Many Saints fans are still shaking their head over yesterday’s 20-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Six players for the Black and Gold left the game as a result of injuries and never came back and New Orleans was flagged 11 times for 87 yards. Head Coach Sean Payton summed it up well…

cut 18 (11) “…bounce back”

Payton took it a step further today when speaking with reporters. He said the officiating was extremely poor and inconsistent. It’s likely he’ll get fined for that and the choking gesture he made towards Falcons running back Devonta Freeman during the game. New Orleans has time to rest up and get ready to play the Jets on December 17th and then it’s a rematch with the Falcons on Christmas Eve.

The Saints will be keeping an eye on the second place Panthers on Sunday. Carolina hosts 10-2 Minnesota.

Four state champions have now been crowned at the Allstate Sugar Bowl  L-H-S-A-A Prep Classic in New Orleans. Yesterday it was West St. John, Lafayette Christian and Catholic New Iberia. The Panthers won their first title since 1962. The Knights won their first and it’s the fourth championship for the Rams.

Welsh won its first football title today as the Greyhounds ran past St. Helena 38-26 for the 2A title. The Division Two state championship game is underway, University High versus De La Salle. Tonight it’s West Feliciana and Richwood. The Saints have never won a title and Richwood is the only team from north Louisiana in the prep classic. You can watch all of the games on C-S-T.

In college football news…Former Ragin Cajuns head coach Mark Hudspeth has found a new job. Hudspeth has reportedly been hired as the tight ends coach at Mississippi State.

The Pelicans host the Sacramento Kings tonight. There’s a chance Anthony Davis could play tonight after missing the last three games with a pelvis injury.

Tonight at the Smoothie King Center, the Pelicans

Cut 1 (25) “I’m Emelie Gunn.”

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Nine state champions will be crowned the next three days, as the state football championships take place in the Superdome. Jeff Palermo has a preview…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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This cold blast of air could produce some wintry precipitation tonight and into Friday morning for sections of southeast Louisiana.  Kelley Ray has more…

Cut 3  (31) “I’m Kelley Ray.”  

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The holiday season is supposed to be a joyous time but can often be overwhelming, causing seasonal depression. Our Lady of the Lake Psychiatric Nurse Glenda Natale says this time of year, they receive more calls for help dealing with the holiday blues. She says we live in a perfectionist society….

Cut 4  (09) “is about”

Natale says people who feel like they don’t have a strong support system are at a higher risk for developing holiday depression. She suggests getting out to volunteer or befriending a neighbor, rather than dwelling on past memories with people who are no longer with you.

Cut 5  (10)  “of happiness”

Natale says the weather also plays a part in holiday depression with temperatures getting cold and rainy and it gets darker much earlier. She says it’s important to contact your doctor if you continue to have unrelenting thoughts.

Cut 6 (11) “that rut” 

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The 2017 Allstate Sugar Bowl—L-H-S-A-A Prep Classic begins today and runs through Saturday at the Mercedes Benz Superdome. Nine state champions will be crowned over the next three days and Association Executive Director Eddie Bonine says they anticipate several close games

Cut 7 (12)  “good attendance”

The first game today is between traditional One-A powers West St. John and Kentwood. At 3:30 it’s Lafayette Christian against Ascension Catholic. Bonine says L-C-A has never played for a state championship and Ascension Catholic will make history as soon as the game begins, because of its coach Drey Trosclair…

Cut 8 (12) “for everybody”

The final game of the night is Notre Dame versus Catholic High of New Iberia. The Pioneers from Crowley have won five state titles and Coach Lewis (Louie) Cook is coaching in his 11th state championship game in his Hall of Fame career

Cut 9 (06)  “the championship”

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The recent cold snap could bring southeast Louisiana some wintry precipitation tonight into Friday morning.  State Climatologist Barry Keim says even though the air temperature will stay above freezing, you may still see freezing precipitation…

Cut 10 (12)  “the surface.”

Keim says if there is wintry precipitation, it won’t be a statewide weather event…

Cut 11 (09) “first place.”

Keim says there may be isolated reports of icing in the area, but there aren’t any widespread expectations of icing conditions to bring power outages..

Cut 12 (12) “isolated areas.”

Sunny but still cold weather is expected to return by the weekend.  Temperatures will remain in the 50’s for the majority of the state.

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The New Orleans Saints are set to square off against the Atlanta Falcons tonight in a key NFC South showdown.  Quarterback Drew Brees says the short week can make it difficult to prepare, but he knows the Falcons will be ready with some new tricks up their sleeve…

Cut 13 (10) “to play.”

Brees says he has great respect for Atlanta’s secondary. He says the Saints passing game has to be top notch tonight because cornerback Desmond Trufant is back from his injury and will be on the field…

Cut 14 (10) “good corners.”

The Saints are nine and three while the Falcons come into the contest with a seven and five mark.  Brees knows the defense is what got the Falcons to the Super Bowl last year, and knows their defense will be flying around tonight…

Cut 15 (11) “ball security.”

Kickoff is tonight at 7:25 at Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta. Saints running back Mark Ingram is listed as questionable with a toe injury.

Six LSU Tigers made the 2017 Associated Press ALL SEC Football team. Center Will Clapp, linebacker Arden Key, linebacker Devin White and cornerback Greedy Williams are on the first team. Second-team selections are running back Derrius Guice and wide receiver DJ Chark. Guice posted on twitter that he thought it was a joke he was a second-team selection.

