State House Republican leaders believe it is not a good idea to use the Rainy Day Fund to offset Louisiana’s 313 million dollar mid-year budget shortfall. Michelle Southern has more…

CUT 1 (31) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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The Guttmacher Institute finds there was an 18-percent decline in the number of abortions in Louisiana between 2011 and 2014. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 2 (29) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Despite floods, droughts, and freezing temperatures, experts say Louisiana strawberries are doing just fine. Whitney Wallace with the LSU AgCenter doesn’t think there will be too much damage to this year’s strawberry crop. She says the freeze affected some farmers worse than others, but all in all, it should be a good season.

Cut 3 (07) “March and April”

Wallace says the multiple floods that occurred last spring and August weren’t as devastating to strawberry production as they were to other crops, because farmers weren’t planting strawberries yet when the floods hit. She says many farmers did what they could to protect their blooms from the freeze earlier this month.

cut 4  (09) “below 32″

Wallace says fortunately, most of the strawberry crop made it through the freeze unscathed, which means we should see a good crop in March and April. She says this is great news because strawberry farming is an important industry for the state.

Cut 5  (11)  “local berries”

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Several Republican in the state House say it would be a bad idea to use the Rainy Day Fund to reduce the state’s 313 million dollar mid-year budget deficit. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris, who chairs the House Republican Delegation, says the state has to stop dipping into the Rainy Day Fund every time it has budget troubles.

Cut 6 (07) “problem”

But Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says using the Rainy Day fund is necessary to soften cuts critical services like higher education and healthcare.

CUT 7 (10)  “very painful” 

Harris says when he entered the legislature five years ago, the Rainy Day Fund had over 850 million dollars in it, and today it has 357 million dollars. He says the state has a spending problem.

Cut 8 (08) “concerned about”

It will take a 2/3 vote in both the House and Senate to access money from the Rainy Day Fund. Dardenne says even with the Rainy Day Fund, more cuts will be required. He says this fund is designed to address a situation like the state is currently facing.

Cut 9 (08)  “up for”

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New research finds there was an 18-percent decline in the number of abortions in Louisiana between 2011 and 2014. Guttmacher Institute researcher Rachel Jones says nationally, there was a 12-percent decline over the same period. She credits better use of contraceptives for the decrease in abortions.

Cut 10 (06) “such as an IUD”

The study found there were less than one million abortions in the US in 2014, the lowest rate since the Roe v. Wade ruling. Jones says more effective birth control would explain the decline in states that support abortion rights. She says in some other states, women have less access to abortions than they used to.

cut 11 (08) “in abortions”

Jones says Louisiana was one of the states that experienced a large decline in abortion clinics, with 29-percent of the clinics in the state closing during the time period studied. She says Louisiana also imposed stricter regulations on abortions.

cut 12 (09) “to access abortions” 

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Three people are dead after a fiery crash in Vernon Parish. State Trooper Scott Moreau says around 1:40 a.m. troopers responded to a crash on Highway 1146 near Rosepine. He says there were three people inside a 2009 Chevy Malibu, when the driver apparently veered off the roadway and hit several trees.

Cut 13 (08) “in the vehicle”

Moreau says all three occupants were pronounced dead at the scene. He says it’s not yet known if the occupants were wearing seatbelts or if the driver was intoxicated. He says they are not releasing the suspected identities of the victims, as the investigation is ongoing.

cut 14 (09) “pending as well”

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A 47-year-old Chauvin man has turned himself into State Police for allegedly hitting a man on LA 56 in Terrebonne Parish just after midnight. Trooper Jesse LaGrange says Christopher Little saw the press release put out this morning looking for the driver of a Chrysler 300, responsible for the fatal hit and run of 39-year-old Taylor Thibodeaux.

Cut 15 (10) “way home”

LaGrange says Little’s vehicle had damage consistent with hitting a person and he was brought in for questioning where he was later arrested and charged with felony hit and run driving and improper lane usage. He says the lesson here is to pull over and search if you think you’ve hit something while driving.

