Governor Edwards has called a 3:30 press conference today where he may further coronavirus restrictions as the current modified phase two order expires tomorrow. The state reported 45 more COVID-19 deaths yesterday and there are nearly two-thousand COVID patients in hospitals.

Vaccine rollout enters its second week for those over the age of 70. Brooke Thorington gives an update on how Ochsner Health is participating.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

State Police is planning for demonstrations this weekend at the Louisiana capitol involving Trump supporters who are protesting the results of the November election. There’s been pushback against those who attended last week’s rally in Washington D-C before the U-S Capitol was stormed by an angry mob. Loyola University of New Orleans law professor Dane Ciolino says your employer can fire you over your political beliefs, even if you did not commit a crime at a political demonstration…
cut 8 (10) “….activity”

The jackpots for both Mega Millions and Powerball are over 550-million dollars. Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is 615-million dollars, while Powerball’s next drawing is tomorrow night. Louisiana Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin…
cut 12 (11) “…25”

Governor Edwards has called for a press conference at 3:30 today where he’s expected to announce what future coronavirus restrictions will be in place. The current modified Phase two order expires tomorrow. Edwards is also expected to discuss the ongoing vaccine rollout. Ochsner Health Doctor Katherine Baumgarten says they administered 57-thousand doses over the weekend, which includes…
cut 4 (07) “….of 70”
And the state has added 100 more locations where those over the age of 70 can get the vaccine.

Louisiana is one of eight states that has received a green rating, which is good, for its highway safety laws. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety spokesperson Allison Kennedy says comprehensive safety laws reduce roadway injuries and deaths, which is more important than ever…
cut 15 (11) “…right now”

State Police say they are preparing for demonstrations at the State Capitol in the coming days as we get closer to inauguration day. The FBI reportedly issued a bulletin that armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols. President Trump supporters have been gathering at the Louisana Capitol during the weekend, but they have been peaceful.

Both Mega Millions and Powerball have jackpots worth over half a billion dollars. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

Louisiana State Police says they are aware of planned demonstrations supporting President Trump at the State Capitol in the coming days and they are working closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. L-S-P says they will have personnel in place to ensure a safe environment.

As more people are being identified from Wednesday’s raid on the U-S Capitol, can you lose your job for attending a political demonstration… Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

After seeing the number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital fall below two-thousand, the number rose again yesterday to 1,982. Medical Director for Infection Prevention and Control at Ochsner Health, Doctor Katherine Baumgarten says while they have 113-thousand scheduled vaccine appointments, they also have 587 COVID-19 patients in their hospitals…
cut 6 (09) “….yet”

The jackpots for the multi-state lottery games Mega Millions and Powerball are both over 500-million dollars. Louisiana Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin says the jackpot for tomorrow night’s Powerball drawing is the ninth-largest ever at 550-million dollars, while Mega Millions is the fourth largest at 615-million dollars…
cut 11 (04) “…top ten”
The large jackpots have more players buying tickets. Last week the state tallied 5.4 million in lotto sales, twice as much as it did for the first week of December.

Governor Edwards has called for a 3:30 press conference today, one day before the modified Phase Two coronavirus restrictions are set to expire. Edwards is also expected to provide an update on the vaccine rollout. Individuals over the age of 70 are eligible to be vaccinated, but Medical Director for Infection Prevention and Control at Ochsner Health, Doctor Katherine Baumgarten, says it’s been a challenge as their staff is also focused on setting up appointments and answering the phones which are ringing off the hook…
cut 5 (12) “….or two”

Can employees be fired for participating in a political rally? Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolino says Louisiana is an employment at-will state, so an employer can terminate a worker for their support of a political agenda…
cut 9 (06) “…someone”

Louisiana is one of eight states to receive a green rating from the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety’s 2020 Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws. Government Relations Director Allison Kennedy says the state has 10 of their 16 recommended laws, most crucially a primary enforcement seatbelt law that covers all occupants of a vehicle.
Cut 13 (08) “…occurs.”
Kennedy says along with strong seatbelt laws the state also received high marks for its all rider motorcycle helmet law, child passenger safety laws, and graduated drivers licensing for teen drivers.