For the second straight year, LSU is headed to the Citrus Bowl. Last year they won a lopsided contest, this time they’ll play Notre Dame. It’s rare for a team to go to the same bowl game in consecutive years. Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan says they have ways to make the experience different for the players…

Cut 17 (09) “…multiple parks”

And Louisiana Tech is headed to a fourth straight bowl game as they’ll face SMU in the first-ever Frisco Bowl, which will be played on December 20^th outside of Dallas.

The Saints are alone in first place in the NFC South after beating Carolina 31-21 yesterday in front of a jacked up Superdome crowd. The Saints got the fans in this game right away, when they decided to go for it in the first quarter when they were facing fourth and goal from the two yard line. Alvin Kamara scored the first of his two touchdowns. Quarterback Drew Brees says the decision to go for it on fourth down, showed they were there to win…

Cut 19 (15) “…be aggressive”

The Saints are on a short week this week, as they visit Atlanta on Thursday.

Should be a good crowd at the Smoothie King Center tonight as the Pelicans host the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. New Orleans all-star Anthony Davis will miss his second straight game because of a pelvis injury. The Pelicans medical team says A-D is day-to-day. The Warriors have won 14 of their last 17 after a slow start. Tip-off is at 7 PM.

Both of Louisiana’s U-S Republican Senators voted for the tax bill that was approved on a 51-49 vote. Senior Senator Bill Cassidy says it will cut taxes for working families in Louisiana. John Kennedy says the non-partisan Tax Foundation says Louisiana will see an increase of 12-thousand jobs and the average family will gain 18-hundred dollars in after-tax income. But Louisiana Budget Project Director Jan Moller says only the wealthy will get a tax break, while low-income and middle-class Americans would face a tax increase.

A State Police report shows former LSP Superintendent Mike Edmonson allegedly knew about side trips several troopers took on their way to a conference in San Diego last year. Prior to Edmonson’s retirement last March he said the trip was unauthorized. Attempts to reach him for comment have been unsuccessful.

It’s official; Jimbo Fisher has left Florida State to take the head coaching job at Texas A&M, and will not be on the sidelines for FSU’s game against ULM today. So what does this mean for LSU now that he’s in the SEC West? College football analyst Mike Detillier says Fisher knows how to develop quarterbacks…:
Cut 13 (11) “National Football League”
Fisher will reportedly receive 75 million dollars over a 10-year contract.

Could the Ragin Cajuns be looking for a new head football coach after today. UL Lafayette needs to win at Appalachian State to avoid a third straight losing season under coach Mark Hudspeth.

In Houston, Grambling State faces Alcorn State in the SWAC Championship game. A win for Grambling and they advance to play North Carolina A-and-T in the Celebration Bowl on December 16th in Atlanta.

On a 51-49 vote, the US Senate approved a tax plan early this monring that Republicans say will cut taxes for working families. Senior Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy says the legislation will also create more jobs…
cut 29 (09) “…elsewhere”
But Jan Moller, director of the Louisiana Budget Project, says it’s an irresponsible tax bill that will increase the budget deficit.

A new Food Network series called “Cajun Aces” staring south Louisiana husband and wife chefs, Cody and Samantha Carroll premiers tonight. Cody says they’ve seen the first episode entitled, “Crawfish and Mirliton,” and the camera work capturing the Cajun countryside is incredible…:
Cut 4 (08) “just beautiful”
The first show is tonight at 7.

A report that’s been made public shows the former leader of State Police, Colonel Mike Edmonson, deleted text messages that showed he was communicating with Troopers when they took a taxpayer funded trip to Las Vegas. President of the Metropolitan Crime Commission Rafael Goyeneche says Edmonson’s behavior has been embarrassing for State Police. He says it will take a while to bring reconciliation to the agency…
cut 8 (12) “….and extrenally”
Edmonson has not responded to requests for comment.

Broussard Police say the man that held up the First Community Bank on Monday is now in custody. 29-year-old Jeremi Raymond of New Iberia allegedly wounded one of the bank tellers when he fired his weapon. Broussard Police Chief Brennan Decou says Raymond faces several charges…
cut 10 (08) “…convicted felon”

While most of us were sleeping the U-S Senate approved a major rewrite of the nation’s tax code that Republicans say will benefit people of all incomes. Louisiana’s Senior Senator Bill Cassidy says the legislation also contains provisions to stimulate the economy….
cut 28 (10) “…get better”
But Jan Moller, director of the Louisiana Budget Project, says the tax bill is a costly giveway for the wealthy and corporations at the expense of working families. The differences between the House and Senate tax reform bills must be ironed out, but Republican leaders remain optimistic a final bill will land on the president’s desk by Christmas.

The matchups for the state football championships are set. Ten semifinal games were decided yesterday, Zachary, Hahnville, Lakeshore, Karr, Richwood, Welsh and Kentwood are among the teams to advance.

Shreveport police have arrested a 16-year-old who allegedly threatened to shoot his classmates at Caddo Magnet High School. Investigators say the troubled teen also surfed the internet on how to make bombs and watched vidoes of other school shootings. Authorities seized undisclosed items from his home and the suspect was booked on one count of terrorizing.

A newly released 300-page State Police report shows alleged criminal corruption by former State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Don Molino”