AM Newscall, December 1st, 2015

Will Governor-elect John Bel Edwards look to raise the state’s $7.25 minimum wage when he takes office next year? Jeff Palermo reports…

CUT 1 (27) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The American Automobile Association says December could bring the lowest gas prices we’ve seen in 7 years.

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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The Louisiana Department of Revenue’s 2015 Louisiana Tax Amnesty gets underway today. Eric Gill reports…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Eric Gill”

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Will Governor-elect John Bel Edwards look to raise the state’s minimum wage when he takes office next year? Edwards said during the campaign that he supports raising the minimum wage that currently sits at $7.25. Louisiana Budget Project Director Jan Moller says the new governor gives supporters of a minimum wage increase hope…

cut 4  (10)  “few more months”

Louisiana is one of five states that has not set a minimum wage, instead defaulting to the federal government’s rate. Opponents of a higher minimum wage say new mandates would have an adverse effect on the current state of the economy. But Moller says minimum wage increases have worked in other parts of the country…

Cut 5  (11)  “come to pass”

He says it’s too early to predict whether a minimum wage bill will make it to the governor’s desk. Moller says an LSU poll conducted last year shows that 72-percent of residents support increasing the minimum wage to at least $8.50 per hour…

Cut 6 (09)  “poverty line”

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The American Automobile Association of Louisiana says the plunging prices at the pump have the state moving into a direction that could bring them to their lowest since 2008. The current statewide average for a gallon of regular is about $1.86. AAA fuel analyst Don Redman says we might reach a low point this month that we haven’t seen in nearly 7 years…:

CUT 7 (08)  “$1.60 a range”

Redman says the earlier forecast by the US Department of Energy showed that by December we’d be looking at a national average of about $2.00, but it seems it will be even lower than that. He says this is coming at a great time for the motoring public as they put their budget together for the holidays…:

Cut 8  (08)  “for the family”

Louisiana’s average prices are down about 4 cents from last week, 8 cents from last month and 72 cents lower than last year. Redman says, statewide, we could be in the $1.60 range by mid-December, and dropping…:

Cut 9 (08) “current thought”

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After a brief suspension, the Louisiana Department of Revenue’s 2015 Louisiana Tax Amnesty gets underway today. Deputy Secretary Jarrod Coniglio (ca-nig-lee-oh) says this is the final amnesty period for at least 10 years. He says the delay was prompted by a mistake with with the information included in some of the original invitation letters sent out in early November…

Cut 10 (10) “December 31st”

The amnesty will run through December 31st. Coniglio says their goal is to raise $50 million during the amnesty period. He says this is a great opportunity to clear the slate when it comes to delinquent taxes. Coniglio says the department is offering incentives to taxpayers to clear their bill…

cut 11 (09) “of the interest”

During the amnesty period, the Department of Revenue will waive 33-percent of the penalty and 17-percent of the interest owed when 100-percent of the tax debt is paid. Coniglio says you can even set up an installment plan if you cannot make full payment by December 31st…

Cut 12 (07) “of 2016″

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State police say they worked four fatal crashes over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend that resulted in ten fatalities. The youngest victim was a two month old infant from Baton Rouge, while the oldest was an 87-year-old man from Ville Platte.  L-S-P Sergeant Nick Manale says everyone needs to take safety precuations to prevent more fatalities

Cut 13 (08)  “distracted”

Manale asks drivers to be vigiliant during this holiday period…

Cut 14 (10) “while impaired”

Manale says if you happen to notice aggressive driving or impaired driving, don’t hesitate to call State Police…

Cut 15  (08) “your way” 

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LSU sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris did not finish the season strong as he struggled in November and didn’t perform well in the win over Texas A&M. Harris completed just seven passes  for 83 yards and he was intercepted once in the win over the Aggies. Coach Les Miles says Harris looked much better earlier in the season

Cut 16  (15)  “do there”

Sophomore Malachi Dupre led the team in receiving during the regular season as he caught 39 passes for 602 yards and 6 touchdowns. Dupre says LSU’s passing game is still a work in progress…

Cut 17 (17) “execute the plays”

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McNeese State is getting ready to host Southland Conference rival Sam Houston State in the second round of the FCS playoffs. The Cowboys are a four-seed in the tournament and received a bye into the second round, while the Bearkats beat Southern Utah in a shootout 42-39. McNeese Coach Matt Viator hopes the week off will not hurt their play for Saturday’s game…

Cut 18 (14) “….little rusty”

Sam Houston used two quarterbacks to beat Southern Utah, Jeremiah Briscoe and Jared Johnson. Viator says Briscoe is a good passer, while Johnson is good running the football…

Cut 19 (20) “for sure”