New Orleans Congressman Cedric Richmond has apologized for joking that President Trump aide Kellyanne Conway looked familiar while on her knees on a couch in the Oval Office. Halen Doughty has more…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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President Donald Trump signs a revised immigration order prohibiting new visas for citizens from six Middle Eastern countries. Emelie Gunn has local reaction.

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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US Representative Cedric Richmond says he’s sorry for making a joke about a viral photo of President Trump aide Kellyanne Conway. Richmond said Conway looked familiar while kneeling on an Oval office couch. President of the National Organization for Women in Baton Rouge Angela Adkins says apologizing was the right thing for Richmond to do.

Cut 3 (10) “inappropriate comment”

Adkins says Richmond does a lot of good work for women, and she believes he made a mistake. She’s glad he realized it was a mistake and is optimistic he won’t make derogatory comments in the future. But she says the Congressman’s joke says a lot about the national dialogue about women.

cut 4  (12) “thought they were”

Adkins says to change this dialogue, women and their supporters need to speak up if someone says or does something in appropriate. She encourages people to be engaged in the conversations about women and stay informed about policies lawmakers propose in the upcoming regular session.

Cut 5  (10)  “go buy lattes”

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The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling for a change of speakers at a police training program scheduled to begin tomorrow in Alexandria. John Guandolo is one of the presenters at a three day training even hosted by the District Attorney’s Office. CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw says Guandolo is a discredited former FBI agent who promotes anti-Muslim conspiracy theories.

Cut 6 (08) “terrorist threats”

McCaw says Guandolo is diverting police resources away from the real threats in local communities by portraying all Muslims as potential terrorists. He says perpetuating these kinds of stereotypes is dangerous.

CUT 7 (11)  “Muslim American citizens”

Rapides Parish District Attorney Phillip Terrell says there are no plans to remove Guandolo as a speaker. He says the educational seminar is sponsored by law enforcement agencies across the country. He says terrorism is a real threat, and police need training like this to know how to handle potential attacks.

Cut 8 (10) “law abiding citizen”

Terrell says police also hold training exercises on how to deal with biker clubs and local gangs, but that doesn’t mean they single out everyone on a Harley. He says the seminar isn’t directed at anyone but criminals.

Cut 9 (08)  “pure and simple”

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President Donald Trump signed a revised version of his travel ban prohibiting new visas for citizens from six Middle Eastern countries, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Richland Parish Congressman Ralph Abraham supports the revised travel order…

Cut 10 (10) “very guarded”

Executive director of the Louisiana ACLU Marjorie Esman remains skeptical of the president’s intentions.

cut 11 (10) “coming home”

Abraham says America has to be very cautious these days. He says he disagrees with those who support open borders because we need to protect our country first…

cut 12 (07) “and again”

But Esman says the president issued an order that indirectly bans Muslims from entering the country. She says keeping members of that religion out of the United States is Trump’s priority.

Cut 13 (08) “actually happens” 

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The town of St. Joseph is finally getting a brand new water system and Governor John Bel Edwards was on hand today for the groundbreaking. Deputy Chief of Staff Julie Baxter Payer says this was a very important milestone for the Tensas Parish town…:

cut 14 (09) “from their tap”

Edwards issued a public health emergency for St. Joe after lead was detected in its water system in December. Payer says it’s incredible how quickly the more than $9 million dollars came together to make this crucial project possible…:

Cut 15 (10) “the governor”

Payer says more than 12 miles of new pipe will be laid, 525 new water meters installed, and new fire hydrants placed. She says their office along with the Department of Health is going to continue to ensure that the town of 1200 has the water they need in the meantime..:

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Louisiana is on its way to being one of the top states in the country when it comes to computer science graduate production. Emelie Gunn has more on what this means…

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Lake Charles is hosting 20 more teams than usual for the 2017 LHSAA boys’ state basketball tournament that begins today. Jeff Palermo has more…

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College campuses in Louisiana are deteriorating, according to University of Louisiana System President Jim Henderson. Halen Doughty has more…

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Louisiana is on track to become one of the top states for computer science graduates. State Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson says by using a digital media incentive, Louisiana was able to attract major players in the IT business to the state. He says all corners of the Bayou State are seeing growth in this department.

