A Rapides Parish child day care center is shut down after children are seen wandering outside the facility.  Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Louisiana based Raising Cane’s says they plan to open 80 restaurants this year in the U.S. and the Middle East.   They are in 23 states now with 360 locations with plans to expand to New Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii.    In the Middle East, they operate in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.  They expect to run 600 stores and employ 35-thousand by 2020.

A biologist at LSU is working to develop biodegradedable beads in a push to stop the environmental damage that occurs after millions of pounds of Mardi Gras beads end up in landfills every year. His solution involves growing large ponds of algae that will develop oils that can be refined into degradedable material. Professor Naohiro Kato says the biodegradedable beads are just like the regular Mardi Gras beads.

Cut 4  (05) “exactly same” 

Once every few years, holidays important to Louisianans fall in the same week.  This year, Mardi Gras will be Tuesday, February 13^th and Valentine’s Day will fall on the next day. Erika Burns with the Louisiana Restaurant Association says those who observe Lent will be able to find a multitude of choices among restaurants on Valentine’s Day…

Cut 8 (09) “Ash Wednesday.”

Jumpin’ Jacks Development Center in Alexandria day care’s license has been revoked by the state Department of Education after receiving several reports of children escaping or nearly escaping the facility.  DOE Spokesperson Sydni Dunn says a complaint from a parent in December was the final straw…

Cut 10 (12) “another business.”

They have 15 days to appeal the decision from DOE.

LSU had the 15^th ranked recruiting class this year according to 247sports.com, their worst performance since Les Miles took over the team in 2005. Top cornerback Patrick Surtain Jr. flipped from the Bayou Bengals to Alabama, because as he put it “They win championships.” LSU head coach Ed Orgeron says he didn’t see the change coming.

Cut 13 (12)  “at LSU”

Valentine’s Day falls the day after Fat Tuesday. What will that mean for Louisiana Restaurants?  Matt Doyle has a look.

Cut 1 (28) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

Governor John Bel Edwards says FEMA has agreed to his request to help ease the financial burden of flood survivors living in Temporary Housing Units. Starting March 1^st, rent for the units will be reduced to $50.00 a month which will last through the new deadline of May 14^th when the program is scheduled to end.   Edwards says he will continue to request extensions as needed.

Valentine’s Day falls the day after Fat Tuesday. What will that mean for Louisiana Restaurants?  Matt Doyle has a look.

Cut 1 (28) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

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A Rapides Parish child day care center is shut down after children are seen wandering outside the facility.  Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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According to 247 Sports LSU had it’s lowest ranked recruiting class since 2005, and missed out on the top cornerback in the nation at the last second. Matt Doyle takes a look at a disappointing day in Tigerland.

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

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A biologist at LSU is working to develop biodegradedable beads in a push to stop the environmental damage that occurs after millions of pounds of beads end up in landfills every year. His solution involves growing large ponds of algae that will develop oils that can be refined into degradedable material. Professor Naohiro Kato says the biodegradedable beads are just like the regular Mardi Gras beads.

Cut 4  (05) “exactly same” 

Kato’s plan involves growing the algae in pools that are roughly the size of a football field. He says each acre can produce a staggering amount.

Cut 5  (07)  “Gras beads.”

Four to five million pounds of beads are thrown every carnival season.

Kato says the biggest hurdle will be making the production process economically viable.

Cut 6 (08)  “make sense.”

The beads would disintegrate over time if put in soil.

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Once every few years, holidays important to Louisianans fall in the same week.  This year, Mardi Gras will be Tuesday, February 13^th and Valentine’s Day will fall on the next day.  It may prove to be interesting for restaurants to get couples to eat out on the second most popular holiday.  Erika Burns with the Louisiana Restaurant Association says some eateries are getting creative with options…

Cut 7 (10)  “Mardi Gras.”

Burns says those who observe Lent will be able to find a multitude of choices among restaurants on Valentine’s Day…

Cut 8 (09) “Ash Wednesday.”

Burns says if you are considering taking your sweetheart out for dinner Wednesday, it’s best to make sure you have a reservation so you’re not left out…

Cut 9 (12)  “a restaurant..”

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Jumpin’ Jacks Development Center in Alexandria day care’s license has been revoked by the state Department of Education after receiving several reports of children escaping or nearly escaping the facility.  DOE Spokesperson Sydni Dunn says a complaint from a parent in December was the final straw…

Cut 10 (12) “another business.”

Dunn says the center failed to report 55 incidents of non-compliance over the last two years.  There were lesser violations, but the amount of them served as a warning for the Department of Education…

Cut 11 (11) “the children.”

The TOPS task force formed five months ago to find a long term solution to funding the scholarship program has decided against endorsing a single position, and instead is submitting a series of proposals for the legislature to consider. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish says he hopes the results will help legislators when voting on potential changes to TOPS in the upcoming regular session.

Cut 8 (07) “other side.”

Pineville-based Cleco Corporate Holdings has acquired South Central Generating LLC, which includes nine utility cooperatives and eight generating assets in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, totaling one-billion-dollars.   Spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says they will be able to significantly increase the scale of their operations in Louisiana with the ability to provide over 35-hundred megawatts of power in all three states…

Cut 3 (08) “seventy percent.”

