By Dave Graichen

Residents in the city of Pineville could, in the not  too distant future, have a chance to  give a yea or a nay to the sale of alcohol in restaurants in the dry city. With a unanimous vote the House judiciary committee Wednesday morning sent Sen. Rick Gallot’s Senate Bill 116 to the House floor for a final vote.

New Orleans Police late Wednesday arrested 19-year-old Akein Scott, the alleged gunman in a Mother’s Day shooting that injured 19 people Sunday. Four people remain hospitalized, three in critical condition and one in stable condition. Scott has a long criminal record.

A state Senate panel Wednesday rejected a $3.5 billion funding request for public schools, further muddling an already confused picture on how classrooms will be funded. The Senate Education Committee approved a resolution, without objection, that asks the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to submit a new request in light of last week’s ruling by the state Supreme Court. The court’s 6-1 decision held that the state cannot use the Minimum Foundation Program,  the key source of state aid for public schools,  to also finance vouchers for some students to attend private and parochial schools. Gov. Bobby Jindal has said state aid for vouchers will continue but exactly how remains unclear.

Louisiana Education Superintendent John White said Wednesday that a court ruling throwing out funding vouchers through the public school funding formula will result in school systems receiving a $12 million refund for loss of the local shares contributed to vouchers. Local school officials have complained that the department was essentially using local funds to pay for vouchers because it deducted from each district's state allotment an amount equal to what local governments pay to educate students.

The $12 million is part of a $30 million payment that White said will have to be refunded to schools.

The state construction budget zipped through the Louisiana House Wednesday after millions of dollars were added for maintenance projects on public college and university campuses across the state. The House voted 100-0 in favor of advancing House Bill 2, the capital outlay budget, to the state Senate. House Bill 3, the spending engine for the construction budget, also cleared the House chamber.

Louisiana   lawmakers  learned  yesterday  they'll  have  an  additional 155-million  dollars  to spend in the fiscal year budget that starts July 1st. It's the result  of higher than expected individual income tax collections. The Senate  finance  committee  will  begin  its  examination of the House-approved budget next week.

The Louisiana Senate on Wednesday narrowly rejected an “Equal Pay for Women” law.

The Senate voted 19-18 for the measure, one vote shy of the 20 needed for passage.

A bill that would allow colleges and universities to impose a host of new fees onto students, including one that could cost up to $2,500 per semester for LSU’s digital media students, easily advanced in the Louisiana House Wednesday on an 80-18 vote.

Most of the discussion on the House floor centered on a provision within House Bill 671 that would allow public institutions around the state to charge a fee of up to $48 to help schools keep up with building maintenance.

An effort to delay implementing Gov. Bobby Jindal’s 401(k)-type pension plan for new state government hires is one step away from final legislative passage. The House Retirement Committee on Wednesday approved a Senate-passed resolution  suspending the “cash balance” law until July 1, 2014. The law has been challenged in the Louisiana Supreme Court and an IRS ruling is pending that could prove costly. If the IRS decide Jindal’s fails to provide a benefit equal to Social Security, both the state and the employee would have to pay more. A state Senate panel passed a similar House-passed resolution. Now, all that’s needed is for either chamber to pass one of the instruments that would suspend the law until 2014. Suspension resolutions cannot be vetoed by the governor.

Legislation that would create a Department of Elderly Affairs in state government cleared the Louisiana House Wednesday. The House voted 102-0 in favor of House Bill 352 , Which would abolish the Office of Elderly Affairs within the governor’s office and create a new state department devoted to senior citizen issues, such as funding for councils on aging, senior centers and meals on wheels. The bill now moves to the state Senate.

Minden Congressman John Fleming is calling on Congress to audit the  Internal Revenue Service, after alleged misconduct by the tax agency  surfaced. Fleming says he's filing legislation this week; calling first  for a Congressional audit of the IRS. Yesterday, President Obama announced he's accepted the resignation of  acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller, after it came to light the agency  had targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny in their  applications for tax-exempt status.

The National  Hurricane  Center  has  released its list of names for Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms this season. The list starts with Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dorian, Erin  and  Fernand. One name we won't  see again is Sandy. That name was retired after  last  year's east coast disaster.

The Louisiana House on Wednesday approved legislation aimed at protecting public employees from retaliation if they provide information requested by a legislator or legislative committee. The House voted 100-0 for House Bill 387, which is opposed by Gov. Bobby Jindal. Administration officials testified in committee that they found the bill was too broad and could have unintended consequences. State Rep. John Schroder, R-Mandeville the sponsor of the bill, said public employees could wage complaints with the Louisiana Board of Ethics, which would investigate and “offer its remedy.” The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved U.S. Sen. David Vitter’s waterway resources bill that is intended to expedite U.S. Army Corps of Engineers processes, set aside more dollars for river dredging and speed up flood-protection projects like southern Louisiana’s Morganza to the Gulf plan in Terrebonne Parish. The bipartisan Water Resources Development Act, sponsored by Vitter  and U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer won out with an 83-14 vote.  The legislation, a version of which has not passed Congress since 2007, next moves to the U.S. House for consideration, although House members are currently working on their own version of the bill.

The state Department of  Ag  and  Forestry says Louisiana is at less risk for wildfires this year than other  states who are dealing with serious drought conditions. The US Drought  Monitor shows that as of last week, there were no drought conditions in 93% of the state.

The story of the case of a white family who was allegedly beat up by black suspects for  "being in the wrong neighborhood" in Baton Rouge is receiving national  attention  --  and  now BRPD says the FBI may step  in. They say currently the incident does  not  meet  the  hate crime statute but federal laws could be different.

Legislation  that  would  add an amendment to the state constitution that removes the mandatory  retirement age for judges clears another committee. Currently the constitution  states a judge cannot remain in office past the age of 70 unless they  are severing a term. The  proposed  amendment by Ville Platte Senator  Eric  LaFleur  has

already made it through the upper chamber and now heads to the House Floor for final  passage.  If  passed,  the matter would head to the voters for the November 4th, 2014 election.

The House Bill that would require dogs to be crated in truck beds on  Interstates cleared Senate Transportation and now heads to full Senate  for possible final legislative passage. Tthe primary purpose of the bill is to reduce the number of  accidents caused by dogs who jump out of truck beds. The fine for  violating the proposed law would be $150 plus $50 for each additional  dog.

Sports..

Today marks the beginning of the final three game series for the second- ranked LSU baseball team. The Tigers host the Ole Miss Rebels, with the  team celebrating senior day this weekend.

By Dave Graichen

The Louisiana House of Representatives is scheduled to vote today on a  24-billion dollar budget for next fiscal year. Many lawmakers do not like the governor's budget because of the  use of one-time dollars, but insiders say the votes are not there for an alternative  plan that would reduce state tax credits as a way to raise revenues. A group of republican lawmakers known as "fiscal hawks" were working  with democrats on a proposed budget that the Jindal administration  criticized as a tax increase on businesses. But that  plan fell apart when the governor put pressure on republican legislators.

Senator David Vitter has introduced legislation to end the free cell  phone program for the poor. The Senator says the  Lifeline Program, introduced in 1984, was originally about expanding  land line phone service to rural areas and low income households--at a  relatively low cost to taxpayers. But, the Lifeline Program has somehow become a dispensary of free  cell phones that currently costs taxpayers over $2-billion a year.

According to a new survey, Louisiana is the second best state in the nation to retire. The  study  by  Bankrate.com says besides jazz and beignets, our state offers retirees  an excellent combination of low taxes and balmy weather. Analyst Chris  Kahn  says  people  like  to retire in places where it's warm. Kahn  says popular places with warm weather, beaches and other major attractions  are  great  places  to  visit, but they don't make good places to retire due to overall tax rates and high cost of living.

The  House  Health  and Welfare Committee has approved a bill to tap into federal dollars  available  to expand Medicaid coverage to more of Louisiana's working poor. Testifying  before  the  panel,  former state  Health  and  Hospitals  Secretary  David  Hood says the state should take the federal money. Also testifying on the bill, acting Health and Hospitals  head Kathy Kliebert   who   says   the   expansion   will   eventually   become unsustainable. The  Jindal Administration has resisted the Medicaid expansion.  The committee passed the measure by a close 10-9 vote, sending it to the House floor.

A bill to increase student fees  at  LSU advances in House Education today. The bill by Baton Rouge Representative  Franklin  Foil  would implement  a  $60  a  year  fee  to  go  towards  campus maintenance projects. If passed it would go into effect this fall  and could top out at $300 a year by fall of 2017. It now heads to the House floor.

A  USA  Today  report  shows  LSU's  athletic department took in 114 million dollars in revenues in 2012 which  is  the  seventh  highest figure  among  public universities. LSU Associate athletics director Herb Vincent says  the  report  is accurate and the study also shows LSU's athletic department is one of the few in the country that does not rely on subsidies. Ticket sales, contributions and right  licensing  help  make  up the

revenue  totals. Vincent says LSU expects to see its revenue numbers continue to  grow  with  the  launch of the SEC Television Network in August 2014.

