Alexandria Lawmaker Lance Harris is challenging incumbent Louis Gervich for the State Republican Party Chairmanship. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

_______________________________

 The state department of health reports the second and third cases of the UK variant of COVID in Louisiana. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

____________________________

The Main Street Recovery Grant Program has completed its work. Jeff Palermo reports it helped over 20-thousand small businesses across Louisiana…

Cut 3 (26)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”  

____________________________

It’s the final weekend of January and that means we are another week closer to the heart of the crawfish season. Acadia Parish crawfish farmer Alan Lawson says the crawfish season is off to a slow start, but he expects the catch will come around in another few weeks…

Cut 4 (12)“…out there.”

Lawson says January is really a slow time for harvesting crawfish, which is why prices are high and supply is low. He says once the weather gets a little warmer, the catch will improve…

Cut 5 (12) “…time will tell.”

Lawson says March and April is usually the best time of the year for crawfish consumers…

Cut 6 (11) “…by then.”

________________________

Saturday Republicans decide who will be the next chair of the state party, incumbent Louis Gurvich or his challenger, Alexandria Lawmaker Lance Harris.

LSU Shreveport Political Science Professor Jeff Sadow says this is another attempt by Harris to seek more influence in politics.

Cut 7 (10)  “…to do.”

Gurvich has served as chair since 2018, taking over for longtime chairman Roger Villere. Sadow says under Gurvich Republicans nearly took a supermajority in the Legislature. His 2019 showing was strong…

Cut 8 (11) “…incumbent.”

Earlier in the race, former gubernatorial candidate Eddie Rispone rose to challenge Gurvich but bowed out.

Sadow says if there is any discontent amongst Republicans it likely won’t be over election results, but over the failure to turn wins into conservative state policy like lower taxes and spending…

Cut 9 (08) “…problems.”

The election will be held in Baton Rouge, the electors being the 230 member Republican State Central Committee.

_____________________________

The Louisiana Department of Health confirms the state’s second and third cases of the UK variant of COVID-19. Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the issue at his briefing Thursday that the new cases were found in Region 5, in Southwest Louisiana, and Region 1, the greater New Orleans area. Edwards says the new variant is 50-percent more contagious.

Cut 10 (10) “…easily.”

There are also 14 other cases pending confirmation, eight are suspected cases are in Region 1, and six are in Region 5. The state’s first confirmed case was detected in Region 1 the greater New Orleans area two weeks ago.

With a new variant of the virus entering the state, Edwards calls on residents to be even more diligent about mitigation measures of masking and social distancing.

Cut 11 (11) “….to die.”

The arrival of the UK variant in the state has health officials concerned because it spreads faster and Edwards says we are in a difficult situation already due to the high level of cases the state is experiencing.

The CDC has also confirmed variants of the virus from Brazil and South Africa in the United States. Edwards says so far, they have not been reported in Louisiana.

Cut 12 (08) “…some point.”

Edwards says makers of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have stated the vaccine should be effective for the UK variant of the virus.

On Thursday the state reported 2,517 new cases, 55 new fatalities, and 1,590 patients are currently hospitalized with the virus.

_____________________________

State Treasurer John Schroder announces his office distributed 262-million dollars in main street recovery grants to just over 20-thousand small businesses. Schroder says the pandemic devastated small businesses and the Main Street Recovery Grant Program gave them a fighting chance to survive

Cut 13 (09) “…of it.”

The state legislature established the Main Street Recovery Grant Program in June. It used federal coronavirus relief aid to provide up to 15-thousand dollars to small businesses. Schroder says the average grant handed out was worth 12-thousand dollars and they surpassed their goal of providing assistance to minority and veteran-owned businesses

Cut 14 (06) “…four times that.” 

Schroder says they helped small businesses in every parish, but unfortunately, there were some who tried to take advantage of the program. He says 107 suspected fraudulent applications have been turned over to the Office of the Inspector General for investigation…

Cut 15 (10)“…businesses.”

President Biden’s moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters has sent a jolt through the state’s fossil fuels industry. The moratorium does not unlicensed ongoing operations, but LSU Center for Energy Studies Director David Dismukes says the impact could be felt immediately…

Cut 6 (12) “…buried”

Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland is pushing for lawmakers to raise the state’s gasoline tax. McFarland plans to file a bill for the upcoming regular session But Governor Edwards does not expect the proposal to pass.

Cut 9 (10) “..of COVID.”

Motorists currently pay 38-cents in taxes on every gallon of fuel.

26-year-old Jamie Sousa of Ponchatoula and 47-year-old Dexter Schexnayder of Deridder have been arrested after an inter-agency investigation found them allegedly preying on children on social media. State Police Trooper Taylor Scrantz says this is a vital reminder to parents to always make sure you know what your child is doing on the internet.

Cut 13 (06)“…going on.”

