Crawfish processors say new federal guidelines regarding guest worker wages could cause a big hike in the price of the mudbugs. Louisiana’s crawfish industry depends heavily on legal foreign workers to perform jobs they can’t fill locally. Lafayette restaurant owner and crawfish processor Frank Randol says the federal government mandates those workers now be paid $12.35 an hour…:
CUT 3 (08) “wholesale level”
There is concern that the price of crawfish could climb higher than what consumers are willing to pay.

Over 184,000 Louisianians are signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act as of February 15th which was the Obamacare enrollment period deadline. The US Department of Health and Human Services says Louisiana had the second-fastest growth rate during the last week of enrollment.

A woman from Bernice is in big trouble accused of leaving her baby on a doorstep of the father’s relative. Union Parish Sheriff Dusty Gates says 23-year-old Keondra Ferguson allegedly dropped her 8 month old son outside the residence for more than 90 minutes, with temperatures in the mid-30s, before being discovered. Gates says the baby was wrapped in warm clothing and in a car seat when found…:
CUT 13 (08) “have pneumonia”
He says Ferguson is charged with criminal child abandonment. The father is keeping the child.

Federal authorities are helping the Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff’s office in locating the 31-year-old suspect who is accused in the murders of a brother and sister last night outside of a club in New Roads. They say Jamie Croom has a long criminal history and should be considered armed and dangerous.