The  House  has  passed West Monroe Rep.  Frank  Hoffman's  bill  to prohibit smoking within  25  feet  of state-owned buildings. Hoffman amended  his bill to make it apply only  to  office  buildings,  the Capitol and nothing else. Hoffman's legislation passed the House by 84-11 vote. It now goes to the Senate for committee review in that chamber.

A Senate committee has approved a House-passed bill that would place criminal  penalties  on  anyone  who  makes  public  information  on Louisiana's holders of concealed weapon carry permits. That bill now goes to the full Senate, where it will be up for final passage.

The  "I'm  a  Cajun"  license  plate  bill  has made it another step further.  The  legislation by State Senator Fred  Mills  that  would start offering the  specialty  plate passes the Senate and now heads to the House for further consideration.

An  Abbeville man has been indicted on a second-degree murder charge in the  death  of  his girlfriend's 3-month-old daughter. Police say 25-year-old  Shane  Jude  Vincent  was  arrested  without  incident. Vincent was also charged  with  tampering with evidence in the death of Jayla Broussard last November.

Federal regulators are investigating whether workers at the Shaw Modular Solutions facility in Lake Charles, which supplies parts to nuclear plants, broke quality control rules and falsified records. CB&I, which acquired the facility’s owner, Baton Rouge-based Shaw Group, in February, said it is cooperating in the probe and has turned over all the requested documents.

The Louisiana House on Wednesday voted 99-0 to allow public high school students with disabilities to avoid taking the ACT and other standardized tests.

State Rep. John Bel Edwards, D-Amite and sponsor of the plan, said the exclusion would apply to students who are not pursuing a high school diploma and who have an exceptionality listed in state law. The proposal does not cover gifted and talented students. The legislation, which next faces action in the state Senate, is the latest move aimed at revamping rules of the state Department of Education.

A state Senate-passed bill that would spell out details of a 2012 law to overhaul early childhood education in Louisiana cleared the House Education Committee on Wednesday. The measure, Senate Bill 130, next faces action on the Louisiana House floor. Last year’s law calls for early learning performance guidelines for those from zero to age 3 and academic standards for 3- and 4-year-olds. In addition, pre-kindergarten centers and schools will get letter grades, and state aid will be linked to how the centers perform. The changes take effect in the 2015-16 school year.

Sports..

The number three LSU baseball team is in College Station, Texas,  preparing for a three-game series that starts tonight against the Texas  A-and-M Aggies. Head coach Paul Mainieri says he's excited about the  opportunity to play on the road in a new environment and in front of a  raucous crowd. You can hear all three games of that series on 970 KSYL.

By Dave Graichen

The House Ways and Means  committee  advances  several  bills to the House floor that limit the amount of tax breaks Louisiana doles out. These  measures  will  be  used  in a budget deal House members  are working to approve later this week.  One  bill  heading to the House floor  will  cut  tax  credit programs by 5-percent,  raising  state

revenues by an estimated  47-million  dollars.  Governor Jindal held a press conference after the committee meeting say what the state reps were doing was sneaky and he believes all they want to do is raise taxes.

An audit on Louisiana's food stamps program shows about two-million  dollars in benefits went to ineligible residents, including prisoners.  Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera says one-point-one million dollars in  food stamp benefits went to over 17-hundred incarcerated participants  during fiscal years 2011 and 2012. The audit also shows that about 300 participants spent 100-percent of their  benefits at a single retailer. Purpera says it's an indication the food  stamp recipient used their benefit card to possibly by liquor or tobacco. Something not allowed under the program.

The  House  has  passed  a bill that will exempt Louisiana-based gun manufacturers from federal  gun  regulations.  The bill, by Metairie Rep. Joe Lopinto, provides for a license for in-state  made firearms and  that  the  making  and  selling of said guns is not subject  to federal laws. The measure passed by a wide margin.

A  House bill that would loosen restrictions on who can carry a gun into  a restaurant that sells alcohol will be heard in a Senate committee  today. The legislation by Haughton representative Henry Burns was  originally written to allow off-duty police officers into bars and  restaurants.  Burns believes his bill was amended to include ALL permit holders in a  effort by opponents to kill it, but that backfired and it passed. It

also passed on the House Floor despite confusion over who the bill  applied to.

In an effort to help traditional retailers and financially strapped state and local governments, the US Senate Monday passed a bill that would allow for the charging of state sales taxes on most purchases made over the internet. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 69-27, getting support from Republicans and Democrats alike. But opposition from some conservatives who view it as a tax increase will make it a tougher sell in the House. President Barack Obama has expressed his support.

Louisiana judges would no longer be subject to a mandatory age 70 retirement under a proposition endorsed Monday evening by the state Senate.The Senate voted 33-2 for a proposed constitutional amendment contained in Senate Bill 5 , which  now moves to the House for debate. The proposition must receive a two-thirds vote of each legislative chamber before it goes to voters at the next statewide election which is in 2014.

Gas  prices continue to slide in  Louisiana.  The  current  statewide average  for a gallon of regular is $3.27 which is down a penny from yesterday.  Some  analysts  from the American Automobile Association say it's very possible prices  could  be  $3  a  gallon  by the time summer rolls around. A year ago at this time the price was $3.63.

A  proposal  to  help  state  road and bridge funding keep pace with inflation was rejected in a House  committee  Monday.  The bill would have indexed the gasoline tax to the Consumer Price Index.

A state audit shows that more than 44 percent of the Louisiana students who received scholarships from the state's TOPS program over a seven-year period had their awards canceled for one reason or another. The audit says the state spent $165 million in TOPS awards for the more than 42,000 students whose awards were eventually canceled. In response, TOPS administrators said more than 80 percent of money paid for TOPS awards went to students who completed the program. And they said most of the canceled awards were lost by students who failed to maintain enough credit hours but still had good grades.

The Iberia Parish Sheriff's office is investigating  the  death of a 3-year-old  child. Capt Ryan Turner says no charges have been  filed in the death  of  the  child because cause of death has not yet been determined. However he says  they  did  arrest  the four adults that were in the home that day after drugs were found during the investigation.

A  16-year Baton Rouge boy was  killed  when  the   car  he  was   a passenger  in  ran  off  I-10 in Ascension Parish and crashed into a line  of  trees.  The non-licensed  16-year-old driver and two other passengers in  the  vehicle were wearing  seatbelts  at  the time of the  wreck  and  suffered  only  minor  injuries.  An  investigation continues.

Legislation  that  would  prohibit  drivers  from  posting  on their Facebook  or  tweeting  while driving moves one step closer to final legislative approval. Livingston  Senator  Dale  Erdey says his bill calls  for  a  fine  of  up  to  175-dollars for the first  offense,

500-dollars for subsequent violations. The bill now heads to the House Floor, it's already been approved by the Senate.

By Dave Graichen

What is up with the weather? Over the next couple of days, Louisiana is expected  to  set new records  for  low  temperatures. State climatologist Barry Keim says these chilly temperatures  are  the result of a late Spring cold air mass.

Next week, Louisiana's House of Representatives will debate the  24-billion dollar state operating budget for  the  fiscal  year that goes  into effect July 1st. Thursday, House Speaker Chuck Kleckley gave a strong indication the House will vote on a spending plan that does not include  the  patchwork  financing  recommended by Governor

Jindal.  Kleckley  told  lawmakers  Thursday  that a reworked  proposed budget could be unveiled on Monday. It's been reported  the  House  is  working  on  a budget that would

contain  spending  cuts,  while also reducing or eliminating certain tax breaks to raise revenue.

Former Governor  Edwin  Edwards spoke for about seven minutes on the Senate  floor  Wednesday  then  received  a  standing  ovation  from members. The expectant father  reminisced  about  working  with  the legislature  during  his four terms in office and told Senators that never more than now does  Louisiana  need leaders who are willing to

set aside personal interests.

Officials in 63 of Louisiana’s 70 school districts have submitted new salary schedules that will reward teachers for effectiveness and other areas, the state Department of Education announced Thursday. The new pay plans stem from a 2012 state law aimed in part at giving local school officials more flexibility in how educators are paid. The law has been declared unconstitutional by a 19th Judicial District Court, in Baton Rouge, but remains in effect while attorneys for the state appeal.

The   Southeastern  Conference  along with  its  primary  television rights  provider,  ESPN,  announced the start  of  the  SEC  network which  will televise  more   than   one-thousand  events  each year. The   network  will  broadcast  24-7  starting   in   August   2014. Commissioner  Mike  Slive  says the  SEC Network will televise three

SEC football games each week.  The new network will also televise 75 college baseball games a year.

A West Monroe newspaper reports the  sponsor of a controversial bill that  would  allow  optometrists  to  perform   eye   surgeries   is withdrawing  the  bill from consideration. Rep. Frank Hoffman's bill met fierce opposition  from ophthalmologists, who feel eye surgeries should only be done by medical  doctors.  Optometrists  are not MDs. Hoffman told the Ouachita Citizen he's reconsidered the wisdom of the bill.

