Fourteen people arrested during the 2016 protest of Alton Sterling’s police shooting death will receive $1.17 million. The East Baton Rouge Metro Council approved the settlement accusing Baton Rouge law enforcement of violating their First Amendment rights and using of excessive force. Protester, Blaire Imani, says this is a big win..:
Cut 7 (08) “is really big”
The settlement still has to be approved by a US District Judge.

The state says it will drop lawsuits against thousands of people accused of misspending grants for elevating their homes after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Governor John Bel Edwards says over 3000 persons were sued over allegedly misspending Road Home elevation grants…:
Cut 5 (12) “these grants anyway”
This means the Road Home Program is officially over.

State Police have released body cam footage from the February 3rd officer involved shooting death of an unarmed man in Shreveport, Alonzo Bagley, and the cop who fired the shot has been charged with negligent homicide. Bagley family attorney Ron Haley says Alonzo was not a threat to anyone, and he only had a bottle with him before he ran from officers…:
Cut 11 (09)  “…happened here.”
The Shreveport Police officer, 23-year-old Alexander Tyler, was arrested Thursday morning.

Saints running back Alvin Kamara has reportedly been indicted by a grand jury stemming from a 2021 Pro Bowl weekend assault in Las Vegas. This means the case will now move to a district court in Sin City, with a date scheduled for March 2nd.

Treasurer John Schroder is holding a fundraiser tonight in his bid for governor, and one political analyst says the other GOP candidates have a long way to go to catch up to Jeff Landry’s war chest…:
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Brooke Thorington”

A suspected tornado did significant damage in Tangipahoa after a line of severe storms moved through the state Wednesday. Officials say at least three mobile homes were damaged in the Village of Tangipahoa, and assessment of damages was hindered by several downed trees and debris in the area. The National Weather Service is surveying the damage today.

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy will try again today to secure Louisiana a greater share of offshore oil & gas royalties, with the re-introduction of his 2022 RISE (say “rise”) Act. The bill would mean a roughly 20-percent yearly increase in offshore energy money for Louisiana’s coastal restoration efforts. Cassidy says the bill passed a senate committee last year, but fell to the wayside amid a backlog of legislation…:
Cut 4 (12) “last Congress”
He says conservatives in Congress are concerned with how the bill would be funded, so he and his staff are working to tweak the measure to win their support

Posts are going viral on social media over a sign in Amite that says the town is the home of Governor John Bel Edwards — and governor is misspelled. Some people thought it was funny and others were outraged by the typo. Officials said the Chamber of Commerce in Amite was in charge of the sign, and members are reportedly working with the company to get a new one made soon. The sign is currently covered with a tarp.

US Senator Bill Cassidy is poised to re-introduce his RISE Act, which would bring Louisiana increased revenues from offshore oil & gas.
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Kevin Gallagher”

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office Chief Jimmy Travis confirmed the touchdown of a tornado in the Village of Tangipahoa. He said numerous homes were damaged, and trees and powerlines were downed. 3 non-life threatening injuries were reported. The National Weather service says a tornado likely caused the damage and they are out to survey the damage today to get official confirmation.

Could recreational marijuana soon become legal in Louisiana? A New Orleans lawmaker has filed the first in a package of bills for lawmakers to discuss the matter in the April Legislative session. District 99 Democrat Rep. Candace Newell (pronounced “new-ELL”) says other states are seeing revenue windfalls after legalizing recreational cannabis…:
Cut 11 (09) “regulation bill passed”
Louisiana has already legalized medicinal cannabis and has expanded the program to cover a number of ailments, and Newell says this is the next logical step.

This afternoon State Officials will be in Lake Charles to celebrate the $150 million dollar grant to replace the Calcasieu River Bridge. DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson says the US Department of Transportation will announce the approval of $1.5 Billion in private activity bonds that will help lower the cost of the project to the developer…:
Cut 14 (05) “lots of good news”
The funding is part of the Infrastructure Act.

State Treasurer John Schroder will officially kick off his campaign for governor tonight in Mandeville. Attorney General Jeff Landry is also running in 2023 and Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the other Republican candidates have some catching up to do in terms of fundraising
CUT 7 (08) “ballpark”
Schroder and other GOP candidates are millions behind Landry due to holding off their campaigns before US Senator John Kennedy decided whether or not he’d run.

