Parts of the state have seen an excess of 20 inches of rain, and the governor has declared a state of emergency for 22 parishes. Halen Doughty reports…

CUT 1 (30)  “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Governor John Bel Edwards says heavy rainfall and flooding has caused three fatalities in Louisiana. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 2 (30)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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The governor has declared a state of emergency for 22 parishes as an enormous storm is terrorizing north Louisiana. Congressman Ralph Abraham of Alto says lives and livelihoods are at stake. He says he has seen over a hundred homes flooded and one person lost their life so far. He says they are getting an unbelievable amount of rain.

CUT 3 (07)  “a disaster”

Abraham says he has talked with FEMA and asked that the area be declared a federal disaster area so resources and funding can come this way. He says everyone in north Louisiana is pitching in to help.

CUT 4 (05)  “literally”

DeSoto Sheriff Rodney Arbuckle says several emergency shelters have been set up throughout the parish as evacuations are ongoing. He says countless homes in the parish have flooded.

CUT 5 (08)  “on water”

Arbuckle says the Sabine River in DeSoto is rising to a dangerously high level, and people near the river are being evacuated.

CUT 6 (07) “that high”

Arbuckle says the last time the river was that high was in the 1940s.

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In Bienville Parish, Sheriff John Ballance says the flood waters turned fatal in a small community just east of Lucky. He says they received a call Wednesday afternoon about a vehicle stuck in the water on a bridge over Saline Creek…:

CUT 7 (10) “from drowning”

Ballance says the man who died is identified as 63-year-old Jerry Garrett of Friendship. His 70-year-old wife, Leilani, was the woman rescued. He says the couple tried to drive over the bridge that was covered with water…:

CUT 8 (06) “Mrs. Garrett”

Ballance says there is water over the roads all over the parish, and people are ignoring warning signs and making life threatening decisions by doing so.

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Jason Hansford, with the National Weather Service, says rainfall totals in Louisiana range from 11 to over 20 inches. He says we could see a break in the rain soon.

CUT 9 (06) “on the way” 

Hansford says the state could see up to 5 more inches of rain, but he says this massive storm should clear out by this weekend.

cut 10 (05)  “this system”

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Governor John Bel Edwards has activated 750 Louisiana National Guard members to help combat the widespread flooding in north Louisiana. Edwards urges the public to stay inside and off the flooded roadways. He says there are now three confirmed deaths, one including a six-year-old girl…

Cut 11 (10) “thereto”

Officials say the 6-year-old died when her mother lost control of her vehicle due to the road conditions. A 64-year-old man from Bienville and a 22-year-old man from Ouachita also died in drownings. Edwards says many roads in northern parishes are closed and warns drivers not to cross barricades. State Police Col. Mike Edmonson says the water continues to rise and the storm is shifting into southeast Louisiana. He says if you don’t need to be on the road, don’t go out and sightsee.

cut 12 (09) “do so”

Governor Edwards plans to make a trip to north Louisiana tomorrow if weather permits to see the damage. In Lincoln Parish, the Ruston Fire Department has had to rescue over a dozen people from their home or vehicle due to flooding. State Representative Robert Shadoin says state and local officials are doing all they can to help flood victims.

Cut 13 (10)  “shine again”

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Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal and one of his top lieutenants have been indicted on civil rights violations for their alleged involvement in the beatings of five jail inmates. The indictment claims Ackal directed officers to beat the inmates in the jail’s chapel in 2011. Former US attorney Harry Rosenberg says there have already been an array of civil lawsuits filed against the sheriff’s by inmates that are pending, but this federal suit will be different.

cut 14 (08)  “if convicted”

Eight former employees of the sheriff’s office have already pleaded guilty to related federal charges. Rosenberg says that while the inmates’ testimonies may not be as credible, the former employees’ statements will.

cut 15 (09) “these charges” 

