For the first time in the state’s modern history, there are more registered Republican voters than Democratic voters. That’s based on a report the Secretary of State’s office puts out at the beginning of every month. John Couvillon of JMC Analytics and Polling says Democrats were once the dominant party in Louisiana, but over time, they’ve been steadily losing party registrants…

Cut 9 (08) “…to fall”

Each party has just over one-million registered voters, with registered Republican voters outnumbering registered Democratic voters by 23-hundred.

It’s been nearly two weeks since a historic rain event in Avoyelles Parish flooded 14-thousand homes. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says storm victims should report any damage they sustained by visiting the website damage-dot-la-dot-gov…

Cut 19 (13) “…local dollars”

President Trump says Louisiana has approved to receive eight-point-six million dollars in federal disaster relief, but who is eligible for this money and how it will be distributed is unknown at this time.

Southern University is mourning the death of its most successful coach in the history of  Jaguars athletics. Roger Cador has died at the age of 74 after a bout with brain cancer. In his 33 seasons as head coach, Cador won 14 SWAC Championships and coached 10 All-Americans and 62 MLB draft picks. Chair of the Southern Board of Supervisors Tony Clayton says Southern will open the mini-dome on Monday to honor him…

Cut 5 (11) “…our children”

Starting tomorrow, the red snapper bag limit will be increased to five fish per person for the Fourth of July weekend. LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth hopes fishing is on your agenda this holiday weekend….

Cut 8 (12) “…out there”

Legendary former Southern University Baseball coach Roger Cador passed away of brain cancer at the age of 74 yesterday. Cador led the Jaguars baseball team for 33 years after taking over in 1984. Chair of the Southern Board of Supervisors Tony Clayton says he was an ambassador for the school and the first line of defense between kids and the real world.

Cut 3 (09) “…young men.”

A year after its invitation, Louisiana Tech officially joined the Sun Belt. The Bulldogs join in-state rivals ULM and UL-Lafayette in the conference. Both schools advocated for Tech to join the conference due to decreased travel costs and the renewal of historic rivalries. Louisiana Tech Athletic Director Ryan Ivey says they’re already seeing the impacts.

Cut 11 (12) “…of the schedule.”

A West Monroe man who spent 27 years on death row for the convicted murder of his ex-girlfriend’s toddler in 1993 has been released. Jimmie Duncan’s conviction was reversed by the Louisiana Supreme Court, and now prosecutors must decide to retry or dismiss the case. Duncan’s attorney Ann Ferebee says prosecutors are now on the clock.

Cut 14 (10) “…they tell us.”

Justices upheld a lower court’s decision to toss out Duncan’s 1998 conviction citing flawed forensic practices used to convict him.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office has released body cam footage that shows Reverend Tony Spell calling his neighbor’s son a slur, days after the pastor was arrested in the beating of the 20 year old man. Two days following that widely publicized incident deputies say they were called out on a noise complaint by the neighbor because Spell was mowing his lawn at 4am. That’s when words were exchanged and caught on tape.

Louisiana Tech is officially a member of the Sun Belt Conference…

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

Also on this day, UNO officially becomes LSU New Orleans as the school moves from the U-L System to the LSU System. UNO interim chancellor Jeanette Weiland says she’s ready to get the word out about LSU New Orleans as part of an effort to boost enrollment…

Cut 6 (10) “…learning as well”

A West Monroe man who spent 27 years on death row for the death of his ex-girlfriend’s 23-month old daughter is a free man after the Louisiana Supreme Court agreed with a lower court decision that prosecutors used flawed evidence to convict Jimmie Duncan in 1998. When Duncan was convicted, prosecutors convinced a jury that Duncan sexually assaulted Haley Oliveaux before she died in a bath tub. But newer evidence suggests Haley likely died from a seizure while in the tub.

The Ouachita District Attorney’s Office could try to prosecute Haley Duncan, but one of his attorneys, Ann Ferebee, says it will be up to the prosecution to decide how to proceed…

Cut 15 (10) “…other facts”

Ferebee says if prosecutors seek to try him for negligent homicide, they’d be wasting their time, since Duncan has already served three times the maximum prison sentence for that charge.

