Early voting begins tomorrow for Louisiana’s Presidential Preference Primary which will be held on March 5th. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says Democrats must choose a Democrat and Republicans choose a Republican, but everyone should vote in local elections. He says early voting runs through next Saturday…:
CUT 15 (07) “early voting”
He says the polls will be closed on Sunday.

When the LSU baseball tigers take Skip Bertman Field tonight, it’ll be the first call at the Box for the new Voice of the Tigers, Chris Blair. Blair is taking the spot of Jim Hawthorne who retires after the end of men’s basketball season. Blair says he never thought he’d be able to say one day he’d be calling play-by-play for LSU football, baseball and basketball…:
Cut 5 (04) “pipe dream of mine”
The Tigers take on Cincinatti tonight. First pitch is set for 7pm.

Attorney General Jeff Landry has announced he’s terminating outside legal contracts with District Attorneys and their civil practices. Emelie Gunn has more on other changes…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

A 16-year-old boy is under arrest after Baton Rouge cops say he shot his neice, also 16, by mistake while playing with a gun. The victim is in critical condition. Police have yet to determine where the gun came from. the suspect was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Juvenile Detention on charges of negligent injuring and illegal possession of a firearm by a juvenile.

East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore says if the feds can force Apple to unlock iPhones, it could set a precedence for the Baton Rouge murder of Brittany Mills. He says they can’t get into Mills phone which could contain information that would help solve her murder….:
CUT 8 (07) “in the phone”
The FBI has received a court order for Apple to hack into a phone used by one of the shooters in the San Bernandino terrorist attack.

Attorney General Jeff Landry says he’s taking steps to rid his office of public corruption. He says outside government contracts will be eliminated with DAs and their civil partners. Also the existing contracts with outside council on BP litigation are terminated…:
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He says they will keep working to find ways to make his office honest and ethical, so it can be something Louisina citizens are proud of.

The new voice of the Tigers, Chris Blair, will hit the airwaves for the first time tonight on the LSU Sports Radio Network as baseball season gets underway at The Box. Jeff Palermo reports…:
CUT 1 (24) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A man who coached at a playground in Metairie is indicted by a Jefferson Parish grand jury on 18 counts related to the sexual abuse of three boys, years ago. 44-year-old James Prince Jr faces one count of aggravated rape of a victim under age 13, four counts each of sexual battery and indecent behavior with a juvenile and nine counts of child porn, according to court records. Prince’s bail was set at $1.21 million.

Early voting begins Saturday for the March 5th Presidential Primary in Louisiana. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says registered Republicans and Democrats can only vote in their respective parties. He says local elections are taking place…:
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You can early vote through next Saturday.

Apple is fighting the federal government over accessing iPhones which could impact the Baton Rouge Brittney Mills murder as authorities can’t get into her phone. East Baton Rouge DA Hillar Moore is glad the feds are trying to move Apple’s hand…:
CUT 7 (06) “looking for”
But Apple says it could lead to privacy issues for its customers. Authorities believe Mills could have valuable information on her phone which would help them solve her murder.

Baton Rouge Police say an arrest has been made in the case of an apparent accidental shooting which sent a teen girl to the hospital where she is last listed in critical condition. They say her 16-year-old uncle was allegedly playing with a gun when it went off and struck the victim. The suspect was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Juvenile Detention center on charges of negligent injuring and illegal possession of a firearm by a juvenile.

The new voice of the Tigers, Chris Blair, will hit the airwaves for the first time tonight on the LSU Sports Radio Network as baseball season gets underway at The Box. Blair says, on a smaller level, his time at Georgia Southern helped him prepare for dealing with passionate fan bases…:
cut 4 (10) “won the game”
Blair takes over for Jim Hawthorne who after 30 years is retiring after the men’s basketball season.

Early voting begins tomorrow for Louisiana’s Presidential Preference Primary which will be held on March 5th. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says only registered Republicans and Democrats will be able to vote in their respective primaries…:
Cut 13 (06) “that primary”
Early voting runs through next Saturday.

Attorney General Jeff Landry announces new polices that attempt to rid his department of public corruption. Landry says one new policy eliminates all outside government legal contracts with District Attorneys and their civil practices. And He says fulltime lawyers in his office will no longer take on private legal cases on the side…:
Cut 10 (09) “the department”
He also announced the termination of existing contracts with outside council in the BP litigation.

