Five Louisiana children from a Marskville church on their way to Disney World are among the seven dead in a fiery crash on Interstate 75 in north Florida on Thursday. Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Patrick Riordan says the five vehicle wreck started when a big rig and passenger car heading north collided

Cut 3 (12) “…semi truck.”

The five victims are

14-year-old Joel Cloud,

14-year-old Jeremiah Warren,

9 year old Cierra Boredelan, and

10-year-old Brieanna, and 13-year-old Cara Descant, who are related to the church’s pastor.

Seven other passengers are currently in serious condition.

45-year-old Amy Joffiron of Mansura,

30-year-old Ali Laborde of Marksville, 14-year-old Noah Joffrion of Mansura,

11-year-old Chelsea Laborde of Marksville,

9-year-old Trinity Woodward of Hessmer,

9-year-old Chance Bernard of Hessmer,

and 50-year-old Karen Descant, the church pastor’s wife.

___________________________________

Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins says the first day of the new Democratic controlled House set the tone for the next two years in the chamber…

Cut 2 (28) “Im Matt Doyle”  

The Lafayette Public Library has agreed to lift a ban on groups hoping to organize Drag Queen Story Time events after a lawsuit from the ACLU. After legal action from an anti-Story Time group, visitors hoping to hold events had to sign a form promising not to do a Drag event at the library. ACLU Louisiana Legal Director Katie Schwartzmann.

Cut 9 (10) “…their viewpoint″

The Saints get to enjoy the weekend off, as their first playoff game is not until January 13th. The Black and Gold will face either Dallas, Seattle or possibly the Eagles, if Philadelphia can topple the 3rd seed Chicago Bears. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says with the former champ’s backup QB back in the captain’s chair, anything is possible.
Cut 15 (10) “…could happen”
Kickoff in that game is Sunday at 3:40, and the Bears are favored by six.

Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas is a member of the All Pro first team. The third year wide out from Ohio State caught 125 passes in the regular season for 1,405 yards and nine touchdowns.

Quarterback Drew brees, defensive end Cameron Jordan and offensive tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk are second-team selections by the Associated Press.

The New Orleans Pelicans have a chance to pick up a road win Saturday night when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have the worst record in the NBA, while the Pels are in 14th place in the Western Conference at 17-and-22.

What will ULM’s Daishon Smith do in his second Sun Belt game. Smith scored 42 points in the conference opener on Thursday as the Warhawks flew past Little Rock 97-84. The 42 points is the sixth highest in school history. ULM hosts Arkansas State at 2 PM on Saturday.

The Ragin Cajuns dropped its Sun Belt opener to Arkansas State on Thursday night and will try again on Saturday when they host Little Rock.

Louisiana Tech’s seven-game winning streak ended on Thursday with a 63-59 loss at North Texas. The Bulldogs are a Rice on Sunday. Tech has won eight of their last nine against the Owls.

SWAC play tips off tomorrow, Grambling is at Alabama State, while Southern hosts Prairie View. Also, Northwestern State hosts McNeese. Tip off is at 3 PM.

Five Louisiana children from the Marksville area heading to Disney World were killed in a multi-vehicle wreck on Interstate 75 in north Florida on Thursday. Jeff Palermo has the latest…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The St. Landry’s Veterans Memorial in Opelousas has been defaced with racial slurs and other profanities by vandals and investigators are looking for the culprits.  Project organizer of the memorial, Pat Mason-Guillory says the community has reached out to assist in the cleanup effort.

Cut 8 (05) “…come and help.”

St. Landry Detectives are working the case.

The Lafayette Public Library has agreed to lift a ban on groups hoping to organize Drag Queen Story Time events after a lawsuit from the ACLU. After legal action from an anti-Story Time group, visitors hoping to hold events had to sign a form promising not to do a Drag event at the library, and ACLU Louisiana Legal Director Katie Schwartzmann says that same group has a history of attacking Story Times.

