The secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services tells legislators her department is in need of resources to care for the more than four-thousand children in foster care in Louisiana. Marketa Garner Walters spoke to the House Appropriations Committee about the $10.9 million dollar hole in the DCFS budget. She says there is a shortage of foster homes…:
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She says Louisiana could face federal penalties if it falls short of meeting required standards for the agency.

Today a federal judge in New Orleans did not accept the plea deal set forth by former NFL & Saints star Darren Sharper on charges he drugged and raped several women. The ruling indicated that the 9-10 year prison sentence Sharper agreed to in exchange for pleading guilty in four states was too lenient. Sharper now has to decide before his sentencing hearing on March 3rd whether or not he wants to withdraw the guilty plea.

Lawmakers are considering raising the tax on alcohol for the first time since 1948 to help solve the state’s budget crisis. Halen Doughty has more:
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Tough second half for the LSU men’s basketball team as they lost their first home game in SEC play last night. The Tigers shot 32-percent in the second half against the Crimson Tide and lost to Alabama 76 to 69. LSU was outscored 45-33 in the final 20 minutes. Free throw shooting was a problem as they missed 15.