A huge crowd is expected to be at the Baton Rouge airport on Friday where President-elect Donald Trump is slated to appear. Mr. Trump is supporting US Senate candidate John Kennedy, and his appearance comes a day before Louisiana voters will head to the polls. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross on Mr. Trump’s message:
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Kennedy faces Democrat Foster Campbell in Saturday’s runoff.

Former New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas took the stand today in the murder trial of Will Smith. Thomas, who had dined with Smith earlier in the evening and later ended up at the scene of the incident, testified during direct examination that Cardell Hayes was the only person who ever had a gun and fired shots where Smith was killed. The defense is arguing Smith was the aggressor. This comes a day after emotional testimony from Smith’s wife who insists her husband did nothing wrong.

The US House Appropriations Committee has approved a continuing resolution that contains $1.2 billion in Community Development Block Grants for Louisiana flood relief. Governor’s Office spokesman Richard Carbo adds that Congress should be voting on the proposal by the end of the week, which will also contain dollars to fund other flood repair projects…:
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LSU releases the details on defensive coordinator Dave Aranda’s new three-year contract extension that also makes him the associate head coach. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says he’s earned the distinction of being the highest paid assistant in college football…:
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Aranda’s contract runs until March of 2020 and includes a first year salary of 1.8 million dollars.

President-elect Donald Trump will be in Baton Rouge Friday to encourage Louisianans to vote for Republican John Kennedy for U.S. Senate. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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On day 3 of the murder trial of former Saints player Will Smith, his teammate Pierre Thomas has taken the stand. Thomas ended up on the scene where Cardell Hayes allegedly shot and killed Smith. There was emotional testimony Tuesday from the widow of Smith, Racquel, who said strongly that her husband did nothing to provoke the shooting. Hayes’ defense team paints a different picture.

The US House Appropriations Committee has approved a continuing resolution that contains $1.2 billion in Community Development Block Grants for Louisiana flood relief. Richard Carbo with the Governor’s office says they still have a long way to go, but it’s great to see this kind of support from Congress…:
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The full US House is expected to vote on the package in the coming days…the legislation will then head to the Senate before going to the President’s desk.

WWL-TV in New Orleans is reporting that the body of slain NFL football player Joe McKnight is being retrieved from the funeral home for more forensic testing. Ronald Gasser has been charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of McKnight.

Testimony in the Will Smith murder trial resumed this morning, with witnesses to the shooting taking the stand. Defense attorneys say Smith was the aggressor, but prosecutors say Cardell Hayes shot and killed an unarmed innocent man. Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino says the fact that the victim is so popular makes the case challenging for the defense
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Racquel Smith insisted that her unarmed husband did nothing to provoke the killing.

The Republican Party of Louisiana has confirmed President-elect Donald Trump will be in Baton Rouge on Friday for a get out the vote rally for US Senate candidate Republican John Kennedy. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross expects a huge frenzy of supporters to be in attendance…:
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The event starts at noon at the Baton Rouge Airport.

An entire family from Bunkie has been arrested on bomb making charges. Avoyelles Sheriff Doug Anderson says they executed a warrant on 38-year-old Jenus Juneau, who was accused of stealing $12-thousand worth of household goods, guns, and jewelry on Sunday…:
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Anderson says Juneau’s wife and their two 19-year-old children were also charged.

What might the trial of Ronald Gasser look like now that he’s been charged with manslaughter in the death of former NFL player Joe McKnight? Legal analyst Tim Meche says if Gasser can explain a reasonable fear to the jury, he could be found not guilty…:
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Gasser is claiming self defense in what authorities are calling a road rage incident between he and McKnight.

Third day of the Will Smith shooting trial is underway in a court room in Orleans Parish. Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolino was surprised to see that the first person to testify for the prosecution was former Saints running back Deuce McAllister…

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There was also emotional testimony from the widow of Will Smith, Racquel, who said strongly that her husband did nothing to provoke the shooting. Cardell Hayes defense team paints a different picture.

