Get ready for a cold weekend. Temps today will be in the 50s for most of the state and tomorrow we’ll see high temperatures in the upper 40s for the northern half of the state, mid 50s for south Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the polar vortex is pushing cold air into our region…
cut 8 (09) “….ugly head”
Even colder temperatures are expected in the middle of next week.

Voters in Arkansas have approved raising the minimum wage to 11- dollars by 2021, so will we see another effort next year to increase the hourly salary for Louisiana’s lowest paid workers. New Orleans Senator Troy Carter has been pushing a higher minimum wage and he says he’ll be even more ambitious when the session begins in April…
cut 6 (09) “…getting worse”
Business groups have successfully fought back any attempt to raise the minimum wage in Louisiana.

Louisiana’s public school report card is out, with fewer As and more Fs than last year. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 3 (30) “…Matt Doyle”

The US Coast Guard announces it will conduct a formal investigation into the crane barge crash that’s closed the Sunshine Bridge in St. James Parish. A formal investigation means the federal agency will likely hold public hearings with witnesses and parties of interest.

Fewer public schools received an “A” grade while the percentage of schools that received an “F” went up, as school performance scores were released today. State Education Superintendent John White says the decline in schools that received an “A” is because Louisiana has raised the bar for what it takes to earn the highest grade.

Voter turnout in Louisiana for the November 6th election was 48-percent. Matt Doyle reports that falls in line with previous federal mid-term elections…
voicer 1 (30) “…Matt Doyle”

For the third straight year, Louisiana has set a record for the number of children in foster care adopted by families. 912 kids in foster care found a home, up 18-percent from the last federal fiscal year. Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters on whether they can break another record next year…
cut 11 (08) “…that last ”
D-C-F-S attributes the recent run of recored adoptions to extra support staff and more families adopting more than child.

Former All Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant is officially a New Orleans Saint after signing a one-year contract worth a reported 600-thousand dollars. Bryant at times was an off the field distraction in Dallas. But Saints Coach Sean Payton says…
cut 13 (10) “…help support you”
Payton says they’ll see how practice goes this week, before deciding if he’ll play Sunday at Cincinnati.

Louisiana Republican Congressman Clay Higgins is very disappointed over the Democrats seizing control of the U.S. House. The former law enforcement officer says his mindset for his second term has changed…
cut 9 (13) “….opponent”
While a blue wave might be hitting other parts of the country, political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says it’s unlikely to reach Louisiana. So how does that impact Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards’ re-election chances? Pinsonat says Edwards has beaten the odds before…
cut 6 (09) “….Louisiana”
Eddie Rispone is the only Republican currently in the 2019 governor’s race, but we’ll hear from Senator John Kennedy about his plans soon.

A Gonzales woman was killed last night in an eleven vehicle pile up on Interstate 10 in Ascension Parish. State Trooper Bryan Lee says 18-wheeler caused the chain reaction crash…
cut 3 (08) “…people injured”
Lee says the driver of the semi-truck, 56-year-old John White from Mississippi, has been booked into the Ascension Parish Jail for Negligent Homicide and 18 counts of Negligent Injuring.

Voters in 47 of 64 parishes have decided online fantasy sports games should be legal in their parish. It opens the door for FanDuel and Draft Kings to operate in select areas. River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot, who triggered the ballot initiative, said he didn’t expect to get more than 40 parishes on board.
Cut 13 (05) “…a decent showing.”
Talbot says legislation that sets up rules and a tax structure will be filed for next year’s regular session.

U.S. Representative Clay Higgins says the Democratic takeover of the House does not bode well for a conservative agenda or the ability to pass legislation helpful for Louisiana. With five of our six Congressmen now in the minority party, Higgins says the state’s Congressional delegation is at a disadvantage…
Cut 7 (09) “…of that”

Could we ever see a Blue Wave in Louisiana? Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat doubts that will happen, because the national party has moved too far to the left…
cut 5 (09) “…Democratic Party’
Pinsonat says the number of white Democrats is dwindling in Louisiana.

