Did citywide Covid vaccine mandates prevent the spread of the virus? A new study out of George Mason University says no. It was conducted by Vitor Melo (pronounce: VEE-tor Mellow) who says they looked at infections and deaths in cities that mandated COVID vaccines and those that didn’t:
Cut 4 (11) “spread of COVID”
He says this wasn’t about the efficacy of the vaccine itself, but pointed to the fact that mandates didn’t change people’s minds about whether or not they chose to get the shot.

Shreveport Police say arrests have been made in both shooting incidents that took place during the Gemini Parade on Saturday. Corporal Chris Bordelon says the first shooting stemmed from an argument where a suspect shot a victim who is expected to survive. He says the second appeared to be an accident where a 17 year old was shot and killed. Both suspects have been charged…:
CUT 15 (03) “catch em”

The Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office says a bicyclist was struck and killed this morning on La-1 near the Plaquemine-Sunshine Ferry westbank landing. State Police is investigating the incident and not releasing the victim’s name before notifying family.

The trucking industry is still being impacted by a shortage of drivers. Teiko Foxx has more…:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Teiko Foxx”

Many areas of the state saw record highs Thursday and forecasters say the warm weather is expected to continue today.

New research suggests citywide COVID vaccine mandates enacted in New Orleans and other cities may have been all for naught. Kevin Gallagher reports…:
Cut 1 (32) “I’m Kevin Gallagher”

The Livingston Parish Council unanimously passed a resolution Thursday night declaring they are a Second Amendment Sanctuary Parish. It was a resolution by Councilman Jeff Ard who says it’s about adding a layer of protection of Second Amendment rights at the local level should the state or federal government try to tighten up gun laws.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sherriff’s Office says a man has been arrested in connection to a 2010 murder. They say 30-year-old Montrey Page of Loranger is booked with second degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Jamins Robinson of Independence who was killed nearly 13 years ago. TPSO Chief Deputy Jimmy Travis said an eyewitness finally came forward..:
CUT 11 (11) “homicide occurred”
He says they hope this will bring the Robinson family some closure.

Shreveport Police have made arrests in both shooting incidents that took place Saturday night during the Krewe of Gemini parade. Corporal Chris Bordelon says of the first shooting which was non-fatal..:
CUT 13 (08) “Police Department”
He says in the other shooting someone accidentally shot and killed a 17-year-old and that suspect surrendered to police right away.

A new research study finds that COVID-19 mandates put in place in many American cities made virtually no difference in stopping the spread of the virus. Vitor Melo (pronounce: VEE-tor Mellow) conducted the study for George Mason University. He says they found that even if a citywide mandate was in place, people still did want they wanted.
CUT 5 (07) “change their decision”
Melo adds his research makes no statement on the vaccine itself or its effectiveness.

The truck driving shortage continues to put a strain on the industry -creating a gap between professional licensed operators and delivering goods. Programs have been set up to assist in closing the gap. Louisiana Motor Transport Association (LMTA) Director Renee Amar..:
Cut 7 (10) “…the workforce.”
She says lowering the legal truck driving age could help.

Deputies have solved a 13-year-old case in Tangipahoa Parish after a witness decided to come forward. Brooke Thorington has more…:
Cut 3 (00) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

The wife of former Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider has died at the age of 53 alongside her husband at the couple’s studios in Holden. Alicia Allain, a native of Brusly, was a filmmaker and she and Schneider had been married since 2019. John made a social media post saying he is heartbroken but that his wife is living now living pain free.

New research suggests citywide COVID vaccine mandates enacted in New Orleans and other cities may have been all for naught. Kevin Gallagher reports…:

Cut 1 (32)  “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

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The trucking industry is still being impacted by a shortage of drivers. Teiko Foxx has more…

Cut 2 (31)  “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

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Deputies have solved a 13-year-old case in Tangipahoa Parish after a witness decided to come forward. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 3 (00) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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A new research study finds that COVID-19 mandates put in place in many American cities made virtually no difference in stopping the spread of the virus. Vitor Melo (pronounce: VEE-tor Mellow) conducted the study for George Mason University’s Mercatus Center. He says they looked at infections and deaths in cities that mandated COVID shots and those that did not…:

Cut 4 (11)  “…spread of COVID.”

Many cities, including New Orleans, imposed citywide mandates; requiring bar, restaurant, and venue employees to have the shots or close down temporarily. Melo says his study also looked at whether people decided to get COVID shots because a citywide mandate was in place, and found no evidence that was the case…:

Cut 5 (07) “…change their decision.”

He says those who resisted the shots would simply go to a nearby city with no mandates to visit bars or restaurants.

