Senator Bill Cassidy stands behind his decision to vote to find former President Donald Trump guilty of inciting an insurrection on January 6^th. He was censured by the state Republican Party for the move, but Cassidy says the facts show Trump was guilty…

Cut 11 (10) “…consequences.”

At this morning’s Public Service Commission Zoom meeting providers warned that gas prices were far higher than usual in February and those prices will be passed on to customers. Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta asks that providers come up with a plan to not dump that full cost on customers next month…

Cut 8 (09) “…before then”

Providers also indicated that a lack of natural gas supply was the supply problems they faced last week.

Currently, it is not mandatory to send your child to kindergarten in Louisiana, but one Senator wants to change that to get more children enrolled in pre-K education. Baton Rouge Senator and Chairmen of the Senate Education Committee Cleo Fields has pre-filed legislation to make kindergarten a requirement.

Cut 3 (10)  “…the state.” 

Shirley was the sole elephant at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo for 22 years passed away Monday. Zoo Director Tom Pearson says Shirley then went to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee where she able to roam. He says about 10 years ago one of her former Monroe caretakers, Solomon James, visited on her birthday.

Cut 14 (11) “…thrilled”

Shirley was 72.

Utilities reported to the Public Service Commission this morning on last week’s winter storm response. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (30) …I’m Matt Doyle.”  

Senator Bill Cassidy spoke with members of the members to discuss his vote to impeach President Donald Trump.  Despite some criticism, Cassidy says he’s at peace with his decision.

Cut 9 (08) “…people objecting”

It is not mandatory to send your child to kindergarten in Louisiana, but Chairman of the Senate Education Committee Senator Cleo Fields is filing legislation to change that. Researchers say birth to five years of age is critical for brain development so Fields wants children to learn sooner than later.

Cut 4 (11) “…first grade.” 

Fields then wants to work towards making Pre-K mandatory.

A former well-known Monroe staple passed away Monday at the age of 72. Shirley was the sole elephant at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo for 22 years after she arrived in 1977.  As requirements changed for keeping elephants in captivity, Zoo Director Tom Pearson says they opted to let Shirley retire.

Cut 12 (12) “…years.” 

Utility providers went before the Public Service Commission today to explain last week’s power outages and the poor communication to customers about those outages. Entergy CEO Phillip May says Tuesday the energy grid faced significantly more demand than it had supply and they were given 30 minutes by a regulator to begin rolling blackouts.

Cut 6 (11) “…resort”

Regulator, Midcontinent Independent System Operator, operates in 15 states throughout the center of the country and most of those were impacted by the storm.

Currently, it is not mandatory to send your children to kindergarten in Louisiana, but Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields wants to change that to get more children enrolled in pre-K education.

Cut 3 (10)  “…the state” 

Oil City Representative Danny McCormick introduces legislation that would allow Louisianans to carry a concealed handgun without a permit. Currently to concealed carry in Louisiana, you need to take a nine-hour course and pay a $125 fee for a five-year license. Proponents of the license argue it provides gun owners with vital training. McCormick says training is good, but the mandate is not.

Cut 11 (07) “…anything.”

To assist the citizens of Shreveport as the city enters a second week with a collapsed water system Speaker of the House Clay Schexnayder along with other lawmakers helped collect 150-thousand bottles of water.

Cut 4 (13)“…issues.”

The storms last week paralyzed the city’s water system which serves approximately 200-thousand citizens.

Entergy and Cleco and other utility provider officials are meeting with the Public Service Commission discussing last week’s lengthy power outages and rolling blackouts due to the historic winter weather. P-S-C member Foster Campbell says customers were understandably frustrated, while others are profiting…

Cut 14 (10) “…11.5 percent.” 
The PSC is expected to propose an investigation into the winter storm outages and allegations that natural gas providers took advantage of the situation to jack up prices.

The trend of homeschooling continues to grow across the nation and increased by 4-percent in Louisiana in the last year. President of Homeschool Louisiana Christopher Chin says he believes the pandemic and more awareness about homeschooling are responsible.

Cut 7 (10)  “…scrambling.”

An Oil City lawmaker proposes legislation that would do away with the need to have a concealed carry permit to carry a concealed handgun. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (29)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

One Senator wants to make Kindergarten mandatory in Louisiana. Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields pre-filed the legislation this week for the upcoming session in April in an effort to improve educational outcomes for children. If the bill is approved children who turn five on or before September 30^th will be required to enroll in kindergarten.

As the city of Shreveport continues to struggle with a crumbling water system from last week’s winter storm state lawmakers send a care package. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (31) “…Brooke Thorington.”