A bill to allow voters to decide  if  they  want  traffic cameras in their area was killed in a House committee Thursday today. Bill  sponsor Jeff Arnold  says  his  bill would prohibit using the cams to levy  fines unless voters approved them. Opposition came from representatives of local governments, who  say  the  cams reduce accidents and generate revenue. The committee rejected Arnold's bill by a 5-to-10 vote.

In  a meeting that went into the evening hours, the Senate Education Committee  once  again  rejected  an  effort  to  repeal Louisiana's Science Education act, which allows discussion of alternate theories to  mainstream science. Chief among them the theory  of  Intelligent Design  creation  of  the  universe--as  opposed  to  the  Big Bang. Critics,  like New Orleans Senator Karen Peterson says the 2008  law is nothing less than sneaking religion into public school classrooms through the  back  door.  The committee deferred the bill--ending its progress for another year.

A proposal to increase certain fees the Secretary of State can collect failed to pass in the state House Thursday. House Bill 430 sponsored by state Rep. Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, got a favorable vote — 48 to 35 — but failed to meet the 53 vote majority to advance out of the House. The law would have authorized the Secretary of State to raise fees for filing and recording articles of incorporation for businesses from $60 to $75 among other fee increases.

An 82-year-old Jennings woman jumped to her death off the U.S. 90 Mermentau River Bridge Thursday morning. Deputies recovered the body of Irene Jeanise a short time later.

By Dave Graichen

It took a daylong meeting, but the Louisiana College Board Of Trustees exonerated Dr. Joe Aguillard of all allegations that were made by several whistleblower complaints. The board was considering competing motions, one that would terminate Aguillard and another that would that would affirm him as president. They opted for the latter.

Much of the state is under a flash flood watch through Thursday.  Forecaster Robert Ricks, with the National Weather Service in Slidell,  says the problem is a slow moving low pressure system that's stalled  over southeastern Texas and Louisiana.  Ricks says we can expect periods of heavy rainfall, lightning and  possible severe thunderstorms. He says it comes on the heels of an April  with almost 10 inches of rainfall, bringing the risk of flash flooding  in low-lying areas. The rain should begin to move out tomorrow, with fair & cool  weather behind it...:

John Georges, who took over a small family company and transformed it into a billion-dollar business, completed a deal Tuesday to buy The Advocate, the largest daily newspaper in Louisiana. The Advocate, which dates back 171 years and serves readers from Lafayette to New Orleans, is one of the few newspapers in the United States whose print circulation is growing. It was owned by the descendants of Charles P. Manship Sr., who have been newspaper proprietors in Baton Rouge since 1909.

Georges said he will meet today with the newspaper’s 450 employees. He said he has been negotiating with the Manships for nearly two years.

Legislation that would double the amount of time a parent would have to  give up their newborn, no questions asked, advances in House Health and  Welfare. The proposal, by Pineville Rep Chris Hazel, would amend the "Safe Haven"  law to say a person could give up their baby within 60 days. Wade Bond with the Rapides Children's Advocacy  Center  supports the extension  of  the Safe Haven law. He believes it would help  assist

parents who feel the only answer is to murder their children. That bill now also heads for the House floor.

Two bills that take away the legislature's authority over the setting of  college tuition rates are moving through the Louisiana House of  Representatives. The House Education Committee approved a measure which gives the management boards of the state's 4  public college systems the power to set tuition rates. A similar piece of legislation passed out of the House Governmental  Affairs Committee. That Bill is proposing  a change to the state constitution, so that a two-thirds vote of the  legislature is no longer needed to raise tuition.

A bill that  would  prohibit  outdoor smoking within 25 feet of most state buildings passed in the House  Health  and  Welfare Committee. The  bill  by  West  Monroe  Representative Frank Hoffman  says  the penalties for those who violate  this  law  are  minimal  with first offense being a $25 fine, second offense a $50 fine and any  offense

after $100. Hoffman admits enforcement could be difficult. The vote was 15-1 and now heads to House floor.

A state Senate panel late Tuesday narrowly endorsed a revamped Medicaid expansion plan that would use the private insurance market place to provide health care coverage to Louisiana low-income adults. The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted 4-3 for what state Sen. Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa, called “a Louisiana solution” for state participation in the Medicaid expansion called for in federal law. The bill now heads to the full Senate.

A state Senate judiciary committee backed a proposal that would remove a requirement that judges retire after reaching age 70 and completing their current terms. Senate Bill 5 heads next to the full Senate for debate. If approved by the House and Senate, the constitutional change also would require approval from voters in a statewide election.

The House Governmental Affairs committee killed a measure that would have opened more of Governor Bobby Jindal's office to more scrutiny. The  committee voted 6-3 to back the governor's effort to keep  most of his records away from public view.

The   University   of   Louisiana   Board   of  Supervisors approves U-L-L's  request   to  move  forward  with  the school’s  115-million dollar  athletic facilities  master plan.  The  plan  includes  major renovations to the football stadium, Cajun Field.

Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne announces 2012 was a record-setting  year for tourism. Dardenne says a record number of visitors came to the state last year. Based on statistics from a U-N-O study, Louisiana attracted 26-point-3  million tourists last year, which resulted in more than 10-billion  dollars in total visitor spending.

The  full  House  has passed a bill that requires that dogs must  be secured in cages or  kennels,  while  the trucks or trailers they're being carried in are on Interstate highways. Kenner Rep. Tom Wilmott brought the legislation out of concern for the number of dogs killed when thrown out of moving trucks, and for the safety of motorists as well.

A Louisiana House committee rejected a bill that would have allowed convicted felons to vote if they were out of prison but still on probation or parole. Rep. Patricia Smith, D-Baton Rouge, said current law disenfranchises people who pay taxes. She said her house Bill 175 would encourage people to participate in society and would support re-entry programs designed to ensure people don’t reoffend. A victim rights’ organization opposed the measure, saying convicted felons shouldn’t be allowed to vote until they’ve completed their entire sentence.The House and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 5-2 against the bill.

A wreck involving two big rigs on  I-20 in Caddo Parish has left one of the two truck drivers dead. Caddo  Sheriff's  office spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says it happened shortly after midnight  last  night, with  one  18-wheeler running into the back of another

Ouachita  Parish  deputies  report a homeowner shot a suspected home invasion robber yesterday afternoon. They say the resident confronted the alleged thief and the suspect  tried  to run the homeowner over with his vehicle. The homeowner fired--hitting  the suspect at least once. He  was airlifted to a Shreveport hospital where  his  condition  is

unknown.

BP agrees to pay about $340-million to fund coastal restoration projects  for Louisiana. It's part of $1-billion the oil company will invest in  areas damaged by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. David Cresson is  CEO of the Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana. He says this  is good news that's been a long time coming. The state has been requesting BP make a down payment on the billion  dollars promised the state for coastal rebuilding, and they're now  making good on the promise. Cresson says the lion's share of the money  will go to barrier island projects.

Lake  Charles  annual  Contraband Days pirate festival begins today. The 54th annual event features pirates forcing the Mayor to walk the plank, a car show, live  music.  midway  rides, fireworks and a boat parade. The vent wraps up on May 12th.

By Dave Graichen

Nearly $500 million likely will melt away when legislators start making changes to the proposed state spending plan today. The Louisiana House Appropriations Committee will start tackling the $24.7 billion state operating budget that Gov. Bobby Jindal  presented for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The committee will make changes after weeks of testimony that raised concerns about the amount of one-time, or nonrecurring, money piled into the budget. Some changes are certain to please both legislators and the public. The Jindal administration, for example, agreed last week to rethink planned cuts to battered women’s shelters, cancer screenings and a program that helps senior citizens find free or discount prescriptions.

At the State Capitol, the House Appropriations Committee will begin work  on the annual state budget by trying to trim a half-a-billion dollars  from Governor Jindal's proposed budget plan. House Speaker Chuck  Kleckley says the issue is about $500-million of what's proposed by the  Governor, that being non-recurring revenue. Last Spring the House adopted the Geymann Rule, authored by Lake Charles  Rep. Brett Geymann, which mandates NO use of one-time money on recurring  expenditures. Kleckley says that leaves the Appropriations Committee  with the unenviable task of finding where to cut the budget to meet the  new rule. It may all be for nothing though since the Senate has no Geymann Rule, and could add the one- time money back into the budget bill.

Food banks around  the  state  are  lobbying  lawmakers  to  include $5-million  in  next  fiscal year's budget to help their efforts  to feed the needy. The Food Bank of Central Louisiana, says hunger is a real issue in our state  and state Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain agrees. He'd like to  see  that  $5-million in the budget, to help  food  banks  buy  and  distribute  food to  the  thousands  of Louisiana  residents who have trouble putting  food  on  the  dinner plate. The  House  Appropriations Committee begins its work  on  the  state budget today. Currently there is nothing in there for Food Banks.

