Authorities still can’t locate a convicted murderer who was released from jail in East Feliciana Parish by mistake last week. 32-year-old Benjueil Johnson pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2013. State Department of corrections spokesperson Pam Laborde says they are working with Crime Stoppers to offer a one-thousand dollar reward for information leading to Johnson’s capture…:
cut 10 (10) “right thing”
Laborde says Johnson’s accidental release was the result of a DOC employee not being diligent.

New Orleans Police are investigating an armed robbery that happened this morning at a school in Treme. They say a teacher was walking into the Success Preparatory Academy around 7am while no children were at the school, when she was approached by a suspect with a gun who robbed her. Police say it also happened to another teacher. The gunman remains at large.

The Louisiana Chapter of the Americans for Prosperity is out with an ad letting voters know which of their lawmakers up for re-election in the fall voted for tax increases and Medicaid expasion. A-F-P State Director Phillip Joffrion says the radio spot includes information about how legislators dealt with the state’s fiscal crisis in the last session..:
CUT 6 (08) “the budget”
He says the public can view their lawmaker’s record at Louisiana Score Card-dot-com. Louisiana AFP has ties to the Tea Party.

ESPN is reporting that Saints quarterback Drew Brees has agreed to convert part of his base salary into a signing bonus. That would give the team more financial flexibility to possibly make a roster move this year.

The manhunt continues for a convicted killer who was mistakenly released from the East Feliciana Parish jail on September 22nd. 32-year-old Benjueil Johnson is supposed to be in prison, serving a 40 year sentence for a 2010 fatal shooting in Plaquemine. State Department of Corrections spokesperson Pam Laborde says they hope to bring Johnson back into custody soon…:
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Johnson was released as the result of an error made by a DOC employee.

The Monroe Police Department says they are still looking for a suspect in the case of two people who were found shot dead at a bail bondsman’s office. They’ve identified the victims as Ivan Webb, who owns the business, and Catrina Wallace who worked there. Cops say no arrests have been made at this time but the investigation is ongoing.

The state Department of Health and Hospitals confirms a second death this year from the West Nile Virus — this time out of the Baton Rouge area. Emelie Gunn reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The Louisiana Workforce Commission says 120 workers in the state died on the job in 2014 according to a preliminary count by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Industries reporting the most fatalities last year were trade, transportation and utilities followed by natural resources and mining.

The state Department of Health and Hospitals confirms a second death this year from the West Nile Virus. State Health Officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry says there are now 54 confirmed cases in 2015 and 2 deaths, compared to 123 cases and 5 deaths the prior year. He says even as we move into October, the threat of infected mosquitoes is still there..:
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He says the latest West Nile death is out of the Baton Rouge area.

Authorities are still searching for a convicted killer out of Iberville Parish who they say was released from prison by mistake. 32-year-old Benjueil Johnson got 40 years after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a 2010 fatal shooting of a man from Plaquemine. The DOC says this was as staff error. If you see this man please call 911.

Hurricane Joaquine was updated from tropical storm status early this morning as the system approaches the Bahamas. The National Hurricane Center says the center of Joaquine is expected to pass over or near the central Bahamas tonight or tomorrow.

The Saints return to practice today to get ready for Sunday night’s game against Dallas. Michael Farrar has the latest on injured quarterback Drew Brees…:
Cut 2 (25) “I’m Michael Farrar”

And ESPN is reporting that the Saints have restructured Brees’ contract to turn $5.2 million dollars of his salary into a signing bonus. The report shows that this creates $2.6 million dollars in cap space.

The manhunt continues for a convicted killer who was mistakenly released from prison. According to officials, Benjuiel Johnson was able to bond out, because a department of corrections employee didn’t see he was serving a sentence for manslaugther, after completing time for three other felony convictions. Johnson fatally shot a 31-year-old man in Plaquemine in 2010.

Hundreds of cancer patients and surviors have been lobbying members of Congress this week in an attempt to make the fight against cancer more of a national priority. Amber Stevens of Metairie says they are calling for legislation that will ensure cancer patients and doctors are working together when it comes to treatment..
cut 5 (09) “…same page”
With oil prices at around 45-dollars a barrel, Houston-based Hercules Offshore is forced to lay-off 50 rig support workers. The cuts will occur in Cameron parish and Port Fourchon.

