The state Legislature will convene a Special Session to redistrict Louisiana on February 1^st. After a U.S. Census is conducted, lawmakers must meet to draw up new districts for the U.S. House, plus the state House & Senate, Public Service Commission and the court system. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says Louisiana didn’t gain or lose a large number of people, so the overall job for legislators shouldn’t be difficult…:

CUT 09(11)      “…the whole state.”

Governor John Bel Edwards has publicly stated he feels Louisiana should have a second majority-minority congressional district. Pinsonat says creating that U.S. House district without gerrymandering will be a big chore.

New Orleans cops carrying out a search warrant at a 9^th Ward home found the mutilated remains of a female in a freezer. The resident, 34-year-old Benjamin Beale, was arrested and charged with a list of offenses. Officers found a headless torso and a power saw with bits of flesh on the blade. Police were searching the home for clues to the disappearance of a woman who’s been missing for a month.

A Donaldsonville school teacher is arrested for alleged sexual contact with a minor. St. James Sheriff Willy Martin says they started investigating 50-year-old Lisa Samuels after the victim called the state’s child abuse hotline…:

CUT 12(08)      “…the victim.”

A social media account belonging to Samuels says she’s an art teacher for St. James Parish schools and has been since 2009.

There are now three declared candidates for the 2022 U.S. Senate race in Louisiana this fall. They are incumbent Republican John Kennedy, Democrat challenger Luke Mixon and Gary Chambers, also a Democrat. U.L.-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross says the pair have been hammering on Kennedy’s “no” vote on the recently passed Infrastructure Bill, but they’ll need to do better defeat Kennedy…:

CUT 05(13)      “…push back on that.”

The state health department says Louisiana has set another one-day record for COVID infections. Jeff Palermo has the story…:

Cut 02  (30)      “…Palermo”

Meanwhile, schools in Lincoln Parish will be closed starting tomorrow due to the Omicron surge. They’ll remain closed until after the MLK Day holiday next Monday. A number of school systems statewide are going to virtual learning – at least temporarily – as the number of positive cases keeps growing.

As reported yesterday, U.S. Senator John Kennedy now has two Democrat challengers for the fall election. They are Bunkie resident Luke Mixon, a Navy vet and airline pilot, and Gary Chambers, a Baton Rouge businessman and advocate. UL-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross says anyone challenging Kennedy has an uphill climb…:

CUT 04(12)      “…to be very safe.”

Have you donated blood recently? Apparently neither have a lot of people. There’s a shortage of blood both here in Louisiana and across the USA. Ochsner Pathologist Dr. Aimee Goodier (GOOD-yay) says that’s very bad. She says, in addition to accident victims and trauma patients, there are also cancer patients who could need transfusions … and other scenarios…:

CUT 07(11)      “…little bit more volume.”

She urges us all to consider donating blood at any nearby blood center.

There are now three declared candidates for the 2022 U.S. Senate race in Louisiana this fall. They are incumbent Republican John Kennedy, Democrat challenger Luke Mixon and Gary Chambers, also a Democrat. U.L.-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross says he thinks Kennedy has a clear advantage. He has millions in his campaign fund and can easily raise millions more…:

CUT 03(12)      “…a factor in the race.”

Cross says if a challenger can raise enough campaign money, there is a chance Kennedy could be sent home.

Police in New Orleans discovered a headless human female torso while serving a search warrant on a 9^th Ward home. The body was found in a cooler in an old school bus parked next to the house. 34-year-old Ben Beale has been booked on a list of charges. Police had a warrant to look for clues to a woman’s disappearance. It’s unknown if the body IS that woman, or someone else.

There’s a global shortage of blood and Louisiana is not the exception. Ochsner Pathologist Dr. Aimee Goodier says it’s a dire situation and when a trauma patient could require anywhere from six to twelve units of blood if there are multiple accidents the supply could easily be depleted…:

CUT 06(10)      “…same time.”

Blood donations have been on the decline for some time now, even before the pandemic.

A teacher in St. James Parish is under arrest for alleged indecent behavior with a juvenile and molestation. St. James deputies arrested 50-year-old Lisa Samuels, of Donaldsonville, after a tip led them to investigate a suspected improper relationship with an underage person. No word on bond, or if Samuels has legal counsel.

Look for a bit of warming as the weekend approaches and some rain on Saturday. Then temperatures will drop again Sunday; reaching the lower 30’s by Monday morning.

There’s a global shortage of blood and Louisiana is not the exception. Ochsner Pathologist Dr. Aimee Goodier says it’s a dire situation and when a trauma patient could require anywhere from six to twelve units of blood if there are multiple accidents the supply could easily be depleted.

 Cut 6 (07) “…on the shelf.” 

Hospitals and blood banks are requesting donations from all blood types. You can donate every eight weeks. If you have had a COVID infection 14 days after symptoms have resolved.

The state reports 1,999 COVID patients are in Louisiana hospitals, and 111 are on ventilators. 3/4s of those patients are unvaccinated. More than 17-thousand new cases have also been tallied, and that does not include positive home test results. Beginning today an indoor mask mandate is in effect for New Orleans.

