A new poll shows Governor John Bel Edwards popularity is slipping. Southern Media and Opinion Research had his approval rating at 63-percent last September. A survey conducted earlier this month puts his approval rating at 54-percent. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says African American residents give Edwards’ a very positive rating, while only 44-percent of white voters feel that way about the governor…
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St. Landry Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says they’ve solved a six-year-old cold case thanks to the suspected killer coming forward with information. Guidroz says 23-year-old Phillip Lafleur, who is incarcerated in LaSalle Pairsh on a murder charge, has confessed to killing his great uncle Dale LaFleur over money and he dumped his body in the Atchafalaya River…
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Former Sons of Guns star Will Hayden will spend life behind bars for raping young girls. Michelle Southern reports…:
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The Jefferson Davis statue in New Orleans was taken down. This is the second Confederate era monument of four slated for removal by the city. Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a news release that putting the Confederacy on a pedestal in prominent public places is a bad prescription for our future.

It would be easier for voters to recall an elected official under a House approved bill now headed to the Senate. The measure would reduce the number of signatures required for a recall petition. Covington Representative Paul Hollis says Louisiana has the highest threshold necessary to effect a recall election…:
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The bill passed the full House on a 70-27 vote.

UL-System President and CEO Jim Henderson wants your help in writing his 10,000th tweet, and if yours is chosen, you’ll get a $500 one-time scholarship. To enter, tweet using the hashtag JH10K about something you love about UL-System colleges. Dr. Jim Henderson says he determined Twitter would be the best way to reach students in a fun way..:
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Henderson expects to announce a winner with in the next two weeks.

Will Hayden, the former Sons of Guns reality TV star, will spend his life in prison for raping young girls. A Baton Rouge judge today sentenced the 51-year-old Greenwell Springs man to two life sentences on the aggravated rape convictions, plus 40 years to run concurrently. Hayden is slated for another rape trial in Livingston Parish in July.

A St. Landry Parish cold case becomes a murder case after an inmate confesses to killing his great uncle in 2011. Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says Dale LaFleur has been missing since 2011 and his great nephew 23-year-old Phillip LaFleur was incarcerated in LaSalle Parish on a separate murder charge. He says Phillip LaFleur passed a note to the guards saying he wanted to speak with St. Landry Parish detectives…:
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He says search efforts are underway to retrieve the body from the river.

A bill heading to the Senate would make it easier for Louisiana voters to recall elected officials. Halen Doughty has more…:
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Baton Rouge Judge Mike Erwin handed down two life sentences and 40 years to former Sons of Guns star Will Hayden for raping two young girls. The 51-year-old Greenwell Springs man still faces trial in Livingston Parish on rape accusations from one of the same victims in the Baton Rouge case. That’s slated for July 11th.

A measure approved by the House would give voters the chance to decide if they want to prevent a convicted felon from running for office until 8 years after they served their sentence. Norco Representative Gregory Miller is the author of the constitutional amendment…:
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The legislation now moves to the Senate.

Workers in New Orleans last night removed the 2nd of 4 Confederate era monuments slated to be taken down. The statue of Jefferson Davis and its base was just hauled away on a big rig to an undisclosed storage location. The Liberty Place monument was removed at night last month. The Beauregard statue and one of Robert E. Lee are the 2 left standing.

The full House approves a measure that would make it easier for Louisiana voters to recall elected officials. The proposal comes just months after a failed attempt to recall Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni amid a teen sexting scandal. Covington Representative Paul Hollis says he saw a similar attempt in his own district years ago…:
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The bill reducing the number of required recall petition signatures now heads to the Senate.

A bill that would allow people convicted of drug-related felonies to get food stamps and welfare benefits when they leave prison advanced to the House floor. New Orleans Representative Helena Moreno says this would help former inmates get back into the community…:
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A Baton Rouge judge has sentenced former Sons of Guns star Will Hayden to life in prison on rape charges. Hayden was unanimously convicted April 7th of raping two preteen girls more than two decades apart in East Baton Rouge Parish. In Livingston, Hayden is scheduled for trial July 10 on another aggravated rape count of the same 15-year-old girl who testified as one of his two accusers in the Baton Rouge case.

The University of Louisiana System President announces a contest for one student to receive a 500-dollar scholarship by coming up with his 10-thousandth tweet. Dr. Jim Henderson, who is an avid fan of twitter, says it’s a very small milestone in the grand scheme of things but thought this would be a good way to get students involved….:
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Participants can be current or future students.

