The Governor’s Office announces a federally funded program to help homeowners who were set behind on their mortgage due to the pandemic. Louisiana Office of Community Development spokesperson Gina Campo says the state has received nearly $147-million to give out…:

CUT 04 (11)      “…housing instability.”

About 3000 have already applied. To apply yourself, or to find out more, visit “LAcovidhousing.com”

New Orleans has re-instated its indoor mask mandate, amid the Omicron COVID surge. Businesses in nearby Jefferson Parish say this could mean a surge in dollars for them, as people decide to do business OUTSIDE the Crescent City, especially for the Carnival season. Members of the Jefferson Parish Council say they do not expect to put a mask mandate back into place. Not far away, the city of Baton Rouge also does not plan to demand masks while indoors.

It’s time to put on your dancing shoes and show off your best moves and help Louisiana Public Broadcasting “Save Mardi Gras”. Brooke Thorington explains…:

CUT 03 (33)      “…Thorington.”

Officials in Shreveport have voted to give city workers a 13-percent across-the-board pay increase. The council will rearrange city funds from other areas to pay the additional wages. City workers should start seeing those raises on paychecks by mid-February.

The state should see a slight warming over the next few day, with some rain coming in for the weekend. Behind the rain, another cold front; taking temperatures into low 30’s by Monday morning.

The state panel that determines exactly how much money state government has meets today in Baton Rouge.  It’s expected the Revenue Estimating Conference will officially recognize a budget surplus from the fiscal year that ended at last June. “LAPolitics.com” publisher Jeremy Alford says the state has misspent excess cash in the past…:

CUT 11(08)      “…smart decisions.”

The R.E.C. is also expected to project revenues for the current fiscal year and the next.

The mid-term elections are taking shape, with two Democrats now announced to challenge incumbent U.S. Senator John Kennedy. One is Luke Mixon, who actually made his intentions known back in October. Today, Baton Rouge activist Gary Chambers says he too will seek to unseat Kennedy. Chambers ran for the House in 2020, and got a good percentage of the vote, but failed to make the primary.

Bossier Parish deputies arrest a local man for alleged possession of child pornography and images of bestiality. An investigation of 35-year-old Michael Lofton’s computer and cell phone turned up numerous images; leading to his arrest. His bond is set at $450-thousand.

An all-time great running back at LSU is headed to the College Football Hall of Fame. Jeff Palermo reports Kevin Faulk will be enshrined in December…:

CUT 03(30)      “…Palermo.”

Candidates are beginning to line up for the fall mid-term elections. Baton Rouge area blogger and activist Gary Chambers, a Democrat, says he will run to unseat John Kennedy in the U.S. Senate. Chambers ran for the U.S. House District 1 seat in 2020, and made a good showing, though he didn’t make the runoff.

When COVID canceled Mardi Gras in 2021, it birthed the new tradition of house floats, and one designer says they’re busier than last year. Brooke Thorington throws out the details.

CUT 02(32)      “…Thorington.”

U.S. Senate candidate Luke Mixon is criticizing  Senator John Kennedy for voting to overturn the 2020 presidential results. Mixon is one of two announced Democratic challengers to Kennedy’s 2022 re-election bid. The other is Gary Chambers, as mentioned earlier. At the Baton Rouge Press Club, Mixon says Kennedy betrayed his oath to the Constitution when he objected to Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona…:

CUT 13(07)      “…of democracy.”

There’s now a new way to receive a prescription for medical marijuana in Louisiana. It’s a telemedicine platform by the name of TeleLeaf. Creator and CEO Gary Hess, a US Marine vet who suffered from PTSD, unfortunately, says there’s still a stigma surrounding cannabis use…:

CUT 04(07)      “…convenient.”

You must first register on the website; “teleleaf.com.”

The Sabine Parish community of Peason is picking up the pieces after an EF-2 tornado touched down there Sunday morning. The twister destroyed dozens of homes and other structures, and sne t at least six people to the hospital with injuries; some of them serious. Authorities say no one was killed in the disaster.

