Senator John Kennedy has told supporters he will not run for governor. Fellow Republican Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser announces his decision Tuesday. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 1(30)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Jefferson Parish deputies arrest two children for a string of car thefts and burglaries, and they’re looking for two other suspects. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (32)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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Now that Senator John Kennedy has told supporters he will not run for governor this year, the next shoe to drop appears to be Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. The 63-year-old Republican was a guest on Talk Louisiana with Jim Engster today and says tourism officials are encouraging him to run for re-election…

Cut 3 (09) “…decision to make.” 

Nungesser says he’ll make his announcement on WWL Radio in New Orleans on January 10th.

Attorney General Jeff Landry is the only major candidate to announce his candidacy for governor. Nungesser and Landry are not on friendly terms and on WRKF’s Talk Louisiana Nungesser said Landry is not electable because of his nasty political style…

Cut 4 (11)  “…good of Louisiana.” 

Several Republicans are considering a run at governor, including State Treasurer John Schroder, Congressman Garret Graves, state lawmakers Richard Nelson and Sharon Hewitt and there will be Democrats who will get in the race too. Nungesser is a moderate and is concerned if too many Republicans run, it will hurt his chances at making the run-off…

Cut 5 (10) “…the runoff”

Nungesser says if he can get in the run-off he likes his chances at becoming Louisiana’s next governor.

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Jefferson Parish deputies arrest two children, ages 12 and 14, for a string of car thefts and burglaries. The two were apprehended early Wednesday morning in the midst of a car burglary at the Creeks of River Ridge apartment complex and two suspects got away in dramatic fashion. Sheriff Joe Lopinto said one suspect fled the scene, carjacked a vehicle, crashed it, and ran off on foot. While the other suspect drove off, he encountered two deputies blocking the complex exit.

 Cut 6 (12)  “…catch up with him.” (2x)

Lopinto says the getaway car was a vehicle that had been carjacked from St. John on Tuesday.

A 12-year-old and 14-year-old were arrested and the four are believed to be linked to more than 60 car burglaries. Lopinto says the mother of the two juveniles, 42-year-old Tiffany Broomfield came to the sheriff’s office and was questioned why she didn’t know where her children were at 2 am.

Cut 7 (08)  “…(x2) who they were with.”

Lopinto says after Broomfield argued with officers she was arrested on outstanding warrants and told her two children would not be going home with her. Lopinto says he has a 12-year-old, and he knows where they are in the middle of the night.

Cut 8 (09)  “….know where they are.” 

Deputies say they’ve checked with local hospitals for any gunshot wounds possibly related to the incident in case one of the suspects was shot when he drove off.

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The work release inmate accused of killing a co-worker at Foster Farms in Farmerville has been arrested in Texas. Union Parish Sheriff Dusty Gates and his deputies have been looking for 48-year-old Bruce Causey since April

Cut 9 (10) “…warrants on him” 

Gates says Causey fatally stabbed Ketrick Lavon Calhoun at the chicken processing plant and fled the scene. He says police in Texas responding to a verbal domestic incident near Houston resulted in Causey’s arrest.

Cut 10 (09) “…make a mistake” 

Gates says Causey will have to face a firearm charge in Texas before he’s extradited to Louisiana. The sheriff says the Calhoun family is relieved…

Cut 11 (10)  “…to hear that.”

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It looks like a third day of voting will pass without the U.S. House selecting a Speaker. Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has fallen short of the 218 votes needed to become speaker for a 9th time today. “The Advocate” reporter Mark Ballard – who is in D.C. at the Capitol – says this is despite talk in the halls of Congress that negotiations with McCarthy’s naysayers were making progress…:

Cut 12 (13) “…and House procedures.”  

In a seventh vote taken at mid-day today (Thursday), McCarthy gathered only 201 votes. Democrat Hakeem Jeffries had 213. A motion for an 8^th vote fell short of enough votes to proceed.  A 9th vote today also failed to elect him. Ballard says behind-the-scenes negotiations will go on until the GOP can unite sufficient votes behind McCarthy’s leadership..:

Cut 13 (o7) “…Speaker of the House.” 

