There was emotional testimony in the House over expanding the school voucher program. House Bill 745 will eventually allow all families to apply for state grants for private school tuition regardless of financial need. New Orleans Democrat Jason Hughes surprised Republican lawmakers with his support of the bill.

Cut 6  (12) “…hardly read.” 

Alexandria Democrat Representative Ed Larvadain spoke against the bill saying it would jeopardize funding for public schools, which are already having problems recruiting and retaining teachers.

Cut 7 (10) “…public education.”  

The House passed the bill 71-32 vote and now heads to the higher chamber.

The brakes have been put on removing the requirement of the brake tags in Louisiana. In House Appropriations Monday Stonewall Representative Larry Bagley voluntarily pulled his immensely popular bill at the request of State Police. A portion of the cost of the vehicle inspections goes towards their budget.

Cut 11 (10) “…about so.”

Bagley says he promised State Police to work with their budget and the bill could still be brought before lawmakers before the current session ends.

UL-Lafayette baseball is now on a 15 game winning streak after sweeping ULM over the weekend. The Ragin Cajuns are now ranked 19th and Cajuns head coach Matt Deggs says that he doesn’t want the new level of publicity put on his team to become a burden.

Cut 19 (17) “…play the game”

UL-Lafayette will face Prairie View A-and-M tonight at 6 pm

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The LSU Tigers will face McNeese tonight before their series with Tennessee this weekend. The Tigers have lost their first 4 series in SEC play and McNeese has not beaten an SEC school this season. The Tigers are 4 and 3 against McNeese in their last seven meetings and first pitch will be at 6:30.

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And Southeastern will visit Southern Miss tonight at 6 pm on ESPN+ in a rematch that the Lions won earlier this season, 7 to 6.

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The Pelicans will face the Trail Blazers tonight in a game that could help New Orleans earn the sixth overall seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Pelicans and Suns are currently both at 46 and 32 with four games to go in the regular season, but the Suns currently hold the tiebreaker after defeating the Pelicans in 2 of 3 regular season matchups the teams played against each other. The Pelicans and Trail Blazers will tip off tonight at 9 pm.

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LSU Guard Jalen Cook has declared for the NBA draft after transferring back to LSU for one season. The former Walker high school star averaged 15.6 points and 2.8 assists.

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The LSU women’s softball team lost their Monday night game against the Florida Gators 6 to 5 in extra innings. LSU outfielder Ali Newland had a triple shy of hitting for the cycle and the Lady Tigers are now 31 and 6 on the year and 9 and 6 in SEC play.

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And in baseball news across the state, Southern will face Dillard tonight at 6, and Tulane will face UNO at 6:30.

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And last night UConn became the first team to repeat since Florida in 2006 and 2007 as the NCAA’s Men’s March Madness champions.

In a bid to curb classroom distractions, legislation aimed at restricting student cellphone usage or any electronic device during school hours unanimously passed the Senate. Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell says cellphones in the classroom are a big distraction for students.

Cut 3 (10) “…continual distraction.”  

The bill bans students from carrying cellphones “on his person” while in the classroom. Mizell says her bill would require students to put their cellphones in designated places during school hours.

Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression Director Alex Morey says Governor Landry’s request for colleges to mandate all student-athletes be present during the national anthem ties students to support his beliefs and views. She says LSU may possibly comply with Landry’s request but students are free to choose how or whether they want to demonstrate patriotism.

Cut 15 (13)  “…expressive rights.”

Legislation to repeal vehicle inspection stickers hits a road bump. Brooke Thorington explains…

Cut 2 (32)  “I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

The National Weather Service says severe storms are expected to produce several tornadoes, with large hail, and strong winds across the northwest portion of Louisiana. The weather agency recommends you make sure you know where to take shelter in case of a warning.

The House Civil Law Committee approves legislation that would prohibit a transgender individual from using a public bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (41) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

You’ll want to remain weather-aware today. Shreveport has already received several inches of rain and the northern half of the state is under a flash flood watch until tomorrow.

38-year-old Rodney Guillote Jr. of Pineville faces first-degree murder after he allegedly physically abused his infant daughter resulting in multiple injuries and bleeding on the brain. Rapides Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson Tommy Carnline says the case prompts a call to safeguard the most innocent and vulnerable among us. He says programs and agencies statewide are on standby to help parents struggling with infant situations.

Cut 6 (06) “…was senseless.”

The brakes have been put on removing the requirement of the brake tags in Louisiana. In House Appropriations Monday Stonewall Representative Larry Bagley voluntarily pulled his immensely popular bill at the request of State Police.

Cut 12 (10) “…do that.” 

A portion of the cost of the vehicle inspections goes towards their budget.