Cut 10 (10) “…these events”

Democrats have settled into control of the Lower Chamber, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and it’s the first time a new Congress has arrived to a government shutdown, and the Congressional split means any plan to re-open will have to be a bi-partisan agreement. Congressman Clay Higgins says Republicans are sticking to their guns over border wall funding.

Cut 14 (10) “…barrier”

President Trump says he won’t sign any funding that re-opens the government unless it includes 5.7 billion in border wall funding.

Five Louisiana children from the Marskville area on their way to Disney World are among the seven dead in a fiery crash on Interstate 75 in north Florida on Thursday.

The five vehicle wreck started when a big rig and passenger car heading north collided, and then smashed through the guardrails and into the southbound lane, where the van carrying the children was driving, ejecting many of the victims from the van. Witnesses say when two semi-trucks collided an explosion occurred, and afterwards a truck sped through the fiery wreckage, striking the ejected passengers.

Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Patrick Riordan says the investigation will include homicide detectives…

Cut 5 (12) “…transpired.”

The passenger van was from the Avoyelles House of Mercy, and 12 total people are thought to have been riding in it.

The St. Landry’s Veterans Memorial in Opelousas has been defaced by vandals and investigators are looking for the culprits. Since the project’s completion, a wall was erected to include the names of parish combatants who died in battle and the names of their family members. Pat Mason-Guillory says a walkway containing 3300 bricks commemorates vets from the parish who served actively from World War I up to current conflicts.

Cut 7 (11) “…those who served.”

The vandalism featured racial slurs.

There’s a change of the guard in the House of Representatives as Democrats have taken over, and that likely means a big shift in legislative priorities for the lower chamber. Republican Congressman Clay Higgins says he’s concerned about the new direction.

Cut 13 (8) “…the Preisdent.”

Five Louisiana children from the Marksville area, on their way to Disney World, were killed in a fiery crash in Florida. The drivers of two big rigs also died in the massive wreck on I-75 near Gainesville. The children that died were among 12 traveling in a van that belonged to the Avoyelles House of Mercy a pentecostal church. Florida Highway Patrol Lt Patrick Riordan expects a lengthy investigation into the cause of the crash…
cut 4 (13) “….this magnitude”
Riordan says the tragic chain of events started when a passenger car and a semi-truck collided and then went through the guard rails into the southbound lanes, hitting the church van.

The United Pentecostal Church says four children survived the crash and so did three adults, including a pregnant woman, who had to give birth to a child. Mom and newborn are said to be ok.

Lafayette Public Library officials are no longer requiring the public to fill out a form pledging they will not use their meeting rooms for drag queen story time events. The library implemented the form policy after hit with a federal lawsuit that sought to prevent the library from sanctioning a Drag Queen story time event, like the one they tried to hold in October. ACLU Louisiana legal director Katie Schwartzmann says the library’s policy is now back to its former, pre-story time state…
cut 11 (11) “…the room”

The St. Landry’s Veterans Memorial in Opelousas has been defaced by vandals and investigators are looking for the culprits. Project organizer of the memorial, Pat Mason-Guillory says the area is covered in racial slurs, other derogatory language, as well as damaged lighting and signs.
Cut 6 (12) “…loss for words.”
The St. Landry’s Sheriff’s office says they are actively working the case.

Five Louisiana children from the Marskville area heading to Disney World were killed in a multi-vehicle wreck on Interstate 75 in north Florida on Thursday. Jeff Palermo has the latest…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Investigators are still looking for leads in the vandalism of the St. Landry Veterans Memorial.  Project organizer of the memorial, Pat Mason-Guillory says the community has reached out to assist in the cleanup effort.

Cut 8 (05) “…come and help.”

The Lafayette Public Library has agreed to lift a ban on groups hoping to organize Drag Queen Story Time events after a lawsuit from the ACLU. After legal action from an anti-Storytime group, visitors hoping to hold events had to sign a form promising not to do a Drag event at the library. ACLU Louisiana Legal Director Katie Schwartzmann says the form was unconstitutional.