Legislators who have tried and failed to pass laws that would rein in the runaway costs of TOPS, the state’s merit-based college scholarship, could find broader support by focusing on the program’s academic requirements rather than its financial cost to the state. A survey of nearly 1,000 Louisiana residents has been noticed by officials. Part of the 2013 Louisiana Survey, conducted by the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, reported that 78 percent of respondents are against reducing the total amount of money students receive from the program. Another majority, 57 percent of the survey’s respondents,  support increasing the academic requirements for the Tops program.

Former  state  Department  of Health and Hospitals  Secretary  Bruce Greenstein exchanged "hundreds  of  telephone calls and thousands of text messages" with a former employer  who  was  bidding on a claims processing contract with the agency, according to  a letter released by the state Division of Administration. Greenstein  worked for CNSI before  working  for the state. The contract was worth $200-million,

but was abruptly cancelled  when  the  seeming  impropriety  came to light. Greenstein's last day on the job is Wednesday.

A bill to require Internet vendors to charge to all applicable state and local sales taxes on your purchases is moving  through  the U.S. Senate.  Senator  Mary  Landrieu  is  in support. She says Louisiana loses out on hundreds of millions in tax revenue yearly. Republicans say   this  represents  a  new  tax  on  consumers,   but   Landrieu

Disagrees, saying it simply enforces collection of a tax already on the books.

LSU running back Jeremy Hill faces an uncertain future after he was  arrested outside of a nightclub near campus. Hill faces a simple battery  charge after he allegedly punched a victim outside of Reggie's Bar. East  Baton Rouge D-A Hillar Moore says Hill may have violated his probation  stemming from a previous arrest. The former prep star at Redemptorist in Baton Rouge, pleaded guilty in  January 2012 for engaging in a sexual act with a 14-year-old girl in the  school locker room. Hill received a suspended six-month prison sentence  and placed on probation for 2 years. Moore says Judge Bonnie Jackson  will determine if Hill violated his probation.  Moore says that could mean ordering Hill to serve his six-month prison .

A new survey report ranks Louisiana among America's Top Five Least- Stressed States. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index report ranks us  #2, behind only Hawaii for average stress levels of our citizens. You can read the whole report online at "well-beingindex.com

Preliminary data by the Department of Health and Hospital's Birth  Outcomes Initiative indicates babies born in Louisiana are spending  fewer days in intensive care. DHH Medicaid Medical Director Dr. Rebecca  Gee says this shows the efforts of the 58 birthing hospitals in the  state's pledge to end elective deliveries before 39 weeks, is working.  Gee says from the time they began in Births Outcomes Initiative in 2010

to 2012, Louisiana's babies have spent 20,000 fewer days in the NICU.

A Lake Charles man known for organizing "Just  For Jesus" rallies is facing  drug  charges.  Calcasieu  Parish deputies  arrested  James Bertrand Jr. last  week for possession  of  crack  cocaine  and  drug distribution.  Bertrand  has  been  arrested  four  times  before on various charges; one of those was less than two weeks ago at a local casino--for possessing cocaine.

It was a tough weekend for the LSU baseball team. They lost 2 of 3 to South Carolina. Up next, the Tigers welcome McNeese to the box Tuesday night.

By Dave Graichen

An independent investigation, conducted by a new Orleans law firm, looking into the actions of Louisiana College President Joe Aguillard, found he “engaged in falsehoods and misrepresented material information to the Board of Trustees on countless occasions.” However,  A special committee of the LC board found Aguillard “has not acted improperly.” That committee is due to report back to the board at a special meeting scheduled for Tuesday on the LC Pineville campus .

Central Louisiana community leaders spent Tuesday and Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon making the case with the U.S. Army for the sustained viability of Fort Polk and its multibillion-dollar annual impact in the state. Baton Rouge economist Loren Scott estimated that Fort Polk has an annual $1.86 billion economic impact, including a $980 million payroll, which makes Fort Polk the largest federal employer in the state. (Scott calculated that a reduction of 5,300 troops would result in an annual loss to the state government of more than $24 million and more than $7 million in local government revenues. Counting families, contractors and more, the troop reduction would mean a total population of more than 20,700 people.)

LSU System President Dr. William L. Jenkins has named a 20-member search committee of faculty, staff and students, as well as community leaders to help select the next chancellor for LSU-Alexandria. The panel that will recommend finalists for the post to the LSU Board of Supervisors, who will ultimately choose the new chancellor to succeed David P. Manuel, who is set to begin serving as chancellor of Drury University in Springfield, Mo., in May.

The House Health  and  Welfare  committee votes down a proposal that would  require Louisiana to cover  more uninsured people through the state's Medicaid program. An expansion  of  the  Medicaid program is part  of  the federal health care reforms. Governor  Jindal  lobbied against it.  Supporters  of  the Medicaid expansion say it will help cover 400-thousand Louisiana residents  who  currently  lack  health insurance.  But Jindal says the Medicaid Program is inefficient  and outdated and it doesn't make sense to expand it.. A  Medicaid  expansion  bill  was  also heard in Senate  Health  and

Welfare but was deferred one week.

The  controversial  bill  to  allow  optometrists   to  perform  eye procedures  currently  only allowed to ophthalmologists  was  pulled from House debate today,  by  its  author  Monroe  area  Rep.  Frank Hoffman. Hoffman asked to return the bill to the calendar, while  he worked   on  some  amendments  that  would  make  the  measure  more

acceptable   to   ophthalmologists.   Ophthalmologists  are  medical doctors; most optometrists are not.

A proposal seeking to create a seamless network of early childhood education programs and standards for kindergarten readiness cleared the Senate without opposition. Under Senate Bill 130 the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education would oversee all publicly-funded programs that provide education services to children from birth to age 5. The bill would require BESE to establish and implement common standards for kindergarten readiness, assessment and accountability. The system would be in place by the 2015-2016 school year. The bill now moves to the house.

Another  attempt  to place a cap on TOPS performance  based  college tuition  grants  is scheduled  in  the  Senate  Education  Committee tomorrow. Jennings  Senator Blade Moorish is the sponsor. He says he supports TOPS, but it's  becoming  unsustainable. His bill would cap it at its current level plus ten percent. TOPS costs taxpayers about

$168-million a year, and it's projected to double in cost by 2017.

The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow  residents to apply for a lifetime permit to carry a concealed weapon.  The bill is sponsored by freshman Rep. Barry Ivey, of Baton Rouge, who  says the measure is simply an option for approved CCP holders at a $500  cost. The House passed the  bill by 64-19 vote; sending it over to the Senate.

Attorney  General  Buddy  Caldwell  announces  9  people  have  been arrested  in  the  latest undercover investigation  targeting  child predators across Southern  Louisiana. HE says the Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force works tirelessly to pursue people who exploit and victimize children  online.  Additional  arrests are

possible as the investigations continue.

According to a report by the Council For A Better  Louisiana, public schools  are  still  facing "chronic challenges." CABL's  review  is called the Louisiana Report  Card  on  Major  Education Initiatives. CABLE  President  Barry  Erwin  says  72.3  percent of  high  school students graduated on time last year and the  number of dropouts has

dramatically declined in recent years. He hopes  that  policy makers will  use  the report to understand the urgency in keeping  momentum going.

Pointe Copuee Parish deputies  are  investigating  the  murder  of a 92-year-old woman inside her New Roads home. Sheriff Bud Torres says Buelleur  Morris  was found beaten to death yesterday by her family. He says whoever killed  the elderly woman was let into the home, and did not force entry.

On the heels  of  last week's tragedy in Boston, a Vermillion Parish company has seen a  high  demand  from  law enforcement agencies for their  trained  bomb-sniffing  dogs.  US  K9 Unlimited  owner  Roger Abshire says his dogs have been in demand across  the  country, even locally here in Louisiana.

Legislation aimed at ensuring that women and men are compensated equally for doing the same work stalled Wednesday in the state Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee. The panel deadlocked in a 4-4 vote for Senate Bill 153 by state Sen. Ed Murray, D-New Orleans. Murray could try to revive the measure at another meeting.

By Dave Graichen

The effort to prevent a troop drawdown at Fort Polk continues today in  Washington D-C. Seventeen Fort Polk Progress members are in the nation's  capitol to make the case the military base should be strengthened. The  Department of the Army is considering whether to add or reduce troops at  Fort Polk.

Opposition from lobbyists  and  not  enough "Yes" votes on the House Ways and Means committee puts a halt on  an  attempt  to  raise  the state cigarette tax. Four  bills  that sought to raise the state tax on cigarettes do not make it out of the House Ways and Means Committee Monday. They only debated one of the measures and  that  was a  proposal to raise the tax on cigarettes from 36-cents a pack to $1.41, but the votes were not there. Governor  Jindal  said  he would veto any  cigarette  tax  increase, unless  lawmakers  pass another  measure  that  would  reduce  taxes elsewhere.

