The ball is rolling towards expanding the number of people who can receive government-funded health insurance. Jeff Palermo has more…

cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Governor Edwards will meet President Barack Obama when he visits Baton Rouge, although the visit may be a brief one. The governor will greet the president on the tarmac when Air Force One lands tonight. It’s uncertain if the two-men will actually have a sit down meeting. Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo says, at this point, there has been no meeting set beyond the greeting on the tarmac.

Today’s your final chance to purchase a ticket for tonight’s $1.5 billion PowerBall jackpot drawing. Louisiana Lottery Spokesperson Kimberly Chopin says they’re seeing a lot of first time players because of the world record jackpot. She advises players to not be quick to throw away their ticket tonight, even if they didn’t win the PowerBall jackpot…

cut 5 (08) “any prize”

The deadline to purchase a ticket is 9PM.

NOAA has issued new regulations allowing fish farming in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Critics feel this would cause fisherman to lose fishing grounds and possibly be put out of work. But NOAA’s Deputy Director of Aquaculture, David O’Brien, says aquaculture can compliment wild fisheries and help support fishing communities…

cut 14 (09) “support each other”

O’Brien says these new rules have been in the works for about 10 years.

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed an executive order to expand Medicaid in Louisiana. The goal is to have 300-thousand low-income, working citizens covered by Medicaid by July 1st. Edwards says they will follow other states lead for a smooth enrollment sign-up…

cut 9 (08) “help us”

The state will have to hire 248 people to help with the enrollment process and it will cost 2-point-8 million dollars, but health care providers are expected to pick up that bill.

The PowerBall jackpot has shot up to 1.5 billion dollars, making it the biggest jackpot in the world. Louisiana Lottery Spokesperson Kimberly Chopin says ticket sales keep going up as the jackpot grows. She says when ticket sales continue to climb they’re able to transfer more money to the state of Louisiana…

cut 4 (09) “for us”

The jackpot has a cash value of $930 million.

Oil prices have hit 30 dollars a barrel, which is the lowest price since December 2003. Eric Smith with the Tulane Energy Institute says we could see the price drop even lower as 2016 goes on. He says it will be tough for oil companies to make money with oil trading at that price…

cut 10 (12) “category”

A glut in supply of oil has led to this huge decline in oil prices.

Fish farming will now be allowed in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, after new regulations were issued this week by NOAA. NOAA’s Deputy Director of Aquaculture, David O’Brien, says they’ve been pushing for this because 90% of U.S. seafood is imported…

cut 13 (10) “here in the US”

This means commercial seafood can now be harvested in enclosures on the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico.

Today, Governor John Bel Edwards signed an executive order to expand Medicaid in Louisiana. Edwards spoke alongside patients he said would benefit from the federally funded health insurance. He says these are low income adults who were too poor to qualify for subsidized care on the health insurance exchange:
CUT 15 (11) “financial security”
Edwards says by July 1st, they expect more than 300,000 citizens will enroll under the new Medicaid eligibility.

Nola.com is reporting that Mandeville Mayor Donald Villere admitted to police that he had been drinking when he was busted urinating off the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The Mayor was issued a citation for the offense. He apparently asked cops to help him out because he is running for re-election.

A 12-year-old girl died in a residential structure fire in Eunice, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office. They say firefighters located the lifeless body of young Cailey Duplechain during suppression efforts, dead of apparent smoke inhalation. Her stepfather and 4-month old brother were able to escape the blaze with injuries and are expected to recover. An electric space heater was located near the origin of the fire and the home, which was completely destroyed, had no smoke alarms.

A woman who worked for the Webster Parish sheriff’s office was found dead in a shallow grave near her home in Homer, and a man who lived close by has been arrested in connection with her death. Webster Parish Sheriff Gary Sexton says he worked with 68-year-old Sulyn Prince for years…:
CUT 11 (09) “sheriff’s office”
35-year-old Jermaine Johnson, a registered tier 3 sex offender, is charged with second degree murder.

The first executive order issued by Governor John Bel Edwards would expand Medicaid eligibility requirements in Louisiana so that more low income people have have access to federally funded healthcare. The administration hopes to have 300,000 Louisianians signed up by July 1st.

A Homer man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 68-year-old Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office employee. Emelie Gunn has more…:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Governor John Bel Edwards says he’d like to see the minimum wage in Louisiana raised. The state’s current minimum wage is the federally mandated wage of $7.25 per hour. LSU Economist Jim Richardson says he’s heard talk of raising that to anywhere between $8.50 to 10.10 per hour. He says a hike in minimum wage could cause businesses to re-think how they do business…:
CUT 4 (07) “business”
Supporters of a higher minimum wage say putting more money in workers hands will help spur the economy. But Richardson points out that money has to come from somewhere.

The NCAA has issued penalties to the UL-Lafayette football program admit self-sanctions related to an assistant coach allegedly faking recruits ACT scores. The school is fined $5000 and has to vacate any wins where ineligible players participated. Voice of the Ragin Cajuns Jay Walker says nobody had any idea these infractions were taking place…:
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The school has sued the ACT over failure to detecting the cheating.

Starting July 1st, Governor John Bel Edwards says he hopes to have 300,000 healthcare cards into the hands of low-income people who are newly eligible for Medicaid. The Governor signed his first executive order today and it expands the federally funded health insurance program. Edwards says this will help keep the working poor from slipping further into poverty..:
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Edwards says to qualify, a family or individual must have income at 138% of the federal poverty level.

BP says they plan to cut an additional 4,000 jobs this year, including from oil production operations in the United States. The company did not say how many people in the US would be laid off. Benchmark US crude today fell below $30 a barrel before settling at $30.44 at the close. Tuesday’s statewide average for a gallon of gas was $1.74 according to AAA.

