A majority of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation supports President Donald Trump’s executive order placing travel bans on people from seven Middle Eastern countries. U.S. Senator John Kennedy supports the President’s order and says unlike former President Barack Obama, the Trump administration is enforcing America’s immigration laws…:
cut 12 (11) “of origin”
Democratic Congressman Cedric Richmond opposes the order.

With a 304 million dollar budget deficit and a special session coming up next month, does that mean more cuts to healthcare services? Angela Lorio, co-founder of Trach Mommas of Louisiana, hopes families of elderly and disabled people are prioritized as they are stressed enough
CUT 7 (09) “unconscionable”
She says tapping into the rainy day fund is a no-brainer.

Restaurants have teamed up with the Well Ahead initiative to begin offering healthier options on their menu. Well-Ahead Louisiana director Melissa Martin says the partnership with the Louisiana Restaurant Association would help residents make smarter food choices. She says Louisiana is known for its great food, but just because a dish is healthy doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice flavor..:
cut 11 (09) “some of those calories”
To learn more about the initiative visit well-ahead-la.com.

4-year-old Isiah Winfrey of Metairie was hit and killed while walking with his mother along a roadway in Jefferson Parish. State Police Trooper Melissa Matey says it’s up to motorists and pedestrians to remain vigilant of each other…:
CUT 5 (08) “as possible”
She says the driver has not been cited in the incident and the matter is under investigation.

Could more cuts be coming to healthcare services in the special session called to close a $304 million dollar budget gap? Angela Lorio of Trach Mommas of Louisiana is worried she will lose state assistance for her 3-year-old son who uses a feeding tube. She says using the Rainy Day Fund to offset the shortfall is a no brainer..:
Cut 6 (10) “on that”
She says families of elderly and disabled people are stressed enough and it’s not fair to take away assistance they desperately need.

State Police say a 4 year old child was run over and killed on Airline Highway in Jefferson Parish. She says they believe the child ran in front of the vehicle and the driver has not been charged at this time:
cut 4 (09) “the crash”
The child is identified as 4-year-old Isiah Winfrey of Metairie.

The state Department of Health and the Louisiana Restaurant Association have teamed up to encourage dining establishments to offer more healthy options on their menus. It’s part of the state’s ongoing Well-Ahead initiative. Well-Ahead Louisiana director Melissa Martin says they’ve developed a set of health and wellness benchmarks for restaurants..:
CUT 9 (10) “sodium content”
To become a designated WellSpot, or to find out what establishments meet these healthy standards, visit well-ahead-la.com.

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office says a woman is under arrest on animal cruelty charges amid allegations she slammed a pet rabbit against a truck to kill it. They say 19-year-old Kagon Duplantis of Bourg is believed to have been drunk when she killed the rabbit and posted the video on Facebook.

A four-year-old boy was killed while walking along the shoulder of Airline Hwy last night in Jefferson Parish, according to State Police. Trooper Melissa Matey says Isiah Winfrey, of Metairie, was on the shoulder of the roadway with his mother when…:
Cut 3 (10) “Suburban”
She says the boy was taken to a hospital where he later died. The driver is not being charged and the investigation is ongoing.

Two University of Oklahoma Students have been arrested for breaking into Tiger Stadium. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 25 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Louisiana Department of Education says more students than ever are filling out the form to apply for federal financial assistance for college. Educational Technology Consultant Stephanie Marcum says prior to an aggressive push to encourage folks not to leave this grant money on the table, many families didn’t know about it…:
CUT 11 (11) “financial aid”
The rate of kids completing the FASFA form increased by 24-percent from last year.

The Department of Transportation announced construction will begin this summer in West Monroe to widen a 3.2 mile stretch of Arkansas Road between LA 143 and Caldwell Road. DOTD Spokesperson Marshall Hill says this is a long time coming…:
cut 26 (08) “not great”
Hill says four round-a-bouts will also be added at major intersections.

A Louisiana Department of Education study group finds a significant increase in the number of students completing the application for federal financial assistance. Educational Technology Consultant Stephanie Marcum attributes this jump to cuts in funding to the TOPS scholarship program…:
Cut 10 (08) “by TOPS”
The rate of kids completing the FASFA form increased by 24-percent from last year.

A self-driving shuttle bus called the E-Z 10 will take a demonstration ride in New Orleans today to show how it can be used within a city’s transit system. Transdev makes the vehicle and Neil Hemenover says the autonomous shuttle is already being used in Europe…
cut 8 (11) “…public streets”
The state department of transportation says construction to expand Arkansas Road in West Monroe will begin this summer. DOTD spokesperson Marshall Hill says four round-a-bouts will also be added at major intersections and the project should take three years to complete…
cut 5 (11) “…the roadway”
Hill says the project will cost nearly 33-million dollars.

State Police says nearly two million dollars worth of drugs are off the streets in Central Louisiana as a result of the arrest of a 37-year-old Alexandria man. Derrick Felton was taken into custody after a traffic stop. Tooper Scott Moreau says a large amount of narcotics and money were found in his vehicle and multiple residences in Alexandria, so more arrests are likely…
cut 15 (04) “….the beginning”
Moreau says the street value of the drugs seized is approximately one-point-seven million dollars.

