Trilby Lundberg, which monitors gas prices across the country, says Baton Rouge has the lowest national average gas price in the country at $2.16. Gas-buddy-dot-com’s Gregg Laskoski says Louisiana’s statewide average of $2.24 ranks in the top ten for lowest gas prices in the nation…:
CUT 12 (07) “state taxes”
The lowest statewide average in the country is Wyoming and South Carolina at $2.14 a gallon.

Central Louisiana Casting is looking for people who have actual oil rig experience for an upcoming film starring Mark Wahlberg about the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The Director of Casting is Adam Hochfeld (HOCK-feld)…:
CUT 6 (11) “in that tragedy”
He says if you’re interested in being a part of the film please submit pertinent information to: “deepwater@centralcasting.com.”

A state audit looking at the “Road Home” program finds that $939 million was given out to homeowners who did not comply with the rules of the program. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (31) “reporting”

The LSU Tigers won all three of its baseball games in Houston this past weekend and they are now ranked number one by Baseball America.

A recent audit of the Road Home program revealed more than $930 million dollars was paid to homeowners who didn’t meet the requirements. Legislative Audiotor Daryl Purpera says the federal Road Home program was designed to help people reoccupy their homes after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita…:
CUT 3 (09) “beginning”
He says a large portion of the documentation doesn’t prove individuals actually rebuilt their homes or got certain insurance they were required to get.

Baton Rouge Representative Dalton Honore will file a bill for the upcoming legislative session that seeks to let citizens vote on whether or not marijuana should be legal in Louisiana for recreational use. Honore says he hopes other lawmakers will get on board with letting people decide…:
cut 14 (08) “people vote for it”
The legislative session begins April 13th.

Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne says swimming pools at some north Louisiana state parks will be closed this summer because they don’t have enough money to open them. Dardenne oversees the office of state parks and says mid year budget cuts have caused the office to make significant reductions in spending…:
CUT 9 (08) “for this summer”
He says these closures do not impact the wave pool at Bayou Segnette (Sin-yet) State Park in Westwego or water playgrounds at other parks and beach swimming will still be available.

The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s office is warning citizens about a scam which claims to raise money for fallen law enforcement officers. A caller says they are someone from the Department of Safety and they’re collecting money for cops who have died in the line of duty. They say that’s a scam and you should contact law enforcement if you question a caller’s legitimacy.

A state audit looking at the Road Home program finds that $939 million was given out to homeowners who did not comply with the rules of the program. Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera says this came with certain requirements and deadlines the recipients had to meet. He says the federal government requires a review to make sure the rules were met..:
CUT 3 (11) “supposed to get”
Road Home was designed to get money to people quickly to help them recover from disastrous storms.

How would you feel about pot being legal in Louisiana for recreational use? Baton Rouge Representative Dalton Honore says he’s bringing a bill to the legislature this upcoming session that, if passed, would put the question on a ballot next year. He says citizens should be able to vote on the recreational pot law…:
CUT 13 (09) “with the legislators”

State Police are urging folks not to drive fatigued if you’re sleepy due to the time change. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s office say a mother is under arrest accused of using a stun gun on her 13-year-old and daughter and beating another 12 year old with a boot until it broke. They say the motive for the attack is unknown. 42-year-old Janice Collins was booked into prison on two counts of cruelty to juveniles and was releases Sunday after posting $20,000 bail.

Baton Rouge Representative Dalton Honore will file a bill for the upcoming legislative session seeking to let citizens vote on the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Louisiana. Honore says regardless of how lawmakers feel about the recreational use of marijuana, they should at least allow the issue to be put on a ballot…

cut 15 (08) “in 2016″

Honore is also bringing back his medical marijuana bill which failed last year.

State Police say, although we lost an hour of sleep with the beginning of Daylight Saving Time over the weekend, that’s no excuse to drive fatigued. Sgt. Nick Manale says sleepy driving can be as dangerous as impaired or distracted driving…

cut 6 (10) “avoiding crashes”

Manale suggests pulling over and getting a breath of fresh air, stepping out of the car, or getting something to drink as ways you can revive yourself if you begin to feel fatigued behind the wheel.

Lafayette has been named as one of the top 20 hardest working cities in the US by the personal finance site badcredit-dot-org. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 2 (30) “reporting”

State Police say a weekend crash in Marrero claimed the life of a woman and left a man injured. They say 52-year-old Shelia Haggarty lost control of her vehicle and ran off the roadway. As the vehicle traveled into a parking lot, 24-year-old Tabatha Thiobodaux and 24-year-old David Jeblonski were struck. Both were transported to a local hospital where Thiobodaux was pronounced dead. The investigation is ongoing.

