The LSU Board of Supervisors is concerned a new ACT policy may be discriminating against students from lower-income households. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (30) “ I’m Matt Doyle.”

Work to widen and improve I-12 between US 190 and LA 59 begins in the upcoming weeks. DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson says motorists’ patience is appreciated…
Cut 9 (07) “…pinch in traffic.”
Wilson anticipates construction will take about two years for all phases to be completed.

LSU is in the college football playoff for the first time ever. The Tigers are the number one seed and they’ll play Oklahoma in a national semifinal game in Atlanta on December 28. This is Oklahoma’s fourth appearance in the playoff, but they have yet to win a game. Sooners coach Lincoln Riley says the experience will help, but it will not determine who wins in Atlanta…
Cut  12 (12) “…to that” 
The number one seed has yet to win the C-F-P in five years.
The House Judiciary Committee meets again this morning to review articles of impeachment drafted this weekend by Democrats. Impeachment proceedings are beginning to move quickly, and Judiciary Committee member and Benton Congressman Mike Johnson says we could see a resolution soon.

Cut 4 (08) “…week”

Johnson says Republicans are being kept out of the loop on what to expect today, so no one is really sure how Democrats will approach crafting the articles.

LSU is in the college football playoff for the first time ever. The Tigers are the number one seed and they’ll play Oklahoma in a national semifinal game in Atlanta on December 28. LSU Coach Ed Orgeron says getting into the playoff is an accomplishment, but it’s not the final destination

Cut 10 (10) “takes us”

The number one seed has yet to win the C-F-P in five years.

Members of the LSU Board of Supervisors express concern that a new A-C-T policy allowing students to retake specific sections of the test is economically discriminatory.  Board member Remy Starns says many kids from poor families don’t have the luxury of constantly retaking the vital college admissions test.

Cut 13 (10) “…once.”

The House Judiciary Committee meets again this morning to review articles of impeachment drafted this weekend by Democrats. Impeachment proceedings are beginning to move quickly, and Judiciary Committee member and Benton Congressman Mike Johnson says Republicans are being kept out of the loop on what to expect today, so no one is really sure how Democrats will approach crafting the articles.

Cut 5 (04) “…develops”

New Orleans Democratic Congressman Cedric Richmond also sits on the committee.

Work to widen and improve I-12 between US 190 and LA 59 begins in the upcoming weeks. DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson says while funding for the initial two phases is coming from both St. Tammany Parish and the state, much of the funding is federal grant money.

Cut 8 (12) “…competitive and successful.”

The first phase is estimated to cost $55 million, while phase two is estimated to cost $38 million.

09:30 LRN Newscast December 9th
The House Judiciary Committee meets again this morning to review articles of impeachment drafted this weekend by Democrats. Judiciary Committee member and Benton Congressman Mike Johnson says we could see a resolution soon. Johnson, a Republican, says the new sense of urgency from Democrats leading the impeachment charge is thanks to a political clock that is starting to rapidly tick down…
CUT 06 (07) “coming up”
A protracted impeachment process could pull Democrat presidential contenders off the campaign trail.
A good number of Louisianans who get SNAP food benefits may lose them soon, under tighter, new work requirements enacted by the USDA & the Trump white House. The state Department of Children & Family Services says it’s unclear how many of the over 800-thousand who gert food stamps may lose them for not meeting the work requirements.

Work on widening and improving portions of I-12 is scheduled to begin before the end of the year….
CUT 02 (29) “Barnhart”
Louisiana Tech is heading to a bowl game for a sixth consecutive season and they won;t have to travel far. The Bulldogs will face Miami in the Walk On’s Independence Bowl on December 26th at Independence Stadium in Shreveport.
LSU faces Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl, December 28th in Atlanta.

LSU is in the college football playoff for the first time ever. The Tigers are the number one seed and they’ll play Oklahoma in a national semifinal game in The Peach Bowl on December 28. LSU Coach Ed Orgeron says it was team effort to make it this far, but he can’t say enough about QB Joe Burrow…
CUT 11 (09) “without him”
The Number One seed team has yet to win the CFP in five years.
St Landry deputies are investigating the body of a young black man; found Saturday afternoon in a roadside ditch near Opelousas. A female motorist noticed something amiss in the ditch and alerted authorities. As yet, the person has not been identified.
Members of the LSU Board of Supervisors express concern that a new ACT policy allowing students to retake specific sections of the test is economically discriminatory. Board member Remy Starns says 15 percent of students take the test four or more times already, and he feels allowing test takers to focus in on just one section when for a specific test day creates an unlevel playing field…
CUT 14 (09) “nature”
The company that distributes the ACT says their studies show allowing multiple retakes does not advantage kids from higher-income families.
State Troopers patrolling New Orleans’ French Quarter found themselves confronting a man armed with a long sword. Called to a disturbance on Royal Street, the troopers encountered 42-yr-old Travis Fisher, who was waiving the sword around. They disarmed him without hurting him or themselves and took him jail; charged with aggravated asault.

