Festivities surrounding Mardi Gras are happening across the state starting this weekend. Michelle Southern reports…:

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Employees of the DeSoto Parish School System will soon receive a one-time salary supplement for a job well done.  In recognition of the district earning an “A” rating from the Louisiana Department of Education, the School Board authorized a $2,000 bonus for all full-time employees.  The DeSoto Parish School System was ranked 49th in Louisiana in 2010, but is now ranked 9^th.

An Offers.com survey says Louisianans are the top spenders this year for Super Bowl parties. Big game parties will be raging across the state. Spokesperson Carson Yarborough says Louisiana spends nearly 40 percent more per party than the average state and there’s another category the Bayou State paces the nation in…

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Louisiana’s nutria forecaster Pierre C. Shadeaux says spring is coming early as he didn’t see his shadow in New Iberia Friday.  LSU Climatologist Barry Keim says Shadeaux’s prediction may be close on the mark. He says most everyone is happy with Shadeaux’s prognostication since January was a very harsh month in Louisiana, but Groundhog Day is more about tradition…

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Louisiana Radio Network News, I’m Matt Doyle

Many folks think that Mardi Gras is a celebration that only takes place in Southeast Louisiana, but festivities surrounding Carnival are happening across the state. The Acadiana region celebrates with events that draw over 200,000 people every season. That’s according to Executive Director of the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission, Ben Berthelot. He says there’s a lot to see down there…:

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Monroe-based CenturyLink is opening a new outbound sales center bringing 150 jobs to the area. A job fair will be held later this month in Monroe to help fill the new jobs. CenturyLink spokesperson Anne Marie Sartor Sartor says there will be a couple of ways people can apply for the jobs…

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LRN

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An Offers.com survey says Louisianans are the top spenders this year for Super Bowl parties. Even though the Black and Gold missed the Super Bowl by a hair, big game parties will still be raging across the state, and Forget gumbo, jambalaya or crawfish, Yarborough says Louisiana has a fairly standard go to for Super Bowl snacks.

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Respected forecasters Punxsutawney Phil the groundhog and Louisiana’s own Pierre C. Shadeaux the nutria are at odds in their predictions this year.  Phil predicted another six weeks of winter, while Shadeaux says spring is coming soon.  LSU Climatologist Barry Keim says Shadeaux’s prediction may be closer on the mark…

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Keim says while the longterm weather might be unpredictable, he’s comfortable saying it’s going to rain this weekend.

Louisiana Radio Network

Louisiana Radio Network, I’m Matt Doyle

Monroe-based CenturyLink is opening a new outbound sales center bringing 150 jobs to the area.  Kelley Ray has more…

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Peninsula Pacific is evaluating the prospect of moving it’s Diamond Jack Casino in Bossier City to Tangipahoa Parish. The company is looking at moving the casino to the Tangipahoa River at the Robert exit. The move would require a difficult series of local and state requirements to be met and approved before the project could be initiated, but Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller says it’s a great opportunity for the parish. The project could cost north of 100 million dollars.

Forecaster Punxsutawney Phil and Louisiana’s own nutria forecaster Pierre C. Shadeaux are at odds in their predictions this year.  Phil saw his shadow and predicted another six weeks of winter, while Shadeaux didn’t see his in New Iberia today and says we will see a longer spring, delaying summertime heat longer.

While the spring forecast might be up in the air, LSU Climatologist Barry Keim says one things for sure, it’s going to rain this weekend for carnival.

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An Offers.com survey says Louisianans are the top spenders this year for Super Bowl parties. Even though the Black and Gold missed the Super Bowl by a hair, big game parties will still be raging across the state. Offers.com spokesperson Carson Yarborough says Louisiana spends nearly 40 percent more per party than the average state.

Cut 10 (11) “national average”

The Super Bowl kicks off at 5:30PM Sunday.

