The LSU Basketball loss last night in the NCAA Tournament was a tough one for all. The Bayou Bengals blew a 16-point lead and fell 66-65 to North Carolina State. Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey each posted double-doubles, but Mickey was four of nine from the free throw line and missed a lay-up with 22 seconds left that would have given LSU a three-point lead. Martin finished with 16 points in what could be his last game as a Tiger…:
CUT 19 (10) “great shot”
LSU’s leading scorer was Tim Quarterman, who had 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Former New Orleans Saints Safety Darren Sharper has cut a deal on charges he drugged and raped women in four states. The Orleans DA office says details of the deal have not been made public. A news release says Sharper is also pleading guilty to charges in three other states and federal charges. There should be more information available Monday.

Some people are calling the new Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival poster beautiful art, while others feel it’s offensive and racist. The poster shows two faceless black children surrounded by strawberries. The controversy seems to have put the poster in high demand and the Ponchatoula Kiwanis Club had to order more. Festival spokesperson Shelley Matherne says the artist’s intent was to pay tribute to the festival and southern heritage…:
cut 11 (06) “and laughter”
Some on social media are saying they will boycott the festival because of the poster and others are calling for it to stop being sold.

The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office says the body of a man –who is believed to have killed his wife and 12 year-old son nearly a year ago–was been pulled from the Mississippi River Thursday. Eleven months ago, 45 year-old Ronald Green Sr. called someone and said he had killed his wife and son and planned to jump off the Mississippi River Bridge.
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The first day of Spring in northwest Louisiana has rain moving in and staying in place through much of the weekend. With the forecast of two to four inches, the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch in the region because the rain that will be hitting an already saturated ground…
CUT 5 (07) Q: “through the weekend’
That’s Meterologist Michael Berry.

The Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting death of two horses in Bertrandville. Sheriff Mike Waguespack says the horses were found by the owner in their stable, and detectives discovered they had been shot multiple times at close range…
CUT 8 (07) Q: “animal cruelty”
Waguespack says they are working on this case with agriculture and livestock investigators to get to the bottom of it. He adds that reward will be offered in this case soon.

The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival poster is getting a lot of attention this year as some are calling it beautiful art and others feel it’s offensive and racist…:
CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

Former New Orleans Saints safety Darrn Sharper has been charged with rape connected to an alleged incident in Las Vegas involving two women in January of last year. Sharper is also facing sexual assault charges in New Orleans, Phoenix and Los Angeles. A court hearing is scheduled April 3rd.
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With rain moving into Northwest Louisiana today, The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for the area through most of the weekend…
CUT 4 (11) “six inch amounts”
That Meteorologist Michael Berry, who syas the ground is already saturated.

The Louisiana casino business seems to be healthy, as state officials report they brought in $224.1 million dollars last month which is 6.8 percent higher than February the year before. However, Casino Association Executive Director Wade Duty says it isn’t too accurate because of the mid-December opening of the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles, which seems to be doing very well…:
CUT 14 (10) Q: “good things from it”

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for northwest Louisiana through most of the weekend. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard says a Denham Springs police officer acted within the law when he shot and killed a man nearly a month ago. He says it’s their finding that the cop acted accordingly and under Louisiana law in using deadly force. He noted an investigation is still being conducted.

According to state officials, Louisiana casinos brought in $224.1 million dollars last month which is 6.8 percent higher than February the year before. Casino Association Executive Director Wade Duty says while the revenues are up, this isn’t an accurate year-to-year comparison because of the mid-December opening of the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles…:
CUT 12 (10) “being reported”
He also attributes the higher revenues to lower gas prices leading to increased out of state visits.

The LSU men’s basketball team returns to Baton Rouge today after a heart breaking 66-65 loss to North Carolina State in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack got a tip-in the final second to send LSU home for the season. LSU’s leading scorer was Tim Quarterman, who had 17 points. Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey each posted double-doubles last night, now we wait to see if they’ll return for their junior seasons.

The 2015 Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival poster is being called controversial by some who feel it’s racist. The painting is by Kalle Siekkinen who apprenticed under Bill Hemmerling who was the artist of the 2008 poster “Sweet Olive” which is still in demand today. Festival spokeswoman Shelley Matherne says the depiction of the two black children is meant to build a bridge between cultures..
CUT 10 (07) “she is everybody”
The Tangipahoa NAACP says the poster is distasteful and offensive.

