Louisiana’s delegation of first responders are just east of Panama City, Florida, where the eyewall of Hurricane Michael came ashore, bringing untold amounts of devastation. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says they spent much of Thursday getting hurricane victims out of their storm ravaged homes and into shelter.
Cut 4 (08) “…they need”
The team is working with a task force comprised of first responders from Mississippi and Florida.

Congress has approved legislation that begins the process of moving the Army Corps of Engineers out from the Department of Defense and turning it into a civilian agency tasked with administering massive domestic projects. Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says nothing against the D-O-D, but they have a lot of overseas concerns these days…
cut 11 (08) “….deal with”
Graves believes this fundamental change will speed up construction on backlogged flood and coastal protection projects.

42-year-old Melvin Amar of Baton Rouge is in the East Baton Rouge Parish Jail after he allegedly threatened to kill Troopers and other law enforcement officers. State Police spokesperson Bryan Lee says during a traffic stop conducted by a Trooper, Amar referenced the 2016 ambush on police in Baton Rouge that resulted in the deaths of three officers…
cut 15 (08) “….safety of others”
Lee says Amar has a history of making threats towards law enforcement and now faces numerous charges.

Federal prosecutors accuse a US post office manager in Kenner of stealing 630-thousand dollars in stamps and selling them on eBay to support his gambling addiction. 46-year-old Ryan Cortez also allegedly stole 10-thousand dollars from a church where he served as a treasurer. It’s considered one of the largest internal postal thefts in Postal Service history.

The Louisiana Fire Marshals are helping the city of Mexico Beach get back on it’s feet after a devastating hit from Hurricane Michael. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (30)  “I’m Matt Doyle”

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Legislation is on the president’s desk that will lead to some major changes in flood protection projects and the Corp of Engineers. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 2 (30) ”I’m Matt Doyle.” 

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Louisiana State Police have arrested a Baton Rouge man after he threatened to kill troopers and other law enforcement officers during a traffic stop.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

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The State Fire Marshal’s team is on the scene just east of Panama City, where the eyewall of Hurricane Michael came ashore, bringing untold amounts of devastation. Fire Marshal Butch Browning says much of the work is just getting people out of their storm surge ravaged homes and over to shelter.

Cut 4 (08) “…they need”

The team is working with a task force comprised of first responders from Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida.

Browning says the team has honed in on one city in particular that reportedly took on almost 14 feet in storm surge.

Cut 5 (09)  “…right now.” 

Browning says the damage is extensive, and the storm took out most of the vital utilities that are needed to run a modern city.

Cut 6 (06)“were doing”

Michael was nearly a category five when it made landfall.

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Tiger Stadium is sold out as LSU and Georgia meet for the first time since 2008. Georgia has sold all of its 6,000-ticket allotment for the game making Saturday one of the largest game day crowds ever on campus. LSU Sports Information Director Michael Bonnette recommends fans arrive early in the morning to reduce traffic…

Cut 7 11) “…practice”

Parking will likely be a hurdle for attending fans but Bonnette says there are plenty of opportunities for those who don’t have a parking pass…

Cut 8 (06) “…stadium”

The showdown between the Tigers and Bulldogs will kick off at 2:30 PM. The early start means the game will end around 6:30 PM and Bonnette offers a solution to avoid heavy congestion on the roads…

Cut 9 (12) “…Saturday night”

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The Corp of Engineers is about to be on the path to some major changes under new legislation that’s nearly been set into law. The America’s Water Infrastructure act reforms the Corp, and gives states the option to take more direct controls of flood prevention and hurricane protection projects. Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says this could speed up nearly 100 billion in backlogged projects.

Cut 10 (07)   “…Louisiana“

The law has been sent to the President’s desk, and he’s expected to sign it soon.

Under the bill, the Corp will be moved out of the Department of Defense and turned into a civilian agency tasked with administering massive domestic projects. Graves says it’s nothing against the DoD, but they’ve got a lot of overseas concerns these days.

Cut 11 (08)   “…deal with”

The Republican from Baton Rouge also noted that the legislation will allow local governments a lot more say so in the construction of vital protection projects, projects that have a decades-old backlog.