A West Monroe man who spent 27 years on Angola’s Death Row is officially a free man after a ruling by the Louisiana Supreme Court this week. The state’s highest court agreed with a lower court’s decision that the forensic evidence used to convict Jimmie Chris Duncan of sexually assaulting and killing his former girlfriend’s toddler was flawed.

Duncan was convicted in 1998, and he’s now 57-years-old. One of his attorneys, Ann Ferebee, says the Ouachita Parish District Attorney’s office could prosecute him again…

Cut 13 (11) “…those would be”

Based on the evidence that has been presented in the case after his conviction, it’s believed the girl that Duncan was accused of killing died from a seizure while taking a bath.

A Louisiana Sports legend has passed away. Former Southern baseball coach Roger Cador has died at the age of 74 after a bout with brain cancer.  He led the Jags to 14 SWAC titles.

Most of the people who sustained damage from Tropical Storm Arthur had flood damage. But Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says there were some who suffered property damage from tornadoes and high winds. Temple says these storm victims will have to pay a named storm deductible, and in these cases, he encourages storm victims to file a claim, even if the damage is less than your deductible…

Cut 9 (08) “….every 12 months”

It was a year ago that Louisiana Tech accepted an invite to the Sun Belt Conference and today the Bulldogs officially join the league.  Louisiana Tech agreed to an over eight-million-dollar exit fee with Conference USA. Athletics Director Ryan Ivey says it’s a short-term financial hit.

Cut 12 (11) “…here early on.”

The school will save millions in travel costs by playing more regional opponents.

UNO is now LSU New Orleans as the school rejoins the LSU system today. Before Katrina, UNO had had an enrollment of 17-thousand, and now is at about 6,000. Interim chancellor Jeanette Weiland says the campus has a lot to offer:
Cut 5 (11) “have everything here”
LSU New Orleans will still be the Privateers with a fresh new purple and gold logo.

Now that the Louisiana Supreme Court has upheld the reversal of former death row inmate Jimmie Duncan’s murder conviction, prosecutors must decide whether to retry or dismiss. The West Monroe man spent 27 years on death row in the 1993 death of his ex-girlfriend’s toddler. His attorney Ann Ferebee says prosecutors are now on the clock..:
Cut 14 (10) “they tell us”
Justices upheld a lower court’s decision to toss out Duncan’s 1998 conviction citing flawed forensics practices used to convict him.

A grand jury is reportedly reviewing a criminal complaint against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill. Sources say the complaint stems from a dispute over the Orleans Parish Clerk of Court’s office after Murrill warned local officials they could lose their positions under the state’s usurper laws.

Louisiana Tech is officially a Sun Belt Conference member. Kace Kieschnick has more…:
Cut 2 (35) “I’m Kace Kieschnick”

President Donald Trump has approved 8.6 million dollars for the state in response to a disaster declaration request from Governor Jeff Landry following Tropical Storm Arthur impacts. State Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says many with damage don’t have flood insurance and should start by documenting damage online at disaster.la.gov…:
Cut 8 (14) “or local dollars”
That’s disaster.la.gov.

The University of New Orleans is no more. The school rejoins the LSU system today and is now LSU New Orleans. Interim chancellor Jeanette Weiland says the LSU brand will help boost enrollment as their affordable tuition rates attract more students…:
Cut 4 (08) “on that lane”
The school will remain The Privateers, but instead of blue and silver, the new logo is purple and gold.

Now that the State Supreme Court has upheld the decision to overturn a West Monroe man’s first-degree murder conviction in the death of his girlfriend’s daughter, what’s next in the case?
Cut 3 (35) “I’m Andrew Greenstein”

Louisiana Tech officially joins the Sun Belt Conference today. Tech Athletic Director Ryan Ivey expects to compete for conference championships right away and welcomes the pressure of a new conference…:
Cut 10 (09) “compete moving forward”

The White House has approved 8.6 million dollars for Louisiana in disaster relief following the impact of Tropical Storm Arthur. Governor Landry had requested the assistance for Pointe Coupee, St. Tammany, Avoyelles, Terrebonne, St. Landry, and Lafourche Parishes.