A Baton Rouge lawmaker will file a bill for the upcoming legislative session that seeks to let citizens vote on on the legalization of marijuana in Louisiana for recreational use…

Cut 3 (32) “reporting”

State Police say a hit-and-run accident in St. James Parish claimed the life of a Vacherie woman. Authorities say 24-year-old Corey Newton ran a red light and struck a vehicle driven by 25-year-old Brittany Harris, causing her vehicle to leave the road and hit a utility pole. Harris was pronounced dead at the scene. Newton fled the scene on foot, but was captured a short time later and charged with vehicular homicide, DWI, and other charges.
A Louisiana physician is working on a way to perfect a permanent solution to sleep apnea. Dr. G. E. Ghali, an oral surgeon and instructor with LSU Health Shreveport, says they’ve come up with a treatment which uses the daVinci Robot inside a person’s mouth. He says they’ve had a 90% success rate in the surgery permanently opening up airways of sleep apnea patients…

cut 9 (04) “a mask, comfortably”

Ghali says recovery from the surgery can take several weeks, but many patients report that after a month or two they are feeling better, sleeping better and sleeping in bed with their spouse again.

According to the personal finance site badcredit-dot-org, Lafayette has been named as one of the top 20 hardest working cities in the US. Editor Steven Richmond says this list represents some of the busiest, hardest working, and most workaholic populations in the US…

cut 12 (11) “they put in”

Richmond says about 350 cities were ranked on four separate categories for this report.

Baton Rouge Representative Dalton Honore will file a bill for the upcoming legislative session that seeks to let citizens vote on whether or not marijuana should be legal in Louisiana for recreational use. Honore says he hopes other lawmakers will get on board with letting people decide whether or not marijuana for recreational use should be legal…

cut 14 (08) “people vote for it”

Honore is also bringing back his medical marijuana bill which failed last year. The legislative session begins April 13th.

A Louisiana physician is working on a permanent solution to sleep apnea. Dr. G. E. Ghali, an oral surgeon and instructor with LSU Health Shreveport, says they’ve come up with a treatment for that which uses the daVinci Robot inside a person’s mouth…

cut 8 (11) “in the pallet”

Ghali says if you are interested in learning more about the procedure, call 318-675-6101.

Lafayette has been recognized as one of the top 20 hardest working cities in the US by the personal finance site badcredit-dot-org. Editor Steven Richmond says Lafayette scored high in the number of people in the workforce…

cut 11 (09) “in Lafayette”

Richmond says they used data from the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to compile their report.

We all lost an hour of sleep, with the beginning of Daylight Saving Time, but State Police says that’s no excuse to drive fatigued. Sgt. Nick Manale says if you do feel yourself becoming fatigued while driving, there are some things you can do to help yourself…

cut 5 (06) “do something”

He says they often see accidents that were caused by sleepy drivers, so it’s imperative to be sharp behind the wheel.

A Baton Rouge lawmaker will file a bill for the upcoming legislative session that seeks to let citizens vote on the legalization of marijuana in Louisiana for recreational use. Recreational marijuana for adult use is legal in Oregon, Washington D.C., Colorado, Alaska and Washington. Representative Dalton Honoresays people should be able to vote on the recreational pot law…

cut 13 (09) “with the legislators”

He is also bring back his medical marijuana bill which failed last year.

With the beginning of Daylight Saving Time over the weekend, everyone lost an hour of sleep. But State Police says that’s no excuse to drive fatigued. Sgt. Nick Manale says they often see accidents that were caused by sleepy drivers, so it’s imperative to be sharp behind the wheel…

cut 4 (08) “roadway, there”

Manale says sleepy driving can be as dangerous as impaired or distracted driving.

A Louisiana physician is working on a way to perfect a permanent solution to sleep apnea. Dr. G. E. Ghali, an oral surgeon and instructor with LSU Health Shreveport, says apnea patients are often given CPAP masks to ensure oxygen flow but the problem there is compliance…

cut 7 (08) “necessarily fit”

He says they’ve come up with a treatment for that which uses the daVinci Robot inside a person’s mouth.

Lafayette has been named as one of the top 20 hardest working cities in the US by the personal finance site badcredit-dot-org. Editor Steven Richmond says about 350 cities were ranked on four separate categories for this report…

cut 10 (08) “making the list”

Richmond says they looked at percentage of population over age 16 in the workforce, average commute times, percentage of households with children, and average number of hours worked each week to compile their list.

