A New Orleans lawmaker will be sponsoring legislation in the upcoming session which provides funds to pay for sexual assault victim care with expired winning casino tickets. Rep. Helena Moreno said they had to come up with a way to create recurring revenue that would continue to pump dollars into the Crime Victims Reparation Fund…:
CUT 9 (12) “back into the state”
She says under this bill, those expired winnings would be put into the Crime Victims Reparation Fund, and the federal government would match it.

Military officials have released the names of the 7 Marines who died in the Black Hawk helicopter crash over the Florida panhandle Tuesday, but the four Louisiana National Guardsmen have not been made known. A salvage crew is working at the site of the crash but weather has been casuing delays.

A special enrollment period begins Sunday on the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace giving some a second chance of obtaining health insurance. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

The New Orleans Saints just added a potentially explosive element to their backfield for 2015 — free agent running back C.J. Spiller, according to ESPN. The Black and Gold have also reportedly agreed to a trade sending WR Kenny Stills to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick along with veteran linebacker Danelle Ellerbe.

Louisiana’s four gubernatorial candidates participated in a forum to talk about Louisiana’s oil and gas industry. At the end, each candidate had a chance to state why they should be the next governor. Republican Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle says the number one reason why he was qualified to be governor is because he has had a teenager in his home for the last 15 years…

cut 13 (10) “move the ball forward”

Louisiana’s governor’s election will take place October 24th.

Eglin Air Force Base officials announce they’ve contracted another company to complete the recovery of the Blackhawk helicopter that crashed and claimed the lives of 11 on board. They say the operation is expected to take 8 hours – weather permitting. An Army and Coast Guard dive team will also be on site to assist. Military officials report the bodies of nine of the eleven servicemen killed have been found. The other two Guardsmen are believed to still be inside the helicopter.

A special enrollment period begins Sunday on the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace giving some, who didn’t realized they would be penalized on their taxes for not being covered, a second chance of obtaining health insurance. Terry Tucker, with the Health Insurance Store of Louisiana, says this special period is not for everyone. He says you must meet certain qualifications…

cut 4 (07) “get a penalty”

This special enrollment period will go through April 30.

The Saints are reported working out the details of a trade that will send wide receiver Kenny Stills to the Miami Dolphins. And the team has signed free agent running back CJ Spiller to the roster. Spiller spent the last five season in Buffalo.

The four candidates for Louisiana met today for a forum to discuss Louisiana’s oil and gas industry. At the end of the forum, each candidate had a chance to say why they should be Louisiana’s next governor. Amite Representative John Bel Edwards says the state has been going in the wrong direction under the Jindal Administration which he’s been saying for years
CUT 12 (12) “joining me”
The three Republican challengers each spoke about how they are separating themselves from each other on conservatism level.

Eglin Airfoce Base announces they’ve contracted another company to complete the recovery of the Blackhawk helicopter which crashed and claimed the lives of 11 on board. They say a salvage barge is expected to be on site mid-day and the operation is expected to take 8 hours – weather permitting. Military officials report the bodies of nine of the eleven servicemen killed have been found. The other two Guardsmen are believed to still be inside the helicopter.

The state Department of Agriculture and Forestry is taking precautionary measures against a highly pathogenic avian influenza strain, also known as bird flu, after cases have been confirmed in Arkansas. Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain says outbreaks of avian influenza have been confirmed in several states…:
CUT 6 (06) “H-5-N-1”
Although this flu strain is not normally contracted by humans, Strain says the public should be cautious about transferring the disease.

State Police is investigating a hit and run fatality out of St. Mary Parish. They say after 1am this morning east of Jeanerette, 33-year-old Krista Sedotal was walking along LA highway 192 and was hit by a truck. The vehicle, believed to be a white Dodge Ram, then fled and Sedotal was later pronounced dead. Troopers are urging anyone with information to contact authorities.

A state lawmaker proposes to increase the state’s cigarette tax to the national average. Scott Carwile has more…:
CUT 3 (30) “reporting”

Military officials say the bodies all but two of the eleven servicemen killed after an Army helicopter crash Tuesday night off the Florida Panhandle have been recovered. The bodies of seven Marines and two Hammond based soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard have been found. The bodies of the other two Guardsmen are believed to still be inside the helicopter.

