Mardi Gras season kicks into full swing this weekend with parades scheduled all across Louisiana. Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control agents will be on the the streets as usual to curb businesses from selling alcohol and tobacco to underage persons. ATC Commissioner Troy Hebert says his office understands that alcohol and Mardi Gras go hand-in-hand…

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He says statistically they have seen a decrease in sales to minors and hopes that trend continues this year.

As of today according to the American Automobile Association, gas prices are now above $2.00 again. AAA says the current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $2.01 and that’s up almost 15 cents from this time last week.

The state fire Marshal’s office believes a space heater is what caused a fire than claimed the life of one person in Tangipahoa Parish this morning. They say a 39-year-old woman perished in the blaze in the residence between Albany and Hammond around 2am. There were several others in the home who were able to escape through windows.

The Council for a Better Louisiana strongly objects to students opting out from taking the standardized assessments that’s tied to the Common Core education standards. Jeff Palermo has the story…:

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