Farmers say despite the single-digit temperatures that gripped the state last week, sugarcane appears to have held up quite well. LSU AgCenter sugarcane expert Kenneth Gravois says, though, that the full extent of damage will remain unclear for weeks.

Cut 4 (09) “…crop starts emerging.”

Gravois says the timing of the freeze helped avoid disaster.

The Louisiana Forestry Association is encouraging industry to utilize the overabundance of trees in the state’s forests. Executive Director Buck Vandersteen says with trees growing at a much faster rate than those being harvested, that creates an opening for the biofuel industry to thrive.

Cut 6 (15) “…or outside Louisiana.”

Five people from Houston are arrested for allegedly using drones to smuggle contraband, including drugs and cell phones, into the federal prison in Pollock. Grant Parish Sheriff Steven McCain says Immigration and Customs Enforcement is also involved.

Cut 10 (09) “…that’s here illegally.”

That person is 35-year-old Laura Martinez, and ICE has a detainer on her. The sheriff’s office and the Rapides Area Drug Enforcement seized about 12-thousand dollars. McCain says they’re working on ways to combat the use of drones in smuggling contraband into federal prisons.