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”

The Allen Parish Sheriff’s Department says they have discovered the remains of a pregnant Lecompte woman, missing since 2011, and the woman arrested in connection with her disappearance now faces murder charges. They say the remains of 22-year-old Victoria Perez were found buried in the front yard of Pamela Causey-Fregia. Causey-Fregia now faces first degree murder and first degree feticide charges.

A lot of people are waiting to see if Democratic New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu will get in this year’s governor’s race. Jeremy Alford, publisher of la-politics-dot-com, 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”

He 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.

There is a new, free app for your smart phone that will give you health reports for local restaurants. “What the Health” will give you a list of the 100 restaurants nearest to you and show you a letter and number grade for each restaurant along with any actual violations they received during their last inspection. App co-creator Jake Van Dyke of Modern Appsolutions says this app is really just a tool to help you judge your risk in eating out…

cut 12 (06) “in the morning”

The app is available for both iPhone and Android phones.

There are reports that some families are opting out from having their child take standardized tests that are part of Common Core because they feel those tests will be harmful to their children. Chairman of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Chas 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”

Roemer is encouraging parents to have their child take the test in March.

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.

LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center plans to provide doctors in Louisiana with proven strategies which would reduce and treat childhood obesity. Project lead, Dr. Amanda Staiano, 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.

If you are interested in health reports for local restaurants, there’s now an app for that. It’s called “What the Health” and co-creator Jake Van Dyke of Modern Appsolutions says the app is very user friendly…

cut 10 (08) “recent inspection”

Louisiana is one of just eight states, along with Washington DC, serviced by the app. The app is free and available for both Android and iPhones.

The New England Patriots overcame a 10 point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 last night in Super Bowl 49. Former LSU wide receiver Brandon Lafell caught four passes, including one for a touchdown, as he earned his first Super Bowl ring. Louisiana Tech alum, punter Ryan Allen, who averaged 49 yards a punt in the game, also picked up his first ring. This is New England’s fourth NFL championship in franchise history.

Anthony Davis could be back in the Pelicans’ starting linup tonight as they face the red-hot Atlanta Hawks. Davis sat out Friday night’s 108-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers with a groin strain. The Pels could use Davis tonight as the Hawks have won a franchise record 19 straight and have not tasted defeat since December 26th. Tipoff in the Smoothie King Center is scheduled for 7PM.

In college hoops over the weekend. Mississippi State dropped LSU 73-67. The Tigers fall to 5-3 in SEC play.

In the Sun Belt, ULM got past South Alabama 67-61 and UL-Lafayette defeated Texas State 72-63. ULM remains in a tie for second in the league, a half-game behind Georgia Southern.

In the Southland, Incarnate Word beat Nicholls State 69-58, McNeese State got past UNO 68-61, and Northwestern State blew past Southeastern Lousiana 88-73.

In Conference USA, Louisiana Tech improves to 8-1 in league play after their 81-57 win over the Thundering Heard of Marshall. The Bulldogs remain tied with Western Kentucky atop the conference standings.

And in the American Conference, Temple trounced Tulane 55-37.

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”

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.

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.

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 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”

“What the Health” will give you a list of the 100 restaurants nearest to you. The app is available for both iPhone and Android phones.

Mitt Romney makes it official today: he is not running for president. So now the Republican field is just a little less crowded for Governor Bobby Jindal…
cut 11 (11) “to go”
That’s ULL Political Science Professor Pearson Cross.

With Common Core testing scheduled for March, some families have decided on opting their kids out of taking the tests. BESE member Lottie Beebe says, according to the Department of Education, this will cause negative implications for schools and systems…
CUT 3 (09) “and school systems”
So in response today, Governor Bobby Jindal issued an executive order to protect those parents and districts who opt out, suggesting alternate assessment tests be given.
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State Fire Marshal’s officials are investigating a Thursday night mobile home fire in Marksville that has left four dead. Eric Gill reports…
CUT 1 (29) “reporting”

And a tragedy this morning in a Thibodaux shopping center parking lot as a two year-old was struck and killed by a Chevy truck just past 10 AM. The driver- whose name was not released – submitted to a breathalyzer test, which showed no alcohol in his system. That unfortunate accident is under investigation by the Thibodaux Police Department.

How does Mitt Romney’s decision not to run for president next year affect Governor Bobby Jindal? UL-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross says it could be a good thing, since there’s one less main-stream contender that Jindal has to compete against…:
CUT 9 (10) “conservative wing”
2016 would have been Romney’s third run at the White House.

High school principals voted to continue the current split brackets between public and private schools in the state football playoffs for at least another year. Many Principal Norman Booker would like to see the split extended to other sports and might bring that proposal back again next year, if he believes private schools have a compeitive advantage over public schools…
CUT 13 (09) Q: “drawing board”
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said today that New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson is in complete control, and a positive force in the league…
CUT 30 (11) Q: ‘what he’s doing’
Goodell was asked about the lawsuit filed against Benson by three family members. He called that dispute unfortunate.

