The polar vortex is descending on Louisiana and most of north Louisiana outside of the Delta Parishes is now under a winter storm warning while the delta parishes, southwest Louisiana, and Central Louisiana are now under Winter Storm Watches. Southeast Louisiana, for now, looks like it may manage to dodge some of the worst of this. With this storm on the way and the northern half of the state set to get a wintery mix late Sunday into Monday Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency. Forecasts show we could be in for another winter storm as early as Wednesday.

Sunday is Valentine’s Day and between the pandemic and the cold, a lot of folks just won’t be going out. Wendy Waren with the Louisiana Restaurant Association asks you to consider order to-go if you’re going to be skipping the usual sit-down meal at a restaurant. She says there are all kinds of fun, romantic to-go choices…

Cut 5  (11)  “…that way.” 

The Louisiana Family Forum has found the new longest-married couple in the state: a pair out of Gonzales who’ve been married for 80 years. LFF President Gene Mills says 101-year-old Gail is a Catholic and 99-year-old Patsy Richardson is Baptist, and both are both highly active in their faith.

Cut 9 (08) “..coexistence”

The competition discovered 18 couples who’ve been married in Louisiana for over 70 years.

Pelican Waste has set up a GoFundMe for the two sanitation workers who spotted a car from an Amber Alert earlier this week in St. Martin Parish and helped rescue a kidnapped 10-year-old. The fund is raising money for Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine and Pelican spokesperson Monica Camille says they deserve it.

Cut 12 (12) “  acts” 

For the second game in a row, the Pelicans got demolished from deep, losing 143-130 to the Dallas Mavericks. It’s back to back games the Pels have now let a team shoot over 50 percent from three and Dallas superstar Luka Doncic feasted, putting up 46-12-8. History was made it’s the first time four players 25 and under scored 30 or more points in a game as Doncic was joined by Kristaps Porzingis who dropped 36 points while the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram scored 36 and 30 points respectively. The 36 was a career-high for Zion, who only missed one shot.

It’s been 448 days since McNeese has played a competitive game of football but that’s set to change at 6 PM tonight as the Cowboys take on Tarleton State for the first game of spring football. The Lake Charles based team canceled its fall season due to COVID, then watched its school, field, press box, and team meeting rooms get destroyed by Hurricanes Laura and Delta.

The Tigers take on the 16^th ranked Volunteers at the PMAC for some SEC action at 1 PM. The two are tied for second in the SEC standings at 7-4.

The Cajuns and Warhawks are at it at 4 PM today for the second game of a doubleheader. ULM upset UL Lafayette in the first contest 72-66 for only their 5^th win on the year.

McNeese is back on the court as well with a game against Northwestern today at 4 PM. Northwestern is 5-4 in conference play while McNeese is struggling at 2-7.

The Southeastern Lions host Nicholls State tonight in Hammond for a 7 PM tip-off. Nicholls is just a game back of a current three way tie for first in the Southland while Southeastern is languishing at 4-5, 6-12 on the season.

In some NFL news it looks like the Seahawks and QB Russell Wilson’s happy marriage could be coming to an end. Seahawks brass are reportedly fuming about Wilson’s public comments questioning the team’s ability to compete.

tap to impact all regions of the state Sunday night into Monday with a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. And the winter mix continues into the week Meteorologist C-S Ross says the I-20 corridor could see single-digit low temperatures for Tuesday morning.

Cut 8 (06) “…into the teens”

The northern half of the state is under a Winter Storm Watch.

The Louisiana Family Forum has found the new longest-married couple in the state: a pair out of Gonzales who’ve been married for 80 years. LFF President Gene Mills says Gail is 101 and wife Patsy Richardson is 99, and there’s says there’s a lot everyone could learn from these two.

Cut 10 (11) “…benefits” 

Pelican Waste has set up a GoFundMe for the two sanitation workers who spotted a car from an Amber Alert earlier this week in St. Martin Parish and helped rescue a kidnapped 10-year-old. The fund has a goal of $10-thousand for Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine and Pelican spokesperson Monica Camille says they deserve it.

Cut 12 (12) “  acts” 

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest dining days of the year for the restaurant industry and in Louisiana, Valentine’s Day usually competes with Mardi Gras Parades but that’s not the case this year. Wendy Waren with the Louisiana Restaurant Association says however many restaurants are offering to-go options to celebrate carnival at home or for touring house floats by car.