LSU’s 2018 recruiting class ranks outside of the top 10 for the first time in several years. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

The Coast Guard rescued four people from the Lower Atchafalaya River south of Patterson after an emergency landing of a twin-engine plane.  Petty Officer Lora Ratliff says the pilot made a valiant effort trying to avoid the emergency landing, but realized he couldn’t make it to an airstrip…

Cut 7 (10)  “emergency landing.”

A TOPS task force is passing along its recommendations for saving the scholarship program to the legislature. Matt Doyle spoke to the chairman of the task force…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

Governor John Bel Edwards says FEMA has agreed to his request to help ease the financial burden of flood survivors living in Temporary Housing Units. Starting March 1^st, rent for the units will be reduced to $50.00 a month which will last through the new deadline of May 14^th when the program is scheduled to end.   Edwards says he will continue to request extensions as needed.

The Coast Guard rescued four people from the Lower Atchafalaya River south of Patterson after an emergency landing of a twin-engine plane.  Petty Officer Lora Ratliff says the pilot was flying from Slidell to Patterson late Tuesday afternoon when the Coast Guard in New Orleans received an emergency call…

Cut 6 (12)  “the river”

24-7 sports ranks LSU’s recruiting class as 15th best in the nation. The worst ranking for LSU since 2005, which was Les Miles first class. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says Orgeron’s staff did well in adding depth to the offensive and defensive lines, but signed just one five-star prospect today…

Cut 13 (10) “the top”

Louisiana Radio Network News, I’m Matt Doyle

LSU’s 2018 recruiting class ranks outside of the top 10 for the first time in several years. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Pineville-based Cleco Corporate Holdings has acquired South Central Generating LLC, which includes nine utility cooperatives and eight generating assets in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, totaling one-billion-dollars.  Spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says this will be a seamless transition for their customers.

Cut 4  (10) “be impacted.” 

To reaffirm their commitment to Louisiana, Cahill says Cleco Energy will maintain the current workforce’s numbers and compensation.

The Coast Guard rescued four people from the Lower Atchafalaya River south of Patterson after an emergency landing of a twin-engine plane.  Petty Officer Lora Ratliff says the pilot was flying from Slidell to Patterson late Tuesday afternoon when the Coast Guard in New Orleans received an emergency call. Ratliff said the pilot made a valiant effort trying to avoid the emergency landing of the Piper PA-34 twin-engine plane, but realized he couldn’t make it to an airstrip…

Cut 7 (10)  “emergency landing.”

A police shooting by an Iberia Parish Sherriff’s deputy was ruled legally justified by District Attorney Bo Duhe. 40-year-old Shannon Labit was suspected in the stabbing of two women prior to the two hour standoff that ended with his shooting. The DA concluded that the conditions under which Labit was shot met the standard of reasonable belief that he posed an imminent danger. Labit was shot while allegedly charging at deputies with a cordless drill. Labit’s family says he suffered from mental illness.

Louisiana Radio Netowork

The TOPS task force formed five months ago to find a long term solution to funding the scholarship program is submitting a series of proposals for the legislature to consider. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish says his suggestion to cap TOPS Opportunity payments could save the state an estimated 20 million dollars a year.

Cut 9 (09) “year program”

LSU missed out on signing the nation’s top cornerback on National Signing Day. Recruiting analysts had Patrick Surtain Junior signing with the Tigers, instead the five-star prospect chose Alabama. Despite the loss Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says Coach Ed Orgeron’s staff did well recruiting the Bayou State.

Cut 12 (11) “Surtain Junior.”

Moran says the team noticeably improved its offensive and defensive line depth as well.

Pineville-based Cleco Corporate Holdings has acquired South Central Generating LLC, which includes nine utility cooperatives and eight generating assets in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, totaling one-billion-dollars. Spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says Cleco Energy will maintain the current workforce.

Cut 5  (09)  “support employees.”

The 5^th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is considering whether or not a 2016 Louisiana law that would ban women under 21 from dancing naked at strip clubs is too broad in its application. Opponents are concerned that the law was so vaguely written that it could outlaw 18, 19, and 20-year-olds from some theatrical or ballet productions that involve nudity. Proponents argue that the law protects young women from sex trafficking. The court has not indicated which way it is leaning.

A TOPS task force is passing along its recommendations for saving the scholarship program to the legislature…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

LSU missed out on signing the nation’s top cornerback on National Signing Day. Patrick Surtain Junior signed with Alabama. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says it was imperative for LSU to sign him

Cut 11 (10) “to LSU”

Baton Rouge Representative Barry Ivey is proposing legislation for the regular session that would require state agencies to publish all of their expenditures online for the public. The measure would create a “Louisiana Checkbook” that Ivey says it’s all about transparency.

Cut 23 (11)  “transactional level.”

The proposal seeks to replicate Ohiocheckbook.com, where all Ohio state expenditures are logged, and available to view using a user-friendly interface.

The Department of Education has revoked an Alexandria child day care’s license.  Public funding for the Jumpin’ Jacks Development Center has also been terminated.  There have been several reports of children nearly escaping the facility.  One parent told officials she saw her children near the street and in front of a nearby business without supervision.  They have 15 days to appeal the decision.