The new GOP tax law could lead to savings on some customers’ utility bills. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

A mother and her two children are dead after a fire engulfed their mobile home in East Baton Rouge Parish. Zachary Fire Chief Danny Kimble says firefighters arrived at the scene just after 11 PM last night…
cut 5 (05) “…someone inside”
The family has told a Baton Rouge TV station that an eight year and 11-month-old child died in the blaze.

Lafayette Police say a teenager is dead after a stabbing Wednesday night. Corporal Bridgette Dugas says they found a 17-year-old male victim shortly after arriving at a home and arrested the alleged suspect after obtaining information from him…
Cut 3 (07) “LPCC currently.”
Dugas says the investigation is continuing, but they believe an argument escalated into murder.

A key member of LSU’s defense has declared for the NFL draft. Arden Key told fans on social media that he’ll skip his senior season. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says Key left the team during spring football to deal with a personal matter and also missed five games during his junior campaign, because of injuries…
cut 13 (08) “…three years”
Still waiting to hear if running back Derius Guice will enter the NFL draft. He has until January 15th to decide.

A mobile home fire in East Baton Rouge Parish has killed three people, a mother and her two daughters. Zachary Fire Chief Danny Kimble says it looks like the family didn’t receive a warning to get out of the burning home…
cut 7 (10) “…should have”
An exact cause of the fire has not been determined, but the state has seen an uptick in fires because of the cold weather.

A teenager was found with multiple stab wounds inside a Lafayette home and later died from his wounds. A 32-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter. Lafayette Police Corporal Bridgette Dugas says they believe an argument between the teen and 32-year-old Lawrence Allen the Second escalated into murder…
cut 4 (07) “…domestic situation”
Allen will be booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center.

A bad flu season in Louisiana is only getting worse. Don Molino has more on how to cope.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Don Molino.”

Defensive Coordinator Dave Aranda is getting more money to stay at LSU after receiving a significant offer from Texas A&M. Aranda was already the highest paid assistant college football coach in the country and now he’s set to make on average 2.5 million dollars a year.

Three people were killed in a mobile home fire in Zachary last night. Zachary Fire Chief Danny Kimble says firefighters reported to a fully engulfed home just after 11pm…
Cut 5 (05) “someone inside.”
Authorities believe they found a mother her two children inside the burnt out home. Foul play is not suspected. Both the state fire marshal and local authorities are continuing to investigate the exact cause of the fire.

One of the top defensive coordinators in the country is staying in Baton Rouge. LSU and Dave Aranda have reportedly agreed to a four-year contract that will pay him on average 2.5 million dollars a year. Texas A-and-M came after Aranda with a strong offer, but Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says LSU showed him the money…
cut 11 (12) “…years after years”
An early flu season continues to be a big problem in Louisiana. Doctor Frank Welch with the state health department says one out of every ten doctor visits result in a flu diagnosis. Welch says avoid close contact with people who are sick and it’s easy to know when a flu victim is no longer a threat to pass it to someone else….
cut 30 (07) “….contagious anymore”
And Welch says it’s not to late to get a flu shot.

The statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.27 that’s up nearly a nickel from a week ago and it’s the highest new year gas prices since 2014. But AAA fuel analyst Don Redman believes the price at the pump will drop at least 10-cents soon. He says demand is on the decline, because of the cold and snowy conditions across the country….
cut 15 (09) “…moving around”

Louisiana is one of 36 states reporting widespread flu activity. Doctor Frank Welch, with the Louisiana Department of Health, says there are four influenza strains making the rounds, but there is one that is particulary troublesome…
cut 6 (12) “….for longer”
Welch says it’s still not too late to get a flu shot. He says if you still get the flu, the vaccine can lessen the length of your illness.

LSU and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda have reportedly agreed to a new four-year contract that will pay him on average 2.5 million dollars a year. LSU was forced to raise Aranda’s salary, which was already the biggest in college football for an assistant, because Texas A-and-M came after him with an agressive offer. Also, LSU edge rusher Arden Key has declared for the NFL draft. He’s a likely first round pick.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser has been celebrating record breaking tourism numbers over the last couple of years, but he says that could change due to potential state budget cuts and growing crime probems in the state’s top tourist destination spot, New Orleans. Nungesser says Louisiana’s litter problem also does not help and there are some things residents can do…
cut 12 (08) “…the highway”
Nungesser says they are working with the Keep Louisiana Beautiful organiziation to reduce litter.

Lafayette Police says a teenager is dead after a stabbing Wednesday night. Corporal Bridgette Dugas says they found a 17-year-old male victim shortly after arriving at a home and arrested the alleged suspect after obtaining information from him…
Cut 3 (07) “LPCC currently.”
Dugas says the investigation is continuing but they believe there was an argument that escalated into murder.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser is worried a possible budget shortfall will hurt the state’s tourism industry. Kelley Ray has more on his concerns.
Voicer 3 (31) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

Money shouldn’t be a problem for LSU Defensive Coordinator Dave Aranda. He’s reportedly set to sign a new four-year contract that will pay him around 2.5 million dollars a year. Aranda is already the highest paid defensive coordinator in the country, but LSU had to up his salary to keep him, after receiving a strong offer from Texas A-and-M.

The statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.27 that’s up nearly a nickel from a week ago and it’s the highest new year gas prices since 2014. But AAA fuel analyst Don Redman believes the price at the pump will drop at least 10-cents as we move closer to February….
cut 14 (07) “…into February”
Redman says demand of gas is on the decline, because of the winter weather that’s griping much of the country.

A new component of driver’s education is a section on how to respond to being pulled over by a police officer. The additional curriculum is the result of a law that went into effect January 1st, aimed at decreasing fatalities resulting from police interactions during traffic stops. Bossier City Senator Ryan Gatti says he received a lot of support for the legislation…
Cut 7 (06) “the law.”
Gatti said the idea first came to him from former Dallas Cowboy and Haynesville native Demetric Evans.

After a strong offer by Texas A&M, defensive coordinator Dave Aranda will stay at LSU. Head Coach Ed Orgeron confirmed the news on Twitter last night. Aranda, who was already the highest paid defensive coordinator in college football, is expected to become the first assistant to make two million dollars a year. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says the Aggies really wanted Aranda…

Cut 16    (09) “…blank checks”

In his social media post, Orgeron thanked the LSU administration and the Board of Supervisors for their support to make sure Aranda remains a Tiger for years to come.

The news not as good for the LSU men’s basketball team, who battled 17^th ranked Kentucky in front of an excited Maravich Center crowd, but still lost to the Wildcats 74-71 in the SEC opener for the Tigers. LSU is at 11^th ranked Texas A-and-M on Saturday.

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NFC South division rivals will meet in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday afternoon as the Saints host the Carolina Panthers. New Orleans won the two regular season meetings and Quarterback Drew Brees says he has the utmost respect for Carolina…

Cut 18 (14) “…opportunities”

For the Panthers to win, they’ll need a good performance from Cam Newton. The NFL’s 2015 league MVP is 3-3 all-time in the postseason and has only thrown 8 touchdowns and has been intercepted seven times.

In basketball…Anthony Davis had 29 points and 15 rebounds as the Pelicans picked up a road win in Utah as they quieted the Jazz 108-98.

U-N-O improved to 3-0 in the Southland, with a 72-62 win over Lamar, but Northwestern, Nicholls and McNeese all lost. Grambling fell to Alabama State.

A bad flu season in Louisiana is only getting worse.  Don Molino has more on how to cope.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Don Molino.”

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Starting this year, drivers ed courses have mandatory police interaction training. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Matt Doyle”

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Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser is worried that a budget shortfall will hurt the state’s tourism industry.  Kelley Ray has a look at his concerns.

Cut 3 (31) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

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Louisiana remains one of the states with the most confirmed cases of influenza during the early half of the flu season.  Department of Health’s Dr. Frank Welch says he is very concerned at the early aggressiveness the flu is showing this year…

Cut 4  (11) “in Louisiana” 

Louisiana sees on average about 8,000 hospitalizations and 700 deaths per year as a result of the flu.  Welch says not all flu cases are serious enough to go to the hospital, so stay away from people if you are sick.  Welch says it’s easy to know when you are not a threat to pass on the flu to someone else…

Cut 5  (07)  “contagious anymore.”

So why is Louisiana being hit so hard this flu season?  Welch says there are four strains but there is one that is particularly troublesome…

Cut 6 (12)  “for longer.”

He says it’s still not too late to get a flu shot.  Even if you get sick with the flu after getting the shot, it will lessen the length and severity of the bug.

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A new component of driver’s education is a section on how to respond to being pulled over by a police officer. The additional curriculum is the result of a new law that went into effect January 1^st, aimed at decreasing fatalities resulting from police interactions during traffic stops. Bossier City Senator Ryan Gatti says he has received a lot of support for the legislation…

Cut 7 (06)  “the law.”

Along with educating new drivers on how to talk to police, the new program will emphasize how to be prepared if you get pulled over. Gatti says there’s some suggestions that even experienced drivers might not know…

Cut 8 (06) “their sun visor.”

Gatti hopes the new education will reduce the tension that sometimes occurs during a traffic stop…

Cut 9 (10)  “its worth it.”

Gatti said the idea first came to him from former Dallas Cowboy and Haynesville raised Demetric Evans.

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As Louisiana tourism enters 2018, there are some glaring concerns as to how to encourage more visitors to come to the Bayou State.  Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says the state’s tourism budget is facing a ten percent cut if legislators are unable to resolve the fiscal cliff issues.  Plus Nungesser is worried about some of the chronic problems that’s impacting the state’s biggest tourism draw, New Orleans…

Cut 10 (10) “going up.”

Nungesser says the Lt. Governor’s office has seen massive cuts the last several years and is afraid further cuts will reduce the ability to keep the state park system operating…