Vice President Mike Pence visits Mount Pleasant Baptist Church today, one of the three churches recently torched in St. Landry Parish.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

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Loosening of regulations set following the 2010 BP oil spill may lead to the Gulf of Mexico being more attractive for drilling. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

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Dolphins off the coast of Mississippi are dying in alarming numbers, and a marine biologist says Mississippi river pollution and the Bonnet Carre spillway are largely to blame. Matt Doyle has more.

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Vice President Mike Pence arrives in Lafayette this afternoon and will visit Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, one of the three churches recently torched in St. Landry Parish. Pence will meet with community and church leaders. Southwest Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins believes the way law enforcement and the church community faced the situation stands out to the Vice President.

Cut 4 (10) “…horror was handled.”

Pence, speaking at the White House during a National Day of Prayer event, says the world condemns the recent attacks at religious buildings.

Cut 5 (12) “…churches in Louisiana.”

The churches have seen an outpouring of support with a GoFundMe page raising over $2 million in donations for the rebuilding efforts. Higgins credits the church communities faith as their greatest resource but says the churches can expect support on the federal level as well.

Cut 6 (11) “…as they rebuild.”

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The loosening on regulations based on rules written following the 2010 BP oil spill may make the Gulf of Mexico more attractive to those looking to establish offshore rigs.  Tulane Energy Institute Professor Eric Smith says among those rules was a requirement to break down blowout preventers after every drilling program.

Cut 7 (12) “…the blowout preventer.”

Smith says the new rules will reduce the number of times a rig has to open up a blowout preventer for inspection, as well as expands who can conduct the inspections when they take place.

Cut 8 (10) “…by federal inspectors.”

Smith describes the rules set following the oil spoil as overly harsh and now that they’ve been loosened, it opens the Gulf of Mexico to being more competitive with other deep water drilling sites around the world.

Cut 9 (09) “…that were unworkable.″
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Ecologists are sounding the alarm about a huge increase in the number of dead dolphins being found off the coast of Mississippi, and are pinning the blame partly on the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway in March.

Institute for Marine Mammal Studies President Dr. Mody Solangi says 28 dead dolphins were found in April, and 55 since January.

Cut 10 (11) “…months.”

The Spillway floods Lake Pontchartrain with Mississippi River water to relieve pressure on New Orleans levees. That water eventually drains out of the Lake to the Mississippi Sound.

But Solangi says it’s not just the Spillway at fault. In previous decades, the spillway’s opening wasn’t as devastating, but the Mississippi River has grown so polluted that dumping that water into the gulf is disastrous.

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Solangi says local marine life is not adapted to the polluted river water that floods the coast when the Spillway opens, and that’s having a terrible effect all the way down the food chain.

Cut 12 (08) “…seen.”

Solangi says that includes a significant, and growing threat to one of the most endangered species on earth, sea turtles.

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The Harrah’s Casino 30 year license extension effort rolled through the House and is on it’s way back to the Senate, where it died last year.

In return for a substantial extension, House Speaker Taylor Barras’ bill asks for Harrah’s to invest 325 million dollars dollars to upgrade the facility, including building a new hotel…

Cut 13 (06) “…amenities”

The bill does not expand the gambling floor space for the facility.

The agreement also calls for the gaming house to up it’s payments to the state by tens of millions of dollars relative to the last deal, Barras says that includes an minimum yearly payment to the state from Harrah’s of 65 million dollars, that increases over time…

Cut 14 (12) “…expenses”

This year’s version pays the state 130 million dollars more over the length of the deal than last years, which collapsed amid disputes over allegations it was too generous to Harrah’s.

The bill reportedly has Senate President John Alario’s backing, and was appraised to be at market value, compared to the payments the state would have received had they opened the contract to bids. Barras says it’s a great deal for the Crescent City.

Cut 15 (10) “…historically”

The bill calls for Harrah’s to also make an upfront payment once the agreement is struct, 7.5 million to New Orleans, and 17.5 million to the state.

