Attorney General Jeff Landry announces plans to run for re-election, ending his flirtation with the 2019 governor’s race….
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Congressman Steve Scalise will be House Minority Whip for the 116th Congress after winning in a unanimous vote. UL Lafayette Poli Sci Professor Pearson Cross says as the current Majority Whip, it’s a role Scalise is very familiar with.
Cut 7 (08) “…delegation”

The U-S Bureau of Economic Analysis says Louisiana’s real gross domestic product rose 4-point-3 percent in the second quarter. That’s 12th highest in the nation. LSU Economist Doctor Loren Scott says its good news, even for the oil industry…
cut 15 (08) “…growth there”
The gross domestic product measures the market value of goods and services produced and it’s used to judge how a state’s economy is performing.

We are seeing temperatures in the mid-to-upper 20s this morning for the northern half of the state. We are around the freezing mark in south Louisiana, but we’ll see high temperatures return to the 50s today.

Five-star running back John Emery from Destrehan says he wants to play for LSU. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

_____________________________________________

Governor Edwards says Interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin’s public assertion that the former Mayor of New Roads “illegally cast his ballot” is “extremely troubling”…

Cut 2 (30) “Im Matt Doyle.”  

Residents in north central Louisiana woke up to snow falling and it goes down as the earliest accumulation of snowfall for that part of the state. National Weather Service Shreveport meteorologist Mario Valverde says a light dusting of snow covered several parishes, but the most accumulation was in Monroe.
Cut 9 (08) “…over in Monroe.”
The previous earliest recorded accumulated snowfall for Monroe was November 24, 1950. Now we get ready for a cold night as most of the state is under a freeze warning until nine A-M tomorrow. Rob Megina is with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles…
cut 12 (08) “…27 or 28 degrees”
The National Weather Service says tonight is the night to bundle up people, pets, pipes, and plants.

Five-star running back John Emery of Destrehan has made the decision to play college football in his home state and attend LSU once he graduates high school. The addition of Emery to the 2019 recruiting class moves LSU to fifth in the 24-7 sports team rankings. Tiger Rag Editor James Moran says the class is loaded with the state’s top players…
Cut 5 (12) “…Trey Palmer.”
Senior high school football players can sign national letters of intent with their college of choice from December 19th to the 21st.

New Orleans was the host city for WWE’s annual Wrestlemania event back in April, and now we know the economic impact. It’s estimated that the over 78-thousand in attendance for the event contributed to a $175-million boom for the economy of the New Orleans region. Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser
Cut 13 (10) “…local restaurants.”
Its estimated Wrestlemania 34 produced nearly 24-million in federal, state and local taxes.

Governor Edwards says Interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin’s public assertion that the former Mayor of New Roads “illegally cast his ballot” is “extremely troubling”…
Cut 2 (30) “Im Matt Doyle.”

Governor Edwards is heading to Los Angeles where he’ll sit on a panel that will also feature Kim Kardashian West and rapper Meek Mill as he’ll discuss the state’s recent criminal justice reform efforts.

A half-inch of snow fell in Monroe this morning, and the national weather service says its the earliest recorded accumulated snowfall in Monroe history.

Some food banks have depleted shelves as we head into the holidays. President and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, Mike Manning, says natural disasters around the country have reduced the amount of food they normally have, so in order to fix the issue, it’ll just take more donations…
cut 13 (08) “….the grocery store”
Manning says they usually see donations go up during the holidays, so they hope that’s the case this year.

One of the nation’s top running backs has been added to LSU’s 2019 recruiting class. Destrehan’s John Emery has given his verbal commitment to Coach Ed Orgeron. He’s a five-star running back, who was previously committed to Georgia, but de-committed after the Tigers beat the Bulldogs last month. Tiger Rag Editor James Moran says this is a big get for LSU…
cut 4 (10) “…gave up”
The addition of Emery to the 2019 recruiting class moves LSU to fifth in the 24-7 sports team rankings.

The Legislative Auditor discovers the state’s Medicaid program potentially misspent as much as 85 million dollars on people who may not have been eligible. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 2 (30) “Im Matt Doyle”

Measureable snow in the Monroe area this morning. It’s not a lot, but enough to make a miniature snowman. It’s also the earliest measureable snow event for Monroe as the previous record was November 24th, 1950. The clouds will move out and the temperatures will drop below freezing for much of the state during the overnight hours.

