The state’s vaccine rollout continues. Governor John Bel Edwards is expected to provide an update when he holds a COVID media briefing at 2:30 today. Tulane School of Medicine Professor Doctor Lisa Morici says once Johnson and Johnson and Astra Zeneca gets FDA approval, we’ll see a major uptick in the number of weekly vaccinations because the J-and-J vaccine is just one shot…
cut 12 (07) “….dose”

Peninsula Pacific is looking at building a new casino in Slidell, but the project would need voter approval from voters in St. Tammany. Parish President Mike Cooper says the Parish council will propose a resolution asking the state legislature to put the issue on an upcoming ballot…
cut 15 (07) “….the way”

The Louisiana Civil Rights Trail is now active and Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser explains how it became a reality.
Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

LSU has wrapped up a third straight Top 5 recruiting class after signing two more players on the first day of the February signing period. One of those signees is four-star St. James defensive end Savion Jones. But on the hardwood, LSU lost to 10th ranked Alabama 78-60.

Lafayette attorney and Boys Scouts of America volunteer Barry Rozas denies the accusation of sexual abuse that’s been made against him following his arrest for first-degree rape. The complaint was one of 28 provided to the Evangeline Council of the Boy Scouts of America and turned over to the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office in November.
Cut 4 (08)“…happen.”
The sheriff’s office says there are 28 possible instances of misconduct involving different victims between 1955 and 2012.

The Johnson and Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines will soon look to join Pfizer and Moderna in obtaining FDA approval for use in the U-S. Tulane School of Medicine Professor Dr. Lisa Morici says each vaccine has its own efficacy but the best one for you is whichever one is available…
Cut 10 (09) “…as well.”

Peninsula Pacific, which owns the casino license the Diamond Jacks Casino in Bossier City that’s now closed, is looking to move that license to St. Tammany Parish, where they would build a 250-million dollar casino resort in Slidell. St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper says the project would need voter approval, but he likes the idea of a casino in Slidell…
cut 14 (10) “…amenities”

The Louisiana Office of Tourism has launched the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says it informs, inspires, and invites visitors and residents to explore Louisiana’s role in the civil rights movement. Nungesser says at Louisiana Civil Rights Trail-dot-com you can hear from Leona Tate, she was one of three black girls who were the first to attend an all-white school in New Orleans in 1960….
cut 9 (11) “….incredible”

Louisiana could see as many as four different vaccines available to the public this spring, so which one should you take? Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

The state health department reported 53 more COVID-19 deaths yesterday bringing the total for confirmed COVID deaths to 8,421. On a positive note, the number of COVID patients in the hospital has declined below 14-hundred to 1,386.

Peninsula Pacific is looking at moving its riverboat casino license for Diamond Jacks Casino in Bossier City that closed last May to Slidell. The company reportedly is interested in constructing a 250 million dollar casino resort. St. Tammany President Mike Cooper says several steps have to take place, including a vote to undo a 1996 referendum in which St. Tammany voters rejected casinos and video poker…
Cut 13 (11) “…gaming.”

The state has launched the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says the trail consists of 15 site markers, commemorating the Civil Rights movement in Louisiana.
Cut 8 (11) “…there.”
The website is LouisianaCivilRightsTrail.com.

A Lafayette attorney accused of rape while he served as a Boy Scout leader denies the allegations. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser explains how The Louisiana Civil Rights Trail became a reality.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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Louisiana could see as many as four different vaccines available to the public this spring, and that’s got folks wondering which one they should take. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (29)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

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Lafayette attorney Barry Rozas held a press conference Wednesday to clear his name after his arrest Tuesday for first-degree rape. The complaint was one of 28 provided to the Evangeline Council of the Boy Scouts of America and turned over to the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office in November.

Cut 4 (08)“…happen.”

52-year old Rozas says a commission working on a class-action suit against the Boy Scouts of America created an anonymous hotline.

Cut 5 (09)“…citizen.”

Rozas stated that he was not allowed to participate in the investigation and that he wasn’t even given the victim’s name.

Cut 6 (10) “…restored.”

Rozas arrests could be the first of several. The Boy Scouts turned over 28 complaints involving 20 alleged victims for alleged incidents that occurred between 1955 and 2012. The investigation is ongoing, and some complaints fall outside the jurisdiction of Lafayette Parish.

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The Office of Tourism launches the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail. It’s a series of markers across the state and an interactive website detailing the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says they interviewed over 400 people to put it together.

Cut 7 (08)  “…lived it.”

