It’s March Madness time, and a survey conducted by a staffing firm found companies who hold bracket competitions have happier employees. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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Former state lawmaker Elbert Guillory has been chosen by the Louisiana GOP to lead an outreach effort to bring more minorities to the Republican Party. Emelie Gunn has more….

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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State lawmakers are putting together a bill for the regular session that would increase the state’s gasoline tax for the first time in decades. Halen Doughty has more…

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With March Madness officially kicking off today, a staffing firm finds that nearly one in four companies organize activities tied to sporting events and it actually boosts morale. Office Team District President Brandi Britton says managers who do things like hold a bracket competition tend to have happier employees…:

Cut 4  (07) “March Madness”

Britton said they found only 14 percent of employers felt the tournament was a distraction. She said incorporating fun activities surrounding March Madness can promote a healthy mix of work and play, but managers still need to be organized about it:

Cut 5  (10)  “after work”

Britton says among those whose firms do get into the games, 37% report the top benefit is that friendly competitions help build camaraderie among colleagues. She says businesses should capitalize on major sporting events to bring teams together and have more fun at work…:

Cut 6 (09) “expectations are”

Britton says 66% percent of employees feel that celebrating sporting events can boost their overall happiness at work.

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Former state lawmaker Elbert Guillory has been chosen by the Louisiana Republican Party to lead an outreach effort to bring more minorities to the GOP. Guillory became the first black Republican state senator in 2013 when he switched from the Democratic Party. He says his hope is to convince African-American voters the Republican Party has their interest in mind.

Cut 7 (10)  “do better”

Chairman of the Louisiana GOP, Roger Villere, approached Guillory for the position. Guillory says they want the Bayou State to become a leader in engaging and expanding the party. He believes the Democratic Party is leading minorities in the wrong direction.

Cut 8 (08) “today”

Guillory says the Republican Party has demonstrated it’s more concerned about creating more jobs and tackling inner-city crime than the Democratic Party.

Cut 9 (11)  “except us”

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During his monthly call-in radio show, Governor John Bel Edwards thanked State Police Col. Mike Edmonson for his more than three and a half decades of service. The governor accepted Edmonson’s retirement yesterday, effective March 24. He says he and the Colonel have been talking about the issue for the past few days.

Cut 10 (08) “to retire”

The retirement announcement comes as multiple agencies are investigating LSP’s travel spending. Edwards says the Colonel was the longest serving Superintendent of State Police ever, heading the department for 9 years under two different administrations. The governor says from here, he will appoint an interim Superintendent.

Cut 11 (08) “State Police”

Edwards says for a permanent Superintendent, he is looking for someone who is a good communicator with leadership skills and can manage a large operation. He says as Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Services, Edmonson was also over the Office of Motor Vehicles, the Fire Marshal’s Office, and highway safety.

Cut 12 (11) “law enforcement community”

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With the legislative session approaching, lawmakers are still working on a bill that would seek to raise the state’s gasoline tax for the first time in 30 years. Democratic Representative Sam Jones of Franklin says lawmakers need to put something on the ballot to improve deteriorating roads and bridges. But he says it’s still unclear how many cents the tax would go up.

Cut 13 (09) “talked about”

A 17-cent increase to the state’s gasoline tax would generate over 500-million dollars a year. Jones says there is at least some appetite at the Capitol to increase the gas tax, but how much remains to be seen. He believes the issue should go to the voters for them to decide, because there are unmet transportation needs around the state.

Cut 14 (10) “to be addressed”

Republican Representative Steve Carter of Baton Rouge says the recommended gas tax hike from the Transportation Task Force is 23-cents a gallon, but he says it’s yet to be decided how much of an increase will go into a bill that would be debated when the session starts April 10th. He says his constituents are particularly concerned about traffic conditions.

Cut 15 (10) “a nightmare”

Carter says the entire state would benefit from a gas tax increase. Officials say every penny the gasoline tax goes up, an additional 30-million dollars can be spent on transportation needs. He says traffic congestion and crumbling roads and bridges are not unique to the Capitol City.

Cut 16 (10) “we may have”

Motorists currently pay 38-cents in federal and state gasoline taxes, and 20-cents is from the state. Any increase to the state gasoline tax would take a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.