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The number of students that are homeschooled in Louisiana increased by 4-percent in the last year. Brooke Thorington talks to a homeschool advocate about the growing trend.

Cut 2 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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An Oil City lawmaker proposes legislation that would do away with the need to have a concealed carry permit to carry a concealed handgun. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (29)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

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To assist the citizens of Shreveport as the city enters a second week with a collapsed water system Speaker of the House Clay Schexnayder along with other lawmakers helped collect 150-thousand bottles of water.

Cut 4 (13)“…issues.”

Two powerful winter storms paralyzed the city’s water system leaving 200-thousand citizens stranded. Schexnayder says the need allowed members of the legislature to lend a helping hand.

Cut 5 (10)“…about.”

Mayor of Shreveport Adrian Perkins stated the aging infrastructure of the water system, like others in the state, wasn’t able to match Mother Nature last week. Schexnayder says this an issue the legislature will need to address to avoid similar situations in the future.

Cut 6 (11) “…systems.(x2)”

Shreveport is expected to lift its boil advisory on Friday.

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The trend of homeschooling continues to grow across the nation and increased by 4-percent in Louisiana in the last year. President of Homeschool Louisiana Christopher Chin says he believes the pandemic and more awareness about homeschooling are responsible.

Cut 7 (10)  “…scrambling.”

Chin says the rate of homeschooling has risen in the last five years by 23% and currently more than 35-thousand students are homeschooled in Louisiana.

Cut 8 (06) “…send it in.”

While Chin anticipates some of those new to homeschooling will return to the classroom post-pandemic, he also feels some will choose to stay.

Cut 9 (10) “…giftings.”

Louisiana has two forms of homeschooling, both of which require families to sign up with the state Department of Education and renew annually. One is called the BESE-approved Home Study program, the other is the registered nonpublic school track not seeking state approval.

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Oil City Representative Danny McCormick introduces legislation that would allow Louisianans to carry a concealed handgun on their person without needing a concealed carry permit.

Currently to concealed carry in Louisiana, you need to take a nine-hour course and pay a 125 dollar fee for a five-year license. McCormick says that mandate infringes on constitutional rights.

Cut 10 (09) “…government”

A 500 dollar lifetime license option is also available.

Proponents of the license argue it provides gun owners with vital gun-safety training. McCormick says training is good, but the mandate is not.

Cut 11 (07) “…anything.”

If signed into law Louisiana would become the 19^th state with a “constitutional carry” law. McCormick says he’s been told the bill has a lot of early support.

Cut 12 (07) “…begin with.”

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The Public Service Commission meets today at 9 AM and first up on the agenda will be the two winter storm events that knocked out power to tens of thousands of Louisianans.

Entergy, Cleco, SWEPCO, and a handful of co-ops will be in attendance to report on what happened. Commissioner Foster Campbell says the objective is accountability.

Cut 13 (06) “…there.”

MISO, the super-regional power authority that ordered the statewide rolling blackouts last week, will also be on hand to report to the PSC.

Many customers remain frustrated with the outages in the midst of such a historic freeze. Campbell says all that happened as providers were pulling in big profits.

Cut 14 (10) “…11.5 percent.” 

Campbell says they should look into whether infrastructure needs to be better maintained to avoid situations like this in the future.

Cut 15 (12)“…huge profits.”

The PSC is expected to propose an investigation into the winter storm outages and allegations that natural gas providers took advantage of the situation to jack up prices.

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It didn’t take for LSU right fielder Dylan Crews to win his first SEC Freshman of the Week honor. The Florida native had an outstanding debut in his first three games to win the honor as he went 7 for 12 at the plate with two homers, 3 RBI, and two runs scored. Coach Paul Mainieri says they knew Crews could hit

Cut 16 (15) “…capable of.”

Tonight the Tigers are at U-L Lafayette. Mainieri says Cajuns will be ready…

Cut 17 (11) “…let it rip.”

Mainieri says for now freshman Jordan Thompson will start at third base as he replaces Will Hellmers who struggled in the field.

Cut  18 (17) “…gonna happen.”

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The Pelicans are back in action tonight at home against the Pistons coming off the high of their miraculous come from behind win over Boston Sunday.

The New Orleans came back from down 24 against the Celtics and coach Stan Van Gundy says the game was a great reminder that modern NBA games can change quickly…

Cut 19 (20) “…minutes.” 

Detroit has a pretty terrible team his year but still managed to whop New Orleans 123 to 112 earlier this month.

Zion Williamson has reportedly been named a Western Conference All-Star reserve, but forward Brandon Ingram did not make the cut after getting the nod last season. Van Gundy says they both deserved it…

  Cut 20  (21) “…west.” 

