Tonight in Dallas, the Saints go after their 11th straight win as they visit an improving Cowboys team that has won three in a row. Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins says they want to make Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott one dimensional….
cut 19 (16) “….we can”
Rankins has been playing at a high level lately with five sacks, eight tackles for a loss in his past five games. Kick-off is at 7:20 from A-T-and-T Stadium.

2020 quarterback prospect Max Johnson announces he has committed to the LSU Tigers. The four-star recruit from Georgia is the son of former Super Bowl quarterback Brad Johnson and he’s the nephew of Miami head coach Mark Richt. 24-7 sports ranks the left-hander as the fifth best pro-style passer in the Class of 2020.

We’ll have to wait a couple more days before knowing whether Republican U-S Senator John Kennedy will run for governor next year. Kennedy previously said he’ll publicly announce his decision by December 1st, but Kennedy now says he’ll make an announcement on Monday. Baton Rouge

Governor Edwards is sounding the alarm about remarkable shortages at food banks across the state that have been drained by a string of natural disasters.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Tonight in Dallas, the Saints go after their 11th straight win as they visit the improving Dallas Cowboys.

Some House Republicans are discussing legislation for the next session that would roll back the .45 percent temporary sales tax approved in June because of a rosier than expected revenue forecast for the state. Governor John Bel Edwards says the state’s budget picture is finally stabilized and the revenues coming in can help fund at least a one-thousand dollar pay raise for teachers, which he estimates would cost 135-million dollars a year….
cut 9 (11) “….doing enough

Officials with the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s office calls it some of the worst neglect they’ve seen in their law enforcement careers as they found a 25-year-old specials needs person dead in deplorable conditions at a home in Elizabeth…
cut 15 (08) “…pretty bad”
Three people have been arrested, including the victim’s mother, and they are facing several charges including second-degree murder.

There’s talk among House Republican leaders about rolling back the temporary state sales tax that was approved last June, because of economists’ projections the state could be seeing surplus dollars. Governor John Bel Edwards says that money can be used to help fund teacher pay raises, but House Republican Caucus Chairman Lance Harris says they can raise teacher salaries by making cuts elsewhere and redirecting the cash…
cut 10 (10) “…be adjusted”

A new study finds that “Festive Burnout” affects one in three Americans. Some of the top reasons given for “Festive Burnout” are long lines, buying presents and cooking. LSU Health New Orleans clinical psychologist Dr. Michelle Moore recommends for those already dealing with festive burnout, reconsider your holiday activities.
Cut 12 (07) “cooking for others.”

Three people have been arrested after a 25-year-old special needs patient was found dead in deplorable living conditions. The victim’s mother, 47-year-old Karen Harrison Johnson of Elizabeth was one of the individuals arrested and so were Glen and Marilyn Maricle. Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Captain Tommy Carnline says they are not sure why they let this happen, but they do think it was intentional neglect…
cut 16 (09) “….those cases”
The three have been booked into the Rapides Parish detention center on a one-point-one million dollar bond.

Governor Edwards is calling on Louisiana citizens to start stocking their local food banks for the holidays, as a series of natural disasters have left their warehouses with empty shelves. Edwards says he’s very concerned…
Cut 4 (09) “unnerving.″
Edwards says monetary donations to your local food bank is the best way to help.

A report from the USA Today Network says House Republican leaders are considering legislation for next year’s session to scale back the .45-cent temporary state sales tax, because of a projected surplus. But Governor John Bel Edwards says he wants to reinvest the additional revenue into state services that have suffered a decade of cuts….
cut 8 (10) “…education”
Economists for the governor and legislature forecast a 150-million dollar surplus for next fiscal year.

The Holiday Season is already a week long, but a survey has found one in three Americans are already suffering from “Festive Burnout.” LSU Health New Orleans clinical psychologist Dr. Michelle Moore says several factors can contribute to making this season not so jolly….
cut 11 (09) “…starts at Thanksgiving”

Authorities say they walked in on one of the worst cases of neglect they’ve ever seen in Rapides Parish after responding to a call about a natural death.
Cut 3 (31) “…Kevin Barnhart”

The Edwards Administration has told the Secretary of State’s office they’ll have to redo a contract to replace the state’s decades-old voting machines. Interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin thought they had a deal with Dominion Voting Systems, but Louisiana’s chief procurement officer found problems with how Dominion was selected. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne agrees with that assessment.

A rosier than expected revenue estimation for the state has some House Republicans saying the .45 percent sales tax passed in June may no longer be needed…
voicer 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

There’s an enhanced risk for severe weather tomorrow afternoon into Friday night north of Interstate 20. Which means there’s a medium chance we could see some tornadoes, hail and wind gusts above 60-miles per hour. Much of the state is under a slight risk for tomorrow.

Governor John Bel Edwards is calling on Louisiana residents to help restock the food banks. A string of natural disasters around the country has supplies running low and Food Bank of Central Louisiana Executive Director Jayne Wright-Velez says demand around the holidays skyrockets…
cut 6 (10) “….immediately”
Food banks accept cash and food donations and they can use money to purchase foods at lower prices than you can at grocery stores.

There are 26 before Christmas Day and a recent survey finds that one in three Americans already suffer from what is known as “Festive Burnout.” LSU Health New Orleans clincial psychologist Doctor Michelle Moore says it makes sense many get tired of the holidays, because the season is 4.5 weeks long…
cut 13 (06) “…that’s going”
Top reasons given for festive burnout, long lines, buying presents and cooking.

Some House Republicans are discussing legislation for the next session that would roll back the additional .45 percent sales tax approved in June because of a rosier than expected revenue forecast for the state. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris did not confirm that such legislation will be brought, but says he has heard talk of lowering the state sales tax of 4.45 percent over a few years…
Cut 7 (10) “…four years.”
But Governor John Bel Edwards says the state’s budget picture is finally stabilized and the revenues coming in can help fund at least a one-thousand dollar pay raise for teachers, which he estimates would cost 135-million dollars a year….
cut 9 (11) “….doing enough

Governor Edwards is sounding the alarm about remarkable shortages at food banks across the state that have been drained by a string of natural disasters.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Authorities in Tangipahoa parish are trying to determine how a deceased newborn infant ended up in the back of a garbage truck. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers.

A hearing will take place next week on whether prosecutors can order former LSU student Matthew Naquin to provide the passcode to his phone. Naquin is charged with negligent homicide in the suspected hazing death of Maxwell Gruver. Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolino says this is a tough issue for the court system…
cut 14 (10) “….this is different”
Ciolino says a person can’t be forced to recite the code of their cell phone, because it would infringe on their 5th amendment right which protects a defendant from self incrimation.

The price of a fresh Christmas tree is higher this year. Blake Huval, the owner of Huval’s Tree Hut in Central, says you can blame the Great Recession in 2008, because at the time, the market was flooded with more trees than demand, so growers decided to plant fewer trees.
Cut 6 (09) “…10 to 12 years.”

LSU is 10th in the new college football playoff rankings, which gives them a good shot at playing in a New Year’s Six bowl game. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Louisiana Tech has accepted an invitation to play in the Hawaii Bowl and they’ll play Hawaii on Saturday night December 22nd.

Saints Hall of Fame linebacker Rickey Jackson reportedly underwent succesful brain surgery. Details on why the surgery was needed have not been released. Jackson was a member of the famed Dome Patrol and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.