Governor John Bel Edwards took time today to reflect on what he says has been a rewarding but challenging year as well. Jeff Palermo has the story…
voicer 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

Some Entergy customers will see a refund on their January bill. The refund is a result of an agreement approved by state regulators regarding a dispute over 140-million dollars in repairs to the Waterford 3 nuclear power plant. The typical refund will be worth about 40-dollars and there will be a small reduction in monthy rates going forward.

Next year State Police will begin equipping 700 troopers with a body camera. State Police Colonel Mike Edmonson says each trooper will be quipped with two cameras, and they will automatically turn on if a trooper activates a stun gun. Edmonson hopes these new cameras will improve transparency between police and citizens…
cut 14 (09) “…being honest”
Troopers in New Orleans will be the first to get the body cameras and they hope to have them statewide by next summer.

A trail camera in Morehouse Parish captured a pic of a live wild cougar in November and it’s been authenticated by the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. L-D-W-F biologist Maria Davidson says it’s the first verified cougar sighting in Louisiana since 2011. She says it’s likely this animal has moved on from the area…:
CUT 7 (09) “the same place”

State Police announced today that Louisiana is the first state that will equip all state troopers with body cameras. Don Molino has more…
Cut 2 (26) “I’m Don Molino”

Governor John Bel Edwards calls 2016 a challenging year. Edwards says he entered office and immediately addressed an unprecedented budget deficit by making cuts and raising revenues through tax increases…:
Cut 9 (09) “myself in”
He say the most difficult day was July 17th, that’s when three police officers were killed in Baton Rouge.

Louisiana wildlife and fisheries secretary Charlie Melancon tells the Associated Press that he’s resigning immediately, because people in the office are making it difficult for him to implement reforms to improve the department’s finances. After clashing with recreational fishermen and employees with L-D-W-F, it was announced that Melancon would leave in February, but he’s decided to step down now.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries confirms the first sighting of a wild cougar in the state since 2011. It said a trail camera picture sent to the department in November out of Morehouse Parish is authentic. L-D-W-F biologist Maria Davidson says this is unusual as there is no cougar population here:
CUT 6 (10) “thousands of miles”
She says they move so fast that there is little chance the cougar would still be in Northeast Louisiana.

Governor John Bel Edwards met with reporters today outlined his goals for 2017. Edwards says addressing long-term structural budget reform, so that Louisiana has a fair and predictable tax structure is a priority. Edwards says his administration also plans on tackling criminal justice reform…
cut 11 (09) “…saved money”

Louisiana will become the first state to equip all State Troopers with body cameras. State Police Col. Mike Edmonson says they hope all troopers in the state will have body cameras before this summer. He says they plan to start rolling out the first round of body cams after the holidays.
cut 12 (10) “up first”
Existing dollars in L-S-P’s budget will pay for it.

State wildlife biologists have determined that a picture of a four-legged animal taken in Morehouse Parish is that of a cougar. It’s the first time the state has been able to verify a cougar sighting since 2011. Maria Davidson says cougars are known to travel hundreds of miles, so it’s likely the animal is no longer in Louisiana, but they encourage the public to report any physical evidence of cougar sightings…
cut 8 (09) “…orginated from”

Louisiana women earned about 76% of what their male counterparts earned from 2014-2015, according to the Us Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tulane business professor Dr. Mark Rosa says almost no one would argue that women and men should be paid the same, but there are a lot of labor intensive jobs in Louisiana..:
CUT 4 (09) “welding job”

Governor John Bel Edwards met with reporters today to talk about the challenges and successes of 2016. Edwards says his most difficult day in office came on July 17th when a gunman shot six Baton Rouge law enforcement officers, killing three of them. He says the two historic floods were also challenging…
cut 10 (12) “…13 individuals”

Governor Edwards has fought for Equal Pay during his time in office and there’s a new report that shows women earn on average 76-percent of the salary men make in Louisiana. Tulane Business Professor Mark Rosa says business owners agree with the concept of equal pay for equal work, but it’s hard to make it a reality when job duties are diffferent…
cut 5 (07) “…to pay”

State Police Colonel Mike Edmonson announces that troopers will begin wearing body cameras next year. Edmonson says law enforcement around the state are changing their training methods to better prepare officers for the field, and the footage from these cameras will help improve their methods. He says from a training perspective, this is a homerun….
cut 13 (11) ‘…look at”
The cameras will be paid for through the existing State Police budget at a cost of five-point-three million dollars over five years.

