9:30 am Newscast

The bipartisan infrastructure law turns three years old today. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

On Sunday, the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee starts hearing the parts of Governor Landry’s tax reform proposal that have passed in the House. Chairman Franklin Foil says that includes replacing the current income tax structure with a flat tax and a higher standard deduction.

Cut 9 (06)  “…income tax rate.”

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A Dequincy man has been cited for alleged deer hunting violations that include dumping deer carcasses from a bridge in the Calcasieu Parish town of Starks.  LDWF Lt. Wendel Vaughn says 62-year-old Ronald Owens was cited for failing to tag deer, failing to validate deer harvest, failing to comply with harvest card requirements and gross littering

Cut 15 (13) “…the carcasses there.”

The Ragin Cajuns can win a Sun Belt West title with a victory against South Alabama on today. U-L Lafayette is 8-and-1 and Cajun fans believe their team should be ranked in the Top 25. But Coach Michael Desormeaux (Dez-er-mo) says won’t matter when they line up against the Jags.

Cut 14 (07) “…come and win”

Kick off is tonight at six.

8:30 am Newscast

The Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee starts tomorrow hearing the parts of Governor Landry’s tax reform proposal that have passed in the House.  That includes changing the income tax to a flat tax and imposing sales taxes on 41 services that are not taxed now. Chairman Franklin Foil says those services are being taxed in other states, including our neighbors.

Cut 10 (12) “…strategic about it.”

Today marks the third anniversary of the signing of the bipartisan infrastructure law. Senator Bill Cassidy, who was one of 19 Republicans who joined all 50 Democrats in voting in favor of it, said in those three years, Louisiana has received ten-billion dollars…

Cut 3 (15) “…for airport improvements.”

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Grammy-winning country music star and Baskin native, Lainey Wilson is performing two sold out shows at the Monroe Civic Center this weekend.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

The LSU Tigers will try to end their two-game losing streak this afternoon when they visit the Florida Gators. Coach Brian Kelly says the team has a had a good week of practice…

Cut 12 (07) “…got to be better.”

 

8:30 am Newscast

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating the deaths of two women found inside a home in Lake Charles. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Change is on the way in the weather here in Louisiana. LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry Keim says a cold front is going to drop temperatures considerably with some lows in the 40’s and lower daytime temperatures too.
Cut 13 (08)  “…very nice out.”

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House Ways and Means approved the bill to expand the sales tax base on a 16 to 2 vote. Two Lawmakers voted against it because it would tax several services, including home repair.  Governor Jeff Landry has said his tax reform plan will result in more money in the pockets of Louisiana residents. And Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson says the plan also calls for the elimination of sales taxes on prescription drugs…

Cut 7 (07) “…as well.”

The measure could receive a vote on the House floor by the end of the week.

LSU Coach Brian Kelly says Garrett Nussmeier is still the starting quarterback for the Fighting Tigers despite six turnovers over the last six quarters. Kelly says they are looking at simplifying things for their first-year starter at quarterback…

Cut 18 (12)   “…less is more.”

The 22nd ranked Tigers at Florida on Saturday.

7:30 am Newscast

A House committee approves legislation to apply local and state sales taxes on 41 services that are currently not taxed. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson is on track to keeping his job as House Speaker after winning the House Republican nomination yesterday.  President Donald Trump endorsed Johnson ahead of a full House vote in the new year.  Johnson has no serious challenger, but there is dissent from hard-right conservatives. Johnson will need majority support of the full House to take hold of the gavel on January3 when the new Congress convenes.

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For the second time in three years, LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey has landed the nation’s top recruiting class. This time it’s for the 2025 recruiting class, as four, five-star prospects signed with the Lady Tigers on National Signing Day. Matthew Brune (Brew-knee) covers LSU for the Bengal Tiger and says high school players are drawn to Mulkey, because she’s a winner…

Cut 14 (07) “…win championships.”

LSU Coach Brian Kelly says Garrett Nussmeier is still the starting quarterback for the Fighting Tigers despite committing six turnovers over the last six quarters. The mistakes have contributed to the Tigers two-game losing streak,  but Kelly says they have not considered making a change at quarterback…

Cut 16 (13) “….we believe in him.” 

6:30 am Newscast

The House Ways and Means Committee approved legislation that would apply sales taxes to 41 services currently not taxed. This would generate 500 million dollars in tax revenues and help offset the loss of tax dollars from a proposed cut to income taxes. New Orleans Representative Mandie Landry voted against the bill…

Cut 4 (16) “…taxes on them.”

Expect some changes in the weather…this week.   LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry Keim says with our recent rains, we’re at a heightened risk for flash flooding.  He says the ground’s pretty saturated due to all the rain we’ve seen, which puts us at higher risk.  But there is some good news as Keim says a cold front is going to drop temperatures considerably.

Cut 12 (10) “…for low temperatures.”

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LSU football has a rare two game losing streak, so is a change at quarterback needed? Sean Richardson has the story…

Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating the deaths of two young women inside a home in Lake Charles. Sheriff Stitch Guillory says deputies arrived at a home and heard gunfire. That’s when they called in the SWAT team.

Cut 8 (10) “…of gunshot wounds.”

8:30 am Newscast

People are still reacting after a federal court judge in Baton Rouge put the state’s Ten Commandments law on hold. Jabarie Walker, the political director at the ACLU of Louisiana, hailed Judge John deGravelles’ (de-GRAVEL) ruling, saying it ensures the separation of church and state, which means –at least in part–keeping religion out of public schools.

Cut 5 (12) “…people of Louisiana.”