The budget issues plaguing the TOPS scholarship program is prompting more students to apply for federal financial assistance. The rate of kids completing the FASFA form increased by 24% from last year. Educational Technology Consultant Stephanie Marcum hopes this trend continues…:
cut 12 (09) “our state”
You can find out more about federal aid and low-cost loans for students by visiting the FAFSA.ed.gov.

There’s been a major drug bust in Central Louisiana as State Police say nearly $2 million dollars in narcotics are now off the streets. Trooper Scott Moreau…:
cut 14 (11) “of heroin”
They say 37-year-old Derrick Felton of Alexandria was booked into the Rapides Parish Detention center.

Tiger Stadium was once again broken into but this time police were able to make an arrest. According to LSU police, two students from the University of Oklahoma were busted when breaking in to the southeast gate of the stadium around noon Sunday, and when confronted they both ran away. 20 year old Samuel Holland and 19-year-old Lucas Miller have been charged with unauthorized entry of a place of business and resisting an officer by flight in the incident.

Could we one day see a self-driving bus pick up and drop off passengers in New Orleans? Don Molino has more…:
CUT 1 (28) “I’m Don Molino”

The Louisiana Department of Education says more students than ever are filling out the form to apply for federal financial assistance for college. Educational Technology Consultant Stephanie Marcum says prior to an aggressive push to encourage folks not to leave this grant money on the table, many families didn’t know about it…:
CUT 11 (11) “financial aid”
The rate of kids completing the FASFA form increased by 24-percent from last year.

A demonstration takes place today of a self-driving bus that could pick up and drop off passengers in New Orleans. Neil Hemenover with Transdev North America says the vehicle was created by EasyMile and says the public will get to go for a ride at 1 p.m. at the Convention Center..:
Cut 9 (09) “to stand”
He says the vehicle is already in use in Europe.

The body of a woman found under an I-12 bridge in Livingston Parish has been identified as 30-year-old Jennifer Blount of Denham Springs. Walker Police say how she was killed and ended up under the bridge is still under investigation. Blount, whose death is being investigated as a homicide, was reported missing by her family in December and anyone with information concerning her disappearance and death is urged to contact authorities.

There’s good news coming for northeast Louisiana residents who often travel on Arkansas Road in West Monroe and know how frustrating the traffic can be. Transportation officials say construction will begin this summer on a widening project of Arkansas Road between LA 143 and Caldwell Road. DOTD Spokesperson Marshall Hill says this project has been delayed since 1981…:
Cut 6 (11) “to fruition”.:
He says the project should take three years to complete.

A Louisiana Department of Education study group finds a significant increase in the number of students completing the application for federal financial assistance. Educational Technology Consultant Stephanie Marcum attributes this jump to cuts in funding to the TOPS scholarship program…:
Cut 10 (08) “by TOPS”
The rate of kids completing the FASFA form increased by 24-percent from last year.

State Police say nearly two million dollars worth of drugs are off the streets of Central Louisiana as the result of the arrest of an Alexandria man. Trooper Scott Moreau says earlier this month detectives began investigating 37-year-old Derrick Felton for distribution of methamphetamine and he was taken into custody during a traffic stop.:
Cut 13 (10) “more cash”
Moreau says they also seized over 100-thousand dollars worth of cocaine and 67-thousand dollars in cash.

Two University of Oklahoma Students have been arrested for breaking into Tiger Stadium. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 3 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Department of Transportation announced construction will begin this summer in West Monroe to widen a 3.2 mile stretch of Arkansas Road between LA 143 and Caldwell Road. DOTD Spokesperson Marshall Hill says this is a long time coming…:
cut 4 (08) “not great”
Hill says four round-a-bouts will also be added at major intersections.

A study group for the state Department of Education finds a significant jump in the number of students completing the federal financial assistance application. Emelie Gunn has more…:
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Two University of Oklahoma Students have been arrested for breaking into Tiger Stadium. LSU officials say 20-year-old Samuel Holland and 19-year-old Lucas Miller were spotted inside Death Valley at around noon Sunday. Based on the police report, officers told the unwelcome guests to get down, however they decided to run away, but were caught by LSU police officers after getting through a security gate. They were booked into the East Baton Rouge prison.

Now is your chance to ride in a self-driving automated shuttle, as a demonstration takes place in New Orleans today. Neil Hemenover with Transdev North America says the vehicle was created by EasyMile and is already in use in Europe. He says the technology is available for a self-driving shuttle to follow a set route….:
CUT 7 (09) “the speed”‘
Hemenover says about 4-thousand people a day use a self-driving shuttle in France and the Netherlands.

The body of a woman found under an I-12 bridge in Livingston Parish has been identified as 30-year-old Jennifer Annette Blount of Denham Springs. Walker police said they haven’t determined the cause of her death but are investigating it as a homicide.