A Spirit of America Rally will take place Saturday on the steps of the State Capitol to support President Trump. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn” 

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The third annual Louisiana Winter Beer Festival takes place tomorrow in Lake Charles. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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More low income parents who have students attending failing schools are using another option other than taxpayer funded vouchers to send their child to a private school. Halen Doughty has more on the state’s growing tuition donation rebate program…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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A Spirit of America Rally will be held on the steps of the State Capitol tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. to show support for President Donald Trump. Similar rallies have taken place throughout the week, leading up to this event. Leader of Gator PAC Col. Rob Maness says Trump supporters will address what they hope will be a large gathering…

Cut 4  (09) “to speak”

Tickets are not required to attend. Maness encourages everyone to wear their “Make America Great Again” attire.

Cut 5  (07)  “supporting America”

For more information visit Tea-Party-of-Louisiana-dot-net (teapartyoflouisiana.net). Maness says it’s time for the country, regardless of political party, to come together to support President Trump.

Cut 6 (04) “about unity”

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Over 20-thousand Louisiana taxpayers are due a refund from the federal government and time is running out to claim them. I-R-S spokesperson Bill Brunson says these individuals have not received their refund, because they didn’t file a 2013 federal income tax return. He says citizens due this cash must file the necessary paperwork by April 18.

Cut 7 (11)  “general fund”

Brunson says the median potential refund is $763. He says it can be hard for people to get their W-2 or 1099 from three years ago because the taxpayer may not have the same employer. But he says the IRS can help with that.

Cut 8 (08) “no charge”

Brunson says people can request a Wage and Income transcript at IRS.gov. The IRS estimates more than $21 million in unclaimed refunds may be available to Louisiana taxpayers. Brunson says unfortunately, the IRS deals with this every year.

Cut 9 (10)  “timely manner”

To find out if you filed your 2013 taxes, call the IRS hotline at 800-829-1040.

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The third annual Louisiana Winter Beer Festival takes place tomorrow in Lake Charles at the Historic Calcasieu Marine National Bank building. Co-chair and co-founder of the Festival Nick Villaume says they chose Lake Charles to host the event to show off the culture and history of the city. He says they’ve created a world class festival that can stand up to one in a major market.

Cut 10 (10) “as well”

Tickets are 50 dollars per person and are available on la-winter-beer-fest-dot-com (lawinterbeerfest.com). Villaume says what makes the Winter Beer Festival special is their big focus on Louisiana breweries. He says over 125 beers are on the menu from about 45 different breweries this year.

Cut 11 (09) “hot blooded”

Villaume says Crying Eagle Brewery is hosting a Louisiana Brewers Ball tonight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. He says they’re also introducing another Louisiana beer at the festival.

Cut 12 (06) “s well”

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A program that covers most of the cost of private and charter school tuition for low income students is growing rapidly, giving students zoned for failing schools an option other than taxpayer funded vouchers. The tuition donation rebate program was established in a bill by River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot. He says this program puts students on a path to success.

Cut 13 (08) “a fact”

The money to support this tuition program comes from corporations and private donors and it helps pay for a significant portion of a child’s tuition, with parents covering the remaining costs. Talbot says the way it is set up, local schools do not lose state funding and companies who donate receive rebates, so they lose very little as well. He says it’s a win-win for the students and the state.

Cut 14 (08) “of dollars”

When the tuition donation rebate program began in 2014, only 63 students received scholarships, and now over 16-hundred students are attending private schools on scholarships from the program. Talbot expects it to grow even more in the coming years. He says Arete Scholars Louisiana and ACE Scholarships Louisiana administer the scholarships, and parents pick the school.

