A photograph was captured this weekend of Senator Mary Landrieu helping an LSU fan perform a keg stand prior to Saturday night’s game. The picture has Landrieu holding the spigot of a keg to the mouth of the fan, who is being up hoisted by his feet while consuming beer. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says this is another distraction for the Landrieu campaign to deal with….

cut 6 (09) “now this”

Landrieu is in a tough re-election battle against Congressman Bill Cassidy and retired Air Force Colonel Rob Manness.

A small experimental aircraft similar to a helicopter crashed into a canal yesterday afternoon in Reserve at the St. John the Baptist Parish airport killing the two occupants. Authorities say as the gyrocopter was attempting to make a turn, the top rotor blades collapsed causing the aircraft to crash. The victims have been identified as 48-year-old Darren Mahler and 13-year-old Payton Wilt, both of Metairie. An FAA investigation is underway.

Officials in Sabine Parish say a 19-month-old boy died of apparent asphyxiation over the weekend after he got his head stuck in a car window while his mom was driving. Deputy Coroner Ron Rivers says they learned the mother had left a family gathering in Zwolle with her child Saturday night…

cut 3 (08) “just down the road”

He says the child, Robert Lynch, was taken to a local hospital and removed from life support Sunday evening.

Secretary of State Tom Schedler advises voters to study up on their November fourth ballot because a record number of candidates, 110 so far, have withdrawn from their respective races since qualifying. Schedler says local election commissioners are supposed to inform voters at polling stations of withdrawn candidates on the ballot…

cut 14 (12) “to say that”

Schedler says you can go to GeauxVote-dot-com to keep yourself updated on the ballot in your area.

The Louisiana inspector General has issued a set of recommendations for state agencies to stop wasting airline tickets. Stephen Street’s office found that between 2011 and 2013 over half a million dollars in non-refundable airline tickets were purchased by state entities, but never used. Street says the topic was addressed in 2010 and the results of that report were similar to this year’s…

cut 5 (12) “that is happening”

He says the State Office of Travel will monitor this much more closely.

Autumn begins today. State Climatologist Barry Keim says fall officially begins at 9:29PM and as we get into the fall season, fronts will start coming through and temperature will begin to fall across the state…

cut 12 (06) “wait for it”

Above average rainfall is expected in Louisiana over the next three months.

Starting today a brand new license plate will be available to Louisiana drivers boasting: “I’m Creole and Proud”. Michelle Southern has more…

cut 2 (33) “reporting”

The Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office says a West Monroe man with a sweet tooth was arrested Sunday accused of stealing over $35 worth of candy. Authorities say 36-year-old Arlic Vanburen subsequently removed three bags of Snickers, three bags of Twix, one bag of Skittles, and a bag of bite sized candies that he had pushed down his pants. Vanburen was booked at the Ouachita Correctional facility.

It’s never too early to start getting familiar with your November ballot, especially since SO many candidates have already dropped out of the race. Many of names of withdrawn candidates will remain on the ballot because it is required by law that these ballots are made 45 days from the election. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says you can always go to GeauxVote-dot-com to keep yourself updated…:
CUT 15 (12) “use that”
Schedler says 110 candidates have dropped out of their race.

A child from Zwolle has died after cops say he got his head stuck in a car window while his mom was driving. Sabine Parish Authorities say they believe the 19-month-old was killed from asphyxiation but an autopsy is planned this morning. The mother reportedly said she left the child unrestrained when she was going from one place to another Saturday night.

The Louisiana Inspector General found that between 2011 and 2013, over half a million dollars in non-refundable airline tickets were purchased by state entities, but never used. Scott Carwile reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

State Police say a man from Welsh was killed in a crash in Avoyelles Parish late Sunday afternoon. They say 24-year-old Timothy Vanness ran off the roadway when he lost control on High 114, entered a ditch and crashed into several trees. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene.

There’s a report from the Louisiana Inspector General’s office indicating state offices spent more than $500,000 on airplane tickets they didn’t use over 2 and a half years. Stephen Street says their report includes a set of recommendations for the Office of State Travel to ensure unused airline tickets are not wasted…:
CUT 6 (08) “to evaporate”
112 state agencies purchased 1,190 unused airplane tickets according to the numbers. Street says, in tight budget times, we have to be especially careful about this sort of waste of taxpayer money.

Louisiana State Police say a motorcyclist was killed in Zachary Sunday evening after being involved in a two vehicle crash. They say it happened on Hwy 19. According to investigators, 54-year-old Alan Carlyle of Baker was on his motorcycle when he hit a car that pulled into his path. Carlyle died at a local hospital. The driver of the car was not injured. LSP continues to investigate this crash and charges may be pending.

Authorities say a teenager is in custody in Webster Parish now after an Amber Alert was issued late Saturday night by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations. 2-year-old and his 17-year-old mother were believed to have been abducted by the suspect according to the Simpson County Sheriff’s Office. State Police say all three were found Saturday around 11:10pm in Minden. The suspect was arrested on two counts of kidnapping and credit card fraud.

You can get an “I’m Creole and Proud license plate starting today. Lafayette Representative Vincent Pierre says the design features a black pot, a scrub board and a fleur de lis. He says the funds that are generated from the Creole plate will go to the French Immersion Program…:
CUT 9 (07) “along with the community”
He says he lead the effort to make this happen because he wanted to give more exposure to the Creole culture.