Work on widening and improving portions of I-12 is scheduled to begin before the end of the year. Kevin Barnhart has the story…

CUT 02  :29    Q: I’m Kevin Barnhart

Deputies in East Baton Rouge Parish arrest an assistant football coach for soliciting nude photos from two male students. 20-yr-old Taylor Wilson reportedly confessed to deputies he’s made the lewd requests via Snapchat. The two students refused to comply and reported him. He’s been booked and released from parish jail on a 50-thousand dollar bond.

The House Judiciary Committee meets again this morning to review articles of impeachment drafted this weekend by Democrats. Impeachment proceedings are beginning to move quickly, and Judiciary Committee member and Benton Congressman Mike Johnson says we could see a resolution soon.

Cut 4 (08) “…week”

Johnson says Republicans are being kept out of the loop on what to expect today, so no one is really sure how Democrats will approach crafting the articles.

Police in New Orleans are investigating two fatal shootings that occurred within hours of each other in the 7^th Ward neighborhood. Just before midnight an 18-yr-old woman was shot and killed on Rocheblave street. Three hours earlier, one man was killed and three wounded in a gunfight outside a neighborhood bar. 

Folks in Monroe are mourning the passing of longtime KNOE investigative reporter Ken Booth.  Booth died after a long battle with lung cancer. For about 25 years he was a fixture on KNOE, channel 8, doing award-winning investigative journalism.

Impeachment proceedings continue this morning in House Judiciary where members will review articles of impeachment drawn up over the weekend…

CUT 01        :30    Q:I’m Matt Doyle

Louisiana State Police arrested a man accused of aggressively brandishing a SWORD toward another man during an argument in the French Quarter. Troopers responded to a call to find 42-yr-old Travis Fisher wielding the weapon, which he surrendered without injury. He’s charged with aggravated assault.

Work to widen and improve I-12 between US 190 and LA 59 begins in the upcoming weeks. The first phase is being handled by James Construction Group and is estimated to cost $55 million.  DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson says the project has been in the works for a while.

CUT 07   :10   Q:  potential rear-ends”

Another phase of that project will cost $38-million.

Louisiana officials don’t yet know how many of the state’s food stamp recipients could be at risk of losing their benefits because of a new Trump administration rule that will tighten work requirements on the program. about 49-thousand of the 810-thousand people in Louisiana who rely on food stamps meet the definition of work-eligible adults as outlined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture rule that takes effect in April.

Governor John Bel Edwards pledges more money for higher education. Edwards increased funding for public colleges by 47-million for this fiscal year, but the Board of Regents is requesting a 156-million-dollar boost for the upcoming budget. UL System President Jim Henderson says the increase would entice high quality faculty and more money is needed to ensure that TOPS students will have their tuition paid for throughout a four-year college career…

Cut 16  (10)  …bargain.” 

A report by the D.C. based Environmental Integrity Project shows the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality saw its budget cut by 35 percent between 2008 and 18. DEQ Secretary Chuck Brown notes the department does not get money from the state general fund, but their staffing levels, and how much they can charge in fees are determined by the state.

Cut 13 (08) “…sustained”

It’s Championship Saturday in college football. The 2nd ranked LSU Tigers are hoping for a big win today over Georgia in the SEC title game so they can get the number one seed in the college football playoffs. That game kickoffs at three this afternoon.

Over in North Carolina, U-L Lafayette will play for the Sun Belt title as they’ll face Appalachian State at 11 AM. The Cajuns have never defeated App State in seven previous meetings. The Mountaineers won all of those games by an average of 21 points.

And in Lorman, Mississippi, Southern faces Alcorn State in the SWAC title game. The Braves beat the Jags in last year’s conference championship game. In the F-C-S playoffs, Nicholls is at North Dakota State, The Bison are two-time defending champs and Southeastern Louisiana is at Montana.

And in the pros the Saints play the 49s in the Dome on Sunday kickoff is at noon.

A Calhoun man is in jail accused of holding his girlfriend captive for days and beating her multiple times at various locations. Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson Glen Springfield says if it wasn’t for the quick response of witnesses calling authorities after they saw 22-year old Michael Vaughn taking the victim by the hair, this situation could have seen a different conclusion.

Cut 11 (07) “…as it was.”

A report by the D.C. based Environmental Integrity Project shows the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality saw it’s budget cut by 35 percent between 2008 and 2018. Those cuts came while the state saw an increasing number of petrochemical projects take hold, but DEQ Secretary Chuck Brown says it hasn’t significantly hampered their capabilities.

Cut 12 (10) “we have” 

Two State Fire Marshal deputies have been arrested in separate investigations. Jeff Palermo reports one of the deputies was taken into custody after it was learned his K-9 died from malnourishment…

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

A Brookhaven, Mississippi man is $1.2 million richer after winning the Louisiana Lotto jackpot. Lottery spokesperson Dustin Annison says 72-year-old Darryl Jordan already has plans for his winnings.

Cut 8 (05) “…his big win.”