Cut 9 (10) “…their viewpoint″

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she won’t rule out impeaching President Donald Trump if the Special Counsel, or other investigators, uncover damning evidence linking the president to criminal behavior involving his business or foreign countries. Republican Congressman Clay Higgins says expect a lot more of that sentiment over the next two years in the lower chamber.

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The Senate remains controlled by the GOP.

A church van from Louisiana heading to Disney World was involved in a fiery crash in north Florida that resulted in the deaths of five children from the Marksville area….
cut 4 (09)”….in that”
That’s Lt. Patrick Riordan with the Florida Highway Patrol, who says two semi-truck drivers were also killed and several others injured. Reports say the children were members of the Avoyelles House of Mercy.

Seven people have been booked into the Orleans Justice Center for allegedly staging a motor vehicle crash and making false insurance claims for injuries and property loss. State Police Trooper Melissa Matey says a confession from one of the suspects was the big break in the case…
cut 11 (08) “…New Orleans”
The suspects face several different charges.

Congressman Clay Higgins says the first day of the new Democratic controlled House set the tone for the next two years in the chamber…
Cut 2 (28) “Im Matt Doyle”

President Trump has signed legislation that paves the way for Saints legend and A-L-S activist Steve Gleason to receive a Congressional Gold Medal. The 41-year-old has spearheaded efforts to help A-L-S patients live longer and a more fulfilling life.

Five Louisiana children from the Marskville area on their way to Disney World are among the seven dead in a fiery crash on Interstate 75 in north Florida on Thursday. Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Patrick Riordan says the five vehicle wreck started when a big rig and passenger car heading north collided
Cut 3 (12) “…semi truck.”
Riordan says the van from Louisiana was heading south and there was as many as a dozen people inside of it. Reports out of central Louisiana says the van belonged to a Marksville Church, called the Avoyelles House of Mercy.

Authorities says the ages of the deceased are as young as eight-years-old, up to teenagers. The drivers of the two big rigs were also killed. There’s another six to eight people injured.

The state department of corrections is bringing back its New Beginnings program thanks to a 750-thousand dollar federal grant. Assistant Corrections Secretary Rhett Covington says when the program was previously in place, it reduced the recidivism rate for released inmates that deal with mental illness and substance addictions…
cut 9 (09) “…program in place’
Corrections officials hope to keep the program running with state dollars, once the federal money runs out.

We will find out this weekend who the Saints will play on January 13th in the divisional round of the N-F-L Playoffs. If the Seawhawks beat the Cowboys in Dallas on Saturday, Seattle could head to New Orleans. NFL Analyst Mike Detillier says the Hawks are playing well…
cut 14 (11) “….NFC”
If the Eagles upset the Bears on Sunday, then the Super Bowl champs will face the Black and Gold next week.

Five children in a church van from the Avoyelles House of Mercy died yesterday in a fiery five car wreck outside of Gainesville, Florida while the group was on its way to Disney World. The dead include children as young as eight to nine, and includes teenagers. The wreck occurred after a big rig collided with a vehicle in the northbound lane, resulting in both vehicles crashing through the guardrails into the southbound lane, where the church van, and other vehicles, were struck, and several of the occupants were ejected. A truck in the southbound lane then drove through the flaming wreckage of the scene, running over members of the church van that had been ejected. The two dead adults have been identified as truck drivers, and six to eight people are currently hospitalized.

The Second Chance Act program that works with prisoners returning to the Baton Rouge and St. Tammany areas has been revived.  Department of Corrections Assistant Secretary Rhett Covington.

Cut 7 (11) “…money is gone.”

Seven suspects who allegedly staged a 2016 crash are in a bit of a bind…

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The Saints have the week off, but the Black and Gold will be visited by the Eagles next Sunday if they somehow topple the 3^rd seed Bears. Saints analyst Mike Detillier says with the former champ’s backup QB back in the captain’s chair, anything is possible.

Cut 15 (10) “…could happen”

Kickoff in that game is Sunday at 3:40PM, and the Bears are favored by six.