Louisiana will receive another round of freezing temperatures this weekend. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”
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Governor John Bel Edwards announced that the state is seeking funding for three major infrastructure projects. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle”
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Another cold air mass is bringing Canadian air into Louisiana, dropping temperatures well below normal. Temperatures are expected to drop throughout today and then the coldest air of the weekend will settle in with overnight temperatures below freezing statewide. State climatologist Barry Keim…
Cut 3 (13) “on Sunday.”
Keim says the brutal north winds will drop the wind chills much like what we saw last week…
Cut 4 (10) “wind chill.”
Last time we saw an arctic outbreak, there were several house fires resulting in over a dozen fatalities. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says those homes didn’t have a working smoke alarm and used dangerous means to heat their homes…
Cut 5 (09) “some fires.”
Browning says it’s important to check on neighbors, especially if they are older. It’s also a good idea to do a maintenance check of their heating and electrical system…
Cut 6 (10) “the weekend.”
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The Legislative Women’s Caucus is investigating to see if it is necessary to overhaul sexual harassment policies for the legislature and state government employees. Chairman and New Orleans Representative Helena Moreno finds it disturbing even though policies are in place, it’s hard to hold legislators accountable if they were accused of sexual harassment…
Cut 7 (11) “the legislature.”
Moreno says the current policies are antiquated and need to be brought up to date to ensure a comfortable and productive working environment. Her hope is if persons are found guilty of sexual harassment allegations, they will be held accountable…
Cut 8 (08) “this manner.”
Moreno says the committee is also investigating to see if an online sexual harassment course that legislators are required to take is presented in a way that educates them enough to protect them and others they work with…
Cut 9 (08) “as well.”
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Governor John Bel Edwards announces the state will seek 600 million dollars in loans to pay for major highway projects. If accepted, the bonds will finance a major expansion of I-10 in Baton Rouge, the I-10 Loyola interchange in Kenner, and construction of an interchange into Barksdale Airforce Base in Bossier City. Edwards says the state will use federal highway money to pay back the loans…
Cut 10 (09) “12 years.”
In essence, the state will use future federal highway funds to pay back the debt. If federal funding changes, the state will be required to pay the difference.
Edwards says motorists who use I-10 between the Mississippi River Bridge, and the I-10/I-12 split on a daily basis are tired of sitting in traffic and it’s time to address this problem…
Cut 11 (10) “in the state.”
The Airforce has been requesting the state improve roads around Barksdale Airforce Base in Bossier City. Edwards says connecting the base to I-20 will help the state avoid losing Barksdale in any future base realignments…
Cut 12 (11) “into that base”
The financing plans will need to be approved by state lawmakers and the bond commission. The projects will need to be reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration.
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The Saints face their toughest match up of the season as they roll into the frozen north to take on Minnesota. The Black and Gold are five point underdogs against a Vikings team that hasn’t allowed more than 20 points at home. Saints analyst Mike Detillier says there’s only one way to beat a defense like that…
Cut 13 (08) “ball over”
The game is a rematch of the season opener that the saints lost 29-19 in Minneapolis, but both teams are radically different now. There’s nearly two dozen new starters and key contributors between the two that didn’t play much in the first match up. Detillier says there’s a new X-factor for the Saints this time around…
Cut 14 (11) “runningback situation”
The game kicks off at 3:40 Sunday on FOX.
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26-year-old Neilson Rizzoto was sentenced to five years in prison today after plowing into a crowd of parade goers during last year’s Endymion parade in New Orleans. The crash injured 32 people and police said Rizzuto had a .232 blood alcohol level. The court also is ordering him to attend AA and MADD meetings. Legal analyst Tim Meche says Rizzoto should be thankful he gets another chance…
Cut 15 (12) “other people.”
He pled guilty to 11 felony counts of vehicular negligent injuring and 13 misdemeanor counts. He faced a maxium 55 year sentence. Meche says Rizzoto’s sentence is an example of the new criminal justice reform measures put in place…
Cut 16 (11) “a third.”