A new Congress is sworn in today on Capitol Hill as Democrats officially take control of the House, while Republicans increase their majority in the Senate. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says get ready for two years of hardcore gridlock…
cut 9 (10) “…things done”
The first order of business is to end the partial government shutdown. President Donald Trump says the shutdown could last a long time as he’s seeking billions of dollars for a border wall.

A 68-year-old man faces terrorizing charges after he allegedly threatened to shoot up a store, after someone took his shopping cart. Thibodaux Police Lt. Clint Dempster says store management handled the situation well.
Cut 10 (10) “…police got there.”
Officiers obtained a search warrant for Louis Albarado’s vehicle and located a 44 magnum handgun.

Fort Polk personnel are investigating what appears to be a deliberate killing of five wild horses gunned down in the Peason Ridge Wildlife Management Area, which is part of the Kisatchie National Forest. Kevin Barnhart has more…
Voicer 1 (28) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

Hospitals are now required to post a list of prices for their services on their website. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Much of Louisiana is under a flash flood watch as several inches of rain are expected to fall between today and Friday morning. Kent Kuyper with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says heavy downpours are possible today and tonight and again during the day tomorrow

Cut 15 (10) “…the home”

Gasoline prices continue to fall. According to Triple-A, the statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline is a $1.95. That’s about 20-cents cheaper than a month ago. Low gas prices are a double edge sword for Louisiana. Low oil prices means less revenue for state government. Triple-A fuel analyst Don Redman says says the current cost for a barrel of crude oil is 50-dollars and he says if that keeps going down it can cause real problems.

Cut 8 (10) “…mineral oil”

The Louisiana Legislature is seeing a high turnover rate as the AP reports 22 state lawmakers, roughly 15%, have left office without completing their terms since January 2016.  Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says he doesn’t foresee the trend being reversed, as there are many more attractive jobs in government worth pursuing.

Cut 11 (12) “…in politics”

He says low pay, longer than expected hours, and no benefits also add to the disinterest.

The Saints do not have a playoff game to prepare for this weekend, but that doesn’t mean they are just relaxing. Coach Sean Payton says they will be busy cleaning up things that they need to improve on…
Cut 29 (14) “…ample rest”
The Saints will play either Dallas, Seattle or Philadelphia in the NFC Divisional round.

The week off allows Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell to interview for head coaching vacancies. Campbell will reportedly speak with the Browns, Packers and Cardinals later this week.

And the Packers reportedly want to also talk with longtime Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael.

Tonight in basketball….the Pelicans visit the Brooklyn Nets, Northwestern State hosts Nicholls in the Southland opener.

LSU has its first ten-win season since 2013 after beating UCF 40-32 in the Fiesta Bowl. There were some who projected that the Tigers would only win seven games, but Coach Ed Orgeron says they never listened to the doubters…
cut 30 (21) “….our players”
LSU will likely be ranked in the Top 10 when the final polls come out next week.

Texas could also be in the Top 10. The Longhorns, who open next season by hosting Louisiana Tech and LSU, upset Georgia 28-21 in last night’s Sugar Bowl.

With one more game left to be played, the SEC is 6-5 in bowl games. Conference USA finished with the best winning percentage as their teams went 4-and-2.

The Louisiana Legislature is seeing a high turnover rate as the AP reports 22 state lawmakers, roughly 15%, have left office without completing their terms since January 2016. The state has held ten legislative sessions in three years, and Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says low pay and no bennies make public service an unappealing career option.

Cut 10 (12) “…statewide elected official”

The new 116^th Congress begins tomorrow, and they do so in the shadow of a partial federal government shutdown. Republicans and Democrats are divided over border security funding. President Donald Trump is seeking five-billion dollars to build a wall between Mexico and the US. Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson says there are some in Congress who do not want to give President Trump a win.

Cut 12 (06)   “…of the people.” 

Johnson says it’s the worst partisanship since the Civil War.

Gasoline prices continue to fall. According to Triple-A, the statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline is a $1.95. Triple-A fuel analyst Don Redman says gas prices should remain below two-dollars until March, when refineries begin the switch to summer grade gasoline. He says until then, the supply of gasoline on the market is strong.

Cut 7 (06) “…the country”

Gas is 20 cents lower than it was last month.

Hospitals are now required to put a master price list online for all of their services. It’s a mandate from the 2010 Affordable Care Act that aims to get consumers more involved in their healthcare, but Louisiana Hospital Association President Paul Salles cautions if you have insurance, those prices won’t be your final bill.

Cut 3 (11) “…rules.”

The prices are also referred to as “charges”, or “standard charges”.

The Louisiana Legislature is seeing a high turnover rate as the AP reports 22 state lawmakers, roughly 15%, have left office without completing their terms since January 2016.  Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says he believes the reason behind the exodus is that the Louisiana Legislature is not the glory place it used to be.