Cut 4 (08) “…home.” 

Freezing rain, sleet, and snow are all in the forecast on Sunday and Monday. C-S Ross with the National Weather Service says Shreveport, Monroe, and Alexandria could see several inches of snow. He says high temperatures will stay below freezing that day for those cities and dangerous wind chills are also expected Monday and Tuesday.
Cut 7 (08) “…below zero.”

Pelican Waste has set up a GoFundMe for the two sanitation workers who spotted a car from an Amber Alert earlier this week in St. Martin Parish and helped rescue a kidnapped 10-year-old. The fund has set of goal of $10-thousand for Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine. Pelican spokesperson Monica Camille says they deserve it…

cut 12 (12) “…acts

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest dining days of the year for the restaurant industry but with limited capacity due to the pandemic, Wendy Waren with the Louisiana Restaurant Association says many members have creative options for their patrons this year.

Cut 3 (12)  “…to go”

The Louisiana Family Forum has found the new longest-married couple in the state: a pair out of Gonzales who’ve been married for 80 years. LFF President Gene Mills says 101-year-old Gail is a Catholic and 99-year-old Patsy Richardson is Baptist, and both are both highly active in their faith.

Cut 9 (08) “..coexistence”

This year’s search turned up 18 couples who’ve been married for more than 70 years.

Louisiana could get hit with a major winter storm on Monday. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 2 (30) …I’m Jeff Palermo”  

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was scheduled to meet with the Biden Administration and others this morning to discuss COVID relief, but she tested positive at the White House screening for entry. Cantrell missed the meeting but then took a second test and her results were negative. A statement from her office says at no time did she display symptoms and will return home as scheduled this evening.

Pelican Waste has set up a GoFundMe for the two sanitation workers who spotted a car from an Amber Alert earlier this week in St. Martin Parish and helped rescue a kidnapped 10-year-old. The fund is for Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine and Pelican spokesperson Monica Camille says they deserve it.

Cut 14 (11) “…with it”

The GoFundMe has a 10,000 dollar goal…

The Louisiana Family Forum has found the new longest-married couple in the state: a pair out of Gonzales who’ve been married for 80 years, Gail and Patsy Richardson. LFF President Gene Mills says this year’s search turned up over 18 couples who’ve been married for more than 70 years. Mills says they will be celebrated.

Cut 11 (06) “..of fame”

Those in the top ten list will receive a proclamation from the Governor and a King Cake.

The National Weather Service in Shreveport says confidence is increasing that the northern half of the state could be hit by two major winter storms next week. Meteorologist C-S Ross says a mix of wintery precipitation is expected to arrive Sunday morning and the storm system will intensify.

Cut 6 (10) “..remain possible.”

Pelican Waste has set up a GoFundMe for the two heroic sanitation workers, Dion Merrick, and Brandon Antione, who spotted a car from an Amber Alert earlier this week in St. Martin Parish and helped rescue a kidnapped 10-year-old. The fund has raised close to 55-hundred dollars so far and Pelican spokesperson Monica Camille…

Cut 13 (13)“. caliber”

The Louisiana Family Forum has found the new longest-married couple in the state: a pair out of Gonzales who’ve been married for 80 years. LFF President Gene Mills says 101-year-old Gail is a Catholic and 99-year-old Patsy Richardson is Baptist, and there’s says there’s a lot everyone could learn from these two centenarians.

Cut 10 (11) “…benefits” 

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest dining days of the year for the restaurant industry and in Louisiana, Valentine’s Day usually competes with Mardi Gras Parades but that’s not the case this year. Wendy Waren with the Louisiana Restaurant Association says however many restaurants are offering to-go options to celebrate carnival at home or for touring house floats by car.

Cut 4 (08) “…home.” 

Behind Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day is the second busiest day of the year traditionally for restaurants.

Freezing rain, sleet, and snow are all in the forecast on Sunday and Monday. C-S Ross with the National Weather Service says Shreveport, Monroe, and Alexandria could see several inches of snow. He says high temperatures will stay below freezing that day for those cities and dangerous wind chills are also expected Monday and Tuesday.
Cut 7 (08) “…below zero.”