If convicted, Ackal could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine for each civil rights violation. Rosenberg says the combined testimonies from the former jail employees and the inmates will make for a difficult case for the sheriff.

cut 16 (06)  “these charges”

Today the original teddy bear, Louisiana’s black bear, will be formally removed from the endangered species list during a press conference at the Tensas National Wildlife Refuge. Halen Doughty has the story…

CUT 1 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Lawmakers failed to solve the state’s fiscal crisis as there’s still a deficit of 30-million dollars for this fiscal year and a 800-million dollar shortfall for next fiscal year. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Heavy rainfall is likely to continue for the rest of the week throughout the state. Emelie Gunn has more on what we can expect…

Cut 3 (26) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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The black bear will be formally removed from the endangered species list today at a press conference in Tensas parish. Robert Barham, former Secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries which oversaw efforts to grow the black bear population, says the black bear was once on the brink of extinction.

cut 4  (09)  “at one time”

Barham says the federal government requires that two independent populations be viable enough to sustain themselves for a hundred years in order to be removed from the list. He says they now have those populations in the Atchafalaya basin and the Tensas area.

Cut 5  (10)  “is back”

Barham says the number of black bears in Louisiana has gone up due to the efforts of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Cut 6 (03)  “bear now” 

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Despite a flurry of votes in the final minutes of the special session, including a bill that increases the state’s four-cent sales tax by a penny, the state is still facing a 30-million dollar deficit for this fiscal year and a shortfall that could be as much as 800-million dollars next fiscal year. Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards says lawmakers could have done a better job…

CUT 7 (03)  “Louisaina”

Edwards is concerned about the potential for deep budget cuts next fiscal year. Republican House Speaker Taylor Barras says he is also disappointed the legislature could not have done more to close the budget gap, but it’s not easy to vote for higher taxes on individuals and businesses…

Cut 8  (07)  “tough votes”

When the special session started three and a half weeks ago, lawmakers were facing a 940-million dollar deficit for this fiscal year and two-billion shortfall for the next fiscal year. For now, legislators were able to pass enough revenue generating bills to stave off deep cuts to colleges and health care services. Barras says many legislators were not comfortable with raising taxes to address the state’s budget problems…

Cut 9 (10)  “those passed”

Edwards says another special session is possible in mid-June to address next year’s shortfall, but it would have been better if the legislature addressed the state’s fiscal crisis now…

Cut 10 (09) “before them”

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Heavy rainfall will continue to pound Louisiana today. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a frontal boundary is stuck bringing in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. He says the northern part of the state was hounded with thunderstorms and floods, but it should shift down into central and southern Louisiana today and Friday.

cut 11 (08) “the state”

Keim says although the storms are shifting, rain can fall anywhere in the state. He says our biggest risk with this weather is flash flooding and river basin flooding.

cut 12 (10) “or two”

Keim says the rain should start to clear west to east on Saturday. But he says many people have St. Patrick’s Day festivities planned in Baton Rouge and New Orleans and the morning forecast is dicey…

Cut 13 (05)  “this point”

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Louisiana uses the most “derogatory and prejudiced language” on social media, according to a study by Abodo, which is a rental listing website. Sam Radbil, senior communications manager for Abodo, says they analyzed tweets that contained at least one derogatory word.

Cut 14 (11)  “tweets for” 

Radbil says they looked at 12 million tweets from June 2014 to December 2015. He says they analyzed language regarding a wide variety of demographics to come up with their list of 154 insulting words.

Cut 15 (12) “overweight people” 

Radbil says over 11-hundred tweets out of 100-thousand in Louisiana contained insulting language, and almost 900 in 100-thousand were sexist against women. He says Louisiana came in first on the list overall with the most offensive tweets.

Cut 16  (04)  “our study“

Radbil says Nevada and Texas were also in the top three on the list and New Orleans was the number one city for sexist language. New Orleans also had the third highest use of anti-black slurs. Wyoming, Montana and Vermont used the least derogatory language.

