LSU announces a timeline for finding a new live mascot and the plan is to have a new tiger before the start of the football season. Ginger Guttner with the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine says they are searching rescue facilities and sanctuaries for a young, male tiger to become Mike VII….
cut 5 (05) “…in August”
But Guttner says the school is ending the decades old tradition of Mike in attendance for LSU football games.

The Louisiana Office of Tourism and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau team up with a marketing firm in China to bring more Chinese tourists to the Bayou State. Assistant Tourism Secretary Kyle Edmiston says the Chinese travel market is the fasted growing inbound market in the US…:
Cut 8 (11) “6 million”
He says thanks to the partnership with East West Marketing Corporation, Louisiana is in a position to be a top destination for Chinese travelers.

If you’re struggling to lose weight, LSU Pennington Biomedical Doctor Steven Heymsfield suggests behavioral counseling. Heymsfield says an obese individual must lose 5-8-percent of their weight in one to two years to have successfully completed the program….
cut 12 (09) “…diabetes”
Heymsfield says many YMCAs offer an affordable high intensity lifestyle treatment, along with commercial companies like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.

We’ve seen heavy rainfall across southeast Louisiana today. Christopher Bannan with the National Weather Service in Slidell says some areas experienced 2-5 inches of rain in a short period of time. He says this strong weather system will continue to affect much of the state into the weekend…:
Cut 4 (07) “Sunday morning”
There’s the potential of severe weather impacting more than just southeast Louisiana tomorrow and Saturday.

We’ve seen large rainfall totals, especially in southeast Louisiana today. Christopher Bannon, with the National Weather Service in Slidell says a system stalled over Texas is pushing wet weather towards the Bayou State…
cut 3 (05) “…our area’
Stormy weather, with heavy rainfall is possible for tomorrow and Saturday as well.

LSU plans to have a new live tiger mascot by August. LSU School of Veterinary Medicine spokesperson Ginger Guttner says they have yet to pick out a young, male tiger that will become Mike the Seven, but they are confident it will happen soon. She says in April they will also make renovations to Mike’s habitat, so that it can be accredited as a tiger sanctuary…
cut 7 (10) “…needs one”
Guttner says they are also ending the tradition of having Mike paraded around the field before football games.

State Police say three people are dead and a child is in serious condition following a crash in Allen Parish. Sgt. James Anderson says around 10am this morning, a vehicle traveling west on Hwy 190 in Kinder crossed the center line…:
CUT 14 (11) “other vehicle”

The Louisiana Office of Tourism is looking to bring more tourists from China to the Bayou State. Assistant Tourism Secretary Kyle Edmiston says they know Chinese travelers spend more money than other foreign tourists in Louisiana, so this would be a huge economic impact for the state….
cut 10 (10) “…for the state”
Edmiston says to get more China tourists in Louisiana, they’ve hired China-based East West Marketing Corporation.

LSU announces they plan to have a new tiger before the start of the 2017 football season. Ginger Guttner with the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine says the search is on at resuce facilities for a young male tiger to become Mike VII. But she says Mike will no longer attend football games
Cut 6 (03) “see him.”

And Guttner says in April, Mike’s habitat will undergo renovations, which are expected to be complete by August.

The Louisiana Office of Tourism and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau are partnering with a Chinese marketing firm to bring in more tourists from China to the Bayou State. Assistant Tourism Secretary Kyle Edmiston says the Chinese love our food, music, and culture. He says there is easy access to Louisiana because of direct flights from China to Houston.
Cut 9 (08) “their trip.”
Are you having trouble keeping up with your New Year’s fitness resolution? Dr. Steven Heymsfield with LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center says high intensity lifestyle treatment can help with weight loss if cutting calories is not working. He also adds medication for obese and overweight individuals can help with weight management.
Cut 13 (09) “time period”

Obesity can lead to an increased risk for diabetes, hypertension, and some cancers.
The Louisiana National Guard’s 773rd Military Police Battalion is in Washington D.C. to assist in security for the 58th Presidential Inauguration tomorrow. More than 170 soldiers with the state’s National Guard will conduct security operations along the parade route, accompanied by Guardsmen from Kansas and South Dakota. This is the first time the 773rd has been a part of a presidential inauguration.

LSU announces a timeline for finding a new live mascot and the plan is to have a new tiger before the start of the football season. Ginger Guttner with the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine says they are searching rescue facilities and sanctuaries for a young, male tiger to become Mike VII….
cut 5 (05) “…in August”
But Guttner says LSU is officially ending the tradition of having Mike attend football games.

