Temperatures are in the teens to the low 20s across the state at this hour. Robert Megnia (meg-knee-a), with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, says it feels even colder outside because of a north wind at about 10 miles per hour…
cut 30 (08) “…nine degrees”
And in case you are wondering, this is record breaking cold. Chris Bannon with National Weather Service says 40 year-old records were broken in Baton Rouge and New Orleans….
cut 5 (13) “….1977”
Governor Edwards has declared a state of emergency because of the dangerous winter conditions. Edwards says over 1.5 million pounds of salt has been distributed and 12-hundred D-O-T-D employees have been working around the clock.

Thousands are without power today. Many SWEPCO customers in northwest Louisiana are without electricity and heat. SWEPCO spokesperson Carey Sullivan says the heavy ice accumulation is the main cause of the power outages…
cut 9 (12) “…our outages”
Sullivan says crews are working as quickly as possible to restore the power, but the weather and slick roads are presenting a challenge.

UNO has conducted a poll to find who Louisiana voters would vote for in a hypothetical election between President Donald Trump and Oprah Winfrey. 60-percent of respondents said they would vote for Mr. Trump and UNO pollster Ed Chervenak says 36-percent of black voters support the President over Oprah. He says that’s because Louisiana leans conservative…
cut 6 (07) “….the state”

Much of the state has seen snow and ice fall to the ground today, making travel very difficult. State Trooper Michael Reichardt says slow down. The posted speed limits don’t mean anything when the weather is this treacherous…
Cut 11 (10) “like today.”
Several major interstates are closed, portions of I-49 and I-220 in northwest Louisiana and late this afternoon the I-10 Atchafalya Basin was shut down in both ways between Lafayette and Baton Rouge. State Transportation spokesperson Rodney Mallett says these highways will likely not be open for your morning commute, since the temperatures will be well below freezing…
cut 16 (12) “…thaw out”

Online shoppers could receive tax notices for purchases made from out of state retailers. Matt Doyle spoke with the state revenue department…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Florida Governor Rick Scott announced today he’ll travel to Louisiana this week on a trade mission to share with Louisiana companies how the Sunshine state is making it easier on families and job creators. Governor John Bel Edwards says he’ll be happy to show Scott how he’s turned this state around.

An arctic front has brought snow and ice to the Bayou State. Michelle Southern has a look at the storm’s impact…
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern.”

Entergy reminds customers to be smart when it comes to electricity and gas usage during these sub freezing temperatures. Spokesman Greg Guilbeau says keep your thermostat at 68 degrees…:
Cut 15 (10) “still cool”

The State Department of Revenue says consumers who purchased items online through retailers with a physical presence outside of Louisiana will receive a notification this month that they are expected to pay a sales tax on that item, if they didn’t do so at the time of purchase. This requirement is due to a 2016 law. Department of Revenue spokesperson Byron Henderson says online orders are not exempt from sales taxes…:
Cut 3 (10) “time of purchase”
He says shoppers shouldn’t have to worry about Amazon purchases, as the online giant began charging sales taxes after the bill was passed.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has announced he’ll be in Louisiana this week on a domestic trade mission. Scott says he’ll try to convince Louisiana businesses to move to Florida. In a statement from the Louisiana governor’s office, they call Governor Scott one of Bobby Jindal’s biggest cheerleaders.

39-year-old Saints Quarterback Drew Brees is not interested in playing for any other NFL team, even though he can become an unrestricted free agent in March. Despite the disappointing end to the season in Minnesota, Brees likes the potential of the Saints moving forward. NFL analyst Mike Detillier has said he expects the Saints to sign Brees to a two-year contract that will pay him around 25-million dollars a year.

Meanwhile, Saints offensive right tackle Zach Strief says he might retire after tearing his A-C-L and M-C-L in October. The 34-year-old Strief is under contract next season, but he lost his starting spot to first-rounder Ryan Raymczyk.

LSU Guard Garrett Brumfield says he’ll return for his senior season. That means three of LSU’s five starting offensive linemen for 2017 will be back in 2018.

LSU is ranked 16th in the D-1 baseball preseason poll. Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Texas A-and-M are SEC teams ranked in the top 10.