Apple is fighting the federal government over hacking into iPhones and the ruling could impact a murder case in Baton Rouge. Halen Doughty has the story…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

It’s opening day in college baseball and the 7th ranked LSU Tigers host the Cincinnati Bearkats tonight at Alex Box Stadium. The 6th ranked Ragin Cajuns host Sam Houston State.

A federal judge in New Orleans has rejected former Saints star Darren Sharper’s plea deal. Sharper who is accused of drugging and raping women in several states was hoping to get a nine-year sentence, but Judge Jane Triche Milazzo says the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Legal analyst Chick Foret says Sharper has three options in front of him…
cut 8 (10) “…sentence”
Judge Milazzo had said the accusations against Sharper should lead to a 15 to 20 year prison sentence if found guilty.

State Police has charged a St. Mary Parish man with 18 counts of attempted murder of a police officer. 50-year-old Derrick Bodin of Baldwin was taken into custody after extenstive investigation. Authorities say Bodin shot at multiple officers who came to the aid of a shooting victim on December 27th .

Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says her agency needs 15-million dollars or she’ll be forced to furlough and layoff employess, which would impact adults and children who are in need…
cut 5 (09) “….food stamp program”

DCFS is in need of resources to care for the more than four-thousand children in foster care in Louisiana.

South Louisiana law enforcement are actively searching for the seven remaining wanted fugitives of the Gremlins Criminal Gang and their search efforts have been boosted by the latest video message from the “Cajun John Wayne.” Captain Clay Higgins with St. Landry’s parish sheriff’s office asks the public to contact police with any information about these crimes of the whereabouts of the wanted fugitives.

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The video has received over 8 million views.

A debate broke out at the state capitol over a tax credit that benefits working individuals with low incomes. Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala has legislation to do away with the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit, which he says will save the state about 50-million dollars a year
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But Democratic state representative Walt Leger says the Earned Income Tax Credit helps the working poor pay for daily life expenses
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The New Orleans lawmaker has a bill to double the earned income tax credit. A vote on the two different measures was not taken. The House committee is waiting to hear on all of the different tax bills, before deciding which ones should advance.

Marketa Garner Walters, secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, is concerned about a 15-million dollar hole in her budget. Halen Doughty reports…
voicer 1 (28) “…I’m Halen Doughty”

Republican Chris Broadwater of Hammond, who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, says lawmakers are taking a hard look at the Edwards Administration’s proposed one cent sales tax increase. He says the reason it’s such a pivotal issue is because they are trying to close a massive $950-million dollar gap in the current fiscal year…:
cut 30 (06) “were it to pass”

Marketa Garner Walters, secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, tells legislators her department is in need of resources to care for the more than four-thousand children in foster care in Louisiana. Walters says the process of finding a place to stay can be difficult on children from abusive homes.

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Walters says without sufficient funding, Louisiana could receive federal penalties for falling short of the national standards for these agencies.

A debate broke out at the state capitol over a tax credit that benefits working individuals with low incomes. Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala has legislation to do away with the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit. New Orleans Representative Walt Leger says in parishes like East Carroll and Madison, over 50-percent of the state’s tax filers receive the earned income tax credit. Leger is proposing to double the earned income tax credit, which would actually help the state and local economy.

cut 14 (12)  “necessities of life”

A federal judge officially rejected Former Saints safety Darren Sharper’s plea bargain in the case where he allegedly drugged and raped multiple women. Legal Analyst Chick Foret says Sharper is facing accusations in three other states and agreed to nine years in jail after pleading guilty in those jurisdictions. But Foret says US District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo believes nine years isn’t enough…

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Judge Milazzo gave Sharper until March 3^rd to withdraw his guilty plea.

South Louisiana law enforcement are actively searching for the seven remaining wanted fugitives of the Gremlins Criminal Gang and their search efforts have been boosted by the latest video message from the “Cajun John Wayne.” Captain Clay Higgins with St. Landry’s parish sheriff’s office says the gang is very active in Acadiana and Higgins called out the remaining fugitives in a viral internet video.

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The video has received over 8 million views on St. Landry Parish’s Facebook page.