A Mississippi man has been charged with arson for starting a fire that caused damage to the ULM waterski house. Campus surveillance captured video footage and authorities have determined that 36-year-old Michael Daquilla of Centerville allegedly set fire to the building. Daquilla has no known connections to ULM.

Governor John Bel Edwards took time today to reflect on what he says has been a rewarding but challenging year as well. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Governor Edwards also appeared with State Police Col Mike Edmonson today to announce that Louisiana will become the first state in the nation to supply all state troopers with body cameras. Edmonson says they plan to roll out the cameras in the French Quarter next year and expand from there. He adds the cost will be about $5.3 million over the next five years with money from the existing budget.

A trail camera in Morehouse Parish captured a pic of a live wild cougar, and it’s been authenticated by the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Maria Davidson is LDWF’s Large Carnivore Program Manager. She says they got the picture in November and it’s not likely that this animal is still in Northeast Louisiana…:
CUT 7 (09) “the same place”
She says they encourage people to report any physical evidence of cougar sightings.

Many people don’t know that when they buy an item online from a retailer that doesn’t tack on state and local sales taxes, consumers are responsible for reporting the purchase. Amazon is going to begin automatically adding the taxes in January according to Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson…:
CUT 13 (09) “on me”
She says the state should see an improvement in collections as a result of this.

Governor John Bel Edwards calls 2016 a challenging year, but also very rewarding and positive as well. Edwards says he entered office and immediately addressed an unprecedented budget deficit by making cuts and raising revenues through tax increases…:
Cut 9 (09) “myself in”
He say the most difficult day was when he learned of the police officer shootings in Baton Rouge on July 17th. The governor is now with State Police to announce that Louisiana will become the first state in a nation to supply all state troopers with body cameras.

Today is the first day of winter, but State climatologist Barry Keim says the forecast is calling for warmer and drier than normal conditions for the next three months…:
cut (09) “with precipitation”
He says Louisianians can expect temperatures in the 70s Christmas weekend.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries confirms the first sighting of a wild cougar in the state since 2011. It said a trail camera picture sent to the department in November out of Morehouse Parish is authentic. Maria Davidson is LDWF’s Large Carnivore Program Manager. She says this is unusual as there is no cougar population here:
CUT 6 (10) “thousands of miles”
She says they move so fast that there is little chance the cougar would still be in Northeast Louisiana.

An assistant warden at Angola was reportedly arrested Tuesday on rape charges in an incident he allegedly committed at his home which is on prison property. The suspect is identified as 34-year-old Barrett Boeker.

Governor John Bel Edwards is at this hour remarking to reporters on the good and the bad of Louisiana in 2016. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the governor inherited a historic budget deficit when he took office on January 11th, which took up most of his time during the first half of the year…:
CUT 7 (09) “on that”
He says Edwards was able to raise over $1.5 billion in revenues this year, but there are still challenges ahead in 2017.

There’s been a lot of talk about the news that Amazon will begin charging state and local sales taxes at the start of the year. State Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson says the online retailer has gone forward with voluntary compliance…:
cut 14 (08) “about it”
She says Louisiana law has always required consumers to pay taxes on items they purchase online.

Louisiana women earned about 76% of what their male counterparts earned from 2014-2015, according to the Us Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s a 1.4% decline from the prior year. Tulane business professor Dr. Mark Rosa says almost no one would argue that women and men should be paid the same, but there are a lot of labor intensive jobs in Louisiana..:
CUT 4 (09) “welding job”
The statistics show women in Louisaina had a median weekly income of $630 to $828 for men.

Gov. John Bel Edwards and Venture Global LNG announced today the company will invest $8.5 billion to develop a natural gas liquefaction facility and export terminal in Plaquemines Parish. They say Plaquemines LNG will create 250 new direct jobs at an average annual salary of $70,000 per year, plus benefits. Full operations are expected to begin in 2022.