Governor John Bel Edwards will go before the Joint Legislative Budget Committee today to present his budget proposal for next fiscal year. He says it will outline what would happen if lawmakers don’t address the looming, billion-dollar fiscal cliff. Edwards and GOP leaders have been at odds on budget issues. Political Analyst Clandy Dubos says this is politics…:
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The shortfall is due to a one cent sales tax expiring on June 30th.

Emerge Louisiana chooses 25 Democratic women that will train on how to run for political office. Executive Director Melanie Oubre says nine women have been enrolled in the class and plan to run for office again…:
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She says these women come from across the state and will get 70 hours of in depth education over six months.

A 9.7 million dollar grant will fund the creation of an oil consortium at UL-Lafayette. Jeff Palermo finds out what that could mean for the state…:
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State Police say I-10 West could be closed for several hours between Baton Rouge and Lafayette due to an 18-wheeler crash and fire. They say it happened just past Whiskey Bay on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge around 5am. I-10 West drivers are being diverted in West Baton Rouge Parish at the Lobdell exit to Us 190 West to I-49 South to Lafayette.

The governor will reveal his “doomsday” budget today, Matt Doyle spoke with political analyst Clancy Dubos about what that means…:
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Gas prices have seen a huge jump throughout the nation and the state over the past few weeks. The current average in Louisiana is $2.36 a gallon, which is up 6 cents from the prior week…and 15 cents higher than a month ago, according to AAA. Analysts say the jump is due to higher crude oil costs.

A 9.7 million dollar grant was awarded to a UL Lafayette consortium to study the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale oil deposit that stretches across central Louisiana into the Florida parishes. ULL Professor Mehdi Mokhtari (med-e mowk-tari) says the grant will help scientists unlock the shale’s potential:
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A study from the 80s indicated that Louisiana could be sitting on nearly seven billion barrels of crude oil.

Have you already foiled your New Years resolution to become healthier? LSU Ag Center nutritional specialist Elizabeth Gollub says the key to making a long term positive change is to start with a series of smaller habits…:
Cut 9 (12) “long haul”

Governor John Bel Edwards will unveil a budget today that will show what one billion dollars in cuts to state agencies would look like. Reports say healthcare and education will be the hardest hit, with the possibility of total cut in funding to TOPS. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says this is the budget Edwards is constitutionally required to present…:
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So far, GOP legislative leaders and Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards have been unable to settle on a plan to address the fiscal cliff.

New Year’s resolutions are starting to fall by the wayside for many as day to day realities clash with their bold plans. LSU Ag Center nutritional specialist Elizabeth Gollub has a suggestion…:
Cut 7 (11) “smaller steps”

Emerge Louisiana chooses 25 Democratic women to train to run for political office. Kelley Ray spoke with executive director Melanie Oubre:
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The Louisiana Public Service Commission wants to know why utility customers were asked to conserve energy Thursday morning in the cold. Michelle Southern reports…:
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Senator John Kennedy calls out the Democrats for the federal government shutdown, saying it an embarrassment to congress, democracy, the United States of America. A statement from Kennedy says, “I defy any Democrat to explain why it is so important to ask our military to sacrifice their pay, furloughs hundreds of thousands of workers, and reject a long term renewal of the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

A billion dollar state budget short fall may spell funding trouble for the TOPS program. Higher Education Commissioner Joe Rallo says time is critical since nationwide faculty recruitment is currently underway…
Cut 8 (11) “of state.”

A non-partisan group CrowdPac is concerned about the recent volatile actions of the Vermillion School board and wants to see changes. Controversy erupted after a school teacher was arrested at a school board meeting when she voiced concerns over a pay raise for the school superintendent. Crowdpac spokesperson Mason Harrison says…
Cut 14 (10) “help out.”

A seminar teaching the public how to run for school board offices is set for January 30th at the Sunbelt Lodge in Abbeville.

The Commissioner of Higher Education is worried about possible cuts to the TOPS program. Kelley Ray has a look at the far reaching repercussions…
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A mysterious package left at a Slidell Post Office caused police to block off the area for the bomb squad to respond. The package was dropped off around 4 pm and after approximately 4 and half hours later the Slidell Police department said the contents of the package was about seventy pounds of human feces. Authorities say the person being questioned is thought to have mental health problems.