By the end of today, three doctors assigned to evaluate New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson’s mental capacity should have met with him and completed their interviews. Once they are done they will submit evaluations to the judge who will then make a determination as to whether Benson is competent to make his own decisions about his affairs.

A special enrollment period begins Sunday on the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace giving some, who didn’t realized they would be penalized on their taxes for not being covered, a second chance of obtaining health insurance. Terry Tucker, with the Health Insurance Store of Louisiana, says the government decided to offer a special enrollment period as this is the first tax season since Obamacare was enacted…:
CUT 3 (10) “enrollment period”
This special enrollment period will go through April 30.

Military officials report the bodies of nine of the eleven servicemen killed after Tuesday night’s Army helicopter crash in Florida have been recovered and identified. Recovery crews have found the remains of two of the four Hammond based soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard and the seven Marines based out of North Carolina. The bodies of the other two Guardsmen are believed to still be inside the helicopter. The families of all 11 troops have been notified. Officials have not released the names of the deceased.

A new Centers for Disease Control study shows that two out of every three people diagnosed with cancer in the US survive five years or more…

cut 1 (28) “reporting”

Bogalusa Representative Harold Ritchie files a bill that would increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes from 36-cents to the national average of $1.54 per pack. Ritchie says the goal of his legislation is to raise revenue for the state and stop people from smoking…

cut 15 (10) “never start”

The legislative session begins April 13th and Ritchie expects his tax proposal will be one of many that will be discussed by lawmakers.

A recent Cowen Institute at Tulane University report shows Louisiana has the highest estimated percentage of unemployed youth in the country. Cowen Institute Director Vincent Rossmeier says there is a huge economic boost coming to Louisiana and we need to come up with ways to connect our young people to those jobs…

cut 12 (08) “take them”

The study also found that New Orleans is third in the nation for the percentage of young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who aren’t working or in school.

The bodies of nine of the eleven servicemen killed after Tuesday night’s Army helicopter crash off the Florida Panhandle have been found and identified, according to military officials. Crews have recovered the bodies of two of the four Hammond based soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard and seven Marines based out of North Carolina. The bodies of the other two Guardsmen are still believed to be inside the helicopter. The names of the deceased have not been released.

According to a report by the Cowen Institute at Tulane University, Louisiana has the highest estimated percentage of unemployed youth in the country. Michelle Southern reports…:

cut 2 (30) “reporting”

A new Centers for Disease Control study shows that two out of every three people diagnosed with cancer in the US survive five years or more. Associate Dean for Research at LSU’s School of Public Health, Ed Trapido, says these numbers show a remarkable amount of progress…

cut 4 (06) “better treatment”

Among the most common types of cancer, the study reports a five-year-survival rate of 97-percent for prostate cancer and 88-percent for breast cancer.

Community leaders from around the state are urging citizens to participate in a massive litter cleanup effort. Keep Louisiana Beautiful Executive Director Susan Russell says The Department of Transportation, the Department of Public Safety, DEQ, Wildlife and Fisheries, and Volunteer Louisiana’s leaders will all be present for the Leaders Against Litter press conference today to say enough is enough…

cut 8 (09) “it really is”

Great American Cleanup events will be held throughout the state through May.

Military officials report the bodies of nine of the eleven servicemen killed after an Army helicopter crash Tuesday night off the Florida Panhandle have been found and identified. The bodies of two of four Hammond based soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard and seven Marines from North Carolina have been recovered. The bodies of the other two Guardsmen are believed to still be inside the helicopter. Officials have not released the names of the deceased.

Louisiana has the highest estimated percentage of unemployed youth in the country, according to a report by the Cowen Institute at Tulane University. The study found that southern states, when compared with the west coast, east coast and midwest, have a higher overall percentage of opportunity youth. Cowen Institute Director Vincent Rossmeier says one of the reasons they use the term “opportunity youth” is because they should be viewed as assets to the community…

cut 11 (09) “to get there”

Rossmeier says this is an opportunity to improve our communities and make them more vibrant by finding ways to reconnect these young people.

Bogalusa Representative Harold Ritchie files a bill that would increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes to the national average. Ritchie’s bill would raise the tax from 36-cents to a $1.54 per pack. He expects his tax proposal will be one of many that will be discussed by lawmakers…

cut 14 (10) “time around”

The Jindal administration says they will support an increase in tobacco taxes, but only if it’s accompanied with a tax break.

