State Police are investigating a crash in Iberia Parish that killed a Jeanerette Police officer last night. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

A day before a crucial hearing on extraditing millionaire real estate heir Robert Durst to Los Angeles on murder charges, grand jurors in New Orleans hand up indictments on gun charges. This puts any extradition plans for Durst on hold. He is wanted in California for the 2000 shooting death of Susan Berman.

The coming National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Lake Charles receives a $1 million dollar pledge toward the building and operations. The gift from the Stream family is the largest private donation since fundraising for facility began four years ago. Gray Stream says they are motivated by the fact that the Center promises to save lives…:
CUT 12 (08) “educated by it”
The NHMSC should begin construction in southwest Louisiana next year for Phase One of the project.

Blue Bell Creameries has expanded its recall of products they tested positive for Listeria. That recall includes Louisiana and 21 other states.

State Police are investigating a crash in Iberia Parish that killed a Jeanerette Police officer last night. Master Trooper Brooks David says 22-year-old officer Juandre Gilliam radioed that he was pursuing a vehicle in an attempt to make a traffic stop…:
CUT 3 (08) “his vehicle”
He says Gilliam died as a result of injuries. The suspects are 21-year-old Antre Joseph of New Iberia and a juvenile. Charges are pending at this time.

An Orleans Parish grand jury has indicted millionaire murder suspect Robert Durst on gun charges in Louisiana. Durst’s attorney, Dick DeGuerin, has been attempting to get Durst extradited to California to face murder charges there. Legal analyst Tim Meche says this indictment means Durst won’t be going to California any time soon…:
CUT 9 (09) “to get out”

Abita Brewing Company announces their $30 million dollar expansion in Abita Springs is now complete. In a release the company says they produce 160,000 barrels of their popular craft beer annually, and with the expansion they will now be able to brew up to 400,000 barrels. President David Blossman says this will allow them to expand the brand nationally..:
CUT 6 (09) “capacity constraints”
Blossman says they are also becoming a Founding Brewery Partner of Enjoy Beer Inc which is an enterprise created to provide resources to top independent craft brewers on a national scale.

Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden announces the Miss USA pageant will be returning to the Capitol City in 2015. This is the second year in a row the event will happen in Baton Rouge. Holden contends they loved it so much last year that they wanted to come back. The rumored date of the televised pageant is July 12th.

Carroll High School has changed the rules about girls wearing tuxedos to prom after national backlash over a student who was originally told it was not allowed. 17-year-old Claudetteia Love is represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Executive Director Kate Kendall says not letting girls wear a tux to the dance is against the law and wrongheaded:
CUT 14 (11) “supported”
She says they are gratified with the outcome.

A high-speed pursuit in St. Mary Parish near the Iberia Parish line claims the life of a Jeanerette police officer. It was a routine traffic stop by 22-year-old Juandre Gilliam and the suspects fled. Cops say during the chase, Gilliam’s car flipped and he later died. Andre Terrel Joseph and a juvenile are in custody and charges are pending.

The 2015 Louisiana Survey finds that state residents support the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes, but not personal use. Eric Gill has more…:
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

In LSU defensive back Jalen Mills’ simple battery case, the football player will take a one-year pretrial diversion program to resolve the charge. Prosecutors say Mills has to perform 30 hours of community service, can’t get arrested or do drugs, undergo a psychological evaluation and take a decision making course as part of the program. The charge stemmed from a woman who claimed Mills punched her last May.

The 2015 Louisiana Survey finds that state residents support the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes, but not personal use. LSU Public Policy Research Lab Director Michael Henderson says, even if marijuana remains illegal in Louisiana, 67-percent of the public feel that people convicted of possessing small amounts of pot should not serve jail time…

cut 6 (07) “support it”

He says that number jumps to 79-percent when respondents were informed of the costs of incarceration.

Five major health advocacy groups are teaming up to launch “Invest in a Healthy Louisiana”, a campaign to support Bogalusa Representative Harold Ritchie’s bill to raise the state’s tax on cigarettes by $1.18 a pack. Governor Jindal is calling for tax cuts to offset any tax increase and Ritchie says he’s willing to work with the governor…

cut 9 (09) “combination of things”

The legislative session begins Monday.

A high school in Monroe which previously told a gay female student that she could not wear a tuxedo to prom has now retracted. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 3 (30) “reporting”

The four underage Louisiana college students busted in Alabama transporting over 100 cases of beer and numerous bottles of liquor to spring break have been identified. 18-year-old Harrison Coogan, 19-year-old Brandon Barber, 18-year-old Hunter Coker, and 19-year-old Carson Buckner are all students at LSU who joined the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity last fall. All four were issued summonses for minor in possession of alcohol.

Five major health advocacy groups are coming together to push for a higher cigarette tax in Louisiana. Scott Carwile has the story…

cut 2 (30) “reporting”

State Police are investigating a crash in Iberia Parish that killed a Jeanerette Police officer last night. They say 22-year-old Juandre Gilliam died during an apparent high speed chase when his car went off the road and overturned. The officer was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. They say the two suspects in the car Gilliam was chasing, Andre Joseph and an unnamed juvenile, have been taken into custody. Charges are pending at this time.