Governor Bobby Jindal today announced The Martin-Brower Company will make a $16 million dollar capital investment to build a food distribution facility in Livingston Parish. They say the company will create 30 new direct jobs in walker that will provide an additional $1.3 million in new annual payroll by 2020.

Former New Orleans Saints Safety Darren Sharper has been charged with rape in Las Vegas. He already faces sexual assault charges in Los Angeles, New Orleans and Phoenix.

The Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting death of two horses in Bertrandville. Sheriff Mike Waguespack says they were contacted by the owner after he discovered his horses lying on the ground. Waguespack says when officers arrived they found that the two horses had been shot multiple times…:
CUT 6 (08) “gunshot wounds”
He says a reward will be offered in this case. The other horse did have to be put down.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for northwest Louisiana starting at 4pm today through most of the weekend. The watch will remain in effect through Sunday morning. Meteorologist Michael Berry says scattered showers began moving into the area this morning…:
CUT 3 (08) “Saturday night”
Berry says they’re expecting rainfall amounts of two to four inches, with some areas possibly getting six inches of rain. He says there is definitely a threat of flooding with high waters in rivers and lakes across north Louisiana.

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s office says a man is under arrest accused of being responsible for a six week old baby being on life support. They say deputies responded to a hospital and found out the injuries to the baby’s brain were consistent with shaken baby syndrome. 26-year-old Michael Marcel of Houma is under arrest for attempted second degree murder.

The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival poster is getting a lot of attention this year as some are calling it beautiful art and others feel it’s offensive and racist. The painting depicts two black children surrounded by strawberries. Festival spokeswoman Shelley Matherne says art is subjective and interpretive…:
CUT 9 (04) “strawberry industry”
But the Greater NAACP of Tangipahoa Parish says the poster is a reminder of blackface performers and is offensive and distasteful.

This weekend will be a great one for a good crawfish boil. Not only are the prices down but they are also in excellent supply according to LAU AgCenter Aquaculture professor Ray McClain. He says this could actually be one of the better crawfish seasons that Louisiana has seen in the past several years…:
CUT 13 (10) “a good supply”
They say you could easily see boiled crawfish coming in at $3.50 a pound this weekend.

A survey by MarblePort Polling shows it could come down to Republican US Senator David Vitter and Democratic state representative John Bel Edwards in a runoff. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

There’s been quite a stir over the 2015 Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival poster which depicts two black children. Some are saying it’s racist and others say it’s beautiful. The negatives are coming from folks who say the painting is a reminder of blackface performers and is offensive and distasteful. Others defend the poster as southern art an relevant to the festival.

The Spring Equinox occurs later today at precisely 5:45pm our time, marking the end of winter and the very beginning of Spring. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the good news is that the Climate Prediction Center says we should have normal temperatures throughout the season…:
CUT 6 (08) “much much welcome”
He says while temps will be normal, more precipitation is in the forecast over spring months.

According to state officials, Louisiana casinos brought in $224.1 million dollars last month which is 6.8 percent higher than February the year before. Lake Charles saw the biggest gain with a 28 percent increase from February 2014…the difference likely inflated by the brand new Golden Nugget which opened in December.

A MarblePort Polling survey on Louisiana’s governor’s race shows Republican David Vitter leading the field with 34-percent of the vote, followed by Democrat John Bel Edwards with 31-percent and Republicans Jay Dardenne and Scott Angelle with 14-percent and 7-percent, respectively. MarblePort Founder Ethan Zorfas says there is still time for Dardenne and Angelle to make an impact in this election, but both need to work hard to expand their name recognition and message…

cut 9 (06) “media markets”

The gubernatorial election is October 24.

The Louisiana National Guard has received 10 bids from companies with ideas on ways to get rid of the 15 million pounds M6 propellant at Camp Minden. Col Pete Schneider says based on analysis of all the proposals by all committee members, hopefully a recommendation will be made…

cut 16 (11) “process is thorough”

Not many details are being released about the bids themselves or the ideas being presented.

Crawfish season is in full swing in Louisiana and it looks like this weekend will be prime for a boil. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 3 (30) “reporting”

LSU’s return to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was short lived as the Tigers blew a 16-point lead and fell to North Carolina State 66-65. LSU missed its last 12 shots from the field and six free throws in the final four minutes to allow the Wolfpack to steal the victory. The Tigers end their season with a 22-11 record.