The first electoral event in the 2016 presidential race happens today with the Iowa Caucus. Eric Gill reports…

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DHH’s Own You Own Health Challenge to combat obesity is now underway. Emelie Gunn has more…

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Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s not breaking a campaign promise by proposing higher taxes to solve the state’s budget crisis. Jeff Palermo has more…

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The presidential race kicks up a notch today with the Iowa Caucus, the first electoral event in the 2016 presidential race. Many candidates who have won the Iowa Caucus, went on to win their party’s nomination. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley thinks it will be a tight race in the Republican caucus between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz…

cut 4  (08)  “of contests”

Eight of the last 10 Republican presidential nominees placed first or second in the Iowa Caucus. Louisiana’s presidential primary is March 5th. On the Democratic side, Stockley says Hillary Clinton is in an unexpected dogfight with Bernie Sanders…

Cut 5  (09)  “her e-mails”

Stockley predicts Clinton will pull out a close victory in Iowa. The last five Democratic presidential nominees won the Iowa Caucus. Stockley says this presidential race is proving to be very interesting….

Cut 6 (07)  “amount of time” 

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The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals’ Own Your Own Health Challenge is underway. The challenge, which runs until April 25th, is designed to help Louisianans become more active and create a healthier lifestyle. Director of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Rudy Macklin says there are two components to the challenge…

CUT 7 (10)  “own health”

To register visit o-y-o-h-l-a-dot-com. Macklin says the challenge allows you to create teams or work individually to compete against other people in a weight loss challenge with the chance to win a prize. He says the second component helps participants learn what questions to ask when visiting the doctor.

Cut 8  (09)  “obesity”

The O-Y-O-H challenge focuses on obesity in minorities where it is the most prevalent. Macklin says the 2015 challenge was a success with 16-thousand participants, including many ethnic groups. He says the program allows you to chat and motivate people around the state.

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February is American Heart Month and health experts are promoting initiatives in an attempt to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes in the US. Professor at Tulane University’s School of Medicine, Dr. Keith Ferdinand, says heart disease is the number one killer of Louisiana residents and many of the deaths could be prevented through healthy living habits…

Cut 10 (08) “alcohol use”

Ferdinand says African American men experience the highest risk for heart disease and hypertension. He advises patients to know their ABC’s when talking to healthcare providers…

cut 11 (09) “trans fat”

 Ferdinand says the 5 healthy living habits they suggest are, staying active, using aspirin, monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol management and don’t smoke. He says it’s hard to change your lifestyle completely, but starting out with one modification can greatly improve your health.

cut 12 (09) “our challenge”

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Governor John Bel Edwards argues against those who say he is breaking a campaign promise by proposing to raise taxes to address Louisiana’s massive budget shortfall. Edwards says the proposals he’s made are different than talked about during the election, because the facts are different. He also says these proposals are not what he wanted, but necessary…

Cut 13 (10)  “from me”

Edwards says during his campaign the state’s financial situation wasn’t as bad as it is now. He says next fiscal year’s 1.9 billion dollar shortfall does not have an additional dollar accounted for inflation or anything else…

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State Treasurer John Kennedy has said there is no need to raise taxes to balance the budget, but Edwards says Kennedy is trying to boost his US Senate campaign.

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Major changes are coming to the LHSAA after member principals voted to expand the select–nonselect championships to basketball, baseball and softball, starting with the 2016-17 school year. 40-percent of the schools are opposed to this move. But LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says a majority of the association is pleased with what happened

Cut 16  (17)  “more clarity”

Friday’s vote will create 12 champions in basketball, baseball and softball, seven on the nonselect side and five on the select side. Where these additional championship games will be played, still has to be sorted out. Bonine says there are concerns the expanded the split could result in the loss of the LHSAA’s title sponsor, the Allstate Sugar Bowl

Cut 17 (13) “can not do”

Many high school fans are disappointed that split playoffs is expanding from football to other sports. Bonine says he would like to survey coaches and student-athletes to see what they think…

Cut 18 (15) “about it”

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The LSU men’s basketball team nearly upset the number one ranked team in the country on Saturday, but they couldn’t hold a double-digit second half lead and ended up losing to Oklahoma 77-75. Tim Quarterman led the Tigers in scoring with 18 points as he was 5-for-5 from three point territory…

Cut 19 (11) “make enough”

LSU’s Ben Simmons had 14 points, but only took one shot in the final 10 minutes of the game. Coach Johnny Jones says his teammates need to do a better job feeding the post…

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Split playoffs that separate public and private schools are coming to the LHSAA in the sports of basketball, baseball and softball. Jeff Palermo has the story…

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Former Louisiana Attorney General Richard Ieyoub is back in state government. Governor John Bel Edwards has appointed Ieyoub as the state’s Commissioner of Conservation. He’s in charge of conserving and regulating oil, gas and lignite resources in the state. Ieyoub served as A-G from 1992 to 2004.