Keep Louisiana Beautiful is hosting Regional Litter Summits in Louisiana this week to address the state’s litter problem. KLB Executive Director Susan Russell says these summits, supported by Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, aim to increase support from local governments, partners, and elected officials in the effort to clean up Louisiana.

Cut 7 (13) “…that we provide.”

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The Louisiana House has approved a bill to cut state income taxes. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

A woman who claimed her son had been kidnapped is facing several charges. St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Major Mark LeBlanc says Artasia Viges (VEE-zhees) four year old son actually got out of the moving car during a disagreement.

Cut 12 (13) “…sight of him.”

7:30 am Newscast

Plenty of reaction to a federal judge’s preliminary ruling that the state’s Ten Commandments law is unconstitutional. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

A woman who claimed her son had been kidnapped is facing charges herself this morning. St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Major Mark LeBlanc says Artasia Viges (VEE-zhees) and her son, who’s not even five, actually had a disagreement while she was driving in Eunice.

Cut 10 (09) “…the child’s knees.”
LeBlanc says Viges made up the kidnapping story to cover up the truth.
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The Louisiana House has approved two big pieces of Governor Jeff Landry’s tax plan. The first bill to head to the Senate for its approval is a measure to reduce individual income taxes to a flat three-percent rate. The Landry administration wants to offset the revenue loss by taxing services currently not taxed and renewing a temporary sales tax that expires next year. But New Orleans Representative Mandie Landry says none of that has happened yet.

Cut 14 (05) “…to it.”

Keep Louisiana Beautiful is hosting Regional Litter Summits in Louisiana this week to address the state’s litter problem. KLB Executive Director Susan Russell says the summits are an effort to understand the challenges local governments face in managing litter and explore ways to assist them…like citations.

Cut 8 (11) “…bad behavior.”

6:30 am Newscast

The Louisiana House has approved two significant pieces of Governor Jeff Landry’s tax plan. The first bill to head to the Senate for its approval is a measure reduce individual income taxes to a flat three-percent rate. Carencro Representative Julie Emerson is the sponsor of the bill…

Cut 13 (07)  “…state of Louisiana.”

Plenty of reaction after a federal court judge in Baton Rouge put the state’s Ten Commandments law on hold. Jabarie Walker, the political director at the ACLU of Louisiana, hailed Judge John deGravelles’ (de-GRAVEL) ruling, saying it ensures the separation of church and state.

Cut 4 (17) “…ultimately our democracy.”

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Today Alexandria is having a Regional Litter Conference hosted by Keep Louisiana Beautiful to address the states litter problem.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (28) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

A woman who claimed her 4 year old son had been kidnapped is now facing charges.  St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Officials say Artasia Vigees told authorities that someone in an older model truck took the boy while she was attending to a flat tire.  But Major Mark LeBlanc says investigators determined that’s not what happened.

Cut 11 (07) “…in the night.”

11:30 Newscast

A new casino resort in Bossier City set to open early next year has the help wanted sign out. Live! Casino and Hotel Louisiana is looking to fill more than 750 positions. Human Resources Director Wesley Garcia says most of the jobs are career-level positions with an average pay – including salaries, wages and tips – of about 45-thousand dollars a year.

Cut 10 (15) “…of those gaps.”

Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise are seeking reelection to their House leadership roles in advance of the GOP’s internal elections scheduled for next week. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says even though votes are still being counted and a Republican House isn’t official yet… Stockley says current forecasts suggest they should retain it.

Cut 8 (12) “…Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise.”

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We’re learning new information about where the live tiger taking the field for tonight’s LSU game is coming from. The tiger is a one-and-a-half-year-old Bengal tiger named Omar Bradley, and he’s owned by 62-year-old Mitchel Kamlanson of Maitland, Florida, who has a lengthy rap sheet with PETA.  Klayton Rutherford, the associate director of captive wildlife research at the PETA Foundation, says regardless of where it’s coming from, no tiger belongs in a100-thousand-seat football stadium.

Cut 4 (11) “…drop this idea.”

The Tigers and Tide kick off tonight at 6:30.

The Saints will try to end their seven-game losing streak on Sunday when they host the Falcons. Darren Rizzi will serve as the interim head coach and running back Alvin Kamara hopes the change at head coach will lead to a victory…

Cut 14 (13) “…things right.”

10:30 Newscast

Black people across the country, including here in Louisiana, have been receiving hate-filled spam text messages referencing slavery. Louisiana Attorney General Investigators have traced the messages to an encrypted virtual network in Poland but the investigation is ongoing.  Attorney General Liz Murrill says the best thing that people who receive these texts can do is to ignore them.

Cut 16 (04) “….to my office.”

Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise are seeking reelection to their House leadership roles in advance of the GOP’s internal elections scheduled for next week. Johnson outlined his agenda to advance conservative policies aligned with President-elect Trump’s administration, emphasizing plans to prioritize American interests, strengthen border security, and expand school choice. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley.

Cut 7 (06) “…for the state.”

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A new casino resort in Bossier City set to open early next year has the help wanted sign out. Live! Casino and Hotel Louisiana is looking to fill more than 750 positions. Human Resources Director Wesley Garcia says the jobs run the gamut.

Cut 9 (11)  “…leadership-level positions.”

11th ranked Alabama meets 15th ranked LSU on Saturday night in what amounts to a College Football Playoff elimination game. The loser will suffer its third loss.  Like the game isn’t important enough, there’s been controversy surrounding the decision to bring a live tiger named Omar in to be on the field prior to the game.  Governor Jeff Landry told Fox News tradition was behind the decision and…

Cut 30 (:07) “…and it’ll be more than Alabama.”