A Fort Polk interior designer and military spouse got to help set the Christmas mood in the White House this year. Matt Doyle has more.
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Today we find out whether or not Senator John Kennedy will jump into the 2019 governor’s race…
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CDC data indicates drug overdose deaths rose 12% in Louisiana from 2016 to 2017. Kevin Barnhart has more.
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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A Fort Polk interior designer and military spouse had the honor last week of joining 150 of volunteers for the annual Christmas decoration of the White House. Amy Hirata was one of the seven thousand total applications sent in to join for the festive activities in the nation’s capital. Hirata says her team was put to work getting ornaments ready to hang.
She says the design was created in part by the First Lady, and described it as a traditional Christmas theme full of reds, golds, and greens. Hirata says each room was designed to highlight some of the best aspects of American life.
Most teams focused on decorating just one of the many historic rooms in the White House, but Hirata says her work can be seen throughout the entire grounds…
She says she’s particularly proud of her work on the library room, which featured her large green plaid and red velvet ribbons.
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Senator John Kennedy is expected to make his decision today on whether he’ll run for governor in 2019. Baton Rouge Republican businessman Eddie Rispone is currently the only announced challenger to Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards. LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford expects Kennedy to jump in.
Cut 7 (10) “…an announcement.”
Republican Congressman Ralph Abraham says he’s also leaning towards a run and will announce his decision by the end of the year.
If Kennedy jumps in, he’ll wade into a campaign that analysts predict will shatter previous fundraising records for Louisiana gubernatorial races. Alford says the campaign spending should easily top 20 million dollars.
And if Kennedy is a participant, Alford says you’ll get a clear ideological divide between him and the governor on key issues that will shape the state’s future, a divide that’s played out publicly since Edwards took office.
Kennedy is less than two years into his six year Senate term.
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New CDC data indicates drug overdose deaths rose 12% in Louisiana from 2016 to 2017. Overdose deaths has contributed to the life expectancy rate declining for three straight year in the United States, a pattern not seen in 100 years. President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health John Auerbach says this marks the first time that more than 1,000 people died in a single year from overdoses in Louisiana.
Auerbach says part of the reason for the increase in the deaths last year was the increase in the use of synthetic opioids such as Fentanyl, with Fentanyl deaths up 45% in a single year.
Cut 11 (09) “…to it’s strength.”
Auerbach says there are many efforts in the country showing promise in reversing the trend.
Cut 12 (10) “done in Louisiana.”
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For the first time in the 125-year history of LSU Football, the Tigers will play in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona on New Year’s Day and they’ll face UCF, who has won 25 in a row. Coach Ed Orgeron says his team deserved to play in a New Year’s Six Bowl game
Orgeron says he’s impressed with U-C-F’s 25-game winning streak…
U-C-F beat Auburn in last year’s Peach Bowl. Some wondered if Auburn was ready to play in that game after losing to Georgia in the SEC Championship game. Orgeron says his guys want to play in the Fiesta Bowl…
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Louisiana Tech will face former Western Athletic Conference foe Hawaii in the Hawaii on Saturday night, December 22nd. The Bulldogs will play in a bowl game for a fifth consecutive season, but they ended the 2018 regular season losing three of their last four. Coach Skip Holtz was not happy with how his offense performed down the stretch…
Hawaii is 8-5 on the season and Holtz says he’s still learning about the Rainbow Warriors, while the coaching staff also juggles recruiting
Holtz says playing a bowl game in Hawaii is an unique experience and he’s glad his team has this opportunity