Governor Edwards indicates he supports splitting the top job at LSU and creating two positions, chancellor which would run the university and president which would oversee the entire system. Kevin Barnhart reports it would undo consolidation of LSU leadership that happened under former Governor Bobby Jindal in 2012.
Cut 2 (29) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

We’re seeing a wintry mix this morning in Caddo, DeSoto and Sabine Parishes. The Shreveport Regional Airport is reporting a mixture of light rain and ice pellets.

Louisiana public school teachers received a pay raise of one-thousand dollars last year, but the average salary in the Bayou State for a teacher is still not at the Southern Regional Average. Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Larry Carter says they will lobby lawmakers to get teacher salaries to the southern regional average this year…
cut 9 (11) “…for school employees”
Teachers on average make about 50-thousand dollars in Louisiana, 18-hundred dollars short of the regional average.

Rookie sensation Zion Williamson takes the court for the Pelicans tonight against the Spurs in New Orleans, the top overall pick’s first game with the team after tearing his meniscus in the preseason. Locked on Pelicans podcast publisher Jake Madison says Williamson joins a team that is clicking, winners of 10 of their last 14.
Cut 13 (12) “…career”
Tip off is at 8:30.

The Senate is debating the rules for President Trump’s impeachment trial and Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson is on the President’s defense team.…
cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Morning Consult tracks the approval rating of governors and John Bel Edwards has the highest rating among Democrats at 54-percent. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says Edwards connects well with Louisiana residents…
cut 14 (09) “…relate to people”

The US Environmental Protection Agency announces a regulatory program aimed at reducing emissions from heavy-duty engines and vehicles, the first update to standards in nearly 20 years, with the 2027 model year. Regional administrator Ken McQueen says this is an opportunity to modernize the heavy-duty program.
Cut 9 (09) “…across the country.”
The action comes following petitions from over twenty organizations to revise nitrogen oxide standards.

Cara’s House, which is an animal shelter in Ascension Parish, is caring for over 30 dogs that lived in horrid conditions on a property where the homeowner has been arrested on animal cruelty charges. Shelter President Reagan Daniel says the dogs are not yet available for fostering or adoption due to the criminal investigation, but they still need help freeing up space at their facility.
Cut 5 (06) “…the new intakes.
Ascension deputies arrested 50-year-old Thomas West and charged him with 33 counts of animal abuse.

With a 54% approval rating, Governor John Bel Edwards is the most popular Democrat Governor according to a Morning Consult poll. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
voicer 3 (30) “…..Kevin Barnhart”

It’s a cold morning as we saw temperatures dip below freezing as far south as the I-10-12 corridor. It will be a chilly afternoon with high temperatures ranging from the mid-40s to the low 50s along the coast.

President Trump’s impeachment trial begins today in the US Senate. This afternoon, Senators will vote on rules that will govern the trial. Once testimony begins each Senator will serve as a juror. Senator Bill Cassidy…
Cut 7 (11) “…you will”
Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson has been appointed to President Trump’s impeachment team.

After conducting further research, LSU Geology Professor Brooks Ellwood believes the Indian Mounds on the LSU Baton Rouge campus could be 11,300 years old. Previous research estimated the mounds were about six-thousand years old…
cut 6 (08) “…things”
Ellwood has submitted a paper regarding the age of the structures for scientific review

At one o’clock today the U-S Senate will gather to begin the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. The US constitution requires the Senators to serve as impartial jurors, but many Republican Senators, including Bill Cassidy, have openly voiced their thoughts on impeachment throughout the process. Cassidy says he’ll be impartial, but it looks to be a flimsy case so far…
cut 9 (08) “…terrible”

A Morning Consult poll finds Governor John Bel Edwards is the most popular Democrat Governor in the country with a 54% approval rating. ULM Poli Sci Professor Joshua Stockley says the solid approval numbers will help Edwards in the upcoming legislative session.
Cut 13 (11) “…voted for me.”
The legislative session starts March 9th.

Frontier Airlines announces it will no longer fly out of Lafayette Regional Airport. The low-cost carrier announced a temporary suspension of service in October a year after offering direct flights to Orlando and Denver. 40-thousand passengers used Frontier to fly in and out of Lafayette in 2019.

The American Heart Association’s Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science has found more than one in four high school students regularly using e-cigarettes. The number of middle school students using e-cigarettes increased nearly 50-percent last year. Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Tobacco Specalist Josh Pitre says parents need to maintain an open dialogue with their children as young as age five on the consequences of all nicotine…
cut 11 (12) “….of that nature”

President Trump’s impeachment trial begins today in the US Senate. This afternoon Senators will vote on rules that will govern the trial. Once testimony begins each Senator will serve as a juror. Senator Bill Cassidy…
Cut 7 (11) “…you will”
Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson has been appointed to President Trump’s impeachment team.

An American Heart Association study finds that one in four high school students use e-cigarettes and the number of middle school students using e-cigarettes increased nearly 50-percent last year. Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Tobacco Specialist Josh Pitre says they surveyed over 3-thousand teens and found parents who are more educated do a better job of explaining the harmful risks of e-cigarettes…
cut 12 (10) “…are harmful’

The Indian Mounds at LSU may be much, much older than previously thought. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Due to a water outage, classes are canceled at Grambling State University today. A water line broke and repairs are ongoing.

Former LSU defensive coordinator and current Youngstown State head coach Bo Pelini has surfaced as a possible replacement for Dave Aranda, who just took the head coaching job at Baylor. Pelini was LSU’s D-C for three seasons and helped the Tigers win a national title in 2007.

Morning Consult tracks the approval rating of governors and it has found Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards is the most popular Democratic governor in the country. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says Edwards connects well with Louisiana residents…
cut 14 (09) “…relate to people”
Morning Consult has Edwards approval rating at 54-percent.

An LSU Geology Professor believes the Indian Mounds on LSU’s Baton Rouge campus may be 11,300 years old, making it the oldest man-made structures on Earth. Brooks Ellwood says a scan of the mounds, followed by a test of the material indicates the mounds are even older than the Pyramids of Giza (Gee-Zuh)in Egypt.
Cut 4 (11) “…state.”

The Wellcana group, which produces medical marijuana, tells the Advocate they are looking to build a 100-thousand square-foot indoor marijuana greenhouse and storage facility between Baton Rouge and Lafayette. The building would employ 100 to 200 workers and it will also be used as a collection center for hemp grown by Louisiana farmers.

A study from the American Heart Association shows that there are various reasons why teens might or might not believe vaping is dangerous…
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”