Melo says his research makes no statement on the vaccine itself or its effectiveness. He only looked at how the policies performed, and the results show no evidence vaccine mandates made a noteworthy difference in impeding the spread of COVID. He says many felt they were being penalized for being reluctant to get “the Jab”…:

Cut 6 (12)  “…their behavior at all.” 

Melo hopes his research will be considered by public officials if there is another disease-related health emergency in the future.

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The truck driving shortage continues to put a strain on the trucking industry -creating a gap between professional CDL-licensed drivers and delivering goods. Programs have been set up to assist in closing the gap. The Louisiana Motor Transport Association (LMTA) Director Renee Amar says…  

Cut 7 (10) “…the workforce.”

Lowering the legal truck driving age may close the worker shortage gap. Amar says hiring younger may be a solution.

Cut 8 (09)  “…big rigs.”

Amar says that there is no single solution that will help with the shortage but dedication is a must.

Cut 9 (09)  “…daily bases.”

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Deputies have solved a 13-year-old case in Tangipahoa Parish after a witness decided to come forward. 30-year-old Monterey Paige Senior for the murder of 22-year-old Jamin (jay-men) Robinson. Jimmy Travis, Chief Deputy with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, says in 2010 Robinson was found on the side of the road in Independence and originally they thought he was a victim of a hit and run.

Cut 10 (04)  “…to the head.”

Paige was arrested in Chambers County, Texas, and faces murder charges, several failure-to-appear counts, and one charge of jumping bail.

Travis says they finally got a break in the case when an eyewitness came forward.

Cut 11 (11)  “…homicide occurred.”

A motive in the case has not been released. Travis says even though Paige was 17 years old in 2010, Travis says he is charged as an adult.

Cut 12 (07) “…of Louisiana.”

TPSO says they hope the arrest will bring the Robinson family some closure. Paige was extradited back to Louisiana and is being held in the Tangipahoa Parish Prison.

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Shreveport Police have made arrests in both the shooting incidents that took place last Saturday night, during the Krewe of Gemini parade. S.P.D. spokesman Corporal Chris Bordelon says they identified the suspect in a non-fatal shooting that happened around 6:15 Saturday night on Clyde Fant Parkway…:

Cut 13 (08) “…Police Department.” 

The suspect is 22-year-old Antoine Ball, of Shreveport. He got into some sort of argument with the male victim when he drew a gun and fired one shot. The victim will recover. Bordelon says the accused shooter surrendered at around 2 Thursday afternoon…:

Cut 14 (09)  “…turn himself in.”

There was a second shooting at the Gemini parade as well. Bordelon says, in that incident, some friends were horse playing on the parade route when one started messing with a gun and accidentally shot and killed 17-year-old student athlete Kip Lewis. That suspect stayed at the scene and surrendered to police immediately. Bordelon says S.P.D. is saddened that either incident even happened…:

Cut 15 (03)  “…gonna catch ’em.”

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Cut  16 (21)  “..get their attention.” 

Cut 17 (19) “…this league.” 

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Cut 18 (13) “…to improve.”

Cut 19 (17) “…shoot the ball.”

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Cut 20 (17)  “… a huge blessing.” 

A six-year-old was fatally shot around 8:00 pm last night in Raceland. Police say the 6-year-old and his brother – another 6-year-old were playing with a loaded gun. Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office Captain Brennan Matherne says at one point the gun discharged, striking six-year-old D.J. Michel Junior….

Cut 12 (10) “…pronounced dead.”

A 17-year-old who was with Madison Brooks prior to her death has been indicted for first and third-degree rape. Desmond Carter of Walker will also be tried as an adult for a sexual assault that allegedly occurred last month after Brooks and four men left a bar near the LSU campus. Legal analyst Franz Borghardt says it’s appropriate for Carter to be tried as an adult based on his age and charges…

Cut 5 (03) “…as an adult”
A grand jury has yet to hand down indictments against Carter’s three co-defendants.

The Orleans District Attorney’s decision not to prosecute 15-gun possession cases from Mardi Gras has many upset. Metropolitan Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche says at a bail hearing prosecutors haven’t been able to review the suspect’s possible criminal record nor evidence from police. He says basically the DA refused to accept the charges without all the facts.

Cut 7 (05)  “… inappropriate.” 

In refusing charges the accused are not allowed to receive their guns that were seized from the arrest.

While we all enjoy near-record-high heat for late February, the rest of the country is getting a huge winter storm. However, State Climatologist Barry Keim says we’ll continue to see moderate weather for a while.

Cut 11 (10)  “…to Louisiana.”

The Orleans Parish DA’s refusal to prosecute 15 illegal gun possession cases from Mardi Gras has created an uproar…:

CUT 02(31)      “…Thorington.”