The Secretary of State’s Office has re-started the process of replacing the state’s current stock of 10-thousand voting machines, which are decades-old. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says the Office of State Procurement is now accepting bids from vendors and they are looking to purchase new voting machines that provide a paper record…

Cut 4 (08) “…Louisiana elections.” 

Bids are due by March 24^th and Ardoin says if all goes well the new machines could be in use by the 2022 spring elections.

It may take a few years for Louisiana to fully feel the impacts of the Biden Administration’s ban on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. Matt Doyle has the story.

cut 2 (30) ….I’m Matt Doyle.”  

Today the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed two additional cases of the UK variant of COVID in the state. The state now has two confirmed cases in Region 1, that’s the greater New Orleans area. The other confirmed case is in Region 5, southwest Louisiana.  14 other cases are pending confirmation of the UK variant.

26-year-old Jamie Sousa of Ponchatoula and 47-year-old Dexter Schexnayder of Deridder have been arrested after an inter-agency investigation found them allegedly preying on children on social media. State Police Trooper Taylor Scrantz encourages parents to visit missing-kids-dot-org to get a game plan in action to make sure predators don’t go after your child…

Cut 14 (07) “…children.” 

Both men are facing charges of indecent behavior with a juvenile, computer-aided solicitation of a minor, and attempted felony carnal knowledge.

Legislators will be considering a gas tax proposal again in the upcoming regular session. Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland’s bill would raise the gas tax ten cents in the next year and two cents every year after for ten years. Governor Edwards is shooting down the idea because the economy is currently struggling…

Cut 10 (04) “…this year”

26-year-old Jamie Sousa of Ponchatoula and 47-year-old Dexter Schexnayder of Deridder have been arrested after an inter-agency investigation found them allegedly preying on children on social media. State Police Trooper Taylor Scrantz says this is a vital reminder to parents to always make sure you know what your child is doing on the internet.

Cut 13 (06)“…going on.”

President Biden’s moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters has sent a jolt through the state’s fossil fuels industry. LSU Center for Energy Studies Director David Dismukes says the economic damage from this decision will be highly uneven with coastal communities like Houma getting pummeled while other regions of the state see less impact.

Cut 8 (12) “…diversity.”

Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland is planning to file a bill in the upcoming legislative session to raise the state’s gasoline tax to fund road projects. Governor John Bel Edwards says this is not to time to raise taxes during a pandemic and believes the state’s best hope for additional funds for road construction is if Congress approved a large infrastructure bill for highway projects.

Cut 11 (05) “…that up.”

The Secretary of State’s Office has re-started the process of replacing the state’s current stock of 10-thousand voting machines, which are decades-old. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says the Office of State Procurement is now accepting bids from vendors and they are looking to purchase new voting machines that provide a paper record…

Cut 4 (08) “…Louisiana elections.” 

Bids are due by March 24^th and Ardoin says if all goes well the new machines could be in use by the 2022 spring elections.

The Secretary of State’s office has once again started the process of replacing the state’s 10-thousand voting machines that are almost 30 years old. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (31) “ …I’m Jeff Palermo.”  

_______________________________________

It may take a few years for Louisiana to fully feel the impacts of the Biden Administration’s ban on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. Matt Doyle has the story.

cut 2 (30) ….I’m Matt Doyle.”  

_____________________________

The Secretary of State’s Office has re-started the process of replacing the state’s current stock of 10-thousand voting machines, which are decades-old. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says the Office of State Procurement is now accepting bids from vendors who can supply the state with new voting equipment.

Cut 3 (10)  “…transparent elections.”

He says the state is looking to purchase new voting machines that provide a paper record…

Cut 4 (08) “…Louisiana elections” 

Louisiana attempted to select a contractor in 2018 under former Secretary of State Tom Schedler, but the Edwards administration voided the deal with Dominion Voting Systems, claiming the bidding process was unfair. Ardoin says in this new request for proposals, vendors who bid will be asked to disclose any foreign ownership, countries in which they operate, and board member names.

Ardoin says bids are due by March 24th and if the process goes smoothly, the new voting machines could show up at your precinct in the spring of 2022

Cut 5  (11) “…for you.” 

___________________________________________________

President Biden’s moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters has sent a jolt through the state’s fossil fuels industry.

The moratorium does not unlicense ongoing operations but LSU Center for Energy Studies Director David Dismukes says the impact could be felt immediately…

Cut 6 (12) “…buried.”

The Administration also pushed ahead with its move to revoke the Keystone Pipeline’s permit.

Dismukes says the biggest impacts will likely be seen a few years from now because many in the industry have been preparing for this possibility…

Cut 7 (10) “…drill.”

Dismukes says the economic damage from this decision will be highly uneven with coastal communities like Houma getting pummeled while other regions of the state see less impact.

Cut 8 (12) “…diversity.”

The Biden Administration argues halting the extraction of fossil fuels is key to limiting future global warming.

