Governor Bobby Jindal announces JP Morgan Chase has donated $1 million into the fund that helps technical colleges fund programs focused on training skilled workers. Jindal says this money will allow the community and technical colleges to expand courses specifically designed to meet the workforce training needs in Louisiana…:
CUT 6 (07) “raise a family”
He says the money will be used to pay for classes such as welding, pipe-fitting, petroleum technology and electrical work.

The Morehouse Parish Sheriff’s office says one man is dead and another hurt after an accident Tuesday evening at the Drax Biomass plant which is about 12 miles north of Bastrop. They say two sub-contractors were doing tests when something happened — they aren’t sure what. One of the workers died at St. Francis in Monroe and the other is being treated for minor injuries.

Gas prices continue to drop nearly a dime a week and the statewide average today in Louisiana is $2.95 according to the American Automobile Association. Last year at this time the price was around $3.15. Analysts predict we could get down to $2.50 as we get further into the autumn season.

Cold and flu season is upon us and people are looking for ways to avoid coming down with a seasonal bug. The Centers for Disease Control recommends everyone over six-months of age to get a flu vaccine. Dr. Fred Lopez, with the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, says there is a reason for that recommendation…:
CUT 3 (10) “in this country”
He says you can also avoid getting the flu by washing your hands with soap and water and using hand sanitizers.

Gas prices are nicer than they have been in years. Scott Carwile reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

A 21-year veteran of the Shreveport Police Department pleaded guilty Tuesday to contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile after being accused of buying his 15-year-old son two beers at a bar last month. Sgt. Sgt. Jason Brook testified he didn’t think it was illegal to buy your child alcohol as long as they remained together. He is on paid administrative leave from Shreveport PD and faces up to six months in jail.

The job outlook in Louisiana continues to be a bright one. The Louisiana Workforce Commission released figures this week showing non-farm employment grew by 33,100 jobs over the year ending September 30th — a new record with employment now exceeding 1.98 million…:
CUT 7 (12) “huge for us”
That’s LWC Executive Director Curt Eysink.

A presidential campaign could be on the horizon for Governor Bobby Jindal but he said there is still plenty of work for him to do in Louisiana his next 14 months. November 4th election candidates have been asked to grade Jindal on his performance but the Governor says it’s too early to call that yet…:
CUT 13 (08) “more progress”
Jindal defends his record, based on the record number of people who are working in the state today.

Is Rob Maness hurting fellow Republican Congressman Bill Cassidy’s campaign in the US-Senate race against Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu? Michelle Southern reports…

cut 3 (31) “reporting”

JP Morgan Chase is donating $1 million to assist with training efforts that match community and technical college students with available jobs. The donation will help the Louisiana Community and Technical College System secure funding through the newly created WISE fund. The $1 million gift will be matched with $4 million in state funds.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission says statewide employment now exceeds 1.98 million, which is a new record. Construction leads the way in job growth, followed by leisure and hospitality then business and professional services. Executive Director Curt Eysink says as construction projects continue to pop up in Louisiana, we’re going to see more and more professional jobs…

cut 9 (09) “in Louisiana”

He says we have more jobs than ever, a bigger labor force than ever, and more people working than every before.

Louisianians are seeing big savings at the gas pump. The average price for a gallon of regular gas has fallen to $2.95 a gallon. Gasbuddy-dot-com Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHann says, over the last 12 months, the price of fuel has made a drastic turnaround…

cut 6 (13) “a year ago”

He says these are the lowest gas prices we’ve seen in over three years.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission says we’re getting closer and closer to the 2 million mark when it comes to the number of people who have jobs here. Jeff Palermo reports.

cut 2 (29) “reporting”

Louisiana State Police say a Monroe man is dead after a single vehicle accident in Ouachita Parish. Authorities say 32-year-old Jason Jones’ car overturned after running off the road into a ditch. Jones was reportedly not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead on arrival to a local hospital.

Governor Bobby Jindal has a little over a year left in office and, even though a presidential campaign could be on the horizon, he says he still has plenty of work to do in Louisiana. Jindal has made it no secret that he is considering a Presidential run in 2016. The governor says he’s not interested in running for his old job as a US Representative…

cut 15 (10) ” elected position”

Jindal has said he won’t make an announcement on a Presidential run until after the November elections.

A new poll by Real Clear Politics shows Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu leading the US Senate race with 38 percent of the vote followed by Republicans Congressman Bill Cassidy with 36 percent and Rob Maness with 9 percent. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says undecided voters this late in the campaign are ones who are likely conservative but are influenced by Landrieu’s longtime incumbency…

cut 12 (09) “her party affiliation”

Election day is November fourth, early voting is currently underway.

With 14 months left in office, Governor Bobby Jindal says he still has plenty of work to do in Louisiana. So far Republican Senate and Congressional candidates have given good but not great marks when asked to judge Jindal’s performance. But Jindal defends his record, based on the record number of people who are working in the state today…

cut 14 (11) “taken office”

Speaking of jobs, Louisiana is getting closer and closer to the 2 million mark when it comes to the number of people employed here. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eysink says construction is seeing the most growth with 11,000 jobs over the year ending September 30th. He says the boom they’ve been saying is coming has already begun..

cut 8 (13) “by the time it’s done”

Eysink says non-farm employment grew by 33,100 jobs over the past year.

Is Rob Maness taking votes from fellow Republican Congressman Bill Cassidy’s campaign in the US-Senate race against Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu? LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says while that may be true, Cassidy will need support from those ultra-conservative voters by addressing policies that are most important to them…

cut 11 (13) “concerned about”

A new poll out by Real Clear Politics shows Landrieu ahead with 38 percent, Cassidy with 36 percent and Maness with 9%.

