The US Army Corps of Engineers announces plans to begin diverting river water from the Mississippi into Lake Pontchartrain. Jeff Palermo has the details…

CUT 1 (30)  “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The White House announces that President Barack Obama will make his first trip to Baton Rouge as president on Thursday, January 14th. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 2 (29)  “I’m Eric Gill”

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Due of recent changes in river forecasts, the US Army Corps of Engineers has announced the timeline for opening the Bonnet Carre and Morganza Spillways has changed. The opening of the Bonnet Carre will now begin at 10AM Sunday. Corps spokesperson Ricky Boyett says the Bonnet Carre allows them to control the Mississippi River coming into New Orleans…

CUT 3 (10)  “in New Orleans”

Opening the spillways will alleviate flood threats due to rising water levels on the Mississippi River. As far as the Morganza Spillway in Pointe Coupee Parish, Boyett says they are closely monitoring river levels to see if they reach the level required to open the flood gates…

CUT 4 (07)  “12th of January”

He says no decision has been made at this time but there’s is a strong possibility of opening the Morganza on January 12th. Boyette says there is one driving force behind their decisions to open the spillways…

CUT 5 (07)  “in this area”

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The White House announces that President Barack Obama will make his first trip to Baton Rouge as president next week. The president will visit the Capital City Thursday, January 14th, two days after his State of the Union address. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says it’s not uncommon for the president to hit the road after the State of the Union…

CUT 6 (08) “president’s policies”

He says a visit to Louisiana is a bit of a surprise since the state has not always been supportive of President Obama’s policies. Hogan says the recent election of Democratic John Bel Edwards in the governor’s race could have played a role in the president scheduling a visit to Baton Rouge…

CUT 7 (09) “in the state” 

President Obama is expected focus on state gains in the past seven years, including a drop in the unemployment rate and new aid for Louisiana’s early childhood education programs. Governor-elect Edwards has stated that Medicaid expansion is one of the top priorities for his administration. Hogan believes President Obama will use Louisiana as an example to get more states to jump on board…

CUT 8 (09) “of his administration”

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Four Louisiana universities have banned the use of hoverboards on campus due to safety concerns. LSU, U-L Lafayette, Nicholls, and Southeastern have all decided these devices are a hazard because they have been found to burst into flames while charging and cause injuries to riders. Southeastern Louisiana University spokesperson Rene Abadie…

CUT 9 (10)  “the campus”

Abadie says hoverboard batteries have been known to combust and start fires while charging, so they don’t want them in S-L-U housing units because of the fire hazard.

cut 10 (10)  “the rider”

Abadie says riders have also been known to fall off hoverboards and break bones or get concussions, which is an additional safety concern. He says these policies are put in place with the general interest of the safety of their students.

Cut 11 (05) “certainly”

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The Powerball jackpot is now the largest in US history estimating at a whopping 800 million dollars. UNO Mathematics chair, Dr. Tumulesh (Too-muh-lesh) Solanky (soe-LAWN-key), says the odds of one person winning the jackpot is about one in 292-million. He says the more tickets you buy, the better your chances are.

cut 12 (08) “292 million”

The cash value of the jackpot is 496 million dollars. Dr. Solanky says when people pool their money to buy a lot of tickets, the odds of winning keep getting better. He says the jackpot numbers are completely random, so certain numbers aren’t luckier than others.

cut 13 (07)  “the best”

Jennifer Bordes, a CPA in Metairie, advises if you win the 800 million dollar Powerball jackpot, there is no financial incentive if you take the lump sum or the annuity.

cut 14 (08)  “an attorney”

Bordes says if you go in as a group to purchase a bunch of tickets, have an agreement in writing to ensure everyone knows their role and how much was contributed. She reminds the winner that they’ll be hit with huge new taxes.

cut 15 (10)  “estate tax”

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The Louisiana National Guard is mobilizing to assist local, parish, and state emergency officials in advance of flooding threats due to near record crests expected along the Mississippi River. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (28)  “I’m Eric Gill”

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Louisiana ranks 49th in the country for academic achievement in a report conducted by Education Week Magazine. Jeff Palermo has the story…

CUT 2 (30)  “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The Louisiana National Guard is mobilizing to assist local, parish, and state emergency officials in advance of flooding threats due to near record crests expected along the Mississippi River. Col. Pete Schneider says they’re bringing on extra soldiers and airmen to aid efforts…

CUT 3 (08)  “for the flooding”

He says on Friday guardsmen will begin 24-hour levee inspections in Concordia, East Carroll, Madison, and Tensas Parishes to look for seepage. Schneider says The Guard will perform a variety of operations…

CUT 4 (09)  “the spillways”

The guard has issued 13,000 sand bags to West Feliciana Parish and an additional 13,000 are being sent to Avoyelles Parish for the anticipated opening of the Morganza Spillway. More guardsmen are expected to be brought on in the coming days. Schneider says The Guard stands ready to help the people of the Louisiana…

CUT 5 (10)  “of the state”

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In an effort to contend with the rising waters of the Mississippi River, the US Army Corps of Engineers announces that the Morganza Spillway in Pointe Coupee Parish will be opened on Monday. The spillway is expected to be fully operational on January 13. Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says opening the Morganza diverts water from the Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya Basin…

CUT 6 (08) “down the river”

Graves was the head of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority when the Morganza was last opened in 2011. He says that while opening the spillway will protect Baton Rouge and New Orleans from massive flooding, it could cause flooding in the lower Atchafalaya Basin…

CUT 7 (08) “from flooding” 

With the opening of the spillway, there is the potential risk of flood from Butte La Rose down to Morgan City. Graves says how long the Morganza will remain open depends on how the Mississippi flows in the next week or two…

CUT 8 (09) “ramping down”

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The man accused of stabbing LSU Football tight end Dillon Gordon at Reggie’s Bar in Tigerland early Tuesday morning has been arrested by the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force. Baton Rouge Police Cpl. L’Jean McKneely says 20-year-old Jamal Joseph Vaughn was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison this morning and charged with aggravated 2^nd Degree Battery.

CUT 9 (08)  “interview him”

McKneely says there was an argument between Gordon and Vaughn, which led to a fist fight at the bar. He says Gordon was stabbed multiple times during the fight.

cut 10 (07)  “the scene”

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The new mayor of Springfield has reinstated former Police Chief Jimmy Jones after he pled guilty to misdemeanor criminal mischief last year for trashing a woman’s DUI citation as a favor to the previous mayor. The town’s attorney Brian Abels says Springfield needed a police chief and the people of the town wanted him back in the position.

Cut 11 (10) “law enforcement”

Prosecutor with the State Attorney General’s Office, David Caldwell, says this isn’t a good idea because it could affect the Springfield Police Department with future investigations. But Abels says the town of Springfield believes Jones will do a good job as police chief.

cut 12 (05) “somehow envisioned”

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For a second straight year, Louisiana’s public schools rank 49th in the nation in academic achievement. That’s according to Education Week Magazine, who has unveiled its Quality Counts report. Education Week Research Center director Holly Yetcick (Yet-ick) says Louisiana scored a 69 out of 100 for classroom performance, which is just above a passing grade

cut 13 (02)  “this year”

Yetcick says their report looks at a variety of factors, including how schools are financed and Louisiana saw its score drop in that category

cut 14 (05)  “this year”

Yetcick says they do see areas where Louisiana is making slight gains. She says the biggest improvement was seen with fourth graders and their reading ability

cut 15 (10)  “pretty low”