Louisiana transportation officials are trying to grab their share of a one point five trillion dollar infra-structure plan President Trump campaigned on. While the plan is still locked behind closed doors a Louisiana delegation is headed to Washington. Matt Doyle explains.

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The founder of Panola Pepper near Lake Providence has passed away. Bubber Brown Senior died at the age of 83. He founded the spice company in 1983. His daughter and husband have been running the company for several years.

A special Louisiana Legislative session begins a week from today in Baton Rouge. Lawmakers will be wrestling with a massive one billion dollar deficit in the budget. While budget deficits are old hat for most legislators the governor want to renew some temporary sales taxes while other lawmakers argue it’s time to move forward and look for a different money strain. Representative Gene Reynolds is the democratic caucus chair

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The seventeen day special session will feature 17 different items the governor has outlined in his call.

A Baton Rouge Police officer is recovering from injuries sustained following a shooting last night. The suspect, 34 year old Eugene Thomas Jr. is charged with five counts of attempted murder. Bond has not yet been set but officials say it will be set later this morning. The officer is expected to survive, but sustained severe injuries.

A one billion dollar shortfall in the state’s budget tops the agenda of a special session set a week from today. Legislators are confident a solution can be found.

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That special session ends March 7^th.

Mardi Gras day of course is tomorrow in the Big Easy. TODAY the king of carnival…Rex will make his way from the west bank of New Orleans across the river to begin his reign over the city.

A  Baton Rouge police officer is recovering from injuries sustained after allegedly being shot at by 34 year old Eugene Thomas Jr, yesterday. Thomas is charged with the attempted first degree murder of his mother, sister, cousin, and a friend… along with attempted first degree murder of a police officer.  The name of the injured officer has not been released.

Raising cane’s held its annual corporate meeting in Baton Rouge at the Raising cane’s river-center recently. The fastest growing chicken chain first opened near LSU in the mid-90’s and it’s CEO Todd Graves says the company is moving even farther up the food chain.

Cut 14 (:12) “in Hawaii.”

Cane’s will expand to 360 stores in 26 states when this phase is complete.

Governor John Bel Edwards and State Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson are in Washington to discuss infrastructure plans with the Trump Administration. The President could soon unveil a massive new infrastructure spending plan. Wilson says today’s roundtable discussion is a great opportunity to bring attention to the state’s aging infrastructure.
Cut 4 (09) “additional investment.”
The President said during the State of Union he wants Congress to approve a 1.5 trillion dollar infrastructure spending bill.

A Monroe man has invented a new dog leash that he says gives you better control of your dog. Ian Blayock says Streamleash features a wrist strap, so you do not have to grip the leash in you hands. He says if you dog starts sprinting in a different direction, he just squeezes his hand and the leash locks into place.
cut 8 (07) “…in control”
For more information go to streamleash-dot-com.

A special session on fixing the fiscal cliff begins a week from today. Legislators will have to decide what to do about a one-cent sales tax that expires July 1st. Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Reynolds opposes renewing it…
cut 11 (08) “…look at”
Republicans say they want to pass bills to reduce spending.

Raising Cane’s announces plans to continue expanding its chicken finger fast food chain. Kelley Ray has more.
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Legislative leaders are optimistic the February special session will end with a deal to fill the one billion dollar budget gap that’s the result of the expiration of sales taxes in July. The session will begin February 19th, and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Reynolds says the two sides are getting close on an agreement.
Cut 10 (09) “this done”
Governor Edwards has pushed for replacing the expiring one cent sales tax by eliminating certain sales tax deductions that benefit businesses. House Republican Caucus Chairman Lance Harris says he’s open to eliminating those deductions, if it’s coupled with spending reductions.
Cut 13 (11) “payers pockets”
The session must come to end by March 7th

Governor John Bel Edwards and state Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson are in Washington DC today to participate in a roundtable discussion at the White House about President Donald Trump’s plans to improve infrastructure across the country. The White House has indicated states may be required to put up additional matching dollars to get access to the potential wealth of federal infrastructure dollars. If so, Wilson says failing to pass a gas tax increase could make it tough to get those funds.
Cut 6 (10) “federal dollar.”

President Trump campaigned on revitalizing the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, and reports indicate that he could be close to unveiling a potential 1.5 trillion dollar plan. Matt Doyle has the story.

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Lawmakers are optimistic a deal will be reached to fix the fiscal cliff. Jeff Palermo talked to legislative leadership about what they expect in the special session.

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Raising Cane’s recently held their annual meeting in Baton Rouge with a couple of exciting announcements.  Kelley Ray has more.

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Governor John Bel Edwards and State Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson are in Washington to discuss infrastructure plans with the Trump Administration. Reports indicate the President could soon unveil a massive new infrastructure spending plan. Wilson says today’s roundtable discussion is a great opportunity to bring attention to the state’s aging infrastructure.

Cut 4  (09) “additional investment.” 

The reports indicate the President could be seeking as much as 1.5 trillion dollars in new infrastructure spending. Wilson says if the feds put up that kind of money, the state would immediately get to work on a twenty year backlog of projects.

Cut 5  (09)  “put together”

The White House has indicated states may be required to put up additional matching dollars to get access to the potential wealth of federal infrastructure dollars. If so, Wilson says failing to pass a gas tax increase could make it tough to get those funds.

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A Monroe man has designed a product called Streamleash to help you have better control of your dog. Ian Blaylock says as a runner, if his dog quickly ran in one direction, he would lose his balance and control of his pet. He says Streamleash allows the leash to extend, but the user is in control of the cord length…

Cut 7 (09)  “your dog.”