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The 14th ranked LSU baseball team begins an important weekend series against 15th ranked Ole Miss tonight. The two teams have identical 13-8 records in the SEC, two games back of Arkansas for first place in the West division. Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri says his team will have to play their best, because the Rebels swept Texas A-and-M last weekend…

Cut 16  (11) “…good arms” 

Mainieri says the Rebels like to steal bases, they’ve swiped 76 bags on the season…

 cut 17 (10)   “curtail it” 

One year after the state legislature restored voting rights for some convicted felons, there’s an effort to allow some convicts to be eligible for jury duty. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James says his legislation would allow convicted felons to be called for jury duty once they are off parole or probation for five years
Cut 3 (09) “…made mistakes ”
The House Criminal Justice Committee sent the proposal to the full House after a 9-6 vote. Bossier City Republican Raymond Crews says his constituents are against this bill…
Cut 4 (09) “…with you”
Hammond Representative Nicky Muscarello’s legislation that would conceal the identity of companies that sell the state lethal injection drugs has been moved to the House Governmental Affairs Committee, because it would carve out a public records request exemption.
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The Harrah’s Casino 30 year license extension effort rolled through the House and is on it’s way back to the Senate, where it died last year. In return for a substantial extension, House Speaker Taylor Barras’ bill asks for Harrah’s to invest 325 million dollars dollars to upgrade the facility, including building a new hotel…
Cut 13 (06) “…amenities”
This year’s version pays the state 130 million dollars more over the length of the deal than last years.
The House health committee approves legislation that would allow medical marijuana patients to receive the drug through an inhaler, instead of a liquid or pill. Members of the House Health and Welfare committee heard moving testimony from veterans. An 11-year combat veteran from Belle Chasse says he’s using medical marijuana to treat P-T-S-D…
Cut 8 (12) “…V-A.”

LSU pitcher Zach Hess has agreed to head to the bullpen as a reliever after two years of trying to mold himself into a starting pitcher. The junior admitted in a recent interview that he’s better when he can give his all on every pitch, instead of having to stretch his stamina out across 8 or so innings. Here’s coach Paul Mainieri on the decision.
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12th ranked LSU baseball takes on Ole Miss at Alex Box for a three game series this weekend, but Freshman right-hander Cole Henry is still not available to pitch because of a sore elbow.
Louisiana Tech will be playing it’s final home series against Western Kentucky at Warhawk Field at Louisiana-Monroe’s campus. The Bulldog’s home field is still in tatters after being heavily damaged by a Tornado that tore through the campus on April 25th.
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A construction firm has been selected to manage the first phase of what would, if approved, ultimately be a 450-million dollar Superdome renovation. The first phase of construction will cost about 100 million dollars, and will focus on the installation of escalators and elevators, along with a new food area, but a final funding plan has not been ironed out yet.
The Saints have agreed to pay for a third of whatever the total cost is. That means the remaining two thirds would be split between the Superdome, and the State. Superdome Commission spokesperson Mike Hoss says hopefully the taxpayers won’t have to foot much of the bill.
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The plan is for all four phases of renovation to be completed before the 2024 Superbowl in New Orleans.
Basketball observers are praising new Pelicans GM David Griffin’s poaching of former Phoenix Sun’s head atheltic trainer Aaron Nelson. Nelson is highly regarded, and has presided over a team that while lacking succsess on the court, had one of the lowest injury rates in the league.

A construction firm has been selected to manage the first phase of what would, if approved, ultimately be a 450-million dollar Superdome renovation. The first phase of construction will cost about 100 million dollars, and Superdome Commission spokesperson Mike Hoss says it focuses on making the dome easier to traverse, and bringing the food up to New Orleans standards…
Cut 13 (12) “…Superdome”
The plan is for all four phases of renovation to be completed before the 2024 Superbowl in New Orleans.
One year after the state legislature restored voting rights for some convicted felons, there’s an effort to allow certain convicts eligible for jury duty. New Orleans Representative Royce Duplessis says former inmates can provide valuable contributions…
Cut 5 (09) “…voir dire process”
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Almost 7000 families impacted by the duplication of benefits issues stemming from the 2016 flood will soon have access to Restore grant money. Kevin Barnhart has the details.
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”
The Advocate has purchased New Orleans’ longest running major paper, The Times Picayune. The Picayune traces it’s roots all the way back to January 1837, but had seen it’s circulation decline in the face of nationwide newspaper company struggles competition from the Advocate, who several years ago moved into the New Orleans market. The Picayune gained worldwide acclaim, and a Pulitzer, for it’s Katrina coverage.

