Rain like they’ve never seen before. That’s what several state emergency officials are saying about the massive storm that is slowly churning over Louisiana. East Feliciana Parish OEP Deputy Director Jim Parker says he’s dealt with flooding before, but nothing like this…:
CUT 2 (10) “people getting stranded”

Frank Reviette with the National Weather Service in Slidell says southeast Louisiana saw a ton of rain, in a very short period of time…:
CUT 7 (08) “in some of that area”
He says this event is far from over, and now almost the entire bottom half of the state is under a flash flood watch through Saturday evening. Thousands remain without power, and DEMCO and Entergy says they are working to restore power as soon as it is safe to do so.

Louisiana is the third worst state for underprivileged children, according to a new study from WalletHub. Don Molino has more…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Don Molino”

Louisiana ranks in the top ten lowest gas prices in the country, according to AAA. Fuel analyst Don Redman says they predicted a summer average of about $2.25, and we stayed well below that all summer…:
cut 12 (07) “immensely”
The current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $1.97.

There are now about 8,000 Entergy customers without power, and over 1500 with DEMCO in the dark, as a severe storm churns over southeast Louisiana, and moves slowly west. Massive flooding has been reported throughout the region. In East Baton Rouge Parish, Central Mayor Jr. Shelton says they’ve had close to 10 inches of rain since midnight…:
CUT 1 (09) “new territory now”
He says they’ve received hundreds of calls from people requesting help and sandbags, and that’s the case in many areas. Forecasters are urging residents to watch for rising streams, creeks ditches and other low lying areas. More flooding is expected tonight and the flash flood watch remains in effect until 7am for all of Southeast Louisiana and most of Acadiana. Most schools are closed today, as are state and city offices. Officials are continuing to monitor this fluid situation.

A suspect is in critical condition following an officer-involved shooting in Iberville Parish. Sheriff Brett Stassi says the suspect apparently beat his mother around her head, and later allegedly pulled out a gun on responding deputies…:
CUT 15 (10) “buttocks area”
Stassi says the suspect was critically wounded and transported to a hospital in Baton Rouge. He says none of the deputies were injured.

Louisiana ranks in the top ten lowest gas prices in the country, according to AAA. Fuel analyst Don Redman expects what motorists pay at the pump will remain below average into September and October…:
CUT 11 (08) “since 2004”
Redman says the demand usually goes down close to Labor Day, so prices could get even lower.

There are many schools throughout southeast Louisiana that are closed today due to flooding in the area as a massive, slow moving storm continues to dump rain on the state. Entergy is reporting nearly 6,000 customers are without power, and about 1,500 DEMCO customers are in the dark. Many roads are flooded and more are expected to take on water as this system doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. Forecasters say this is similar to a tropical storm rain-wise, but the wind factor is not there.

A suspect is in critical condition following an officer-involved shooting in Iberville Parish. Sheriff Brett Stassi says deputies responded to a call involving a fight between a mother and her son in Plaquemine…:
Cut 13 (07) “her car”
He says the suspect allegedly pulled out a gun on responding officers, and that’s when he was shot in the buttocks area by cops. The matter is under investigation.

The American Cancer Society released a progress report on how states are shaping up when it comes to cancer fighting policies. Emelie Gunn has more on how Louisiana scored…:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

A new study from WalletHub finds that Louisiana is the third worst state for underprivileged children. Jill Gonzales with WalletHub says about 11% of Louisiana teens aged 16 to 19 are not in school or working, which can contribute to the crime rate. She says the state’s graduation rate is also much lower than other states…:
cut 4 (08) “75-percent”

An officer-involved shooting left one suspect critically injured in
Plaquemine. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

There are several parishes that are under a flash flood watch throughout
southeast Louisiana and into Acadiana and portions of central Louisiana as
a strong, slow moving storm pushes into the state, east to west. A handful
of parishes are under a flash flood warning and some are reporting school
closures for the day. There are numerous road closures due to high water.
Entergy is reporting several thousand customers are without power.

