Higher education leaders have been told to start preparing for the possibility of midyear budget cuts, because the state is facing a massive shortfall this fiscal year. The LSU system has been told by the Edwards administration that a cut of 131-million dollars is possible, while the UL system faces 38-million dollars in mid-year cuts.

The 68th D.C Mardi Gras is taking place this weekend in Washington, D.C. LaPolitics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says this year’s event gives political pundits the opportunity to begin handicapping Louisiana’s upcoming US Senate election…
cut 10 (08) “up here”

Officials at Louis Armstrong say 2015 was a record year as 10-point-six million passengers flew out of the New Orleans airport, a nine-percent increase over the previous year.

There’s a new website that seeks to settle the score on who makes the best king cake. Emelie Gunn reports…
cut 1 (29) “…reporting”

LSU football fans are anxious for the start of the 2016 season as the Tigers will have 19 scholarship seniors on the team. Several of them had an opportunity to enter the NFL draft and Coach Les Miles is happy to see them stay…
cut 30 (13) “….of the people”
The season opener is September 3rd against Wisconsin.