In Monroe, police are investigating a double homicide that occurred at a bondsman’s office. The owner of the business, Ivan Webb and an employee, Catrina Wallace, have been identified as the victims. They were were found dead yesterday and the shooter, who authorities believe is associated with the bonding company, remains on the run.

Two men are accused of animal cruelty after shooting and killing a calf and a total of four people are accused of stealing the calf’s meat in Morganza. Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says Point Coupee Parish Sheriff’s deputies we’re alerted about a dead calf on the spillway levee. He says investigators discovered the four suspects went to the area with the intention of killing a calf….
cut 10 (10) “…shot gun”
Strain says all four of the suspects have been arrested and booked into the Point Coupee Parish Jail.

Hundreds of cancer patients and survivors are in Washington to lobby Congress to make the fight against cancer a national priority. Amber Stevens of Metairie says they’re calling on the federal government to increase funding for cancer research by an additional six billion dollars over the next two years…
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Stevens says legislation is also needed to be signed that ensures cancer patients and doctors are on the same page when it comes to treatment.

A new airline will offer daily non-stop flights between New Orleans and Shreveport. The airline is called Glo and founder Trey Fayard says they’ll also have flights from Louis Armstrong to Little Rock and Memphis. Fayard says he started the airline after experiencing years of trouble getting around the mid-South….
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Flights begin in mid-November.

Secretary of State Tom Schedler says the ballots for the October 24th primary were sent to the printer, but it’s possible more names will be removed before election day. Michelle Southern reports…:
voicer 1 (31) “…reporting”

A couple of employers in Louisiana have notified the Louisiana Workforce Commission about layoffs. The ALCOA Lake Charles-Anode Production company plans to lay off 130 employees. Hercules Offshore is letting 50 employees go, who are part of efforts to transport workers to offshore rigs from Cameron Parish and Port Fourchon.

Secretary of State Tom Schedler says the ballots for the October 24th primary were sent to the printer, but it’s possible several names will be removed before election day. He says they started out with about 1150 races statewide, but due to offices running unopposed, challenges or candidates dropping out, there are now about 575 active races…:
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He says accurate ballots can be found at geaux-vote-dot-com.

A new independent poll on the Lieutenant Governor’s race shows a very tight election. The Clarus Research survey, paid for by the Advocate and W-W-L-T-V, shows Democrat Kip Holden leading Republican John Young by two percentage points. Fellow Republican Billy Nungesser is not far behind, while GOP candidate Elbert Guillory is polling in the single digits.

According to the American Cancer Society Action Cancer Network, more than nine-thousand Louisiana residents will die of cancer in 2015. That’s why hundreds of cancer survivors and patients are in D-C to urge Congress to make the fight against cancer more of a priority. Amber Stevens of Metairie says one of their concerns is the cost barrier some Medicare patients deal with when it comes to colorectal screening…
cut 6 (11) “….dollars”
Stevens says they are also asking Congress to increase funding for cancer research.

A start-up airline called “Glo” is offering non-stop daily flights from New Orleans to Shreveport, Little Rock and Memphis. Founder Trey Fayard says this will help the business person get around the mid-south quick…
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Flights begin November 15th.

The election is less than a month away and the Secretary of State is busy removing names from the ballot. Tom Schedler says for last year’s federal election, about five-percent of the candidates that qualified either withdrew or were disqualified and this year it’s up to eight-percent of the candidates who qualified. He says the Louisiana Ethics Administation has been a lot more agressive in making sure candidates are eligible to run…
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Schedler says if a candidate is listed on the ballot but is not in the race come voting day, notices will be posted near the voting booths.

The search continues for a convicted killer who was released from prison on a technical glitch. Thirty-two-year-old Benjuiel Johnson of Plaquemine, was convicted on manslaughter and serving 40-years, but was released as a result of an error by the Louisiana Department of Corrections. If someone spots Johnson, they are urged to call 9-1-1.

A new airline will offer daily non-stop flights out of New Orleans to Shreveport. Emelie Gunn has more…
cut 3 (30) “….I’m Emelie Gunn”

For those waiting for cooler weather you’ll get your wish, a cold front will move through the state, dropping high temperatures into the mid and lower 80s starting tomorrow.