Sunday night at midnight is the deadline to purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act in order to avoid a penalty of up to $695. Healthcare-dot-gov CEO Kevin Counihan says you only need four pieces of information to get started…

cut 3 (11) “financial help”

He says financial assistance is available for most Louisiana residents.

The LSU Board of Supervisors is changing the rules so they can build a statue of former LSU star Pete Maravich. Since “Pistol Pete” never graduated college, the school can’t move forward to put a life-size statue next to the building that’s named after him. LSU board member Stephen Perry says it’s time to do what they should have done a long time ago…

cut 11 (10) “earned this right”

Maravich still holds the NCAA record for most points scored in college basketball.

The deadline to enroll for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act is rapidly approaching. Jeff Palermo reports…

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A Montegut man has stepped up and claimed a $1 million Powerball prize just days before the winning ticket was set to expire. 53-year-old Laine Aucoin’s winning ticket matched all five white ball numbers in the August 5, 2015 drawing. After federal and state taxes were withheld, Aucoin took home $700,000. That winning ticket was set to expire tomorrow.

The Mardi Gras parade season has arrived and law enforcement is putting more officers on the roads as part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Executive Director, Lt. Col John Leblanc, says law enforcement increases its presence on the roads during the times of the year when fatal crashes are most prevalent…

cut 8 (07) “really needed”

Last year, there were were nearly 600 fatal and injury crashes and 10 fatalities during the Mardi Gras holiday, and more than half of those deaths involved alcohol.

High school principals have voted for select and non-select playoffs in basketball, baseball and softball, just like what’s already in place for football. That split will go into effect for the 2016-17 school year. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says he’s heard from many who are against a further expansion of the split…

cut 14 (09) “differently”

The vote was 182-120 for the expanded split.

Tomorrow is the deadline to enroll for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Healthcare-dot-gov CEO Kevin Counihan says over 200,000 Louisianians have already signed up for coverage through the federal insurance marketplace. He says the penalty for choosing not to have health insurance has gone up this year…

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Counihan says there is still plenty of time to get coverage before Sunday night’s midnight deadline.

On the final day of the LHSAA convention, high school principals voted for select and non-select playoffs in basketball, baseball and softball, just like what’s already in place for football. The vote was 182-120 for the expanded split. Beekman Charter principal Roy McCoy says nothing good comes out of further dividing the LHSAA…

cut 13 (09) “skirt the rules”

The split playoffs for basketball, baseball and softball will go into effect for the 2016-17 school year.

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled over campaign is in effect this Mardi Gras parade season. Executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, Lt. Col John Leblanc, says law enforcement is publicizing this increase in officers and patrols in hopes that it will deter people from driving drunk…

cut 6 (10) “impaired driving”

The campaign runs through Fat Tuesday.

The LSU board of supervisors is taking steps that would pave the way for a statue of Pete Maravich to be erected on campus. An athletics policy currently blocks a statue of Pistol Pete, because he didn’t graduate. Former star LSU basketball player Collis Temple, who integrated the team, says the legacy of Maravich must be preserved…:

cut 9 (08) “cub scouts”

The policy would say instead of a degree, 100 credit hours would be required and Maravich would meet that.

High school principals have voted for select and non-select playoffs in basketball, baseball and softball, just like what’s already in place for football. Many Principal Norman Booker says the split needs to be expanded, because private schools have an advantage in how they can enroll their students:
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60-percent of the principals at the LHSAA convention voted for the expanded split, which goes into effect for the 2016-17 school year.

Former Louisiana Attorney General Charles Ieyoub is back in state government. Governor John Bel Edwards has appointed Ieyoub as the state’s Commissioner of Conservation. He’s in charge of conserving and regulating oil, gas and lignite resources in the state. Ieyoub served as A-G from 1992 to 2004.