A staple in the agriculture broadcasting industry, Mike Danna, has died of cancer at the age of 54. Danna was the director of public relations for the Louisiana Farm Bureau and host of This Week in Louisiana Agriculture. Louisiana Farm Bureau spokesperson Neil Melancon says Danna extended the public relations department to not only cover ag in Louisiana, but all over the world…

cut 13 (10) “to everyone”

Melancon says Danna spent more than 30 years in agriculture journalism coming to work for the Farm Bureau in 1985.

The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says 52-year-old Richard Picard Jr. of New Iberia is charged with the illegal killing of a Louisiana Black Bear during a hog hunt in St. Mary Parish. LDWF spokesman Adam Eick says it happened while hunting on private land when their dogs starting chasing the bear…

cut 10 (08) “with a buck shot”

Picard faces 120 days in jail and fines and restitution totaling more than $10,000.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office says a fire at a home in Lake Providence has claimed the life of a 63-year-old woman. Officials say the body of Carrie Bell Phoenix was found in a passageway between the kitchen and dining room area. The victim lived in the home with her 45-year-old special needs daughter who escaped the blaze unharmed. She told authorities her mother stayed behind to try to extinguish the fire. Investigators say the likely cause of the fire was an electric space heater in a back bedroom.

It’s a nice start to the weekend weather-wise in Louisiana, but it is not expected to last. Michelle Southern has more…

cut 1 (28) “reporting”

32-year-old Demetri Robinson, a former tight end on LSU’s 2003 national championship team, has been sentenced to five decades in prison for his involvement in a 2011 truck stop casino shooting in Port Allen. Robinson pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted second degree murder. West Baton Rouge Parish Prosecutor Tony Clayton says Robinson received the maximum sentence…

cut 6 (07) “what he did”

Robinson was sentenced to 50 years in prison on each count, to be served concurrently.

It appears things will be bright as we start the weekend, but that will change tomorrow. Andy Tingler, with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, says rain chances will increase Sunday and not really drop off until maybe Thursday of next week, with some areas expected to accumulate two to three inches of rain. Tingler says temperatures will be a little below average for the coming week…

cut 5 (06) “for the lows”

He says the state can expect gray skies and light rain for much of next week.

State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries officials say a man is charged with the illegal killing of a Louisiana Black Bear while he was hog hunting in St. Mary Parish. LDWF spokesman Adam Eick says 52-year-old Richard Picard Jr. of New Iberia accidentally shot the animal thinking it was a feral hog…

cut 9 (07) “12 gauge shot gun”

Picard faces 120 days in jail and more than $10,000 in fines and restitution.

Mike Danna, a staple in the agriculture broadcasting industry, has died of cancer at the age of 54. He passed away peacefully in his sleep shortly before 9am Friday morning. Louisiana Farm Bureau spokesperson Neil Melancon says Danna’s biggest passion was his career…

cut 12 (11) “or form”

Danna was the director of public relations for the Louisiana Farm Bureau and host of This Week in Louisiana Agriculture.

Mike Danna, a staple in the agriculture broadcasting industry, has died of cancer at the age of 54. Danna was the director of public relations for the Louisiana Farm Bureau — spokesman Neil Melancon reports…

cut 2 (33) “I’m Neil Melancon”

A Carencro Catholic School student will take part in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Megan Lavergne took the grand championship in the 2015 Kiwanis Regional Spelling Bee in Lafayette. Lavergne receives an all-expenses paid trip to the national competition to be held May 24th through the 29th in Washington, DC.

A former tight end on LSU’s 2003 national championship team has been sentenced to five decades in prison for his involvement in a 2011 truck stop casino shooting in Port Allen. 32-year-old Demetri Robinson pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted second degree murder. West Baton Rouge Parish Prosecutor Tony Clayton says when Robinson opened fire he missed hitting two employees in the casino…
cut 8 (06) “of it now”

Robinson was sentenced to 50 years in prison on each count, but each count is set to be served concurrently.

The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has charged 52-year-old Richard Picard Jr. of New Iberia with the illegal killing of a Louisiana Black Bear while he was hog hunting in St. Mary Parish. LDWF spokesman Adam Einck says one of the very first rules of hunter safety is to identify the target before pulling the trigger and know what you are shooting at…

cut 11 (11) “would be”

Picard faces more than $10,000 in fines and restitution and 120 days in jail.