year ago. Clint Guidry, President of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, on the major contributing to the drop in price…:
CUT 3 (05) “over 50-percent”
The dramatic drop in the price of shrimp is making it difficult for fishermen to pay expenses, much less make a profit.

For a fourth straight season, LSU is a national seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament, which will get underway when the Tigers host Lehigh University on Friday. The other two teams in the Baton Rouge regional are UNC-Wilmington and Tulane. UL Lafayette has made it to the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season. The Ragin Cajuns received an automatic bid after winning the Sun Belt Tournament and the play Rice on Friday.

Louisiana has some of the harshest marijuana possession penalties in the country, but two bills are moving through the legislature that seek to reduce prison times for repeat offenders. Similar efforts to reduce possession penalties failed in the past, but New Orleans Senator JP Morrell says this year, the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association and the Louisiana District Attorney Association do not oppose the legislation:
CUT 6 (10) “moving forward”
The House has also approved a bill that reduces pot penalties.

The Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff’s office says two men from Lafayette died while swimming in Lake Arthur park Monday afternoon. They say 23-year-old DeKeithan Dugas and 24-year-old Keylon Lambert were racing each other the water when they went under. Authorities recovered the bodies after a near 4 hour search. The incident is under investigation.

There are thousands of power outages throughout the state after a strong line of thunderstorms moved through overnight. Most Louisianians slept right through it but the National Weather Service did confirm a tornado touched down in Kenner. Strong winds downed multiple trees and power lines — there are no reported injuries at this time.

The state Department of Transportation continues to gather feedback from motorists on how I-10 through the Baton Rouge area should be improved. Eric Gill reports…:
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New graduates are hitting the workforce and Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eysink says their outlook for landing a job is good. Jeff Palermo reports…

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Authorities say the body of a teenager who went missing while swimming at Grand Isle State Park has been recovered. They say 16-year-old Travon William Robertson’s body was discovered Monday afternoon. Robertson’s mother says he was pulled beneath the waves by the undertow while swimming with friends. Robertson was a freshman football player at Ponchatoula High School last year.

Because of low poll numbers, Governor Bobby Jindal could be kept out of the first Republican debate of the 2016 presidential campaign. Fox News will host the debate and is limiting participation to the top 10 candidates based on polling data. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says if the field of candidates gets smaller, Jindal may have a chance to move up in the polls…

cut 9 (11) “in the party”

The debate is scheduled for August 6th.

The state Department of Transportation’s online survey to gather feedback from motorists on how I-10 through the Baton Rouge area should be improved continues through the end of the month. Spokesperson Rodney Mallett says DOTD believes there needs to be public backing and input to address this issue…

cut 12 (10) “would be happy”

The survey’s available at i10br-dot-com.

It appears Governor Bobby Jindal has some work to do, if he wants to be included the first 2016 Republican presidential debate. Jeff Palermo has the story…

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The governor’s Commissioner of Administration, Kristy Nichols, told members of the Senate Finance Committee that the budget approved by the House is $155 million short when it comes to funding needs, mostly in public health care services. Over the next couple of weeks, the Senate will have the opportunity to determine how they may want to deal with the shortfall. Any changes to the budget will go back to the House, where it’s likely a conference committee will sort out any differences.

As new graduates hit the workforce, Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eysink says the job market in Louisiana looks as good as it’s looked in 20 years. He adds that success in the job market will vary from person to person depending on what their degree is in. Eysink also has a bit of advice for those who are still in school…

cut 6 (11) “they get out”

Eysink says the job market in Louisiana is projected to stay strong through 2022.

The state Department of Transportation encourages people to take an online survey on how I-10 through the Baton Rouge area should be improved. DOTD Spokesperson Rodney Mallett says the survey is just one part of gathering people’s input on what should be done to the I-10 corridor…

cut 11 (10) “community-wide input”

You can take the survey at i10br-dot-com through the end of the month.

Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eysink says the job market in Louisiana looks as good as it’s looked in 20 years as new graduates hit the workforce. He says the job market in business and computer related fields are particularly strong, right now. Eysink says those exiting community colleges are also in demand…

cut 5 (06) “hot right now”

He adds that success in the job market will vary from person to person depending on what their degree is in.

Governor Bobby Jindal could be left out of the first Republican debate of the 2016 presidential campaign. In recent presidential polls, Jindal has finished near the bottom, and getting about one-percent in most of the surveys. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says despite numbers, it will be difficult for Fox to leave someone like Jindal out of their debate…

cut 8 (04) “typically like”

Fox News will host the debate in August and the network requires contenders to be in the top 10 in an average of five national polls leading up to the event.

The state Department of Transportation continues to gather feedback from motorists on how I-10 through the Baton Rouge area should be improved. DOTD Spokesperson Rodney Mallett says more than 6,000 people have taken the survey thus far, but would like to see those numbers climb…

cut 10 (08) “more input”

People can go online to i10br-dot-com and take the survey through the end of the month.

The Baton Rouge Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament gets underway Friday. Host LSU will face Lehigh University, then Tulane takes on UNC-Wilmington. If the Green Wave and LSU win on Friday, they’ll face each other Saturday night. LSU Shortstop Alex Bregman would love to see that match-up…

cut 15 (13) “cool deal”

LSU comes into the regional as the number two national seed.

Governor Bobby Jindal could be kept out of the first Republican debate of the 2016 presidential campaign. Fox News will host the debate in August and the network requires contenders to be in the top 10 in an average of five national polls leading up to the event. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says with Jindal in jeopardy of making the cut, he’ll try to get the attention of party activists…

cut 7 (10) “legislation”

In recent presidential polls, Jindal has finished near the bottom.

New graduates are hitting the workforce and Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eysink says the job market in Louisiana looks as good as it’s looked in 20 years. He says while the market, as a whole, is strong, some college degrees are more sought after than others…

cut 4 (10) “long, long, time”

Grads can go to laworks-dot-net to see a list of jobs in the state in their field.

For a fourth straight season, LSU is a national seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament, which will get underway when the Tigers host Lehigh University on Friday afternoon. The Tigers received the number two national seed, despite being ranked number one by most of the polls for the entire season. Coach Paul Maineri admits some disappointment in not getting the number one overall seed…

cut 13 (16) “beginning on Friday”

The other two teams in the Baton Rouge regional, UNC-Wilmington and Tulane, will face off Friday night. If the Tulane and LSU win on Friday, they’ll face each other on Saturday night.

Many people are spending Memorial Day in front of the grill cooking up steaks and hamburgers. According to data from the federal government, the average price for a pound of ground beef in March was $4.20, up almost 14-percent from 2014. LSU AgCenter Economist Ross Pruitt says it all comes down to how much beef is available…
Cut 3 (08) “going higher”
Beef production has been down over the past several years because of a drought in some of the leading beef-producing states.

For the fourth straight season, LSU is a national seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Tigers will take on Lehigh Friday afternoon as the host team of the Baton Rouge Regional, which also has Tulane as a 3-seed. UNC-Wilmington is the two-seed. The Ragin Cajuns are in the NCAA Tournament for a three-straight year and they’ll face second-seeded Rice in the Houston Regional.
Eleven-thousand American flags have been placed along Huey Long’s grave and the state capitol steps. Each flag represents a Louisiana solider who died in combat. The Blue Star Mothers of Louisiana, which is an organiziation of mothers who have children that served in the armed forces, are the ones who put the flags there. Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary, David LeCerte, says it’s a great way to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice…
cut 11 (06) “…in the world”

This is also Hurricane Preparedness Week. Chris Guilbeaux, with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says now is the time to stock up on a three to five day supply of water and food that won’t spoil. He says this Saturday and Sunday, there’s a sales tax holiday for hurricane preparation items…
cut 13 (07) “may arise”
Forecasters are calling for a quiet hurricane season but Guilbeaux says we can’t let our guard down.

