A recent report finds LSU graduates have higher early- and mid-career earnings than graduates of other Louisiana universities. President F. King Alexander notes many of the universities below LSU on the list charge higher tuition and have more student debt…:
Cut 4 (12) “LSU degree”
LSU grads have early career earnings of more than $52,000 and mid-career earnings of over $100,000.

There are currently three hurricanes churning in the Atlantic Basin. Cat-5 Irma is approaching Florida on the current track, Juan is far east of Irma, and Katia is a hurricane in the southwestern Gulf. State Climatologist Barry Keim says we’ve already seen 11 named storms, and not even at peak of season
Cut 10 (09) “right now”

The state Department of Transportation has started a major project on Arkansas Road in Ouachita Parish. DOTD Secretary Dr. Shawn Wilson says with a big boom in residents in West Monroe, there is a serious need for a wider road…:
Cut 12 (10) “signals”
The project is expected to cost about 33-million dollars.

Thibodaux Representative Dee Richard says he’s paying back the $37,000 he used from his campaign account on gambling. He said he thinks the problem was a side effect to anti-Parkinson’s medication..:
Cut 15 (09) “it’s terrible”
The Ethics Board will decide Friday what action to take against the Richard.

LSU graduates have higher early- and mid-career earnings than other grads, according to a new report…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Construction is underway in a joint effort by Cleco and Entergy on a new storm-hardened transmission line that will strengthen service reliability for customers. Cleco Spokesperson Jennifer Cahill…:
Cut 8 (08) “Louisiana”

Three hurricanes are churning in the Atlantic Basin. Hurricane Irma is barreling down on the Greater Antilles, Jose is trailing Irma in the central Atlantic, and Katia is now a hurricane in the southwestern Gulf. State climatologist Barry Keim says having three hurricanes simultaneously is definitely unusual, but it’s not unprecedented or record-breaking.
Cut 9 (11) “1998″
He says we’ve already seen 11 named storms, and we haven’t reached the peak of the season.

LSU’s All-American pass rusher Arden Key practiced fully for the first time this fall yesterday. Head Coach Ed Orgeron said on his weekly talk show that Key has not been cleared to play, but he’s making progress and they’ll know more next week.

A recent report finds LSU graduates have higher early- and mid-career earnings than graduates of other Louisiana universities. Among the 50 flagship universities in the country, LSU ranks 21st in early career earnings and 18th for mid-career earnings. President F. King Alexander credits the hard work of the University for getting students ready for the workforce:
Cut 3 (10) “career ready”
In the SEC, LSU is third behind only Texas A&M and Florida for early career earnings.

Hurricane Irma has weakened slightly as of the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center, but is still an extremely dangerous Cat-5 storm. A Hurricane Watch has now been issued for southern Florida as Irma continues to travel west-northwest at 16 miles per hour. Top sustained winds are a ferocious 175 miles per hour, down from a peak of 185.

Cleco and Entergy are teaming up to increase reliability to customers in southeast Louisiana. Cleco Spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says construction is already underway for a new storm-hardened transmission line from Gray to Patterson that can withstand winds of 150 miles per hour…:
Cut 6 (10)”restoration times”
It’s expected the project will be completed by the fall of 2018.

The lovebug population has been in overdrive this year and experts say it’s because we had such a mild and wet summer. LSU-Shreveport Associate professor of Biological Sciences Beverly Burden says it’s true that lovebugs are bad for your car..:
Cut 9 (11) “overheat”
Burden expects the population to decline in the next 10 to 14 days.

Tomorrow the Louisiana Board of Ethics will decide the fate of a state lawmaker who used campaign dollars to feed a gambling addiction. Jeff Palermo has more…
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Governor John Bel Edwards will speak to the Rotary Club of Houma. Afterwards, the governor will have another roundtable meeting with business leaders to discuss the approaching fiscal cliff, as over a billion dollars in temporary taxes is set to expire in July. Yesterday, the governor partcipated in a groundbreaking for the expansion of Arkansas Road in Ouachita Parish.

Rural parishes in Louisiana are struggling more than urban areas to combat the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. That’s based on the research done by Linda Meredith who is an advocacy group called HEROES. Meredith says improvements are being seen in places like Baton Rouge and New Orleans, but that’s vastly different from the trend in northeast Louisiana..:
Cut 12 (09) “one percent”
Louisiana ranks first in the country for new HIV infections.