A new poll from LSU shows nearly two-thirds of Louisiana feel the big  cuts being made to state health care are unnecessary, and that Governor  Jindal should accept federal money to expand Medicaid. LSU Public Policy  Research Lab Director Kirby Goidel (goy-DEL) says almost 2 out of 3  don't want to see further health care cuts. The House Health & Welfare Committee is scheduled this week to hear  three bills pertaining to taking the federal Medicaid expansion money  that's part of the President's health care reforms. Goidel says 70% of  Louisianans polled say "take the money".

For the 3rd year in a row Louisiana has once again ranked highest in the nation for car insurance rates. Insure.com notes a variety of factors make up the ranking. Including

the number uninsured drivers  as  well  as  the  number  of  insurers competing  for  business,  driving  conditions,  and  the  way state insurance systems are set up.

The Louisiana Senate has overwhelmingly agreed to a new abortion restriction that would require doctors to be present when the abortion pill is administered. Senators voted 32-2 Monday for Senate Bill 90, which would prohibit doctors from remotely administering the pill via video hookup, a process criticized as “telemedicine abortion.”

The abortion pill works during the first nine weeks of pregnancy, causing an embryo to detach from the uterine wall.

A Senate panel Monday killed legislation that would have reduced the pension benefits of many current state employees, teachers and others in some state or statewide system retirement systems. The Senate Retirement Committee voted 4-2 against passage of the legislation which state Sen. Barrow Peacock said he sponsored to improve the financial health of the pension plans. Opponents said the legislation had the same constitutional problem as pension revamp efforts Gov. Bobby Jindal failed to pass last year changing current employee’s contracts with their employers.

The fiscal hawks, a group of Louisiana House Republicans, take flight this week with a package of bills aimed at changing the state budget process. With income tax repeal likely dead for the session, the focus shifts to a state operating budget that funds health care, education and other public services. The hawks want to rein in the use of one-time, or nonrecurring, dollars for expenses that must be met year after year. Gov. Bobby Jindal did little to appease their concerns by proposing a $24.7 billion state spending plan that relies on more than $400 million in one-time money to fund the state’s public colleges and universities.

A  bill  that  would ban employers from demanding access to personal social media and  email  accounts of potential employees or students passed in House Commerce and  is  now  headed  to the full House for further debate. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James  says under his bill an employee who refused to show their boss their Facebook Page couldn't be punished unless the information could harm the employer.

The  Jefferson Parish Sheriff's office says 5 people, three children and two  women,  were  shot  this  Monday morning  in  Harvey. They say the shooting happened around 4:30 while all the victims  were  sleeping. Four suspects were arrested. Four of the victims injuries appear  to be non-life threatening and one child is in critical condition.

The gas prices continue to drop. The current statewide average for a gallon of regular  in  Louisiana is $3.30 according to the American Automobile Association. That's  down  22  cents  from a month ago.

The  Mississippi  River  at  Vicksburg  has been re-opened to vessel traffic  after  barges  hit  the  U-S 80 railroad  bridge  yesterday morning. Lt. Ryan Gomez, with the US  Coast  Guard says a barge sank into the river as a result of the collision but it's been determined other vessels can still safely pass through. Gomez says the barges contained petroleum coke,  but  there  are  no environmental concerns at this time.

Trial  begins  today  in Lafayette for a man accused  of  a  1989 murder. In 2006, DNA evidence  connected  Daniel  Harmon to the rape and  murder  of Christina Wood. Jury selection in his  trial  starts tomorrow. Harmon  was  tried previously, but a mistrial was declared on a technicality.

Shreveport   Police  are,  again  this  year,   cracking   down   on cruising--which  they  define as large groups of vehicles driving up and down local streets very  slowly,  and  parking  and loitering in parks   and  parking  lots.  Complaints  about  cruisers  run   from obstructed  traffic  flow,  to  loud  music  and  noise,  to public intoxication  &  underage  drinking,  to  suspected  drug  activity. Cruising patrols lasted well into summer last year in Shreveport.

A House committee  has  found favorable a bill that would let parish governments choose if they wish to post bilingual traffic signs. The bill is aimed for areas of  Louisiana  where folks still speak Cajun French. That bill will go forward to the House floor for debate.

Hundreds of public school teachers are expected at the State Capitol on Wednesday as lawmakers renew arguments over the same education changes that sparked bitter debates last year. The focus is the Louisiana House Education Committee, which meets at 9 a.m. and is set to consider three overhaul bills that are already state law but also the subject of a court challenge. Backers contend the bills will serve as insurance if the Supreme Court strikes down a 2012 law that trimmed the authority of local school boards, removed seniority as the key factor in teacher layoff decisions and revamps salary schedules.

State Senate President Pro tem Sharon Broome said she will seek funding for  demolition of LSU’s Earl K. Long Medical Center during the current legislative session .

Broome said the hospital is antiquated and there are not many options available for its continued use because of its age and deterioration. The north Baton Rouge hospital  closed April 15.

Three years after the nation’s worst offshore oil disaster, Baton Rouge wants more than $35 million in lost taxes and other expenses the city alleges are the responsibility of oil giant BP and several of its contractors. The city’s civil suit was filed late last week.

By Dave Graichen

Alexandria police report an apparent home invasion took place early yesterday morning on 14^th street in the city.  According to police, Two suspects forced their way into  the home, shooting one person in the leg and firing at another. The suspects then fled the scene. Police say their investigation has developed a person of interest.

The Rapides Parish  Sheriff's office says a 30-year-old man is under arrest  on one count of  first  degree  murder,  armed  robbery  and obstruction  of  justice  for allegedly stabbing his mother to death then taking her car. They say  Jeffery  Bell  was  booked  into  the Rapides Pairhs Detention Center and is being held without bond.

Citizens of Pineville are closer to being able to vote on whether to allow restaurants in their city to sell alcohol. SB 116,  that would allow the city to call an election on the “restaurant only” option cleared the Louisiana Senate by a 24-0 vote Thursday.

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives and, if it passes there, to Gov. Bobby Jindal for his signature. City officials are hoping to get a proposition on the ballot in October.

State  Police  say  a  man  from Hessmer died yesterday morning after crashing his  truck in Avoyelles  Parish.  They say 36-year-old Joey Henderson lost control on a highway near Hessmer and hit a driveway causing his truck to overturned several times. It then became  engulfed  in flames. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Governor Jindal says he won't support legislation to raise cigarettes  taxes, as a path to higher state revenues. The House Ways and Means  Committee will review four tobacco tax bills Monday. Mr. Jindal says he  won't back any of them if they're not "revenue neutral".

Gov. Bobby Jindal said Thursday he won’t seek legislative approval of his  administration’s LSU hospital privatization agreements, though both the House and Senate have voted that they want such decision-making authority. Jindal said he believes the legislative resolutions that have received support requiring budget committee backing of the lease agreements don’t carry the force of law.

A Colfax lawmaker drafts legislation that would require the LSU  Board of Supervisors to offer incoming freshman tickets to every LSU  home game. Representative Terry Brown says it's a shame that new  tiger freshman are only given the chance to buy tickets after

upperclassmen and members of the public and are often left out.

Attorney General Buddy Caldwell issues an opinion that says a company  out of New York can't sell its wine ice cream in Louisiana. Mercer's  Wine Ice Cream is sold in at least 14 states, but Alcohol and Tobacco  Control Commissioner Troy Hebert says Louisiana A-G's office has  determined that state law does not allow for it to be sold here. A bill before the legislature may change that.

The state Senate overwhelmingly agreed Thursday to let inmates in parish jails work on churches and other religious buildings. Senate Bill 8 by state Sen. Rick Gallot, D-Ruston, was approved in a 29-1 vote. It heads next to the Louisiana House. SB8 would include religious buildings to the list of places that sheriffs can use inmate work crews.

Tomorrow marks the 3rd anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon rig  explosion in the Gulf, which killed 11 men and triggered the largest  man-made environmental disaster in U.S. history. State Coastal  Protection and Restoration director Garrett Graves says fully 100% of the Gulf Coast areas still covered in oil are  IN Louisiana. He says over 200 miles of Louisiana coastal marshes and  sands are still oily...as cleanup work continues. He says BP has not lived up to their promise of making things right.

The  "no  social  networking while driving" legislation known as the "Tweet Bill" passed  in  the  Senate yesterday 25-9. The measure now heads to The House. The proposal  is by Livingston Senator Dale Erdy who says it would prohibit people from  posting to social networking sites  like  Facebook,  Twitter  and  Instagram   while  behind  the

wheel. If the bill becomes law, violators would face a fine  of  up to $175 on a first offense and $500 for second offense.

A bill that would allow students who get an undergraduate degree out of state to use the popular TOPS  grants  for  graduate work here in Louisiana has passed the House Education Committee,  by a 13-2 vote. The bill is sponsored by Baton Rouge Rep. Hunter Greene.  It goes to the House floor next.

