Today is the final day to register to vote or change your party affiliation for Louisiana’s March 5th presidential preference primary. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Eric Gill”

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The Tabasco plant on Avery Island cut the ribbon this week on a brand new Visitors Center. Michelle Southern speaks with McIlhenny (Mackle-Henny) CEO Tony Simmons…: (starts with cut)

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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A mother and her two sons have been arrested in connection with the death of a 14-year-old Port Barre student. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Today is the final day to register to vote or change your party affiliation for Louisiana’s March 5th presidential preference primary. The presidential election season kicked off Monday in Iowa. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says it’s important to make sure your party affiliation is correct for this election…

cut 4  (10)  “Republican side”

He says, in the closed presidential primary, Democrats will vote for Democrats and Republicans will vote for Republicans. Schedler says Independent voters will not be able to take part in the presidential primary, but in some areas of the state there will be other items on the ballot…

Cut 5  (11)  “all voters”

You can register to vote or change your party affiliation at your local registrar of voters office until 4:30 today or do it online at geauxvote-dot-com until midnight tonight. Schedler says casting your vote is the best way to express your opinion on how government should be run…

Cut 6 (08)  “that right” 

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The Tabasco plant on Avery Island cut the ribbon this week on a brand new Visitors Center which also includes a restaurant with meals prepared with the world famous pepper sauce. Tabasco is produced by the McIlhenny (Mackle-Henny) Company of Louisiana, and President and CEO Tony Simmons says the new Tabasco Visitors Center tour features an interactive greenhouse…:

CUT 7 (10)  “pepper sauces”

The new “Tabasco Family of Flavors Restaurant 1868″ is open daily for lunch. Simmons says they spent about five and a half million dollars to upgrade the facilities. He says the tour also shows their barrel mash warehouse…:

Cut 8  (10)  “make Tabasco”

Simmons says his family has been on the island since 1818, then began creating Tabasco in 1865, so the new museum contains artifacts and history from their time there. He says they get in excess of about 100,000 people a year visiting Avery Island, and those of us who haven’t been since we were kids are in for a real treat with the new facilities…:

Cut 9 (08)  “come see us”

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Governor John Bel Edwards announces they will continue to have “an elevated presence” of state troopers patroling New Orleans historic French Quarter. State Police Superintendent, Colonel Mike Edmonson, says a sales tax approved by French Quarter residents last October provides the funding to keep more troopers in the Big Easy…

Cut 10 (07) “New Orleans”

Edmonson says they are also bringing in an additional 170 troopers for the big Mardi Gras festivities this weekend, but that won’t hurt their presence in other areas of the state…

cut 11 (05) “law enforcement”

 Edmonson says additional troopers in the tourist areas of the French Quarter have helped to lower criminal activity…

cut 12 (09) “state of Louisiana”

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The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office says they have found the murder weapon in the investigation into the stabbing death of Dylan Kyle Poche. The 18-year-old was killed Saturday at the Sibley Lake boat launch. Captain Tony Moran says they’ve arrested 18-year-old Andrew Jacob Wallace and after several days of searching detectives found a critical piece of evidence.

Cut 13 (10)  “for analysis”

NPSO says 18-year-old William Holman has been arrested for accessory after the fact to 2nd degree murder and disturbing the peace and 18-year-old Kristine Woodall is charged with aggravated  assault with an hammer and engaging in a fistic encounter.  Moran says Wallace was arrested shortly after the stabbing because he fled the scene in a vehicle and was followed by relatives of Poche….

Cut 14 (10) “the homicide”

Moran says Wallace is being held without bond. During a press conference, Sheriff Victor Jones said they believe a feud began last week and continued on social media until the two met at the boat landing. Moran says the investigation is ongoing…

Cut 15  (08) “contact us”

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It’s national signing day and the LSU Tigers are poised to have the number one recruiting class in the nation. One of the nation’s top defensive tackles is expected to sign with the Tigers and that’s Neville star Rashard Lawrence, who helped the Monroe school win back-to-back state championships. Neville head coach Mickey McCarty says he’s everything you want in a defensive lineman

Cut 16  (10)  “with us”