The leader of the state House Republican delegation has offered a plan to reduce state spending by 304-million dollars in order to alleviate a midyear shortfall. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris is proposing 147-million dollars in cuts to the health department, also cuts to state prisons, roadwork and K-through-12 education. Harris tells the Associated Press that Republicans are not proposing any cuts to public colleges.

State Police say three people were killed in a head-on crash in Allen Parish in Kinder this morning. Sergeant James Anderson says they are still trying to figure out what happened…
cut 15 (08) “…center line”
A young child in one of the vehicles is also in serious condition.

If you’re having trouble losing weight, behavioral counseling could help. Michelle Southern has more…
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

A Flash flood watch is in effect for much of southeast Louisiana until this evening. Christopher Bannan with the National Weather Service in Slidell says some areas have already experienced 2-5 inches of rain in a short period of time. He says this strong weather system will continue affect much of the state into the weekend…:
Cut 5 (07) “Sunday morning”

Struggling to be successful with your New Year’s fitness resolution? Dr. Steven Heymsfield with LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Center says if cutting calories is not working for you, undergoing behavioral counseling could help with weight loss…:
cut 11 (11) “treatment”
Heymsfield says many YMCAs offer an affordable high intensity lifestyle treatment, along with commercial companies like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.

The Louisiana Office of Tourism and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau announce a new partnership with East West Marketing Corporation in China to boost tourism. Halen Doughty has more…:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

State Police say three people are dead and a child is in serious condition following a crash in Allen Parish. Sgt. James Anderson says around 10am Thursday morning, a vehicle traveling west on Hwy 190 in Kinder crossed the center line…:
CUT 14 (11) “other vehicle”
He says a child was seriously injured in the second vehicle.

Southeast Louisiana is getting soaked today and most of the region is under a flash flood watch until this evening. Christopher Bannan with the National Weather Service in Slidell says the big concern with this heavy rainfall is localized street flooding and the Baton Rouge area has already experienced this…:
cut 4 (06) “drain poorly”
He says we’ll get a one day break tomorrow before things get ugly again starting Friday night and into Saturday.

The state budget deficit for the current fiscal year has dropped to $304 million; from $313 million. So what does this mean for Louisiana’s colleges and universities? Higher Ed Commissioner Joe Rallo says if lawmakers decide against tapping into the Rainy Day Fund to help plug the budget hole, it could be detrimental to post-secondary schools..:
cut 25 (10) “$66 million”
But House Republicans call that kicking the can down the road.

The Louisiana Office of Tourism and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau is teaming up with a marketing firm in China to bring more Chinese tourists to the Bayou State. Assistant Tourism Secretary Kyle Edmiston says the Chinese travel market is the fasted growing inbound market in the US. He says it currently ranks third, but is poised to grow to number one by 2021…:
Cut 8 (11) “6 million”
He says thanks to the partnership with East West Marketing Corporation, Louisiana is in a position to be a top destination for Chinese travelers.

LSU announced today that nose guard Travonte Valentine is no longer a member of the football team. Valentine played in the first five games of last season and recorded 10 tackles, but didn’t play in the final seven.

A Flash flood watch is in effect for much of southeast Louisiana until this evening. Christopher Bannan with the National Weather Service in Slidell says a system stalled over Texas is pushing wet weather towards the Bayou State and the potential impact is two to five inches of rain in a short period of time, with isolated higher amounts…:
Cut 3 (05) “are area”
The Baton Rouge Metro Airport has already received three inches of rain; and Zachary 5 inches. There’s also a slight risk for severe weather in the Houma and New Orleans areas.

Baton Rouge Police are looking for information leading to the arrest of a person who killed a 15-year-old girl driving in her car last night. Sgt. Don Coppola says Au’Miracle McElwee and the passengers in her car were talking to people in the Glen Oaks area when gunfire erupted..:
Cut 6 (06) “unharmed”
Investigators do not know if the teen was the intended target.

Louisiana Republicans are flocking to Washington ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration Friday. Jeff Palermo has the story.:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Louisiana Office of Tourism announce the hiring of China-based East West Marketing Corporation — an effort aimed at bringing more Chinese tourists to Louisiana. It includes more support for public relations, consumer marketing and social media promotions. Ultimately Louisiana wants to take advantage of the Chinese travel market.