Even though the LSU campus closed at 3 PM today because of the winter weather, the Tigers basketball team will host Georgia at 6 PM on ESPN-U. The Bayou Bengals are coming off a 74-66 loss to Alabama. The Crimson Tide out rebounded LSU 40-24 in that game. Coach Will Wade says they better clean the glass tonight tonight or they’ll get mauled by the Dawgs…
cut 28 (15) “…ours is”
Georgia has four starters over six-foot-six, including six-foot-eight senior forward Yante Maten (Yahn-tay May-tin), who is averaging 20 points a game.

Nicholls seeks its third straight win as they host Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi. The Pelicans are also shooting for their third straight win as they are in Boston tonight. The Celtics have won seven straight.

A winter storm is impacting most of the state with snow, ice, freezing rain and extremely cold temperatures. The storm dumped quite a bit of snow in northwest Louisiana. National Weather Service Meteorologist Matt Hemmingway says forecasts held true for the amount of snow they got…
Cut 6 (09) “Interstate 20.”
State Police have responded to numerous crashes on the interstates and surface roads. If you do get into an accident and need assistance, Trooper Michael Reichardt says it could take a while for law enforcement to reach you. Just another reason to stay off the roadways…
Cut 12 (08) “different things.”
It’s also very cold, with wind chill readings in the teens for much of the state.

The winter weather precipitation is moving into southeast Louisiana. Alek Krautman with the National Weather Service says they are not anticipating much snow for this region of the state….
cut 9 (11) “…an inch”
The precipitation will move out of the state tonight, but another cold day is in store for Louisiana. Highs will not get into the 40s until Thursday.

Consumers who made a purchase from an online company that doesn’t have a physical presence in Louisiana and didn’t pay sales taxes on that item, will receive a notification this month informing them they owe taxes to the state. State Revenue Department spokesperson Byron Henderson…
cut 5 (09) “….tax return”
It’s unclear how much money the state will collect as a result of this new law that requires the state to increase its effort to collect taxes on on-line purchases.

An arctic front has brought snow and ice to the Bayou State. Michelle Southern has a look at the storm’s impact…
Voicer 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern.”

Snow will begin tapering off in Alexandria, while the freezing line has made it to Baton Rouge. Alek Krautman is with the National Weather Service in Slidelll….
cut 8 (10) “…evening hours”

It’s a snow day across Louisiana as between one to three-plus inches of snow has fallen across the northern half of the state. Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s office spokesperson Glen Springfield says stay home and enjoy the pretty snow….
cut 14 (10) “…on the roadways”
Sterlington Police Chief Barry Bonner has posted a video of himself doing a snow angel without a shirt on as an effort to encourage people to stay home and play in the snow.

Consumers who made a purchase from an online company that doesn’t have a physical presence in Louisiana and didn’t pay sales taxes on that item, will receive a notification this month informing them they owe taxes to the state. State Revenue Department spokesperson Byron Henderson…
cut 5 (09) “….tax return”
It’s unclear how much money the state will collect as a result of this new law that requires the state to increase its effort to collect taxes on on-line purchases.

The snow is falling from Monroe to south of Alexandria and there’s mixed precipitation just north of Lafayette. The snow has stopped falling in northwest Louisiana , but they’ve already seen several inches. Matt Hemingway is with the National Weather Service in Shreveport….
cut 6 (10) “….interstate of 20”
While the snow may look pretty, it’s creating a mess on the roadways. Both lanes of I-49 in the Shreveport area are closed and so are sections of I-20 and I-220. State Police report numerous crashes on the interstates and surface roads.

After the precipitation stops falling, cold weather settles in. Kent Kuyper is with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles….
cut 14 (09) “…the coast”
If GOP House leaders and the governor can’t come together to address the fiscal cliff, TOPS could be on the chopping block. Matt Doyle has the story…
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Governor John Bel Edwards continues to press House Republican leaders to get behind a plan to address the looming fiscal cliff. Edwards wants to have a special session in February to pass tax reform legislation. He’s looking for more stable revenues as a temporary one-cent sales tax is set to expire June 30th….
cut 11 (07) “…it done”