Cut 4  (12) “bossier area”

Louisiana has invested over 38 million dollars in the computer science and engineering departments at universities. Pierson says the major companies are foundational players that allow graduates in computer science to easily get jobs in the IT sector. He says the next step is to encourage students to go into this prosperous industry…

Cut 5  (10)  “these industries”

Louisiana-job-connection-dot-com (louisianajobconnection.com) is a way to connect graduates with potential jobs in the IT sector. Pierson says it’s important to embrace these jobs in technology that will dominate in years to come.

Cut 6 (11) “are graduating”

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Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain will speak before the Baton Rouge Press Club today and continue his push for resuming trade with Cuba. Strain spoke at the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction and said next year the island nation is going to buy two billion dollars worth of food products from somebody…:

Cut 7 (10)  “500 million dollars”

Strain says one in three acres of America’s agricultural production is sold offshore, and in Louisiana over $8.3 billion in ag production is sold to a foreign country. He says the stock market has been shooting up, but not commodity prices – and lawmakers need to know the importance of protecting rural economies…:

Cut 8 (09) “industries”

Strain says Cuban leaders have expressed a desire to develop more agriculture on the island, lessening its reliance on some types of imports. He says the United States has 14 free trade agreements with 20 countries…:

Cut 9 (08)  “of dollars”

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College campuses in Louisiana are falling apart because of continued budget cuts to higher education. That’s according to University of Louisiana System President Jim Henderson, who says deferred maintenance at UL system campuses has reached about $365 million, and that number keeps growing annually.

Cut 10 (10) “short term decision”

Henderson says lawmakers have to find a way to invest in these state owned facilities on college campuses before it’s too late. He says what would be a small issue today can become a major problem down the road if you don’t address it.

Cut 11 (09) “energy efficient”

Henderson says all these things take a back seat when you have to make payroll, teach classes, and keep up with everything else that happens on university campuses. He says Louisiana is the 16^th lowest funded state for higher ed out of the 16 southern region states.

Cut 12 (10) “one of them”

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Beginning today, 48 teams vying for 12 state titles are in southwest Louisiana for the 2017 LHSAA boys’ state basketball tournament. Before the split playoffs between select and non-select schools, 28 teams competed for 7 titles. Eric Zartler with the Lake Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau says they are ready for all those extra games.

Cut 13 (08) “ready to roll”

All games are played at Burton Coliseum. Zartler says at this point, they have no idea how many people to expect. He says even with all the flooding and bad weather last year, they still saw a good turnout. He’s hoping blue skies will encourage even more fans to come out.

Cut 14 (09) “their team”

Zartler says with 20 extra teams this year, everyone is excited for Marsh Madness. There have been rumblings that other cities like Alexandria and Lafayette are hoping to host future tournaments. But Zartler says they can’t worry about what other cities are bidding. He says they can only control their own destiny.

Cut 15 (12) “until they leave”

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The 2nd ranked LSU baseball team won one, lost two at the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic in Houston. The Tigers finished the weekend with a hard fought loss 5-4 defeat to 10th ranked Texas Tech. Senior pitcher Hunter Newman suffered the loss when he deflected the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. Coach Paul Mainieri…

Cut 16 (20) “for us”

On Friday, LSU lost to top ranked TCU and beat Baylor on Saturday. Mainieri says he’s not discouraged over the results of the weekend…

Cut 17 (20)  “today”

Despite the loss on Sunday, freshman Eric Walker pitched very well. The Texas native allowed one run on six hits in six innings. The right-hander says he’s starting to feel more comfortable pitching to college hitters…

Cut 18 (15) “next Sunday”

A Spirit of America Rally will take place Saturday on the steps of the State Capitol to support President Trump. Emelie Gunn has more…

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The third annual Louisiana Winter Beer Festival takes place tomorrow in Lake Charles. Jeff Palermo has more…

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More low income parents who have students attending failing schools are using another option other than taxpayer funded vouchers to send their child to a private school. Halen Doughty has more on the state’s growing tuition donation rebate program…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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A Spirit of America Rally will be held on the steps of the State Capitol tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. to show support for President Donald Trump. Similar rallies have taken place throughout the week, leading up to this event. Leader of Gator PAC Col. Rob Maness says Trump supporters will address what they hope will be a large gathering…

Cut 4  (09) “to speak”

Tickets are not required to attend. Maness encourages everyone to wear their “Make America Great Again” attire.

