Folks in Louisiana are enjoying Mardi Gras Festivities, despite the bone chilling temps. At Courir de Mardi Gras in Mamou – Mayor Ricky Fontenot says the riders and runners were out in their costumes and ready to roll through the countryside just as they do every year — rain, shine or cold…:
CUT 6 (10) “enjoying themselves”
Streets are crowded all over New Orleans and Lafayette for the chilly parades.

A recent report by the Schott (shot) Foundation for Public Education shows the black male high school graduation rates in Louisiana trails whites’ by 16 points. 29-percent of white males in the state were proficient in eighth grade reading and math compared to just nine-percent of black males says Foundation President John Jackson…:
CUT 14 (07) “to learn”
He says the state needs to commit to changing the education climate.

State Police say a train crashed into a truck yesterday and three men in the vehicle died in DeSoto Parish. Trooper Matt Harris says the deceased are the driver, 23-year-old John Watson of Centerville, and two passengers 24-year-old Michael Ryder II of Goldonna & 35-year-old Herbert Barras III of Charenton. He says this crossing had passive warning signals..:
CUT 9 (09) “forward”
He says they believe the driver stopped, but began moving forward when it was already too late and they were hit.

The Lafayette Police Department says they are still looking for information regarding the crash that claimed the life of a pedestrian on February 13th. They say they don’t know who hit 18-year-old Grant Ingram as he was crossing I-10 near Ambassador Caffery at 1:45am that morning.