Public Service Commissioner Chairman Eric Skrmetta says industrial customers were warned this week that their power could be turned off due to extremely cold weather. Industrial customers handle electrical flow to Louisiana households. He says this should not happen and it’s the Public Service Commission’s job to make sure that power is always there for consumers to use..:
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Vermilion School Board President Anthony Fontana announced his resignation. This comes amid a school teacher’s arrest at a school board meeting two weeks ago when she voiced concerns over the Superintendent’s pay raise. Crowdpac spokesperson Mason Harrison says Fontana’s resignation is perfect timing for a seminar coming to Abbeville to teach citizens to how to run for a school board position…
Cut 12 (07) “do that.”

The Louisiana Public Service Commission wants to know why utility customers were asked to conserve energy Thursday morning in the cold. Michelle Southern reports…:

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The federal government shutdown has Louisiana’s elected representatives blaming the Democrats.  Representative Clay Higgins issued a statement declaring “This shut down belongs to the democrats. They own it.”  While Senator Bill Cassidy’s statement read, “They voted to shut down the government just to appease the pro-illegal immigrations extremists in their party.”  Both Representative Higgins and Senator Cassidy said the measure voted down would have funded the U.S. military and the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Governor John Bel Edwards will unveil his proposed budget for next fiscal year on Monday. Higher Education Commissioner Joe Rallo says if funding for TOPS is eliminated, it will devastate students in the program. Cuts are likely because a one-penny sales tax that funds provides nearly a billion dollars in state revenues will expire at the end of June.  Rallo says if TOPS doesn’t get funding, it could affect Louisiana’s job market…

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A non-partisan group CrowdPac is concerned about the recent volatile actions of the Vermillion School board and wants to see changes.  School teacher Deyshia Hargrave was arrested two weeks ago after speaking out during a school board meeting.  Crowdpac spokesperson Mason Harrison says they will hold a seminar in Abbeville to train citizens to become prepared to run for a school board position.

Cut 13 (08) “this year.”

The seminar is scheduled for January 30^th at the Sunbelt Lodge in Abbeville.

Vermilion School Board President Anthony Fontana has announced he’s resigned.  This comes amid the controversy surrounding school teacher Deyshia Hargrave and her arrest two weeks ago.  A non-partisan group CrowdPac is concerned about the recent volatile actions of the board and wants to see changes. Spokesperson Mason Harrison says the resignation is perfect timing for a seminar coming to Abbeville to train citizens to become prepared to run for a school board position…

Cut 12 (07) “do that.”

The seminar is scheduled for January 30^th.

The Louisiana Public Service Commission wants to know why utility customers were asked to reduce energy consumption for a time Thursday morning over concerns the grids may not be able to handle the high demand in the cold. PSC Chairman Eric Skrmetta says nobody’s power was going to be shut off:

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Governor Edwards has said he will ask for a special session next month to consider the budget if there isn’t an agreement in principle in place.  One of the concerns with the upcoming announcement is if there is enough money to fund the TOPS program.  Higher Education Commissioner Joe Rallo says time is of the essence in getting a financial plan in place since nationwide faculty recruitment for universities and college is underway…

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A state judge will hear a dispute next month between Governor Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry over which party should control the state’s lawsuit against opioid manufacturers.  Edwards’ administration filed a lawsuit in September against more than a dozen drug companies.  Landry filed a request to stop the suit since it didn’t include how it impacts other agencies.  Landry says his office can supersede the state health department.

The Vermilion Parish School Board is without a president.  Anthony Fontana resigned today, saying he accomplished what he set out to do, giving the superintendent a raise.  BiPartisan group CrowdPac is upset that school teacher Deyshia Hargrave was arrested a couple of weeks ago after speaking out about the superintendent’s raise.  CrowdPac Spokesperson Mason Harrison says the entire school board could lose their positions…

Cut 13 (08) “this year.”

Roads were shuttered and pipes shattered as Louisiana suffered record lows this week. Many woke up to the sound of running water and nasty surprises across their property. New Orleans based Pipes “R” Us owner Danny Griffin says there’s a good way to avoid the hassle going forward…

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The Louisiana Public Service Commission wants to know why utility customers were asked to conserve energy Thursday morning in the cold. Michelle Southern reports…:

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Opening arguments were made today in the shooting death of former NFL player Joe McKnight.  Defense attorneys claim 56-year-old Ronald Gasser fired the gun in self defense after McKnight approached his vehicle after a traffic confrontation.  Prosecutors say Gasser’s claim that McKnight tried to lunge toward his car is unfounded.  Gasser is charged with second degree murder.