07:30 Newscast December 1, 2015

Political pundits wonder if Governor-elect John Bel Edwards will look to raise the state’s minimum wage when he takes office next year. Opponents of a higher minimum wage say new mandates would have an adverse effect on the current state of the economy. But Louisiana Budget Project Director Jan 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.

The American Automobile Association says the plunging prices at the pump have Louisiana moving in a direction that could bring them to their lowest since 2008. 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”

The current statewide average for a gallon of regular is about $1.86.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue’s 2015 Louisiana Tax Amnesty gets underway today and will run through December 31st. Deputy Secretary Jarrod Coniglio 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”

He says installment plans are also available.

There were four fatal crashes over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend that resulted in ten fatalities according to State Police. L-S-P Sergeant Nick Manale asks drivers to be vigilant during this holiday period…

cut 14 (10) “while impaired”

The youngest victim was a two month old infant from Baton Rouge, while the oldest was an 87-year-old man from Ville Platte.