After waking up to cold temperatures this morning, it appears things will brighten up heading into the weekend. Baton Rouge set a record low this morning of 26 degrees and record lows were tied in New Orleans and Shreveport. Andy Tingler, with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says the weekend will start with sunny skies and warmer temps…:
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He says some areas of the state could pick up two to three inches of rainfall next week.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education rejects a proposal to waive penalties against schools who have students that opt out from taking the Common Core exam. In a 7-to-4 vote, BESE agreed with Superintendent of Education John White, who says let’s wait and see how many opt outs there are first…
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A zero score will be given for each student who doesn’t take the test, which critics say is not fair to the school.

The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reports a man is charged with the illegal killing of a Black Bear while he was hog hunting in St. Mary Parish. They say 52-year-old Richard Picard Jr was hunting with a group of friends when he fired a 350 pound Louisiana Black Bear with a 12 gauge shotgun. The crime brings a $900 to a $950 find and up to 120 days in jail.

“Marsh Madness” gets ramped up today in Lake Charles as three girls’ state championship basketball teams will be crowned tonight. Jeff Palermo has more…:
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