Severe weather continues to pummel southeast Louisiana this morning prompting the National Weather Service to issue Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Warnings in the region. Power disruptions have been reported as a result of the storms. A Tornado Watch remains in effect for southeast Louisiana until 1PM today. Flash Flood Watches are in effect for a large portion of central and south Louisiana until as late as tomorrow afternoon.

A measure to increase the state’s tax on cigarettes by $1.18 is being debated in the House Ways and Means Committee. Stasha Rhodes, with the American Heart Association in Louisiana, says the bill has an excellent chance at passing, because of the state’s massive budget shortfall…

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This legislation would increase the state’s cigarette tax from 36-cents per pack to $1.54 per pack, which is the national average.

The Louisiana Attorney General’s office urges consumers to research the costs and benefits of solar panels before purchasing them. The director of the public protection division of the state’s A-G’s office, Sam Pleasant, says you can contact your utility provider to see if they’ll perform an energy efficiency audit of your home, which can determine if it’s even worth getting solar panels…

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Pleasant says they issued this alert now, because warmer weather prompts many consumers to look at ways to save money on utility bills.

Funeral services for Caddo Parish District Attorney Charles Scott will be held today after his sudden death last week in Baton Rouge while on business at the Capitol. Pete Adams is the Executive Director of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association…

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Preliminary findings reveal the 67-year-old died of previously diagnosed heart disease.