Arena capacity for the game tonight has also been expanded to 2,700. Tipoff is set for 7 PM.

Tiger Woods was on his way to meet Drew Brees and other celebrities for a production shoot Tuesday when he was “seriously injured” in a car crash, according to ESPN. Woods was reportedly headed to the golf course to shoot an Oprah Winfrey production where he was giving celebrities golf tips. 45-year old Woods was the only one in the vehicle and was taken into surgery after jaw of life were used to retrieve him from his car.

6-year old Bossier Parish Sheriff’s deputy Burt Wich is recovering after being allegedly shot multiple times by his estranged daughter, Kalee Wich in Benton Monday night. Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Bill Davis says Deputy Wich is in stable condition and was up walking around this morning after being shot multiple times.

Cut 11 (08) “…to work.”

22-year old Kalee Wich is charged with attempted first-degree murder.

Potential 2023 Gubernatorial Race contenders Republicans Attorney General Jeff Landry and Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser are off to a strong fundraising start. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says with Governor Edwards term-limited there’s no easy answer for Democrats in 2023, but Edwards two wins prove you can’t count the party out…

Cut 5  (10)  “…win”  Two early Democrats being floated are Norco Senator Gary Smith and Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields.

Thanks to a COVID Relief bill those receiving unemployment, Medicaid or SNAP Benefits are now eligible to receive free mobile internet service. Q Link Wireless is one of the participating providers and CEO Issa Asad (EE-sa Ah-sod) says you can even keep your current phone number.

Cut 12 (10) “ …in need.” 

Go to QLinkWireless.com for more info.

The next Louisiana Gubernatorial race is more than two years away, but the top potential candidates are on their way to assembling large campaign war chests.

Cut 1 (30) “ …I’m Matt Doyle.”  

Louisiana and its local governments will now only have to pay 10% of the cost of cleanup and other public expenses approved by FEMA related to Hurricane Laura. FEMA guidelines normally ask for state and local governments to pay 25%. The Biden Administration ordered an increase in the federal share of public assistance payments.

A 56-year old Bossier Parish Sheriff’s deputy is recovering after being allegedly shot multiple times by his daughter in Benton Monday night. Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Bill Davis says they were called to Burt Wich’s home in Benton around 5 pm.

Cut 9 (11) “…murder”

22-year old Kalee (pronounced Kallie) Wich is being held at the Bossier Maximum-Security Facility in Plain Dealing.

If you receive unemployment, Medicaid or SNAP you’re also possibly eliblge to receive phone and internet data thanks to the Emergency Broadband Benefit program passed by Congress. It begins on February 25th and lasts until the end of the year, after that QLink Wireless CEO Issa Asad (EE-sa Ah-sod) says you can roll over into the LifeLine program.

Cut 14 (09) “…unlimited”

Go to Q Link Wireless dot com for more info.

Potential 2023 Gubernatorial Race contenders Republicans Attorney General Jeff Landry and Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser are off to a strong fundraising start. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says with Governor Edwards term-limited there’s no easy answer for Democrats in 2023, but Edwards two wins prove you can’t count the party out…

Cut 5  (10)  “…win” 

Two early Democrats being floated are Norco Senator Gary Smith and Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields.

Thanks to a COVID Relief bill those receiving unemployment, Medicaid or SNAP Benefits are now eligible to receive free mobile internet service. Q Link Wireless is one of the phone providers participating and CEO Issa Asad (EE-sa Ah-sod) says you can even keep your current phone number.

Cut 12 (10) “ …in need.” 

Go to  QLinkWireless.com for more info

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is asking residents to reconsider the use of heat lamps to keep animals warm following several fires last week. One fire in Bossier Parish killed seven horses, and separate blazes in Houma and Livingston Parish each killed a dog.  State Fire Marshal Spokesperson Ashley Rodrigue says the fires could be due to the lamps being placed near flammable objects…

Cut 7 (11) “…on fire”

56-year old Bossier Parish Sheriff’s deputy Burt Wich is recovering after being allegedly shot multiple times by his estranged daughter, Callie Wich in Benton Monday night. Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Bill Davis says Deputy Wich is in stable condition at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport and was up walking around this morning after being shot multiple times.

Cut 11 (08) “…to work.”

22-year old Kallie Wich is charged with attempted first-degree murder.

Shreveport, Alexandria, and Lake Charles are under boil water advisories, but officials from each city say they are making progress in restoring their water delivery systems. Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins says there wasn’t much that could have been done from preventing the damage that occurred during last week’s winter storms…
cut 9 (11) “…system.”