LSU is expected to sign five defensive linemen and three offensive linemen, including John Curtis standout Willie Allen. Patriots head coach Jt Curtis says the four-star prospect has the intangibles to be an outstanding offensive lineman in the SEC

Cut 17 (18) “look for”

The Tigers are also expected to sign a quarterback. Zachary QB Lindsey Scott committed to LSU over the weekend after originally giving a verbal pledge to Syracuse. He’s the Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year in 2015 and Zachary head coach David Brewerton says Scott’s five-foot-11 height hasn’t stopped him from making all the throws

Cut 18 (15) “all right”

State health officials, along with the EPA, are reviewing water quality concerns in the Tensas Parish town of St. Joseph. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (29)  “I’m Eric Gill”

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The Cajun groundhog climbed out of his cottage in New Iberia today to tell us if we’ll see an early spring. Emelie Gunn has more on Pierre C. Shadeaux’s forecast…

CUT 2 (27)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Louisiana’s Cajun groundhog, Pierre C. Shadeaux, predicts an early and long spring this year. The young nutria came out of his Cajun cottage in New Iberia this morning in front of a crowd awaiting to find out his forecast. Publisher of the Daily Iberian Will Chapman led the ceremony and says since he didn’t see his shadow, we will have a longer spring and put off the extreme summer heat.

CUT 3 (09)  “temperatures”

Chapman says every February 2^nd Pierre C. Shadeaux makes his prediction at Bouligny Plaza. He says every year there is a great turnout for the event and the kids really look forward to seeing him come out of his Cajun cottage.

CUT 4 (10)  “welcome Pierre”

Pierre’s cousin, Punxsutawney Phil, made a similar prediction today in Pennsylvania calling for an early spring. Chapman says Pierre takes his job very seriously, as he has a lot of responsibility with predicting this forecast.

CUT 5 (11)  “no shadow”

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The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, along with the EPA, are looking into water quality issues in the Tensas Parish town of St. Joseph. Residents have reported brown, murky water coming from their faucets. State Health Officer, Dr. Jimmy Guidry, says the system’s source water contains a level of iron that discolors the water…

CUT 6 (08) “quite expensive”

He says the iron in the water is not a health issue. Guidry adds that the St. Joseph Water System is an older system in need of maintenance and repair. The state legislature has approved funds to work on the system. Guidry says they’re doing everything they can at the state level to move this project on as quickly as possible…

CUT 7 (05) “address it”

He says the legislature would have to make water treatment a top priority before those funds are readily available. Guidry says it could be a while before the water is cleared up…

CUT 8 (10) “treatments occur”

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The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating the murder of a Melville teenager. Capt. Clay Higgins says 14-year-old Treyvon Goudeau was shot once and found dead in the woods on Friday. He says the case was originally identified as just a suspicious death but it has now turned into a homicide investigation.

CUT 9 (10)  “the field”

The coroner says Goudeau was shot once in the head. Higgins says detectives searched a Melville home this morning and interviewed a number of people but no arrests have been made at this point.

cut 10 (07)  “an arrest”

Goudeau was a student at Port Barre High School. Higgins says they can’t imagine why someone would murder this teenager. He says detectives have been working non-stop to find who is responsible…

Cut 11 (10) “a homicide”

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Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says he’s paying his executive staff nearly 400-thousand dollars less than what employees were paid under the previous administration. Dardenne says he’s decided against filling a couple of positions and will pay a few people less, because of the state’s budget problems

cut 12 (10) “to understand”

Dardenne’s annual salary is 237-thousand dollars, a 33-thousand dollar increase than his predecessor. Dardenne says that’s the salary the governor offered him and he accepted the challenge of solving Louisiana’s budget mess…

cut 13 (11)  “do that”

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Governor John Bel Edwards will answer questions tonight from public school teachers at a town hall style meeting at a Baton Rouge high school. Edwards is participating in an event sponsored by the Louisiana Association of Educators at Broadmoor High School. L-A-E President Debbie Meaux says the governor will discuss a variety of topics…

cut 14 (06)  “several others”

Meaux says they’re honored to have the new governor attend one of their events and hopes he gives insight on the fate of funding for K-12 education. She says they’ll make sure L-A-E members who cannot come are updated on what Edwards’ says….

cut 15 (10)  “access that”