Secretary of State Tom Schedler is advising voters to study up on their November fourth ballot, because they’ve had a record number of candidates who have withdrawn from their respective races since qualifying. Schedler says 110 candidates have dropped out of their race and the printed ballot may not reflect the change in the number of candidates…:
CUT 13 (08) “withdrawn candidates”
He says says you can always go to GeauxVote-dot-com to keep yourself updated. (that’s geaux spelled the cajun way)

Fall begins tonight at officially at 9:29 pm and State Climatologist Barry Keim says temps should be normal this autumn but an El Nino could be bringing in more rain than usual…:
CUT 11 (08) “an El Nino”
He says delightful weather is now just around the corner.

A small aircraft similar to a helicopter crashed into a canal yesterday afternoon in Reserve at the St. John the Baptist Parish airport — killing the two occupants. Officials have not released the identifies of the pilot or his passenger at this time. They say the airport is closed until federal authorities determine what happened.

Starting today a brand new license plate will be available to Louisiana drivers boasting, “I’m Creole, and Proud.” Lafayette Representative Vincent Pierre says he lead the effort to make this happen because he wanted to give more exposure to the Creole culture. He says one of the plate’s features is a black pot…:
CUT 7 (09) “over to visit”
He says there’s also a scrub board and fleur de list on the plate. You can get it once OMV offices open this morning for $30 plus fees.

The Saints finally picked up their first win of the season as New Orleans defeated Minnesota 20-9. For the first time since 1991, Mississippi State beat LSU in Baton Rouge 34-29.

Autumn begins today. State Climatologist Barry Keim says fall officially starts tonight at 9:29PM and predicts normal temperatures across the state for the next three months…:
CUT 10 (09) “Gulf of Mexico”
Keim says, as we get into the fall season, fronts will start coming through and temperatures will begin to drop across the state.

The Sabine Parish Sheriff’s office says a young toddler died of asphyxiation after he was trapped in a vehicle window around his neck for an undetermined amount of time. They say the mother was driving to another location Saturday night and little 19-year-old Robert Lynch was not restrained in the back when they believe the incident took place. The child died Sunday evening and an autopsy is planned this morning according to investigators.

The Louisiana Inspector General has issued a set of recommendations for state agencies to stop wasting airline tickets. Stephen Street’s office found that between 2011 and 2013, over half a million dollars in non-refundable airline tickets were purchased by state entities, but never used. Street says his office is mandated to find and eliminate waste and this is a classic example of waste…:
CUT 4 (09) “thousands of dollars”
He says they are recommending the Office of State Travel explain why these tickets paid for by tax payers were not used.

There are pictures making their way around social media that show Senator Mary Landrieu helping a tailgater at LSU with a keg stand on Saturday. The man reportedly asked her to do the keg stand but she refused but instead decided to help him out.

August was another record breaking month in terms of employment in Louisiana. The Louisiana Workforce Commission released new job numbers Friday and non-farm employment grew by 30-thousand over the last 12 months and a record one-point-nine million people were employed in August. L-W-C sportsperson Tom Guarisco says the construction sector led the way by hiring 95-hundred workers
CUT 13 (09) “other sectors”
Guarisco says they anticipate setting more employment records in the coming months.

State Police say just before 1:30am a two vehicle fatal crash involving a tow truck happened in West Baton Rouge Parish on Hwy 190. They say 31-year-old Michael Fornea of Baton Rouge and his passenger 27-year-old Jesse Gaudin of Gonzales were killed when their car hit the back of the tow truck. Excessive speed on the part of Fornea is considered to be a factor in the crash.

With it now being 4 years since the Deepwater Horizon well was capped, several agencies continue to look at ways we can restore Louisiana’s struggling coast. Dr. Keith Ouchley is the Director of the Nature Conservancy in Louisiana. He says, for one, we really need to work on oyster reefs around the coast…:
CUT 4 (11) “important point”
He says they are implementing on-the-ground restoration projects that protect shorelines from erosion, filter water, provide habitat for fish and create jobs.

LSU will be getting a big test today as more fans than ever are expected to head to Death Valley for the 6pm contest against Mississippi State. If you’re going don’t forget they are now using contro-flow on Nicholson after the game and please arrive early to avoid bottlenecks at entrances so you don’t miss kickoff. More than 100,000 people are expected to attend the game.

A man from Donaldsonville who pleaded guilty to negligent homicide in in 1995 for a crash that killed a ten-week old child avoids prison. Stanley White got a two-year prison sentence 19 years ago, but was never given a report date. He was re-sentenced again and White’s sentence this time was two years of home incarceration. Stephen Moore is White’s attorney..:
CUT 9 (09) “not justice”
White was 19 at the time of the accident. It’s unknown why he never received a date to report to prison. The parents of the baby do not feel justice was served.

Bond has been substantially reduced for Trung Le, the man suspected of firing shots on Bourbon Street that left one person dead and several others injured in late June. Le’s bond was lowered Friday from $1.5 million to $250,000 by a judge. His attorney claims the suspect fired in self defense and prosecutors reportedly now say the bullet Le shot didn’t cause the murder but he did fire first leading to the deadly exchange.

The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in gathering information about a murder that happened last week. Deputies found the remains of a 66-year-old woman identified as Marjorie Taylor that day and an autopsy revealed she had been killed. Crimestoppers in St. Landry is offering $2,500 for anyone with information on his incident.

Louisiana’s obesity rate is dropping for the first time in 30 years. Don Molino has that..:
CUT 2 (32) “reporting”