According to the 2015 Louisiana Survey, 83-percent of citizens want the state’s budget deficit to be addressed through a combination of spending cuts and tax hikes. LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab Director Michael Henderson…:
CUT 4 (05) “than tax hikes”
He says 59 percent would like to focus mostly on the side of spending cuts, but Louisianians want more money spent in areas of education, health care and transportation which puts policy makers in a bind.

Baton Rouge Police say a man is dead and the suspect they believe is responsible is on the run. They say 31-year-old Yovanni Anibal Romos-Salazar allegedly shot and killed 28-year-old Joel Guevara after learning the victim had raped one of his family members. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ramos-Salazar is urged to contact authorities.

At least 45 Beau Chene (SHEN) students have been punished as part of an apparent hack into the the school’s system to change grades. School officials say the student who gained access to the passwords to change the grades has also been suspended. School Superintendent Edward Brown says there may be more students involved and the matter is still under investigation.

A former Iberia Parish Sheriff’s deputy pleads guilty to striking a handcuffed man. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
CUT 2 (27) “reporting”

LSU’s annual survey of Louisiana residents shows that 83-percent of Louisianians want the state’s budget deficit to be resolved through a combination of spending cuts and additional revenue. Scott Carwile reports…

cut 1 (30) “reporting”

At least 45 Beau Chene High School Students have been suspended after an investigation into a student who is accused of changing their grades. School officials allege the student gained access to a web-based computer program, after obtaining a teacher’s password, and was able to alter grades for several students. They say the suspensions differed in length based on the student’s involvement, but no specifics were given.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a former school board candidate in south Louisiana accused of improper sexual contact with a 12-year-old girl whom he used to coach basketball. According to court documents, the victim claims she had to hit 34-year-old Philip Ziegler of Central several times with a baseball bat in order to stop his advances before the suspect walked out of her room saying, “This isn’t worth it.” Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lawrence McLeary says sexual battery is the charge…:

cut 12 (04) “and his age”

Ziegler ran for a school board seat in Central in the November 4th, 2014 election but did not win.

The financial planning website Bankrate.com ranks Louisiana as the fifth worst place to retire. Bankrate’s research analyst Chris Kahn says Louisiana performed poorly in their study when it comes to well-being, which looks at how satisfied senior citizens are with their surroundings…

cut 9 (07) “liked it”

Kahn says Louisiana also scores low when it comes to crime rate, health care services, and weather.

The NAACP in Tangipahoa Parish is meeting with leaders in Ponchatoula today to further efforts to stop the sale of the controversial Strawberry Festival poster. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 3 (30) “reporting”

The Natchitoches Police Department has arrested the principal of a public alternative school for allegedly abusing an 11-year-old boy last week. The boy reportedly told his mother that 41-year-old Bobby Joe Benjamin, Jr. struck him multiple times and slammed him against a wall. Benjamin, principal at the Frankie Ray Jackson Technical Center, faces charges of cruelty to juveniles, aggravated battery, simple battery, and second degree battery. He has been placed on administrative leave.

The 2015 Louisiana Survey reveals that 83-percent of residents want the state’s budget deficit to be resolved through a combination of spending cuts and tax hikes. When it comes to raising revenue, LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab Director Michael Henderson says the public seems to behind a hike in the so-called “sin taxes”: alcohol, tobacco, and gaming…

cut 6 (06) “and fees”

He says Louisianians actually want more money spent in areas of education, health care, and transportation, which puts policy makers in a bind.

A former school board candidate in south Louisiana has been charged with felony sexual battery of a 12-year-old girl. East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lawrence McLeary says the allegation is that 34-year-old Philip Ziegler of Central had come over to the victim’s house for a bonfire and ended up staying the night. He says the juvenile contends that at some point in the night, the suspect came to her room.:

cut 11 (11) “inappropriately”

The Mayor of Ponchatoula and other leaders will meet with the Greater Tangipahoa Parish NAACP Branch to discuss the controversial Strawberry Festival poster. The NAACP believes the painting is racist and wants the Kiwanas Club to stop selling it. Former Ponchatoula Kiwanis Club member Christina Rusca says there have been racist overtones in the club for a long time…

cut 14 (09) “that conversation”

She believes the Kiwanas Club will keep the poster.

83-percent of Louisianians want the state’s budget deficit to be resolved through a combination of spending cuts and tax hikes according to The 2015 Louisiana Survey. LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab Director Michael Henderson says the way the Louisiana Constitution is written, higher education and health care will take the brunt of budget cuts, but that is not what the public wants…

cut 5 (05) “spent on that”

He says the public seems to support a hike in the so-called “sin taxes”.