Carnival season has arrived across Louisiana and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says expect to see more officers looking for drunk drivers. It’s part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign. L-H-S-C executive director Lt. Colonel John Leblanc says don’t get behind the wheel if you have been drinking…
cut 7 (08) “…enjoy yourself”
Last year, there were nearly 600 fatal and injury crashes and 10 fatalities in the five days leading up to Fat Tuesday.

The deadline to enroll for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act is this Sunday. Healthcare-dot-gov CEO Kevin Counihan says over 200,000 Louisianians have already signed up for coverage through the federal insurance marketplace. He says financial assistance through healthcare-dot-gov can really help in making insurance more affordable…:
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Counihan says if you don’t have health insurance in 2016, you could face a penalty of up to 695-dollars.

Skimming devices, which document credit card numbers, keep popping up on gasoline pumps throughout the state. Michelle Southern reports…:
voicer 4 (30) “…I’m Michelle Southern”

The Mardi Gras parade season has arrived and law enforcement is putting more officers on the roads as part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, Executive Director Lt. Col John Leblanc…:
CUT 8 (07) “really needed”
Last year, there were were nearly 600 fatal and injury crashes and 10 fatalities during the five-day Mardi Gras weekend.

Starting with the 2016-17 school year, split playoffs will expand from football to high school basketball, baseball and softball. That’s the result of a vote of high school principals who attended the LHSAA convention. 60-percent of them voted for it. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says he’s heard from many who are against a further expansion of the split…
cut 14 (09) “…differently”
The vote came after heated discussion from supporters and opponents of the proposal.

The LSU Board of Supervisors athletic committee approves changes to its statue rules that would allow a likeness of Pete Maravich to be errected on campus. Currently statues aren’t allowed of people who didn’t graduate from LSU. But Board member Scott Angelle says it’s terrible that they actually have to debate this issue…:
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A couple of steps still need to be taken before this becomes reality.

High school principals within the LHSAA have voted to extend the select-non-select split to basketball, baseball and softball, meaning those sports will have the same postseason format as football. Beekman Charter principal Roy McCoy says further division in the LHSAA is not good.
cut 13 (09) “…skirt the rules’
The split playoffs for the three additional sports will go into effect for the 2016-17 school year.

Sunday at midnight is the deadline to purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act in order to avoid a penalty of up to 695-dollars. Healthcare-dot-gov CEO Kevin Counihan says you only need four pieces of information to get started…
cut 3 (11) “….financial help”
He says financial assistance is available for most Louisiana residents.

The LSU Board of Supervisors is changing the rules so they could build a statue of former LSU star Pete Maravich. Since “Pistol Pete” never graduated college, the school can’t move forward to put a life-size statue next to the building that’s named after him. LSU board member Stephn Perry says it’s time to do what they should have done a long time ago…
cut 11 (10) “….earned this right”
Maravich is still the NCAA record holder for most points scored in college basketball.

Starting today and running through Fat Tuesday, law enforcement will have more officers on the road looking for drunk drivers as part of their Drive Sober or Get Pulled over Campaign. Lt Colonel John Leblanc is the executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission…
cut 6 (10) “….impaired driving”

Split playoffs that separate public and private schools are coming to the LHSAA in the sports of basketball, baseball and softball. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
CUT 2 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The deadline to enroll for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act is this Sunday. Healthcare-dot-gov CEO Kevin Counihan says the penalty for choosing not to have health insurance has gone up this year…:
CUT 5 (07) “household income”

The Mardi Gras parade season has arrived and law enforcement is putting more officers on the roads as part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, Executive Director Lt. Col John Leblanc, says law enforcement increases its presence on the roads during the times of the year when fatal crashes are most prevalent…:
CUT 8 (07) “really needed”
Last year, there were were nearly 600 fatal and injury crashes and 10 fatalities during the Mardi Gras holiday.

The LSU Board of Supervisors athletic committee approves changes to its statue policy, which could clear the way for a Pete Maravich statue in front of the building that’s named after him. For a life size statue to be erected on LSU’s campus of a former athlete that person must have graduated from the school. The board is looking to eliminate graduation provision and require the former student athlete to achieve at least 100 credit hours or attend school for three years.