The state office of motor vehicles says its computer outage that impacted offices and online transactions yesterday has been resolved.

Forty-seven parishes have elected to legalize online fantasy sports, while the remaining 17 will sit on the sidelines. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (28) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

In other news, State Police has arrested a truck driver from Mississippi who they say caused a chain reaction crash that killed a 46-year-old woman from Gonzales. A total of 18 people were injured in the wreck on I-10 in Ascension Parish last night. Eleven vehicles were involved.

The state department of education will release school and early childhood performance scores this afternoon.

U.S. Representative Clay Higgins says the midterm result weakens the Louisiana Congressional Delegation’s ability to pass positive legislation for the Bayou State….
Cut 2 (29) ”I’m Matt Doyle.”

A computer outage discovered yesterday morning continues to impact the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles. The O-M-V says vehicle registration transactions can be completed, but transactions involving your driver’s license like reinstatements and renewals can not be done.

The state legislature has lost six lawmakers who were elected to other government positions. Eight state representatives chose to ran for another office and only Rick Edmonds and Julie Stokes failed in their bids to leave the legislature. Lapolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford cites a laundry list of reasons on why lawmakers no longer want the job…
Cut 10 (11) “…pressure“
A special election will be needed to replace those empty seats.

47 of the state’s 64 parishes have voted to legalize online fantasy sports games for cash prizes. But residents in those parishes will have to wait to play, until the legislature comes up with a way to regulate and tax it. River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot says he’ll look to other states on how to handle the additional tax revenue…
cut 15 (06) “….that next week”
Talbot hopes online fantasy sports betting will be available next year.

Democrats came up well short of challenging any of Louisiana’s five Republican incumbent Congressmen this year, with none of the candidates cracking 40-percent of the vote. It’s the continuation of a decade trend that’s led to Republican dominance of the Bayou State and political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says that’s not likely to change anytime soon…
cut 4 (09) “…becoming scarce”
The blue wave elsewhere has helped the Democrats regain control of the House. Republican Congressman Clay Higgins says the change will keep tax reform, deregulation and tougher immigration and border laws from becoming a reality and will likely lead to increased scrutiny on President Donald Trump…
cut 8 (12) “…you’ll hear”

47 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes approved the legalization of online fantasy sports games for cash prizes. River Ridge Republican Representative Kirk Talbot authored the legislation that put the question on the November sixth ballot. Talbot says more work still needs to be done…
cut 14 (06) “…side of it” (2x)
Talbot says he will look at other states for how to handle the additional tax revenue from the newly legalized activity, which hopes to be up and running by the end of next year.

Traffic is flowing again on Interstate 10 in Ascension Parish after a deadly wreck last night that involved a dozen vehicles. Authorities say one person was killed and eleven injured. No word yet on what caused the wreck.

The Saints have reportedly signed former Cowboys star Dez Bryant to a contract as they look for another playmaker opposite of Michael Thomas. Bryant has been out of work since Dallas released him in the spring after not living up to a massive five-year contract. Nothing official from the Saints, so unclear if he’ll play this Sunday against the Bengals.

LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow says nothing went right versus Alabama, but they can’t let that one game ruin their season. Burrow says the goal is to finish the season strong…
Cut 17 (18) “playing for”
LSU came in seventh in the latest college football playoff rankings which were released last night. The Tigers are at Arkansas this Saturday, who is coming off a bye week.

After getting blown out by 42 on the road to Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech is back at home to take on Conference USA foe Rice at 6:00 at Joe Aillet Stadium. Skip Holtz says last Saturday was a bad performance by his team and they look to make amends this weekend…
Cut 19 (19) “.is one of em”
Louisiana Tech is a 25-point favorite to beat the Owls.

ULM is in first place in the Sun Belt West Division and they are a 5.5 point favorite to win at South Alabama on Saturday. The Warhawks are 3-2 in league play, while the Jaguars are 1-4. The Ragin Cajuns host Georgia State, who is also 1-4 in league play.