Louisiana Radio Network

Big and small towns will have Mardi Gras Parades this weekend. Kelli West with the Alexandria-Pineville Convention and Visitors Bureau, says tomorrow morning for the second year in a row, the town of Ball will host a big parade at 10 A-M along Highway 165….
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Two weekends of parades also begin tonight in Acadiana. Executive Director of the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission, Ben Berthelot, says they have a big party on February 9th at Cajun Field called Le Festival de Mardi Gras….
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And in New Orleans there’s controversy surrounding “Forever Lee Circle” beads which are in response to the statue of General Robert E Lee being taken down last year. Krewes are asking members not to toss them during parades.

CenturyLink announces they are adding 150 jobs in Louisiana as they are opening a new outbound sales center in Monroe. CenturyLink recently merged with Level 3 Communications. CenturyLink spokesperson Ann Marie Sartor says there was initial concern as to how the merger would affect employees in the Monroe area, but this shows their commitment to Louisiana.…
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A job fair will take place February 12th for anyone interested in working for CenturyLink.

Offers-dot-com surveyed a thousand people and found that Louisiana residents will spend on average 71-dollars on their Super Bowl viewing parties. Spokesperson Courtney Yarborough says there’s another category the Bayou State paces the nation in….
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Kick-off is at 5:30.

Festivities surrounding Mardi Gras are happening across the state starting this weekend. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 1 (32) “I’m Michelle Southern”

The Krewe of Muses is asking that Forever Lee Circle beads or any other Confederate-themed parade throws not be thrown this year.  The Advocate is reporting it’s a safety issue.  The krewe is concerned people will throw those beads back at them or the person throwing them could be harmed by angry paradegoers.

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and predicted another six weeks of winter while Louisiana’s own forecaster Pierre C. Shadeaux didn’t see his in New Iberia today and says we will see a longer spring.  LSU Climatologist Barry Keim says it’s understandable everyone wants to see spring come sooner since January was a very harsh month in Louisiana…

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An Offers.com survey says Louisianans are the top spenders this year for Super Bowl parties.  Forget gumbo, jambalaya or crawfish.  Spokesperson Carson Yarborough says Louisiana has a fairly standard go to for Super Bowl snacks.

Cut 11 (09) “this Sunday”

And we like to spend money for Super Bowl parties, nearly 40 percent more than other states.

Mardi Gras celebrations are taking place throughout the state the next two weekends. Executive Director of the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission Ben Berthelot says the city of Lafayette holds big parades, and rural communities do Mardi Gras their own special way…:
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Central Louisiana’s Mardi Gras gets bigger and bigger every year.

Punxsutawney Phil and Louisiana’s own nutria forecaster Pierre C. Shadeaux are at odds in their predictions this year. Phil saw his shadow and predicted another six weeks of winter, while Shadeaux didn’t in New Iberia today saying expect more spring. LSU Climatologist Barry Keim says Shadeaux’s prediction may be closer on the mark…:
Cut 13 (10) “telling us”

An Offers.com survey says Louisianans are the top spenders this year for Super Bowl parties. Even though the Black and Gold missed the Super Bowl by a hair, big game parties will still be raging across the state. Offers.com spokesperson Carson Yarborough says Louisiana spends nearly 40 percent more per party than the average state…:
Cut 10 (11) “national average”
The Eagles and Patriots will battle on Sunday at 5:30pm on NBC.

The LSU Board of Supervisors is expected to approve today new contracts for LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says Ensminger’s contract is 800-thousand dollars a year…:
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He says Aranda’s annual salary will go up to 2.5 million dollars.

Many folks think that Mardi Gras is a celebration that only takes place in Southeast Louisiana, but festivities surrounding Carnival are happening across the state. They do it big in Alexandria with two weekends packed with fun events. Kelli West with the Convention and Visitors Bureau says tonight Pineville will roll with their massive 4th Annual Light the Night Parade:
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West says once the parade is over tonight, the Light the Night After-Party kicks off at 8pm in downtown Alexandria.

The iconic Voice of the Saints Jim Henderson is retiring. He says it wasn’t an easy decision, but the hectic football season can take a toll on your family…:
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Henderson says most of all, he’s looking forward to just being a fan again.

A 74-year-old man and 10-year-old boy died in a fire this morning in West Baton Rouge Parish. Officials say a woman and girl were also injured in the blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Monroe based CenturyLink is opening a new outbound sales center bringing 150 jobs to the area…:
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