North Louisiana Congressman Ralph Abraham says the 717 billion dollar defense spending bill signed by the president has some substantial investments for the state. Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A second body in the last week has been recovered in Lake Ponchartrain. On Tuesday, it was 32-year-old Sadie Thibodeaux, and on Saturday 66-year-old Milton Gomez’s body was pulled out of the lake as well state Wildlife and Fisheries Spokesman Adam Einck says before heading out on the lake, check the conditions first.

Cut 11 (07) “the weather”

The National Home Education Research Institute, who has conducted homeschool research over the last 33 years, says across the nation, homeschooling is on the rise.  It’s a trend that is likely becoming a more popular option when factoring in a tailored curriculum, a difference in values, and an uptick school violence.  President of Homeschool Louisiana, Christopher Chin, says the Bayou State is not exempt from the rise in homeschooling.

Cut 6 (13) “…largest in the state.”

A Ouachita man is under arrest after allegedly breaking into a woman’s home, stealing her gun and jewelry, and then turning the gun on the home’s resident as he made his escape. Dominque Hall has been booked on felony Home Invasion. Authorities say Hall broke into the home which was uninhabited at the time, and after rummaging around found the owner’s gun, and when the owner arrived, hid, and then bull rushed past her, raising the gun at her as he fled.

The demand for used cars is growing and so are the prices. Cox Automotive reports a 3% increase in used car prices last month compared to July 2017 and overall used vehicle values rose 5% last month compared to the previous July. President of the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association Will Green says many people are buying cars that were once leased.
Cut 10 (06) “the market.”
Green says recent natural disasters, and the huge number of vehicles destroyed by them, have led to a greater demand too.

A look at the Secretary of State’s race, shows many of the candidates are loaning themselves huge amounts of money for the November sixth election. Campaign finance reports show Julie Stokes and Heather Cloud each made six-figure loans to their campaigns.

A second body in the last week has been recovered in Lake Ponchartrain. On Tuesday, it was 32-year-old Sadie Thibadoux, and on Saturday 66-year-old Milton Gomez’s body was pulled out of the lake as well. Both incidents are under investigation, but state Wildlife and Fisheries Spokesman Adam Einck says lake swimming can be dangerous because distances on the water can be misleading.
Cut 9 (12) “lot further.”

Two years ago, much of south Louisiana was underwater as a result of the devastating August flood that caused billions of dollars in damage and killed at least 10 people. Livingston Parish was one of the hardest hit areas, 15 schools sustained damage. Parish president Layton Ricks says two years later, 13 of those schools have been fully repaired…
cut 5 (11) “…to par”
Governor John Bel Edwards has released a statement on the two-year anniversary of the August flood. Edwards says the state’s Homeowner Assistance Program has awarded over 438-million dollars in grants to over 13-thousand homeowners to repair or reconstruct their homes.

Cox Automotive reports there’s been an increase in prices for used cars and there’s also been an increase in used car sales. President of the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association, Will Green, says used cars are becoming more popular, because cosnumers are buying vehicles that were once leased. But he says it’s not just leases behind the surge in national prices. Green says recent natural disasters, and the mass of vehicles destroyed by them, have led to a greater demand…
cut 11 (07) “…the value”

New Orleans police say a couple’s argument led to a fatal car wreck early Saturday morning. Investigators say a 32-woman left a residence after an argument with a boyfriend. The boyfriend got in his car and followed her and both drivers ended up losing control, crashing into each other. The woman died after hitting a palm tree. The investigation is ongoing.

Louisiana libraries are offering extended tutoring time for students through an online service supported by the state. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 2 (31) ”I’m Matt Doyle”

A 400-pound life-sized bronze human statue has been found. It’s part of a 22-piece traveling art exhibit on display along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge. President of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, Renee Chatelain, says they were preparing to ship the exhibit to Centenary College in Shreveport, when they noticed the bolted down statue was gone.
Cut 13 (05) “…will be found”

Livingston Parish is coming back to life two years after the 2016 August flood left much of the parish under water. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Voicer 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

For the second time in a week, a person has died in Lake Pontchartrain. On Saturday night, the body of 66-year-old Milton Gomez of Ponchatoula was recovered about a mile south of where the Tangipahoa River feeds into the lake. Gomez boat was found unmanned, similiar to what happened to Sadie Thibodeaux last week.

The state has a website that can provide your child with live tutoring, test prepation and even job search assistance. Louisiana’s Head Liberian Rebecca Hamilton says it can be found at homework-la-dot-org….
cut 9 (10) “…to them’
Hamilton says all you need is a library card or you can use the service on a computer at your local library from Two PM until Midnight, Sunday through Thursday.