Meanwhile the Louisiana Department of Insurance are in Avoyelles helping residents impacted by flooding from the historic rainfall the tropical system brought with it. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says most of the residents did not have flood insurance…:
Cut 7 (10) “14-thousand homes”
He continues to encourage residents to document all damage and submit it through the special website: disaster.la.gov.

A Louisiana sports legend has passed away. Former Southern player and baseball coach Roger Cador has died at the age of 74 after a bout with brain cancer.

The University of New Orleans is now LSU New Orleans, as the school officially moves to the LSU system today. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
Cut 1 (32) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office has released body cam footage that shows Reverend Tony Spell calling his neighbor’s son a slur, days after the pastor was arrested in the beating of the 20 year old man. Two days following that widely publicized incident deputies say they were called out on a noise complaint by the neighbor because Spell was mowing his lawn at 4am. That’s when words were exchanged and caught on tape.

Just over 512-thousand people showed up to vote in the U.S. Senate runoff elections. Political consultant and pollster Greg Rigamer says historically, Louisiana will have at least one-million people vote in the mid-term elections, and it will be interesting to see if the state can achieve that number in November with all of the bickering between the two national parties.

Cut 7 (12) “..locally.”

A former LSU running back is arrested for allegedly causing a crash that killed a 94-year-old man and his 69-year-old daughter-in-law. Investigators say 39-year-old Richard Murphy was driving 58 miles an hour in a 30 mile-an-hour zone when he ran a red light back on June 14th and caused the wreck. Corporal Sondra Watts says Murphy is facing several charges, including driving with a suspended license.

Cut 14 (08) “…degree vehicular injuring.”

Louisiana Tech officially joins the Sun Belt tomorrow, and Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker says the city is just as excited as the Bulldogs. Kace Kieschnick has more.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

Check your mailboxes in the next few days, because you might have money coming to you. The state treasurer’s office says it has mailed out an additional 1.7-million dollars in unclaimed money. The office used a data match to update addresses to find people who that money belongs to.

Politicos are concerned about the low turnout in the closed party primary runoffs in the U-S Senate races. Voter turnout was just 17-percent. Political consultant Roy Fletcher, who worked on John Fleming’s campaign, suspects the toxic environment surrounding national politics is a factor.

Cut 6 (06) “…understand it.”

Motorists driving uninsured out-of-state vehicles in Louisiana risk getting them impounded. This is thanks to a new law signed by Governor Landry that went into effect earlier this month. Pollock Representative Gabe Firment authored Act 861, which holds out-of-state vehicles to the same standard as those registered in Louisiana.

Cut 3 (12) “…out-of-state drivers.”

Firment says this law is also intended to lower auto insurance rates. 

A former LSU running back is arrested for allegedly causing a crash that killed two people. Investigators say 39-year-old Richard Murphy was driving 58 miles an hour in a 30-mile-an-hour zone when he ran a red light and killed a 94-year-old man and his 69-year-old daughter in law. Corporal Sondra Watts says evidence shows that Murphy was not sober at the time.

Cut 13 (10) “…driving while intoxicated.”

Louisiana Tech officially joins the Sun Belt Conference tomorrow after 13 years in Conference USA. Many of the Bulldogs’ conference football games the past three seasons have been on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker says the city is thrilled to welcome fans for six Saturday home football games.

Cut 9 (12)  “…part of it.”

A former LSU running back is arrested on vehicular homicide charges for allegedly causing a crash that killed two people earlier this month. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Former LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet was sentenced to 27 months in a minimum-security federal facility. In March, he pleaded guilty to his role in a kickback scheme. He will also have to pay a 40-thousand-dollar fine.

A new law signed by Governor Landry means motorists driving uninsured out-of-state vehicles in Louisiana risk getting them impounded, the same consequences faced by Louisiana vehicles without insurance. Author of the Act, Pollock Representative Gabe Firment says it will help lower auto insurance rates.

Cut 5 (13) “…for Louisiana drivers.”

Louisiana Tech becomes an official member of the Sun Belt Conference tomorrow. The LA Tech football team traveled nearly 8,000 miles last season, but Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker says, with the Sun Belt’s regionality, those days are over.

Cut 10 (09) “…or wherever.”

The Bulldogs will join the Sun Belt West division with in-state rivals UL Lafayette and ULM, as well as nearby neighbors Arkansas State and Southern Miss.