Several Memorial Day events have taken place around the state today. Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David LeCerte, says if you were not able to attend one, there are other ways you can commemorate the day…
cut 10 (10) “..those sacrifices”
LeCerte says several hundred Louisiana troops have been lost in the post 9-11 war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.

LSU, U-L Lafayette and Tulane are the three teams from Louisiana that are in the 64-team NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Fighting Tigers are a number two national seed and will host Lehigh at 3 PM on Friday. Tulane is a three-seed in the Baton Rouge Regional and will take on UNC Wilmington on Friday night. UL Lafayette is in the Houston Regional and they’ll face Rice on Friday afternoon.

Many are firing up the grill this Memorial Day and LSU AgCenter economist Ross Pruitt says beef prices remain high. Scott Carwile has more…
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Swimming in outdoor pools, lakes and rivers is a big part of Memorial Day and summertime activities across Louisiana. Assistant Secretary for Public Health, JT Lane, is urging the public to take the proper precautions…
cut 8 (03) “…swimming ”
Some of those precautions include not diving into the water unless you are 100-percent sure its deep enough and clear of debris.

Memorial Day is a day set aside each year to remember those men and women who gave their lives in defense of our freedom. David LeCerte, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, says several hundred Louisiana troops have been lost in the post 9/11 war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. He says it’s important to continue to honor those lost as we progress forward…

cut 11 (06) “in the world”

LaCerte says as the fight continues in new theatres, more men and women will be sent in harm’s way and some will not come back home.

As you fire up the grill this Memorial Day, LSU AgCenter Economist Ross Pruitt says you can expect to continue to pay high prices for beef. He says high prices are expected at least through the end of the year. He says if you’re looking for more bang for your buck, you may want to go with chicken or pork for your barbecue…

cut 5 (09) “price differential”

According to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price for a pound of ground beef is up almost 14-percent from 2014.

Swimming season is ramping up and the state Department of Health and Hospitals wants everyone to take precautions to stay safe in the water. Assistant Secretary for Public Health, JT Lane, says it’s important for children to know pool safety and to have proper gear nearby…

cut 6 (08) “just in case”

Lane adds that alcohol should be used responsibly around water and never when supervising children.

LSU will host Lehigh, Tulane, and UNC Wilmington in the Baton Rouge Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Tigers will face Lehigh, the Patriot League champion, Friday at 3PM. Tulane takes on the UNC Wilmington, the Colonial Athletic Association tournament champions, Friday night at seven.

UL-Lafayette will take on Rice Friday at 2:30PM in the Houston Regional. The winner of this Regional will take on the winner of the Baton Rouge Regional in the Super Regional round.

Southeastern Louisiana failed to make the tournament field.

Memorial Day is one of the most solemn holidays on the calendar. It’s a day set aside to remember those men and women who gave their lives in defense of our freedom. David LeCerte, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, says attending a Memorial Day ceremony is a great way to remember these fallen heroes. But he adds there are other ways you can commemorate the day…

cut 10 (10) “those sacrifices”

There will be several events across the state to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

As you fire up your grill, LSU AgCenter Economist Ross Pruitt says you can expect to continue to pay high prices for beef. Beef production has been down over the past several years because of a drought in some of the leading beef-producing states. However, Pruitt says some slight relief could be in sight…

cut 4 (10) “a little bit”

But Pruitt says, overall, you can expect to pay high prices for beef at least through the end of the year.

Hurricane season begins next week and Governor Bobby Jindal has declared this week Hurricane Preparedness Week. Chris Guilbeaux, a deputy director at the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says you should take time this week to prepare. Louisiana has seen only a couple of hurricanes since the devastation that occurred in 2005 with Katrina and Rita, but Guilbeaux says we can’t let our guard down…

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Forecasters are calling for a quiet hurricane season this year.

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer and the state Department of Health and Hospitals wants everyone to take precautions to stay safe while swimming. Assistant Secretary for Public Health, JT Lane, says they don’t want to discourage anyone from swimming this summer, but they do want to make sure everyone is careful and takes proper precautions…

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Drowning is the fifth leading cause of unintended injury death for people of all ages.