Governor John Bel Edwards is expected to unveil his tax reform plan today when he meets with the Committee of 100 in Washington, D.C. President of the Council for a Better Louisiana, Barry Erwin, says comprehensive tax reform is needed because many of the taxes raised in la year’s special sessions will expire next year…:
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Tax changes could be made during the regular session, which is set to begin in April.

Tuesday’s tornado that struck New Orleans east was unfortunately one for the record books. Jeff Palermo explains…:
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A Baton Rouge judge has been banned from a local restaurant after he allegedly used racial slurs against an African American woman. Kaneitra Johnson posted on Facebook about the incident, saying Judge Mike Erwin called her the n-word while arguing over a bar seat at Sammy’s on Highland Road. Louisiana NAACP President Ernest Johnson says we should expect more from our leaders, and words do matter.
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Legal analyst Tim Meche says the Louisiana Judiciary Commission will investigate the incident..:
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No charges have been filed against Erwin.

An explosion near DeRidder has killed at least three and injured several others, according to the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office. Chief Deputy Joe Toler says authorities received a call just after 11 a.m. of an explosion at Packaging Corporation of America on U.S. 190. He says the scene has been contained and the fire is out…:
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Toler says authorities are working to determine what caused the explosion.

State Police are seeking a father and son from Thibodaux in connection with a kidnapping of a Lafayette man. Trooper Jesse Lagrange says four men have already been arrested…:
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He says police are still actively seeking 45-year-old Jeffery Slack Sr. and 20-year-old Jeffery Slack Jr.

Just one day after a tornado ravaged the town of Donaldsonville, Mayor Leroy Sullivan says residents have a lot to be thankful for. He says 15 to 20 homes inside the city limits sustained at least moderate damage, while several more were impacted outside the city, but fortunately no one was seriously injured…:
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Mike Steele with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says teams are gathering data, so Louisiana can make a case for federal assistance to help those that lost everything and rebuild public infrastructure…:
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New Orleans East was the hardest hit area, but twisters also touched down in Jefferson, Livingston, Ascension, St. James, Tangipahoa, and St. Tammany Parishes.

State and local officials attempt to get an estimate on how much damage was created by a series of tornadoes on Tuesday. Jeff Palermo has more:
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KPLC in Lafayette is reporting that officials confirmed there was an explosion at the Packaging Corporation of America plant in Beauregard Parish, and two, maybe three people are dead. State Police and the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office are responding. More on this as it develops.

The Saints and the Pelicans are stepping up to help those who were impacted by yesterday’s tornado outbreak. Non-perishable food and other tornado-related items can be dropped off at the teams’ training facilities in Metairie.

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore addressed the thought on many people’s mind: when will the results of the federal investigation into the officer-involved shooting of Alton Sterling be made public? Moore says since his office recused itself early on in the case, he can’t be exactly sure but…:
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Moore issued a report on officer-involved fatal shootings last year in East Baton Rouge Parish and said mental illness, the presence of guns and domestic violence were a major factor in these cases.

The National Weather Service confirms that the tornado that touched down in New Orleans East on Tuesday was an EF3 on the scale. This means wind speeds reached between 136-165 miles per hour, which causes roofs to be completely torn off, walls blown away, a majority of trees uprooted and vehicles lifted off the ground.

Mike Steele with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says the state is very lucky that no one was killed…:
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A total of 39 injuries were reported in the 7 parishes that were hit by tornadoes, according to officials. Entergy reports nearly 8000 customers remain without power and it could be a couple of days before everyone is restored. Steele adds shelters have been set up in New Orleans and Donaldsonville for those whose homes were destroyed.

12 inmates at the Tangipahoa Parish jail are facing murder charges amid allegations they were involved in beating to death a man who was behind bars on a probation violation. The Sheriff’s Office says 40-year-old Tommy Smith was told by inmates that he wasn’t welcome there and he was attacked. The dozen inmates involved in what was described as a “shark feeding frenzy” are charged with second degree murder.