Leaders from communities around the state are urging citizens to participate in a massive litter cleanup effort. Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne will be announcing the results of the amount of litter picked up from morning cleanups and the number of “Leaders Against Litter” who have pledged to beautify the state. Keep Louisiana Beautiful Executive Director Susan Russell…

cut 7 (05) “litter free Louisiana”

She says citizens from all walks of life can join the Great American Cleanup from March through May.

Military officials say the bodies all but two of the eleven servicemen killed after an Army helicopter crash Tuesday night off the Florida Panhandle have been recovered. The bodies of seven Marines and two Hammond based soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard have been found. The bodies of the other two Guardsmen are believed to still be inside the helicopter. The names of the deceased have not been released.

Bogalusa Representative Harold Ritchie files a bill that would increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes to the national average. The governor has proposed an increase in the state’s cigarette tax to the southern regional average, but Ritchie believes the tax on cigarettes should be higher…

cut 13 (10) “ever starting”

Ritchie’s bill would raise the tax from 36-cents to a $1.54 per pack. It will be considered during the legislative session that begins April 13th.

A new Centers for Disease Control study shows that two out of every three people diagnosed with cancer in the US survive five years or more. Among the most common types of cancer, the study reports a five-year-survival rate of 97-percent for prostate cancer and 88-percent for breast cancer. Associate Dean for Research at LSU’s School of Public Health, Ed Trapido, says the improvement in prostate cancer survival is because of an increase awareness and earlier detection…

cut 5 (12) “entire lives”

He says better treatment and improved therapies have improved survival statistics for breast cancer patients. The cancer survivor estimates are based on cases of invasive cancers reported during 2011.

Eglin Air Force Base officials say the wreckage of the Army helicopter that crashed Tuesday night over the Florida Panhandle, killing all eleven on board, has been found. Eglin Col. Monte Cannon says the wreckage was located yesterday in about 25 feet of water…
CUT 9 (08) “safety investigation”
As far as the search is concerned, the Coast Guard announced this afternoon they are suspending that operation.

State Police have redeployed additional troopers to patrol in New Orleans. The funds for the extra support are provided by the business community and members of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau who raised $2.5 million dollars.
CUT 6 (08) “patrol presence”
State Police Colonel Mike Edmonson also says this will not take away any patrol efforts for the rest of the state.
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Lt Governor hopeful Kip Holden is involved in an alleged scandal as a four-year-old lawsuit has surfaced claiming the Baton Rouge mayor repeatedly sexually harrassed a woman in Louisiana on business. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says this makes things tough for his campaign team.
cut 13 (10) Q: ‘what they can’
The lawsuit does not name Holden as a defendant and it’s actually targeted at her former employer. A poll was released this week showing Holden in good position to make the run-off in the lieutenant governor’s race.

The New Orleans Saints did another trade today to clear some salary cap room, saving the team $3.6 million. Two time Pro-Bowler guard Ben Grubbs was traded to Kansas City in exchange for a 5th round pick. The move allowed the Black and Gold to sign cornerback Brandon Browner from the New England Patriots.

Officials at Eglin Air Force Base say the wreckage of the Army helicopter that crashed Tuesday night over the Florida Panhandle, has been found. Eleven people died in the crash into the water, which, according to Eglin Fire Chief Mark Giuliano was a violent one…
CUT 11 (06) Q: ‘lot of debris’
The Coast Guard announced this afternoon they have suspended their search for the soldiers and marines.

There’s an allegation that has been raised against members of the SAE fraternity on the Louisiana Tech campus that the chapter sang a racist song for a pledge event in 2010. A former student alleged the song was similar to the one from the University of Oklahoma that shut down that fraternity. But Dr. Reginald Owens, the head of the journalism program, says on-campus race relations at Tech are good…
CUT 4 (07) Q: ‘ to be done’
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Candidate for Lt. Governor & Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden issued a statement today in response to sexual harassment claims made in a suit by a woman in Kansas City…
CUT 2 (29) “reporting”

According to a new research by the LSU economics department, LSU is the number 32 most disliked team in the country. LSU is behind some other SEC schools-Tennesses, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The most disliked team in the nation is Boise State.