Food banks are seeing empty shelves as the holidays are approaching. President and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank Mike Manning says the nation responding to areas hardest hit by natural disasters are having a negative impact of the food bank’s ability to fill the shelves with food.
Cut 11 (09) “…one after another.”
Manning is hoping that with the holidays approaching donations will increase.

In sports, the LSU Tigers landed a commitment from five-star Destrehan running back John Emery. And current Tigers running back Nick Brossette is taking some heat from fans and gamblers for not scoring a late touchdown against Arkansas. Instead, Brossette chose to slide. Brossette says he was just trying to keep the clock going as the coaches asked…
cut 16 (07) “….with the win’
Despite only a seven point win at Arkansas, LSU remains at number seven in the college football playoff rankings.

It feels more like the middle of January than November today. State Climatologist Barry Keim…
cut 24 (05) “…northern parishes”
That’s right a light dusting of snow has been reported in Lincoln and Ouachita Parishes. It will get even colder tonight and into tomorrow morning, which is why most of the state is under a freeze warning.

Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera has released a report that says as much as 85-million dollars may have been spent over 20 months on individuals on Medicaid, who did not qualify for the government-financed health care. The state health department says they’ve launched a new automated system that will improve accuracy of eligibility decisions. Purpera says he’s confident the expanded Medicaid program is turning a corner, but…
cut 10 (10) “….to go”

Food banks are reporting less food available for the poor and needy as the holidays approach. President and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank Mike Manning says a contributing factor is the ongoing natural disasters in Florida and California…
cut 12 (07) “…disaster donor fatigue”
Manning says the only way to remedy the situation is more donations and they prefer monetary donations.

Big LSU recruiting news as five-star running back John Emery of Destrehan announces he has committed to the Fighting Tigers. 24-7 sports rates Emery as the number two running back in the country.

LSU’s current senior running back Nick Brossette has received some criticism from fans and gamblers for not trying to score a touchdown late in the game against Arkansas. He slid down to the ground twice, but when LSU got near the goal line, he tried to score. Brossette says that’s what Coach Ed Orgeron told him to do…
cut 15 (04) “…yea”

Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera says the state Medicaid program potentially paid up to 85 million dollars on people who are ineligible for benefits. Purpera says the state health department’s process of using wage data to determine if a person is eligible for health coverage through Medicaid is not sufficient…
Cut 7 (07) “…quarterly”
But state Medicaid director Jen Steele says new technology has been put in place this week to increase the accuracy of eligibility decisions in the future…
Cut 9 (08) “…eligibility decisions”
Steele says the system has been in development for three years.

They are having a snow day in the Monroe area as cars, elevated surfaces and the grass have been covered with a light blanket of snow. A freeze warning is in effect for much of the state tonight.

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards says his deputies have arrested a 16-year-old for allegedly making social media threats of violence towards the school he attends, Hammond High Magnet School. The school was closed Monday and Tuesday because of the threats. Hammond High Magnet School is open today.

Natural disasters are having an impact on food banks. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Five-star Destrehan running back John Emery has committed to LSU. A big recruiting win for Coach Ed Orgeron.

The Legislative Auditor discovers the state’s Medicaid program potentially misspent as much as 85 million dollars on people who may not have been eligible. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 2 (30) “Im Matt Doyle”

The National Weather Service says they are getting reports of around a half inch of snow in Ouachita and Lincoln Parishes. State Climatologist Barry Keim says it’s cold enough for the snow to stick…
cut 5 (05) “…central Louisiana”
The snow is expected to stop falling by 9:00 this morning.

Some food banks have depleted shelves as we head into the holidays. President and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, Mike Manning, says natural disasters around the country have reduced the amount of food they normally have, so in order to fix the issue, it’ll just take more donations…
cut 13 (08) “….the grocery store”
Manning says they usually see donations go up during the holidays, so they hope that’s the case this year.

LSU has landed a verbal commitment from one of the top running backs in the country. John Emery of Destrehan is a huge win for Coach Ed Orgeron on the recruiting circuit. Emery was previously committed to Georgia.

Tigers senior running back Nick Brossette has received criticism from fans and gamblers for sliding to the ground, when he had a chance to score towards the end of the Arkansas game. Brossette says he wanted to keep the clock running so the game would end without Arkansas getting the ball back…
cut 14 (10) “….the win”