Much of Tangipahoa and Washington parishes are flooded today, after a storm dropped upwards of 17 inches of water in just 12 hours. Halen Doughty has more…

CUT 1 (31)  “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Governor John Bel Edwards issues a statewide declaration of emergency in wake of widespread flooding. Jeff Palermo reports…:

CUT 2 (27)  “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Southeast Louisiana got hit with a lot of rainfall last night. Washington Parish Emergency Preparedness Director Tommy Thiebaud says to put it simply, water is everywhere.

CUT 3 (06)  “the parish”

Thiebaud says the Bogue Chitto River is expected to crest at 21 feet, but that estimate keeps rising as more rain is possible. He says they will be monitoring the rivers closely over the next 24 hours. He advises people not to drive anywhere, because many roads are also flooded.

CUT 4 (08)  “that’s possible”

Thiebaud says about a hundred homes have flooded already. He says the sheriff’s office and the fire department are currently rescuing people, and they don’t want to add anyone to that list. He says the water they are seeing is unprecedented in that area. Tangipahoa Parish Emergency Preparedness Director Dawson Primes says his parish is also seeing a lot of water.

CUT 5 (09)  “that much water”

Primes says the forecast for the river levels is skyrocketing because of water coming down from north Louisiana. He says they will be doing rescues all day.

CUT 6 (04) “at this time”

Much of southeast Louisiana is under a flash flood watch until Saturday afternoon. Chris Bannan with the National Weather Service in Slidell says rainfall totals varied across the southern part of the state.

CUT 7 (11) “17 inches”

Bannan says that much rain was dropped in just 12 hours. He says we could still get up to 5 more inches of rain, which could be an issue for people near the rivers.

CUT 8 (05) “currently have”

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The Sabine River is overflowing in Vernon Parish due to water releases from Toledo Bend causing major flood damage. Vernon Parish Emergency Preparedness Director Kenneth Moore warns everyone located around the river to be careful and they’ve already issued evacuations. He says this is the most significant flooding he’s ever seen.

CUT 9 (04) “in them” 

Moore says they’ve already evacuated about 200 people from the area surrounding the Sabine River. He says the water level dropped overnight in Toledo Bend…

cut 10 (08)  “longer”

Moore says some flood victims have lost everything they’ve worked for their entire lives. But he says the community is coming together to help those in need.

Cut 11 (09) “be done”

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The entire state has been declared a state of emergency. Governor John Bel Edwards traveled to Shreveport today to assess the destruction from the storm. He says although they have not come up with an estimate on the damage yet, he expects it to be quite high.

cut 12 (05) “of dollars”

Edwards took a tour of the Shreveport area to meet with residents and see firsthand the devastation caused by the massive storm. He says the cost for reparations may pose a problem for the legislature, given the fiscal deficit the state is facing.

Cut 13 (05)  “very well”

Edwards says the state government has met all of the requests for resources that his office has received. He says unfortunately, Louisiana is well-practiced in this kind of situation. Edwards says he will look to the federal government for additional money and resources.

cut 14 (11)  “that damage”

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Over 20 inches of rain have fallen over north Louisiana causing immense damage. Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland says areas in Winn, Jackson, and Bienville Parishes have many roadway and bridge closures due to high water and infrastructure failure. He says they’ve placed multiple requests for assistance through the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness…

cut 15 (09) “of those” 

McFarland says many residents have lost their homes and business due to flooding. He says law enforcement is working to get those in hospitals proper medical care even with the flooded roadways because treatment must continue.

cut 16 (08)  “of us”

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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…

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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”