The state department of wildlife and fisheries is trying to determine why a third sperm whale has been found stranded off the Louisiana coast in the last year. Biologist Mandy Tumlin says they hope autopsy results will give them clues on how this endangered species died …:
Cut 4 (10) “formation”

A female sperm whale found dead on a sandbar just off of Grand Isle Beach was the third sperm whale found stranded along the coast of Louisiana within the past year. State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist Mandy Tumlin says a necropsy of the animal helps to determine the cause of death:
Cut 6 (10) “of death”
This latest sperm whale is one of five of the endangered species found in the northern Gulf of Mexico over the past year.

Thibodaux Representative Dee Richard says he’s paying back the $37,000 he used from his campaign account on gambling. He said he thinks the problem was a side effect to anti-Parkinson’s medication..:
Cut 15 (09) “it’s terrible”
The Ethics Board will decide Friday what action to take against the Richard.

Lovebugs are taking over the summer. Halen Doughty has more on why…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

In addition to the dangerous, deadly Hurricane Irma, there are two other hurricanes currently churning. Jose is in the Atlantic, and is expected to turn more to the north later in the week from its current westward track, according to the National Hurricane Center. Katia, which is located in the western Gulf of Mexico, is forecast to turn southeastward in the next 24 hours and will move in the direction of Tampico, Mexico. Irma is moving north of the Dominican Republic and Haiti on a track that brings it through the Bahamas and near Florida over the next couple of day.

A state lawmaker is facing disciplinary action from the state ethics board after using campaign money to feed his gambling addiction. Thibodaux Representative Dee Richard says medication he was taking for Parkinson’s has been blamed for fueling others gambling addictions in a class action lawsuit:
Cut 14 (10) “happen to me”
Between 2012 and 2015, Richard spent $37,000 from his campaign fund on gambling before getting off the drug a year ago.

If you’ve noticed more love bugs than normal this time of year, you can blame a mild and wet summer. LSU-Shreveport Associate professor of Biological Sciences Beverly Burden says while the lovebugs are a major nuisance..:
Cut 8 (10) “recyclers”
She says they should be gone within a couple of weeks.

A female sperm whale has been found on Grand Isle, the third of the endangered species found on Louisiana beaches this year…:
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Rural parishes in Louisiana are struggling more than major cities to combat the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Linda Meredith is the research and development manager for the advocacy group HEROES. She says there’s only one treatment facility in the entire northeast corner of the state…:
Cut 11 (09) “treatment”

Tomorrow the Louisiana Board of Ethics will decide the fate of a state lawmaker who used campaign dollars to feed a gambling addiction…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Hurricane Irma has had winds of 185 miles per hour longer than any other storm in the history of the weather satellite era, according to Colorado State Meteorologist Phil Klotzbach. The storm is slated to approach southern Florida on Sunday. There are two other Hurricanes, Katia which is not expected to impact the US, and Jose which is far east of Irma.

A third sperm whale has been found stranded off the Louisiana coast. State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist Mandy Tumlin says they are working to determine the cause of the increase in dead animals washing onto Louisiana beaches…:
Cut 4 (10) “formation”
She says an autopsy will soon be conducted on this mammal found beached on Grand Isle.

Rural parishes in Louisiana are struggling more than major cities to combat the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Linda Meredith is the research and development manager for the advocacy group HEROES. She says improvements are being seen in places like Baton Rouge and New Orleans, but that’s vastly different from the trend in northeast Louisiana..:
Cut 12 (09) “one percent”
Louisiana ranks first in the country for new HIV infections.

A state lawmaker is facing disciplinary action from the state ethics board after using campaign money to feed his gambling addiction. Thibodaux Representative Dee Richard says medication he took for Parkinson’s disease caused the sudden addiction in 2012, as he was not a compulsive gambler:
Cut 13 (12) “caused it”
The Ethics Board will decide Friday what action to take against the legislator.

Rural parishes in Louisiana are struggling more than major cities to combat the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Linda Meredith is the research and development manager for the advocacy group HEROES. She says rural regions account for 15 percent of the HIV/AIDS cases in the state…:
Cut 10 (08) “at diagnosis”
Louisiana ranks first in the country for new HIV infections.

Many Louisianans have likely noticed a serious uptick in the amount of lovebugs we’re seeing. LSU-Shreveport Associate professor of Biological Sciences Beverly Burden says the relatively mild and wet summer can be to blame…:
Cut 7 (10) “moist soil”
Burden expects the population to decline in the next 10 to 14 days.

Hurricane Irma remains at Cat-5 strength as its eye moves off the northern coast of the Dominican Republic early this morning. According to the latest National Hurricane Center track south Florida-Miami will begin to see hurricane conditions during the predawn hours of Sunday before the eye makes landfall as a category 4 storm.