AM Newscall December 29th, 2014

State Climatologist Barry Keim recaps the 2014 year in Louisiana weather. Michelle Southern reporting.

CUT 1 (32) “reporting”

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According to the latest Southern Media and Opinion Research poll, likely voters in Louisiana don’t have an answer for how the legislature should fill a $1.4 billion dollar budget hole next year. Michelle Southern reporting.

Cut 2 (28) “reporting”

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This time of year in Louisiana sees an increase of deer spotted on roadways and state officials are urging motorists to use extreme caution to avoid deer collisions. Eric Gill reports…

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The 2014 year in weather will go down as the year of the polar vortex. State Climatologist Barry Keim says this large pocket of very cold air has been around for a while but it was really brought to life this year in Louisiana. He says this polar vortex produced four rounds of mixed precipitation here…:

cut 4  (11)  “Mardi Gras Day”

Keim says those frosty episodes included freezing rain, sleet and some snow which lead to the closure of many roads and bridges and even I-10 and I-12…:

Cut 5  (10)  “downright cruel”

Keim says this year the heaviest rainfall days were May 27th and 28th with a storm total of 17.7 inches at Convent with several other surrounding sites over 12 inches. He says another inception of the polar front came in the form of five summer cold fronts bringing in relief to blistering hot days. Keim says we’ve now had no hurricane activity in Louisiana for a second year in a row…:

Cut 6 (08)  “in my book”

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According to the latest Southern Media and Opinion Research poll, likely voters in Louisiana don’t have an answer for how the legislature should fill a $1.4 billion dollar budget hole next year. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says the numbers show people don’t want to see any more cuts to higher education, but they also don’t want taxes raised…:

CUT 7 (06)  “on what to do”

Pinsonat says we keep having these recurring deficits so he predicts lawmakers will do what they’ve done every year which is nothing…:

Cut 8 (11)  “special exemption taxes” 

Pinsonat says it’s going to take the next Governor to come up with with a program that combines a few taxes here, a few cuts there…then get out and try to sell the plan to voters. He says there does seem to be interest in cutting out certain tax incentives in order to help balance the budget..:

Cut 9 (06)  “tax the other person”

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State Police Col Mike Edmonson is saying thanks to the more than 100,000 followers they have on Facebook heading into 2015. He says it took just three years to get so many people on board with wanting to remain informed about what’s going on with the state’s law enforcement…:

Cut 10 (08) “to prepare for those” 

The site is Facebook.com/LousianaState Police. Edmonson says they worked hard to get over 100,000 before the end of the year and it’s gone above and beyond. He says they pledge to continue providing real time updates:

cut 11 (15) “to hear”

Edmonson says their Facebook page includes news, photos and videos of emergency incidents, community events and topics that directly affect the citizens of Louisiana. He is very grateful so many people have jumped on board and shared important information with their other friends…:

cut 12 (10)  “100,000 likes”

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This time of year in Louisiana sees an increase of deer spotted on roadways and state officials are urging motorists to use extreme caution to avoid deer collisions. State Farm spokesman Gary Stephenson says a collision with a deer could be costly and even deadly. He says Louisiana had about 9800 deer-auto collisions in the past year ending July 1…

Cut 13 (11)  “hit a deer”

He says these are the most dangerous months in terms of deer-auto collisions because the animals are very active searching for food and a mate. Stephenson says the most active times for deer movement are early morning and early evening…

Cut 14 (12)  “of the survey”

He says there was about $38 million in damage from deer-auto collisions in the past year. Stephenson says motorists should use common sense when driving this time of year to avoid a deer-auto collision…

Cut 15  (12)  “things to remember”

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An ugly 2014 New Orleans Saints football season is officially behind us. Many Black & Gold faithful now wonder what happens next. NFL Analyst Mike Detillier says the salary cap will play a big role for next year’s Saints team. He says, first, several veterans will be asked to rework their contract to save money under the cap. Then, Detillier says the team needs to go to the “Bank of Brees”…

Cut 16  (09)  “room, cap-wise”  

He says the team should focus on getting a center and cornerback through free agency and work to get a big time pass rusher through the draft. Detillier says it wouldn’t be surprising to see some coaching changes on the Saints’ sideline, either…

Cut 17 (09)  “football team”

Detillier calls the 2014 season the most disappointing season in the history of the franchise because of the expectations going in. But he says with the right personnel moves, the team can get right back in it. Detillier reminds the Black & Gold faithful of 2005…

Cut 18 (12) “Championship Game”