AM Newscall January 7th, 2015

According to 24/7 Wall Street, Louisiana is the 5th most dangerous state in the USA. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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The premiere of Duck Dynasty Season 7 is tonight at 8:30 on A&E and some experts are saying the show could be losing its luster. Michelle Southern reports.

Cut 2 (33) “reporting”

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After getting sworn in yesterday, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy gets down to work today in the G-O-P controlled Senate. Scott Carwile has the story….

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According to 24/7 Wall Street, Louisiana is the 5th most dangerous state in the USA. The report indicates more dangerous than Louisiana are Alaska, New Mexico, Nevada and Tennessee. LSU Criminologist Edward Shihadeh (Sheh-Ha-Dah) says Louisiana has always ranked high nationally on crime…:

cut 4  (07)  “and crime”

The report also says Louisiana ranks 3rd highest in poverty rate and only 83% of people here have a high school diploma which is the 4th lowest. Shihadeh says lack of education and crime go hand in hand which is a well known finding. He says it’s important to remember that the crime rate is improving in Louisiana but it’s also coming down in other states…:

Cut 5  (09)  “relative to other states”

Shihadeh says poor socioeconomic factors likely contribute to higher crime rates in Louisiana. He says New Orleans and Baton Rouge have had a lot of success going after gang violence…:

Cut 6 (12)  “violent activity”

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The premiere of Duck Dynasty Season 7 is tonight at 8:30 on A&E and some experts are saying the show is losing its luster. Emily Yahr covers pop culture and entertainment for The Washington Post. She says it’s not unusual for reality show ratings to drop, but the Robertson family has seen a major decrease in numbers…:

CUT 7 (13)  “to watch that”

Yahr says one of the reasons could be that Duck Dynasty viewers are getting the vibe that the family is more concerned with their side projects launched since their rise to fame. But she doesn’t think this is the end as 3 million people tuning in is a really great number for cable and it’s probably the best thing A&E has going on right now…:

Cut 8 (07)  “a little longer” 

Some attribute the growing lack of interest in Duck Dynasty deals with the controversial statements made by family patriarch Phil Robertson, but Yahr thinks the hilarious “wow factor” of how the family interacts with each other is wearing off…:

Cut 9 (10)  “how much you like people”

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A new republican controlled Congress is already battling with President Barack Obama over the much-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline. The White House has issued a veto threat, if lawmakers approve the Canada-to-Texas pipeline. Newly elected republican senator Bill Cassidy doesn’t understand the opposition to the five-point-four billion dollar project

Cut 10 (10) “hate us” 

The House could approve a bill that green lights the project by the end of the week and a Senate could happen soon after. 60 members of the Senate support construction of the Keytone, including six Democrats, but Cassidy is concerned that won’t be enough to over turn a Presidential veto…

cut 11 (08) “too bad”

Cassidy says another bill he hopes gets to the President’s desk is legislation that would increase the revenue Louisiana would receive from royalities from drilling in the outer continental shelf and that money would go towards coastal restoration….

cut 12 (10)  “the Senate”

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The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is asking residents to please be aware of the artic weather that is currently moving through the state. The National Weather Service says the cold blast began impacting Louisiana overnight and a hard freeze is expected at sundown through Thursday morning. GOHSEP Director Kevin Davis…:

Cut 13 (09)  “exposed pipes”

Davis says they are encouraging folks to monitor local media for any possible additional watches and warnings for your region. He says protect pets, plants and pipes and if you plan to use space heaters…:

Cut 14 (07)  “fire started”

Davis says while no major impacts are expected from the freezing conditions, the state will be ready to address any potential problems…:

Cut 15  (08)  “right away”

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Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis is not ready to comment on whether defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will return next season. Loomis says they are still in the process of evaluating the entire organization….

Cut 16  (19)  “to be adjusted”  

There have been reports the Saints will have trouble improving their roster, because of salary cap limitations. But in a 30-minute meeting with reporters, Loomis downplayed those concerns

Cut 17 (16)  “salary cap”

Some fans have blamed the team’s training camp location as one of the reasons why the Black and Gold finished a seven and nine record. Some Who Dats believe the environment didn’t get the team ready, but Loomis says the plan is to return to Greenbrier, West Virginia

Cut 18 (19) “part of the solution’