The man behind “Stelly Plan”, former state lawmaker Vic Stelly, died from COVID over the weekend. Matt Doyle has the story.

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A 60-year-old Lake Charles man is sentenced to 100 years in prison for sex crimes involving 9- and 10-year-old girls. Robert Lognion was already a convicted sex offender when he was accused in February 2017 of touching the girls inappropriately. The Calcasieu Parish District Attorney’s Office says a judge sentenced him to consecutive 50-year terms for sexual battery and an aggravated crime against nature.

Vaccines at two VA homes were administered Monday to residents and staff. Roughly 40-percent of all fatalities from COVID has been in nursing home settings. Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs spokesperson Brandee Patrick says, however, they will continue to follow CDC and CMS guidelines.

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The two of the remaining three VA homes will administer vaccines this week.

Cops are packing state roads ahead of New Years’ for the end-of-year Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission spokesperson Mark Lambert says law enforcement officers are actively looking for impaired drivers, and throwing the ones they find in jail.

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Lambert says 33 people were killed last December by drunk drivers and they don’t want to see a repeat this year.

Former state lawmaker Vic Stelly, mastermind of the “Stelly Plan” state tax reform of 2002, died over the weekend of COVID-19. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the 79-year-old Stelly had a vision for a new way of funding state government using income taxes instead of sales taxes.

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The Stelly plan lowered, then eliminated state sales taxes on certain items like food and utilities in exchange for raising income taxes on upper-income earners.

Louisiana Highway Safety Commission spokesperson Mark Lambert says officers are out in full force catching impaired drivers for the holidays. Lambert says impairment means both booze and drugs, Which includes prescriptions.

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Vaccines began being administered at two VA homes in Louisiana, on Monday, bringing about a sense of hope among residents. Brooke Thorington has more

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Former Denham Springs High School Assistant Football Coach Tyler Love turned himself into authorities after an investigation into allegations of misconduct regarding students at this school. He’s been booked on two counts of indecent behaviors with juveniles, and one count of prohibited sexual conduct between educator and student.

Former state lawmaker Vic Stelly, mastermind of the “Stelly Plan” state tax reform of 2002, died over the weekend of COVID-19. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the “Stelly Plan” was ultimately largely undone during the Jindal Administration. Pinsonat says that decision didn’t end well for Jindal.

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Two house fires killed three residents over the weekend in North Louisiana. State Fire Marshal spokesperson Ashley Rodrigue says as the weather turns cold, she highly encourages residents to practice space heater safety and for families to establish and practice a fire safety escape plan from their home.

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Cops packing state roads ahead of New Years’ for the end-of-year Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission spokesperson Mark Lambert says 33 people were killed last December by drunk drivers and they don’t want to see a repeat this year.

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December drunk driving injuries and fatalities have been rising since 2017.

VA homes in Louisiana began rollout of the Moderna vaccine Monday. Spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Brandee Patrick says workers and residents are very hopeful that the vaccines will help restore normalcy soon.

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They began vaccines at their homes in Jennings and Monroe, Monday, tomorrow in Reserve, and Saturday in Bossier. The rollout in Jackson is still being scheduled.

Stelly Plan tax reform author Vic Stelly and his wife Terry both died over the weekend from complications related to COVID-19. Stelly, who was born in Carencro and raised in Zachary, served in the Legislature from 1988 to 2004. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says he was one of the hardest working people at the Capitol.

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Stelly served on the Board of Regents for higher ed from 2007 to 2013.

VA nursing homes began administering the Moderna vaccine Monday in Louisiana. Brandee Patrick, spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs said two of their five facilities put needles in arms yesterday.

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The holidays are notorious for seeing an increase in impaired driving and cops across the state are packing the roads ahead of New Years for the end of year Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission spokesperson Mark Lambert says law enforcement officers are actively looking for impaired drivers, and throwing the ones they find in jail.

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Lambert says 33 people were killed last December by drunk drivers.

The State Fire Marshal says a Shreveport couple died in a house fire over the weekend. Spokesperson Ashley Rodrigue says they have not determined the cause of the house fire in Shreveport but it appears it began in the front living room. She says the front door had a deadbolt lock on that was keyed on both sides.

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Former state lawmaker Vic Stelly, mastermind of the “Stelly Plan” state tax reform of 2002, died over the weekend of COVID-19. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the 79-year-old Stelly had a vision for a new way of funding state government using income taxes instead of sales taxes.

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Vic’s wife, Terry Stelly, died of COVID 13 hours after her husband passed away.

Vaccines at two VA homes were administered Monday to residents and staff. Roughly 40-percent of all fatalities from COVID have been in nursing home settings. Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs spokesperson Brandee Patrick says, however, they will continue to follow CDC and CMS guidelines.

Cut 11 (11) “…new guidance.”

