07:30 Newscast December 23, 2015

State Police say three people are dead and three others injured after a train collided with a car in New Iberia. Officials say the vehicle was stopped on the train tracks and the train was not able to avoid the crash. They say six people were in the car. Three were pronounced dead at the scene. Three others were transported to a local hospital. At last report, two of the injured were listed in critical condition. Investigators say it’s unclear why the car was stopped on the tracks as the crossing arms and lights were working properly.

The body of a three year old child who wandered away from his house Monday night, was found in a canal the following morning by the Franklin Parish Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Kevin Cobb says they were called to the home near Crowville around 4am yesterday and learned that the child left the residence while everyone was sleeping…:

cut 13 (08) “and water”

Cobb says the child succumbed to apparent drowning in the ditch about 200 yards from his home.

Severe weather could impact much of Louisiana today. State Climatologist Barry Keim says higher rainfall totals are anticipated in southeast Louisiana, while the threat of severe weather extends across the entire state…

cut 5 (06) “produce hail”

Keim says rain chances will remain high through Christmas Day, but today provides the highest risk for severe storms.

Louisiana added nearly 22-thousand residents to its population from July 1st 2014 to July of this year according to new census numbers. But Demographer Elliot Stonecipher says the bayou state lost more of its residents to other states than they took in. He says that problem could get worse, if oil prices remain low…

cut 11 (07) “gas industry”

Louisiana’ population is at four-point-six million and since 2010, the state has grown by 137-thousand residents, which is a three-percent increase.