An outbreak of canine influenza is sweeping across Texas and there is concern the virus could make its way to Louisiana. Jae Chang is a veterinarian at Farr Veterinary Hospital in Lake Charles. He suggests that dog owners get their pets vaccinated against the canine flu…

Chang 01 (09) “once a year”

Although dog flu has a low mortality rate, Chang says it is very contagious and dogs can get really sick.

Louisiana employers are only slightly less optimistic about staffing for the first quarter of 2016 than they were the prior year. Michael Doyle, Vice President at the Manpower Group covering the southeast US, says about 15% of companies in Baton Rouge and about 20% in New Orleans say they will be adding to their staff in the first quarter of 2016. He says The Big Easy seems to be going along with a national trend of growth in the hospitality and retail industries…

cut 8 (07) “ready for it”

As 2015 comes to an end, there are a few things you may want to consider when it comes to saving money on your taxes. Baton Rouge CPA Bill Potter says you’ll want to maximize your itemized deductions before the new year…

cut 9 (06) “you can do”

Potter says it’s also a good idea to look at your latest pay stub and review your withholdings to see if you’ve covered your tax liability.

Many are wondering if Sunday’s game at Atlanta will be head coach Sean Payton’s final game on the Saints’ sideline. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says it could be. He says the task of rebuilding the team and the unsettled ownership issue could play part in his decision. Detillier says when it comes to Payton’s future with the Saints, the coach is holding all the cards…

cut 13 (08) “this stage”

Payton has been the Saints head coach for the past 10 seasons.

Louisiana employers are only slightly less optimistic about staffing for the first quarter of 2016 than they were the prior year. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 2 (32) “I’m Michelle Southern”

There were no jackpot winners in Saturday’s $255 million Powerball drawing. The jackpot for Wednesday night’s drawing climbs to whopping $300 million. That Powerball prize has a cash value of just over $184 million. The deadline to purchase tickets to get into the next drawing is Wednesday at 9PM.
It’s the final week of 2015, there are several things you might want to consider if you want to save money on your taxes. Baton Rouge CPA Bill Potter says you’ll want to maximize your itemized deductions before the new year and review your withholdings to make sure you’ve covered your tax liability. He says the IRS will let you file beginning January 19th…

cut 11 (08) “problem”

Potter recommends having all of your information ready to go so you can file as soon as possible.

State Climatologist Barry Keim lists El Nino as the state’s number one weather event in 2015. Number two is a squall line that moved across Louisiana on April 27th and number three is the state’s drought. He says the dry conditions began really settling in during the late summer and by late October, 86-percent of the state was in drought…

cut 5 (07) “Drought Monitor”

He says he picked El Nino because of its duration and intensity.

Lafayette Police are searching for a suspect in a fatal double shooting. They say 21-year-old Tavis Jenkins of Alexandria walked into his ex-girlfriend’s Lafayette apartment where she was with her roommate and another man. When one man tried to escort Jenkins out, Jenkins pulled a gun and began shooting. The woman’s roommate, 17-year-old Antonio Means, and an unidentified 23-year-old man were transported to a local hospital. Means succumbed to his injuries, the other man is listed in critical condition. Jenkins’ ex-girlfriend was not injured. Jenkins is wanted for one count of first degree murder and two counts of attempted first degree murder.

State Climatologist Barry Keim has put together a list of the state’s top weather events in 2015. Keim picks El Nino as Louisiana’s number one weather event of the year. Coming in at number two is the squall line that moved across the state on April 27th. He says this system swept from west to east across Louisiana and the whole southern half of the state felt its impact…

cut 4 (10) “International Airport”

His number three pick is the state’s drought.

State Police say a St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s deputy was shot while responding to a shooting in Ashton. As deputies originally responded, they found a man at the residence suffering from a gunshot wound. He was listed in stable condition at a local hospital. The suspect then allegedly shot at officers as they attempted to secure the scene. When a SWAT team was extracting deputies from the scene, one deputy was shot. He was transported to an area hospital. His condition is unknown. The suspect was taken into custody after a three hour standoff.

Many in the “Who Dat?” nation are wondering if head coach Sean Payton will coach his last game with the Saints this Sunday at Atlanta. Rumors have been swirling that Payton will seek another opportunity in the NFL following this season. Payton has been the Saints head coach for the past 10 seasons, which NFL analyst Mike Detillier says is an eternity in today’s NFL. Detillier believes Payton is leaning more toward one way than the other…

cut 14 (06) “in 2016″

Detillier says the task of rebuilding the team and the unsettled team ownership issue could play a big part in Payton’s decision.

Louisiana employers are a little less optimistic about staffing for the first quarter of 2016 than they were last year. Michael Doyle, Vice President at the Manpower Group covering the southeast US, says they’ve seen slowdowns in the oil and gas industry which is suffering because of the low price of crude, but some sectors benefit from them…

cut 7 (10) “being down”

Doyle says about 15% of companies in Baton Rouge plan to hire, and about 20% of New Orleans employers say they will be adding to their staff in the first quarter of 2016.

A strong line of thunderstorms, with heavy rains and high winds, moved across the state in the early hours of Monday morning. As the storms quickly moved eastward across the state, several tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warning were issued. There are numerous reports of downed trees and power outages. There have been no reports of any tornados associated with the severe weather.

As the year is coming to an end, there are a few things you might want to consider when it comes to saving money on your taxes. Baton Rouge CPA Bill Potter says it’s a good idea to look at your latest pay stub and review your withholdings to see if you’re covered with your tax liability…

cut 10 (10) “paying late”

Potter says he always recommends that people have all of their information ready to go so they can file as soon as possible.