Governor Edwards and DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson will be joined by the U.S. Transportation Secretary in Lake Charles this afternoon to celebrate the $150 million grant to help replace the Calcasieu River Bridge. Wilson says the funding is part of the Infrastructure Act….:
Cut 13 (07) “the entire country”

A New Orleans lawmaker files a bill to help legalize recreational marijuana….:
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Kevin Gallagher”

The National Weather Service is surveying damage today in Tangipahoa Parish which was hit by a tornado on Wednesday. Multiple mobile homes were reportedly hit, and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office says a family was able to escape one of the homes without serious injury. Entergy says about 300 residents are without power as nine poles were downed and 20 spans of wire were damaged.

State lawmakers in the House approved a 45-million-dollar fund to award grants to insurance companies who provide homeowners coverage. The vote was 90-8 though some legislatures weren’t thrilled about the bill. But Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon is confident this will help stabilize the homeowner’s insurance market in Louisiana, at least for now. Houma Representative Beryl Amedee says the Louisiana Legislature can propose additional ideas for the regular session that begins in April…”
Cut 15 (09) “let’s go”
One idea says Winnfield Representative Jack McFarland is to incentivize homeowners to hurricane-proof their roofs and lower their coverage costs. He says the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program is similar to one that works in other states…:
Cut 4 (11) “their insurance premiums”
The Incentive fund legislation will be discussed in the Senate starting today.

If you’re a fan of Antiques Roadshow, listen up because the 20-time Emmy Award-winning series is coming to Baton Rouge. Brooke Thorington has more…:
Cut 2 (33) “I’m Brooke Thorington”

There is growing concern about flooding for much of the state today as more rain is in the forecast after what’s already been a wet couple of weeks. Most of North Louisiana is under a flood watch with some areas under a flood warning today, and sandbag locations are being set up at various locations.

The state House has approved a plan that creates a 45-million-dollar incentive fund to attract more private insurers to the state. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
Cut 3 (32) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Now there is growing support to incentivize homeowners to hurricane-proof their roofs. Winnfield Representative Jack McFarland says the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program is a proven plan…:
Cut 6 (09) “and fortifying”

The Antiques Roadshow is coming to Baton Rouge on May 2nd, and two thousand pairs of tickets will be issued to folks who will be able to bring two items to be appraised for free. Roadshow producer Marsha Bemko says it’s an opportunity to have experts evaluate your treasures, so bring in something that you can’t look up on the internet…:
Cut 8 (09) “came in”
The deadline to register for tickets is March 13th and participants will be notified in mid-April if they’ve won tickets.

It’s Groundhog Day and while the rodent in Pennsylvania did see his shadow, the weather predicting nutria Pierre C Shadeaux did not in New Iberia today. That means, as the folklore goes, we’ll see a longer spring in Louisiana.

There was no big winner in last night’s Powerball drawing. Saturday’s jackpot is worth $700 million with a cash value of $375.7 million.

Some legislators weren’t happy about it, but the Louisiana House approved a $45 million dollar funding bill to incentivize more property insurers to write policies here. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said if this isn’t done thousands of homeowners below I-10 and I-12 would lose their homes. Plaquemine Representative Chad Brown was hoping Donelon would have provided more options…:
CUT 14 (11) “be more competitive”
The measure advanced on a 90-8 vote and now heads to the Senate where it will likely also pass.

The state has topped the $20 billion dollar investment mark for a second consecutive year and Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson predicts additional expansion and thus more good news for 2023…:
CUT 12 (10) “for Louisiana”

A Winnfield lawmaker says, instead of paying property insurers to come to Louisiana, why not pay homeowners to make their roofs hurricane-proof…:
Cut 1 (32) “I’m Kevin Gallagher”

It’s Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow this morning. In New Iberia they are still waiting for the weather predicting nutria to make a move. Pierre C. Shadeaux’s foretells longer spring, or shorter summer? One thing is for certain and that is he’ll be one wet nutria as most of the entire state will see rain all day today.