Today Monique Blanco Boulet will be sworn in as Lafayette’s first female Mayor-President. Teiko Foxx has more…

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If one of your New Year resolutions is eating healthy, this carnival season indulge in a zero-sugar, gluten-free twist of a beloved Mardi Gras tradition. Teiko Foxx has more…

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Governor John Bel Edwards will give his farewell remarks tonight and from his hometown of Amite. Brooke Thorington has more.

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Lafayette’s Mayor-President Elect Monique Boulet will be sworn in this afternoon at 3 pm at the Cajundome. Boulet is the first female to serve in the position. She says her first call to action is to build trust, increase transparency, and build the city’s economy.

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In 2022, 98 homicides were reported across the Acadiana area by local law enforcement agencies. Boulet says she’s working on addressing the significant increase in violent crime in Hub City.

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The daughter of former Governor Kathleen Blanco has also served as CEO of the Acadiana Planning Commission. When asked how her mother would feel, she says…

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Louisiana’s float in the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day wins an award for the third consecutive year. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says they took home the Showmanship Award for a second time this year and the float highlighted the Bayou State’s musical roots…

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In 2022, Louisiana won the Wrigley Legacy Award for outstanding display of floral presentation, float design, and entertainment.

Nungesser says the parade’s theme “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language” allowed Louisiana to showcase some homegrown talent like Amanda Shaw, James Burton, and Sean Ardoin

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Louisiana has promoted tourism with floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Tournament of Roses Parade for the last three years and Nungesser says they see a bump in visits to the Louisiana Office of Tourism’s website.

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Nungesser says the Office of Tourism will also be promoting Louisiana at the Super Bowl this year in Las Vegas. In 2025, Super Bowl 59 will take place at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

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You don’t have to give up king cake to live a healthier lifestyle. Ochsner Signature Eat Fit king cakes are for those who want to indulge in carnival season confections while keeping their New Year’s resolution. Eat Fit NOLA Dietician Emma Poling says it’s a smarter choice over the traditional king cake.

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Eat Fit King Cakes made by Unrefined Bakery are certified gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and keto-friendly.  The cakes are decorated with purple, green, and gold colors made with no artificial dyes. Plus, the cakes have zero sugar.

Poling says people may worry about not getting the traditional taste, but the cakes are just as delicious and under 120 calories.

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Select retailers in Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi are now offering the healthy king cake.

Poling says the cake is based on all-natural ingredients for those with healthy eating goals. And now everyone can say yes to king cake.

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For a full list of retailers, visit EatFitKingCake.com.

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Governor John Bel Edwards will give his farewell remarks tonight from his hometown of Amite. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says Edwards will highlight his achievements which he believes is a smart move politically if the Democrat wants to run again in 2027.

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Among the two-term governor’s accomplishments is balancing the budget and increasing funding for education. Pinsonat says Edwards was fortunate the state was able to receive federal funds after multiple natural disasters and the pandemic.

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With less than a week before his successor Governor-elect Jeff Landry takes office, Pinsonat says this is Edwards’ last chance to remind voters while he’s still governor of the state’s progress under his leadership…

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Edwards has stated that he plans to return to work at his law practice and spend time with his first grandchild. ________________________________________________________________

The Saints will conclude the regular season by hosting the Atlanta Falcons. New Orleans needs to win and they need some help from other teams in order to get in the postseason. The Dirty Birds beat the Saints 24-15 in Atlanta on Thanksgiving weekend. Atlanta rushed for 228 yards that game. Coach Dennis Allen says they can’t let the Falcons run all over them…

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For the Saints to win the NFC South, they will have to beat Atlanta and Carolina needs to defeat the Buccaneers. A wild card berth for the Saints can occur if they win on Sunday and the Cardinals beat the Seahawks and the Bears defeat Green Bay. Allen says their focus needs to be on Atlanta…

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The Saints are coming off one of their best performances of the season, a 23-13 win over Tampa Bay, snapping the Buccaneers four-game winning streak. Allen was asked how they can repeat that effort…

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The second year of the Brian Kelly era at LSU concluded on New Year’s Day with a 35-31 win over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl. After waiting three years to get his first start, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw for 395 yards and three touchdowns in the bowl game. Nussmeier believes the program is heading in the right direction…

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Kelly is 20-7 after two seasons at LSU. He took over a program that had only 37 scholarship players. The veteran coach says it took two years to build the roster back up and he would to win more than ten games every year…

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Keep Louisiana Beautiful has several New Year’s resolutions for Louisianans to help do their part in keeping the state clean in 2024. Teiko Foxx spoke with Director Susan Russell

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A Jefferson Parish man was fatally when a bullet came through his apartment window. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) is asking Louisianans to adopt one of their resolutions to help clean up the Bayou State in the New Year. Director Susan Russell says litter is a major issue in Louisiana. She says one simple resolution is to have a garbage bag in your vehicle to collect litter.

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According to KLB’s 2023 roadside litter study, there are more than 143 million pieces of litter on Louisiana roadways.

Russell says truck drivers can make sure their bed is free of debris. She also urges truck drivers to secure large loads when transporting items on the highway.

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More than 53 percent of roadway litter is due to motorists. The KLB study also found Louisiana taxpayers are paying more than $91 million annually on litter abatement, a 65 percent increase since 2010.

Russell suggests using reusable bottles and bags and fewer single-use paper and plastic items.

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Visit LetLouisianaShine dot org for more resolutions and litter facts.

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Opelousas police officer Savannah Butler faces two counts of negligent injury after her firearm was discharged at police chief Graig LeBlanc and his wife Crystal. St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says it happened after an argument between the LeBlancs outside of Butler’s home.

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Guidroz says they do not know why Chief LeBlanc was at Butler’s residence on December 22^nd, or why his wife, who’s a Captain with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office later arrived at the home and what led to the argument.

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Butler and Captain LeBlanc have both been placed on administrative leave, pending investigations by both agencies.

After being shot the LeBlancs were treated for their injuries and released from local hospitals. Guidroz says fortunately the injuries were not serious…

Cut 8 (03) “…lot worse.” 

Butler also faces illegal discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice charges, after allegedly cleaning up the scene before notifying the Sheriff’s Office.

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An innocent bystander was killed on New Year’s eve near Westwego in Jefferson Parish as a woman was attempting to retrieve her stolen vehicle. Sheriff Joe Lopinto says when the owner tried to get her vehicle back, she was confronted by three male suspects in the parking lot and at least one of the suspects fired at the vehicle’s owner…

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The Jefferson Parish coroner has identified the victim as 32-year-old Corey Washington. Lopinto says the search for the suspects continues…

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Lopinto says the victim was inside a nearby apartment complex when he was struck by a stray bullet

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