Spike’s hit show Bar Rescue has rescued Big Mike’s in Denham Springs, not because they were failing but because they flooded. Michelle Southern has more…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”
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East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore is not happy with some of the Governor’s proposals for criminal justice reform. Halen Doughty has more…
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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Spike will air a special episode of its hit TV show “Bar Rescue” on Sunday, featuring Denham Spring’s own Big Mike’s. But veteran bar consultant and host John Taffer didn’t step in because the bar was failing, he helped owner Mike O’Neal reopen after his business was devastated by the August flood. O’Neal says they have no idea how long it would have taken them to rebuild on their own.
Cut 3 (11) “unrecoverable”
O’Neal says they might not have been able to reopen at all without Taffer’s help. Taffer didn’t change the sign or the name because the business had done so well, but there are some upgrades. O’Neal says the designers changed the colors, updated the equipment, expanded to nearly 11-thousand square feet, and added a second bar.
Cut 4 (11) “they did”
O’Neal says by reopening, they wanted to be a beacon of hope for the rest of the community that’s still trying to recover. He says they also want to give people a place to come and escape from their problems or even seek advice for rebuilding.
Cut 5 (11) “still is today”
Big Mike’s episode of “Bar Rescue” airs Sunday night at 9 on Spike.
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A 24-year-old Jena woman has been arrested after allegedly running over her boyfriend with a truck then punching an EMT. Cpl. Wade Bourgeois with the Alexandria Police Department says at around 7 p.m. last night authorities responded to a call of a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle. He says when the ambulance came to take the victim to the hospital…
Cut 6 (11) “the eye”
Bourgeois says the driver of the vehicle, Alana Joy, was charged with aggravated second degree battery, battery of an emergency service worker and DWI. He says responding officers could tell Joy likely had a lot to drink that night.
Cut 7 (10) “investigation”
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Tomorrow is Election Day in 37 parishes across Louisiana and Secretary of State Tom Schedler is encouraging voters to get out and cast their ballots. Schedler says the majority of the elections are local but there are several bigger seats up for vote. He says severe weather tomorrow morning could affect voter turnout.
Cut 8 (09) “turn out”
New elected U.S. Representative Mike Johnson’s old seat in district 8 is one of the three open state representative seats. Schedler says the few competitive races in the state could increase the number of voters hitting the polls.
Cut 9 (08) “quite frankly”
On the ballot for the 3rd and 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and the Civil District Court in New Orleans are all female candidates. Schedler says the polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
Cut 10 (10) “code in”
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District Attorneys across the state have a serious problem with some of the Governor’s proposals to reduce Louisiana’s incarceration rate. That’s according to East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore says what began as a reform for nonviolent offenders has creeped into letting violent offenders serve less time. He doesn’t believe DA’s are over prosecuting, but that other things are leading to an increased crime rate.
Cut 11 (08) “drive crimes”
Moore says one recommendation would take power away from DA’s and give it to judges in the hopes of keeping people out of jail and continue probation instead. But he says probation and parole officers are already overworked, and without that supervision, many of these people end up with more charges down the road.
Cut 12 (07) “coming right back”
Moore says the DA’s are in support of criminal justice reform, but not at the expense of public safety. He says another proposal would condense the habitual offender law. He says the law currently applies to people who commit multiple violent crimes throughout their life.
Cut 13 (13) “violent offense”
The task force that put the recommendations together says the ideas would put Louisiana where it needs to be in terms of prison population.
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The 32nd annual World Championship Crawfish Etoufee Cook-Off takes place Sunday in Eunice. Teams will compete to see who can make the best smothered crawfish in amateur, professional and club categories. Francine Hughes, Director of the Eunice Chamber of Commerce, says a huge festival takes place surrounding the contest.
Cut 14 (09) “cooking booths”
A cook-off dance will begin the celebrations tomorrow night. Hughes says celebrity and professional judges will decide the winners in each category. She says in years past, anywhere from a thousand to 5-thousand people attend the free cook-off and it’s a great environment for the entire family.
Cut 15 (10) “of fun “
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