The American Cancer Society released their annual report on how each state
is doing on cancer fighting policies, and Louisiana still has some work to
do. ACS Director of Government Relations for Louisiana Lydia Kuykendal says
there are some areas where the state is excelling…:
CUT 7 (10) “into law”

Louisiana ranks in the top ten lowest gas prices in the country, according
to AAA. But Spokesperson Don Redman says we are seeing a slight uptick in
gas prices because of what AAA expects to be record high demand…:
Cut 10 (09) “a gallon”
The current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $1.97.

An officer involved shooting in Plaquemine left one suspect critically wounded. Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi says the suspect approached the deputies, and when he got close to them, he pulled out a gun.

Cut 15 (10) “buttocks area”

Stassi says the suspect was critically wounded and transported to a hospital in Baton Rouge. He says none of the deputies were injured.

Flames could be seen for miles this morning coming from the Motiva Oil Refinery in St. James Parish. It is not known yet what caused the fire, but forecasters say there was lightning in the area at the time. Jywanna Octave with the St. James Office of Emergency Preparedness says it was a scary situation, but it appears all workers were able to safely evacuate…:

cut 16 (04) “accounted for”

The Department of Children and Family Services is launching an initiative to improve foster care. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says moving foster kids from one home to another can be traumatizing to that child. She hopes the new Quality Parenting Initiative will help DCFS reduce the number of placement changes and keep more siblings together.

Cut 11 (10) “birth family”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released an updated Atlantic hurricane outlook, predicting this season is still expected to be the strongest since 2012. NOAA’s Lead Season Hurricane Forecaster Dr. Gerry Bell says it will be stronger than what they first predicted in May. And there is a now a 70% chance that..:

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The initial outlook called for 10-16 named storms

A suspect is in critical condition following an officer-involved shooting in Iberville Parish. Sheriff Brett Stassi says deputies responded to a call involving a fight between a mother and her son.

Cut 13 (07) “…her car”

Stassi says when deputies arrived, the suspect pulled a gun on them. He says the suspect was shot once in the butt and transported to a local hospital.

Crews responded to the scene of a fire at the Motiva (Mo-Tee-Va) Oil Refinery in St. James Parish this morning near the Sunshine Bridge. Flames could be seen for miles from the Convent facility. Jywanna Octave with the St. James Office of Emergency Preparedness says two fire departments responded…:

cut 15 (09) “at this time”

The refinery produces reformulated and conventional gasoline, primarily for the southeastern United States.

NOAA has released an updated Atlantic hurricane season outlook, and the storm chance has risen. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 2 (30)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

A flash flood watch is in effect for over 40 Louisiana parishes through Saturday. The National Weather Service says flooding will be a concern on rivers and in low lying areas and areas with poor drainage. Rain totals are expected to reach up to 10 inches in some areas.

State Police have been called to investigate the officer involved shooting that happened in Plaquemine right before one o’clock. Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi says a deputy was responding to shots fired at a home on LA 77 between the Indian River Bridge and Grosse Tete. Officials say a man came out of the home and pulled a gun out of his waistband and that’s when he fired and hit the man. The man was taken to a local hospital.

The Department of Children and Family Services is introducing an initiative to improve foster care redefining caregivers roles. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says our children deserve the best that we can give them, and that doesn’t always happen when they are in the child welfare system. She’s optimistic this can give foster kids much needed love and support.
cut 10 (11) “own kids”

 
Enrollment in the expanded Medicaid is surpassing goals set by the Louisiana Department of Health. LDH Secretary Rebekah Gee says improving health outcomes benefits the state in many ways because healthy people make for better workers and happier citizens.
CUT 5 (10) “healthcare”

NOAA released an updated Atlantic hurricane outlook and predicts this still will be the strongest since 2012. Lead Seasonal hurricane forecaster Dr. Gerry Bell says there is a lot of activity ahead for this season. He says it’s time to prepare since we’re we’re entering peak hurricane season.
CUT 8 (10) “year”

He says we’re now expecting a 70-percent change of 12 to 17 named storms, 5 to 8 of those are expected to become hurricanes and 2 to 4 of those are expected to become major hurricanes.