Senator Bill Cassidy recounted the story of how he got COVID, calling it a warning that transmission in tight spaces is still possible even if everyone is masked up. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (31) “ …I’m Matt Doyle.”  

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The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office has made one arrest as a result of an investigation that the Boy Scouts asked the law enforcement agency to conduct. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 2 (31) …I’m Jeff Palermo”  

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The LSU Ag Center says the state is looking at a record sugar cane harvest this year. Sugar cane specialist Kenneth Gravois says sugar was planted on 496-thousand acres in 2020 and the harvest which started in September produced about 83-hundred pounds per acre…

Cut 3 (09)  “…for Louisiana”

Gravois says even a rough hurricane season could not slow down a record-breaking sugar cane harvest…

Cut 4 (11) “…that’s great” 

Gravois expects over 500-thousand acres of sugar cane planted in 2021 as more sugar cane will be planted in the northern and western parts of the cane-growing region. He says the 2021 crop is already off to a great start thanks to a mild winter..

Cut 5  (08) “…are good.” 

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The two bodies recovered from the wreckage of a plane that went down near Hackberry Tuesday are believed to be that of flight instructor Rock Palermo and his student Don Clements. Palermo, an attorney, was also the pilot for the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Tony Mancuso was visibly emotional about the loss of Palermo.

Cut 6 (09) “…office”

The plane, a single-engine Cessna 182 four-seater, crashed on a small island between Hackberry and Big Lake, near Pete Seay Circle just before six o’clock Tuesday night.  Calcasieu Parish District Attorney Stephen Dwight says Palermo was well respected in the community.

Cut 7 (12) “…missed.”

Mancuso expressed condolences to the families of both crash victims. He also personally thanked Palermo’s family for sharing him with the department over the years.

Cut 8 (11) “…amazing.”

The investigation is being handled by the FAA and the NTSB.

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The CDC is now mandating that all public transit systems require riders to mask up.

Senator Bill Cassidy says this is a requirement most transit systems already have, and there’s a real question as to whether the CDC has the power to levy penalties against systems that refuse.

Cut 9 (07) “… enforce.”

Cassidy says masking up while on public transit is a good plan and data shows the virus spreads much easier in confined indoor spaces.

Cut 10 (11) “…them to”

Cassidy recounted his own experience getting COVID. He says he picked it up from an aide who was driving him from New Orleans to Baton Rouge despite both him and the aide being masked…

Cut 11 (08) “…mask.”

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State Police say a three-year-old child who was not properly restrained was killed in a wreck last night involving an 18-wheeler in Calcasieu Parish. Trooper Derek Senegal says the child was a passenger in a vehicle driven by 41-year-old Blaine Keith Lecompte. Senegal says they suspect Lecompte was impaired

Cut 12 (10) “vehicular homicide” 

Senegal says toxicology samples were obtained from Lecompte to see if he was impaired when the crash occurred on Interstate 10 near Vinton.

Cut 13 (09)“.18-wheeler”

The driver of the 18-wheeler was properly restrained and uninjured. Lecompte and another juvenile passenger in his Jeep were properly restrained and sustained minor to moderate injuries. But Lecompte faces numerous charges

Cut 14 (08) “..careless operation” 

There are signs the state’s economy is recovering quicker than anticipated from the pandemic. Brooke Thorington talks with an LSU economist.

Cut 1 (31) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington.”  

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President Joe Biden met with Senator Bill Cassidy and nine other Republicans last night to begin discussing the possibility for a compromise COVID relief bill. Matt Doyle has the story.

cut 2 (30) …I’m Matt Doyle.”  

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Economic indicators show the state is recovering quicker than first predicted from the pandemic.  LSU Economist Dr. Loren Scott says they compared unemployment numbers from April of 2020 to the latest numbers in December and unemployment has recovered by 69%.

Cut 3 (11)  “…42-percent.”

He predicts things will continue to improve once the vaccine is more widely available.

As for the leisure and hospitality industry, it’s improved since April, but far from a recovery. What has rebounded is the retail sector; they have more jobs now than this time last year.

Cut 4 (10) “…ago” 

Scott says unfortunately the oil and gas sector is worse off than it was in December of 2019 and the outlook is bleak. He says the Biden Administration’s moratorium on new leases in the Gulf of Mexico is very concerning.

Cut 5  (11) “…forward.” 

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Shreveport Police has arrested a 27-year-old man who went inside Ochsner LSU Health and wounded two individuals with a large knife. Sergeant Glen Heckard says one of the victims was the mother of the suspect, Zaokoye Chatman,…

Cut 6 (12) “…staff there”

Heckard says Chatman fled the hospital after the attack, but later surrendered to authorities. He says there are reports that New Orleans homicide detectives are looking to see if Chatman committed a fatal machete attack at a New Orleans gas station on Sunday because the suspect in both cases drove a similar green S-U-V

Cut 7 (11) “…any of this.”

Heckard says they do not know why Chatman attacked the two workers at Ochsner LSU Health…

Cut 8 (09) “…another victim.”

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Two Texas residents and 21-year-old woman from Alexandria are facing human trafficking charges after a traffic stop in Bunkie. Louisiana State Police Senior Trooper Casey Wallace says during the traffic stop it was determined a missing 15-year-old juvenile was located in the vehicle

Cut 9 (09) “… testify.”

The suspect from Louisiana under arrest has been identified as 21-year-old Areona Ardoin of Alexandria. She has been charged with human trafficking and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. The victim who was being sexually exploited is from Texas and Wallace says it’s likely the suspects connected with the 15-year-old through the internet

Cut 10 (11) “…on line”

Wallace says the officers who conducted the traffic stop should be commended for realizing that this was a case of human trafficking…

Cut 11 (07) “…what was going on.”

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Senator Bill Cassidy was one of ten Republican Senators to meet with President Biden last night to discuss the next round of COVID relief.

Biden backs a 1.9 trillion dollar plan while Cassidy and company prefer a 618 billion dollar bill. Cassidy says the two sides began a dialog.

Cut 12 (11) “his” 

Some of the key differences: in Biden’s plan federally boosted unemployment would be extended through September at 400 dollars a week, while Republicans prefer 300 a week through June. Biden supports 1,400 dollar stimulus checks for those earning 75,000 a year and under, Republicans back 1,000 dollar checks from those making 50,000 a year and under.

Another major sticking point: Biden’s “American Rescue Plan” includes 350 billion in aid for state and local governments, but Cassidy says those entities have only seen a one percent decline in revenue.

Cut 13 (09)“.percent.”

Cassidy’s one percent revenue loss number is cited from a recent JP Morgan analysis.

Democrats have threatened to pass the 1.9 trillion without Republican support in the newly slim Blue majority Congress. Cassidy says…

Cut 14 (09) “..rammed through.” 

Without ten Republicans in support Democrats would have to pass the package through a process known as reconciliation, which can only be attempted a limited number of times a year.