According to a new General Social Survey, 32-percent of Americans either own a firearm or live in a household with firearms. That figure ties the record low set in 2010. However, Wade Duty, co-owner of Precision Firearms in Baton Rouge, says the report can be misleading because they base their findings on a percentage of households…:
CUT 9 (12) “is definitely up”
Duty says his sales are up about 11-percent from the same month last year.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for the southern half of the state through Thursday afternoon. They say waves of repeating heavy rainfall will move over the area in amounts of 3-6 inches and possibly up to 8 inches over the next 48 hours.

According to a survey by the personal finance company SmartAsset, Covington and Mandeville top the list of best places to retire in Louisiana. Managing Editor A.J. Smith says they looked at key things which make the golden years happy and healthy including taxes, medical care and social life…:
CUT 6 (10) “recreation centers”
The top retirement cities in the state also include Thibodaux, West Monroe, Gonzales, Denham Springs, Slidell, Hammond, Morgan City and Lafayette made number 10.

The state announces they are putting 217 “underutilized” vehicles up for auction this weekend in Baton Rouge. It’s part of efforts to continue to raise money. The vehicles include passenger cars, 2 and 4 door — small trucks and vans as well as heavy duty trucks. The auction will be held this Saturday.

A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for most of south Louisiana through Thursday as heavy rains are expected throughout the area. Mike Shields, with the National Weather Service, says this is due to a stagnant weather pattern over the area…:
CUT 3 (08) “into our area”
He says three to six inches of rain could fall in south Louisiana over the next few days, with isolated areas receiving up to eight inches.

There’s a new president at Louisiana College and even though his official first day isn’t until April 7th, Rick Brewer says he’s already gotten to work on the Pineville campus. LC is on academic probation and the colleges has been plagues with a variety of issues in recent years and Brewer says it’s change to change the dial…:
CUT 6 (07) “the mind”
He says one of the main things he’ll start doing right away is work to increase enrollment at LC.

Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil has filed a Constitutional Amendment for the 2015 session which would give colleges control of raising their own fees. Scott Carwile reports..:
CUT 3 (32) “reporting”

State Police say a 21 year old man lost is life in a Denham Springs crash when he was not wearing his seat belt. They say last night, Garrett Minard of Walker was traveling on LA highway 1019 when he missed a curve, rolled several times then crashed into a ditch. Minard was not restrained at the time and impairment is a possible factor. He suffered fatal injuries.

A new Triumph Campaigns poll on Louisiana’s governor’s race shows Republican US Senator David Vitter leading with 35% followed by Democratic Amite Representative John Bel Edwards at 33%, and Republicans Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne at 15%, and Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle at 7%. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says even though Angelle’s in the single digits, he’s come up from having nothing…

cut 9 (10) “David Vitter”

Cross says there may be one too many Republicans in this race but there is also one too few Democrats.

Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil has filed a Constitutional Amendment which would give colleges control of raising their own fees. He says if tuition is raised then the state would have to raise the TOPS money to cover the tuition increases…

cut 12 (07) “in that respect”

Currently, a college fee increase has to be approved by a two-thirds vote of each house.

The newly elected president of Louisiana college officially begins April 7th, but Rick Brewer says he’s already started working. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 1 (28) “reporting”

State Police say a Tallulah man lost his life after a single vehicle crash in Madison Parish. They say 67-year-old Anthony Scardino, Jr. was traveling on US Highway 80 when he lost control of his SUV, left the roadway, and struck a tree. Due to the severity of the crash, Scardino, who was restrained, received fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation is ongoing.

A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for southeast Louisiana through this afternoon as heavy rains are expected throughout the area. The National Weather Service says waves of repeating heavy rainfall will move over the area during the course of the day. With rainfall totals of up to 8 inches possible, conditions may develop that could lead to flash flooding in the watch area.

A new poll on Louisiana’s governor’s race shows Republican US Senator David Vitter leading with 35% followed by Democratic Amite Representative John Bel Edwards at 33%…

cut 2 (28) “reporting”

Rick Brewer, the newly selected president of Louisiana College, is on the Pineville campus this week even though he doesn’t officially begin until April 7th. Brewer says he plans to turn things around for LC and make it a place students, faculty and alumni can be proud of again. He says they are under utilizing a lot of classroom space and one of the main things he’ll work towards is boosting enrollment…

cut 5 (06) “I’m one of them”

Brewer says he took the job, because he believes the private Baptist College has a great future.

In a letter to supporters, Republican Monroe Representative Jay Morris describes Governor Bobby Jindal’s budget proposal as “insane”. He says it’s hard to say what the final budget will look like. Morris suspects there will be a combination of cuts to state government and measures to raise revenue that are supported by Americans for Tax Reform…

cut 15 (07) “another governor”

He says the Americans for Tax Reform, an anti-tax group, has okay-ed the Jindal administration’s plan.