Louisiana colleges and universities are making sweeping changes to their sexual misconduct policies after new state laws were passed last year. Higher Education Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed says 188 confidential advisors are now in place at Louisiana schools, to hear the complaints and report them up the line for appropriate action…:

CUT 12(08)      “…keep students safe.”

The 2021 legislature took action last year when LSU was found to have failed in addressing widespread sexual abuse complaints.

Nearly 900 soldiers and airmen with the Louisiana National Guard are mobilized throughout the state in support of various COVID missions. Michelle Southern reports their work continues in 2022…:

CUT 01(30)      “…Michelle Southern reporting.”

Police in Lafayette say they have located a stolen Mardi Gras float, reported missing last week. The 40-foot long double decker was stolen January 7^th, but was found Sunday – abandoned but intact – in St. Martin Parish. It’s been returned to its owner.

According to ValuePenguin’s State of Auto Insurance in 2022 report, Louisiana will see car insurance rates increase faster than the national average. Eric Holl with Real Reform Louisiana says there were claims passage of the tort reforms in 2020 would bring about a major reduction in auto insurance rates within a year…:

CUT 09(12)      “…would notice.”

But Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says the bill contained no mandates for a reduction of auto insurance premium costs…:

CUT 10(11)      “…49 states.”

Holl says, if you have to sue your auto insurance company, good luck with that.

In Sabine Parish this morning, the aftermath of an EF-2 tornado that tore through the Peason community Sunday morning. Dozens of structures destroyed or badly damaged and at least six people hurt; some seriously.

Are you wearing masks while indoors due to COVID? If so, are you wearing the proper kind. State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says a simple cloth mask provides only minimal protection against spreading the virus. He says you NEED a KN95 or N95 mask, which are a lot easier to find now…:

CUT 15(11)      “…them online.”

The CDC has also said simple cloth masks are not effective is protecting you or others from the virus.

Speaking of the virus, nearly 900 Louisiana National Guard men and women continue to serve in the pandemic response. Cindy Haygood leads the Guard’s COVID Task Force. She says they’ve been doing so for the past 22 months…:

CUT 06(09)      “…of this community.”

The Guard have administered over a half-million tests and given over 230-thousand vaccine shots during the pandemic.

A tornado touched down Sunday morning in the Sabine Parish community of Peason; doing extensive damage and injuring at least six people. Sabine sheriff’s deputies say, however, no one is reported dead. The National Weather Service says the twister was an EF-2 in magnitude, with a base a half-mile wide in places. At least 30 homes, businesses and farm structures were badly damaged.

Louisiana colleges and universities are making sweeping changes to their sexual misconduct policies after new state laws were passed last year. Higher Education Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed says one big change is that virtually ALL staff and faculty are now mandatory reporters, should they be aware of sexual harassment or assault…:

CUT 11(06)      “…grounds for termination”

The 2021 legislature took action last year when LSU was found to have failed in addressing widespread sexual abuse complaints. Dr. Reed says since that time, there has been extensive training of employees on hearing such complaints and acting accordingly

A 5-year-old boy was pronounced dead Sunday, after he was found unresponsive in a swimming pool at a Lake Charles home. Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s deputies say foul play is not suspected and categorize the death as a tragic accident.

The Louisiana National Guard is continuing to support COVID missions around the state in 2022, at the direction of Governor John Bel Edwards. Cindy Haygood is the Task Force COVID commander with the Guard. She says the Omicron surge has led to a huge increase in test site demand throughout the state…:

CUT 04(11)      “…out there.”

Haygood says Guardsmen have administered more than 542,000 COVID tests, 206,300 vaccines since the start of the pandemic

State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says it’s still important to continue to wear face coverings to reduce transmission and because of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, you might want to rethink the type of mask you’re wearing. Kanter says while cloth masks help protect those around you…:

CUT 14  (09)        “…KN95 masks.”

He says KN95’s and N95’s are much easier to find than they were last year.

A tornado tore through Sabine Parish early Sunday morning, doing extensive damage to over 30 structures and leaving six people injured; some pretty badly. Sabine Parish deputies say no deaths have been reported due to the twister. The majority of the damage was to the Peason Community off state Highway 118.

