Houma Representative Jerome Zeringue has been named the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. The Republican from the Bayou was first elected to the House in 2015. Lafayette Representative Stuart Bishop will serve as chairman of House Ways and Means.

Farmers say crawfish demand has been a little slow. Kevin Barnhart explains…
cut 2 (32) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

Gasbuddy-dot-com says the statewide average price for a gallon of gasoline has fallen eight cents to $2.15 a gallon, Petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan says the demand for energy is down because of the Coronavirus. DeHaan says a similar situation happened with the 2003 SARS outbreak…
cut 11 (13) “…to China”

After the national title game, an LSU fan started a Go Fund Me page to help Clemson purchase a new Tiger mascot, because of how it looks. 31-hundred dollars was raised, but the money will not go to Clemson. Instead, it will go to Tigers United University Consortium, a partnership between Auburn, Clemson, LSU and the University of Missouri, with the goal of doubling the wild tigers’ population by 2022…
cut 4 (08) “…ten”
That’s Director of the Tigers United University Consortium, Brett Wright.

Clemson’s malnourished mascot inspired a GoFundMe aimed at helping the school buy a new one, but money raised from that joke is headed for a better cause. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle” 

_____________________

Crawfish demand sees a later start than normal. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

cut  2 (32) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

___________________________

3,100 dollars raised to “help purchase Clemson a new mascot costume” on GoFundMe in jest will instead be used to help protect real tigers in the wild.

The money is headed to the Tigers United University Consortium, and Director Brett Wright says their work is critical to protecting one of nature’s most majestic creatures.

Cut 3 (08)  “…now” 

The account was created after LSU fans noticed Clemson’s fairly hideous tiger mascot on the sidelines during the National Championship game.

The Consortium’s goal is to double the wild tiger population by 2022. Wright says this donation will help them get closer to that goal.

Cut 4 (08) “…ten”

The consortium is comprised of LSU, Clemson, Auburn, and Missouri, all teams with a tiger mascot. Wright says the organization has two goals, starting with…

Cut 5 (09) “…tigers”

The second goal is researching more about what can be done to keep tigers alive in the wild.

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Crawfish season is underway, but President of the Crawfish Research and Promotion Board David Savoy says the demand has been slow to rise.  Savoy says some people may view Super Bowl weekend as the official kickoff of the season.

Cut 6 (09) “…December last year.”

While he’s thankful for recent success on the gridiron, Savoy believes football may have distracted locals away from crawfish boils.

Cut 7 (12) “…more towards football.”

Some have taken an issue with the price of crawfish, but Savoy says even though prices will never be what they were 20 or 30 years ago, it’s still a great bargain.

Cut 8 (11) “…time doing it.”

According to the LSU AgCenter, more acres of farmland are producing crawfish this year and are expected to produce close to 150 million pounds of mudbugs.

_________________________________

The Coronarvirus outbreak has led to a drop in gasoline prices. Petroleum analyst for gas-buddy-dot-com Patrick De Haan says the statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline has fallen eight-cents over the last week and it stands at $2.15 a gallon because China is not using as much energy

Cut 9 (09) “…oil demand.”

DeHaan says the price for a barrel of crude oil has dropped 10 dollars over the last few weeks and they are seeing dozens of service stations selling gas for under two dollars a gallon…

Cut 10 (11) “…weeks ahead.” 

DeHaan says it’s possible the statewide average could get down to two dollars a gallon. He says there was a similar decline in energy demand during the 2003 SARS outbreak, but the fears over the spread of the Coronavirus is more intense…

Cut 11 (13) “…to China.”

______________________

Louisiana is the state with the highest incarceration rate in the nation with the highest incarceration rates in the world, and one group says that’s thanks in part to media depictions of criminal justice.

President of Color of Change Rashad Robinson says his organization ran a study of primetime TV and found the airwaves blanketed by crime dramas, which may explain why…

Cut 12 (10) “…up”

The study found crime dramas routinely show law enforcement protagonists breaking the law to catch the criminal while excusing and glorifying that behavior. Robinson says that biases juries…

Cut 13 (11) “…consequences”

One of the issues the study discovered was the makeup of TV writers. Robinson says roughly 80 percent of crime drama writers are white, and their bias was evident.

Cut 14 (07) “…victims.”

