If you have all of your tax forms ready you can now file your federal and state income tax returns. CPA, Richard Tullier (TOO-yay) with Metairie-based Wegmann Dazet (dah-ZETT), says new this is for those who make a good portion of their income in tips, can welcome a tax break.

Cut 4 (08) “…to tip earnings.”

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and the Office of Human Trafficking Prevention is working to make people aware of magnitude of the issue in Louisiana. Director Mary Kate Andrepont (AHN-dre-pont) says human trafficking happens around the entire state at all times of the year.

Cut 7 (10) “…our small communities.”

She says the office does provides training to help schools, hospitals and law enforcement personnel identify human trafficking and through their efforts more victims are being identified.

About 100-thousand customers are still without power this morning. Andre Champagne says the work continues to get the lights and the heat back on in north Louisiana.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

Restoring power and clearing roads are the main priorities as north Louisiana deals with the aftermath of the historic ice storm. At least four people died as a result of the conditions, including an elderly DeSoto Parish man who died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Louisiana Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein (green-steen) says the victim was running a generator in his garage.

Cut 10 (09) “…from the home.”

Governor Landry will be in Ouachita Parish meeting with local officials this morning. He’ll update media sometime after 11:00.

Following President Trump’s endorsement of Julia Letlow for U.S. Senate, incumbent, Bill Cassidy said endorsements will not decide the race; instead, the voters will select the candidate with the best record. Advocate newspaper columnist Tyler Bridges said on Talk Louisiana, it will be interesting to see if Cassidy’s strategy will work.

Cut 6 (13) “…in the Senate.”

Cassidy is not backing away from the issues that may be contrary to the president’s views. In a social media post, Saturday he expressed concern about the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the reputations of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. After another fatal shooting in Minnesota, he said there must be a full federal and state investigation.

The winter precipitation and heavy rains have moved out of the state, but the cold weather is here. The storm caused power outages for almost 130,000 homes and businesses, mostly in North Louisiana where temperatures are not expected to get above freezing until Tuesday. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says we will see a slight warm up as the week goes on.

Cut 15 (08) “…I-10, I-12.”

And the storm claimed the lives of two men in Caddo Parish. DHS says the men died from hypothermia.

Louisiana has the highest average combined state and local sales tax rate in the country says the Tax Foundation. Policy Analyst Janelle Fritts says the state did reduce income taxes across the board to a flat three percent and cut other taxes as well so the state’s ranking in overall tax burden has improved.

Cut 9 (11)  “…used to be.”

The frigid cold that moved in with the winter storm has taken the lives of two men in Caddo Parish. The Department of Health says the men died as a result of hypothermia. And as we all try to stay warm, especially those in 120,000 plus homes and businesses in North and Central Louisiana, State Fire Marshall Bryan Adams is concerned about the increased risk of house fires. He says do not use your oven to warm your house, make sure your fireplace is out before going to bed, and when using a space heater, keep it away from anything that can easily catch fire.

Cut 10 (10) “…you stay warm.”

LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says expect frigid temperatures all day.

Cut 14 (15) “…degree or two.”

If it seems Louisiana sales taxes are steep, the Tax Foundation says they are. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Though, President Trump recently endorsed Julia Letlow for U.S. Senate, appearing on Talk Louisiana with Jim Engster, conservative columnist for the Advocate Quin Hillyer says she’s in for a tough race. Letlow will not only face attacks from Incumbent Bill Cassidy, but also from two of the other major candidates — John Fleming and Blake Miguez.

Cut 5 (12) “…against Julia Letlow.”

The Primary is May 16^th and the runoff June 27^th.

Two men in Caddo Parish have died as a result of this winter storm. Louisiana Department of Health says the deaths are a result of hypothermia. With this bitter cold, almost 125,000 Louisiana homes and businesses remain without this morning – over 48,000 in Ouachita Parish alone. SWEPCO who had around 70 thousand outages still has almost 30 thousand in the dark Michael Corbin with SWEPCO says they’re working quickly to restore service.

Cut 13 (11)  “…people so quickly.”

Entergy and Panola Harrison Electric Coop are also working to restore power.

The winter precipitation has moved out of north Louisiana, the heavy rainfall out of south Louisiana but the bitter cold is here. Wind chill readings are below zero in north Louisiana and in the single digits for south Louisiana. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says high temperatures will not get above freezing until Tuesday for north Louisiana. We’ll see a slight warm-up as the week goes on.