Nungesser says he was inspired to create the trail after attending a tourism conference. He credits students at Southern and Grambling for their dedication and fact-checking and his staff for making the trail come to life.

Nungesser says the current trail consists of 15 site markers, commemorating Civil Rights Era in Louisiana and the website offers a narrative to complement each marker.

Cut 8 (11) “…there.”

One marker commemorates, the McDonogh Three, three 6-year-old African American girls, who were the first to attend an all-white school in New Orleans in 1960. Nungesser says one of the three, Leona Tate, shares her experience.

Cut 9 (11) “…incredible.”

The website is LouisianaCivilRightsTrail.com

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The Johnson and Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines look set to join Pfizer and Moderna in obtaining FDA approval in the near future and by spring there could be four different vaccines in use.

Tulane School of Medicine Professor Dr. Lisa Morici says each vaccine is unique and has its own efficacy but know the best one for you to take is whichever is available first…

Cut 10 (09) “…as well.”

AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Moderna all are two-dose vaccines with varying lengths of time between doses. Johnson and Johnson is a one-dose vaccine.

So why have J&J and AstraZeneca taken so long to be approved? Morici says for AZ it comes down to a mistake in a clinical trial where people getting a half dose were seeing more protection than those with a full dose…

Cut 11 (12) “…dose.”

For J&J Morici says it comes down to the fact that the company didn’t secure as much early federal funding as Pfizer and Moderna, and thus had to wait longer to begin clinical trials.

Morici says once AZ and J&J get approved we will see a major uptick in the number of weekly vaccinations, particularly because the J&J vaccine is only one shot…

Cut 12 (07) “…(2x) dose.”

Another vaccine, NovaVax, is expected to be approved in the summer.

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Peninsula Pacific is in discussions about potentially moving their riverboat casino license for DiamondJacks from Bossier City to Slidell.

The company reportedly is interested in constructing a 250 million dollar casino resort on the water. St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper says this should be left to the people…

Cut 13 (11) “…gaming.”

The project would require quite a few steps to complete. First St. Tammany voters would have to undo a 1996 referendum blocking casinos and video poker, the Legislature would have to approve putting it on the ballot, and the State Gaming Control Board would also need to give permission.

Cooper says if approved the project could create 1,700 jobs during construction of the 50-acre site, and after operations begin…

Cut 14 (10) “…amenities.” 

Cooper says next week the Parish Council will propose a resolution in favor of having the Legislature put the issue on the Parish ballot.

Cut 15 (07)“…the way.”

DiamondJacks has been closed since last year.

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According to 24-7 sports, the Ragin Cajuns football program signed the second-best recruiting class involving teams out of the Sun Belt. The class includes a nice mix of high school stars as well as some quality transfers.  A handful of the signees are already on campus and head coach Billy Napier is excited to see what they can do.

Cut 16 (10) “…with us.”

Two three-star running backs from Louisiana signed with the Cajuns yesterday, Montrell Johnson from De La Salle and Kendrell Williams from Carencro. While Williams has a natural ability to run the ball, Napier says it was Kendrell’s character that stood out the most.

Cut 17 (14) “…work ethic.”

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Louisiana Tech only signed one player on Wednesday and that’s junior college transfer, Demarcus Gordon, from Tunica, Mississippi. Coach Skip Holtz says Gordon is an important piece of the puzzle that they need

Cut  18 (17) “…March 10th”

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There are six former LSU Tigers on the rosters of the two Super Bowl teams, which leads all other colleges. There are also two players who attended St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, Tampa Bay running back Leonard Fournette and Kansas City safety Tyrann Mathieu. The Honey Badger says St. Aug helped shape him into the person he is today

Cut 19 (21) “…work hard.” 

This is Mathieu’s eighth season in the NFL and his second straight trip to the Super with the Chiefs. He was drafted by Arizona in 2013.  Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians was the head coach of the Cardinals at the time and said Mathieu remains his favorite draft choice of all time. Mathieu is taken back by those words

  cut 20  (15) ” good feeling.” 

The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office has made one arrest as a result of an investigation that the Boy Scouts asked the law enforcement agency to conduct. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 2 (31) …I’m Jeff Palermo”  

A man arrested in Shreveport for stabbing two people inside of a hospital Monday now has a warrant out for his arrest in New Orleans. That warrant is linked to a fatal machete attack at a New Orleans gas station Sunday. The suspect, 27-year-old Zaokoye Chatman is currently behind bars and authorities say they have not identified a motive for either of the two attacks.