Cut 9 (10) “…with the Governor.″
The new 116^th Congress begins tomorrow, and they do so in the shadow of a partial federal government shutdown. Republicans and Democrats are divided over border security funding. Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson says the partisanship is a sad trend, adding the divisiveness is among the worst in since the Civil War.  But he believes the GOP can play defense against the left, and work on the offense plans as well in terms of how they are going to move legislation.

Cut 13 (09) “…we always have.”

Hospitals are now required to put a master price list online for all of their services. It’s a mandate from the 2010 Affordable Care Act that aims to get consumers more involved in their healthcare, but Louisiana Hospital Association President Paul Salles cautions if you have insurance, those prices won’t be your final bill.  Hospitals are allowed to put prices in context, such as providing the average out of pocket expense to a Medicare patient for a certain treatment.  So, if you are insured, the best way to find out what a treatment, surgery, or other service will cost, is to pick up your phone, and…

Cut 4 (08) “situation.″

Gasoline prices continue to fall. According to Triple-A, the statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline is a $1.95. That’s about 20-cents cheaper than a month ago. Triple-A fuel analyst Don Redman says the price at the pump should continue to fall as demand for gasoline is low in January compared to other months

Cut 6 (08) “…$1.90”

The Associated Press reports 22 state lawmakers left before finishing their term over the last three years. Why such a high turnover rate?  Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”  

A pastor whose wife was killed late November in a New Orleans carjacking has been declared missing after this vehicle was found abandoned in the city. David Plessy was last heard from by his daughter on Monday, who says they’re quite worried because it’s highly unusual for Mr. Plessy to be out of contact with his family for this long. His wife died after three teenagers threw her out of the vehicle, and struck her as they departed.

Starting this year Hospitals are now required to put a master price list online for all of their services, but Unfortunately a brief survey of Louisiana hospitals indicated that many have either not posted those prices on their primary hospital website, have dead links to price charts, or have made them very difficult to access. So, if you’re interested in seeing what the real cost of that x-ray is, you may not have an easy time doing it…

Cut 5 (09) “…available.”

That’s Louisiana Hospital Association President Paul Salles who says the prices are also referred to as “charges”, or “standard charges”.

Much of Louisiana is under a flash flood watch as several inches of rain are expected to fall between today and Friday morning. Kent Kuyper with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says we are also seeing chilly temperatures

Cut 16 (10) “…the 40s.”

Central Louisiana could see see the highest rainfall totals, as three to five inches is forecasted.

The new 116th Congress begins tomorrow, and they do so in the shadow of a partial federal government shutdown. Republicans and Democrats are divided over border security funding. President Donald Trump is seeking five-billion dollars to build a wall between Mexico and the US. Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson says there are some in Congress who do not want to give President Trump a win.
Cut 12 (06) “…of the people.”

Louisiana’s legislature has also become more partisan over the years, which is one reason why 22 legislators have failed to finish their term since 2016. That’s according to the Associated Press. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says being a state legislator isn’t as a glamorous as it used to be…
cut 11 (12) “..in politics”

Hospitals are now required to post a list of prices for their services on their website. Matt Doyle has more.
Voicer 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Much of Louisiana is under a flash flood watch as several inches of rain are expected to fall betweeen today and Friday morning. Kent Kuyper with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says heavy downpours are possible today and tonight and again during the day tomorrow…
cut 15 (10) “….more rain”

Gasoline prices continue to fall, and according to Triple-A, the statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline is a $1.95.  Fuel analyst Don Redman says gas prices should remain below two-dollars until March, when refineries begin the switch to summer grade gasoline. He says until then, the supply of gasoline on the market is strong

Cut 7 (06) “…the country”

Today’s price is down 20 cents from a month ago.

The Louisiana Legislature is seeing a high turnover rate as the AP reports 22 state lawmakers, roughly 15%, have left office without completing their terms since January 2016. The state has held ten legislative sessions in three years, including seven special sessions called by Governor John Bel Edwards. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says between the workload, the time away from jobs and families, and the lack of retirement and medical benefits, it’s just not as an attractive position as it once was.

Cut 10 (12) “…statewide elected official”

Beginning January 1st, hospitals were required to put a master price list online for all of their services. It’s a mandate from the 2010 Affordable Care Act that aims to get consumers more involved in their healthcare, but Louisiana Hospital Association President Paul Salles cautions if you have insurance, those prices won’t be your final bill.

Cut 3 (11) “…rules.”

Unfortunately a brief survey of Louisiana hospitals indicated that many have either not posted those prices on their primary hospital website, have dead links to price charts, or have made them very difficult to access. When available, the prices come via excel spreadsheet.