An Opelousas man with a history of mental illness is injured and under arrested after setting his family’s home on fire. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The Bayou state is notorious for having some of the highest premiums in the nation, but many Louisiana drivers may be seeing their insurance rates drop. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says the state’s largest auto insurer, State Farm, who covers about one million drivers in the state, has seen about an 8% drop last year. Donelon says he believes one of the main contributors to the high rates, distracted driving, has seen its peak in Louisiana, and now is on the decline.
Cut 8 (10) “…auto insurance upward.”

Congressman Garret Graves legislation that would revive the National Scenic Byways program flew through the House with little opposition, potentially reopening a program that would protect and promote two iconic wilderness trails in Louisiana.
Louisiana hosts two scenic byways, the Creole Nature Trail that winds through the wetlands of the southwest, and the Great River Road that accompanies the Mississippi River.
Graves says by reopening the program, they’ll have the opportunity to hopefully get additional areas of the state designated and protected. He says major, nationally recognized designations like this can help put unknown cultural treasurers on the map, and pump millions into rural communities.
Cut 5 (12) “…this country.”