This Memorial Day weekend will see its highest number of travelers since 2005, according to AAA. Spokesman Don Redman says they project nearly 40 million Americans are taking to the roads, skies, rails and water, which is a million more than last year. Redman credits an improving economy…:
Cut 4 (08) “…those numbers upwards”
The author of a bill to raise the state’s gasoline tax by 17-cents continues to work on the legislation so it can receive the 70 votes necessary to get approval from the House. Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter says he is looking at a variety of options, like lowering the proposed increase. But he says not everyone is pleased with that…
Cut 13 (09) “…Baton Rouge”
Carter will bring the bill up for a vote next Wednesday.

Concertgoers at this weekend’s Bayou Country Superfest in New Orleans can expect even more security after the terrorist attack at a concert in Manchester. Producer Quint Davis says safety is always the number one concern, and everyone should feel comfortable attending the event.
Cut 10 (10) “…pretty much alwqays”
Davis says this is the 9th annual B-C-S, but it’s the festival’s first time in the Superdome.
Last night the LSU baseball team run-ruled Kentucky beating the Wildcats 10-0 in 7 innings to advance to the SEC tournament semi-finals. The Tigers next game is at noon on Saturday

Lawmakers and the governor are expecting another special legislative session is needed to solve the state’s 1.3 billion dollar fiscal cliff. Democrats are blocking the financing bill for construction in an effort to push Republicans to develop a budget balancing plan rather than going to a special session. Erwin says this kind of move is part of the political process.
Cut 13 (11) “ill will”

We can expect an above average hurricane season this year, according to NOAA’s forecast. They’re predicting 11 to 17 named storms with 5 to 9 of them becoming hurricanes. Acting administrator Ben Friedman says when an El Nino is nonexistent, conditions are more conducive for tropical development.
Cut 7 (10) “same region”

According to the forecast, 2 to 4 hurricanes will be category 3 or stronger.

 
The man accused of killing former NFL player Joe McKnight in an apparent road-rage incident was involved in a similar heated exchange while driving 10 years ago, and a judge said that can be used in court. But Legal analyst Tim Meche says the ruling to allow this as evidence is wide open for reversal on appeal. He says Ronald Gasser’s defense could even use it to their advantage…:
Cut 4 (11) “weak case”

A trial date has not yet been set.

The House rejects a proposal to prohibit children under 12 from using machine guns. River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot asked why the bill only included automatic weapons. He says any gun can be dangerous in the hands of an unsupervised child…:
Cut 11 (09) “fully automatic weapon”

But supporters argued it would protect children. The bill was killed on 21-59 vote.

Lawmakers and the governor say its likely another special legislative session is necessary to solve the state’s looming 1.3 billion dollar fiscal cliff. President of the Council for a Better Louisiana Barry Erwin says there’s been very little movement in the current session to address the over one billion dollars in temporary taxes that will expire next year…

Cut 14 (11) “this session”

The House rejected a measure to prohibit kids under 12 from handling automatic weapons. Lafayette Representative Stuart Bishop says automatic weapons are not defined in the bill. He says kids would not be allowed to use pellet guns either, which many have to learn about gun safety.
Cut 10 (10) “6 months”
The bill failed on a 59-21 vote.

Students with disabilities would be protected from corporal punishment in public schools under a proposal heading to the Senate floor. Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil says his bill would prohibit school employees from spanking students with developmental disabilities.
Cut 21 (08) “not corporal punishment”

The bill has been approved by the House and received the backing of the Senate Education Committee.
The author of a bill to raise the state’s gasoline tax by 17-cents continues to work on the legislation so it can receive the 70 votes necessary to get approval from the House. Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter says he is looking at a variety of options, including having the tax increase over time.
Cut 15 (10) “of time”

The LSU baseball team goes after its ninth straight victory tonight as they’ll face Kentucky in the SEC Tournament. Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri is expecting an outstanding game….
cut 30 (13) “….a lot of confidence”
Tonight’s game should start around 8:00. Yesterday, LSU beat Missouri 10-3. Win number 500 for Mainieri at LSU.

Louisiana Tech was eliminated from the Conference USA Tournament Today as the Bulldogs could not overcome a 4-0 deficit and lost 5-2. Matt Miller was roughed up for four runs in two innings. The Diamond Dogs will now wait to see if they receive an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. Tech has a record of 36-20.

