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Good morning Louisiana editors. Here's an early look at AP's general news coverage plan for Thursday in Louisiana. If you have questions about the coverage plan, feel free to direct them to Louisiana News Editor Brian Schwaner at 800-662-7717, 504-523-3931 or bschwaner@ap.org.
This information is not for publication, broadcast or online use, and coverage plans are subject to change. For updates, please check the Louisiana News Digest, which will be sent by 12:15 p.m., as well as later advisories to be issued as warranted.
Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter APNewsNow versions of the stories below, along with all updates."
COMING THURSDAY
COASTAL PROTECTION LAWSUITS
METAIRIE— The committee that nominates members for the board of a south Louisiana flood control authority meets Thursday and will likely discuss Jindal administration-backed legislation that would increase the governor's hand in the process — a reaction to the flood board's controversial lawsuit against scores of oil and gas companies. By Kevin McGill. UPCOMING: 450 words by about 4 p.m.
DIPLOMA CHANGES
BATON ROUGE — The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education considers whether to revamp Louisiana's career-track diploma as sought by the state education superintendent, who wants a greater focus on job skills certification for high school students who don't intend to go to a four-year college. By Melinda Deslatte. UPCOMING: 500 words by about 2:30 p.m.
LIL BOOSIE-RELEASED
ANGOLA — Rapper Lil' Boosie has been released from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, where he had been serving an eight-year sentence on drug charges. Warden Burl Cain says the 31-year-old rapper — whose real name is Torrence Hatch — left the prison just after 7 p.m. Wednesday. Cain said Hatch remains on supervised parole until 2018. Hatch first arrived at Angola in 2009 after pleading guilty to a third-offense marijuana possession charge. Since then, he's faced numerous accusations, including a highly publicized murder trial in the 2009 killing of Terry Boyd. Hatch was acquitted of first-degree murder in Boyd's death in May 2012. The warden said the time and date of Hatch's release wasn't made public "just to keep everything calm." SENT: 271 words.
LAFAYETTE BOARD SECURITY
LAFAYETTE — The Lafayette Parish School Board has voted to allow its board president to hire security to provide order and crowd control at future meetings. Board President Hunter Beasley said he and the executive committee would meet soon to draft a policy for the board's consideration. Prior to the vote, board member Greg Awbrey cited recent meetings where audience members spoke out from the crowd and it was difficult to maintain order in the board room. Awbrey suggested the board consider giving its president the discretion to hire security on an as-needed basis. Mark Babineaux, a former board president, said unexpected issues would sometimes prompt emotional responses from some audience members. SENT: 327 words.
— The Associated Press, New Orleans
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