Pelican Waste has set up a GoFundMe for the two sanitation workers who spotted a car from an Amber Alert earlier this week in St. Martin Parish and helped rescue a kidnapped 10-year-old. The fund has raised over 4,500 dollars for Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine and Pelican spokesperson Monica Camille says they deserve it….
cut 12 (12) “…acts”
The GoFundMe has a 10,000 dollar goal.

Valentine’s Day is Sunday and dining with your sweetheart will be different with the limited capacity, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t show love to your favorite eatery. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 1 (32) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington”

57 Walmart and Sam’s Club locations in Louisiana begin administering COVID-19 vaccine shots today. Taxpayers can also start filing their federal and state income tax returns. The Revenue Department says federal unemployment benefits are subject to state income taxes.

Louisiana could get hit with a major winter storm on Monday. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 2 (30) …I’m Jeff Palermo”  

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was to meet with President Biden, Vice President Harris, and other mayors and governors to discuss COVID Relief but was unable to attend due to White House screening protocols. Officials at City Hal have issued a statement that they are trying to determine Cantrell’s COVID status and will release additional information this afternoon.

The Louisiana Family Forum has found the new longest-married couple in the state: a pair out of Gonzales who’ve been married for 80 years. LFF President Gene Mills says 101-year-old Gail is a Catholic and 99-year-old Patsy Richardson is Baptist, and both are both highly active in their faith.

Cut 9 (08) “..coexistence”

Something tells me Gail never forgets to make reservations for Valentine’s Day and if you have, Wendy Waren with the Louisiana Restaurant Association says you might want to pick up the phone and do so ASAP for Sunday. She says if you can’t get seated you might want to look at some to-go options and still support your favorite local restaurant…

Cut 5  (11)  “…that way.” 

Waren says some restaurants are also offering to-go options for celebrating Mardi Gras at home or if you are touring home floats by car.

The National Weather Service in Shreveport says it looks like the northern half of the state could be hit by two major winter storms next week. Meteorologist C-S Ross says the I-20 corridor could see single-digit low temperatures for Tuesday morning. He says freezing rain is in the forecast for south Louisiana on Monday, and Tuesday morning will also be very cold south of Alexandria.

Cut 8 (06) “…into the teens”

Louisiana is set to experience the quietest Mardi Gras weekend in living memory with public gatherings banned and parades canceled. Mardi Gras Guide Publisher Arthur Hardy says this is a special and important time of year for Louisianans, and in our hearts we know we’re all missing something right now.

Cut 4 (08)“…no more.”

Mardi Gras might be canceled but king cakes are flying off the shelves and Hardy says folks have adjusted by building nearly 3,000 house floats.

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest dining days of the year for the restaurant industry but with limited capacity due to the pandemic, Wendy Waren with the Louisiana Restaurant Association says many members have creative options for their patrons this year.

Cut 3 (12)  “…to go”

Behind Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day is the second busiest day of the year traditionally for restaurants.

Beginning today you can file both your individual state and federal income tax returns for 2020. Louisiana Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson points out a few things to note before you file since last year added some unusual scenarios.

Cut 13 (12) “…to tax.”

Robinson says unemployment income is subject to tax.

The National Weather Service in Shreveport says confidence is increasing that the northern half of the state could be hit by two major winter storms next week. Meteorologist C-S Ross says a mix of wintery precipitation is expected to arrive Sunday morning and the storm system will intensify.

Cut 6 (10) “..remain possible.”

And Ross says there’s a good chance for several inches of snow for Shreveport, Monroe, and Alexandria on Monday.

Louisiana is experiencing a blast of arctic air that will continue through Tuesday.  A cold snap in December led to higher utility bills for Entergy customers in January.  Entergy Spokesperson Brandon Scardigli says monitoring your thermostat can save you money while heating your home.

Cut 7 (08)  “…energy usage.”

Beginning today you can file your individual state income tax return for 2020. Louisiana Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson Secretary says if for some reason you didn’t receive a stimulus check you can claim it.

Cut 14 (09) “…return.” 

You are not taxed on income you received from stimulus checks but you are taxed on unemployment income.

Front line workers who received a $250 check will have to pay taxes on that income. For those who received a grant from the Main Street Recovery Program for their business, those funds are subject to state tax as well. The Paycheck Protection Program funds are not subject to state income tax.

Individual Income Tax returns and payments in Louisiana are due May 17^th. Federal income tax returns and payments are due April 15^th.