Twelve workers from a lift boat that capsized Tuesday afternoon in the Gulf of Mexico near Port Fourchon, remain missing. Stormy weather along the coast has hampered search efforts.

LSU says the body found in the Mississippi River in St. John the Baptist Parish is that of missing student Kori Gauthier of Opelousas. Police do not believe foul play is involved. Her car was parked on the Mississippi River bridge in Baton Rouge.

Senator Bill Cassidy says a counter-proposal to President Biden’s infrastructure plan is being drafted…
cut 1 (29) “…Matt Doyle”

The poor conditions of roads and bridges in Louisiana are costing motorists $7.6 billion a year. That’s according to TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit. They put a dollar figure on vehicle operating costs, traffic accidents, and congested related delays. Erich Ponti with Louisiana Coalition to Fix Our Roads says the state is long overdue for more funding.
Cut 10 (07) “..since 1984.”
There is a bill in the legislative session to raise the state’s gasoline tax, but it faces opposition.

About three out of four Louisiana residents support investing more dollars into early childhood education. That’s according to a poll done by LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab. Director Doctor Michael Henderson says 57-support raising taxes to increase spending on childcare for low-income families…
cut 8 (08) “…childhood education”

One crew member is dead and 12 are still missing after a 129-foot lift boat capsized off of Port Fourchon in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “ …I’m Matt Doyle.”

A 26-year-old Covington woman who fell off of her jet ski in the Tchefuncte River and spent over 12 hours in the water has died from her injuries. Family members of Laura Thomas shared the heartbreaking news on social media. Her sister-in-law said on Facebook that Thomas fought hard but the injuries are too much for her to survive.

Alexandria Police say they’ve made an arrest in the murder of 19-year-old Courtney Coco, who was killed in 2004. Sergeant Josh Peppers says Detective Tanner Dryden was assigned to the cold case in 2018 and built up enough evidence to get a grand jury to indict 45-year-old David Burns of Boyce on second-degree murder…
cut 11 (05) “…cold case”
Burns’s bond has been set at 500-thousand dollars.

Republican Julia Letlow was sworn into office today as she represents Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District. Letlow occupies the seat her late husband was set to hold, before he died from COVID-19 complications five days before he was to be sworn in…
cut 13 (10) “…pray with you”
Letlow is the first Republican woman elected to represent Louisiana in Congress.

The U-S Coast Guard continues to search for a dozen people who remain missing after a commercial lift boat they were on capsized during stormy weather yesterday eight miles south of Port Fourchon. Six people were rescued.

There’s a pause on administering Johnson and Johnson COVID vaccines after six women under the age of 50 came down with blood clots, six to 13 days after their injection. None of the cases have occurred in Louisiana. State Health Officer Doctor Joe Kanter says if you received the J-and-J vaccine in the last two weeks be aware of the following symptoms…
cut 9 (08) “…medical advice”

At 11 AM this morning, Republican Julia Letlow will be sworn in as Louisiana’s new representative for the fifth Congressional district, which consists of 24 parishes, mostly rural areas. Letlow says the pandemic only emphasized the district’s need for high-speed internet…
cut 11 (04) “….broadband”

The chancellor of LSU’s medical school in Shreveport, Doctor G-E Ghali, has been suspended after four employees filed federal complaints alleging he suppressed sexual harassment allegations and retaliated against faculty members who attempted to speak out. Ghali said in a statement he’s confident he’ll return to his post after a review of the allegations.

Should the National Anthem be required to be played before all sporting events at state-funded facilities? One lawmaker thinks so…
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

Thirteen people remain missing after a commercial boat capsized in rough Gulf of Mexico waters off Port Fourchon yesterday afternoon. The Coast Guard says they have rescued six people, but Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson says there were 19 people on board the lift boat named Seacor Power. The Coast Guard is asking for all marine operators in the area to help in the search for the missing workers.

Legislation is expected to be filed that will seek to increase hunting and fishing license fees…
cut 1 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

The first Republican woman from Louisiana will be sworn into Congress today. Julia Letlow will represent Louisiana’s fifth U-S House district, filling a seat that was set to be occupied by her husband, Luke Letlow, before he died from COVID-19 complications. Letlow says she will look to bring high-speed internet to rural parts of her district…
cut 12 (08) “…necessity”
Letlow will be sworn in at 11 AM central time.

Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt has a bill waiting to be heard in the regular session that would require the National Anthem to be played before all sporting events at state-funded facilities. Hewitt says the Anthem is a unifying force and she recalls her first trip to a sporting event following nine-eleven…
cut 14 (08) “….our lungs”
Earlier in the NBA season, the Dallas Mavericks were not playing the national anthem before their games until Commissioner Adam Silver ordered them to do so.

The state halts the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine until the CDC and FDA review data concerning six women who developed blood clots within days of the vaccine. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

The Coast Guard reports rescuing six people but the search continues for a dozen others who were on a 129-foot commercial lift vessel that capsized yesterday afternoon eight miles south of Port Fourchon during stormy weather.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is asking state lawmakers to raise the price of user fees on recreational hunting and fishing licenses. LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet says the fees have stayed the same for 20 years and says the average recreational sportsman will see a ten dollar increase and they also want to consolidate the list of licenses…
cut 5 (08) “…about 30”
The cost for a Senior Lifetime License would also increase from 50 to 100 dollars under the proposal that needs legislative approval.

Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt has a bill that would require the National Anthem to be played before all sporting events at state-funded facilities. Hewitt says young people are losing the spirit of patriotism. She says this is an opportunity to reeducate the youth.
Cut 13 (10) “…freedoms.”

Louisiana has told COVID vaccine providers not to administer the Johnson and Johnson vaccine after six women across the country between the ages of 18 and 48 started developing blood clots six to 13 days after they were vaccinated. State Health Officer Doctor Joe Kanter says so far of the 85,000 doses of the J&J vaccine administered in Louisiana no adverse reactions have been reported and of the overall number of all vaccines administered in the state, J&J accounts for just 3.7-percent.
Cut 8 (08) “…supply issues.”
Kanter and other health officials continue to urge adults 16 and up to get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

The Coast Guard reports they have rescued six of the 18 that were on a 175-foot commercial lift boat that capsized last night as a result of stormy weather eight miles south of Port Fourchon. Several vessels are involved in the search for the others.

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is asking the Legislature for permission to up license fees to stave off what they say is an imminent department budget deficit. LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet anticipates the department to run a deficit by next year because they haven’t raised recreational license fees in 20 years, and…
Cut 4 (09)“…last year.”
Montoucet says the average recreational sportsman will see a ten dollar increase in costs, along with a more consolidated list of licenses.

Congresswoman-elect Julia Letlow will be sworn into Congress this morning. She’s the first Republican female to ever serve in Congress for Louisiana and the first female since Senator Mary Landrieu in 2015. Letlow says one of her priorities is to serve on the Agriculture Committee.
Cut 10 (11) “..in 2022.”