Louisiana education superintendent John White tells lawmakers he needs more money so the state can provide standardized tests next school year. White says Louisiana will violate state and federal law if it doesn’t have a standardized test…

cut 17 (10) “education system”

White says the budget as it currently exists will prevent students from taking the A-C-T or an assessment test like PARCC. The Jindal administration has said the superintendent will have to decide what to cut from his budget.

A high school in Monroe, which previously told a gay female student that she was not allowed to wear a tuxedo to prom, has now retracted. Carroll High School and Claudetteia Love’s story got national attention. Love was represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Executive Director Kate Kendell says they are happy about this outcome…

cut 13 (09) “as a person”

Kendell says forbidding girls from wearing a tuxedo to prom would have served no purpose.

Louisiana education superintendent John White tells lawmakers he needs more money so the state can provide standardized tests next school year. White says the budget as it currently exists will prevent students from taking the A-C-T or an assessment test like PARCC…

cut 16 (10) “of chaos”

White and Governor Jindal have battled over the tests tied to Common Core.

Five major health advocacy groups are joining forces in support of a bill to raise the state’s tax on cigarettes by $1.18 a pack. Bogalusa Representative Harold Ritchie is sponsoring a bill to raise the state’s cigarette tax to the national average. Ritchie says he’s not the only lawmaker to file legislation to raise tobacco taxes, which gives him hope something will get done

cut 8 (07) “this session”

Ritchie says a higher cigarette tax can reduce the number of deaths associated with smoking and help generate millions of dollars.

The 2015 Louisiana Survey shows a majority of residents still support the legalization of marijuana for medical use, but support declined from 79- to 60-percent since last year. LSU Public Policy Research Lab Director Michael Henderson says last year’s Senate race may have been a factor in the drop of support…

cut 5 (08) “for sure”

The survey shows 52-percent of residents oppose legalizing marijuana for personal use.

The Department of Health and Hospitals has cut the ribbon on a new public health laboratory. DHH Secretary Kathy Kliebert says the new lab site allows the state to better identify food outbreaks, test infectious disease samples and any number of other public health concerns. She says every single child that is born in Louisiana will have blood sent to the lab…

cut 11 (09) “before it affects them”

She says this is a ultra modern lab with all of the latest technology.

Anthony Davis lead all scorers with 29 points and Quincy Pondexter added 20 as the Pelicans upset the Golden State Warriors last night 103-100. This was the Pels first victory over Golden State since April 24th, 2012. With the win, coupled with Oklahoma City’s 113-88 loss to San Antonio, New Orleans is now a half game ahead of the Thunder for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Pelicans are in Memphis tonight.

In an interview with the Arizona Republic, Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson said that he is diabetic. The former LSU Tiger said that he’s been working with doctors on a plan to reverse the symptoms and that his health is back to normal.

Northwestern State guard Zeek Woodley has been named the Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year. The sophomore ranked second in scoring in the country last season with 22.2 points per game while maintaining a 3.30 grade-point average.

In college baseball, the third ranked LSU Tigers combined for 14 hits as they blew past UNO 11-2. LSU has now won five straight as they improve to 28-5 on the season. The Tigers look to make it six in a row tonight when Northwestern State comes to the Box.

Speaking of the Demons, they will be looking to bounce back after their 8-5 loss to Sam Houston yesterday.

ULM took a 7-3 win over McNeese State. Today the Warhawks will face Nicholls State at 2 PM and turn around and play McNeese again at 6PM.

Junior outfielder Brian Mills drilled a walk-off RBI double as UL-Lafayette scored three in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Houston 6-5. The Cajuns hope to keep it going tonight when they travel to Southern.

Southland Conference leader Southeastern Louisiana crushed South Alabama 12-2. The Lions head to Salt Lake City this weekend for a series against Utah.

Louisiana Tech blew a six run lead, but were able to recover to pull out a 9-7 win over Arkansas-Little Rock. The Bulldogs and Trojans will meet again this afternoon at 4.

Tulane upended Nicholls State 7-1.

Five major health advocacy groups are teaming up to launch a campaign in support of a bill to raise the state’s tax on cigarettes by $1.18 a pack. The American Heart Association is part of the “Invest in a Healthy Louisiana” campaign and its spokesperson Stasha Rhodes says it’s time to bring the state’s tax on cigarettes to the national average, which is a $1.54 a pack…

cut 7 (08) “state’s budget”

Bogalusa Representative Harold Ritchie is sponsoring a bill to raise the state’s cigarette tax to the national average.

The 2015 Louisiana Survey finds that state residents support the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes, but not personal use. LSU Public Policy Research Lab Director Michael Henderson says 52-percent of residents oppose the personal use of marijuana, but the difference between support and opposition is shrinking…

cut 4 (08) “seven points”

The Department of Health and Hospitals has cut the ribbon on a new public health laboratory that will be used to test water, screen for genetic disorders and help the state respond to public health threats such as Ebola. DHH Secretary Kathy Kliebert says this is a ultra modern lab with all of the latest technology…

cut 10 (11) “water is safe”

Kliebert says the goal of the Office of Public Health Laboratory is to protect the health and safety of Louisiana residents by providing accurate and timely data to state officials, public health program and citizens.