With one game left in the season, many in the “Who Dat?” nation are wondering if Sunday’s game at Atlanta will be coach Sean Payton’s last game with the Saints. The Black and Gold will finish the season with their second consecutive losing record and miss the playoffs. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says this will be the team’s biggest story of the offseason…

cut 12 (06) “move on”

Detillier believes there is a better chance of Payton leaving the team than staying.

Louisiana employers are only slightly less optimistic about staffing for the first quarter of 2016 than they were the prior year. Michael Doyle is the Vice President at the Manpower Group covering the southeast US. He says their Quarter One 2016 Employment Outlook Survey for Louisiana shows about 18% of companies polled do plan to hire during that time…

cut 6 (04) “12% score”

Doyle says 76% of businesses taking part in the survey said they plan to keep the employees that they already have.

As we kick off the final week of 2015, there are several things you might want to consider when it comes to saving money on your taxes. Baton Rouge CPA Bill Potter says if you itemize your deductions, you’ll want to maximize those before the new year…

cut 9 (06) “you can do”

Potter says he always recommends that people have all of their information ready to go so they can file as soon as possible.

As 2015 is coming to an end, State Climatologist Barry Keim has put together a list of the top weather events in Louisiana for the year. Keim picks El Nino as the state’s top weather event of 2015. He says El Nino kicked in in March and will probably continue to build as we get deeper into winter…

cut 3 (07) “winter warmth”

He says he picked El Nino because of its duration and intensity. Keim’s number two pick is the squall line that moved across the state on April 27th. Number three is the drought conditions the state suffered in 2015.

It’s another day of muggy humid conditions in Louisiana as some areas reach high temperatures at levels that haven’t been seen in decades. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a cold front will bring drier and more seasonable weather to Louisiana on Monday. But he says for the next couple of days we’ll have to deal with more of this warm and humid air…:
Cut 10 (10) “weather pattern”

But those loving these temperatures include crawfish and crawfish lovers. Fisherman harvesting from ponds credit the warm weather and abundant rainfall for what looks to be an incredible crawfish season. They say the demand for mudbugs is high as the balmy outdoor conditions have people thinking about crawfish.

If you’re out and about today you might want to pick up a Powerball ticket as tonight’s jackpot is a whopping $255 million dollars. The cash value for the Saturday drawing is worth an estimated $158 million dollars.

A 13-year-old boy died in a suspected electrocution, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. They say deputies responded to a medical emergency involving a juevnile who had fallen into a water filled ditch, then tried to get out by grabbing a metal pipe that appeared to have an electrial wire running through it. Attempts to revive the teen were not sucessful and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The American Automobile Association says the current statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $1.78 cents. That leaves lots of room for holiday shopping money as last year we were paying $2.18 according to AAA.

There are lots of folks out shopping today as stores are offering major deals, especially this season according to experts. LSU Assistant Professor of Marketing Dan Rice says retailers want sell off excess inventory fast and appeal to shoppers who are making returns…:
Cut 3 (10) “after Christmas”

Today is one of the biggest shopping days of the year and retailers are offering massive discounts this season. Don Molino reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Don Molino”

A bicyclist died in a crash on Christmas Day in Livingston Parish, according to State Police. They say 21-year-old Justin Murray of Hammond was on his bike westbound on LA 42 in Springfield at the same time a truck was going by in the same direction. Investigators believe Murray traveled across the the road into the path of the vehicle driven by 63-year-old Keith Jones of Livingston. Murray succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.

A suspect was shot by Franklin Parish deputies after a pursuit on US 425 south of Winnsboro, according to State Police. They say the suspect refused to stop as he drove in the direction of deputies — and, fearing for their lives, the deputies opened fire. The suspect was shot while inside the vehicle and died. The investigation is ongoing.

There are two historic connections to the Camping World Independence Bowl happening in Shreveport today. Tulsa played in the inaugural I-Bowl in 1976 and also came back in 1989. Independence Bowl spokesman Stefan Nolet says Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer coached his first bowl game in Shreveport…:
CUT 6 (06) “40th anniversary”
This will also be the last game of Beamer’s coaching career, as he announced his retirement at the end of the season. The contest between the Golden Hurricanes and Hokies kicks off at 4:45 and will be televised by ESPN..

If you’re going to be returning a gift today, the local Better Business Bureau says you should make sure you know the store’s refund policy before you head out so you don’t waste time in long customer service lines. It’s going to be a busy day today as stores try to sell off excess inventory to appeal to those shoppers making returns, according to LSU Assistant Professor of Marketing Dan Rice…:
CUT 3 (10) “after Christmas”
He says another reason stores are offering such deep discounts today is because holiday spending was lower than what they were expecting.

A fourth person, a 12-year-old child, has died as the result of a train crash in New Iberia earlier this week. Cops say a car carrying six people was stopped on the train tracks for unknown reasons on Tuesday when it was hit by a train. 70-year-old Phyllis LeBlanc, the driver, was killed along with two other 12-year-old children. Another 12-year-old died Friday. Two others remain in critical condition.

Today is another warm day in Louisiana with highs in the upper 70s and low 80s. Showers and thunderstorms will be likely by tomorrow into the evening hours, according to State Climatologist Barry Keim. He says the humidity we’ve been experiencing over Christmastime will continue today and tomorrow…:
CUT 11 (11) “Monday morning”
He says temperatures to start the week will be considerably cooler, but only dropping to the normal values for the end of December.

The Baton Rouge Police Department is looking for the suspected gunman and have arrested two others in connection to the shooting death of a Prairieville man in a Baton Rouge parking lot last week. They say 25 year old Gabrielle Rogers of Port Allen and 23-year-old D’mon Spears were booked for principal to first-degree murder for allegedly being in the vehicle with the suspected killer, 27-year-old Glenn Spears. Cops are working to locate Glenn Spears in the death of 27-year-old George Reusch.