The  13-acre  Assumption Parish sinkhole got a little bigger  today. The Parish Police  Jury  reports  there  was  a  "burp"  followed by another  slough-in on the eastern side of the hole. Unknown  as  yet how  much  land  fell  off  into  the  hole.  Residents  nearby  are negotiating  with  Texas Brine, who owns the salt cavern beneath the hole, to buy out their properties.

A  proposed  bill  to  create  a breakaway school  district  in  the southern part of East Baton Rouge  Parish  has  been approved by the Senate Education Committee. This is the second time  around  for the bill;  it cleared the Senate but was squashed by House members  last year.  Baton  Rouge  area  Senator  Bodi  White  feel  there's  less

objection  to  his bill this year, and hopes for better fortunes. Up next, a debate and vote on the Senate floor.

Sports..

LSU holds its spring football game on Saturday. It's the first chance  Tiger fans will have at watching new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron  direct the offense. You can hear that game on 970 KSYL starting at 2pm.

With the end of the 2012-2013  NBA  regular  season  comes  the  New Orleans  basketball  team's new name, "The Pelicans." Communications VP Harold Kaufman says  the  new website is www.pelicans.com and you can follow them on Twitter, Facebook  and  Instagram  using the name "pelicansNBA". He says they believe the Pelicans name and  new brand is a good representation of what The Big Easy stands for.

By Dave Graichen

State Sen. Rick Gallot sid yesterday Residents of the City of Pineville should be allowed to decide whether they want restaurants to serve alcohol. The Senate Judiciary B Committee agreed Tuesday and unanimously sent SB116 sponsored by Gallot, to the full Senate for a vote. The Pineville City Council voted unanimously on April 9 to pursue an election. Residents defeated a 1981 proposal to open the sale of alcoholic beverages but that included more than restaurants. If Gallott’s bill passes the full Senate it would go to the House for consideration. It is not expected to receive much opposition in the Legislature.

The Alexandria City Council gave the go ahead to Mayor Jacques Roy on Tuesday to execute agreements with vendors and bands participating in the upcoming AlexRiverFête. The event, scheduled for  May 9-11, is actually a combination of several existing events — including Louisiana Dragon Boat Races, Dinner on the Bricks and ArtWalk — with some live entertainment as well. City officials hope it will grow into the signature event for the city.

Central Louisiana officials believe  they  made a good impression in front  of  U-S  Army  decision  makers,  who  were  here  to  gather information  about  Fort  Polk. The Army is considering  whether  to reduce  or increase the number  of  troops  at  the  military  base. Central Louisiana  Chamber  of  Commerce  President Deborah Randolph says the Army officials took an impressive tour of Ft. Polk. Randolph  says political and community leaders  also  addressed  the department  of  the  Army  officials  at  a  church  in Leesville. A decision on Fort Polk's future could come as early as May.

Gas  prices  have  dropped  another  penny  overnight.  The American Automobile  Association  says  the current statewide average  for  a gallon of regular is $3.34 which  is also six cents less than it was last month.

The House Committee on Criminal Justice will spend much of today hearing  proposed gun bills. Committee Chairman Joe Lopinto, of Metairie, says  twelve bills providing for gun ownership or gun carrying are scheduled  for his group. But the bottom line, Lopinto says the committee isn't likely  to support stricter gun ownership legislation.

The Louisiana Senate approved a resolution Tuesday afternoon requiring deals for private operation of LSU hospitals to receive the blessing of its budget panel. The Senate approved, without discussion, a resolution bestowing the authority on the Senate Finance Committee. The resolution’s passage came as the LSU Board of Supervisors prepared to vote Today on cooperative endeavor agreements involving LSU hospitals in New Orleans and Lafayette.

The  full House has approved legislation that will lower the monthly fee all  home  and  business  phone customers pay for communications services for the deaf and speech  impaired.  The  same bill places a small  fee to cent monthly fee on  every cell phone account as well. Baton  Rouge  Rep. Patricia Smith says it will raise about a million bucks yearly to pay for  special technology to allow hearing and speech impaired people to use phones to communicate. The bill  passed   by a unanimous vote.

The US Marshal's Office says Acadiana's Most Wanted Man, Wade Lohse, was  arrested  in  Philadelphia at approximately 1:10pm central time today. They say the  man  who  walked  out of his vehicular homicide trial in March was spotted walking out of  a  bar.  He  will  face a judge there then be extradited back to Lafayette.

Shreveport's  Elio  Motors clears a legal hurdle  in  marketing  its low-cost, high mileage  three-wheeled  car.  A House committee today approved a bill that would exempt drivers of the  three-wheeler from the state's mandatory helmet law. Elio's car has a  full cabin, with roll cage and air bags.

A House committee has advanced a bill that will require pickup truck drivers  to  have  any  pets in the truck bed secured in kennels  or cages while on busy Interstate  highways.  Kenner  Rep.  Tom Wilmott sponsors  the  legislation  aimed  at reducing the number of animals killed when they're thrown from the  backs  of moving vehicles. That

bill now goes to the House floor for debate.

Police in Slidell say a man who auditioned  for  the X-Factor in New Orleans on Sunday, stole a car at a gas station Monday because he said  he  needed  to get back home to Florida. They say  20-year-old Orrion  Wilson  led  police  on  a  high-speed  chase  before  being apprehended. He faces many charges.

A Monroe lawmaker Tuesday temporarily shelved his proposal to ban the state’s social services department from trying to collect child support from people who haven’t been proven to be parents through a paternity test.

State Rep. Marcus Hunter, D-Monroe, said he’d continue to discuss the idea with the Department of Children and Family Services, which raised concerns about House Bill 459. He agreed to defer his proposal in the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee for at least a week while the two sides talk. But it’s unclear if they can reach a compromise. State Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Suzy Sonnier said Hunter’s proposal would put Louisiana in direct conflict with federal law and could jeopardize the state’s ability to receive more than $200 million in federal social services money annually.

Sports..

The L-S-U baseball team is back in action tonight, seeking their second  straight win, as they host Grambling State. Airtime 6pm on 970 KSYL..

The New Orleans Hornets finish out their season tonight in Dallas. Airtime 7p on Alexandria’s ESPN 1410.

By Dave Graichen

The Internal Revenue Service has some useful tips for last-minute  federal income tax filers. The deadline to file your taxes is today, and  IRS spokesman Michael Dobinsky says you MUST have your taxes filed by  midnight tonight. You can do that electronically online or by getting it postmarked at the post office. Keep in mind though, no all post offices are open late. Just dropping it in the box doesn’t count. Dobinsky says, if  you're not finished with your 2012 return, you can  file an extension and have more time to get your tax return together.  However, he says you must send the IRS some money today, if you're going  to owe.

Governor Bobby Jindal vows to veto any legislation that attempts to cap  funding for the TOPS scholarship. Because of the growing cost associated  with the state scholarship program, there's a senate bill that would cap  how much tuition the state would pay for a TOPS recipient.  TOPS will cost the state 168-million dollars this fiscal year. The House

Fiscal Division projects the program could cost as much as 340-milllion  in 2017, if tuition keeps rising at the current pace.

The first week of the legislative session is in the books and Governor  Jindal's message to lawmakers has not changed. The governor wants to see  the legislature pass legislation to eliminate the state income tax. How  to replace the revenue lost, if the income tax is repealed is a big  question. Jindal say he's not putting any limitations on legislators.

The House Ways & Means Committee starts hearing state lawmakers'  proposals for eliminating the state income tax today. Baton Rouge Rep.  Hunter Greene says his House Bill 272 would slowly phase income taxes  out over a ten-year span. Greene says lawmakers will need to look for ways to offset the revenues  lost, even with an incremental phase-out of income taxes. Greene says  he and other conservatives at the Capitol felt the Governor's plan was  too much, too fast.

The Department of the Army is in Leesville today as it decides whether  to add or reduce troops at Fort Polk. Mayor Robert Rose says a meeting  will be held at 5 this evening for the department to gather additional  information from the community concerning the Army 2020 Force  Restructure decision. The meeting is being held at the United Pentecostal Church in  Leesville and Rose says they are encouraging concerned citizens to  line the streets with flags and signs of support that show just how  far Fort Polk's impact is felt.

Lafayette Rep. Nancy Landry has dropped from consideration this session legislation that would have established a voucher program for children with disabilities to attend regional schools where they could receive specialized care. HB642 sought to identify and designate schools that offer the best special education or to create new ones. These schools would be allowed to charge tuition to offset the high cost of educating disabled students but parents , not just those with low incomes, could apply for vouchers. Numerous private schools participate in the state-funded voucher program but many don’t have the necessary staffing or facilities to properly educate disabled students who need the most attention.

State employee and teacher retirement systems are opposing bills filed in the current legislative session that would require their members to pay more and others that would reduce benefits. The boards of the Louisiana State Employees Retirement System and the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana cite constitutional problems that plagued Jindal administration efforts last year. Unlike last year’s push, the retirement revamp legislation is sponsored by individual legislators, not the administration.