Some Common Core developments, as some members of the BESE board would like to have a special meeting after receiving reports that some students are opting out from taking Common Core tests. It’s not clear district-to-district what that would mean for student promotion, but even so, BESE member Lottie Beebe says they want to be pro-active…
CUT 5 (04) Q: “their concerns”
Meanwhile Governor Bobby Jindal issued an executive order today to protect those parents and districts who opt out, suggesting alternate assessment tests be given.

With Mitt Romney making the official announcement he is NOT running for president, what does that mean for Governor Bobby Jindal? ULL Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says Romney passed on Jindal as a vice- presidential contender last time saying the two never really connected…:
cut 10 (09) “Romney does”
And Cross adds when a potential marquis candidate drops out, it helps all the remaining candidates.

State Fire Marshall’s Office is investigating another deadly house fire; this one in a mobile home in Avoyelles Parish that left 4 people dead…
CUT 8 (06) Q: “caused this fire’
That’s State Fire Marshal Butch Browning, who adds the victims’ ages ranged from 73 down to 10 years-old.
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Some members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education would like to see a special board meeting after receiveing reports that some students are opting out from taking Common Core tests . BESE member Lottie Beebe says there are questions about whether or not a student would be promoted if they chose not to take the test…
CUT 4 (09) Q: ‘across the state”

High school principals have voted to keep the current split between public and private schools that exists with the football playoffs, and the new executive director of the LHSAA, Eddie Bonine, says he wants to organize a committee to tackle the issues…
CUT 14 (07) Q: “address them”
He hopes to have solutions on a playoff format that high school principals can vote on next January.

With Common Core testing scheduled for March, some families have decided on opting their kids out of taking the tests. Eric Gill has more…:
CUT 2 (28) “reporting”

Congressman Bill Cassidy has introduced legislation today that would ban taxpayer funds from being used for oil paintings of elected officials including the president, vice president or members of Congress. Cassidy says tax dollars should go to building roads or improving schools, not oil paintings very few people ever see or care about.

Four are dead after an overnight fire in Avoyelles Parish. State Fire Marshall Butch Browning says a father, grandmother, son, and daughter all perished in the blaze. The victims’ ages range from 10 to 73-years-old. Browning says firefighters tried to do a search of the mobile home, but the flames were too intense…:
CUT 7 (10) “the fire starting”
Browning says they believe the four victims were asleep at the time of the fire. The cause is under investigation.

High school principals vote to keep the current split between public and private schools that exists with the football playoffs and allow the new executive director of the LHSAA, Eddie Bonine, to develop solutions that could possibly bring the classes back together. Bonine says his first step will be to organize a committee to examine the issues that caused the split…:
CUT 12 (10) “many, many years”

With Common Core testing scheduled for March, some families have decided on opting their kids out of taking the tests. BESE member Lottie Beebe says, according to information provided by the Department of Education, this will cause negative implications…:
CUT 3 (09) “and school systems”
So far, only a handful of families have opted their kids out of Common Core testing, but more are expected to join so Beebe says BESE needs to hold a special meeting to address this issue.

A proposal to split postseason play between other sports than just high school football failed at today’s Louisiana High School Athletic Association annual converence. The proposal tried to convince fellow members of the LHSAA that the problems that led to the split in football exist with other sports. But new LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine urged schools to give him more time to come up with a solution that keeps seeks to keep everyone happy.

Political pundits say Governor Bobby Jindal is likely happy to hear that Mitt Romney has decided not to seek the White House spot in 2016. Romney, who would have been running for president for the third time, made the announcement to supporters today. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says anytime one of the main candidates drops out of a presidential race it’s a victory for all of the remaining contenders…:
CUT 11 (11) “to go”

Checking on today’s gas prices, it’s now been an entire week that they’ve stopped dropping. The American Automobile Association says the current statewide average for a gallon of regular is still $1.87.

Mitt Romney announced Friday he’s decided not to run for president next year, so what could that mean for Governor Bobby Jindal? 2016 would have been Romney’s third run at the White House. UL-Lafayette Political Science professor Pearson Cross says this is one less main-stream contender that Jindal has to compete with…:
CUT 9 (10) “conservative wing”
Cross says Romney also didn’t want Jindal as a Vice President so this might make the Governor a more viable contender to the new Republican nominee.

The Louisiana Lottery says we’ve now hit the biggest Powerball jackpot of 2015 with tomorrow’s drawing worth a whopping $298 million dollars. They say we haven’t had a big jackpot winner in Louisiana since May 2013 so we’re due. Players are reminded that there are many prizes on the Powerball ticket and it only takes one to win. The current jackpot has a cash value of about $198.4 million dollars.

State Fire Marshal’s officials are investigating a Thursday night mobile home fire in Marksville that has left four dead. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (29) “reporting”

Louisiana 6th District Congressman Garret Graves was named Vice Chair for the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this week. Graves will have jurisdiction over the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agencies — both of which oversee programs of concern to the Subcommittee.