Actor John Schneider is mourning the death of his wife, Alicia Allain Schneider, who passed away after a battle with breast cancer. She was just 53. The couple were married in 2019. They worked together on music and film projects at Schneider’s studio home in Holden, in Livingston Parish.

Deputies in Lafourche Parish are investigating the apparently accidental shooting death of a 6-year-old boy in the town of Raceland Wednesday night. Lafourche Sheriff’s Captain Brennan Matherne says little D.J. Michel Jr. was playing with a loaded handgun with his brother, when it went off. Matherne says adults should keep their guns stored safely away…:

CUT 14(10)      “…be paramount.”

The investigation is ongoing.

We saw some pretty warm weather for February in Louisiana today. State Climatologist Barry Keim says tomorrow will be toasty too…:

CUT 09(10)      “…across the state.”

Keim says a frontal boundary is sitting just north of the state, and it will eventually drop our way; bringing a return to more winter-like weather sometime late next week.

Edit

An East Baton Rouge grand jury indicts a 17-year-old with first-degree rape in the Madison Brooks case and he will be tried as an adult…:

CUT 01(30)      “…Palermo.”

Shreveport Police say they have one suspect in custody, and have identified another, in two separate shootings at the Krewe of Gemini parade last Saturday night. They seek 22-year-old Antoine Ball for the shooting on Clyde Fant Parkway. A 16-year-old from Texas has turned himself in in connection with the other incident; a fatal shooting that took the life of a 17-year-old.

There’s an uproar over the Orleans District Attorney’s office’s decision not to prosecute 15 individuals for illegal gun possession during Carnival. Metropolitan Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche says it undermines efforts by the police to eliminate guns from the French Quarter and parade routes..:

CUT 06(06)      “…police and prosecutors.”

Orleans DA Jason Williams now says some of those cases will be revisited.

We have seen some record-high – or NEAR record-high – temperatures across Louisiana today. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a frontal boundary is hanging out just north of Louisiana. When it dips down, it will bring colder temperatures to north Louisiana…but that’ll be well into next week…:

CUT 10(08)      “…the weekend.”

Meanwhile, most of the rest of the U.S. is having a terrible winter storm.

A six-year-old was fatally shot around 8:00 pm last night in Raceland. Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office Captain Brennan Matherne says the boy and his brother were playing with loaded gun when it went off. He says children should never be left unsupervised in a home with a gun…:

CUT 13(10)      “…to them.”

The victim is identified at 6-year-old D.J. Michel Jr. He was a first-grader at Lockport Lower Elementary.

An East Baton Rouge grand jury indicts a 17-year-old with first and third-degree rape in the Madison Brooks case. Authorities allege four males were involved in raping the 19-year-old LSU student before she died last month. Legal analyst Franz Borghardt says a first-degree rape conviction carries a life sentence…:

CUT 03(11)      “…set of facts.”

Attorneys for the men charged say the sex with Brooks the night she died was consensual.

While we all enjoy near-record high heat for late February, the rest of the country is getting a huge winter storm. However, State Climatologist Barry Keim says we’ll continue to see moderate weather for a while…:

CUT 11(10)      “…to Louisiana.”

The D.A. in Orleans Parish says he won’t prosecute 15 people arrested for illegally carrying a gun during Mardi Gras. That’s has gotten some folks up-in-arms themselves. Metropolitan Crime Commission president Rafael Goyeneche says it creates a bigger problem…:

CUT 08(09)      “…selective prosecution.”

D.A Jason Williams office says, absent of probable cause, they thought it was best to confiscate the guns and move on…but some of the cases will be re-screened now that Carnival is over.

The Orleans Parish DA’s refusal to prosecute 15 illegal gun possession cases from Mardi Gras has created an uproar. More from Brooke Thorington…:

CUT 02(31)      “…Thorington.”

Now a resident of Holden, in Livingston Parish, actor John Schneider is mourning the death of his wife, Alicia Allain Schneider, who passed away after a battle with breast cancer. The couple were married in 2019. They worked together on music and film projects at Schneider’s studio home in Livingston Parish.

A six-year-old was fatally shot around 8:00 last night in Raceland. Police say the 6-year-old and his brother – the same age – were playing with a loaded gun in the living room of a residence, when the firearm discharged. State Police Trooper Brennan Matherne…:

CUT 12(10)      “…pronounced dead.”

This story will be updated as the investigation continues. Firearms are among the top causes of death for kids ages 1 to 19.

Record highs are possible today. State Climatologist Barry Keim says temperatures are running about 15-degrees above normal…:

CUT 09(10)      “…the state.”

While Louisiana is enjoying comfortable temperatures, a large portion of the country is impacted by a huge winter storm.