Governor-elect John Bel Edwards knows he has a challenging year in front of him, but he’s looking forward to spending the next couple of days with family for the Christmas holiday. Edwards says his family will gather at his mother’s home in Tangipahoa Parish tonight…

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Edwards says his contribution to the Christmas dinner is oyster soup.

The annual Bonfires on the Levee celebration takes place in St. James Parish. The fires are scheduled to be lit at 7PM to light the way for Papa Noel. St. James Parish President Timothy Roussel says the lighting of the bonfires is a big deal because it’s tradition…

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He says thousands of people will descend on the area for tonight’s festivities.

Many religious fellowships throughout the state will engage in “candlelight services” this Christmas, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office is issuing guidelines to organizations who plan to utilize candles. Marshal Butch Browning says folks need to understand that there’s a possibility for tragedy regarding the use of open flames in assemblies..:

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The National Fire Protection Association showed that in all 9,000 religious structure fires from 2007-2011, more than 350 were directly attributed to the use of candles.