As the holiday travel season nears, Louisianians are seeing big savings at the gas pump. The average price for a gallon of regular gas is $2.95 a gallon. Gasbuddy-dot-com Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHann says the price drop at the pump may not be over, yet…

cut 5 (05) “next few weeks”

He says the lower prices can be attributed to Middle East countries dropping the price of crude oil.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission says we’re getting closer and closer to the 2 million mark when it comes to the number of people who have jobs here. LWC Executive Director Curt Eysink says employment now exceeds 1.98 million, which is a new record…

cut 7 (12) “huge for us”

He says construction is seeing the most growth with 11,000 new jobs.

Governor Bobby Jindal has 14 months left in office and he says he still has plenty of work to do in Louisiana, even though a presidential campaign could be on the horizon. During recent debates, candidates have been asked what grade they would give the governor, Jindal says it’s too early to give himself a grade…

cut 13 (08) “more progress”

So far republican candidates in the US Senate and the sixth district congressional races have given good but not great marks when asked to judge Jindal on a scale of 1 to 10.
Is Rob Maness hurting fellow Republican Congressman Bill Cassidy’s campaign in the US-Senate race against Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu? There’s a new poll out by Real Clear Politics which found Landrieu ahead with 38 percent, Cassidy with 36 percent and Maness with 9%. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan…:

cut 10 (13) “outright”

Early voting is underway, election day is November 4th.

Louisianians are seeing big savings at the gas pump as we approach the holiday travel season. The average price for a gallon of regular gas is $2.95 a gallon.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission says we’re getting closer and closer to the 2 million mark when it comes to the number of people who have jobs here. LWC Executive Director Curt Eysink says non-farm employment grew by 33,100 jobs over the year ending September 30th — a new record with employment now exceeding 1.98 million…:
CUT 7 (12) “huge for us”
Construction added the most jobs with 11,000 over the year.

Today was the first day of early voting for the November 4th election and we tracked down some folks in line. These voters say the big ballot item which has them out early voting is the US Senate race:
CUT 10 (14) “get done”
Early voting hours are 8:30am-6pm.

The number of Louisiana Public Schools earning a state performance grade of an A has gone up from 187 to 241 this year, according to the Department of Education. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

State Police say they are investigating a morning crash which claimed the life of a Monroe man. They say 32-year-old Jason Jones was traveling north on LA 143 when he ran off the road and lost control of his vehicle which flipped and landed in a ditch. Investigating troopers say Jones was not restrained and lost his life as a result of the injuries in the crash.

New state performance grades for individual public schools and school districts were announced today from the Department of Education. Schools getting an “A” increased from 187 last year to 241 this year…

CUT 6 (12) Q: ‘on state tests”

That’s Superintendent of Education John White.

On the heels of Governor Bobby Jindal announcing that JP Morgan Chase will be committing one million dollars to help fund workforce training in Louisiana, he was asked again about his future political aspirations after his term…

CUT 29 (10) Q: “elected position”

Jindal says that decision will be made after the holidays.

———————————

Early voting started at 8:30 am this morning, as Louisianians cast their ballot for the November 4th election. Some voters we spoke with today told us why they are doing the early vote…:

CUT 9 (13) “out of the way”

Early voting goes through next Tuesday.

A third man involved in the 2010 murder of Rayville Police Sergeant Thomas Alexander has pleaded guilty to his involvement in the case. District Attorney Mack Lancaster says Alexander was killed while responding to a home burglary in 2010.

CUT 5 (08) Q: “unnecessary murder”

Anthony Oatis was sentenced to 21 years in prison for his involvement. The other two men-Richard Long and Robert Walker- are serving life sentences.

It’s day number one for early voting in the state, and many folks were already in line when the doors opened at 8:30 this morning. Besides the big Senate race, Secretary of State Tom Schedler says there are over 24 hundred positions on the ballots and over 44 hundred candidates. As for how people are voting, one woman we talked with said…

CUT 11 (13) Q: “early”

Early voting continues until next Tuesday, except Sunday.

Louisiana is adding jobs, according to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers released today. From September 2013 to 2014, the Bayou State seasonal employment grew by over 33 thousand and in the private sector; almost 39 thousand new jobs, making that growth rate 2.4 percent.

———————

The Department of Education has announced the state public schools’ report card, with an increase of “A’s” from 187 last year to 241 this year. Superintendent of Education John White says it’s good news, since the department is about to raise the performance bar…

CUT 8 (11) Q: “school report card”

This year, there were no school districts receiving an F.

A ULM freshman basketball player has been suspended indefintely from the team, after an alleged rape of a female student Sunday night. University spokesperson Donna Bernard says police interviewed the alleged victim the next day…

CUT 13 (09) Q: “the charge”

That player charged is 18 year-old Roderick Taylor.

Early voting has begun and many Louisianians were in line at the 8:30am opening.
CUT 2 (33) “reporting”

The honor roll for schools is growing. There are now 241 schools earning a state performance grade of “A;” and that’s up from 187 from last year. State Superintendent John White says he’s impressed with the high school results…

CUT 7 (04) Q: ‘achieving basic’
==============================

There’s been an arrest of a ULM freshman basketball player for allegedly raping a female student he had arranged to meet online…

CUT 14 (09) Q: “against him”

That’s University spokesperson Donna Bernard, who says the alleged incident occurred Sunday night.

A third man involved in the 2010 murder of Rayville Police Sergeant Thomas Alexander has pleaded guilty to his involvement in the case. Anthony Oatis was sentence to 21 years in prison for his involvement…

CUT 4 (08) Q: ‘all three cases’

That’s District Attorney Mack Lancaster. The other two men-Richard Long and Robert Walker- are both serving life sentences. Long for first degree murder; Walker for second degree murder.