After a lengthy debate, the House Civil Law Committee approves legislation that would prohibit transgender individuals from using the bathroom of their gender identity in public buildings like schools, domestic violence shelters and prisons. This means a biological male, who now identifies as a transgender female, would use the men’s bathroom. Trans advocate Britian Forsyth urged lawmakers to vote against this bill, because transgender girls could be bullied in a boys bathroom at a school…
Cut 9 (11)  “…very scared.”
But Baton Rouge Representative Emily Chenevert (Shen-uh-vere) responded this way….
Cut 10 (07) “…clarity.”
The measure heads to the House floor for more discussion.

38-year-old Rodney Guillote Jr. is charged with first degree murder following the death of his infant daughter. Guillote allegedly physically abused the toddler resulting in injuries to her torso, head, and lower body. Rapides Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson Tommy Carnline says 27-year-old Elisha Mazerolle, the mother of the infant, was arrested for principal to first-degree murder.

Cut 5 (10) “…law enforcement.” 

Guillote also assaulted Mazerolle.

Legislation to repeal vehicle inspection stickers hits a road bump. In House Appropriations Monday Stonewall Representative Larry Bagley voluntarily pulled his bill at the request of State Police. Bagley says LSP is not opposed to removing vehicle inspections, however they do object as to how it will impact their budget.

Cut 13 (12)  “…everything straightened.”

A portion of the cost of the vehicle inspections goes towards their budget. The bill could still be brought before lawmakers before the current session ends.

The House Civil Law Committee approves legislation that would prohibit transgender individuals from using bathrooms in public buildings that’s in line with their gender identity. Denham Springs Representative Roger Wilder says he’s trying to prevent a biological woman from having to share a bathroom with a transgender female
Cut 7 (08) “…situations of assault”
Wilder says this legislation is in response to a biological male who identifies as a woman, demanding access to a female changing room at a facility in his district. The proposal covers bathrooms in schools, prisons and domestic violence shelters.

An advocate for domestic violence victims, Morgan Lamandre, argued this legislation puts federal funding for domestic violence shelters at risk because Louisiana’s shelters would be in violation of federal rules
Cut 8 (10) “…what they receive.”

The Ragin Cajuns baseball team is in the national rankings for the first time since 2017. Brooke Thorington has more…
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

A bill that seeks to remove the requirement for Louisiana drivers to get an inspection sticker has stalled. Stonewall Representative Larry Bagley has tabled his bill at the request of State Police. Bagley told House Appropriations State Police relies on revenue from vehicle inspections.
Cut 11 (10) “…about so.”

After a lengthy debate, the House Civil Law Committee approves legislation that would prohibit transgender individuals from using the bathroom of their gender identity in public buildings like schools, domestic violence shelters and prisons. This means a biological male, who now identifies as a transgender female, would use the men’s bathroom. Trans advocate Britian Forsyth urged lawmakers to vote against this bill, because transgender girls could be bullied in a boys bathroom at a school…
cut 9 (11) “…very scared”
But Baton Rouge Representative Emily Chenevert (Shen-uh-vere) responded this way….
cut 10 (07) “…..clarity”
The measure heads to the House floor for more discussion.

38-year-old Rodney Guillote Jr. of Pineville faces first-degree murder after he allegedly physically abused his infant daughter resulting in multiple injuries and bleeding on the brain. Rapides Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson Tommy Carnline says detectives began their investigation after receiving a call from a local hospital about an infant with extensive bruising.
Cut 4 (08) “…two weeks.”
Guillotte’s bond has been set at one-point-five billion dollars.

At the women’s and men’s national championship basketball games, the teams playing in those games were on the floor for the national anthem. Governor Jeff Landry wants to see that take place all the time with Louisiana’s college teams or risk losing their scholarship. But Alex Morey with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression says there’s nothing less patriotic than government actors forcing personal views on citizens…
cut 16 (11) “…American system”

The House Civil Law Committee approves legislation to prohibit transgender individuals from using the bathroom at schools or domestic violence shelters that does not align with their gender identity. An advocate for domestic violence victims, Morgan Lamandre, argued this legislation puts federal funding for domestic violence shelters at risk because Louisiana’s shelters would be in violation of federal rules
Cut 8 (10) “…what they receive.”
Despite this concern the proposal heads to the House floor.

A first amendment rights group is concerned about Governor Landry’s push for colleges to mandate all student-athletes be present for the national anthem. Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression Director Alex Morey says Landry’s request forces athletes to support his beliefs and views.
Cut 14 (09) “…the flag.”
Many scholars also agree that threatening to take scholarships away for not being present for the national anthem is a violation of first amendment rights.

Legislation to repeal vehicle inspection stickers hits a road bump. Brooke Thorington explains…
Cut 2 (32) “I’m Brooke Thorington.”