The mystery over a 400-pound statue that went missing from a downtown Baton Rouge art exhibit is over as the statue was recovered in a parking lot, with gold spray paint on it. Still no clue on who took the heavy piece of art, but President of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, Renee Chatelain, says despite the incident, they hope these type of art displays keep coming to the capital city….
cut 14 (11) “…the future”

Two years ago, devastating flood waters were impacting Louisiana, causing eight billion dollars in property damage from Acadiana to areas east of Baton Rouge. Livingston Parish was one of the hardest hit areas and recently it was announced that money is available to complete construction of the Comite River Diversion. Livingston Parish President Layton Ricks says once that project is completed, it should mimimize flooding…
cut 6 (08) “…our parish”
Ricks says recovery from the August 2016 flood is about 85-percent complete in his parish.

A look at the Secretary of State’s race, shows many of the candidates are loaning themselves huge amounts of money for the November sixth election. Campaign finance reports show Julie Stokes and Heather Cloud each made six-figure loans to their campaigns.

Cox Automotive reports used car prices are rising, and so is the demand as there was a three-percent increase in used vehicle sales in July, when compared to July of 2017. These are national numbers. But Louisiana Automobile Dealers Assocation President Will Green says the state’s slower economic growth resulting from the depression of the oil industry is keeping used car prices lower here than the rest of the nation…
cut 12 (10) “…to that”

With a new school year getting underway or already underway for some, the state’s head librarian is reminding families about a website that can provide free online tutoring, test prep and job search assistance. Rebecca Hamilton says it’s called home-work-la-dot-org…
cut 8 (09) “…their library card”
Academic tutoring for grade school and even adult education is available from 2 PM to midnight, Sunday to Thursday.

It’s been two years since the devastating August 2016 flood that caused over 8 billion dollars in property damage and claimed 10 lives across south Louisiana. The flood led to billions of dollars in federal assistance, including hundreds of millions to help victims rebuild their homes. Livingston Parish President Layton Ricks says the recovery is about 85 percent complete…
cut 4 (11) “…Livingston Parish”
The governor’s office says the state’s Homeowner Assistance Program has awarded over 438 million dollars to homeowners who experienced flooding in 2016.

The state’s online tutoring service, homeworkla.org, is expanding hours and adding additional features that includes live tutoring, test prep, and even job search assistance. Louisiana’s Head Librarian Rebecca Hamilton says its academic assistance for anyone.
Cut 7 (09) “the tomb.”
Students can access the services at home with a library card number, or at a local library, Sunday through Thursday from 2PM to midnight.

Authorities say a Shreveport man died while driving a homemade go-kart at high speed on Sunday. 58-year-old Archie Lee Thomas ran up a curb and hit a pole. The accident remains under investigation.

A 400-pound life-sized bronze human statue along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge has been found in a nearby parking lot after it went missing. Kevin Barnhart has the details…
Cut 3 (29) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

A mother was stabbed to death 29 times while pushing her one-year-old son in a stroller in Jefferson Parish. Gretna Police Captain Russell Lloyd says the child was not injured, but discovered crying next to his dead mother…
Cut 13 (08) “…his mother”
Lloyd says the suspect, 41-year-old Damone Ussin, and the victim 35-year-old Tarniel Gray of Gretna had a dating relationship. Ussin has been charged with second-degree murder.

The search for a stolen 400-pound iron statue taken from downtown Baton Rouge is over as it was found in a nearby parking lot. President and CEO of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, Renee Chatalain says there was spray paint or dirt on it and whoever took it, put some effort into it…
cut 15 (06) “…the ground
The statue is worth 60-thousand dollars.

Fisheries officials say Louisiana recreational fishermen are closing in on the amount of red snapper they are permitted to catch this year. L-D-W-F says anglers caught nearly 651,500 pounds through July 29th, which is 87-percent of the total poundage they are allowed to harvest. The state agency says it can’t predict when the weekends-only season will close.

Louisiana libraries are offering extended tutoring time for students with an online service supported by the state. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 2 (31) ”I’m Matt Doyle”

Governor John Bel Edwards says the state is making progress in efforts to improve the criminal justice system. Critics say the reforms are too soft on crime, but Edwards counters by saying most of the excess prisoners that boosted the state’s incarceration rate were behind bars for getting busted for holding drugs.
Cut 4 (07) “do better”
The 2017 reform package resulted in the release of nearly two-thousand inmates and parolees are able to work towards shorter supervisory periods.

The state has entered exclusive negotiations to purchase 10-thousand voting machines from Dominion Voting Systems. Interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says the plan is for the state to replace early voting machines, five parishes at a time, starting this year. Phase two is expected by 2020.
Cut 11 (11) “…end up with.”
But the price tag for replacing the voting machines is increasing, up to 90-million dollars and it will federal and state money to pay for it.

The state’s online tutoring service, homeworkla.org, is expanded hours and adding additional features to help students prepare for a test, get help with homework and it even provides job search. Louisiana’s Head Librarian Rebecca Hamilton says its academic assistance for anyone who needs it.
Cut 7 (09) “the tomb.”
You can access the services online at home with a library card number, or in person at your local library.

A 400-pound life-sized bronze human statue along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge has been found in a nearby parking lot after it went missing. Kevin Barnhart has the details…
Cut 3 (29) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”