Cut 16  (07)  “vehicle received”

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A new study from Tulane University finds the use of cockroach bait can eliminate enough roaches to reduce symptoms in children with asthma by about 50 days. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Hot chili peppers could help you live longer, according to a study from the University of Vermont. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The man who was shot and killed by a Slidell homeowner was high on cough syrup, according to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s office. Halen Doughty Reports…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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A Tulane University study finds the use of cockroach bait can eliminate enough pests in a home to reduce a child with moderate to severe asthma symptoms by nearly 50 days. Lead study author and Tulane University Public Health and Tropical Medicine Epidemiologist Felicia Rabito says the roaches eat the bait then go back to die…

cut 4  (10) “the children”

Asthma suffers can be highly sensitive to cockroach saliva, skin and droppings. Rabito says the study monitored 102 low income families where children were diagnosed with asthma. She says the bait was placed in slightly over half of the homes and checked about every two months.

Cut 5  (10)  “their homes”

The study also found the number of unscheduled doctor visits was 17-percent lower in the group who had bait placed in their homes. Rabito says research has shown that cockroaches are directly related to asthma illness so….

Cut 6 (08) “asthmatic kids”

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Researchers at the University of Vermont believe eating hot chili peppers could help you live longer, which is good news for Louisianans who love their spicy foods. Dr. Benjamin Littenberg with the Larner College of Medicine says their study found consumption of hot red chili peppers was associated with a 13-percent lower risk of death. He says that could have something to do with an ingredient in the pepper- capsaicin.

CUT 7 (06)  “might work”‘

Littenberg says the study followed more than 16-thousand people for about 20 years. He says they noticed something about the causes of death for people in the study who reported eating a lot of hot red chili peppers.

Cut 8 (08) “and stroke”

But Littenberg says in the science world, correlation does not prove causation, so researchers aren’t convinced that eating the peppers is why study participants lived longer. He says the findings don’t mean you should start eating the peppers if you don’t like them.

Cut 9 (07)  “chili pepper diet”

Littenberg co-authored the study with Mustafa Chopan, who is the lead author and a medical student at the university.

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Kenner Police say a man is behind bars in connection with the dismembered body parts that were discovered near the Reserve Canal off I-10. Chief Michael Glaser says a 27-year-old man from Honduras, Ivis Portales-Lara, was reported missing on November 13. He says detectives questioned his roommate, 44-year-old Viusqui Perez-Espinosa, about the man’s disappearance.

Cut 10 (10) “the walls”

Glaser says upon further investigation, larger pools of blood were discovered in the apartment. He says on December 29, a severed human arm was discovered in the canal, and it was a match to the blood in Perez-Espinosa’s apartment. He says more body parts were later discovered in the same area.

cut 11 (10) “and dismembered”

Glaser says the only part of the body that still hasn’t been discovered is the skull. He says witnesses reported seeing Perez-Espinosa loading plastic bags into his vehicle the day after the victim was reported missing.

Glaser says Perez-Espinosa previously lived in the same apartment with his now ex-girlfriend, who allowed him to stay with her and the victim when things didn’t work out at his new residence.

cut 12 (11) “the homicide”

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The man who was shot and killed by a Slidell homeowner when he was apparently acting erratic in the front yard of the residence was on a severe amount of cough syrup. That’s according to St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith. He says the shooter, 24-year-old Shane Hicks, told deputies that he was inside his home when he heard a loud noise outside.

Cut 13 (09) “and yelling”

At this point, there have been no charges filed in association with the incident, as it’s believed Hicks was in fear for his life.. Smith says Hicks was armed with a semi-automatic pistol when he asked Flores what he was doing in the yard.

cut 14 (10) “ was invincible”

Smith says Hicks asked Flores to leave, and that’s when the alleged intruder lunched toward the resident and backed him up against the house while trying to take his pistol. Hicks then fired multiple shots, fatally shooting Flores on the front porch. Smith says they learned that prior to this incident, Flores had an altercation with this girlfriend.