_____________________

Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland is pushing for lawmakers to raise the state’s gasoline tax. McFarland plans to file a bill for the upcoming regular session that would raise the state’s current fuel tax by ten cents in the first year and an additional two cents every other year for the next ten years. But Governor Edwards does not expect the proposal to pass

Cut 9 (10) “..of COVID.”

Louisiana motorists currently pay 38-cents in taxes for every gallon of fuel, 20-cents goes to the state. McFarland says if Louisiana wants to get serious about addressing a 14-billion dollar infrastructure backlog, it needs to raise taxes on gasoline. In the past, Edwards has supported a gas tax hike proposal but raising taxes when the economy is struggling

Cut 10 (04) “…this year.”

Edwards believes the state’s best hope for additional dollars for road construction is if Congress approved a large infrastructure bill that would provide states with more money for highway projects

Cut 11 (05) “…that up.”

_______________________________________________

26-year-old Jamie Sousa of Ponchatoula and 47-year-old Dexter Schexnayder of Deridder have been arrested after an inter-agency investigation found them allegedly preying on children on social media.

State Police Trooper Taylor Scrantz says during the investigation an undercover FBI agent posed as a 13-year-old online…

Cut 12 (11) “.custody.” 

The two were identified as having separate conversations with the same agent.

Scrantz says this is a vital reminder to parents to always make sure you know what your child is doing on the internet.

Cut 13 (06)“…going on.”

Scrantz encourages parents to visit missing-kids-dot-org to get a game plan in action to make sure predators don’t go after your child…

Cut 14 (07) “…children.” 

Shexnayder and Sousa are facing charges of indecent behavior with a juvenile, computer-aided solicitation of a minor, and attempted felony carnal knowledge. Sousa was also arrested separately from this incident on charges of child porn possession.

________________________

26-year-old Jamie Sousa of Ponchatoula and 47-year-old Dexter Schexnayder of Deridder have been arrested after an inter-agency investigation found them allegedly preying on children on social media. State Police Trooper Taylor Scrantz says during the investigation an undercover FBI agent posed as a 13-year-old online…

Cut 12 (11) “…custody.” 

The Secretary of State’s Office has re-started the process of replacing the state’s current stock of 10-thousand voting machines, which are decades-old. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says the Office of State Procurement is accepting bids from vendors who can supply the state with new voting equipment.

Cut 3 (10)  “…transparent elections”

It may take a few years for Louisiana to fully feel the impacts of the Biden Administration’s ban on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. Matt Doyle has the story.

cut 2 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle”  

The state reports 2,500 new COVID cases today and 55 additional fatalities. Approximately 397-thousand total doses to the vaccine that’s close to 58-hundred people who have completed the vaccine series of two injections.

The Biden Administration’s ban on new oil and gas leases on federal land does not shut down current Gulf of Mexico drilling but will begin rolling it back in the coming years. LSU Center for Energy Studies Director David Dismukes says the biggest impacts will likely be seen halfway through Biden’s first term…

Cut 7 (10) “…drill”

The Biden Administration argues halting the extraction of fossil fuels is key to limiting future global warming.

Legislators will be considering a gas tax proposal again this year in the regular session. Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland’s bill would raise the gas tax ten cents in the next year and two cents every year after for ten years, but Governor Edwards is shooting down the idea because the economy is currently struggling…

Cut 10 (04) “…this year”

The Secretary of State’s Office has re-started the process of replacing the state’s current stock of 10-thousand voting machines, which are decades-old. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says  bids are due by March 24th and if the process goes smoothly, the new voting machines could show up at your precinct in the spring of 2022

Cut 5  (11) “…for you” 

Louisiana attempted to select a contractor in 2018 under former Secretary of State Tom Schedler, but the Edwards administration voided the deal with Dominion Voting Systems, claiming the bidding process was unfair.

LSU’s SEC schedule has been released. At home the Tigers take on Auburn, Florida, Arkansas and Texas A-and-M, and they’ll visit Mississippi State, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Alabama. The big Bama game is set for November sixth. The Tigers open the season in California against UCLA.

President Biden’s moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters has sent a jolt through the state’s fossil fuels industry. The moratorium does not unlicensed ongoing operations, but LSU Center for Energy Studies Director David Dismukes says the impact could be felt immediately…

Cut 6 (12) “…buried”

Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland is pushing for lawmakers to raise the state’s gasoline tax. McFarland plans to file a bill for the upcoming regular session that would raise the state’s current fuel tax by ten cents in the first year and an additional two cents every other year for the next ten years. But Governor Edwards does not expect the proposal to pass.

Cut 9 (10) “..of COVID.”

The Secretary of State’s office has once again started the process of replacing the state’s 10-thousand voting machines that are almost 30 years old. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (31) “ …I’m Jeff Palermo”  

At 2:30 today Governor Edwards will hold a COVID Press Briefing