LRN AM NEWSCALL DEC 30

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission is urging drivers to be extra careful on the roads over the New Year’s holiday weekend. Emelie Gunn has more…

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Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says they are thrilled to kick off 2017 with New Orleans being showcased in Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Don Molino reports…:

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2016 was a tough year for Louisiana. Halen Doughty has more on this year’s biggest stories…

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The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission wants to remind motorists to be extra careful while driving over the New Year’s holiday weekend. Executive Director Dr. Katara Williams says often times when New Year’s falls on a weekend, it can result in more crashes than during the week. She hopes people are more cautious of their actions while ringing in 2017.

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The Louisiana Highway Safety Research Group found during the 2015 New Year’s holiday 341 people were hurt in car crashes in the state and 44 of those injuries were alcohol related. Williams says it’s easy to avoid drinking and driving if you plan ahead.

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Williams suggests taking an Uber or calling a cab to secure a safe ride home. She says they’re thinking of the safety of not only the driver but the passengers and everyone else on Louisiana’s roadways.

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Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says they are thrilled to kick off 2017 by nationally showcasing our amazing culture through New Orleans during this year’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” It’s the first time the production will do a Central Time Zone Countdown. He says it’s a great holiday to show people how much fun we have in Louisiana…:

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New Orleans will be a part of the largest celebration of the year airing at 7pm our time on ABC, and feature Lucy Hale of Pretty Little Liars hosting in the Big Easy. Ryan Seacrest will lead the traditional countdown to midnight live from New York. Nungesser says the state has a three year commitment from Dick Clark Productions…:

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New Orleans officials announced safety measures they are taking this weekend including declaring Bourbon Street a pedestrian roadway only. Nungesser says, going into 2017, he’s very proud to see people working together throughout Louisiana to attract visitors and make things safer…:

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More than one hundred Princess Leias will march through New Orleans Friday in honor of the late Carrie Fisher. Elizabeth Pearce is a member of the Leijorettes, a Princess Leia themed dance line that’s part of the Krewe of Chewbacchus. Pearce says the Princess of Alderaan was a role model to her and the rest of the dancers.

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Pearce says you don’t have to look like Leia Organa to be a Leijorette, you just have to embody her spirit. She says no two dancers look exactly alike because a lot of their props and costumes are homemade. But she says they all wear in the classic white dress with side buns.

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Pearce says the Krewe of Chewbacchus will begin lining up at 3 pm just outside the French Quarter. She says people can still join the memorial parade. She says they are also raising money to cover the cost of the parade.

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2016 will go down in history as one of the most tragic, eventful years in recent memory. This year we saw everything from bizarre elections to tragic attacks to natural disasters. In Baton Rouge, few stories will top the shooting death of Alton Sterling outside of a convenience store. Protests erupted after the black man was killed during a confrontation with white police officers. Baton Rouge NAACP President Michael McClanahan said after the shooting that someone should lose their job over Sterling’s death.

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Seven days after Sterling’s death, a man from Kansas City shot and killed three officers in Baton Rouge and wounded three more in an ambush on cops. Governor John Bel Edwards spoke about the deaths of Matthew Gerald, Brad Garafola, and Montrell Jackson.

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Of course you can’t talk about 2016 in Louisiana without mentioning the floods. After north Louisiana was hit with an unprecedented flood in March, south Louisiana was devastated by another historic flood in August. East Feliciana Parish OEP Deputy Director Jim Parker said they were doing everything they can to keep people safe as the flood waters rose.

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LSU and Louisville kickoff tomorrow at 10am in the Camping World Stadium. Tigers’ sideline reporter Gordy Rush says obviously the key in this Citrus Bowl contest is for LSU to stop the Heisman trophy winner Lamar Jackson. Rush says the D has to blitz and bring a lot of pressure to the QB like other teams that have beaten the Cardinals have been able to do.:

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The game, which is the first-ever meeting between the teams in football, will be televised on ABC. Louisville comes into this matchup ranked No. 12 in the FBS in total defense, but Rush doesn’t think this is a team that LSU won’t be able to run the ball against…:

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This will be Steve Ensminger’s final game in the interim offensive coordinator role as Matt Canada takes over the job on New Year’s Day. Rush says the obvious difference you saw with LSU’s offense under Ensminger’s leadership is that he forced defenses to protect the whole field…:

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