Two national studies show Louisiana ranks last in the country for volunteering. Emelie Gunn finds out how accurate these reports are…:
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Part of the Jindal Administration’s plan to plug money into this year’s $487 million dollar budget deficit is to use more than $28 million in Louisiana’s rainy day fund, and lawmakers voted in favor today. Analysts say this plan leaves Governor-elect John Bel Edwards with major budget problems when he takes office in a little over a month.

The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office says five middle school girls and one of their fathers are under arrest following a fight at T.O. Rusheon Middle School. They say the students were charged with disturbing the peace by fighting, and 42-year-old Lemale James of Shreveport was charged with battery of a school official. Cops say the father allegedly threw the assistant principal to the ground as he tried to stop more violence.

Louisiana does a poor job in efforts to prevent people from smoking according to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. Spokesman John Schachter (Shack-Ter) Louisiana will collect nearly $398 million dollars this year from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will only spend about 2% of that on prevention programs. He says their report also found that tobacco claims 7200 lives in Louisiana and costs the state $1.9 billion in health care bills annually…:
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