U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy and Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy introduced a bill to Congress that attempts to address the nation’s problems when it comes to the treatment of mental illness. Jeff Palermo has more…

cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A judge in Illinois has found a 58-year-old Saints fan guilty of shoving Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey to the ground last December. Richard Kohnke of New Orleans was found guilty of a misdemeanor charge of battery and sentenced to six months of court supervision. Kohnke was sitting in McCaskey’s seats during last year’s Bears-Saints game at Soldier Field and Kohnke ended up pushing McCaskey to the ground.

Governor Bobby Jindal has joined other Republican presidential hopefuls who have taken time from their campaigns to shoot offbeat videos as a way of getting attention. In a Buzzfeed video, Jindal competes in a push-up competition against “the issues”. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says this is apparently the new trend in national campaigns…

cut 7 (08) ” than the other”

In the video, Jindal does 67 push-ups.

State police say 18-year-old Richard Billingsley, Jr of Prairieville was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while pushing a friend’s disabled SUV out of the roadway. Trooper Bryan Lee says 41-year-old J. Thomas Bowers of Baton Rouge is booked with vehicular homicide and second offense DWI, among other charges. Lee says impaired driving is still an issue in the state that causes many deaths, and he advises people to make wise choices when they drink…

cut 5 (04) “behind the wheel”

He says Billingsley was pronounced dead at the scene.

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, along with Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, introduces legislation that addresses the issues in the nation’s care and treatment of mental health. Studies indicate that one in five American adults have a serious form of mental illness and Cassidy says everyone is impacted in some way…

cut 12 (07) “serious mental illness”

Cassidy says he has been working on this bill for about four years, but has only recently been able to introduce it to Congress–less than two weeks after the Lafayette theater shooting.

State legislators across Louisiana are mourning the death of Baton Rouge State Representative Alfred Williams. Williams was elected to the State House in 2011 after serving on the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board. Representative Pat Smith of Baton Rouge, who also served on the School Board with Williams, says this loss will leave a big hole not only in the legislature, but in his district as well…

cut 10 (05) “just priceless”

Williams passed away Tuesday night following complications related to a recent knee surgery.

State police say a Prairieville teenager, who was pushing a friend’s disabled SUV out of the roadway in Ascension Parish, was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver. Trooper Bryan Lee says the emergency flashers on the vehicle 18-year-old Richard Billingsley, Jr. was pushing were activated when 41-year-old J Thomas Bowers of Baton Rouge crashed into it…

cut 4 (03) “at the scene”

Bowers is booked on multiple charges, including vehicular homicide and second offense DWI.

Governor Bobby Jindal will not participate in tomorrow night’s televised Republican presidential debate. Jindal did not poll well enough in recent national surveys to be among the ten candidates invited to the Fox News forum. Jindal will be able to participate in a debate featuring secondary candidates Thursday afternoon.

Governor Bobby Jindal has joined the viral video craze that other Republican presidential candidates are participating in. In a video produced by Buzzfeed, Jindal is in a push-up competition against “the issues” which are taxes, Obamacare, hyphenated Americans, and Jindal’s own widely panned response to the State of the Union in 2009. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat isn’t sure how this will get him more support…

cut 6 (06) “would hope not”

GOP presidential hopefuls Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, and Rand Paul have also taken time from their campaigns to shoot offbeat videos as a way of getting attention.

Baton Rouge State Representative Alfred Williams has died. Williams passed away Tuesday night following complications related to a recent knee surgery. Representative Pat Smith of Baton Rouge says she was shocked to hear the news and Williams will be missed…

cut 9 (08) “he represented”

Williams was 64-years-old.

State police say an 18-year-old, who was pushing a friend’s disabled SUV out of the roadway in Ascension Parish, was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver. Trooper Bryan Lee says 41-year-old J Thomas Bowers was traveling on the road and failed to stop before striking Richard Billingsley, Jr…

cut 3 (07) “second offense”

Lee says that Bowers was also traveling at speeds faster than allowed along the highway.

The Baton Rouge Fire Department says a 58-year old man died in a Monday night fire that is believed to have been started by a child. They say 58-year-old Martin Osigwe died after going back inside the home to fight the fire. Three children were able to escape the blaze. Authorities say one of the three children who was playing with a lighter likely started the fire. The child, who is under the age of culpability, will not be charged.

The ACLU of Louisiana releases a report which shows it’s a common practice here to jail people who are too poor to pay a fine. Michelle Southern reports…:

cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

The Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office says a high-speed chase led to the arrest of a man charged with fourth offense DWI. Authorities say they attempted to stop 26-year-old Kyle Johnson of Pitkin for reckless driving when the pursuit ensued. They say Johnson was stopped after they deployed spike strips, but not before he struck several police cars with his truck. Johnson is charged with DWI – Fourth Offense and flight using a motor vehicle.