UNO kept its season alive with a 4-3 win over Stephen F Austin in 10 innings at the Southland Tournament in Sugar Land, Texas. Darren Willis two-out seeing-eye single drove home Hezekiah Randolph with the winning run. The Privateers play again tomorrow morning at 9 AM. They’ll face the loser of this afternoon’s Southeastern Louisiana—Sam Houston State matchup. Also tonight. top-seeded McNeese takes on Central Arkansas.

Tulane was eliminated from the American Athletic Conference as the Green Wave fell to UCF 8-3. Tulane’s season ends with a 27-31 record.

And the Ragin Cajuns begin play tomorrow in the rain-delayed Sun Belt Tournament. UL Lafayette will face Georgia Southern in what has been turned into a single-elimination tournament.

LSU will kick off the 2017 season 100 days from now and it was announced today that the Tigers season opener against BYU in Houston will kick-off at 8:30 central time and it will be shown on ESPN.

With two weeks to go before the end of the legislative session, still not much movement towards addressing the one-billion dollar budget gap that will hit the state in July 2018 when one-point-three billion dollars in temporary taxes expire. Governor Edwards and legislative leaders say a another special session is likely at this point.

The family of Alton Sterling is demanding the immediate termination of the cops involved in his shooting death. Michelle Southern reports….
voicer 2 (30) “…I’m Michelle Southern”

NOAA is calling for an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season as their forecasters predict 11 to 17 named storms, five to nine hurricanes and two to four major hurricanes. Acting administrator Ben Friedman says we can’t prevent hurricanes, but we can prepare…
cut 8 (12) “…be prepared”
Hurricane season begins a week from today.

A state judge has ruled Ronald Gasser’s arrest in a similar road rage incident can be admitted in his trial on the shooting death of former-NFL player Joe McKnight. Legal analyst Tim Meche says like most states, Louisiana allows prior incidents of a similar nature into evidence if it is relevant. But he says in this case:
Cut 3 (11) “incident”
A trial date has not yet been set in the McKnight murder case.

Legislative leaders and the governor agree another special legislative session is likely to address the state’s $1.3 billion dollar fiscal cliff. Over a billion dollars in temporary sales taxes expire in July of 2018. President of the Council for a Better Louisiana Barry Erwin says the push to address this fiscal problem is not there.
Cut 12 (09) “come back”

A state judge has ruled Ronald Gasser’s arrest in a 10 year old road rage incident can be admitted in his trial in the shooting death of former-NFL player Joe McKnight. Gasser was charged with a misdemeanor and never prosecuted in the decade old case. Legal analyst Tim Meche says the prosecutor should think twice about using this as evidence because it could backfire with Gasser’s testimony.
Cut 3 (11) “incident”

A trial date has not been set.

We could see an above average hurricane season this year, according to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. Halen Doughty has more…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

A sales tax discount is available for hurricane preparedness items this weekend. Eligible items like batteries, storage coolers, and portable generators will be subject to only 3-percent sales tax, a 2-percent discount from the normal 5-percent state sales tax. The Department of Revenue says the exemption was put in place to encourage people to buy emergency supplies before a storm hits. For more information on eligible items, visit revenue.louisiana.gov.

The family of Alton Sterling is demanding the immediate termination of the cops involved in the man’s death. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

The principal at a New Orleans school has been fired after he wore Nazi symbols in a video posted online. Crescent Leadership Academy issued a statement saying Nicholas Dean will not return to his position. A video surfaced today of Dean wearing symbols associated with Nazism and white supremacy while being interviewed earlier this month at protests surrounding the removal of confederate monuments.

We can expect an above average hurricane season this year, according to NOAA’s forecast. They’re predicting 11 to 17 named storms with 5 to 9 of them becoming hurricanes. Acting administrator Ben Friedman says when an El Nino is nonexistent, conditions are more conducive for tropical development.

Cut 7 (10) “same region”

According to the forecast, 2 to 4 hurricanes will be category 3 or stronger.

The House rejects a proposal to prohibit children under 12 from handling Uzis and automatic weapons. Shreveport Representative Barbara Norton authored the measure after a child in Arizona accidentally killed a gun safety instructor with an Uzi.

Cut 9 (09) “someone’s life”

Opponents said the bill would also prohibit kids from using paintball and hunting guns.