Most of Louisiana is under a tornado watch until early tonight as a result of a strong cold front that is moving through the state. There’s a line of storms moving through Ruston and Winnfield at this hour and radar shows a cluster of storms in southwest Louisiana.

Metairie-based MedPharmics is conducting clinical trials for the Moderna vaccine on children. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (31) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington.”

A Gulf of Mexico oil lease sale scheduled for today was canceled weeks ago when President Biden issued a 60-day executive order that banned all new oil and gas leases on public waters. Louisiana Oil and Gas Association President Mike Moncla says long term these restrictive policies will kill oil and gas jobs, but in the short term, it has surprisingly resulted in more industry jobs, not fewer…
cut 8 (10) “…dollars”
The moratorium did not ban drilling on already existing leases.

The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s office has charged 30-year-old Nicholas Ducote with negligent homicide after his nine-month-old son died in the bathtub. Deputy Chief Eddie Thibodaux says Ducote walked out of the bathroom and left his ninth month and two-year-old child in the tub…
cut 13 (10) “…bathtub”
The two year old child was not injured.

A bipartisan group is backing legislation that would greatly expand the drug court program using funds obtained from opioid settlements with drug companies. Landry says there are 75 drug court programs in Louisiana, but they are at risk because of a lack of funding. He says drug court programs reduce recidivism and with additional funding, there could be expanded drug testing of arrestees to identify potential addicts…
cut 10 (10) “….intervention”
Port Allen Senator Rick Ward plans to file the legislation.

Plan for the potential of severe weather today as a strong cold front will swing through the state. State Climatologist Barry Keim…
cut 7 (07) “…greater risk”
A large portion of the northern half of the state is under a tornado watch until 1 PM.

Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy says there is a crisis at America’s southern border as immigration officials deal with a surge of unaccompanied migrant children. Cassidy says the Biden administration is hesitant to call it a crisis and they are sending mixed messages…
cut 14 (10) “…send”
The president has sent FEMA to the border to help shelter unaccompanied migrant children and more federal workers are heading to the area to help connect children with sponsors.

The state department of corrections is seeking an additional 21-million dollars in state funding that would be used to give prison guards a pay increase. Undersecretary Thomas Bickham says D-O-C wants to reduce its 73-percent employee turnover rate…
cut 6 (11) “…an hour”
Budget hearings will begin March 25th.

Hail, strong winds, and tornadoes are possible as a strong cold front will sweep across the state today. A severe thunderstorm watch is already up for northwest Louisiana until 10 AM and more watches and warnings are expected to be posted as the day goes along.

Legislation is set to be filed that would fund a 15 million dollar expansion of the drug court program using funds obtained from opioid settlements….
Cut 2 (28) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

Today at 2:06 Governor Edwards answers your questions as his monthly Ask the Governor show airs on many of these stations and at Louisiana-Radio-Network-dot-com.

Border crossings have hit a 20 year high as increasing numbers of immigrants are arriving at the southern border. The state’s Congressional delegation says President Joe Biden is to blame. Louisiana Senior U-S Senator Bill Cassidy.
Cut 13 (10) “…immigration.”
Immigrant advocates say the numbers are spiking due to growing instability in Central America.

The Louisiana Department of Corrections is seeking an additional $21.5 million in next fiscal year’s budget. DOC Undersecretary Thomas Bickham says the figure represents what the department usually spends on overtime.
Cut 4 (10)“…have.”
The $21.5 million figure also includes a ten percent pay raise for entry-level correctional officers in hopes of attracting new employees.

The chancellor of the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Dr. G-E Ghali, is under investigation as he’s been accused of sex discrimination. The Advocate newspaper reports that Ghali allegedly made sexist comments to female employees that could be perceived as sexual harassment. Ghali has not commented publically about the allegations.

Republicans say President Biden’s immigration policy is directly responsible for the 20 year high in border crossings.
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

Attorney General Jeff Landry along with other elected officials will push a bill in the legislative session that would take money collected from opioid settlements with drug companies to help fund Louisiana drug courts which can help those who suffer from addiction and substance abuse. The bill would pump an additional 15 million dollars a year into the program. Baton Rouge Judge Don Johnson says it would be money well spent…
cut 11 (10) “…crime”

And the state department of corrections is seeking an additional 21-million dollars in state funding in order to hire more prison guards. D-O-C undersecretary Thomas Bickham says the department currently needs to fill 36-percent of their mandatory guard positions and they want to pay their guards more to avoid the extreme turnover…
Cut 5 (06)“…first year.”
Budget hearings will begin a week from Thursday.

