A Senate committee has rejected a House-approved bill that would have prevented government agencies or officials from punishing someone who attends or leads a church service during a publicly declared emergency. The bill’s author Oil City Representative Danny McCormick and Shreveport Greg Tarver went back and forth during the debate…
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The measure failed on a three to two vote.

Constitutional Amendment Four on the November 3rd ballot asks voters if the state should create a new state budget spending limit. Public Affairs Research Council President Robert Travis Scott says the state already has a spending limit…
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Proponents of the amendment say a new spending limit will bring predictability to the budget and slower growth in state spending, while opponents say the amendment does not ensure a more efficient government.

NBA Hall of Famer and LSU Icon Shaquille O’Neal has to update his resume as he has a new job with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office. Brooke Thorington has more
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The Pelicans have officially announced the hiring of their new head coach, Stany Van Gundy. This will be his fourth head coaching job.

Louisiana Tech has called a press conference for tomorrow to introduce Eric Wood as its new Athletics Director. He’s currently a deputy A-D at Central Florida. He’ll replace Tommy McClelland who recently left for a job at Vanderbilt.

Governor Edwards hints at the possibility that he won’t be signing HB4, a House and Senate backed effort to give lawmakers the ability to strike down certain public health restrictions on businesses. Edwards says he will not be surrendering any authority to people whose approach he finds “totally unreasonable.”

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Should Edwards veto this legislation the House would reportedly move ahead with signing a petition that would end the public health emergency wholesale, triggering a likely court battle.

The Senate Judiciary Committee rejects legislation barring the state from penalizing churches and church-goers for gathering for in-person services against state orders during an emergency. The hearing led to an animated exchange between Shreveport Senator Gregory Tarver and the bill’s author Oil City Representative Danny McCormick.

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Five people have been arrested for allegedly stealing money from the state’s unemployment trust fund via fraud and identity theft. The unemployment trust fund is now borrowing money from the feds to keep the checks coming for those out of work. Attorney General Jeff Landry says it takes money from those who need it.

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Two of those arrested, Kayla Giles and Teri Thibodeaux allegedly ran a massive fraud scheme targeting unemployment programs in multiple states using 25 stolen identities to siphon off 300,000 dollars in total. Giles was already awaiting trial on a 2nd-degree murder charge from 2018.

Legislation allowing lawmakers to strip state construction funds from municipalities that cut their police budget in an attempt to “Defund the Police” advances to the Senate floor. Matt Doyle has the story.

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The Ka’Mauri Harrison bill is on it’s way to the Governor’s desk for signature. House Bill 83 unanimously passed in both chambers. The bill is a result of Harrison, and fourth-grader in Jefferson Parish being suspended for having a BB Gun in his bedroom during a virtual class.  The law would change public-school discipline rules and widen appeal rights of students and parents.

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is having to update his resume, he is now a Special Reserve Deputy with St Martin’s Parish Sheriff Office.  Shaq dropped by the office while the boss was away at training Wednesday and now Sheriff Becket Breaux is having to make budget adjustments.

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Shaq will act as a mentor for the staff and Breaux warns he might occasionally show up for a call.

Legislative Republicans await Governor Edwards’ decision on a potential veto of legislation they passed that would allow the Legislature to overturn parts of a public health emergency. Edwards says he hasn’t had a chance to talk to the bill’s author or Legislative leaders yet, but he already has a blanket policy about attempts to undermine his emergency authority…

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Compared to other southern states, Louisiana is doing better COVID-19 wise, but Governor Edwards doesn’t want COVID fatigue to set in. Brooke Thorington has more
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The number of Louisianans who have cast early ballots for the November third election has surpassed 430-thousand. Only the governor’s run-off election last year and the presidential election in 2016 have exceeded a turnout of 430-thousand voters. Early voting ends next Tuesday.

A House-approved bill that would allow state lawmakers to take state construction dollars away from local governments that reduce their police department’s budget by 25-percent or more has received approval from the Senate Finance committee. Shreveport Senator Gregory Tarver objected saying local budgeting decisions are none of the Legislature’s business.
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Alexandria Republican Lance Harris filed the bill in an effort to prevent the defund police movement from taking place in Louisiana.

The LSU football program is reducing its number of available scholarships by eight over the next two years and it’s banned former star wide receiver, Odell Beckham Junior, from the team’s facility for the next two years for handing out cash to players following the national championship game. Tiger Rag Editor Ron Higgins…
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The school has also admitted a former booster made payments to a former player’s family.

While most of the country is seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases, Louisiana’s numbers have remained steady, but in the last week, daily averages are showing an upward trend. The state reported 744 additional COVID-19 cases Wednesday and hospitalizations increased by 22, Governor John Bel Edwards says it’s troublesome.
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The White House has Louisiana in the “orange zone” for per capita cases, while most states are in the “red zone.”

A bill that would allow legislators to take state construction dollars away from a city that defunds its police department by 25-percent or more has received approval from the Senate Finance Committee. But the measure faces opposition, Lafayette Senator Gerald Boudreaux…
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The House approved measure heads to the Senate floor.

LSU imposes penalties on its football program after a former Booster paid the father of a former player and Odell Beckham Jr. handed out cash to players. Brooke Thorington has more.
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One person died last night when a single-engine plane crashed in a wooded area near the Slidell Municipal Airport. Authorities believe there may have been more than one person on the plane so they are searching the area for possible survivors. Slidell police are using drones and ATVs in their search.

New data from the White House shows Louisiana is one of 15 states in the orange zone for new coronavirus cases per capita while most states in the country are in the red zone. Governor John Bel Edwards…
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And the number of COVID-19 patients has climbed past 600.

The Senate Finance Committee has narrowly approved a bill that would allow the Legislature to strip municipalities of state construction funds should they reduce their police budgets by 25 percent. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says the bill is a response to the “Defund the Police” movement. He says the government’s most important function is providing for public safety…
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Opponents of the bill say the state legislature shouldn’t dictate how local governments spend their tax revenues.

Five people have been arrested for allegedly stealing money from the state unemployment trust fund via fraud and identity theft. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry…
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Two of those arrested, Kayla Giles and Teri Thibodeaux allegedly ran a massive fraud scheme targeting unemployment programs in multiple states using 25 stolen identities to siphon off 300,000 dollars in total.

LSU has admitted its football program has committed rules violations and they are reducing the number of scholarships they hand out by eight over two years and Odell Beckham Junior has been banned from the facility for two years. Tiger Rag Editor Ron Higgins says the self-imposed penalties are in hopes of reducing what the NCAA would impose for infractions…
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Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announces the arrest of five people for allegedly receiving unemployment benefits they should not have received. Landry says more arrests are likely to come…
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Landry says the fraudsters stole another person’s identity and filed for benefits on their behalf.

A House-approved bill that would allow legislators to take state construction dollars away from local governments that defund their police department has been approved by the Senate Finance Committee. But the threshold for when the legislation would kick in was raised from ten to 25-percent. Evangeline Parish Senator Heather Cloud supports the change in the proposed law…
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The state reported 744 more coronavirus cases yesterday and deaths increased by 12 to 5,584. Also, the number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized has increased by 22. But Governor Edwards says Louisiana is doing much better compared to other southern states and our mitigation efforts are working.
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The LSU football program is reducing its number of available scholarships by eight over the next two years and it’s banned former star wide receiver, Odell Beckham Junior, for the next two years for handing out cash to players following the national championship game. Tiger Rag Editor Ron Higgins…
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The school has also admitted a former booster made payments to a former player’s family.