________________

Cut 15 (11) “…you think”

Cut 16  (12)  …dominate” 

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Clemson’s malnourished mascot inspired a GoFundMe aimed at helping the school buy a new one, but money raised from that joke is headed for a better cause. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

The story involving the Saints and their involvement with the New Orleans Archdiocese’s sexual abuse crisis is not going away. The lawyers for one of the victims claim the Saints actively helped shape the list of credibly accused clergy. The Saints say their behind the scenes public relations work was minimal.

Oil prices have fallen 10-percent since January 17 because of the coronavirus. The outbreak of the disease in China has resulted in decline in energy demand. Petroleum analyst with Gas-buddy-dot-com Patrick DeHaan says dozens of service stations are selling gas for under two-dollars a gallon…
cut 10 (11) “…weeks ahead’
De Haan says the statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline has fallen eight-cents over the last week and it stands at $2.15 a gallon.

Some say the Superbowl marks the start of the crawfish season. President of the Crawfish Research and Promotion Board David Savoy says crawfish becomes available in December, but they’ve seen slow sales so far…
cut 7 (12) “…football”

The Coronarvirus outbreak has led to a drop in gasoline prices. Petroleum analyst for gas-buddy-dot-com Patrick De Haan says the statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline has fallen eight-cents over the last week and it stands at $2.15 a gallon because China is not using as much energy

Cut 9 (09) “…oil demand.”

DeHaan says it’s possible the statewide average could get down to two dollars a gallon. 

Gas prices aren’t the only thing unusually low for the season. Crawfish prices are depressed, and industry representatives say despite the season rolling people don’t seem to be buying just yet. Despite it being lower than last year, prices are still much higher than they were decades ago when it wasn’t as popular nationwide, President of the Crawfish Research and Promotion Board David Savoy says they’re still a good bargain.

Cut 8 (11) “…time doing it.”

LSU fans shocked by the hideous Clemson Tiger mascot during the championship game started a GoFundMe as a joke to raise money for the school to upgrade their gear. That GoFundMe raised 3,100 dollars, and is now headed to the Tigers United University Consortium, a group dedicated to keeping real tigers alive. Director Brett Wright says the organization has two goals, starting with…

Cut 5 (09) “…tigers”

LSU, Clemson, Auburn, and Missouri make up the group.

Seven hotel workers, including clerks and managers, are being accused of defrauding a Shreveport Holiday Inn Express of $280,000.  Caddo Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says it was a tricky scheme.

Cut 13 (12) “…manipulate the books.”

3,100 dollars raised to “help purchase Clemson a new mascot costume” on GoFundMe in jest will instead be used to help protect real tigers in the wild. The money is headed to the Tigers United University Consortium, comprised of Clemson, Auburn, LSU and Missouri, and Director Brett Wright says their work is critical to protecting one of nature’s most majestic creatures.

Cut 3 (08)  “…now” 

The account was created after LSU fans noticed Clemson’s fairly hideous tiger mascot on the sidelines during the National Championship game.

Crawfish season is underway, but President of the Crawfish Research and Promotion Board David Savoy says the demand has been slow to rise.  Savoy says some people may view Super Bowl weekend as the official kickoff of the season.

Cut 6 (09) “…December last year.”

E. Pluribus Unum has assembled a substantial list of every 2020 presidential candidates’ positions on 3 major topics concerning racial equity in the South. Unum Founder and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says the list of policy positions of each candidate is broken down over 15 of the biggest concerns they’ve heard.

Cut 10 (12) “…top.”

Some of the topics include the racial wealth gap, health equity, gun safety, and gerrymandering. You can see all 15 candidate’s positions at umun-fund-dot-org.

A Chalmette Representative is bringing this year’s major lawsuit reform bill aimed at limiting damages in jury trials, hopefully bringing down auto insurance rates as a result. HB 9 is a core part of a suite of insurance premium related bills this session. Ray Garofalo says his legislation is the result of extensive consultation with the insurance industry.

Cut 4 (10) “…country”

Opponents argue that these changes could limit a victim’s winnings in court while providing no promise rates would actually go down.

E. Pluribus Unum has assembled a substantial list of every 2020 presidential candidates’ positions on major topics in the South. Unum Founder and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says the list of policy positions is broken down over 15 of the biggest concerns they’ve heard.

Cut 10 (12) “…top.”