There’s a freezing fog advisory in effect until 9 this morning for central and the southern part of north Louisiana.

Vaccine rollout enters its second week for those over the age of 70 in Louisiana. Brooke Thorington gives an update on how Ochsner Health is participating.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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As more people are being identified from Wednesday’s raid on the Capitol, many ask can you lose your job for even attending political events. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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Both Mega Millions and Powerball now have over half a billion dollar jackpots. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (31)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

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Ochsner Health continues COVID vaccine rollout to their employees and is also aiding with inoculations for those over the age of 70 who just became eligible on January 4^th. Medical Director for Infection Prevention and Control at Ochsner Health Dr. Katherine Baumgarten says as of Monday they’ve administered 57-thousand doses, which includes…

Cut 4 (07) “…of 70.”

On the first day of the rollout for those over the age of 70, Ochsner received 56-thousand phone calls, before the record number of calls in one day was 20 thousand. Baumgarten says more than 200-thousand people in Louisiana are over the age of 70 so it’s been a challenge to accommodate the demand, in addition to staff focused on setting up appointments and answering the phones…

Cut 5 (12) “…or two.”

Baumgarten says their hospitals are extremely crowded with COVID patients and she’s seeing several cases of multiple family members hospitalized at once. Until herd immunity can be gained with vaccinations, she’s imploring the public to help.

Cut 6 (09) “…yet.”

Baumgarten says when you are scheduled for your vaccine you are scheduled for both appointments because the vaccine requires two injections.

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As political fallout continues from the storming of the Capitol last week, the question arises can your employer fire you for your political beliefs? Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolino says in Louisiana the answer is yes, they can.

Cut 7 (11)  “…fire you.”

Ciolino says it’s not necessarily a matter of if you committed criminal activity at a political demonstration.

Cut 8 (10) “…activity”

Ciolino says a private employer in the Bayou State could choose to fire you if you attended a rally to support any political agenda.

Cut 9 (06) “…someone.”

Ciolino says California is one of the few states where an employer cannot terminate you for engaging in political activities.

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Mega Millions is up to 615 million dollars for tonight’s drawing and Powerball is at 550 million for Wednesday night’s drawing.

Louisiana Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin says we haven’t seen jackpots over half a billion dollars in over a year.

Cut 10 (09) “…2019.”

35 percent of all state lotto revenue goes to fund K-12 education in Louisiana.

The Powerball jackpot is the 9^th largest ever, and the Mega Millions draw is the 4^th largest…

Cut 11 (04) “top ten”.

The skyrocketing jackpots have more players buying tickets. Last week the state tallied 5.4 million in lotto sales, twice as much as it did that same time last month.

So, what are the odds of striking it rich on back to back lotto nights? Chopin says it’s pretty low, but not impossible…

Cut 12 (11) “…25.”

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Louisiana is one of only eight states to receive a green rating from the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety’s 2020 Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws.

Government Relations Director Allison Kennedy says the state has 10 of their 16 recommended laws, most crucially a primary enforcement seatbelt law that covers all occupants of a vehicle.

Cut 13 (08) “…occurs.”

Kennedy says along with our strong seatbelt laws we also received high marks for our all rider motorcycle helmet law, child passenger safety laws, and graduated drivers licensing for teen drivers.

We still have some room to improve according to Kennedy, who says we’d do well to enact a more optimal child booster seat law.

Cut 14 (07) “…key.” 

Louisiana is the only southern state to receive a green rating.

Kennedy says adopting more comprehensive safety laws is an important part of reducing roadway injuries and deaths, which is more important now than ever…

Cut 15 (11)“…right now”

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The Saints and Buccaneers will meet for a third time this season on Sunday when the two NFC South rivals meet in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. New Orleans won the two regular-season matchups, including a 38-3 trouncing of Tampa Bay on its home field on November eighth. Coach Sean Payton says that last game will not factor into what will happen this Sunday

Cut 16 (14) “…entirely different.”

Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady is looking to play in his tenth Super Bowl. Payton says they know Brady will be well prepared to face the Saints defense…

Cut 17 (25) “..this year.”

During the season the Buccaneers signed four-time All-pro receiver Antonio Brown. In has last four games, Brown has caught a touchdown pass in each game for the Bucs. Payton they will have to game plan for the veteran wide out…

Cut  18 (14) “…getting him the ball.”

The I-20 corridor was treated to a two to six inch layer of powdery-white snow this morning for the first time since 2018. Schools are closed and many businesses took the day off as most folks just aren’t comfortable trying to drive or walk through snow in Louisiana. KNOE-TV evening news anchor Jeff Horchak says the kids are enjoying it, but not all pets are excited about the change. Horchak says it’s the first time his dog ever saw snow…

Cut 6 (12) “…he was fine”

The highest total we’ve seen reported was six inches of snow in Zwolle.

The Saints will face the Buccaneers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Sunday for the third time this season. NFL Analyst Mike Detillier says Who Dat fans should be familiar with a three-game sweep because the Saints accomplished it back in 2017

Cut 8 (10) “…one year cycle.”

LSU staff and students return to campus today and are greeted with new COVID mitigation measures. Brooke Thorington explains

cut 2 (29) ….I’m Brooke Thorington”  

Cardell Hayes, who was convicted of killing Saints star defensive end Will Smith in April of 2016, had his conviction tossed by the U.S. Supreme Court on the grounds that it came on a 10 to two verdict, and thus did not comply with the new requirement for unanimous convictions. Hayes will be tried again, likely in the New Orleans Parish Criminal District Court that first convicted him in December of 2016.

North Louisiana is enjoying a snow day as up to half a foot of snow fell from a rare winter storm. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (30) “ …I’m Jeff Palermo.”  

Crews are working to restore power to those in north Louisiana who found themselves without power in addition to snow. Cleco representatives say they hope to have all their customers up and running by the end of the day, however it might be tomorrow for those in rural areas because the weather also caused trees to come down hindering access.

13 Louisiana law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in 2020 according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, CEO Marcia Ferranto says nine of the 13 are believed to have died from getting infected by coronavirus on the job.
Cut 10 (09) “..duty.”
Two of the other fatalities were related to firearms and the last two were traffic incidents.

As students and faculty return to campus at LSU today, they’ll find a few more changes pandemic wise. LSU Interim President Thomas Galligan, Jr. says in addition to voluntary COVID testing on campus, five percent of the campus population will be sent notices every two weeks that they are to report for mandatory COVID testing.

Cut 13 (08)“…required.”

The I-20 corridor was treated to several inches of snow piled up in yards across the region this morning.  National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris Nuttall says it’s the first time the area has seen enough snow to pile up on the ground since 2018 and in some areas the accumulation was significant…

Cut 4 (11) “…Zwolle” 

It won’t last too long though, temperatures are expected to rise at least ten degrees tomorrow.

The Saints rode their dominant defense to a 21-9 win over the Bears Sunday and face Tom Brady’s Bucs for the third time this season next Sunday. The Saints swept Tampa in the regular season and NFL analyst Mike Detillier says the myth about the difficulty of a three-game sweep just isn’t true…

Cut 7 (10) “incorrect narrative.”

13 Louisiana law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in 2020 according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, with nine of the 13 being due to COVID infections suffered while on the job. CEO Marcia Ferranto says that’s the highest number they’ve recorded in Louisiana, and part of an unfortunate nationwide trend.

Cut 9 (10) “…numbers.”

Two of the other fatalities were related to firearms and the other two were traffic incidents.

Students are back on campus at LSU for the start of the spring semester and are being treated to a new policy of mandatory, random COVID testing.  LSU Interim President Thomas Galligan, Jr. explains the Sentinel Policy, saying those on campus will be sent notifications to be tested, those who fail to comply could face repercussions.

Cut 12 (08) “…on campus.” 

Five percent of the campus population will be tested every two weeks.