There is a Louisiana connection with today’s funeral for evangelist Billy Graham. Michael Farrar has the story.
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Drivers in Lake Charles will see the start of a four month project this weekend on I-10 that includes the World War Two Memorial Bridge. Kelley Ray has more.
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The House will try again today to pass tax proposals that would generate revenue to replace the loss of a billion dollars in temporary taxes. Jeff Palermo has a preview…
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The Reverend Billy Graham will be laid to rest today in North Carolina. There is a Louisiana connection. The 99-year-old evangelist will be buried in a coffin made by prisoners at Angola. Former inmate David Bacon says Graham was so impressed with the caskets they made for those who died while in prison, he ordered one on the spot…
Bacon recalls the time when there wasn’t much use for religion at Angola, but former warden Burl Cain opened the door for churches to come in and Graham helped to satisfy the prisoner’s spiritual needs…
Bacon says his life wouldn’t be what it is today, had it not been for him to meet Graham while he was at Angola…
Graham’s wife Ruth, who died in 2007, is also buried in one of the Angola caskets.
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Four months of construction work will begin Saturday on the I-10 bridge in Lake Charles. DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallet says 8.5 million dollar project will initially close the inside eastbound lane so crews can replace expansion joints on the nearly 60-year-old structure…
The joints need to replaced because the I-10 Lake Charles bridge will take on more traffic when a re-decking project gets underway on I-210. Mallett says it’s also just time to replace the joints, because they’ve been known to go out over the years…
Yahoo Travel in 2013 rated the bridge the number 7 “Most Dangerous Bridge in the Country”, due to the wear and tear 72,000 cars put on it daily. Mallet says this work will make the bridge stronger and safer…
Motorists are advised to use I-210 as a detour while work takes place. Additionally, drivers can use LA 12 via LA 27 and US Highway 171.
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We will find out Sunday if two movies filmed in Louisiana will win an Oscar. Mudbound was filmed in New Orleans and rural St. James Parish, while Logan was filmed in several locations including Amite, Ferriday, Hammond and New Orleans. Louisiana Entertainment Executive Director Chris Stelly says these projects had far reaching impacts in the state’s economy…
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Typically, movies that are nominated get a second life after their initial release. Stelly says this puts Louisiana on the silver screen to many more fans…
Stelly hopes this will expose many other film studios to consider Louisiana and Hollywood South continues it’s comeback. He says the state continues to demonstrate there is no better place than here to create entertainment content…
Mary J. Blige, who recently received the key to the city of Baton Rouge, is nominated for best supporting actress and original song for “Mighty River” for the movie Mudbound.
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The House is set to try again today on passing tax proposals that will go towards closing a one-billion dollar budget deficit. A sales tax bill that would generate 300-million dollars anually was soundly defeated on Wednesday, but House Speaker Taylor Barras says that measure is still a critical part of addressing the fiscal cliff…
Lawmakers are running out of time as the special session to pass revenue generating measures must end Wednesday night. Barras says we’ll know after today on whether this special session will be successful…
If the legislature can not pass any bills to replace a billion dollars in sales taxes that are set to expire on June 30th, significant cuts would be needed to balance the budget. Barras remains optimistic
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LSU baseball will play three different teams at Alex Box Stadium this weekend, starting tonight when they host Toledo out of the Mid-American Conference. Tomorrow, the Tigers play Sacred Heart and Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday. LSU’s starting middle infielders Hal Hughes and Brandt Broussard are two of the Tigers hottest hitters and Coach Paul Mainieri is not surprised
Beau Jordan is also swinging a hot bat as he’s hitting .400 with a couple of home runs. Mainieri says the key with Beau is that he doesn’t become pull happy….
Mainieri is making a change with his weekend rotation. Freshman right-hander AJ Labas will make his first start on Sunday against Southeastern. Labas hasn’t pitched yet after having back surgery over two months ago