The Louisiana SPCA is now offering a $3,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who beheaded a baby goat last week in an Orleans Parish Park. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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Rivals-dot-com and 24-7 sports says LSU’s 2015 football recruiting is among the ten best in the country. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 2 (29) “reporting”

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The state’s budget woes are causing difficulties in the search for a new president for Grambling State University. Possible job applicants are apparently worried about the state’s potential budget cuts to higher education. University of Louisiana System President Sandra Woodley says they received a letter from The Hollis Group, the search firm hired to recruit candidates, expressing the concerns…

CUT 3 (10)  “the legislature”

Woodley says candidates want more certainty about what solutions will emerge from the state legislature. With the legislative session beginning in April, she says the original timeline to name a president will have to be pushed back. Woodley understands the concerns of the candidates because these potential cuts are much bigger than a normal cut…

CUT 4 (12)  “a few programs”

Woodley says they originally intended to introduce the new president in April. The search committee will meet with The Hollis Group later this month to discuss changing the timeline for finding a new president. Woodley doesn’t believe the search will be delayed for long…

CUT 5 (08)  “be our goal”

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The Louisiana SPCA has increased the reward to $3,000 for anyone who has information about the person or persons responsible for cutting the head off baby goat last week in a park in Orleans Parish. Spokeswoman Alicia Haefele (Hay-Fa-Lee) says the animals belong to a company called “Y’herd Me” and help maintain shrubbery at the Brechtel Park in Algiers…:

CUT 6 (11)  “upside down”

Haefele says the owner of the animals believes an altercation with a group of teenagers could be at the root of the act. She says the kids were told to leave the goats alone…:

CUT 7 (08)  “was beheaded”

You can report information online at la-spca.org. Haefele says people love having the goats at the park and once word of this felony act of animal cruelty got out, people were livid…:

CUT 8 (10)  “to $3000”

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The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Lake Charles woman after the child she was babysitting was found wandering along a busy highway. 23-year-old Jamie Jackson is charged with cruelty to a juvenile. Spokeswoman Kim Myers says officers responded to a call about a 4-year-old girl walking along Highway 385 in Lake Charles…

CUT 9 (11)  “friend of hers”

Myers says investigators discovered that Jackson left the 4-year-old unattended at the home while she drove her nephew to school and then had coffee with a friend. Myers says they have not determined how long the little girl was left home alone…

cut 10 (12)  “law enforcement center”

The child was picked up by a passerby about a mile and a half from her home and brought to a local law enforcement center. Jackson remains jailed on a $125,000 bond. Myers says Jackson told authorities when she returned home, she found the front door open and the child missing…

cut 11 (08) “she got home”

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LSU’s 2015 recruiting class is loaded with four and five-star offensive linemen. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says the Tigers signed two of the best offensive linemen in Texas, Toby Weathersby and Mae Teuhema, plus a couple of other out-of-state prospects that were heavily recruited by other schools…

cut 12 (09)  “earlier in the process”

The 2015 signee class also has a pair of five-star cornerbacks in Kevin Tolliver, who is already enrolled at LSU and Riverdale’s Donte Jackson. Moran says LSU also signed Xavier Lewis, who is a four-star cornerback from East St. John

cut 13 (10)  “right away”

LSU also signed a pair of outstanding running backs from Baton Rouge, U-High’s Nick Brossette and Catholic’s Derrius Guice. Catholic head coach Dale Weiner says Guice is a physical running back that possesses good speed…

cut 14 (07)  “SEC running back”

The West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a first-grade teacher for allegedly striking a student late last month. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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President Obama’s proposed budget for next fiscal year calls for taking federal dollars away for coastal restoration and using that money elsewhere. Eric Gill has more…

CUT 2 (29) “reporting”

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President Obama is proposing that offshore revenue sharing plan, which would provide Louisiana millions of dollars in revenue for coastal restoration, be replaced with a plan that would spread that money across the nation for various issues. Senator Bill Cassidy says it seems the president doesn’t care about the people affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita…

CUT 3 (12)  “disaster in the future”

The president’s proposal would strip Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states of revenue promised by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act which is scheduled to go into effect in 2017. Cassidy, who sits on the Senate Appropriations and Energy committees, says lawmakers will do their best to defeat this policy…

CUT 4 (06)  “about stopping this”

He says if the president is looking for more money, there’s plenty out there. Cassidy points out that some states get 50-percent of the royalties from oil and gas resources produced on in-state lands, while Louisiana, over the past three years, has gotten less than one percent…

CUT 5 (10)  “opposed to us”

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The West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a first-grade teacher for allegedly striking a student late last month. Witnesses reported seeing 31-year-old Chanel Lemelle, a teacher at Bains Lower Elementary in St. Francisville, berate, kick, and slap a student at the school. Sheriff’s spokesperson Erin Foster says they met with school board officials regarding teacher complaints about Lemelle…

CUT 6 (12)  “warrant for her”