Cut 12 (10)   “…the project”

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Louisiana State Police have arrested a Baton Rouge man after he threatened to kill troopers and other law enforcement officers during a traffic stop.  42-year-old Melvin Amar, Jr. was pulled over when he was observed driving a pickup truck with no tag and he was not wearing a seatbelt.  Trooper Bryan Lee says during the course of the stop, Amar started making threats.

Cut 13 (08)   “…with his hand.”

Lee says after the initial threat, Amar was cuffed and put in the back of the patrol car, but he kept up with the threats.

Cut 14 (06)   “…and his family.”

Lee says Amar also made threats against law enforcement by referencing the 2016 Baton Rouge Police shooting that left three officers dead during an ambush.

Cut 15 (08)   “…safety of others.”

Amar was transported to the East Baton Rouge Parish Jail and was found to be in possession of marijuana and Xanax.

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The Ragin Cajuns host New Mexico State on Saturday for homecoming. The Aggies are coming off a bye week and they have won their last two games, after dropping their first four games of the season. UL Lafayette Coach Billy Napier says New Mexico State has some good skill position players on offense

Cut 16 (21) “..for us”

The Cajuns snapped a three-game losing streak last Saturday with a 42-27 win over Texas State. UL Lafayette rushed for 327 yards in that game. Napier would like to see that kind of production again tomorrow…

Cut 17 (17)  “third down”

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LSU looks to knock off unbeaten Georgia on Saturday. Tigers Coach Ed Orgeron onthe keys to victory….

Cut 18 (09) “…it done” 

Georgia leads the SEC in rushing, averaging 245 yards a game. Orgeron says it will be a tough task trying to slow them down…

Cut 19 (10) “..are excellent” 

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow threw his first two interceptions of the season in the loss to Florida last week, but Orgeron expects a bounce back performance from his QB…

Cut 20 (14) “do it” 

The LSU President is defending the university’s decision to adopt a holistic admission policy. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (32) “I’m Matt Doyle”

For the first time in a long time, much of the state will see low temperatures into the 50s tomorrow morning. Rob Megnia, with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, says the summer heat has finally dissipated…

Cut 12 (08)   “…70-degrees”

The Secretary of State’s office is appealing the decision by The Office of State Procurement voiding a multi-million dollar contract that would have replaced the state’s aging voting machines.  Interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says the Edwards administration rejected the contract, because a lobbyist for a losing bidder is a supporter of the governor. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says name recognition is lacking in the Secretary of State’s race, so the candidates are taking a risk by paying for commercial spots to attack Ardoin…

Cut 11 (09) “…negatives on him.”
Ardoin is one of nine candidates seeking election to the Secretary of State’s post. The election is November sixth.

A meter reader for Entergy has been fired after falsifying meter readings and now about four-thousand Entergy customers in southeast Louisiana are experiencing sticker shock with their latest bills. Entergy Vice President of Distribution Melonie Stewart says they are giving customers many months to pay the heavy bill.
Cut 8 (07) “…right for them.”

LSU President F. King Alexander is defending the university’s decision to use a holistic admission standards, in the wake of reports that 7.5 percent of the freshman class did not meet traditional GPA or ACT requirements. On Talk Louisiana with Jim Engster, Alexander said  while the new policy will help high out of state achievers make it to Baton Rouge, it won’t keep out locals.

Cut 5 (10)  “…of state” 

Previously the board of regents allowed for four percent of students to fall below the requirements.

A meter reader for Entergy has been fired after falsifying meter readings and now about four-thousand Entergy customers in southeast Louisiana are experiencing sticker shock with their latest bills. Entergy Vice President of Distribution Melonie Stewart after a rereading of the meters, they have the most accurate measure of the energy used by customers.

Cut 7 (05)  “…energy they used.”

The Office of State Procurement voids a multi-million dollar contract that would have replaced the state’s aging voting machines. Louisiana’s chief procurement officer found flaws in how interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin selected Dominion Voting Systems. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the candidates in the race will bring this up on why Ardoin shouldn’t be elected…

Cut 10 (07)  “…favor”

Ardoin is one of nine candidates seeking election to the Secretary of State’s post. The election is November sixth.