The Louisiana Republican Party has confirmed that President-elect Donald Trump will be in Baton Rouge on Friday to headline a rally to encourage people to get out to vote. Trump urging voters to cast their ballot for Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy for U.S. Senate. Many Republican elected officials will be present at the rally alongside the future President. The event starts at noon at the Baton Rouge Airport.

A report from the AAA foundation says you double the chances of getting into a wreck if you only get five to six hours of sleep. AAA spokesperson Don Redman says getting tired behind the wheel can also happen in the afternoon as it could, when driving during the overnight hours….

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Redman says nearly 21-percent of fatal crashes are the result of drowsy driving.

Louisiana broke a record for the number of adoptions in one year with 735 children adopted by 532 families. Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says all of the children in the state’s care have a history of abuse or neglect. She says although it’s exciting so many kids found homes, many are still without a family.

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It was an emotional first day of testimony in the Will Smith trial Tuesday. Cardell Hayes is accused of shooting and killing the former Saints player. The prosecution is arguing that Hayes was the aggressor, but the defense says Smith was reaching for a gun. Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino says the jury being sequestered will make everyone want to get through with the trial as quickly as possible…:
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The trial resumes today.

Ronald Gasser, the man accused of fatally shooting former NFL player and John Curtis star Joe McKnight last week, has been charged with manslaughter, so what will be the key factors in a likely trial? Legal analyst Tim Meche says a state law letting people defend themselves if someone tries to invade your vehicle is a big factor:
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Lots of folks are preparing to travel for the upcoming holiday and AAA is reminding motorists not to drive if you’re too tired. Spokesman Don Redman says nearly one in three drivers admitted to drowsy driving at least once in the past month. He says there are ways people can avoid being tired while driving on long trips…:
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He says nearly 21-percent of fatal crashes are the result of people falling asleep behind wheel.

Some LSU fans are gearing up to head to Orlando for the Citrus Bowl later this month, but so far ticket sales are lagging a bit. That’s according to LSU ticket manager, Brian Broussard, who says so far only about 4-thousand tickets have been sold…:
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The game kicks off at 10am on New Years Eve.

In the shooting of former NFL player Joe McKnight in Jefferson Parish, 54-year-old Ronald Gasser is charged with manslaughter. So what might this trial look like? Legal analyst Tim Meche says the Jefferson Parish D-A’s office could let a grand jury have a say…:
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Beyond that, Meche says if Gasser makes a good case that he was scared of McKnight, he could be found not guilty.

The first day of the murder trial of former-Saints star Will Smith was filled with emotional testimony. Current and former Saints players Drew Brees, Steve Gleason, Roman Harper, and Jahri Evans were in the courtroom. Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino says Cardell Hayes’ defense team has an uphill battle because of the popularity of the victim..:
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Hayes faces life in prison if convicted.

The Department of Children and Family Services is excited to announce Louisiana broke a record for the number of children adopted in a year. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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Multiple officials confirm that President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to be in Baton Rouge on Friday. The visit will happen just one day before voters go to the polls in the US Senate election in Louisiana. Saturday, Mr. Trump tweeted that State Treasurer John Kennedy is his choice for US Senator. State Police says they were informed by Secret Service of Mr. Trump’s visit, but were not given details.

Former and current Saints players showed up for the first day of Will Smith’s murder trial. Halen Doughty has more…:
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Congress is set to approve a package this week that contains $1.2 billion dollars in additional funds for flood relief for Louisiana. Governor John Bel Edwards says they are making great progress in getting what the state needs from the federal government to recover from the historic flooding in March and August. He says they plan to return to Washington in the spring to ask for additional assistance to complete the package.

Louisiana broke the state’s record for the number of foster children adoptions within a year. 735 children were adopted by 532 families between October of 2015 and September of 2016. Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says she couldn’t be more thankful for these families…:
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She says while it’s exciting so many children found foster homes, many are still without a family.

According to the AAA Foundation report on drowsy driving, you double the chances of getting into a wreck if you only get 5 to 6 hours of sleep. Spokesperson Don Redman says being tired behind the wheel is a form of impairment…:
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He and the risk of crashing increases by 11 if you get less than four hours of shut eye.