A bill to limit the release of mugshots before a suspect is convicted passes out of House Governmental Affairs. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
____________________________________
Governor Edwards declares a state of emergency for four parishes hit by Tuesday night storms and tornados. Kevin Gallagher has more…:
Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”
_____________________________________
Delivery drivers are feeling the pinch of high gas prices, so Waitr has found a way to ease that pain a bit…David Grubb has more.
Cut 3 (34) “…I’m David Grubb.”
____________________________________
A bill to create a board entitled the Louisiana Named Storm Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority passes in House Insurance on a seven to five vote. Bill author, Alexandria Representative Ed Larvadain says residents are tired of dealing with insurance fraud from hurricanes and the bill creates a 19-member authority.
Cut 4 (08) “…will look at that.”
Eric Holl with Real Reform Louisiana who assisted with the creation of the bill says the authority is modeled after the Louisiana Insurance Fraud Task Force that focuses on automobile theft and insurance fraud.
Cut 5 (11) “…or prosecuted.”
Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon also testified before the committee and says the creation of the authority is merely repetitive. Donelon claims that no other state does as much as Louisiana to prevent insurance fraud.
Cut 6 (07) “…in my opinion.”
The bill now heads to the House floor.
_______________________________________
New Orleans Representative Royce Duplessis wants to limit the release of mugshots in Louisiana, in an effort to prevent those who are innocent from the public embarrassment that it can impose.
Cut 7 (12) “…to the public.”
House Bill 729 prohibits law enforcement from releasing a booking photograph in any format if they reasonably believe it will be published on a pay-for-publication or website.
Private attorney, Rep. John Stefanski, praised the legislation. Stefanski says when he works on expungement cases he tells his clients that once a mugshot is released it’s extremely difficult to have it removed from a website and it can follow a person for the remainder of their life.
Duplessis says Louisiana should follow the federal example set by the US Marshal’s Service which is the custodian of federal arrest records….
Cut 8 (09) “…invasion of privacy.”
Legal counsel for the Louisiana Press Association, Scott Sternberg says the bill is too broad. He advocates placing a charge on booking photos to eliminate the majority of mugshots released.
Cut 9 (11) “…wanna do.”
The bill passed on an 11 to 1 vote in House Governmental Affairs and now heads to the House floor.
____________________________________________
Governor John Bel Edwards declares a state of emergency for four parishes affected by Tuesday’s storms and tornados. Edwards spoke with media while on the ground in Arabi yesterday. He says teams will make their best estimates of damage to homes and businesses, to prepare the state’s request for FEMA assistance…:
Cut 10 (11) “…from the federal government.”
The Governor’s emergency declaration is for St. Bernard, Orleans, Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes. He says residents can help to speed up recovery aid by taking digital photos of damage to their homes or businesses and share that information with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness…:
Cut 11 (10) “…go to ‘damage.la.gov’.”
Many Louisiana storm victims have expressed frustration with their insurance companies for refusing claims, “low-balling” settlement offers, and foot-dragging on settling and paying. Edwards says this is usually NOT the case with tornado damage, because there are generally fewer claims filed than with hurricanes..:
Cut 12 (08) “…without undue delay.”
____________________________________________
Since the start of the pandemic, home delivery has become a much bigger part of our lives. Louisiana-based Waitr is finding ways to reduce the impact on its drivers as gasoline prices remain high. Chris Barnes, the company’s director of driver experience, says soaring fuel costs have impacted operations in every way possible.
Cut 13 (11) “…everyone and everything.”
Waitr’s new GasCard program helps drivers save on every fill-up, and operates through each person’s smartphone, giving them 24-hour access to those discounts.
Cut 14 (10) “…time of purchase.”
Barnes says the best thing about the GasCard program is that once gas prices go down, drivers will continue to be able to earn savings when they top off the tank.
Cut 15 (09) “…excited about that.”
______________________________________________
Since his hiring in late November, LSU football coach Brian Kelly has been steadily making his imprint on the program. With spring practice set to begin today, Kelly likes what he’s seen during the transition.
Cut 16 (15) “…day-to-day basis.”
Kelly made it clear that no player has a guarantee of a spot or playing team. He wants and expects to win, so every person in the program, from the coaching staff to the walk-ons has to be ready to compete.
Cut 17 (18) “ …the place for you.”
That competitive nature showed itself when Kelly was asked about his relations with and the status of star-wideout Kayshon Boutte.
Cut 18 (17) “ …injured or not.”
_______________________________________________
Matt McMahon was officially handed the reins to the LSU men’s basketball program on Wednesday. The highly sought-after former head coach at Murray State takes over the Tigers after collecting more than 150 wins over the past seven seasons. At a time when others might have run from the challenge, McMahon is excited to lead this new era.
Cut 19 (13)_“…basketball court.”
Aside from putting together his staff, recruiting current and future Tigers is the top task on McMahon’s to-do list, and the coach knows exactly the type of players he’s looking for.
Cut 20 (19) “ ..all-encompassing program.”
_______________________________________________