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Patriots restricted free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler is set to meet with the Saints today at their headquarters in Metairie. There’s been a lot of talk that New Orleans would like to acquire the 27-year-old who intercepted four passes last season. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says Butler would be a good fit on the Black and Gold…

Cut 17 (13)  “the Texans”

The Saints have an estimated 12.5 million dollars left in salary cap space and they have to sign their draft picks. Detillier anticipates the Saints will be creative if they are able to sign Butler to a longterm deal…

Cut 18 (16) “big investment”

The Patriots can match any offer the Saints make. But Detillier believes the two teams will work out some sort of sign and trade deal to bring Butler to Big Easy. Detillier says Butler would give the Saints a quality starting cornerback to go along with Delvin Breaux

Cut 19 (14)   “for tomorrow”

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office found four shot to death and one injured this morning at an apartment complex in Metairie. Emelie Gunn has more…

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State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson announces his plans to retire March 24 amid ongoing investigations into his agency. Michelle Southern has more…

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A Denham Springs contractor has been arrested after allegedly defrauding two Baton Rouge flood victims. BRPD Sgt. Don Coppola says 48-year-old Andrew Darian contacted two female victims, one of whom was 70-years-old, about doing work on their homes.

Cut 3 (12) “from them”

Coppola says Darian would even change his number after getting the money. He says unfortunately, we’ve seen similar cases of fraud by supposed contractors since the August flood. He says this adds an extra burden on the victims.

cut 4  (11) “to rebuild”

Coppola says Darian is charged with home improvement fraud, felony theft, misapplication of payment, and theft of assets of an aged person. He says it’s unclear if Darian has any other victims, but if you have been a victim of contractor fraud you should  contact authorities.

Cut 5  (10)  “help you out”

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Jefferson Parish authorities found four people dead at an apartment complex in Metairie early this morning. Sheriff Newell Normand says when authorities arrived they found three people dead and a woman shot in the face, who was transported to a local hospital. He says as deputies were canvasing the scene, a nearby apartment had an open door…

Cut 6 (10) “of age”

Normand says they are working to identify the four victims. He says originally they were investigating a triple homicide and finding another body turns back the clock on the investigation.

CUT 7 (07)  “original scene”

Normand says three men and one woman were pronounced dead at the scene and the injured female is reported to be in stable condition. He says it’s too early in the investigation to speculate about what exactly happened.

Cut 8 (06) “information”

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After spending nine years as the leader of State Police, Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson announces his plans to retire March 24^th. The agency has been the center of controversy regarding questionable travel by four state troopers. Edmonson says he loves his job, but stepping down brings a sense of normalcy to the department.

Cut 9 (10)  “any distractions”

Edmonson says he will work with Governor John Bel Edwards and his successor to make the transition as seamless as possible. He says he wouldn’t have done anything differently because problems are always going to arise.

Cut 10 (12) “move forward”

LSP is under investigation by multiple agencies after four troopers made taxpayer funded overnight stops in Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon while heading to a training conference in San Diego. Political analyst Clancy Dubos the announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise.

cut 11 (11) “make a change”

Over a dozen members of State Police have also been subpoenaed as part of federal investigation into illegal campaign contributions involving the Louisiana State Troopers Association and its executive director. Dubos says Edmonson retirement is the best move for everyone involved.

cut 12 (11) “that organization”

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New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has decided not to go forward with his previous suggestion to close the doors of all bars in the Crescent City at 3 a.m. in an effort to increase safety. French Quarter Business League President Alex Fein says they’ve been against the idea from the get go and are glad that proposition has been taken off the table.

Cut 13 (09) “their mind”

Fein says especially on Bourbon Street, a lot of bars are open past 3 a.m. and there was a concern it could negatively affect businesses. But he says their biggest problem with the proposed change was they didn’t want the world seeing the city in a different light…

cut 14 (09) “we’re changing”

Landrieu still plans on using 40 million dollars to tighten security in the city. Fein says they are encouraged by other recommendations the mayor has to make New Orleans a safer place.

Cut 15 (10) “come visit” 

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