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The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs face the Old Dominion Monarchs in their first game of the Conference USA Tournament. LA Tech Radio Announcer Dave Nitz says the Bulldogs will have extra motivation when they face Monarchs as they look to avenge their only home loss of the season.

Cut 17 (17)   a little payback”

Tech is led by leading scorer and Conference-USA player of the year Alex Hamilton. Nitz says momentum and the special play of Hamilton gives the Bulldogs a good chance of winning the tournament, regardless of who they face.

Cut 18 (18) “is really the key”

A torrential downpour is flooding northern Louisiana as the storm has already dumped half a foot of water, and officials say it isn’t over yet.  Halen Doughty has more…

CUT 1 (31)  “I’m Halen Doughty”

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The governor has signed into law a bill to increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes from 86-cents to $1.08. But not everyone thinks this is enough. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 2 (31)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Numerous homes in north Louisiana are under water as the result of a colossal storm that has dumped over a half a foot of rain. Bill Davis, with the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office, says as flood waters rose during the night, they began evacuating people….

CUT 3 (07)  “the waters”

Davis says schools and government offices are closed today. He says the sheriff’s office has teamed up with the Wildlife and Fisheries office to use their boats for rescues.

CUT 4 (08)  “as well”

Ouachita parish is also getting hit hard by the storm. Glenn Springfield with the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office says evacuations are underway throughout the parish.

CUT 5 (07)  “rising water”

Springfield says people should avoid driving today if possible. Many roads have been closed because of high waters. He says the storm isn’t showing signs of letting up anytime soon.

CUT 6 (10) “get worse”

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There is only a few hours left in the special session called to address the state’s massive budget deficit.  Speaker of the House Taylor Barras urged House members to come together on a deal to prevent big cuts to higher education and healthcare.

CUT 7 (10) “leave here”

Barras says there are three bills that need to pass today, one dealing with budget cuts, another that would increase the state’s sales tax, and the other would alter tax exemptions. He says this will not be easy but they must take action.

CUT 8 (10) “next year”

Barras urges his fellow House members to come together so they can explain to the people of Louisiana that they’ve accomplished what they were asked to do.

CUT 9 (10) “direction” 

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Governor John Bel Edwards has signed into law the bill that increases the cigarette tax. Beginning April 1^st the tax on a pack of cigarettes will be $1.08 rather than 86-cents, which will generate 11-million dollars in revenue for the state this fiscal year. Consultant with the Invest in a Healthy Louisiana Campaign Randy Hayden says he was disappointed that the tax wasn’t increased more…

cut 10 (10)  “health outcomes”

Hayden says the legislature should’ve increased the tax on all tobacco products not just cigarettes. He says millions of dollars have been left on the table.

Cut 11 (10) “opportunity”

Hayden says there was no possibility that the legislature could over tax cigarettes during this session to where it could hurt revenue. He says when states increase the cigarette tax they are increasing revenue, while decreasing health care costs in the future.

cut 12 (10) “wayside”

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Cleco has asked state regulators for another hearing on the utility company’s proposed sale to a foreign investment group for almost $5 billion. Public Service Commission chairman Clyde Holloway says he is not in favor of another hearing.

Cut 13 (04)  “the rehearing”

Cleco’s attorney says the commission’s vote was flawed because it wrongly decided on the merits of the transaction. Holloway says the commission and an administrative law judge has already heard enough testimony from the company.

cut 14 (06)  “my ratepayers”

Holloway says he is concerned about a tax scheme related to the deal that would allow the investors to pocket taxes collected from the monthly rates. He also has suspicions about the future of the company and its customers.

cut 15 (07) “very much” 

Cleco issued a statement saying another hearing would allow them to address incorrect statements made during the previous meeting and explain why the transaction is in the best interest of the public. Holloway says he is does not trust the company’s statements at this point.

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