Blayock says Streamleash features a wrist strap, so you no longer have to grip the leash in you hands, which can be difficult to do if you are on a long walk or run. He says if you dog starts sprinting in a different direction, he just squeezes his hand the leash locks into place…

Cut 8 (07) “in control.”

Blayock has a Kickstarter campaign in the hopes of raising $55,000 so he can create an initial order of 2,000. He says retractable leases are useless for training, but he hopes the Streamless can be instrumental in creating an obedient dog…

Cut 9 (11)  “leader of the pack.”

So far, the Kickstarter project has raised 21-hundred-dollars.  Blaylock says orders made through the website will begin being delivered in May.

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Legislative leaders are optimistic the February special session will end with a deal to fill the one billion dollar budget gap that’s the result of the expiration of sales taxes in July. The session will begin February 19^th, and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Reynolds says the two sides are getting close on an agreement.

Cut 10 (09) “this done”

Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s open to making any deal that does not include renewing a temporary one cent sales tax that’s set to expire. Reynolds says it’s a non-starter for any negotiation.

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Congress approved a spending bill that reopened the federal government after a brief shutdown. Louisiana’s delegation voted three to five against accepting the budget deal. Senator John Kennedy voted against the bill, saying the spending increases are not paid for.

Cut 9 (10) “new expenses.”

Representative Ralph Abraham is not happy about increasing the deficit, but he says the predictions for how much the debt will balloon may be overstated.

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Abraham says the increase in defense spending will be a substantial boost the to Louisiana economy. Kennedy was joined in voting no by Senator Bill Cassidy, and Representatives Cedric Richmond, Mike Johnson, and Garret Graves. Representatives Abraham, Clay Higgins, and Steve Scalise voted yes.

It’s going to be a rainy weekend for the busiest Carnival time in South Louisiana.  Many of the larger parades are scheduled for today and tonight.  After the fun here, Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser plans to be in Washington DC on Fat Tuesday to promote the state’s new tourism slogan, “Louisiana: Feed Your Soul.” He says it’s his hope that it will be a safe Mardi Gras and he knows our state and local law enforcement is working hard to make sure it is…

Cut 5  (07)  “any incidents”

A couple of parades in Lafayette have been cancelled. The Krewe of Omega and Krewe of Barkus parades scheduled for today will not run. There are no plans to reschedule them. The Endymion Krewe has announced that the largest parade in New Orleans, will roll at 4:30 this afternoon rain or shine.

Carnival season ramps up today, but threatening weather could put a damper on things. Some areas of the state could see a couple of inches of rain.  Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says knows that will not dampen the spirit of the many who visit the state for Louisiana’s largest celebration….

Cut 4  (12) “of the state” 

Even though it will seem gloomy, above normal temperatures will remain, which state climatologist Barry Keim says will help it to feel more like spring…

Cut 7 (07)  “overcast skies.”

The Endymion Krewe has announced that the largest parade in New Orleans, will roll at 4:30 this afternoon rain or shine.

Governor John Bel Edwards has called for a special session to start on February 19^th.  The 17-day special session is being called to address a one-billion-dollar fiscal cliff facing the state starting July 1^st when a one-cent sales tax drops off the books.  He wants to change the budget and tax policy, while the GOP says the Governor’s excessive spending needs to stop and no new taxes are necessary.

Attorney General Jeff Landry filed a lawsuit against the Corps of Engineers alleging that the Corps expanded the Intracoastal Waterway in Vermillion Parish beyond the borders set in a 1920s agreement.  He says even though there are agreements that allow states to construct new waterways, Landry says those states wouldn’t have allowed the Corp to over expand…

Cut 15 (09) “its right”

The Governor says he’ll review the suit, but is concerned Landry did not consult with him, or the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.

Governor John Bel Edwards has called for a special session to start on February 19^th.  The 17-day special session is being called to address a one-billion-dollar fiscal cliff facing the state starting July 1^st when a one-cent sales tax drops off the books.  His plan calls for structural changes to the budget and tax policy. He is proposing to replace 994-million-dollars to keep TOPS and healthcare funded.  The GOP has said the Governor’s excessive spending needs to stop.

Attorney General Jeff Landry filed a lawsuit against the Corps of Engineers alleging that the Corps expanded the Intracoastal Waterway in Vermillion Parish beyond the borders set in a 1920s agreement. Landry says he’s seeking to force the Corps to roll back the waterway to the limits the state initially agreed to.

Cut 14 (11) “been lost”

A majority of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation voted against the spending bill that reopened the federal government after a brief shutdown…

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The carnival season ramps up this weekend with parades all across the state. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says New Orleans is the focal point for Mardi Gras, but the entire state benefits from an influx of tourists who want to be a part of the celebration….

Cut 3 (09) “of the state”

Congress approved a spending bill early Friday that reopened the federal government after a brief shutdown. The bill includes a substantial increase in defense and discretionary funding, including billions in additional disaster relief money, much of which should find its way back to 2016 Louisiana flood victims. Senator John Kennedy says despite voting against the bill, he sees some upside from the deal.

Cut 10 (10) “the waste.”

The spending bill includes a reported 165 billion dollar increase in military spending. North Louisiana Representative Ralph Abraham says that’s what got his vote.

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For many this is one of their favorite weekends of the year. Jeff Palermo has more on the Mardi Gras festivities….

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A 14-year-old Shreveport boy is in serious condition after being shot in the neck last night.  Police say the teen was walking with his friend when a person in dark clothing started walking toward the pair and started firing a weapon.  The boy sustained injuries to his neck and a foot.  He is expected to recover.  There are no suspects at this time.