Lemelle is charged with cruelty to juveniles. Foster says the witness statements about the incident were confirmed by video surveillance footage…

CUT 7 (07)  “of the head”

Lemelle turned herself in to authorities and was released after immediately posting bail. Foster says witnesses reported that, on several occasions, they also saw Lemelle taking food from students’ lunch plates…

CUT 8 (06)  “he sat down”

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The Internal Revenue Service is reminding low and moderate income tax payers they could be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit — the largest federal government benefit for workers. IRS spokeswoman Jodi Patterson says the EITC is a program designed to give extra money to people who don’t earn very much…:

CUT 9 (08)  “for the credit”

Patterson says for tax year 2014, the credit is as much as $6100 for a family with three or more children. She says last year in Louisiana, 519,000 taxpayers took advantage of the EITC…:

cut 10 (09)  “Louisiana economy”

Patterson says you don’t have to have children to qualify for the credit. She says if you make less than $53,000 a year you should log on to IRS.gov to see if you qualify. Patterson says four out of five people who are eligible for the credit do claim it, a lot of people don’t know about it exists…:

cut 11 (06) “to get that credit”

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With cooler temperatures forecast for much of Louisiana this week, will that have an effect on the crawfish crop leading up to Mardi Gras? LSU Aquaculture Specialist Dr. Greg Lutz says, in the long term, there shouldn’t be a problem because of their ability to adapt to cold. However, in the short term, Lutz says the cold temps could cause issues…

cut 12 (10)  “just sit there”

Lutz says crawfish get inactive in cold temperatures and won’t crawl into the traps until it warms up. He says some crawfishermen are inactive in cold temperatures, too, because their potential haul is not worth the trouble. Lutz says it costs the same to run their traps whether they catch anything or not…

cut 13 (08)  “their gasoline, probably”

Lutz says consumers may have a hard time finding crawfish this weekend and may see an increased price. He says this problem shouldn’t last long, though. Lutz says, fortunately, crawfish ponds are pretty shallow and they warm up quickly…

cut 14 (06)  “active again”

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According to Gasbuddy-dot-com, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline rose in Louisiana for the second week in a row. So, have seen the end of the four-month-long drop in prices at the pump? Eric Gill has more…

CUT 1 (29) “reporting”

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There is a buzz today surrounding the Nationwide Super Bowl commercial last night in which a little boy dies at the end. So is it good for the Insurance Company? Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

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New Iberia’s Cajun Groundhog Day event ended with everyone in attendance expecting a long pleasant spring. Daily Iberian Publisher Will Chapman says when the prognosticating nutria, Pierre C. Shadeaux, emerged from his home, he did not see his shadow…

CUT 3 (07)  “heat and humidity”

When Pierre does not see his shadow, it means a longer spring for South Louisiana. Chapman says the good residents of south Louisiana shouldn’t have to depend on the forecast of Punxsutawney Phil…

CUT 4 (08)  “something to us”

He says south Louisiana is more concerned about spring and summer than winter. Chapman says he’s unsure if they’ve actually kept a record of Pierre’s past predictions, but he’s willing to bank on the forecast…

CUT 5 (05)  “pretty accurate”

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The Allen Parish Sheriff’s Department says they have discovered the remains believed to be that of a pregnant Lecompte woman, missing since 2011, and the woman arrested in connection with her disappearance now faces murder charges. Sheriff Douglas Hebert says the Oakdale Police Department received information about 22-year-old Victoria Perez from a juvenile informant…

CUT 6 (09)  “she went missing”

The informant told officials they witnessed their mother, 32-year-old Pamela Causey-Fregia (fre-JEE-ah), kill Perez around the time she went missing. Hebert says Causey-Fregia, with one of her children, picked up Perez, who was seven to eight monts pregnant, at a local hospital telling the victim that she would give her some baby clothes. He says they believe Causey-Fregia killed Perez as part of a plan to win back her estranged husband…

CUT 7 (11)  “she was pregnant”

They believe Perez was killed by blunt force trauma while the suspects children were present. Hebert says the body was then burned in an effort to dispose of it. He says it is unknown at this time if Causey-Fregia attempted to remove the fetus from Perez. Hebert says Causey-Fregia is facing upgraded charges… (Causey-Fregia faces first degree murder, first degree feticide, and other charges.)

CUT 8 (06)  “after the fact”

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According to Gasbuddy-dot-com, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline rose in Louisiana for the second week in a row. Senior Petroleum Analyst Gregg Laskoski says we may have seen the end of the four-month-long drop in prices at the pump….