Cut 15 (08) “…I-10, I-12.”

According to a conservative columnist, it’s not a slam dunk that Julia Letlow will win the Republican U.S. Senate primary just because she has the backing of President Trump. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Meanwhile Cassidy is not joining the Republicans who are defending recent actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents. After agents killed U.S. Citizen, Alex Pretti in Minnesota, Cassidy is calling for a full joint federal and state investigation and expressed concern over the credibility of ICE and DHS.

Louisiana has the highest average combined state and local sales tax rate in the country, says the Tax Foundation. Policy Analyst Janelle Fritts says Tennessee has the second highest, but Tennessee has a taxpayer advantage over Louisiana

Cut 8 (12) “…the major taxes.”

She says Louisiana’ s recent change to a flat 3 percent and other tax cuts have improved the state’s taxpayers’ overall tax burden.

The Winter precipitation has moved out of state but the frigid temperatures are here leaving many without power and amid these very cold temperatures, the state fire marshal’s office is concerned we’ll see a rash of house fires as people try to stay warm. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 3 (25) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Throughout the weekend, utility crews statewide have been busy restoring power that got knocked out by the ice storm. As of late last night, more than 85 thousand Entergy customers were without power, and almost 30 thousand SWEPCO customers remained in the dark. Michael Corbin with SWEPCO says crews are working around the clock to get power restored.

Cut 12 (06) “…if not sooner.”

Does President Trump’s endorsement of Julia Letlow make her the favorite to win the U.S. Senate Republican Primary over incumbent Bill Cassidy? Advocate newspaper columnist Tyler Bridges says this will be Letlow’s first tough political race.

Cut 4 (07) “…the money yet.”

Letlow was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a 2021 special election to replace her husband Luke, who died of complications of COVID-19.

Meanwhile Cassidy has called for a “full joint federal and state investigation” into ICE activity after the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen, Alex Pretti. He called it “incredibly disturbing” saying, “The credibility of ICE and D.H.S. are at stake,” And saying the American people can be trusted with the truth.”

Louisianans are paying higher sales tax than most. The Tax Foundation says Louisiana has the highest average combined state and local sales tax rate in the country at just over ten percent. Policy Analyst Janelle Fritts says it’s a reputation that Louisiana has had to deal with for many years.

Cut 7 (11) “…close with Tennessee.”

The cast of candidates vying for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Bill Cassidy is down by one. State Representative Julie Emerson has dropped out of the race following President Trump’s endorsement of U.S. Representative Julia Letlow. Emerson, who entered the race in October, said at that time she was waiting to see if Letlow would enter the race. Now that she has, in a social media post, Emerson said that the path to victory had diminished. She also said she supports the president’s decision to endorse Letlow.

The effort in St. Landry Parish to make cockfighting legal in the parish again has gotten reaction from Animal Wellness Action. President, Wayne Pacelle (puh-SELL-ee), says when Louisiana voted to outlaw it in 2007, only one representative and four senators were against the ban. He says the practice isn’t the only problem…

Cut 5 (10) “…illegal firearms.”

A resolution to urge State Representative Dustin Miller to introduce a bill to repeal or modify the ban failed in the parish council by a vote of 7-to-6.

The ice storm of 2026 moves into Louisiana tonight. State Climatologist Jay Grymes …

Cut 10 (14) “…Saturday into Sunday.”

The I-20 corridor will be under a winter storm warning from six p-m tonight. Ice and snow are expected in North and Central Louisiana, and the National Weather Service says a glazing of ice is possible along the I-10/I-12 corridor west of Hammond.

Accolades for The DASH Diet, which was developed in part by scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. U.S. News and World Report has named it the second-best overall diet. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. One of the original researchers, Dr. Cathy Champagne says in addition to helping people lower blood pressure and other cardiovascular risks, the DASH Diet can also help with weight loss.

Cut 9 (05)  “…lot of weight.”

The I-20 corridor in North Louisiana will be under a winter storm warning beginning at 6:00 this evening. State Climatologist Jay Grymes says a combination of freezing rain, sleet and snow are expected.

Cut 11 (13) “…some significant problems.”

