A Common Core lawsuit brought against BESE and the Department of Education will be heard in court today. Matthew Doyle spoke to legal analyst Tim Meche…

cut 1 (29) “reporting”

Senator Mary Landrieu is facing accusations that she used Senate money to pay for chartered flights to attend campaign events. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan doesn’t see this as a big campaign issue…

cut 10 (09) “appears to be”

Landrieu’s campaign says they will reimburse the Senate for both flights in question.

The Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control announce that they issued nearly 900 citations to Louisiana establishments for selling alcohol and tobacco to minors as a result of their 2014 Summer Crackdown operation. Commissioner Troy Hebert says in most cases it’s the clerk, not the business owner, illegally selling to minors. He says it’s easy to tell if someone is a minor in Louisiana since their driver’s licence is printed vertically…

cut 14 (10) “certainly unacceptable”

He says they conducted 6,500 compliance checks during their summer crackdown with about 14 percent of businesses being cited.

Governor Bobby Jindal has appointed former Congressman Jim McCrery of Shreveport to the LSU Board of Supervisors. McCrery left Congress in 2009. Jindal worked as a summer intern for McCrery when he was a student at Brown University. McCrery replaces Shreveport doctor John George who resigned.

Senator Mary Landrieu has been facing criticsm this week after CNN uncovered that the three-term senator had her senate office billed for two chartered flights that were campaign related. Landrieu’s office says the senator’s campaign will reimburse the senate for those flights. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says Landrieu’s opponents are playing a potentially dangerous game bringing up this issue…
cut 11 (09) “….sorts of things”

A Baton Rouge judge will hear arguments today over a Common Core lawsuit filed by a group of lawmakers who oppose the controversial educational standards. Legal analyst Tim Meche says with no resolution in sight, legal fees will rise and schools will be kept in limbo…
cut 6 (10) “….we have to pay’

Today begins the annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. With alcohol being a factor in as many as 40 percent of all fatal vehicular crashes, cops are keen to get out and lock up drunk drivers. Executive Director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Lt. Col. John Leblanc says drunk driving has become too prevalent on state roads.
CUT 7 (08) “From the road”
Leblanc’s agency will provide federal funds to law enforcement agencies around the state, to give them the resources needed to blanket the roads during one of the peak times of the year for impaired driving.

Ascension parish authorities are expected to release the identity today of a badly beaten body that was found on a levee near Donaldsonville yesterday afternoon. Sheriff Jeff Wiley says the body of a young black male has been exposed to the elements for some time, making it difficult to determine the victim’s identity.

US Senator Mary Landrieu is facing criticism for having her senate office pay for two chartered flights, when in both cases, the plane was used to take her to campaign events. The conservative group, Keep Louisiana Working, has filed a formal complaint with the Federal election Commission. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says in a situation like this, it’s not unusual for outside groups to get involved…
cut 12 (08) “….to look bad’
Landrieu’s office says the Senator’s campaign has reimbursed the Senate for the flight costs.

Governor Bobby Jindal has appointed a former Congressman to the LSU Board of Supervisors. Jim McCrery of Shreveport served in Louisiana’s Congressional delegation for more than two decades. Jindal worked as a summer intern for McCrery back in the day. McCrery takes the place of Shreveport doctor John George, who resigned.

Starting today, cops across the state ramp up patrols to keep drunk drivers off the road. Scott Carwile has more…
cut 2 (29) “….reporting”

The Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control say they issued nearly 900 citiations this summer to businesses across the state that sold either alcohol or tobacco to minors. A-T-C Commissioner Troy Hebert says they conducted 65-hundred compliance checks during their summer crackdown…
cut 13 (06) “….actually sold”
Hebert says in most cases it’s the clerk at the register, not the business owner, who are illegally selling to minors.

A lawsuit filed by 17 lawmakers who claim the department of education and BESE did not follow the state’s laws when it adopted Common Core will be heard in a Baton Rouge courtroom today. This is one of two Common Core-related suits that are moving through the legal system. Legal analyst Tim Meche says people are trying to bring their politics into the courtroom.
Cut 4 (07) “on others”
Meche says thecase needs an authoritative judge who will demand a ettlement be reached without court intevention.

Senator Mary Landrieu is facing accusations that she used Senate money to pay for chartered flights to attend campaign events. Her two Republican opponents in the upcoming Senate race have criticized Landrieu on this issue in recent days. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan doesn’t see this as a big campaign issue…
cut 10 (09) “appears to be”
Landrieu’s campaign says they will reimburse the Senate for both flights that have been questioned.

The Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control announce they’ve issued nearly 900 citations to Louisiana businesses for selling alcohol and tobacco to minors as a result of their Summer Crackdown operation. Eric Gill has more…
Cut 3 Audio (32) “reporting”

Two people have finally been indicted for murder in the case of a Bourbon Street stripper, who was murdered and her body parts washed ashore along Mississippi beaches. It was 2012 when Jaren Lockhart’s killed. Prosecutors say Margaret Sanchez and Terry Speaks committed the brutal homicide.

A hearing is set for today in Baton Rouge over a lawsuit filed by a group of lawmakers who oppose Common Core. These legislators claim the department of education and BESE violated state law when Common Core was adopted. Legal Analyst Tim Meche says with a case as controversial as Common Core, an authoritative magistrate is needed…
cut 5 (07) “….we have that”
There’s also a pro Common Core lawsuit against Governor Jindal for his actions against the education standards.

The Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control say they’ve issued nearly 900 citations this summer to Louisiana retailers who sold alcohol or tobacco to minors. …
cut 15 (08) “….this from happening’
That’s A-T-C Commissioner Troy Hebert, who says fines start at 500-dollars for those who sell alcohol or tobacco to underage individuals.

Starting today law enforcement around the state will provide extra patrols in an attempt to crack down on drinking and driving. “The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign ends September first. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Executive Director, Colonel John Leblanc, says studies indicate campaigns like this save lives…
cut 8 (12) “….saving lives”
Leblanc says alcohol is a factor in as many as 40-percent of all fatal crashes.

University of Louisiana System President Sandra Woodley says the timeline on when they hope to have a new president in place at Grambling State has been extended into the spring.

A recent study of the housing market in Louisiana finds nearly 45 percent of renters are rent stressed. Rent stress is defined as paying more than 35 percent of your monthly income in rent. LSU Economist Jim Richardson says the stress comes in when you have limited resources left over to provide other necessities…

cut 07 (11) “that angle, yes.”

The percentage of rent stressed Louisianians has grown by nearly 15 percentage points since 2000.

The Jindal administration told lawmakers who sit on budget committees that next year’s budget is one-point-two billion dollars short. Publisher of Lapolitics-dot-com, Jeremy Alford, says the news is not a surprise to legislators and some have already discussed rolling back some tax exemptions as a way to raise revenues

cut 12 (08) “tax increase”

Jindal will propose a budget for next fiscal year to lawmakers early next year.

LSU Alumni Association President, Charlie Roberts, has resigned as he faces a lawsuit from a former employee, Kay Heath, who claims there was financial arrangement to keep their sexual relationship secret. Roberts attorney, Mary Olive Pierson, says Roberts now looks forward to telling his side of the story in court…

cut 11 (11) “was supporting her”

She says the resignation should not be taken as an admission of guilt.

26-year-old Diondre Jones of Slidell has been charged with medicaid fraud after allegedly using her dead sister’s name to receive medical treatment at Slidell Memorial Hospital. Slidell Police detective Daniel Seuzeneu says in a bizarre twist, Diondre was wearing a memorial T-shirt in honor of her deceased sister when a police officer caught up to her in the hospital parking lot….

cut 4 (10) “as a memorial”

He says Diondre provided her sister’s name trying to avoid having to pay any medical bills.

A recent study of the housing market in the state finds nearly 45 percent of renters are rent stressed; defined as paying more than 35 percent of the monthly income going to rent. LSU Economist Jim Richardson says in 2000 the number was around 29 percent…
cut 6 :05 sec. Q: “percent increase”
He says the next step is to determine why this number has risen so much.

With the announcement today of a one-point-two billion dollar budget shortfall in the state’s budget next year, Governor Bobby Jindal will more than likely be looking at some creative ways to deal with the red ink..:
cut 14 :12 sec. Q: “next year”
That’s LaPolitics Publisher Jeremy Alford, who adds some lawmakers will suggest raising taxes; something the Governor does not want.
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The long-time leader of the LSU alumni association, Charlie Roberts, has resigned from his post as he faces a lawsuit from Kay Heath–a former employee, who claims there was financial arrangement to keep their sexual relationship secret. Roberts attorney, Mary Olive Pierson, says the resignation should not be taken as an admission of guilt..:
cut 9 :11 sec. Q: “kind of silly”
And she says they look forward to hearing Roberts’ side of the story in court.

A former member of the House of Representatives, Republican Jim McCrery from Shrevepor,t has been appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal to fill a vacant seat on the LSU Board of Supervisors. McCrery served over twenty years in the House, and he was also the man given credit for introducing Jindal to Louisiana politics.