The NCAA has announced sanctions against UL-Lafayette as a result of a former assistant football coach violating rules by arranging fraudulent entrance exam scores for five prospects. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 2 (28) “I’m Eric Gill”
The University is now suing ACT Inc seeking damages for failure to detect fake test results.

The worlds largest jackpot was raised again today. The Powerball is now $1.5 billion. If you go into a work pool, legal analyst Tim Meche says trust the person in charge…:
CUT 7 (08) “ticket with”

Today, Governor John Bel Edwards signed an executive order to expand Medicaid in Louisiana. Edwards spoke alongside legislators, community leaders and key stakeholders as well as patients he said would benefit from the federally funded health insurance. He says these are low income adults who were too poor to qualify for subsidized care on the health insurance exchange:
CUT 15 (11) “financial security”
Edwards says by July 1st, they expect more than 300,000 citizens will enroll under the new Medicaid eligibility.

Lottery officials on Tuesday raised tomorrow night’s Powerball jackpot to an estimated $1.5 billion dollars. The cash value is $930 million, before taxes. The world’s largest lottery jackpot has a one in 292.2 million chance to match all 6 numbers.

A Homer man is under arrest for allegedly murdering a 68-year-old Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office employee and burying her body in a shallow grave. Sheriff Gary Sexton says, after being reported missing by her daughter, the remains of 68-year-old Sulyn Prince were located in a wooded area behind her home…:
CUT 10 (09) “in it”
35-year-old Jermaine Johnson, who was convicted of simple rape in April 2015, is charged with second degree murder in the death of Prince.

The UL-Lafayette football program has been penalized by the NCAA for self-imposed sanctions related to a former assistant coach who allegedly faked exam scores for potential recruits. Voice of the Ragin Cajuns Jay Walker says the university already vacated wins from 2011 and the NCAA has ordered the same for 2012-2014 seasons for the games the ineligible players were in…:
CUT 13 (04) “all of the wins”

On Inauguration Day, Governor John Bel Edwards says a modest, but meaningful increase needs to be made to the minimum wage in Louisiana. So what would that mean for workers and businesses? LSU Economist Jim Richardson says a wage hike would not be “free money” as it currently belongs to someone..:
CUT 5 (10) “to spend it”
Richardson says he’s heard talk of raising the state’s minimum wage to $8.50 to $10.10 per hour.

Edwards also wants to expand Medicaid and is set to announce those plans this hour.

The Powerball jackpot for tomorrow’s drawing was raised to $1.5 billion dollars. Legal analyst Tim Meche says it’s more important than ever to make sure you sign the back of your ticket:
CUT 8 (08) “your ticket”

A Homer man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 68-year-old Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office employee. Emelie Gunn has more…:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

A Baton Rouge doctor is under arrest for allegedly prescribing medication illegally. BRPD says 57-year-old Dr. Randy LaMartiniere is accused of handing out over 3200 doses of Schedule II narcotics, 44 of Schedule III and 333 of Schedule IV while he was suspended by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. He faces 31 counts of illegal distribution.

The body of a woman who worked for the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office was found in a shallow grave near her home in Homer, and a man has been arrested in connection with her murder. 68 year-old Sulyn (SOOH’ lihn) Prince was reported missing by her daughter on Monday, according to Webster Parish Sheriff Gary Sexton…:
CUT 9 (09) “something wrong”
He says K-9s located Prince’s remains in woods near her residence. 35-year-old Jermaine Johnson is charged with second degree murder. The investigation is ongoing.

As the Powerball jackpot is now up to 1.5 billion dollars, many people are teaming up to buy tickets in bulk. Legal analyst Tim Meche says it’s not illegal to pool money to purchase several tickets, but you should make sure the person in charge is someone you trust…:
CUT 6 (09) “no agreement”

The UL-Lafayette football team has been placed on two years probation and will lose three scholarships for each of the next two seasons. The NCAA accepted the university’s self-imposed sanctions regarding a former UL assistant coach alleged to have violated rules by arranging fake entrance exam scores for five prospects. Voice of the Ragin Cajuns Jay Walker says the NCAA’s penalties could have been worse…:
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UL-Lafayette must also vacate wins from the 2011 season.

LSU running back Leonard Fournette is the first player in LSU history to lead the nation in rushing, with an average of 162.8 yards per game. Fournette is also the first running back from the SEC to be declared rushing champion since 1949.

In his inaugural address, Governor John Bel Edwards spoke of raising the minimum wage in Louisiana. Many wonder what kind of affect this would have on business and workers. LSU Economist Jim Richardson says it really depends on how much the increase in the minimum wage would be…:
CUT 3 (06) “on the workers”
Louisiana’s current minimum wage is the federally mandated wage of $7.25 per hour.

Also in his inaugural address, the Governor said he would begin accepting the federal funds to expand Medicaid starting today. He has called a 1:30pm news conference to announce those plans.

President Barack Obama will speak at McKinley High Thursday at 9:45am, and all of the public tickets available for the event are reportedly sold out. Tickets were free but limited, and they were handed out beginning at 9 this morning, and were gone by 10:15.

Lottery officials announce the estimated Powerball jackpot is now $1.5 billion, with an estimated cash value of $930 million. The odds of matching all 6 numbers for Wednesday’s drawing are one in 292.2 million.

As Louisiana has sworn in a new governor, we also have a new Lt. Governor, Republican Billy Nungesser. He also has budget issues to face. He says it will take creativity and working with the legislature to change laws to create more money within tourism…
cut 13 (10) “welcome centers”
Nungesser says it’s hard to ask for money for tourism when education and other critical needs are being cut.

In the final NCAA AP poll, LSU is ranked 16th, while running back Leonard Fournette is the nation’s leading rusher as he averaged 163 yards a game.