St. Tammany Parish is one step closer to securing almost six-billion dollars for flood control. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (28) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

_____________________________________________

If you want to live your healthiest life in 2025, you can make just a few simple changes. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

_____________________________________________

The 1.36 percent Citizens assessment you pay on top of your premiums for property insurance is going away. Don Molino has more…

Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Don Molino.”

______________________________________________________

Flu activity remains high in Louisiana. Dr. Eric Griggs with the St. Tammany Health System says so are hospitalizations.

Cut 4 (13) “…RSV and COVID.”

Dr. Griggs says only about 42-percent of Louisianians are vaccinated against the three viruses. He says even though we’re now in the peak season, it is by no means too late to get your shots.

Cut 5 (08) “…and flu season.”

Griggs says there are things that you can do to protect yourself and everyone else.

Cut 6 (09) “…to get vaccinated.”

______________________________________________________

If you want to live your healthiest life in 2025, you can make just a few simple changes. Jennifer Duhon with the LSU Ag Center says one thing you can do is add fiber to your diet – fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans.

Cut 7 (10) “…increasing your fiber.”

Duhon says don’t focus on cutting out certain foods from your diet – instead, maintain a proper balance of the types of foods you eat.

Cut 8 (10) “…other nutrients in.”

And Duhon says after enjoying that balanced meal, instead of making a beeline to the couch, get up and take a short walk.

Cut 9 (10)  “…or 15 minutes.”

Also, Duhon says by preparing meals at home instead of eating out, you can not only eat healthier, but you can also save a lot of money.

______________________________________________________

St. Tammany Parish is one step closer to securing almost six-billion dollars for its flood risk management project. The project was authorized under the 2024 Water Resources Development Act. Parish President Mike Cooper says this is the largest single investment in flood risk reduction in Louisiana history. 

Cut 10 (11) “…long flood wall.”

President Cooper says that’s the structural solution. As for the non-structural solution…

Cut 11 (10) “…along Lake Pontchartrain.”

Cooper says it’s a large investment, but it is greatly needed.

Cut 12 (08) “…relief to us.”

The St. Tammany Levee, Drainage and Conservation District will discuss the projects in a meeting this Wednesday evening.

______________________________________________________

Residents with property insurance are getting a small break. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says the 1.36-percent assessment on all residential and commercial property insurance policies will disappear in April. The assessment has been paying off bonds Louisiana Citizens Insurance incurred from claims after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Temple says the Citizens Board determined they have enough money to pay off the loans…

Cut 13 (09) “…June 26.”

Temple says this will result in a 100-dollar savings for residential property insurance policies and 200-dollars for commercial policyholders.

Cut 14 (10) “…on insurance.”

Citizens’ Policyholders are also getting a break. A new law that went into effect January first waves the 10-percent surcharge on all new policies and renewals for the next three years, which means lower premiums for Citizen policyholders…

Cut 15 (09) “…decrease.”

There are 115-thousand Citizens policyholders, down from 140-thousand after the hurricanes of 2020 and 2021.

______________________________________________________

The Ragin Cajuns grinded out a victory over in-state rival ULM 71 to 68. U-L Lafayette trailed most of the game and only shot 36 percent from the field, but figured out a way to win. Interim head coach Derrick Zimmerman…

Cut 16 (11) “…mentally tough attitude.”

The loss keeps ULM winless in the Sun Belt, while the Cajuns are 3-and-2, one of seven teams tied for third place in the conference. U-L Lafayette is at Sun Belt preseason favorite Arkansas State on Thursday and play ULM again on Saturday in Monroe. Zimmerman on winning on the road…

Cut 17 (15)  “…proud of the team” 

____________________________________________________________

Louisiana Tech scored 52 points in the second half to defeat Liberty 79 to 74. Bulldogs coach Talvin Hester says Amaree Abram’s defense was the key to the game, as his defense on the Flames top scorer was outstanding…

Cut 18 (18)   “…us and them.”

Abram had 13 points. Sean Newman led the way with 27 points and he had eight assists. Hester says Newman was sensational…

Cut 19 (13) “…the end.”

Tech is now 2-and-2 in Conference USA and will be at Jacksonville State on Thursday.

If you’ve made losing weight your new year’s resolution, you’re not alone. Andrew Greenstein has some tips to make that resolution successful.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

___________________________________________________

The New Orleans icon, Hubig’s Pies, debuts nostalgic King Cakes for this Carnival Season. Jeanne (ZHAHN) Burns has more.

Cut 2 (26) “…I’m Jeanne Burns.”

___________________________________________________

A popular New Year’s Resolution is to eat better. Candida Rebello, the director of the nutrition and chronic disease program at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, says when choosing foods, look for foods that are low in energy density – those are foods that have high dietary fiber content and high-water content…

Cut 3 (15) “…without adding calories.” 

To increase your fiber intake, try to cover at least half of your plate with fruits and vegetables.

Rebello says people tend to eat based on the size of the portion and not by the calorie content. So for the same 100 calories, you can eat a large portion of some foods or a tiny portion of others.

Cut 4 (13) “…lot more food.”

Rebello says when choosing grains, whole grain bread is high in dietary fiber.

Cut 5 (10) “…want to choose.”

______________________________________________________________

It’s king cake season; and for the first time in its 104-year history, Hubig’s Pies is selling king cakes. The owner of the New Orleans staple, Andrew Ramsey, says they have four flavors: traditional cinnamon, Hubig’s custard, Dutch apple, and cream cheese.

Cut 6 (07) “…King Cake.”

Ramsey says the store-sold cakes measure 10 by 10 inches, while online orders will be slightly larger.

Cut 7 (04) “…continental United States.”

Ramsey says Hubig’s Custard and Dutch Apple king cakes are nods to Hubig’s baked round pies and slices which were made until Hurricane Katrina in 2005

Cut 8 (13) “…Dutch apple filling.”

______________________________________________________________

The New Orleans Police Department has identified the officers who fatally shot the Houston man who carried out the New Year’s Day attack on Bourbon Street. NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick says body camera footage shows officers approaching Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s pickup truck after it crashed into construction equipment in the 300-block of Bourbon Street

Cut 9 (15)  “…the terrorist”

Kirkpatrick says officers Nigel Daggs, Christian Byer and Jacobie Jordan are heroes. Daggs is a 21-year veteran and Byer and Jordan have been on the force for nearly two years. She says they are being recognized for their bravery….

Cut 10 (11) “…national heroes.”

Kirkpatrick says two officers that were shot by Jabbar in the gun fight have been treated and released .

NOPD released the name of the officers involved in the shooting of Jabbar in conjunction with the release of the body camera video. She says the three officers who returned fire were placed on administrative reassignment as part of department policy, but they have been cleared to return to regular duty…

Cut 11 (07) “…the law.”

__________________________________________________________

Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge is the sixth entity in Louisiana to distribute the Newborn Essential Support Toolkit. Through a partnership between the Department of Health and Human Services and the non-profit organization Baby2Baby, the kits include things like diapers, wipes, skin cream, clothes and other essentials. Congresswoman Julia Letlow, who helped Woman’s unveil the kits, says it gives new parents peace of mind.

Cut 12 (09) “…that they need.”

Letlow says these kits allow new parents to get off to a good start with their newborn.

Cut 13 (06)  “…this new transition.”

Letlow says having these kits gives new parents one less thing to worry about, especially at a time when they have lots of things to worry about.

Cut 14 (10) “…access to that.”

Letlow and Washington Democratic Congresswoman Kim Schrier have introduced the NEST Act, which would allow Health and Human Services to expand the program nationwide.