Errol Victor Sr. a pastor from St. John the Baptist Parish, is one of seven candidates running for Louisiana’s 5^th Congressional district. Victor’s also awaiting trial after his murder conviction was ordered for retrial because of a non-unanimous jury conviction. As for his motive to run for office ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley wonders if Victor truly wants to represent the state…

Cut 4 (10) “….who knows” 

While there won’t be any Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans due to the pandemic, folks will be able to experience a drive-thru event in New Orleans City Park. Delgado baseball coach Joe Scheurmann says once he posted the idea on his Facebook page it gained a lot of traction.

Cut 9 (12) “..went viral”

The event will take place from February 4^th through the 14^th.

The Louisiana Oil and Gas Association says the Biden Administration’s early, aggressive moves against the industry will drive up prices at the pump. Taylor Sharp has the story.

cut 2 (29) ….I’m Taylor Sharp”  

The state reports 1,937 COVID-19 cases today and 41 deaths from the virus.

Two days into office and the Biden Administration is following through on campaign promises to roll back American oil production via executive action. Louisiana Oil and Gas Association interim president Mike Moncla says the industry is not happy…

Cut 6, 12 seconds, industry

Biden says these steps are crucial to reducing the nation’s carbon output and limiting catastrophic levels of global temperature increases.

A man once convicted of murder and currently in prison is on the ballot for the 5^th Congressional District special election race. Errol Victor Sr. remains in prison awaiting a retrial because of last year’s Supreme Court decision declaring non-unanimous convictions unconstitutional. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley…

Cut 3 (12)  “…circumstances.”

Crawfish harvests have been slow to start the year with pond temperatures still pretty cool but the season looks set to pick up steam shortly. Despite demand that will likely be lower than a non-pandemic season LSU Ag Center Crawfish Specialist Mark Shirley says temperature forecasts indicate a great harvest is awaiting us once we hit peak season in March and April.

Cut 15 (07)“…more.”

Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins joins 33 other mayors in calling on President Biden to support sending Americans recurring checks through the end of the pandemic. Perkins says the US economy already didn’t work for half of all Americans and the pandemic has just exacerbated that, and this is a way to help folks out while stimulating the economy.

Cut 7 (09)  “..spend it.”

The group, which purchased a full-page ad in the Washington Post touting the idea, does not back a specific dollar amount for the checks.

A group of 33 mayors from across the country asks President Joe Biden to back sending Americans recurring survival checks through the end of the pandemic. Brooke Thorington has the story…

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

Governor Edwards will hold an 11 am briefing today, he was in DC earlier this week for the Inauguration of President Joe Biden. On Thursday, the state reported 3,856 new COVID-19 cases and 59 fatalities.  However, hospitalizations have decreased since January 15th.

The City of Bogalusa received welcome news this week when an over $50-million-dollar expansion was announced for International Paper. After a trend of paper mills closing over the years in the Washington Parish city, Mayor of Bogalusa Wendy Perrette says it’s welcome news.

Cut 4 (11) “…to stay.”

International Paper is one of the largest employers in Bogalusa with 492 direct jobs.

Crawfish harvests have been slow to start the year with pond temperatures still pretty cool but the season looks set to pick up steam shortly. LSU Ag Center Crawfish Specialist Mark Shirley says while it’s been slow going so far he projects we will have a strong peak crawfish season this year.

Cut 13 (11) “….far away”

On the sales side, the pandemic is still likely to keep prices low.

Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins joins 33 other mayors in calling on President Biden to support sending Americans recurring checks through the end of the pandemic. While they didn’t name a dollar amount Perkins left the door open to potentially leaving these recurring checks to continue even after the pandemic ends. He says adopting these checks now will give us valuable data…

Cut 9 (12) “…or not”

Due to cooler pond temperatures, crawfish harvests have been slow to start the year but the season looks set to pick up steam in the near future. LSU Ag Center Crawfish Specialist Mark Shirley despite demand that will likely be lower than a non-pandemic season he projects we’ll still have a sizeable harvest.

Cut 15 (07)“…more.”

Prices are expected to remain low as the pandemic continues.

The Biden Administration announces a 60-day moratorium on the issuing of new oil and gas leases on federal land and revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. Associate Director of the Tulane Energy Institute Dr. Eric Smith says if the Biden Administration follows through on promises to begin significantly reducing the US’s carbon emission, the state’s economy could be in for some big changes.

Cut 12 (13) “…CO2.”

The City of Bogalusa received uplifting news this week when International Paper announced a more than $52-million dollar. Mayor of Bogalusa Wendy Perrette says the company has been very community involved and a great asset to the town of just over 11-thousand. She’s relieved they are investing in the future.

Cut 6 (10) “…to stay.”

Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins joins 33 other mayors in calling on President Biden to support sending Americans recurring checks through the end of the pandemic. The group, which purchased a full-page ad in the Washington Post touting the idea, does not back a specific dollar amount. When asked how these checks would be financed Perkins responded…

Cut 8 (09) “…itself.”