A former school board candidate in south Louisiana has been charged with felony sexual battery of a 12-year-old girl whom he used to coach basketball. Lawrence McLeary with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s office says the juvenile told her doctor that she was assaulted by 34-year-old Philip Ziegler of Central about a year and a half ago…:

cut 10 (10) “to report it”

McLeary says the allegation is that the assault occurred when Ziegler had come over to the victim’s house for a bonfire and ended up staying the night.

Louisiana ranks as the fifth worst place to retire according to the financial planning website Bankrate.com. Bankrate’s research analyst Chris Kahn says retirees in Louisiana do not face a huge tax burden, which is good, but the state has the second highest crime rate in the nation, which does NOT make the bayou state a dream retirement spot

cut 8 (08) “in the country”

He says Louisiana scores low when it comes to its crime rate, health care services and weather.

The 2015 Louisiana Survey reveals that 83-percent of Louisianians want the state’s budget deficit to be resolved through a combination of spending cuts and tax hikes. LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab Director Michael Henderson says people would prefer one over the other…

cut 4 (05) “than tax hikes”

Of those preferring a combination, 59-percent would rather see the the focus mostly on the side of spending cuts.

The financial planning website Bankrate.com lists Louisiana as the fifth worst place to retire. Bankrate’s research analyst Chris Kahn says Louisiana scores low when it comes to its crime rate, health care services and weather

cut 7 (07) “our rankings”

Kahn says retirees in Louisiana do not face a huge tax burden, which is good, but the state has the second highest crime rate in the nation, which does NOT make the bayou state a dream retirement spot.

The Greater Tangipahoa Parish NAACP Branch is meeting this morning with the Mayor of Ponchatoula and other leaders to discuss the controversial Strawberry Festival poster. They believe the painting is racist and want the Kiwanas Club to stop selling it. Christina Rusca, a former member of the Ponchatoula Kiwanis Club, believes they will keep the poster…

cut 13 (09) “stick to their guns, yes”

In a prepared statement, Mayor Bob Zabbia says because negative feelings about the poster go against the purpose of the Strawberry Festival, which has brought the community together for decades, he would recommend that the Kiwanis reevaluate their decision to sell the poster

A new study conducted for the state by LSU economist Dr. Loren Scott shows the film tax credit program created nearly 13-thousand jobs, but cost Louisiana 171-million dollars last fiscal year. And Scott adds that many of the jobs produced do not benefit Louisiana…
CUT 11 (09) Q: “he spent”
The state’s film tax credit program is expected to face changes in the upcoming legislative session.

The Department of Health and Hospitals says Louisiana has cut the rate of Tuberculosis cases by more than half from 2010 to 2014. DHH’s Charles DeGraw says they have also reduced the percentage of TB cases with HIV infection from 10% in 2010 to 4 percent in 2014…:
CUT 14 (10) Q: “who have Tuberculosis.”
Republican Congressman Charles Boustany says a contract has been awarded to build a new VA clinic in Lafayette. Boustany says once construction begins, it will take 18 months to complete …:
CUT 6 (11) “long overdue”
However, Boustany says there is still no word from the VA on the construction of a new clinic in Lake Charles.

The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s office says two elephants were used to keep an 18-wheeler from overturning on I-49. Deputies say a truck carrying elephants from New Orleans to Dallas got stuck in the mud, when deputies arrived on the scene this morning, they were surprised to find the elephants on the side of the truck that was starting to tip over. The 18-wheeler was eventually pulled out of the mud and no citations were issued, and the elephants were uninjured.

Reforming the state’s film tax credit program is expected to be a major topic in the upcoming legislative session, and some lawmakers will point to the number of jobs it has created. But LSU Economist Dr. Loren Scott just completed a study for the State Department of Economic Development that shows the increase in jobs, but also came with a $171 million dollar price tag…
cut 10 (05) “jobs as well”

The Department of Health and Hospitals says Louisiana has cut the rate of Tuberculosis cases by more than half from 2010 to 2014. DHH TB Control Program Director Charles DeGraw says that puts us 12 percent below the national case rate…:
cut 13 (10) “over that period of time”
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Republican Congressman Charles Boustany announces that a contract has been awarded to build a new VA clinic in Lafayette…
CUT 2 (29) “reporting”

A man who was tree-sitting in City Park in New Orleans to block the construction of an upscale golf course, has fallen out of a large cyprus tree. It is believed the man-who is identified as Lloyd Boover-may have broken an ankle and his nose from the fall. Authorites reportedly patrolled his protest, and continuously shined a spotlight on him at night. Boover is expected to be charged with trespassing.