For the first time in a long time, much of the state will see low temperatures into the 50s tomorrow morning. Rob Megnia, with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, says  another cold front is expected early next week…

Cut 14 (11) “like Fall”

LSU President F. King Alexander is defending the university’s decision to use a holistic admission standards, in the wake of reports that 7.5 percent of the freshman class did not meet traditional GPA or ACT requirements. On Talk Louisiana with Jim Engster, Alexander says adopting these methods makes it easier to steal other state’s best students, who may not have all the curricular requirements.

cut 4 (09) “…vanishes immediately″

All but three SEC schools use the holistic approach.

The Office of State Procurement voids a multi-million dollar contract that would have replaced the state’s aging voting machines. Louisiana’s chief procurement officer found flaws in how interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin selected Dominion Voting Systems. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says it doesn’t look good for Ardoin…

Cut 9 (06)  “…don’t know.”

The Secretary of State’s office is appealing the decision, calling the decision political.

A meter reader for Entergy has been fired after falsifying meter readings and now about four-thousand Entergy customers in southeast Louisiana are experiencing sticker shock with their latest bills. Entergy Vice President of Distribution Melonie Stewart…

Cut 6 (11)  “…the normal bill .”

Stewart says there is no word on the meter reader’s motivation in the falsified readings, but customers will have several months to catch up on the back dated charges, as they may be a bit extensive.

And Governor John Bel Edwards is taking a trip to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in partnership with the National Governor’s Association. The governor will be taking Bayou businessmen, researchers, and other officials on a trip to try and spur some economic development with the small Mediterranean nation. A major aim of the trip is cyber security, an industry that Israel is known for. The governor will leave for the trip on October 26^th.

LSU President F. King Alexander is defending the university’s decision to use a holistic admission standards, in the wake of reports that 7.5 percent of the freshman class did not meet traditional GPA or ACT requirements. On Talk Louisiana with Jim Engster, Alexander said sometimes scores don’t tell the full story about a prospective student’s aptitude.

Cut 3 (11) “…junior year” 

Previously the board of regents allowed for four percent of students to fall below the 3.0 GPA and 22 ACT requirement.

The Office of State Procurement voids a multi-million dollar contract that would have replaced the state’s aging voting machines. Louisiana’s chief procurement officer found flaws in how interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin selected Dominion Voting Systems. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says it may not look good for Ardoin, but it could be tough for opponents to capitalize on.

Cut 11 (09) “…negatives on him.”

About four thousand Entergy customers in southeast Louisiana may be experiencing some sticker shock at their latest bill.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

For the first time in a long time, much of the state will see low temperatures into the 50s tomorrow morning. Rob Megnia, with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, says the summer heat has finally dissipated…

Cut 12 (08)   “…70-degrees”

LSU President F. King Alexander is defending the university’s decision to use a holistic admission standards, in the wake of reports that 7.5 percent of the freshman class did not meet traditional GPA or ACT requirements. On Talk Louisiana with Jim Engster, Alexander says the process benefits not only those who’ve had family hardship, but also out of state students who excelled academically, but did not have a high school curriculum that included all of the classes necessary to attend LSU.
cut 4 (09) “…vanishes immediately″
A meter reader for Entergy has been fired after falsifying meter readings and now about four-thousand Entergy customers in southeast Louisiana are experiencing sticker shock with their latest bills. Entergy Vice President of Distribution Melonie Stewart says after a rereading of the meters, they have the most accurate measure of the energy used by customers.
Cut 7 (05)  “…energy they used.”
The Office of State Procurement voids a multi-million dollar contract that would have replaced the state’s aging voting machines. Louisiana’s chief procurement officer found flaws in how interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin selected Dominion Voting Systems. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the candidates in the race will bring this up on why Ardoin shouldn’t be elected…

Cut 10 (07)  “…favor”

Ardoin is one of nine candidates seeking election to the Secretary of State’s post. The election is November sixth.

New Medicare cards will be on their way to Louisianan who get their healthcare from the feds. The new cards come with a few changes to better protect beneficiary’s identities and fight fraud. Regional Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services Jeff Hinson says when the new card comes in, the old card has to go.

Cut 13 (10)   “…that”