There are 20 Republican holdouts, who want concessions from McCarthy as House leader. Ballard says they want House rules changed so it no longer takes a majority vote to call for a vote to replace the Speaker. They also demand he commit to allowing far fewer so-called omnibus federal spending bills…:

Cut 14 (13)   “…passed at that moment.”

Ballard says there are still 5 congressmen who vow they will never vote for McCarthy as Speaker, and he’ll need at least three of their votes to cross the finish line.

LSU’S Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s DASH Diet receives tops rankings among U.S. News and World Report’s list of Best Diets. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1(29)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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Drivers are seeing a spike in gasoline prices, but it should not last long. Jeff Palermo has the story…

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LSU’S Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s DASH Diet once again ranks among U.S. News and World Report’s list of Best Diets. Dr. Catherine Champagne is one of the developers and she says the DASH diet consistently makes the list because so much research went into its creation.

Cut 3 (10) “…health benefits.” 

The DASH Diet was listed in the 1997 New England Journal of Medicine and ever since has been quoted by others about 6,000 times.

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods. And unlike most fad diets that exclude foods, Champagne says the DASH Diet follows a different methodology.

Cut 4 (05)  “…in moderation.” 

Champagne says not only is the DASH Diet heart-friendly it helps prevent diabetes. And unlike fad diets, she says it’s one everyone in the home can take part in.

Cut 5 (08) “…entire family.”

The DASH Diet is ranked second for the best overall diet and weight loss, and number one for the best heart-healthy and diabetes diet.

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Hot and dry weather, than a late summer flood, then more hot and dry weather resulted in more than 500-million dollars in crop losses for Louisiana farmers in 2022. LSU AgCenter Economist Michael Deliberto says parts of northeast Louisiana saw 18 inches of rain during a week-long period in late August,

 Cut 6 (12)  “…quality reduction” 

The LSU AgCenter told the USDA that more than 800-thousand acres of the soybean crop was damaged, which is 68-percent of the crop, 316-million dollars in soybean losses.

Deliberto says low Mississippi River water levels also made it difficult to expert crop

Cut 7 (12)  “…oil seeds.”

Deliberto says 2022 was a good year for sugarcane, but they are still trying to determine the extent of damage from the freezing temperatures Christmas week…

Cut 8 (07)  “….first time” 

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How are gasoline prices for Louisiana consumers in the New Year? The statewide average price of regular gas is $2.94; up over 15-cents from a week ago, but still cheaper than a year ago. Louisiana AAA’s Don Redman says he expects prices to drop over the winter…:

Cut 9 (10) “…to do with demand.” 

Redman say demand for motor fuels always declines in colder months and the poor economy makes it even less. Barring anything unforeseen, Redman says, we can plan to spend less when we fill the tank…:

Cut 10 (08) “…at the pump.” 

The demand for motor fuels is down almost globally right now. Redman says crude oil is currently trading at around $77-a-barrel right now, compared with $120-a-barrel nine months ago. He says, for now, we will benefit by getting a break at the fuel pump…:

Cut 11 (12)  “…the coming weeks.”

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Congress remains in limbo until a new Speaker of the House is chosen and after five attempts it remains undecided. GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has been nominated five times and has yet to garner enough votes. Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says voting for speaker unlike other issues is a lengthy process.

Cut 12 (13) “…this case 34 names.”  

Graves says not only does it mean there’s not a figurehead in place it also impacts House committee appointments.

Cut 13 (11) “…this point”  

The mid-term elections resulted in a House GOP majority that Graves says is an indication voters want accountability against the Biden Administration.

Cut 14 (10)   “…void that’s there.”

Graves says he along with the other Republican House members that represent Louisiana voted for Kevin McCarthy.