State Police say a three-year-old child who was not properly restrained was killed in a wreck last night involving an 18-wheeler in Calcasieu Parish. Trooper Derek Senegal says toxicology samples were obtained from 41-year-old Blaine Keith Lecompte to see if he was impaired when the crash occurred on Interstate 10 near Vinton.

Cut 13 (09)“.18-wheeler”

The two bodies recovered from the wreckage of a plane that went down near Hackberry Tuesday are believed to be that of flight instructor Rock Palermo and his student Don Clements. Palermo, an attorney, was also the pilot for the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office. Calcasieu Parish District Attorney Stephen Dwight says Palermo was well thought of.

Cut 7 (12) “…missed.”

The investigation is being handled by the FAA and the NTSB.

State Police say a three-year-old child who was not properly restrained was killed in a wreck last night involving an 18-wheeler in Calcasieu Parish. Trooper Derek Senegal says the child was a passenger in a vehicle driven by 41-year-old Blaine Keith Lecompte. Senegal says they suspect Lecompte was impaired

Cut 12 (10) “vehicular homicide” 

The CDC is now mandating that all public transit systems require riders to mask up. Senator Bill Cassidy says this is a requirement most transit systems already have, and there’s a real question as to whether the CDC has the power to levy penalties against systems that refuse.

Cut 9 (07) “… enforce.”

The Biden Admin has rejected calls to enforce a nationwide public mask mandate.

The LSU Ag Center says the state is looking at a record sugar cane harvest this year. Sugar cane specialist Kenneth Gravois expects over 500-thousand acres of sugar cane planted in 2021 as more sugar cane will be planted in the northern and western parts of the cane-growing region. He says the 2021 crop is already off to a great start thanks to a mild winter..

Cut 5  (08) “…are good.” 

 Gravois says sugar was planted on 496-thousand acres in 2020.

The two bodies recovered from the wreckage of a plane that went down near Hackberry Tuesday are believed to be that of flight instructor Rock Palermo and his student Don Clements. Palermo, an attorney, was also the pilot for the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Tony Mancuso was visibly emotional about the loss of Palermo.

Cut 6 (09) “…office”

The two bodies recovered from the wreckage of a plane that went down near Hackberry Tuesday are flight instructor Rock Palermo and his student Don Clements. Palermo, an attorney, was also the pilot for the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Tony Mancuso expressed condolences and personally thanked Palermo’s family for sharing him with the department over the years.

Cut 8 (11) “…amazing.”

The investigation is being handled by the FAA and the NTSB.

The CDC is now mandating that all public transit systems require riders to mask up. While Senator Bill Cassidy questions if the CDC has the authority to do so he recounted his own experience getting COVID. He says he picked it up from an aide who was driving him from New Orleans to Baton Rouge despite both him and the aide being masked…

Cut 11 (08) “…mask.”

State Police say a three-year-old child who was not properly restrained was killed in a wreck last night involving an 18-wheeler in Calcasieu Parish. Trooper Derek Senegal says the child was a passenger in a vehicle driven by 41-year-old Blaine Keith Lecompte. He and another juvenile passenger in his Jeep were properly restrained and sustained minor to moderate injuries. But Lecompte faces numerous charges.

Cut 14 (08) “..careless operation” 

The LSU Ag Center says the state is looking at a record sugar cane harvest this year. Sugar cane specialist Kenneth Gravois says even a rough hurricane season could not slow down a record-breaking sugar cane harvest…

Cut 4 (11) “…that’s great” 

The CDC now requires all riders on public transit to wear a mask, a new regulation under the Biden Administration. Senator Bill Cassidy says it’s unclear whether the CDC has any power to enforce this mandate but he agreed with the sentiment that masking up on public transit is a good idea given data shows the virus spreads much easier in confined indoor spaces.

Cut 10 (11) “…them to”

State Police say a three-year-old child who was not properly restrained was killed in a wreck last night involving an 18-wheeler in Calcasieu Parish. Trooper Derek Senegal says toxicology samples were obtained from 41-year-old Blaine Keith Lecompte to see if he was impaired when the crash occurred on Interstate 10 near Vinton.

Cut 13 (09)“.18-wheeler”

The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office has made one arrest as a result of an investigation that the Boy Scouts asked the law enforcement agency to conduct. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 2 (31) …I’m Jeff Palermo”  

A man arrested in Shreveport for stabbing two people inside of a hospital Monday now has a warrant out for his arrest in New Orleans. That warrant is linked to a fatal machete attack at a New Orleans gas station Sunday. The suspect, 27-year-old Zaokoye Chatman is currently behind bars, and authorities say they have not identified a motive for either of the two attacks.