Real Reform of Louisiana is calling out the insurance commissioner and those who said auto insurance rates would drop after the passage of tort reform in 2020. Brooke Thorington has more…:

CUT 02(34)      “…Thorington.”

The Saints did their part but didn’t get the help they needed from the Rams who blew a 17-point lead against San Francisco and it’s the 49ers not New Orleans headed to the playoffs. The Black & Gold finish the season with a 9-8 record.

A tornado touched down in the Sabine Parish town of Peason Sunday morning; injuring six people when it tore into their mobile home. The National Weather Service says the twister was an EF-2 in magnitude and was a half-mile across in places. The Sabine sheriff’s office says no one was reported killed. At least 30 homes were destroyed.

Nearly 900 soldiers and airmen with the Louisiana National Guard are mobilized throughout the state in support of various Covid missions. Michelle Southern reports their work continues in 2022…:

CUT 01(30)      “…Southern.”

According to ValuePenguin’s State of Auto Insurance in 2022, Louisiana will see car insurance rates increase faster than the national average. Eric Holl with Real Reform Louisiana says despite a promise that tort reform measures passed in the 2020 legislative session would decrease rates, so far, they haven’t…:

CUT 07(12)      “…in the country”

When asked about the ValuePenguin’s report Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says he’s not familiar with them…:

CUT 08(12)      “…they would know.”

The New Orleans Saints finished their regular season with a 30-to-20 win over Atlanta Sunday, but the LA Rams did not beat San Francisco; meaning the Saints will not be going to the NFL playoffs.

Approximately 30,000 homeowner’s policyholders in Louisiana – of two insurance companies deemed to be insolvent – will now have coverage under SafePoint Insurance. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says this is great news for those who had policies with Access Home or State National Fire for more than three years…:

CUT 06(10)      “…until renewal.”

As policies come up for renewal, beginning in March 2022 they will be rewritten using SafePoint’s policy forms and rates.

Shreveport is a concerned as to whether there will be enough police to handle security for Mardi Gras parades coming next month. In an interview with KEEL radio, Interim Chief Wayne Smith said they will (quote) ”utilize every available option that we have and work harder with what we have.” He says they may ask partner law enforcement agencies for assistance.

The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled hospitals can fire their employees if they do not receive a COVID vaccine. Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolino says Louisiana’s at-will employment laws give Ochsner Health or any other private employer the ability to fire a worker who refuses the COVID vaccine…:

CUT 13(10)      “…employees.”

A large group of Ochsner employees filed the lawsuit. They now must either comply or find work someplace else.

Sunday is a must-win for the New Orleans Saints, as they have to beat the Falcons AND the Rams must beat the 49ers in order for the Saints to get into the NFL playoffs. Coach Sean Payton does NOT expect Atlanta to lie down and give them the win…:

CUT 15(12)      “…for success.”

State Attorney General Jeff Landry was at the U.S. Supreme Court in D.C. today for oral arguments against White House coronavirus vaccine mandates. Lower courts have granted injunctions to block the orders that all health workers get the jab, and that companies with 100 or more employees also require they get vaccinated. Louisiana’s Solicitor General Liz Murrill asks justices to uphold those rulings, as the mandates will create negative consequences…:

CUT 10  (10)        “millions of people.”

Speaking for the Biden Administration and federal authorities, Deputy Solicitor General Brian Fletcher, who says health Secretary Xavier Becerra weighed those possibilities heavily before agreeing to the mandates…:

CUT 12  (15)        “…a deadly pandemic.”

The Justices’ decision will be forthcoming.

The state Supreme Court rules that Ochsner Health HAS the right to fire employees who do not comply with COVID vaccination requirements. The decision reinstates the mandate that employees get the shots and boosters or submit to regular testing … or find work elsewhere. Ochsner is one of the state’s largest health care providers.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries lifts a baiting ban in Union and Morehouse Parishes after not finding chronic wasting disease in any of the local deer. Jeff Palermo has the story…:

CUT 01(30)      “…Palermo.”