Minors seeking an abortion would need the signature of a parent with a photo ID under a proposal heading to the Senate floor. But Director of Education with the Louisiana Foundation against Sexual Assault, Jessie Nieblas says the extra requirement could impact teens.

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Despite opposition, the measure was approved by a Senate committee.

A House committee approves a bill that would lift the one year ban on receiving food stamps and welfare for released inmates convicted of drug-related felonies. Executive Director of the Louisiana Conference of Catholica Bishops, Rob Tasman supports the bill because they’re passionate about helping inmates return as citizens.

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The measure now heads to the House floor.

More couples than ever are fighting about politics since President Trump took office, according to a report from Wakefield Research. LSU Health clinical psychologist Michelle Moore advises potential couples to discuss their political views to avoid problems down the road.

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The survey finds one in 10 couples broke up over political disagreements.

Louisiana is the 47^th healthiest state for seniors, after moving up three spots on an annual report from United Health Foundation. Advocacy Director for AARP Louisiana, Andrew Muhl says Louisiana can improve its ranking if lawmakers implement policy changes to get seniors the managed long term services they need.

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Couples have been getting into more arguments about politics since President Donald Trump took office. A report from Wakefield Research finds 24-percent of people in a relationship say they’ve argued more over political matters than any other time they’ve been together. Clinical Psychologist with LSU Health Sciences Center Dr. Michelle Moore on how to diffuse such a situation…:
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The survey also found one in 10 couples broke up over disagreements in politics.

The Jefferson Davis statue was taken off its base in New Orleans overnight, and workers are still trying to remove what remains of the structure. This is the second Confederate era monument of four slated for removal by the city. Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a news release that putting the Confederacy on a pedestal in some of our most prominent public places is a bad prescription for our future.

Minor children would have to have their parents present a photo ID at a clinic before a doctor would perform an abortion under a controversial measure headed to the Senate floor. Jessie Nieblas with Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault opposes the legislation…:
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But supporters say if a child is going to have an abortion, the parents need to know what’s going on and show proof of their permission.

Louisiana rose three spots to 47th in the nation as the least healthy state for seniors. Advocacy Director for AARP Louisiana, Andrew Muhl says while progress is being made, we’re still stagnant in some key areas, like long term care. He says Louisiana ranks 49th for our nursing homes:
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A report from Wakefield Research finds more couples than ever are fighting over politics since President Trump was elected. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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One of the big stories out of the Capitol Wednesday was the House Education Committee approving a bill to increase the minimum GPA requirement for TOPS from 2.5 to 2.75. Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil this could help cut down on the cost of the program. The proposed change would go into effect with the Class of 2021.

Parents of minor girls who want to have an abortion would have to show ID at a clinic before a pregnancy can be terminated under a bill that advances to the Senate floor. Dorinda Bordlee with the Bioethics Defense Fund supported the measure saying frequently girls who are victims of human trafficking are brought in for an abortion by a pimp…:
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Opponents say reducing access to timely abortion care could have a chilling effect on teens.

A bill that would allow people convicted of drug-related felonies to get food stamps and welfare benefits when they leave prison advanced to the House floor. New Orleans Representative Helena Moreno says this would help former inmates get back into the community…:
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This measure is part of Governor John Bel Edwards’ legislative agenda on criminal justice reform.

A measure to require the photo ID of a parent for a minor to receive an abortion passes out of a Senate committee. Jeff Palermo has more…:
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Workers in New Orleans last night removed the 2nd of 4 Confederate era monuments slated to be taken down. The statue of Jefferson Davis was lifted off its base in a nearly 2 hour long process that began around 3am. The Liberty Place monument was removed at night last month. The Beauregard statue and one of Robert E. Lee are the 2 left standing.

A bill heading to the House Floor would lift the one year ban for individuals convicted of a drug related felony to receive food stamps and welfare benefits after being released from prison. New Orleans Representative Helena Moreno says the ban was originally placed as a deterrent not to commit drug related crimes, but it hasn’t worked…:
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This measure is part of Governor John Bel Edwards’ legislative agenda on criminal justice reform.

Louisiana is no longer the least healthy state for seniors, according to a report by United Health Foundation. The state rose three spots to 47th in the nation. But Advocacy Director for AARP Louisiana, Andrew Muhl says the Bayou State still has a long way to go in how we care for seniors….;
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