Cut 15 (10) “accepting vouchers”

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LSU gets a chance to face some of the best teams from the Big 12 this weekend when they compete in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park. Tonight, LSU faces top ranked TCU, on Saturday it’s undefeated Baylor and Sunday its 21st ranked Texas Tech. Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri says this weekend will continue the process of building a championship-caliber team

Cut 16 (20) “ball clubs”

All three games will be played at the home of the Houston Astros. Mainieri says he wants his team to embrace this challenge…

Cut 17 (20)  “to LSU”

Shortstop Kramer Robertson played in this event in 2015 and the Tigers won all three games, beating Houston, Baylor and Nebraska. Big crowds are expected this weekend and Robertson says at least they know what it’s like to play in front of several thousand fans

Cut 18 (16) “like that”

The Louisiana Republican Party is asking Congressman Cedric Richmond to apologize after making an offensive comment about Kellyanne Conway’s sitting position in a viral picture. Emelie Gunn has more…

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President Donald Trump has signed a gun rights law by Congressman Ralph Abraham into law. Michelle Southern has more…

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A Denham Springs teen has died after being hit by a vehicle on his way to school. Police Chief Shannon Womack says the name of the juvenile has not been released. He says they received a call reporting the incident a little after 7 a.m.

Cut 3 (06) “pickup truck”

The family has identified the victim as Bryce Edling. Womack says impairment is not suspected, but the driver is being tested. The driver’s name has also not been released. He says they believe the 15-year-old was on his way to school when the fatal accident occurred.

cut 4  (03) “high school”

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A Baton Rouge man has been arrested for the murder of his son. Sgt. Don Coppola with Baton Rouge Police says 23-year-old Tyrone Isaac got into a physical altercation with his father, Rico Wilbert

Cut 5  (08)  “result of that”

Coppola says it’s a sad situation when anyone is killed in an altercation like this, but especially if it’s a father and son. He says Isaac was shot once in the chest around 11 p.m. last night.

Cut 6 (06) “2nd degree murder”

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New Orleans Congressman Cedric Richmond says his joke about Donald Trump aid Kellyanne Conway was misinterpreted. Richmond spoke last night at the Washington Press Club Foundation Dinner and joked that Conway “looked familiar” while kneeling. Richmond was alluding to a well-known photo of Conway on her knees on a sofa in the Oval Office. Political Analyst Clancy Dubos says Richmond’s comment will fade away from the headlines.

CUT 7 (06)  “her own”

Dubos says Conway’s comment about alternative facts will be around a lot longer than Richmond’s comment about her sitting position. He says Richmond’s joke came after U.S. Senator Tim Scott made a lot of racial jokes before the audience.

Cut 8 (10) “CSPAN”

The Louisiana Republican Party says Congressman Richmond made a deeply offensive remark regarding Kellyanne Conway and he owes her a sincere and prompt apology. Dubos says he was watching this as it was happening and it was a light hearted setting and it’s possible Richard may have went over the line but…

Cut 9 (03)  “seriously”

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A gun rights bill by Congressman Ralph Abraham has been signed into law by President Donald Trump. The Republican from Richland Parish says the bill protects the Second Amendment rights of elderly people after a policy put in place by the Obama Administration put them in jeopardy.

Cut 10 (11) “mentally incompetent”

Abraham says under the Obama executive order, elderly people who needed help filing their taxes could no longer own or purchase firearms. He says needing help filing taxes doesn’t make someone mentally incompetent. Abraham says is glad the new administration moved quickly sign this new pro-Second Amendment law.

cut 11 (08) “understand it”

Supporters of the old rule say guns can be dangerous in the hands of people with mental disabilities. Abraham says dealing with people with true mental illnesses and disorders is entirely different, and that’s not the way the rule was written under the Obama Administration.

cut 12 (12) “gun rights”

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Congressman Clay Higgins visited the I-10 Bridge in Lake Charles to discuss and inspect the structure due to some travelers’ concerns about its safety. The freshman representative met with DOTD engineers to tour the bridge. Higgins says, even though the bridge is sound, he along with DOTD feel it needs a major overhaul…:

Cut 13 (09) “with that” 

Higgins had previously drew parallels between the Southwest Louisiana Bridge and the Oroville Dam disaster in California. He says the bridge is not in danger of falling, but clearly needs things like railings, lights, shoulders to meet modern safety standards…:

cut 14 (09) “in Louisiana”

(A video of the tour was posted on Higgins’ Facebook page.)

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