Many Louisianans are tempted to cut back and uproot plants after winter storms last week damaged tender plants, but LSU Ag Center professor Dr. Heather Kirk-Ballard says try to hold off until the spring to remove that unsightly foliage.

Cut 10 (09) “…to wait.”

Kirk-Ballard says we could still see another freeze so it’s best not to prune or uproot anything just yet because the damaged part of the plant can act as insulation.

A 22-year-old Benton woman faces an Attempted First Murder Charge in shooting of her father a Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Deputy. Authorities say Deputy Burt Wich was airlifted Monday evening to Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport after being shot multiple times at his residence in Benton. He is listed in stable condition. His daughter Kalee Wich is being held at the Bossier Maximum-Security Facility in Plain Dealing.

This morning lawmakers will meet to discuss the state of Louisiana’s insurance market. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

This morning lawmakers will meet to discuss the state of Louisina’s insurance market. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

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Last week’s storm has many residents working in their yards removing damaged plants. But you might be adding insult to injury.. Brooke Thorington explains.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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A 29-year-old Baton Rouge native is set to be the first cancer survivor ever launched into space. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (30)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

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A joint legislative task force meets today to discuss the state’s insurance market and insurance affordability issues.

A substantial package of tort reform went into effect January 1^st that supporters say will ultimately lead to lower premiums. Task Force Co-Chair Kirk Talbot says industry reps will be in attendance…

Cut 4 (07)“…at us.”

The new law included a significant lowering of the state’s jury trial threshold among other changes.

Talbot says the task force will also take a look at why Louisiana’s medical billing costs are exploding faster than our neighbors…

Cut 5 (08)“…states.”

The task force will investigate the growing problem of insurance fraud and criminal rings staging wrecks with 18-wheelers to win big payouts…

Cut 6 (11) “…dollars.”

The meeting will begin at 10 AM.

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Two winter storms last week have crippled the City of Shreveport. While the city expects to have water service restored today, the city will remain under a boil advisory for remainder of the week. Mayor Adrian Perkins says it all began last Monday.

Cut 7 (10)  “…system.”

Perkins says his water and sewer department is working around the clock along with contractors and state partners to get water restored. They have also set up water distribution sites for Shreveport citizens.

Cut 8 (10) “…crisis.”

Perkins says nationally Texas has received the most attention, but areas of Louisiana are also experiencing critical devastation. As for being prepared for the winter storms Perkins says there wasn’t much that could have been done considering the current infrastructure.

Cut 9 (11) “..system.”

Perkins says the National Guard, DOTD and GOHSEP have been assisting the City of Shreveport in recovery efforts.

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Many Louisianans are tempted to cut back and uproot plants after last week’s winter storms damaged tender plants, but LSU Ag Center professor Dr. Heather Kirk-Ballard says try to hold off until the spring to remove that unsightly foliage.

Cut 10 (09) “…to wait.”

Kirk-Ballard says we could still see another freeze so it’s best not to prune or uproot anything just yet because the damaged part of the plant can act as insulator and protect the crown of the plant.

Cut 11 (07) “…injury.”

She says typically by March 15^th for south Louisiana and April 1^st for the northern half of the state we won’t see another freeze.

Kirk-Ballard says if you are in the mood to trim things back, work on trees and hardy summer foliage like roses.

Cut 12 (11) “…weeks.”

Kirk-Ballard says while many plants received damage above the ground, they are still alive beneath the soil and they will return from their roots.

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29-year-old Hayley Arceneaux of Baton Rouge has been tapped to make history as the first Cajun, first cancer survivor, and first civilian woman to ever get launched into space.

Arceneaux will take flight on Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission. Arceneaux, a spokesperson for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, calls it an honor…

Cut 13 (09) “…stars.”

Arceneaux was diagnosed with osteosarcoma when she was just ten years old but was saved by treatment at St. Jude. Most of her femur had to be replaced with a prosthetic device.

Arceneaux with her background as a physician’s assistant, will be the flight’s medical officer as one part of the crew’s civilian run research project.

Cut 14 (05) “…kids.” 

Inspiration4 is a SpaceX flight, a civilian run space agency. The flight was purchased by tech billionaire Jared Isaacman to help raise awareness for causes like St. Jude. Isaacman will also piliot the craft.

Arceneaux will begin training for the mission once the final crew members are selected, but she says she’s already getting into the space-faring mood.

Cut 15 (09)“…suits.”

The mission will launch at a future date from the Kennedy Space Center, spend about three days in space, and return via a water landing off the coast of Florida.

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