Cut 15 (09) “hallucinogenic effects”

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State House Republican leaders believe it is not a good idea to use the Rainy Day Fund to offset Louisiana’s 313 million dollar mid-year budget shortfall. Michelle Southern has more…

CUT 1 (31) “I’m Michelle Southern”

______________________________________

The Guttmacher Institute finds there was an 18-percent decline in the number of abortions in Louisiana between 2011 and 2014. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 2 (29) “I’m Halen Doughty”

______________________________________

Despite floods, droughts, and freezing temperatures, experts say Louisiana strawberries are doing just fine. Whitney Wallace with the LSU AgCenter doesn’t think there will be too much damage to this year’s strawberry crop. She says the freeze affected some farmers worse than others, but all in all, it should be a good season.

Cut 3 (07) “March and April”

Wallace says the multiple floods that occurred last spring and August weren’t as devastating to strawberry production as they were to other crops, because farmers weren’t planting strawberries yet when the floods hit. She says many farmers did what they could to protect their blooms from the freeze earlier this month.

cut 4  (09) “below 32”

Wallace says fortunately, most of the strawberry crop made it through the freeze unscathed, which means we should see a good crop in March and April. She says this is great news because strawberry farming is an important industry for the state.

Cut 5  (11)  “local berries”

______________________________________

Several Republican in the state House say it would be a bad idea to use the Rainy Day Fund to reduce the state’s 313 million dollar mid-year budget deficit. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris, who chairs the House Republican Delegation, says the state has to stop dipping into the Rainy Day Fund every time it has budget troubles.

Cut 6 (07) “problem”

But Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says using the Rainy Day fund is necessary to soften cuts critical services like higher education and healthcare.

CUT 7 (10)  “very painful” 

Harris says when he entered the legislature five years ago, the Rainy Day Fund had over 850 million dollars in it, and today it has 357 million dollars. He says the state has a spending problem.

Cut 8 (08) “concerned about”

It will take a 2/3 vote in both the House and Senate to access money from the Rainy Day Fund. Dardenne says even with the Rainy Day Fund, more cuts will be required. He says this fund is designed to address a situation like the state is currently facing.

Cut 9 (08)  “up for”

______________________________________

New research finds there was an 18-percent decline in the number of abortions in Louisiana between 2011 and 2014. Guttmacher Institute researcher Rachel Jones says nationally, there was a 12-percent decline over the same period. She credits better use of contraceptives for the decrease in abortions.

Cut 10 (06) “such as an IUD”

The study found there were less than one million abortions in the US in 2014, the lowest rate since the Roe v. Wade ruling. Jones says more effective birth control would explain the decline in states that support abortion rights. She says in some other states, women have less access to abortions than they used to.

cut 11 (08) “in abortions”

Jones says Louisiana was one of the states that experienced a large decline in abortion clinics, with 29-percent of the clinics in the state closing during the time period studied. She says Louisiana also imposed stricter regulations on abortions.

cut 12 (09) “to access abortions” 

______________________________________

Three people are dead after a fiery crash in Vernon Parish. State Trooper Scott Moreau says around 1:40 a.m. troopers responded to a crash on Highway 1146 near Rosepine. He says there were three people inside a 2009 Chevy Malibu, when the driver apparently veered off the roadway and hit several trees.

Cut 13 (08) “in the vehicle”

Moreau says all three occupants were pronounced dead at the scene. He says it’s not yet known if the occupants were wearing seatbelts or if the driver was intoxicated. He says they are not releasing the suspected identities of the victims, as the investigation is ongoing.

cut 14 (09) “pending as well”

________________________________________________________

A 37-year-old Chauvin man has turned himself into State Police for allegedly hitting a man on LA 56 in Terrebonne Parish just after midnight. Trooper Jesse LaGrange says Christopher Little saw the press release put out this morning looking for the driver of a Chrysler 300, responsible for the fatal hit and run of 39-year-old Taylor Thibodeaux.

Cut 15 (10) “way home”

LaGrange says Little’s vehicle had damage consistent with hitting a person and he was brought in for questioning where he was later arrested and charged with felony hit and run driving and improper lane usage. He says the lesson here is to pull over and search if you think you’ve hit something while driving.

Cut 16  (07)  “vehicle received”

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