Authorities are investigating an apparent child abuse case that led to  the death of a two-year-old girl from Oberlin. Allen Parish Sheriff Doug  Hebert says the little girl suffered from third-degree burns.  Hebert says they believe the mother's boyfriend, 29-year-old Bobby Davis  Junior is responsible for the child's death. Davis has been arrested.  Hebert calls it the worst child abuse case he's ever seen.  Hebert says for some reason Davis burned the little girl with an  electric heater.

Baton Rouge area Manda Fine Meats has expanded its tainted meat recall from a little more than 20,000 pounds to about 468,000 pounds. The products that may be affected are roast beef, ham, turkey breast, tasso pork, ham shanks, hog-head cheese, corned beef and pastrami. The suspected tainted meats were all produced at the company’s Baker facility. No illnesses have been reported associated with the tainted meats

The Louisiana Department of Transportation broke ground Friday in  Shreveport on another segment of Interstate-49 north. DOTD spokesperson  Susan Stafford says they are getting closer to finishing this much  anticipated transportation project. which will extend I-49 from  Shreveport to Arkansas State line. The ground breaking ceremony on Friday is for segment J, which is about  four miles long and it will cost nearly 50-million dollars.

Sports..

Right fielder Sean McMullen delivered a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th inning for the go-ahead run as top-ranked LSU recorded a 5-3 victory over No. 10 Arkansas at Baum Stadium. LSU improved to 34-3 overall and 13-2 in the SEC as the Tigers won two of three of the three games played over the weekend. LSU plays host to Grambling State at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Alex Box Stadium. You can hear that game on 970 KSYL.

By Dave Graichen

By a 5 to 4 vote, the Rapides Parish School made it decision on who will be the new school superintendent. In the end the choice was Nason “Tony” Authement of Houma. Authement was picked from a group of three finalists, including Rick Williams of McKinney, Texas and Karl Carpenter, principal at Pineville High School. Contract details still need to be worked out. But, it’s expected Authement will start the job in early June.

It’s the case of a chief, but, no Indians. The town of Boyce has a new police chief but no  police department , yet. Boyce has been without a police department since September 2012. The first step to getting a department was to elect a chief. 60 year old Eddie Washington,  is that man. He defeated Steve Stokes in Saturday’s election.  Washington will be sworn in April 17.

A strong weather front moving across Louisiana has us waking up to  temperatures much cooler than yesterday. Forecaster Chris Nuttall with the National Weather Service in Shreveport says grab a  jacket and perhaps an umbrella before leaving home today.

Nuttall says we can expect the rains to begin moving out to the east by

the middle of the day.

The   annual  Colorado  State  University  hurricane  forecast  team predicts  the  2013 Atlantic hurricane season will be above-average. Dr.  Bill Gray's  report  calls  for  18  named  storms  during  the hurricane  season. He says that's due primarily to the lack of an El Nino event. The report says  of  the  18  named  storms,  they predict nine will

become hurricanes and four of those will be major hurricanes. 

The first week  of  the  2013  Legislature  is,  for  all  practical purposes, over. The Senate has adjourned until Monday. House members meet  Today  for  some  committee  meetings  and  required ethics training.

House Appropriations Committee members have heard two days of public testimony  of  areas  of the state budget they feel should  be  left uncut. Representatives of the state's food bank used empty plates to illustrate their need.  They  ask  for $5-million in the budget that starts July 1st. Tourism officials & domestic violence programs also

made  earnest  pleas  for  adequate state  funding.  Lawmakers  must deliver a balanced $25-billion  budget  before  the  session ends on June 6th.

Many cellphone users would pay a few cents more a month under legislation that cleared a House committee Wednesday. House Bill 238 by state Rep. Patrick Williams would add long distance, pager and wireless lines to the list of telecommunications lines taxed to generate money for the deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired. Williams, who is from Shreveport, said the addition is needed because people are dropping their land lines and switching to wireless phones.

President  Obama  wants  to  nearly  double  the  federal   tax   on cigarettes.  In the 3.8 trillion dollar budget for next fiscal year, the President proposes to increase the cigarette tax by 94-cents per pack. It's  unclear how much support their is for a higher state cigarette tax.

Zoo officials  in  Acadiana  are looking for an exotic bird that was one of three stolen Thursday morning.  They  say the suspect fled police and crashed his car then later died at a local  hospital. A sky-blue Indian Ringneck was spotted flying away from the  burning  car after the crash, a parrot escaped with a broken leg and another parrot  is

presumed dead.

A bill that would prohibit people from accessing, reading or posting to  a social networking site while driving passed in committee yesterday and is  headed  to  the  Senate floor for further debate. Livingston Senator Dale Erdy says his  bill is specific to sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. That loophole he says is what he wants to close with this bill.

The reward for the missing elementary  school  teacher  in Jefferson Parish has increased again. Crime stoppers says thanks to  supporters in  the  community  who have contributed, the reward for information regarding the whereabouts of Terrilynn Monette is now $20,000.

A new poll shows a high percentage of voters in Orleans Parish approve  of the job Mayor Mitch Landrieu is doing as he completes his third year  in office. UNO Assistant Professor of Political Science, Ed Chervenak,  says according to a survey conducted by the University of New Orleans,  Landrieu's approval rating is 70-percent.

Sports..

Former L-S-U All-American golfer John Peterson is set to tee off today  in his very first Masters Tournament. Peterson will be playing at  Augusta after qualifying for the tournament by tying for fourth at the  U-S Open last June. Peterson says he's played the course at Augusta  before but he's not sure what to expect for this weekend's tournament.

By Dave Graichen

Governor  Bobby Jindal  took  a  lot  of  people  by  surprise  Monday afternoon when  he addressed the opening session of the legislature. Seems he's changed  his mind about doing away with the state income tax and replacing it with  high sales taxes.  Jindal told lawmakers he's "parking" his tax plan for now,  but wants legislators to come up with their own  ideas  on  how  to  do away with income  taxes  in Louisiana. The governor's address was extremely short. He made no suggestion as to how to replace the nearly $3-billion  in  state revenue raised by income taxes.

The  governor  stands  behind  his  contention that eliminating  the income tax will make Louisiana more business-friendly  and give most households  more  pocket money. He says the states with the  highest jobs growth in America  are those that have no state income tax. The session ends on June 9th.  Lawmakers  have  over 900 bills to review

and debate.

Natchitoches Parish deputies are investigating  the  parish's  first homicide  of  2013. A couple in their car alerted officers to a body lying in roadside  field near the town of Natchez, LA. The man has been identified as 32 year old Derrick Wayne Howard of Natchitoches.  Detectives have not said what the cause of death was, but do say it is  being handled as a homicide case. A post-mortem is scheduled to determine cause of death.

The city of Alexandria has an agreement with the principals of the newly formed United Baseball League to place a team in Alexandria, pending approval from the City Council. The council introduced an ordinance Monday authorizing Mayor Jacques Roy to execute the agreement and will vote on the ordinance on April 17. Bringhurst Field is still in need of major renovations. However, those renovations have been put off until a later time. If all goes according to plan, the team will start training May 16 and open its season on May 23 at Bringhurst Field.

The Pineville City Council could decide Tuesday to explore allowing limited alcohol sales in the city. On the agenda for the 6 p.m. meeting tonight is a resolution asking for the introduction of legislation that would allow Pineville to hold an election to allow restaurants to sell alcohol. Alcohol sales are currently not allowed in Pineville, but there has been a recent push to explore at least allowing it in restaurants. Supporters of loosening the restrictions say it would spur development.

Second Amendment supporters rallied  on  the Capitol steps yesterday, to show support for defending individual gun  ownership rights. Bossier City  Rep. Jeff Thompson anchored the rally,  and  says  legislation aimed at  law-abiding  gun  owners is not the answer to reducing gun violence." Thompson  has  two  bills  this legislative  session;  one  to  keep information on who has concealed  carry  permits private. Another to

allow concealed carry permits to be issued  by  parish  sheriffs for persons to carry weapons ONLY in their parish of residence,  and  in parishes  with  which  they  have  reciprocal agreements with other sheriffs.

Food  banks  across the state  are  currently  experiencing  extreme shortages. northeast  Louisiana  Food  Bank  program  director Stacy Guidry says the federal government has cut off its food distribution due   to  sequestration   and  it's  wreaking havoc  on  their  food supplies.

The first A-10 Thunderbolt  jets  to  be  re-positioned  by U.S. Air Force  reorganization  and  budget  cutting have left Barksdale  Air Force  Base  in  Shreveport-Bossier. Most  of  the  A-10's  will  be re-stationed in Arizona.  The  remaining jets will be gone by year's end.