CUT 9 (07)  “a week ago”

Louisiana’s average price for a gallon of regular is $1.86, which is up two cents a gallon from a week ago. Laskoski attributes the rise in price to a transition period between the winter blend and summer blend of gasoline. He says the price of wholesale gasoline is another indicator that the price drop has ended…

cut 10 (10)  “the retail side”

He says wholesale prices have increased by more than 20 cents a gallon, and those increases will, eventually, get passed on to consumers. Laskoski says you can expect a steady climb in gas prices as we approach the spring and summer driving seasons…

cut 11 (08) “happen this year”

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There is a buzz today surrounding the Nationwide Super Bowl commercial last night in which a little boy dies at the end. Some are saying the spot was inappropriate and too depressing to be played during the big game. Jensen Moore-Copple is an assistant professor of strategic communication with LSU’s Manship School. She doesn’t think this is good for the company:

cut 12 (07)  “Super Bowl advertising”

Nationwide issued a statement explaining the intention of the ad was to bring awareness to the issue of preventable injuries and deaths among children. Moore-Copple says instead the football fan conversation today is about what commercials are acceptable during the Super Bowl. She says that audience wants to see Payton Manning singing the cute Nationwide jingle:

cut 13 (09)  “that they wanted”

In less than 12 hours, the Make Safe Happen commercial had been viewed 1.44 million times on YouTube. But Moore-Copple says there is a huge negative reaction and backlash on social media…:

cut 14 (07)  “wanted it to be”

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The Shreveport Police Department says the little girl that was run over while she was on her bicycle by a suspected drunk driver passed away this morning. Cpl Breck Scott says just after 2pm Saturday, 46-year-old Randy Presentine lost control of his red Dodge Avenger on Youree Drive and drove onto the shoulder…:

cut 15 (08) “7-year-old juvenile”

Scott says Presentine’s charges were upgraded to vehicular homicide along with having no insurance and driving under suspension. He says after the impact, the 7-year-old was taken to a hospital with life threatening injuries…:

cut 16 (08) “was declared deceased”

There is a new, free app for your smart phone that puts the health reports for local restaurants at your fingertips. Scott Carwile has more…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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BESE President Chas Roemer will not follow Governor Jindal’s executive order regarding Common Core exams. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “reporting”

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There’s apparently mixed signals coming out on whether New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu will run for governor. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (30) “reporting”

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LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center launches an initiative to provide doctors in Louisiana with proven strategies which would reduce and treat obesity in children. The project is lead by Dr. Amanda Staiano (stye-an-no) who says the Child Obesity Treatment Toolkit helps primary care physicians determine who’s at risk for obesity…:

cut 4  (05)  “in clinic settings”

Staiano says childhood obesity is a very serious issue in Louisiana with half of our kids being overweight or obese. She says they have fantastic national recommendations on how to treat obesity and screen for it in clinics, but they find many physicians aren’t using them…:

Cut 5  (12)  “and families”

Staiano says they have over 2,000 hard copies of the toolkit they plan to distribute throughout the state or doctors can download it online at www.pbrc.edu/obesitytoolkit. She says Louisiana ranks near the top of obesity prevalence even in preschoolers…:

Cut 6 (09)  “good self-esteem”

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Amid reports that some families are opting out from having their child take standardized tests that are part of Common Core, the chairman of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Chas Roemer, is encouraging parents to have their child take the test in March…

CUT 7 (12)  “weaknesses”

Based on news reports, only a handful of families have decided that their children will not take the Common Core-aligned tests, because they believe its harmful to their children. Roemer says the new standardized tests are more rigorous than previous ones, but it will help determine a student’s strength and weakness…

Cut 8  (09)  “their student” 

Governor Bobby Jindal has issued an executive order that calls on BESE to have an alternate test for those students who opt-out of the Common Core exam. But Roemer says Jindal doesn’t have the constitutional authority to do that and he accuses the governor of creating chaos…

Cut 9 (09)  “the course”

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There is a new, free app for your smart phone that puts the health reports for local restaurants at your fingertips. The app is called “What the Health” and is the brain-child of Chris Peoples and Jake Van Dyke of Modern Appsolutions. Van Dyke says the app is very user friendly…

Cut 10 (08)  “health inspection” 

Louisiana is one of just eight states, along with Washington DC, serviced by the app. Van Dyke says the idea came from a dinner conversation he had with Peoples. He says the app will show you a letter and number grade for each restaurant along with any actual violations they received during their last inspection…

cut 11 (09) “the salad stuff”

The app is available for both iPhone and Android phones. “What the Health” will give you a list of the 100 restaurants nearest to you. Van Dyke says this app is really just a tool to help you judge your risk in eating out…

cut 12 (06)  “in the morning”

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Many are waiting to see if democratic New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu will get in the governor’s race. Jeremy Alford, publisher of la-politics-dot-com, says Landrieu only has about 40-thousand dollars in campaign money in the bank, so if he’s getting in, he’ll need to make a decision soon…

Cut 13 (06)  “wanted too”

Alford says some Democratic operatives say Landrieu will pass on the governor’s race, so he can have a major influence on the presidential race…

Cut 14 (04)  “the Clintons”

Alford says he’s also heard that Mayor Landrieu has yet to completely rule out a run for governor

Cut 15  (07)  “more of an interest”