New Orleans lawyer Caroline Fayard, who once ran for Lt. Governor, is the first Democrat to get in Louisiana’s US Senate race. Fayard joins a crowded field of republican candidates. It’s also been rumored that Democrat and Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell will also get in the race.

Governor John Bel Edwards released a column today outlining why he feels cuts to higher ed and healthcare are not the answer to the budget woes. But Republican House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry says, in the face of the $750 million dollar shortfall, nobody likes cuts but unfortunately they’re necessary…:
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He believes legislators will look at cuts first and do what they can to reduce the size of government. A special session is expected to start on Valentine’s day to address the state’s budget crisis.

A six-year-old girl was killed in a three-bedroom mobile home fire in the Rapides Parish town of Deville. Her 12-year-old sister was also seriously injured in the blaze that started while the family was sleeping. Investigators believe a space heater may have caused the fatal fire.

The state department of transportation is trying to determine what other safety measures are needed at a railroad crossing in Iberia Parish that saw five people die in a train-versus-vehicle crash last December. DOTD spokesperson Rodney Mallett says their study involves observing traffic volumes, the speed of vehicles crossing the tracks and additional reports…
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Mallett says gates were installed at the crossing over ten years ago and there’s also a sign warning drivers not to stop on the tracks.

Get ready for cold night. Low temperatures will be near the freezing mark across the state tomorrow morning.