Governor John Bel Edwards heads to Washington D.C. again today to push for more federal flood aid. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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The destructive outbreak of surprise tornadoes that touched down in Louisiana Tuesday caused nearly 40 reported injuries, but no fatalities. New Orleans East was hit particularly hard and Mayor Mitch Landrieu says they are working to help transition those who lost everything…:
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Entergy reports more than 8200 customers remain without power which likely won’t be restored for a couple more days.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue says a tax preparer is accused of submitting returns which claimed losses for a business that does not exist. They say Warren Bryant of Lutcher allegedly improperly reduced his clients’ taxable income by reporting phony company losses which resulted in bigger refunds. The scheme cost taxpayers over $116,000. Bryant is charged with Principal to Filing or Maintaining False Public Records and Principal to Illegal Transmission of Monetary Funds.

Governor John Bel Edwards issued another state of emergency because of the tornadoes on Tuesday, and now he’s headed to Washington D.C. to lobby Congress for more flood relief from the disaster in 2016. He says one of his proposals is to allow flood victims to use grant money to pay off Small Business Administration loans…:
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Edwards says we’ve received 1.6 billion dollars in grant money so far but another two billion is necessary.

The National Weather Service says in the days leading up to Tuesday’s tornadoes, it didn’t even look like south Louisiana was going to get much rain, much less severe weather. Slidell forecaster Mike Efferson says this is why it’s vital that people have several ways to be alerted.
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He says seven areas across southeast Louisiana sustained possible tornado damage and they will know more as numbers come in today.

Governor John Bel Edwards has once again declared a state of emergency after several tornadoes touched down in southeast Louisiana on Tuesday. New Orleans East sustained the most damage, and Mayor Mitch Landrieu says this took everyone completely by surprise…:
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Officials estimate at least 20 people in southeast Louisiana sustained injuries, but no deaths were reported.

The governor is headed to Washington D.C. to push for more flood aid:
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A public meeting will be held tonight in Assumption Parish on the proposed controversial Bayou Bridge Pipeline. One of the partner companies on the project is Energy Transfer and Senior vice president of engineering Joey Mahmoud says those in opposition are mis-characterizing data.:
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the Louisiana Bucket Brigade says the Atchafalaya Basin is already suffering from too many pipelines.

The tornadoes that touched down in Louisiana made national headlines. The National Weather Service is still working to determine exactly how many twisters hit, and how much damage they caused. Slidell forecaster Mike Efferson says one of the twisters went from Killian in Livingston Parish to Madisonville in St. Tammany Parish…:
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He says tornadoes also touched down in Ascension, St. James parishes, and Livingston Parish.

Governor John Bel Edwards has declared yet another state of emergency in Louisiana, as his office says at least 7 tornadoes touched down in 6 parishes on Tuesday. New Orleans East sustained the most damage, after a massive twister moved through the Crescent City around 11 a.m. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says they were extremely lucky there was no loss of life…:
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National Weather Service forecaster Mike Efferson says their preliminary estimates are that 60 homes were damaged by the twister in The Big Easy. He says they believe it was at least an EF2…:
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He says other twisters touched down in Ascension and St. James parishes, as well as two in Livingston Parish.

A meeting to discuss the proposed Bayou Bridge Pipeline will be held tonight in Assumption Parish. Halen Doughty has more..:
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The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office says a man who was jailed on a probation violation was beaten to death by at least a dozen inmates as he tried to find a bunk in a dorm area. The victim is identified as 40-year-old Tommy Joe Smith of Independence. Officials say one of the inmates described the attack as a “shark-feeding frenzy.” Twelve fellow inmates were arrested.

The Bayou State has once again been declared a state of emergency after tornadoes ripped through southeast Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has more..:
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Nearly 8,000 Entery customers remain without power this morning.

Governor Edwards meanwhile is in Washington D.C. today to push Congress for more federal flood aid. He says Louisiana received 1.6 billion dollars in grant money so far but another two billion is necessary to get victims back in their homes…:
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A public meeting will be held tonight in Assumption Parish on the proposed Bayou Bridge Pipeline. The 163-mile oil pipeline would run from Lake Charles through the Atchafalaya Basin to St. James Parish. Anne Rolfes with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade opposes the project.:
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Energy Transfer Partners is one of the companies involved in the pipeline. Senior vice president of engineering Joey Mahmoud says if there’s ever been a project that is by Louisiana and for Louisiana, it’s this one…:
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The meeting will be held tonight at 6 p.m. in the Assumption Parish Public Library in Napoleonville.