George Floyd protests stopped traffic in both directions last night for two-plus hours on I-10 near the Superdome in New Orleans. There were no arrests and police on the scene took a knee in solidarity against brutality. Governor John Bel Edwards is one of many Americans upset over the death of Floyd…
cut 7 (13) “…were acceptable”

Louisiana will move into Phase two of reopening of the economy on Friday and that means tattoo parlors can finally re-open. Glynn Morace owns a tattoo shop in Baton Rouge and says it’s been tough to be closed for so long, especially when he feels tattoo shops are more sanitary than gyms…
cut 4 (11) “…..a weight lifted”

Authorities are hunting for the killer of a black bear found south of Franklin, and offering a 6,000 dollar reward for information leading to an arrest…
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Tropical Storm Cristobal is spinning along the coast of Mexico in the Bay of Campeche, but forecasters say the system will eventually head north and possibly impact Louisiana’s coast on Sunday and Monday.

Legislators manage to pass tort reform aimed at lowering auto insurance rates by ten percent but Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat believes Governor Edwards will veto the session’s signature bill. Edwards has long expressed concerns that the bill would not actually lower rates and was frustrated when the Legislature blocked efforts to prevent insurance rate discrimination on gender or class grounds.

The legislation did not pass with a veto proof majority and Pinsonat says that may have doomed their effort, despite a mandate from voters to lower auto insurance rates.

Cut 11 (09) “…rates.”

Tropical Storm Cristobal forms in the Bay of Campeche, but it’s expected to remain stationary over the next few days before moving north. State Climatologist Barry Keim says its never too early to be prepared.

Cut 8 (12) “…of the season.”

Another piece of controversial legislation made it out of the Legislature in the last minutes of the session: a 300 million dollar grant program for small businesses. Democrats opposed the grant program saying the Louisiana Congressional Delegation sent us that money to aid local governments, and Amite Representative Robby Carter says Louisiana businesses have already received 7 billion dollars in Payroll Protection Program funds…

Cut 14 (07) “…the dollar”

President Trump calls on governors to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to “dominate the streets” in the wake of lawlessness following nationwide police brutality protests. Senator Bill Cassidy backed the President’s statement.

Cut 3 (11)  “…response”  

Legislators manage to pass tort reform aimed at lowering auto insurance rates by ten percent but Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat believes Governor Edwards will veto the session’s signature bill. Edwards has long expressed concerns that the bill would not actually lower rates and was frustrated when the Legislature blocked efforts to prevent insurance rate discrimination on gender or class grounds.

The legislation did not pass with a veto-proof majority and Pinsonat says that may have doomed their effort, despite a mandate from voters to lower auto insurance rates.

Cut 11 (09) “…rates.”

Pinsonat says some of the lost support came from compromise changes made over the weekend.

Cut 10 (07) “…longer”

Another piece of controversial legislation made it out of the Legislature in the last minutes of the session: a 300 million dollar grant program for small businesses funded with cash set aside to help local governments whose revenue was impacted by the shutdown. National Federation of Independent Business State Director Dawn Starns says with businesses still restricted the money is badly needed.

Cut 12 (08) “loss”

But New Orleans Representative Gary Carter opposed the grant program saying the Louisiana Congressional Delegation sent us that money to aid local governments.

Cut 13 (10) “response”  

Amite Representative Robby Carter says Louisiana businesses have already received 7 billion dollars in Payroll Protection Program funds…

Cut 14 (07) “…the dollar”

If either of the bills are vetoed they could be overridden during this ongoing special session.

Tropical Storm Cristobal forms in the Bay of Campeche, but it’s expected to remain stationary over the next few days. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the current forecast calls for the storm to move to about 200 miles south of Morgan City on Sunday morning and tracking northward.

Cut 7 (10) “…surrounding the storm.”

President Trump calls on governors to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to “dominate the streets” in the wake of lawlessness following nationwide police brutality protests. Senator Bill Cassidy backed the President’s statement. The President has been criticized for using inflammatory language to describe the protests, but Cassidy says Trump’s focus right now is on restoring order.

Cut 4 (09)_ “together”

The protests were triggered by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police last week.

Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat believes Governor Edwards will veto legislation headed to his desk aimed at lowering auto insurance rates through lawsuit reform. Pinsonat says tort reform supporter’s inability to pass the legislation with veto-proof majorities may have doomed their effort, despite a mandate from voters to lower auto insurance rates.

Cut 11 (09) “…rates.”

Edwards says he’s concerned the legislation will not lower rates. Proponents disagree, claiming it would lower rates by at least 10 percent.

The Legislature signs off on a 300 million dollar grant program for small businesses funded with cash set aside to help local governments whose revenue was impacted by the shutdown.New Orleans Representative Gary Carter opposed the grant program saying the Louisiana Congressional Delegation sent us that money to aid local governments.

Cut 13 (10) “response”  

The Legislature signs off on a 300 million dollar grant program for small businesses funded with cash set aside to help local governments whose revenue was impacted by the shutdown. National Federation of Independent Business State Director Dawn Starns says with the 50 percent cap on occupancy still in effect for Phase Two, the bill is timely.

Cut 12 (08) “loss”

If signed by the Governor, the program would begin taking applications from businesses with fewer than 50 employees July 1^st. Eligible businesses could receive up to 15,000 dollars

Tropical Storm Cristobal forms in the Bay of Campeche and the forecast calls for the storm to be 200 miles south of Morgan City by Sunday., but State Climatologist Barry Keim says there is much uncertainty when it comes to forecasting the track and intensity.

Cut 6 (08) “…taking this storm.”

Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat believes Governor Edwards will veto legislation headed to his desk aimed at lowering auto insurance rates through lawsuit reform. Pinsonat says GOP lawmakers scrambled to pass the bill in the last minutes of the session, failing to make their case effectively to the public.

Cut 9 (11) “…on it”

Edwards says he’s concerned the legislation will not lower rates.

President Trump calls on governors to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to “dominate the streets” in the wake of lawlessness following nationwide police brutality protests. Senator Bill Cassidy says the President’s statements were in response to protests that the Senator says have been infiltrated by anti-government elements.

Cut 5 (10)  “community”.

A political analyst expects Governor Edwards to veto the regular session’s signature bill aimed at lowering auto insurance rates through lawsuit reform. Matt Doyle has more…
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Ronnie Jones is out as chairman of the state’s gaming control board. The retired state police deputy superintendent has held the job since 2013, but the Senate did not confirm his re-appointment. Since the decision was made during executive session, there’s no public record on why Jones was ousted.

Louisiana could be threatened by a named storm next week. Tropical Storm Cristobal formed this morning in the southern Gulf of Mexico. It’s not expected to move much over the next couple of days, but the National Hurricane Center says Cristobal will eventually head north and could be nearing the Louisiana coast on Sunday. State Climatologist Barry Keim says says a strong storm in June is possible…
cut 8 (12) “…of the season”

President Trump calls on governors to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to “dominate the streets” in the wake of lawlessness following nationwide police brutality protests. Senator Bill Cassidy backed the President’s statement. He says Americans have the right to protest peacefully, but not violently.
Cut 3 (11) “…response”

Tropical Storm Cristobal forms near the southern Gulf. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

The health department releases new covid-19 numbers for the state; hospitalization rates continue to decline. A decrease of 22 from the previous day with 639 now recorded. Vent usage also decreased down by 3 with 83 on record and fatalities increased by 34 for a total of 2,724. Case numbers increased by 405.

Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat believes Governor Edwards is going to veto legislation aimed at lowering auto insurance rates through lawsuit reform. The legislation is a few votes shy of a supermajority needed to override a veto. Pinsonat says some of the lost support came from compromise changes made over the weekend.

Cut 10 (09) “…similar.”

Pinsonat says tort reform supporter’s inability to pass the legislation with veto-proof majorities may have doomed their effort, despite a mandate from voters to lower auto insurance rates.

President Trump calls on governors to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to “dominate the streets.” The President has been criticized for using inflammatory language to describe the protests, but Senator Bill Cassidy says Trump’s focus right now is on restoring order.

Cut 4 (09)_ “together”