Louisiana’s FastStart workforce training program has been named the best in the nation by Business Facilities magazine for a record eight years in a row. LED Secretary Don Pierson…:
Cut 4 (07) “in Louisiana”
Pierson says per capita, Louisiana attracts more jobs and major projects than any other state.

It’s anyone’s race in the October 14th State Treasurer’s election, according to a new survey by JMC Analytics pollster John Counvillon. There are three well-funded Republicans going for the job; Angele Davis, Neil Riser and John Schroder. Couvillon says the biggest number from his poll is the undecided, which is at 60-percent…:
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There is a major Democrat in the race, New Orleans attorney Derrick Edwards who polled at 18-percent.

The Department of Children and Family Services launches a program aimed at improving the foster care system. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says it’s the new Quality Parenting Initiative that means foster parents do everything for a child that a birth parent would do…:
Cut 14 (12) “all the time”
Walters says this initiative is about allowing foster parents to act more as parents instead of temporary caregivers.

A professor at LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health says it’s never a good idea to carry your cell phone to the bathroom. Dr. James Diaz says what gets spread to our phones can get on a lot of other things we touch…:
Cut 7 (10) “your hands”
He says a smart phone can contain more bacteria than the bathroom itself.

Business Facilities names Louisiana Economic Development’s FastStart the best workforce training program in the country. Jeff Palermo has more:
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A poll on the October State Treasurer’s race finds it to be a wide open contest among well-funded Republicans Angele Davis, Neil Riser and John Schroder. The survey was done by John Couvillon with JMC Analytics:
Cut 10 (06) “front runner status”
He says he found 60 percent of voters are undecided.

The Department of Children and Family Services launches a program aimed at improving the foster care system. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says they want to raise expectations for foster parents and caregivers through the new Quality Parenting Initiative…:
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On any given day, there are more than 4,000 Louisiana children in foster care.

Cops have identified the 61-year-old Livingston Parish man who was found dead Sunday near Walker. They say Rick McBride appears to have suffered a fatal gunshot wound, and officials are still trying to determine what happened, and who is responsible.

Data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics shows Louisiana has added nearly 21-thousand jobs since June 2016 and the unemployment rate is down to a three-year low. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Ava Dejoie says Lake Charles continues to be the fastest growing job market with an increase in 55-hundred jobs over the last year.

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Baton Rouge, Monroe and New Orleans also saw job gains over the last year.

The US has reached an agreement with China that will allow Louisiana and other states to export rice to China for the first time. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain expects Louisiana farmers will benefit from the new trade agreement.

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Mentally ill inmates at the David Wade Correctional Center in Homer claim they were forced to bark like dogs for food. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Multiple agencies are investigating a fire in St. Tammany Parish in which a woman’s body was discovered. It was initially believed Nanette Krentel died in the fire, but autopsy shows she actually died of a gunshot wound. The investigation by both the sheriff’s office and the state fire marshal’s office is heating up, as Krentel is the wife of the local fire chief.

The Advocacy Center is trying to get to the bottom of claims that some Louisiana inmates are being forced to bark like dogs for food. Attorney Katie Schwartzmann with the McArthur Justice Center says they are concerned about conditions at the David Wade Correctional Center in Homer based on letters they received from inmates.

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The Department of Corrections has not issued a statement.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate is at a three year low, according to data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Executive Director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission Ava Dejoie says the Houma area gained 600 jobs from May, and Lafayette has added jobs in four out of the six months.

Cut 15 (06) “some increases”

More than two thousand soldiers from Fort Polk will complete anti-terrorism operations during a deployment to Iraq this fall. Base spokesperson Kim Reischling says 60 percent of the base will deploy, leaving less than two thousand men and women of the combat team on the base.

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A new trade agreement will allow Louisiana to export rice to China for the first time ever. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says it took a while for the agreement to be finalized because of safety protocols.

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The US Department of Agriculture predicts China will import 5 million tons of rice in 2017 and 2018.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate is at a three-year-low at 5.5 percent. Don Molino has more on the latest jobs report…

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For the first time ever a trade agreement will allow Louisiana to export rice to China. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says this is a huge achievement for the industry.

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Baton Rouge drivers who use the Old Mississippi River Bridge will have to find an alternate route this weekend as the bridge and US 190 are closed until Monday morning at 8. Rodney Mallet with DOTD says they’re doing what they can to keep delays minimal.

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For up to date travel information, visit 511la.org.

Twenty-one-hundred soldiers at Fort Polk will deploy to Iraq this fall for anti-terrorism operations. Base spokesperson Kim Reischling says they are committed to providing support to the families of the deployed soldiers. She says Fort Polk provides these families with the services they need while their loved ones are deployed.

Cut 10 (10) “support group”

The Advocacy Center has filed a lawsuit to gain access to inmates at David Wade Correctional Center after prisoners claimed they were forced to bark like dogs for food. Attorney Katie Schwartzman with the McArthur Justice Center says it’s their job to investigate claims of abuse.

Cut 4 (11) “of that prison”

The Department of Corrections has not issued a statement.

An investigation is heating up in St. Tammany Parish, as an autopsy shows a Lacombe woman was actually not killed in a house fire. The coroner says Nanette Krentel was fatally shot before the home was set on fire. The sheriff’s office and the state fire marshal’s office are investigating the incident, as Krentel is the wife of the local fire chief.

US 190 at the Old Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge is closed all weekend as crews work to repair the railroad track there. Rodney Mallet with the state department of transportation says the highway will remain closed until 5 a.m. Monday. So drivers will have to use an alternate route.

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Motorists can get back on the highway using either LA 1 or LA 415.

More than two thousand soldiers from Fort Polk will deploy to Iraq this fall for antiterrorism operations. Base spokesperson Kim Reischling says members of the 3^rdBrigade Combat Team have trained for the last year.

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Reischling says 60-percent of the unit will be deployed, and the rest will continue training on the base.

After a two-year-old from Arkansas spent 15 minutes underwater, doctors at LSU Health New Orleans helped regrow her lost brain matter. Jeff Palermo has more…
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Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain expects Louisiana farmers will benefit from a new trade agreement that results in China importing U-S rice for the first time ever…
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China imports an estimated five million tons of rice every year.

Data from the Louisiana Workforce Commission puts The Bayou State’s unemployment rate at 5.5-percent, a three year low. The report also shows nonfarm jobs increased by nearly 21-thousand over the last 12 months. L-W-C Executive Director Ava Dejoie says three industry sectors reached all-time highs in employment.
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The Advocacy Center files a lawsuit against the David Wade Correctional center in Homer after mentally ill inmates claim they had to bark like a dog for food. Attorney Katie Schwartzmann says it’s the Advocacy Center’s job to investigate abuse allegations, but prison officials won’t let them.
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The D-O-C has no comment.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate is at a three-year-low, 5-point-five percent. Don Molino has more on the latest jobs report…
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The St. Tammany Parish Coroner has determined that a Lacombe-area woman found dead in a home fire, was actually shot first and died from the gunshot wound, not the fire. The victim, 49-year-old Nanette Krentel, is the wife of St. Tammany District 12 Fire Chief Stephen Krentel. The fire took place last Friday.

The US has reached an agreement with Chinese officials that will allow for the first time Louisiana and other states to export rice to China. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says it took so long for the trade agreement to be finalized because of safety protocols.
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Louisiana produces the most rice in the U.S. just behind Arkansas and California.

Traveling to the Capitol City? The Old Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge, which is Highway 190, closes at 8 p.m. tonight so crews can repair an old railroad track there. Rodney Mallet is with state Department of Transportation.
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US 190 is expected to reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday.