Duck Dynasty announces after 130 episodes, the show is coming to an end this April. Halen Doughty has more…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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The Louisiana Department of Education has released its yearly school report cards. Emelie Gunn has more on those results…

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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After 130 happy, happy, happy episodes, Duck Dynasty announces the series will come to an end in April. The A&E series about the Robertson family of West Monroe has given yuppies around the country a taste of what it’s like to be a good ole boy since 2012. President of the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce, Courtney Hornsby, says the show has spiked an interest in the small town.

Cut 3 (09) “backyard”

Hornsby says the Robertson empire has grown beyond the duck-call business that earned them their fame, as the family has since opened Willie’s Duck Diner and Duck and Dressing Boutique. She says even though the show is ending, she doesn’t see them slowing down.

cut 4  (09) “our community”

The family-friendly show drew more than 10 million viewers at its peak, but viewership has since declined in recent seasons. But Willie’s wife, Korie Robertson, says that decline hasn’t stopped people from all over the country coming to visit West Monroe.

Cut 5  (10)  “from everywhere”

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The Louisiana Department of Education has released its annual school report cards and found statewide gains in student achievement. Superintendent John White says the distribution of school and district letter grade ratings has improved. He credits this to an improvement in student results.

Cut 6 (10) “enrollment credits”

The number of school districts receiving an “A” grade is 16, up from 10 last year. White says at the same time, there are both challenges and successes that the school grading system does not fully reveal. He says the system doesn’t fully reflect the gains made by many schools that are making process, especially with low-achieving students.

CUT 7 (10)  “quality is”

The percentage of students scoring Mastery on LEAP Tests in grades third through six has increased six percentage points from last year. White says students and teachers are stepping up.

Cut 8 (07) “is up”

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While many people around the country are concerned about what will happen when president-elect Donald Trump takes office, Governor John Bel Edwards says he is more interested in seeing the country come together. Edwards says he does expect some changes to Medicaid, but it’s too early to tell what those changes might be.

Cut 9 (11)  “look like”

The state expanded the Medicaid program this year, and 341-thousand people have enrolled so far.

Trump also ran on a platform of immigration reform, often mentioning mass deportations. Edwards says both state and federal laws come into play with immigration, but federal law does trump. He says we’ll have to wait and see what policies come out of the administration.

Cut 10 (09) “obviously”

Edwards says one policy he does foresee going into effect is the ability to buy health insurance across state lines. He says he hasn’t heard any real opposition to it, even from members of Congress.

cut 11 (09) “prices down”

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The Baton Rouge Police Department arrests a woman for allegedly attempting to kill her 8 year old son by slitting his throat. Cpl L’Jean McKneely says the suspect, 40-year-old Gloria Ross, grabbed a kitchen knife as her kids were getting ready for school, and approached the young victim…:

cut 12 (07) “to his throat”

McKneely says the victim and two of Ross’s other children were able to escape and call police. He says when investigators questioned the suspect, she told them there was a reason for her actions…:

Cut 13 (06) “parish prison”

The victim was transported to a local hospital with a non life threatening laceration to the throat. McKneely says Ross is charged with attempted first degree murder and second degree cruelty to a juvenile. He says they were able to get more information about the mother…:

cut 14 (07) “psychological issues”

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The University of New Orleans and Northwestern State plan to cover the TOPS shortfall for recipients next semester. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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The critically injured East Baton Rouge Parish deputy shot in a July ambush has been moved to a state-of-the-art rehab hospital in Texas. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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An infant is in critical condition and a mother is facing charges following an accidental shooting in a vehicle. Baton Rouge Police Cpl. L’Jean McKneely says 23-year-old Crystal Kinchen of Baton Rouge left two small children unattended in a parked car with a handgun.

Cut 3 (12) “the face”

McKneely says Kinchen called 911, as she drove the child to the hospital. He says detectives arrived at the hospital shortly after.

cut 4  (07) “investigaton”

McKneely says the mother has been charged with second degree cruelty to a juvenile for leaving the children alone in the car. He says the infant is being treated for the gunshot wound.

Cut 5  (07)  “the best”

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The University of New Orleans and Northwestern State say they will use other financial resources to cover the 60-percent of tuition TOPS students will be required to pay for next semester. NSU President Jim Henderson says the scholarship program promised to pay 100% of a recipients’ tuition and they intend to keep the promise for their students.

Cut 6 (08) “that option”

Henderson, who will become the U-L System President in January, says about 21-hundred students at NSU are on TOPS, which gives them more flexibility for payment options. He says they’ve identified some resources from donors to cover the tuition cost but they’re still looking for a statewide solution.

CUT 7 (10)  “is sacrosanct”

Henderson says for TOPS students to drop out of school or incur additional debt is not an option they will consider. He says many universities are doing what they can to lessen the damage on students.

Cut 8 (06) “of students”

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An Orleans Parish criminal court judge rules that the jury in the Cardell Hayes murder trial will be sequestered. Hayes is accused of killing former-Saints player Will Smith after a car accident on April 9th. Legal analyst Chick Foret says there will be a lot of media coverage of the trial, and the judge wants to prevent any potential bias.

Cut 9 (11)  “the evidence”

Judge Camille Buras has ruled the jury will not have any contact with the outside world for the duration of the trial, which is set to begin December 5th. Foret says this will likely change the makeup of the jury, because the jurors will have to be people who don’t have anywhere to be.

Cut 10 (08) “the jury”

Foret says it’s not often we see juries sequestered, but he expects this to be one of the most publicized cases in the history of Orleans parish. He says he’s not surprised by the judge’s decision.

cut 11 (09) “same ruling”

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There has been lots of talk on social media about the name change of the Triple-A Minor League baseball team, The New Orleans Zephyrs to the Baby Cakes. General Manager Cookie Rojas says they took ideas from fans and focus groups to come up with a new nickname to liven up baseball in the Crescent City. He says the moment he heard the name, he knew this was it.

cut 12 (10) “of endearment”

Rojas also adds the King Cake with the baby inside helped them develop the new name. He says they wanted to keep the traditional colors of dark blue and gold but add a little spin.

Cut 13 (08) “to it”

Rojas says the reaction has been both positive and negative on social media. But he says he wants people to be passionate about minor league baseball.

cut 14 (08) “been fantastic”

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