Governor Bobby Jindal misses the cut and will not participate in the first formal Republican Presidential debate Thursday night on Fox News. ULM political science professor Joshua Stockley says missing this debate is a blow to the Jindal presidential campaign…

cut 13 (11) “few points”

Jindal did not poll well enough in recent national surveys to be among the ten candidates invited.

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office arrests a 26-year-old man who allegedly locked up a convenience store clerk in Sulphur and raped her in a storage room. Spokesperson Kim Myers says the woman tried to resist James Domingue of Sulphur but he knocked her to the ground and raped her. She says Domingue made the clerk give him goods from the store and then let himself out…

cut 11 (12) “was identified”

Domingue was arrested on charges of rape, kidnapping and false imprisonment.

Governor Bobby Jindal did not poll well enough in recent national surveys to be among the ten candidates who will square off tomorrow night on Fox News in the first formal Republican Presidential debate. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says Jindal may need to change his campaign strategy…

cut 15 (07) “traction”

National polls have the governor only getting only one to two percent of the vote.

Researchers have determined the size of the “Dead Zone” in the Gulf of Mexico has grown to the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium executive director Nancy Rabalais says in order to reduce the size, more needs to be done by farmers to reduce the amount of nutrients that’s running off their fields into the Mississippi River and then into the Gulf…

cut 6 (10) “2015″

She says the “Dead Zone” is 28-percent larger than last year.

Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office arrests a man in the brutal rape of a convenience store clerk in Sulphur. Emelie Gunn has more…

cut 3 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

This Friday and Saturday is Louisiana’s Annual Sales Tax Holiday. During the holiday, the 4% state sales tax on the first 25 hundred dollars of each item a customer buys will be waived. Local sales taxes will still apply to purchases unless the local taxing authority has created its own exemption. Exceptions do apply. More info can be found at revenue-dot-louisiana-dot-gov-slash-taxholiday.

Governor Bobby Jindal will not be one of the ten republican presidential candidates who will appear in a primetime debate on national TV Thursday night. Jeff Palermo has the story….

cut 1 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Louisiana’s Annual Sales Tax Holiday takes place this Friday and Saturday. During the holiday, customers will not have to pay the 4% state sales tax on the first 25 hundred dollars of each item they buy. Local sales taxes will still apply to purchases unless the local taxing authority has created its own exemption. You can go to revenue-dot-louisiana-dot-gov-slash-taxholiday for more information.

A report on incarcerating the poor by the ACLU of Louisiana indicates there’s a common, unlawful practice of jailing people who don’t have enough money to pay court-ordered fines. Executive Director Marjorie Esman says by bringing the report to light she hopes that courts will learn what the law is and realize that jailing people because they are poor is counter-productive…

cut 9 (10) “on with their lives”

She says a 1983 US Supreme Court ruling states judges must hold hearings to determine someone’s ability to pay before assessing a fine

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office arrests 26-year-old James Domingue of Sulphur for allegedly locking up a convenience store clerk and raping her in a storage room. Spokesperson Kim Myers says this seems to be a random act from Domingue, who has a criminal background…

cut 12 (07) “in 2011″

Domingue faces charges of rape, kidnapping, and false imprisonment.

Governor Bobby Jindal will not participate in Thursday’s Republican Presidential debate. Jindal did not poll well enough in recent national surveys to be invited by Fox News. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says while missing the primetime debate is a blow to Jindal’s chances in gaining the republican nomination, its still early…

cut 14 (10) “front-runner”

National polls have the governor only getting one to two percent of the vote.

The ACLU of Louisiana has released a report on incarcerating the poor and it indicates there’s a common, unlawful practice of jailing people who don’t have enough money to pay court-ordered fines. Executive Director Marjorie Esman says this practice often sends financially stressed individuals into a downward cycle of incarceration…

cut 7 (08) “regular basis”

Esman says people who can afford the fines assessed against them don’t run the risk of incarceration.

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office arrests a 26-year-old man who allegedly locked up a convenience store clerk in Sulphur and raped her in a storage room. Spokesperson Kim Myers says James Domingue of Sulphur entered the business and locked the door unbeknownst to the clerk, then lured her to the back of the store pretending to search for an item…

cut 10 (12) “the face”

Myers says Domingue was arrested on charges of rape, kidnapping, and false imprisonment.

Researchers have determined the size of the “Dead Zone” in the Gulf of Mexico has grown to nearly 17-thousand square kilometers. Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium executive director Nancy Rabalais says that’s 28-percent larger than in 2014….

cut 5 (09) “oil spill”

The “Dead Zone” is now the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.