A new poll by Triumph Campaigns on Louisiana’s governor’s race shows Republican US Senator David Vitter leading with 35% followed by Democratic Amite Representative John Bel Edwards at 33%. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says there may be one too many Republicans in this race but there are also one too few Democrats..

cut 8 (12) “into the runoff”

Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne came in third with 15% then Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle with 7%.

Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil has filed a Constitutional Amendment for the 2015 session which would give colleges control of raising their own fees. He says if this constitutional amendment passes, colleges would have the option to raise fees in certain areas as they see fit for the students…

cut 11 (07) “can pay”

Currently the legislature has to approve a hike in education fees at public institutions.

New Louisiana College president Rick Brewer is on the Pineville campus this week even though he doesn’t officially begin until April 7th. He will meet with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools who placed the institution on academic probation. Brewer says he took the job, because he believes the private Baptist College has a great future…

cut 4 (08) “think critically”

Brewer says he plans to turn things around for LC and make it a place students, faculty and alumni can be proud of again.

Republican Monroe Representative Jay Morris describes Governor Bobby Jindal’s budget proposal as “insane” in a letter to supporters. He says Americans for Tax Reform, an anti-tax group, has okay-ed the scale back of the inventory tax credit, but they do not approve of capping the state’s film tax credits which is why Jindal’s budget proposal doesn’t address that issue…

cut 14 (09) “fiscal problems”

Morris says it’s difficult to predict what the final budget will look like.

The NFL free-agency period begins today. Teams will be able to sign free agents to their roster beginning at 3PM. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says the Saints will be looking to improve the team on both sides of the ball. He says they need to address a couple of issues going into the 2015 season…

cut 16 (09) “offensive line”

He says the team needs to revamp their linebacking corps, as well. Detillier says you can expect more contract restructuring and personnel moves from the Saints to create more room under the salary cap.

Anthony Davis tied his career high of 43 points as he lead the Pelicans to a 114-103 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Eric Gordon scored 16 and Tyreke Evans added 13 as the Pels improve to 35-29 on the season. The Pelicans remain on the road as they visit Brooklyn tonight. The Pels are a half-game out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.

No one is playing better basketball than U-L Lafayette heading into this week’s Sun Belt Tournament in New Orleans. The Ragin Cajuns have won six straight to raise their overall record to 19-and-12. Coach Bob Marlin says better play on the defensive end of the court has been the key…

cut 19 (20) “this stretch”

U-L Lafayette will play either U-T Arlington or Texas State in the quarter-finals on Friday at Lakefront Arena.

LSU’s Keith Hornsby and Southeastern Louisiana’s Cedric Jenkins are co-Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. Hornsby hit the game winning three-pointer for LSU’s win against Arkansas. Jenkins scored 39 in the Lions’ loss to UNO.

Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil has filed a Constitutional Amendment which would give colleges control of raising their own fees. Currently the legislature has to approve a hike in education fees at public institutions. Foil says this would be an important step to managing the higher education budget crisis…

cut 10 (10) “any fees”

Foil says he hopes for favorable passage of this amendment in order to give our colleges more stability and control over their budgets.

A Republican lawmaker describes Governor Bobby Jindal’s budget proposal as “insane” in a letter to supporters. Monroe Representative Jay Morris says the Americans for Tax Reform has okayed the Jindal administration’s plan, but it’s not the best way to handle a one-point-six billion dollar shortfall next fiscal year…

cut 13 (09) “front of us”

Morris says it’s hard to say what the final budget will look like.

A new poll on Louisiana’s governor’s race shows Republican US Senator David Vitter leading with 35% followed by Democratic Amite Representative John Bel Edwards at 33%. The survey by Triumph Campaigns shows Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne third with 15% and Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle with 7%. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross…

cut 7 (08) “vote totals”

Cross says Dardenne needs to find a way to get at least another 18% in order to get past Edwards and make it into the runoff which may be tough.

According to gasbuddy.com the current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $2.24 in the top 10 lowest in the nation. Senior Petroleum analyst Gregg Laskoski says the price at the pump has been rising since February and he expects that to continue..:
CUT 13 (05) “week or two”
Baton Rouge has the lowest national average gas price in the country at $2.15 according to Trilby Lundberg which monitors gas prices across the country.

$939 million dollars was given out to homeowners who didn’t comply with the rules of the Road Home program according to a state audit. Legislative auditor Daryl Purpera says it’s possible the federal government will ask the state to return the money that was not used appropriately, but he says the feds also understand the complexity of the program…:
CUT 4 (09) “the very beginning”
He says the program was set up after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to help people reoccupy their homes but Purpera says there isn’t much documentation which proves people followed requirements or actually rebuilt their homes.

Central Casting Louisiana is looking for people with oil rig, merchant marine, and Coast Guard experience to work on the upcoming feature film, “Deepwater Horizon” . Eric Gill has more…:
CUT 2 (28) “reporting”

The New Orleans Saints have released linebacker Curtis Lofton. The move saves a reported $9.25 million dollars. Lofton was picked up by the Black and Gold as a free agent in 2012. The NFL salary cap deadline is tomorrow then teams will be able to sign free agents starting at 3pm.