With three declared candidates for the U.S. Senate seat this fall, a Louisiana political expert handicaps the race – as it is now. More from Kevin Gallagher…:

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

Lincoln Parish Schools will be closed this Thursday and Friday due to an outbreak of COVID, colds, flu, and stomach viruses. Students are scheduled to return to the classroom on Tuesday after the Monday Martin Luther King holiday.

The Governor’s Office announces a federally funded program to help homeowners who were set behind on their mortgage due to the pandemic. Louisiana Office of Community Development spokesperson Gina Campo says the state has received nearly $147-million to give out…:

CUT 04 (11)      “…housing instability.”

About 3000 have already applied. To apply yourself, or to find out more, visit “LAcovidhousing.com”

New Orleans has re-instated its indoor mask mandate, amid the Omicron COVID surge. Businesses in nearby Jefferson Parish say this could mean a surge in dollars for them, as people decide to do business OUTSIDE the Crescent City, especially for the Carnival season. Members of the Jefferson Parish Council say they do not expect to put a mask mandate back into place. Not far away, the city of Baton Rouge also does not plan to demand masks while indoors.

It’s time to put on your dancing shoes and show off your best moves and help Louisiana Public Broadcasting “Save Mardi Gras”. Brooke Thorington explains…:

CUT 03 (33)      “…Thorington.”

Officials in Shreveport have voted to give city workers a 13-percent across-the-board pay increase. The council will rearrange city funds from other areas to pay the additional wages. City workers should start seeing those raises on paychecks by mid-February.

The state should see a slight warming over the next few day, with some rain coming in for the weekend. Behind the rain, another cold front; taking temperatures into low 30’s by Monday morning.

The Governor’s Office announces a federally funded program to help homeowners that are behind on their mortgage due to the pandemic. Louisiana Office of Community Development spokesperson Gina Campo says the state has received nearly $147-million. Homeowners must meet a certain criteria to qualify for up to $25-thousand in mortgage assistance…:

Cut 5 (07) “…servicer or lender.”

For more info visit LAcovidhousing.com

The most recent survey of small business owners indicates that 22-percent of mom-and-pop shops say inflation is the biggest issue they are facing, and the influx in prices has reached levels not seen since the early 80s. State NFIB Director Dawn McVea says inflation is increasing the cost of doing business.

Cut 10 (09) “…to the consumers.”

The Revenue Estimating Conference has officially recognized Louisiana has an additional $840 million dollars in revenues for the current budget year and an additional $765 million for next year’s budget. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne…:

Cut 7 (13) “…surrounding the pandemic.”
State economists say the higher-than-expected revenues are the result of hurricane recovery, higher wages, and the economy bouncing back from pandemic-related shutdowns.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting is on a mission to “Save Mardi Gras,” and they want you to follow in their steps and create your own video. You just learn the dance and show off your moves.  LPB Executive Producer Linda Midgett they’ll feature some of the best submissions on the air and social media pages.

Cut 14 (08)  “…fun video.”

For more information visit LPB.org/SaveMardiGras

Louisiana has a combined $1.6 billion budget surplus from the last and current fiscal year and the Revenue Estimating Conference has increased revenue projections for next fiscal year by $771 million dollars. Erik Piccoli has the story…
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Erik Piccoli.”

The Louisiana Legislature has released the official call for a redistricting session. It will begin on February 1st at 5 Pm and must adjourn no later than 6 pm on February 20th.

Louisiana has launched a Mortgage Relief Program to help homeowners who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 and behind on their mortgage and at risk of foreclosure. Louisiana Office of Community Development Deputy Executive Director Gina Campo says three-thousand people have already applied. She says you can apply at…
cut 6 (14) “…sign up”
The federal American Rescue Plan is funding the mortgage relief program.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting is on a mission to “Save Mardi Gras 2022” as they’ve started a social media campaign encouraging folks to get vaccinated. LPB Executive Producer Linda Midgett says all you have to do is watch their video, record yourself dancing and upload it to social media.
Cut 13 (11) “…do the dance.”
For more information go to LPB-dot-org-slash-SAVEMARDIGRAS.

The Governor’s Office has launched a federally funded program to help homeowners who are behind on their mortgage due to the pandemic. Louisiana Office of Community Development Deputy Executive Director Gina Campo says the state has received nearly $147-million to give out…:
Cut 4 (11) “…housing instability.”
Homeowners who qualify can recent up to 25-thousand dollars in mortgage assistance. For more information go to L-A COVID housing-dot-com.

The state budget picture looks good. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says the state has a 450-million dollars to spend in surplus money for the fiscal year that ended in June. Legislative leaders propose the money should go towards infrastructure projects and Dardenne says the governor has his own priorities…
Cut 9 (06) “…campuses primarily”

A national survey of small businesses finds that half of them are unable to fill job openings. NFIB state director Dawn McVea says to combat the problem, 32-percent of mom and pop businesses say they will continue to raise wages to attract workers…
cut 12 (07) “.. top concerns”
McVea says small business owners are also dealing with supply chain disruptions and inflation.

It’s been a difficult time for former LSU running back Kevin Faulk. The school’s all-time leading rusher got some great news a few days ago when he learned he’s been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. But his family continues to grieve over the death of his 19-year-old daughter and he was not retained as LSU’s running backs coach by new head coach Brian Kelly. But Faulk says being around the house is the best thing for him now…
cut 18 (14) “…for them”
Faulk will be enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in December.