Seven hotel workers are being accused of defrauding a Shreveport Holiday Inn Express of $280,000 by giving away free rooms, pocketing cash payments from guests and cooking the books to cover up the evidence.  Caddo Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says three people have been taken into custody so far.  Warrants remain open for siblings 41-year-old Amber Nelson and 43-year-old David Nelson as well as 24-year-old Jamilah King and 54-year-old Angela Mere Lane, all of Shreveport.

Cut 15 (05) “…Caddo Shreveport Crimestoppers.”

Crawfish farmers have been setting traps over the last month or so and the crop production so far is showing positive signs for the rest of the season.  Across the state, about a quarter-million acres of underwater crawfish habitat are being farmed.  In addition to that, LSU AgCenter Crawfish specialist Mark Shirley says the Atchafalaya Basin is where the wild crop is being harvested.
Cut 8 (09) “…in crawfish production.”
Crawfish season runs through May.

HB 9 is this year’s big push to limit jury trial damages in an effort to potentially push down the state’s sky-high auto insurance rates. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Matt Doyle”
New Orleans Police arrest a 21-year-old accused of killing a UL Lafayette student earlier this month.  Alec Billiot is accused of shooting is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death fo 20-year-old Lee Long Jr.  Billiot also faces five counts of attempted second-degree murder.

Seven hotel workers, including clerks and managers, are being accused of defrauding a Shreveport Holiday Inn Express of $280,000 by giving away free rooms, pocketing cash payments from guests and cooking the books to cover up the evidence.  Caddo Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says the company audit in November caught the actions, they then contacted authorities.

Cut 14 (12) “…involved they were.”

Three have been arrest, four are still on the loose.

Crawfish farmers have been setting traps over the last month or so and the crop production so far is showing positive signs for the rest of the season.  In 2019, a seafood labeling bill became state law requiring businesses to disclose if they are serving imported shrimp and crawfish.  LSU AgCenter Crawfish specialist Mark Shirley says there should be enough of the homegrown crop to meet the demand, but…

Cut 9 (09) “…demand Louisiana crawfish.”

Crawfish season runs through May.

Chalmette Representative Ray Garofalo is sponsoring the legislation this year that many Republicans say will lead to lower auto insurance rates over time. The measure failed to pass last year as opponents argued the changes could limit a victim’s winnings in court while providing no promise rates would actually go down. Here’s Garofalo’s response…
cut 6 (11) “….reduction”
The reduction would potentially come two years after passage.

If you want to know where the Presidential candidates stand on race and equity issues, former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s new organization E Pluribus Unum has released a policy tracker. Landrieu finds it interesting to see who prioritizes what issues…
cut 12 (05) “….talk about”
You can see all 15 candidates’ positions, including President Trump, at u-mun-fund-dot-org.

Crawfish season is underway and the initial crop is showing good signs for the rest of the season ahead. Kevin Barnhart has the details.
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

After the national title game, an LSU fan started a Go Fund Me page to help Clemson purchase a new Tiger mascot, because of how it looks. 31-hundred dollars was raised, but the money will not go to Clemson. Instead, the money will go to Tigers United University Consortium, a partnership between Auburn, Clemson, LSU and the University of Missouri, with the goal of doubling the wild tigers’ population by 2022.

Mitch Landrieu’s E. Pluribus Unum launches a tracker of 2020 presidential candidate’s policy positions on racial equity issues…

Cut 3 (30)  “…I’m Matt Doyle” 

The New Orleans City Council voted Wednesday to create a special committee to investigate the collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel and post response. Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Inspector General Derry Harper oppose, stating it interferes with ongoing investigations. However, Council President Helena Morano says the city has an obligation to the victims and their families.

In the legislature, a Chalmette Representative is bringing this year’s major lawsuit reform bill aimed at limiting damages in jury trials, hopefully bringing down auto insurance rates as a result. Republican Representative Ray Garofalo says voters sent lawmakers to Baton Rouge with a mandate.

Cut 5 (11) “…buisiness.”

The reduction would potentially come two years after passage.

Seven hotel workers, including clerks and managers, are being accused of defrauding a Shreveport Holiday Inn Express of $280,000.  Caddo Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says it was a tricky scheme.

Cut 13 (12) “…manipulate the books.”

Three people have been arrested so far and there are arrest warrants for four others