It’s a warm morning but a strong cold front is approaching which has the potential to produce severe thunderstorms…
cut 8 (04) “…extreme weather, unfortunately”
State Climatologist Barry Keim says for the northeast corner of the state, there’s a high risk for severe weather, a moderate risk for the rest of northeast Louisiana and into central Louisiana, and an enhanced risk for the rest of the state.

Attorney General Jeff Landry is supporting legislation that would use money from opioid settlements with drug companies to help fund Louisiana drug and specialty courts. Landry says a lack of funding has resulted in a drop of participation with drug courts. Jennifer Hollahan, a drug court graduate, says the program is more effective than a stay at a one-month rehab facility…
cut 12 (12) “…that”
The legislation will be heard in the regular session that begins April 12.

The Louisiana Department of Corrections is asking for an additional $21.5 million dollars in state funding. Brooke Thorington has more on why the figure is so high.
Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Budget hearings are set to begin March 25th.

Louisiana will be receiving $2.6 billion in COVID relief dedicated to schools. Brooke Thorington on how they plan to spend it.

Cut 1 (32) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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Attorney General Jeff Landry sends a letter to staff warning against sexual harassment following a sexual harassment scandal that led to the resignation of one of his top aides. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (30) …I’m Jeff Palermo”  

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Authorities recover the remains of a Natchitoches Parish woman who went missing in 1993 at the bottom of the Cane River.

Kara Vaughn left her home November 3^rd 1993 and never returned. Captain Tony Moran says back during last month’s winter storm they got a call from a fisherman…

Cut 3 (07)  “…Natchitoches”  

Dive teams began searching the river last Friday and yesterday discovered the submerged vehicle with Vaugnh’s remains inside.

After going missing Vaughn was entered into the National Crime Information Center along with her vehicle…

Cut 4 (10) “…be found.” 

Multiple, unsuccessful searches of the River have been conducted over the years.

Moran says it’s a sad end to the story but at least the family knows what happened…

Cut 5  (06)  “…is” 

Identification was found on the body indicating it was Kara Vaughn, but other tests will be conducted to confirm it.

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Louisiana public schools will receive $2.6 billion from the latest COVID relief bill, in addition to the $1.4 billion they’ve already received in federal assistance dollars. State Education Superintendent Cade Brumley says part of the money will go towards helping schools pay for the COVID protocols.

Cut 6 (10) “…instruction”

Brumley says currently more than 70-percent of the schools are open to face-to-face instruction.

Brumley says after covering the added expenses to keep schools open safely during the pandemic, they will invest in recovery learning to help students catch up due to the hardships of COVID.

Cut 7 (11) “…state.”

Approximately 25-percent of students in Louisiana do not have access to the internet in their homes.

A large portion of the funding is to be dedicated to recovery learning so students can stay on grade level. Brumley says he believes in teachers and their ability for tutoring programs and is asking school systems to reimagine summer school as more of a summer camp experience.

Cut 8 (11) “….tutoring.”

Louisiana is receiving the 12^th largest share of public-school dollars in the nation. It amounts to $3,643 per student.

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Attorney General Jeff Landry defends his office’s handling of sexual harassment misogyny complaints against former top aide Pat Magee.

Magee, who had previously been suspended for inappropriate conduct, resigned last week after receiving another complaint. Landry wrote a letter to his staff saying that behavior won’t be tolerated.

Cut 9 (11) “…that”

Magee was suspended for about a month related to allegations that he made disparaging comments about women working for him and that he assigned cases based on gender. A third-party investigation concluded his comments were “joking in nature”. He returned to the office earlier this year and his resignation was the result of a second, similar complaint that had been filed against him.

Landry says his office takes every complaint seriously and he has an open-door policy when it comes to employees.

Cut 10 (10) “…environment.” 

Landry also defended his lawsuit against an Advocate reporter who filed a public information request to get access to the full complaint against Magee…

Cut 11 (08) ”   paper”

The lawsuit was dismissed and ultimately a redacted version of the complaint filed against Magee was released.

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One day after Drew Brees announced his retirement, the Saints re-signed quarterback Jameis Winston, who a lot of people believe will be the starter next season.  Winston’s new contract is for one year and he can earn up to 12-million dollars.  Saints Analyst Mike Detillier says this deal is good for both parties.

Cut 12 (10) “ …move on” 

While Winston certainly has talent and has shown promise in his pro career, Detillier says his decision-making has to improve as he threw 30 interceptions in 2019, his last season as a starter in Tampa Bay…

Cut 13 (14)“…different situation”

If Winston does in fact get the nod as the Saints’ starting quarterback next season, he will have plenty of talent around him.  Detillier explains what Winston needs to do to be successful in New Orleans.

Cut 14 (13) “his game” 

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