Lafayette  Parish's  Most  Wanted  Fugitive makes a YouTube video to explain why he walked out of court last  month just as his vehicular homicide trial was set to begin. Lafayette Police say Wade Lohse was impaired when he crossed the center line in  June  2012  and  killed 29-year-old  Cacie Barras. Lohse believes he's being falsely charged by prosecutors. Authorities say Lohse was in a wooded area when he made the video.

Sports..

LSU sits atop the latest Collegiate Baseball Poll. The Fighting Tigers  own the number one ranking after improving their record to 30-and-2,  with a sweep of Kentucky over the weekend.  LSU will have five games this week. Mainieri and the Tigers will face  Southern in the Wally Pontiff Junior classic tonight. You can hear that game on 970 KSYL. LSU is at 10th ranked Arkansas this weekend.

The Bolton bears have found their new head football coach and he reportedly will hit the ground running today. Principal Misty Slater announced that Chris Kuykendall is the new Top Bear. Coach Kuykendal is originally from Oklahoma. He spent the last three years at Natchitoches Central High School as the offensive coordinator. Kuykendal replaces Reynolds Moore, who resigned last month to take the head coaching job up at Benton.

By Dave Graichen

Minden  Congressman  John  Fleming has announced  he  will  not  run against US-Senator Mary Landrieu, but he still wants her replaced in 2014. In a statement Fleming  says he doesn't want to risk a contest between two Republicans which would potentially split votes and give Landrieu a better chance of winning.  He  goes  on  to  say  the New

Orleans Senator has turned her back on Louisiana.

The control tower  at  Shreveport's Downtown Airport will close this Sunday. The tower was one  of 149 forced to close due to budget cuts forced by the sequestration  earlier  this  year.  The  airport will remain open, despite the tower closure.

Higher education Commissioner Jim Purcell tells members of the House Appropriates Committee he's not pleased with the governor's proposed budget  for  next  fiscal  year. Purcell says 490-million dollars of their budget is tied to other things happening, like property sales, legal settlements and certain bills passing the legislature. If the so-called contingency  dollars do not show up, it will result in a  massive 19-percent cut in funding for higher education.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Chuck Kleckley will lead an effort to allow universities, community  and technical colleges to set their tuition at the Southern Regional Average  without  legislative approval. But he says cost controls for TOPS should be part  of  the discussion to give colleges more freedom to raise their tuition rates. Kleckley  says it will cost the state about 204-million  dollars  to fund the TOPS program.

Voting booths will be open across Louisiana at 7 tomorrow morning as several local issues are  on the ballot in 38 different parishes. There are two tax propositions on the ballot in Rapides Parish regarding road maintenance and related items. One for ward one the other ward 11. Election officials are expecting a small turnout.

A survey conducted by the LSU Public Policy Research Lab shows nearly  half of Louisiana residents feel Governor Bobby Jindal's tax swap plan  is a bad idea. Director Kirby Goidel says they also found that many  people don't know how to feel about the tax proposal just yet. The say they just don’t know enough about it. Another interesting part of the survey found that 70% of Louisiana residents feel the current tax system is fine. Their  biggest concern, some people who  get away without paying their fair share.

State Treasurer John Kennedy supports proposed legislation to aid the  state in collecting more of the massive outstanding debt owed Louisiana,  at a faster pace. Kennedy says the bill would replace the state's  current inefficient method of collecting debts, which will only collect  $26-million of over a billion owed the state during the next five years. Kennedy says House Bill 629 would contract with a private technology  firm to collect for the state. He says the bill has bipartisan  sponsorship.

A Gonzales  city  cop  has  been suspended after his weapon went off while he was in the men's room at a strip club. The off duty officer  was  reportedly adjusting an ankle holstered  gun,  when  it discharged. Gonzales PD has a policy about off-duty officers carrying  guns  into  bars. The strip club reported a gunshot hole in the restroom door.

In  a  wrongful  death lawsuit filed against  the  Lafayette  Parish School System, the  father  of  a  6 year old boy who was dragged to death  by  a school bus in March 2011  has  been  awarded  $300,000. . Attorneys for the school district argued Marcus Miller was an absentee dad and only had an interest in the boy after he died.  Miller also filed the suit against the now-retired bus driver and their insurance companies. He was seeking $2.3 million

A businessman was sentenced today to a year and a half in prison for fraudulently billing  BP  for  roughly  $1.4-million  for  use  of a helicopter after the 2010 Gulf oil spill. Bay Ingram owned Southeast Recovery Group. He's been ordered to repay over $460-thousand to  BP as  well.  Ingram  pleaded  guilty  to  the  charges  of bilking and overbilling the oil company last year. He could have received  up to five years in prison.

Sports…

A top ten match-up in on tap at the Box this weekend as second ranked  LSU hosts seventh ranked Kentucky. The Wildcats are 22-and-6 and they  are the toughest test that LSU has faced this season.  LSU is entering the second half of its season with a 27-and-2 record. Airtime 6:30 tonight on 970 KSYL.

By Dave Graichen

Wet weather has arrived across  much of the Bayou State today as a result  of a large storm system that's developed in the Gulf of Mexico. State  climatologist Barry Keim says the system will track slowly along the Louisiana coastline. The heavy rains will linger into Thursday.

Cleco has made some major progress in restoring power to customers  who went off line during that Sunday afternoon thunderstorm. During the noon hour Tuesday, more than 2,000 customers were still with power in Rapides and Grant parishes. Today, that number is less than 10.

A Southern Media and Opinion research poll released yesterday shows  Governor  Bobby  Jindal's  approval  rating  has slipped once again. In the spring 2013 survey Jindal received an approval  rating of  38 percent -- compared to 51 percent last October. Jindal's  tax reform  plan was particularly unpopular with just 27% of respondents supporting  it. The survey funded by Lane  Grigsby  also  shows that President Obama has a higher approval rating among Louisianians than Jindal at 43%. The Governor told the media yesterday he was not interested in poll data.

That same  poll shows three-term democratic senator Mary Landrieu with an approval rating of 56-percent.  There's been one announced challenger so far. Baton Rouge Republican  Congressman Bill Cassidy made his candidacy official today with a video message to his supporters. Minden Congressman John Fleming and a couple  of other republicans could also enter the race.

Substitute teachers in Rapides parish got an a rather hefty  pay raise Tuesday. The school  board increased the daily pay rate to $125 for certified subs, that increase is almost double the previous pay rate of $65 Non-certified teachers with a degree will now receive $65 a day. That’s an increase of $4. Interim Superintendent Gerald Woodard said a look at other districts showed rates at about $100 with the maximum being about $125. This raise also applies to retired teachers who return to work as substitutes.

The  Rapides  Parish Sheriff's Office says four juveniles are facing charges related  to  the theft of dozens of iPads and equipment from Mary Goff Elementary school.  They  say  the  thefts were discovered Friday, four arrests made Monday and more arrests may be coming.

More than 700 employees of the LSU Earl K. Long Medical Center and its clinics will lose their jobs in two weeks as a result of action taken Tuesday by the state Civil Service Commission. The seven-member commission voted 4-2 in favor of a public-private partnership deal, in which Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, called the Lake, becomes home to the LSU public hospital’s in-patient care and medical education programs, effective April 15. The Lake also takes over management of the LSU hospital’s out-patient clinics the same day.

State lawmakers will again discuss changes to tenure for public school  teachers. Teacher tenure reform passed last year, but a state judge  ruled it was unconstitutional, because it contained too many components.  In response to that ruling, Senate Education Chairman Conrad Appel says  multiple bills have been filed this year, addressing teacher tenure. Appel says the teacher tenure reform effort is not designed to scare  public school teachers. He says tenure should be reserved for the best  educators and the rule changes help to make sure quality teachers are in  the classroom.

Retaliation can be costly. A recent public records search shows that State agencies here in Louisiana  have paid more than $800,000 in the case involving former LSU coastal researcher Ivor van Heerden to defend themselves against claims that he was fired after publicly blaming the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for most of the flooding in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Documents show that LSU paid a Baton Rouge law firm more than $457,000 over a 30-month period to argue the university’s case. Which it lost. The state Office of Risk Management paid van Heerden a $435,00 settlement last month. In total, state agencies have spent $892,000 on van Heerden’s case.

The chairman of the Louisiana House Appropriations Committee expressed concern yesterday over The state Department of Education’s lack of scrutiny when it comes to the many contracts it relies upon each year. rather than doing the work in-house merits scrutiny. State Rep. Jim Fannin told the committee “I am wondering where the oversight comes. The issue, which Fannin has raised in the past, surfaced during a budget review of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, which sets policies for more than 700,000 public school students statewide. How many contracts and what they total for the current financial year is unclear.

An environmental group says almost three years after the B-P Deepwater  Horizon disaster, dolphins and sea turtles continue to die in high  numbers. National Wildlife Federation senior scientist Doug Inkley says  this is a sign the Gulf of Mexico is still feeling the effects from the  2010 oil spill. Statistics show dolphin deaths in the oil spill area have remained above  average every month before the spill began.