Central Louisiana could see up to a quarter inch of ice Saturday night and the National Weather Service says a glazing of ice is possible along the I-10/I-12 corridor west of Hammond.

Governor Landry has declared a state of emergency. Remembering the ice storm of 2021 when some were without power for two weeks, and there were least six fatalities tied to the storm. Governor Landry says once the wintry precipitation starts falling, stay off the roads.

Cut 15 (13) “…is extremely dangerous.”

LSU baseball media day is today, and Sulphur native Jake Brown talks about what it will take for the Tigers to repeat as national champions. Andre Champagne has more.

Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

The effort to urge St. Landry Parish Representative Dustin Miller to introduce a bill to make cockfighting legal in the parish was narrowly defeated in the parish council. Wayne Pacelle (puh-SELL-ee), the president of Animal Wellness Action says when Louisiana voted to outlaw the practice in 2007, only one representative and four senators voted against it and

Cut 6 (10) “…National Sheriff’s Association.”

With the incoming ice storm, Governor Landry has declared a state of emergency, allowing additional resources in north and central Louisiana including a waiver to bring additional gas to areas seeing shortage. The governor is citizens to be prepared.

Cut 14 (14) “…without electricity.”

The last major ice storm in Louisiana was February 2021 and left some without power for two weeks.

A former St. Mary Parish high school teacher has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of attempted enticement of a minor. Court documents say Katherine Albarado used her personal email to send sexually explicit messages and video to a sixteen-year-old student. She was arrested in May of 2022. If convicted, she faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in federal prison and could face a life sentence. 

A national animal rights group is weighing on an attempt to legalize cockfighting in St. Landry Parish. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The DASH Diet, developed in part by scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, has been ranked the second-best overall diet by U.S. News and World Report. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Dr. Cathy Champagne is among the original researchers behind the diet and says the DASH Diet is largely non-restrictive.

Cut 8 (10) “…desserts in general.”

The cast of candidates vying for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Bill Cassidy is down by one. State Representative Julie Emerson has dropped out of the race following President Trump’s endorsement of U.S. Representative Julia Letlow. Emerson, who entered the race in October, said at that time she was waiting to see if Letlow would enter the race. Now that she has, in a social media post, Emerson said that the path to victory had diminished. She also said she supports the president’s decision to endorse Letlow.

The effort in St. Landry Parish to make cockfighting legal again is getting reaction. Wayne Pacelle (puh-SELL-ee), the president of Animal Wellness Action, says those advocating for that are not doing the parish or the state any favors.

Cut 4 (09) “…State of Louisiana.”

A resolution before the St. Landry Parish Council to contact State Representative Dustin Miller to introduce a bill to repeal or modify the ban failed by a vote of 7-to-6.

The ice storm of 2026 is coming. It’s not just the ice with the storm heading to north and central Louisiana, it’s also the very cold temperatures. Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Governor Landry has declared a state of emergency. Landry says while Louisiana had a historic snow event last year, snow is easier to deal with than ice.

Cut 13 (13)  “…them to fail.”

A winter storm with freezing rain could bring ice accumulations topping a half inch for the northern third of Louisiana, and some places could see an inch of ice says State Climatologist Jay Grymes .

Cut 11 (12) “…widespread power outages”

He says there is the potential for ice accumulations along parts of the I-10/I-12 corridor by Saturday night.

Road closures are likely across the northern half of the state. Rodney Mallett with DOTD says they will do what they can to keep roads open.

Cut 13 (15)  “…priority routes open.”

Governor Landry will hold a 2 p-m press conference to discuss the state’s preparedness for the storm.

Congressman Troy Carter is among the sponsors of a bipartisan bill that would require all middle school and high school student IDs and websites to include mental health and suicide prevention information. The New Orleans Democrat says the information could be a life-saver for kids at the ages who need those services the most.

Cut 4 (12) “…drugs or alcohol.”

Now that Julia Letlow will be vacating the District 5 congressional seat to challenge Bill Cassidy for one of the U.S. Senate seats, the race is on for her successor. Greg Hilburn, a Louisiana politics reporter for the USA Today Network, says a wildcard is Garret Graves who formerly represented the Sixth District until he was effectively drawn out of that district and part of that district became part of District 5. Hilburn does not expect Graves to run, but several other Republicans are expected to run.

Cut 8 (13) “…in the Senate.”