The Biden Administration announces a 60-day pause in the issuing of new oil and gas leases on federal land and revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. While the Keystone does not run through Louisiana Associate Director of the Tulane Energy Institute Dr. Eric Smith says we do utilize the sour crude carried by the pipeline.

Cut 11 (11) “….stream”

A Crawfish Specialist projects a healthy crawfish season ahead of us. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (30)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

Governor Edwards will hold an 11am briefing today, he was in DC earlier this week for the Inauguration of President Joe Biden. On Thursday, the state reported 3,856 new COVID-19 cases and 59 fatalities. Hospitalizations total 18-hundred, which has been on a steady decline since January 15th. As for vaccines, LDH says more than 301-thousand have been administered in the state so far.

The Biden Administration announces a 60-day pause in the issuing of new oil and gas leases on federal land and revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. Associate Director of the Tulane Energy Institute Dr. Eric Smith says Louisiana doesn’t do much drilling on land, but this move makes one thing clear.

Cut 10 (09) “…Administration.”

Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins joins 33 other mayors in calling on President Biden to support sending Americans recurring checks through the end of the pandemic. Perkins says the US economy already didn’t work for half of all Americans and the pandemic has just exacerbated that, and this is a way to help folks out while stimulating the economy.

Cut 7 (09)  “..spend it.”

The City of Bogalusa received welcome news this week when an over $50-million dollar expansion was announced for International Paper. IP is one of the largest employers in the city and the expansion will enhance the mill’s efficiency in the papermaking process. Mayor of Bogalusa Wendy Perrette says she was worried the mill was looking to close when they reduced operations temporarily.

Cut 5 (11) “…effectively.”

Crawfish harvests are expected to pick up steam shortly.  LSU Ag Center Crawfish Specialist Mark Shirley says as for the sales side of crawfish in the pandemic is still likely to keep prices low. Shirley says while the proliferation of drive-thrus really helped last year restaurant, sales will likely remain down.

Cut 14 (09) “…restaurant.” 

The Biden Administration has begun rolling back many of the Trump Administration’s oil and gas policies. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (28) “…I’m Matt Doyle.” 

The City of Bogalusa received welcome news this week when an over $50-million-dollar expansion was announced for International Paper. After a trend of paper mills closing over the years in the Washington Parish city, Mayor of Bogalusa Wendy Perrette says it’s welcome news.

Cut 4 (11) “…to stay.”

Crawfish harvests have been slow to start the year with pond temperatures still pretty cool but the season looks set to pick up steam shortly. LSU Ag Center Crawfish Specialist Mark Shirley says while it’s been slow going so far he projects we will have a strong peak crawfish season this year.

Cut 13 (11) “….far away”

On the sales side, the pandemic is still likely to keep prices low.

Public school students in New Orleans will not return to in-person classes next week, due to the average daily number of coronavirus cases in Orleans Parish. School district officials will give an update on the 28^th.

The state is facing hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts for the next fiscal year, barring a significant economic recovery or federal aid. Matt Doyle has the story.

cut 2 (30) ….I’m Matt Doyle”  

A Southeast Louisiana Fire Chief has passed away from COVID-19 complications. Chief Bruce Cutrer, of District #1 in Amite, died Tuesday. Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller said Cutrer dedicated his life to the people of the parish for more. Flags are at half-staff in his honor.

Julia Letlow has qualified to run for the 5^th congressional district, the seat that was won by her late husband Luke Letlow, who died of Covid-19 days before he was set to be sworn in. Republican Allen Guillory, who is also running, stated that Letlow taking office could be harmful to her children, but Julia believes it will be beneficial.

Cut 8 (10) “…serve others”

Qualifying ends on Friday.

So far, the most recent Public Affairs Research Council COVID dashboard indicates case numbers are on a downward trend. As for hospitalizations, the third surge well surpassed the second peak over the summer. PAR President Robert Travis Scott says but hospitalizations remain a concern in Lake Charles and Lafayette.

Cut 5  (11) “…facility” 

According to the most recent COVID-19 dashboard from the Public Affairs Research Council, the state is showing a downward trend in the positivity rate for COVI-19 tests. The positivity rate for the state, in the last three days, is 6.4 percent according to the PAR. President Robert Travis Scott says it’s a good indicator.

Cut 4 (12) “…eight weeks.” 

Julia Letlow, Congressman-elect Luke Letlow’s widow, has qualified to run in the special election for the 5^th District Congressional seat Luke won in December. He served as former Congressman Ralph Abraham’s chief of staff.  Julia says she watched how Luke handled himself and learned a lot.

Cut 7 (11) “…make a difference.”

Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne warns we will likely face hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts for the fiscal year beginning in July. The Revenue Estimating Conference adopted this forecast ahead of the budget that will be presented in February. Dardenne says unfortunately the budget will have to include cuts to higher ed and healthcare.

Cut 9 (07) “…hit”

Beloved former Baton Rouge news anchor Donna Britt has died. Britt worked at WAFB until Lou Gehrig’s disease forced her to retire in 2018. Britt’s husband Mark Ballard says while most will remember the 62-year-old for talents as a news anchor, Ballard says he remembers a different side of her.

Cut 14 (15) ” life at home.” 

She’s survived by her husband and two children.