Cut 5  (07)  “supporting America”

For more information visit Tea-Party-of-Louisiana-dot-net (teapartyoflouisiana.net). Maness says it’s time for the country, regardless of political party, to come together to support President Trump.

Cut 6 (04) “about unity”

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Over 20-thousand Louisiana taxpayers are due a refund from the federal government and time is running out to claim them. I-R-S spokesperson Bill Brunson says these individuals have not received their refund, because they didn’t file a 2013 federal income tax return. He says citizens due this cash must file the necessary paperwork by April 18.

Cut 7 (11)  “general fund”

Brunson says the median potential refund is $763. He says it can be hard for people to get their W-2 or 1099 from three years ago because the taxpayer may not have the same employer. But he says the IRS can help with that.

Cut 8 (08) “no charge”

Brunson says people can request a Wage and Income transcript at IRS.gov. The IRS estimates more than $21 million in unclaimed refunds may be available to Louisiana taxpayers. Brunson says unfortunately, the IRS deals with this every year.

Cut 9 (10)  “timely manner”

To find out if you filed your 2013 taxes, call the IRS hotline at 800-829-1040.

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The third annual Louisiana Winter Beer Festival takes place tomorrow in Lake Charles at the Historic Calcasieu Marine National Bank building. Co-chair and co-founder of the Festival Nick Villaume says they chose Lake Charles to host the event to show off the culture and history of the city. He says they’ve created a world class festival that can stand up to one in a major market.

Cut 10 (10) “as well”

Tickets are 50 dollars per person and are available on la-winter-beer-fest-dot-com (lawinterbeerfest.com). Villaume says what makes the Winter Beer Festival special is their big focus on Louisiana breweries. He says over 125 beers are on the menu from about 45 different breweries this year.

Cut 11 (09) “hot blooded”

Villaume says Crying Eagle Brewery is hosting a Louisiana Brewers Ball tonight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. He says they’re also introducing another Louisiana beer at the festival.

Cut 12 (06) “s well”

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A program that covers most of the cost of private and charter school tuition for low income students is growing rapidly, giving students zoned for failing schools an option other than taxpayer funded vouchers. The tuition donation rebate program was established in a bill by River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot. He says this program puts students on a path to success.

Cut 13 (08) “a fact”

The money to support this tuition program comes from corporations and private donors and it helps pay for a significant portion of a child’s tuition, with parents covering the remaining costs. Talbot says the way it is set up, local schools do not lose state funding and companies who donate receive rebates, so they lose very little as well. He says it’s a win-win for the students and the state.

Cut 14 (08) “of dollars”

When the tuition donation rebate program began in 2014, only 63 students received scholarships, and now over 16-hundred students are attending private schools on scholarships from the program. Talbot expects it to grow even more in the coming years. He says Arete Scholars Louisiana and ACE Scholarships Louisiana administer the scholarships, and parents pick the school.

Cut 15 (10) “accepting vouchers”

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LSU gets a chance to face some of the best teams from the Big 12 this weekend when they compete in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park. Tonight, LSU faces top ranked TCU, on Saturday it’s undefeated Baylor and Sunday its 21st ranked Texas Tech. Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri says this weekend will continue the process of building a championship-caliber team

Cut 16 (20) “ball clubs”

All three games will be played at the home of the Houston Astros. Mainieri says he wants his team to embrace this challenge…

Cut 17 (20)  “to LSU”

Shortstop Kramer Robertson played in this event in 2015 and the Tigers won all three games, beating Houston, Baylor and Nebraska. Big crowds are expected this weekend and Robertson says at least they know what it’s like to play in front of several thousand fans

Cut 18 (16) “like that”