A House Committee approves legislation to give medical marijuana patients the option to receive the drug through an inhaler, instead of liquid form. Members of the House Health and Welfare committee heard moving testimony from veterans. An 11-year combat veteran from Belle Chasse says he’s using medical marijuana to treat P-T-S-D and he’s seeing positive results…
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Officials say medical marijuana is expected to become available in Louisiana by the end of May.

The Trump Administration has agreed to rewrite the regulations so Louisiana RESTORE grant money can get in the hands of 2016 flood victims, who also received an S-B-A loan. Congressman Garret Graves says after months of delays, he expects the process to move quickly…
Cut 9 (11) “…state of Louisiana.“.

Legislation that would make secret the names of companies that sell the state chemicals and equipment used to administer the death penalty receives the House Criminal Justice Committe’s approval.
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The Superdome Commission is moving forward with plans on a 450-million dollar renovation project of the iconic stadium. The first phase will include the installation of more escalators and elevators for fans, but a final funding plan has not finalized. Superdome Commission spokesperson Mike Hoss says hopefully taxpayers will not have to foot much of the bill…
cut 14 (06) “…for this”

One year after the state legislature restored voting rights for some convicted felons, there’s an effort to allow certain convicts to be eligible for jury duty. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James says his legislation would allow convicted felons to be called for jury duty once they are off parole or probation for five years
Cut 3 (09) “…made mistakes ”
The House Criminal Justice Committee sent the proposal to the full House after a 9-6 vote. Bossier City Republican Raymond Crews says his constituents are against this bill…
cut 4 (09) “…with you”

Tomorrow, Vice President Mike Pence will travel to Louisiana to meet with community and faith leaders in St. Landry Parish impacted by the three black churches burned down by a suspected arsonist. 21-year-old Holden Matthews faces arson and hate crime charges.

A state board has taken the first step towards a 450 million dollar Superdome renovation project , set to be completed before the 2024 Superbowl…
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The state’s Congressional delegation announces that residents impacted by the 2016 floods will be eligible to receive Restore Louisiana grants, even if they received an S-B-A loan. Congressman Garret Graves says HUD is moving forward on issuing guidance after a strong lobbying effort…
cut 11 (10) “….have been waiting”

A construction firm has been selected to manage the first phase of what would, if approved, ultimately be a 450-million dollar Superdome renovation. The first phase of construction will cost about 100 million dollars, and Superdome Commission spokesperson Mike Hoss says it focuses on making the dome easier to traverse, and bringing the food up to New Orleans standards…
Cut 13 (12) “…Superdome”
The plan is for all four phases of renovation to be completed before the 2024 Superbowl in New Orleans.
One year after the state legislature restored voting rights for some convicted felons, there’s an effort to allow certain convicts eligible for jury duty. New Orleans Representative Royce Duplessis says former inmates can provide valuable contributions…
Cut 5 (09) “…voir dire process”
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Almost 7000 families impacted by the duplication of benefits issues stemming from will soon have access to Restore grant money. Kevin Barnhart has the details.
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”
Louisiana Tech raised 1.23 million dollars for it’s inaugural Giving Day fundraiser. Nearly 2,000 donors contributed to the fund, a record for Tech fundraisers, which averages out to a little over 615 dollars a donor. A tornado ravaged the campus April 25th.

The Trump Administration has agreed to rewrite the regulations so Louisiana RESTORE grant money can get in the hands of 2016 flood victims, who also received an S-B-A loan. Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says the funding will help almost seven-thousand families in Louisiana.
Cut 10 (11) “…the end zone”
Congress approved legislation to fix the duplication of benefits loophole and it was signed into law by President Trump in October 2018.
The House health committee approves legislation that would allow medical marijuana patients to receive the drug through an inhaler, instead of a liquid or pill. Medical marijuana is expected to be available at nine licensed dispensaries by the end of May. Doctors can prescribe the drug to those who suffer from specific conditions. Marijuana physician, Dr. Victor Chou.
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Eddie Rispone, Congressman Ralph Abraham, and Governor John Bel Edwards stated their cases to the oil and gas industry as to why they should be selected to lead the state. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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