Two house fires killed three residents over the weekend in North Louisiana. Ashley Rodrigue, spokesperson for the State Marshal says a 63-year-old man was killed Sunday in Eros, and on Saturday a couple in their 60s perished in Shreveport. She says Shreveport firefighters entered through the front door to attack the blaze of the couple’s home.

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She says the front door had a locked deadbolt on that was keyed on both sides. Both fires remain under investigation and the identities of the fatalities have not been released.

A Legislative task force is studying whether Louisiana elections should move to a closed primary system and will submit its recommendations by the next regular session. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat..
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VA homes in Louisiana began rollout of COVID vaccines Monday. Brandee Patrick, spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs says workers and residents are very hopeful that the vaccines will help restore normalcy soon.

Cut 10 (11) “…offer them.”

They began vaccines at their homes in Jennings and Monroe, Monday, tomorrow in Reserve, and Saturday in Bossier. The rollout in Jackson is still being scheduled. Patrick says residents and workers will receive a second dose of the Moderna vaccine four weeks after the first.

When former Governor Edwin Edwards was in the hospital for routine tests over the weekend, Edwards biographer Leo Honeycutt says he was offered the COVID vaccine.

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Honeycutt says Edwards plans to get vaccinated when it’s his turn.

The Louisiana Department of Health reports just under 4,000 new COVID-19 cases today. Fatalities increased today to 61 and hospitalizations increased by 92 overnight.

Algiers based Edna Karr High fights for its fifth consecutive football state championship tonight against Carencro. Matt Doyle spoke with Karr’s coach Brice Brown…

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VA homes in Louisiana began rollout of COVID vaccines Monday. Brandee Patrick, spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs said two of their facilities began vaccinations and so far no one has experienced a reaction to the vaccine.

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They will continue roll out for vaccines this week and then a follow up for the second dose of the Modenra vaccine.

A Legislative task force is studying whether Louisiana should move to a closed primary system and will submit its recommendations by the next regular session. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the current jungle primary system was implemented in 1975 to limit Democrat on Democrat attacks during statewide elections.

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Nine months into the pandemic some OB/GYN clinics are seeing an influx of patients, but it’s not what you think. Dr. Karli Boggs, Clinical Director at the LSU Clinic at Women’s Hospital in Baton Rouge says many of their new patients are women who lost health insurance along with the jobs, and now have Medicaid coverage. Boggs says the average wait to schedule a gynecological visit as opposed to obstetrics is three months or more.

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Former Governor Edwin Edwards turned down a COVID vaccine over the weekend when he was at LSU-Health Shreveport for routine medical tests. Edwards biographer Leo Honeycutt says 93-year-old Edwards has tested negative for COVID three times in the past two months but didn’t want to jump the line for a vaccine.
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A Legislative task force is taking up the question of whether the state should ditch the current jungle primary system and move to closed primaries for elections. Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

Edna Karr is gunning for their fifth high school football state championship in a row tonight as they take on Carencro for the Class 4A title in Natchitoches. Cougars’ head coach Brice Brown says his secondary came into the season full of fresh faces and inexperienced sophomores but has played up to the Karr standard.

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Former Governor Edwin Edwards turned down a COVID vaccine over the weekend when he was at LSU-Health Shreveport, for routine medical tests. Edwards biographer Leo Honeycutt says Edwards felt it would be better used on a healthcare worker at the moment.
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Nine months into the pandemic some OB/GYN clinics are seeing an influx of patients, but it’s not what you think. Dr. Karli Boggs, Clinical Director at the LSU Clinic at Women’s Hospital in Baton Rouge says they are overwhelmed.

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Boggs said many of the patients lost health insurance when they lost their jobs and now have Medicaid coverage.

The task force to change the current election primary system, from an open to a closed primary is being led by Republican Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt, and vocally supported by House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, Attorney General Jeff Landry, and Democratic Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields.
The question seems to come up just about every year, but political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says a move to closed primaries is opposed by people who stand to lose from the shift.
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Nine months into the pandemic some OB/GYN clinics are seeing an influx of patients. Dr. Karli Boggs, Clinical Director at the LSU Clinic at Women’s Hospital in Baton Rouge says an alarming issue from the pandemic is more OB patients are experiencing domestic abuse.
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Former Governor Edwin Edwards turned down a COVID vaccine over the weekend when he was at LSU-Health Shreveport for routine medical tests.
Currently, healthcare workers who work directly with COVID patients are being vaccinated first in Louisiana. Edwards Biographer Leo Honeycutt says Edwards plans to get vaccinated when it’s his turn.
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Edna Karr is gunning for their fifth high school football state championship in a row tonight as they take on Carencro for the Class 4A title in Natchitoches.
Brown says his secondary came into the season full of fresh faces and inexperienced sophomores but has played up to the Karr standard.
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Carencro, the 1st seed in Class 4A, has been even more dominant than Karr in this year’s playoffs, most recently coming off a 49-7 win over Neville.