Lawmakers have until Wednesday night to close a massive budget shortfall. Jeff Palermo gets an update from the governor….
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New Orleans native Peyton Manning announced his retirement from pro football today. Halen Doughty has local action…..
CUT 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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A lot of rain will hit Louisiana this week. A flash flood watch has been issued for 23 parishes, mostly on the western side of the state. Brandi Hughes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Shreveport, says heavy rain will move in tomorrow afternoon.
Hughes says northwestern Louisiana may see up to 10 inches of rain. She says a low pressure system will push a lot of moisture into the state.
Hughes says the rains are not likely to stop until this weekend.
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With the special session set to end Wednesday night, lawmakers are scrambling to come up with a plan to address the state’s large budget deficit. There’s talk about increasing the state’s four-cent sales tax by as much two-cents, but Governor John Bel Edwards says the tax burden should be spread out, impacting businesses too…
It’s estimated that lawmakers are about 150 to 200 million dollars short of what is needed to fill the budget hole for the fiscal year that ends June 30th. Edwards is hoping the House can approve legislation that will call businesses paying higher taxes….
The legislature has already agreed to raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes by 22-cents and they are close to approving legislation that would raise taxes on alcohol and the House and Senate have agreed on measures that adds another penny to the states four-cent sales tax. Edwards says the tax increases are necessary to stabilize the state’s budget and avoid deep cuts to higher ed and health care…
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New Orleans native Peyton Manning announced his retirement today after 18 seasons in the NFL and two Super Bowl championships. Nelson Stewart, Manning’s high school teammate and current head coach at Isidore Newman, says Manning’s Super Bowl 50 victory is a fitting way to end his NFL career.
CUT 9 (05) “Hall of Fame career”
The five time NFL MVP is the only quarterback to win Super Bowl titles with two different teams, one with the Indianapolis Colts and the other with the Denver Broncos. Stewart says Manning helped evolve the NFL into the passing league it’s become.
Manning holds over 20 NFL records, including career passing yards and passing touchdowns, most game-winning drives and most comeback wins. Stewart says he hopes to see Manning continue in the NFL in some way, like ownership or broadcasting.
Manning was a Super Bowl MVP, a seven-time first-team All-Pro, and a 14-time Pro Bowl selection. His teams made the playoffs in 15 of the 18 seasons he played.
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The nation’s high court has overturned a 2002 conviction of a Louisiana death row inmate accused in the death of a 16-year-old pizza delivery driver whose body was found near Hammond in 1998. They said prosecutors didn’t turn over evidence in the case that would undermine the conviction of Michael Weary. District Attorney Scott Perrilloux says they plan to re-try Weary…:
The justices Monday said prosecutors should have turned over information casting doubt on the credibility of a person that testified against Weary. But Perrilloux says they didn’t have some of the evidence referred to in today’s ruling…:
Cut 13 (07) “physically do not”
Officials say Eric Walber was beaten to death and run over when he was found lying face down on the side of a gravel road in a rural area of Tangipahoa Parish. Perrilloux says the victim’s mother is disappointed, but ready to to move on with prosecutors to get this back to trial…: