Arguments begin today in a New Orleans federal courtroom over how much BP should be fined for its role in the 2010 Gulf oil spill. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 2 (29) “reporting”

Voters this fall will elect a new governor in Louisiana. Republican Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle says he’s committed to building a better Louisiana, if elected governor…

cut 15 (07) “go to work”

Senator David Vitter and Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne are other Republican candidates and John Bel Edwards is the lone major Democrat at this point.

Former Saints star and ALS advocate Steve Gleason is Senator David Vitter’s guest tonight at the State of the Union. Vitter says Gleason will also meet with US Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to discuss ways to make equipment more available for ALS victims…

cut 5 (11) “verbalizes that”

The State of the Union address begins at 8PM.

You can file your federal and state tax returns today. Mark Elredge, with the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants, says every taxpayer will be asked to check a box on whether they had health insurance in 2014 and if you did not, you’re subject to a fine that’s laid out in the Affordable Care Act…

cut 11 (10) “there is a penalty”

The penalty is based on several factors.

A CBS News poll of one-thousand Americans finds that 14-percent of Republicans want Governor Bobby Jindal to run for President. Jeff Palermo has more…

cut 2 (30) “reporting”

Roadwork begins tonight on a $1 million project to modify exit ramps on I-10 in Lafayette. Department of Transportation spokesperson Deidra Druilhet says these improvements will help with the flow of traffic through the Ambassador Caffery exits…

cut 4 (05) “achieve there”

The project is expected to last until March.

Authorities had to close the I-210 bridge in Lake Charles due to a bomb threat this morning. State Police Sgt. James Anderson says they received a call about a car on fire on the Calcasieu River bridge, but found no car on fire and the person with the car said he had a bomb. Anderson says the investigation is ongoing, but they aren’t ruling out that this is all a hoax. He says their intelligence section is looking into the suspect’s background…

cut 8 (04) “are pending”

The bridge was cleared and all traffic diverted as a precaution. The bridge is now re-opened.

A two-vehicle accident in Natchitoches Parish on Sunday afternoon left three people dead and four others injured, according to State Police. Moreau says the cars of 41-year-old Stacey Lachney of Pineville and 31-year-old Jennifer Tell of Montgomery pretty much collided head on…

cut 10 (09) “dead, as well”

Lachney was also killed. Moreau says Lachney crossed the center line of US 70.

A CBS News poll of one one-thousand Americans nationwide found 14-percent of Republicans would like to see Governor Bobby Jindal run for President, while 20-percent said they do not want to see him run. U-L Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says the survey shows that Jindal needs to improve his name recognition…

cut 12 (08) “Marco Rubio”

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is the republican getting the most support based on this poll, as 59-percent of respondents said they would like to see Romney run again.

Authorities had to close the I-210 bridge in Lake Charles due to a bomb threat this morning. State Police Sgt. James Anderson says they received a call about a car on fire on the Calcasieu River bridge…

cut 6 (06) “he had a bomb”

The bridge was cleared and all traffic diverted as a precaution. The suspect is in custody and charges are pending.

State Police say a two-vehicle accident in Natchitoches Parish on Sunday afternoon left three people dead and four others injured. Master Trooper Scott Moreau says seat belts were used, but impairment is unknown. He says a vehicle driven by 41-year-old Stacey Lachney of Pineville crossed the center line of US 70 and collided with a vehicle driven by 31-year-old Jennifer Tell of Montgomery…

cut 9 (09) “moderate injuries”

Tell was also killed, along with a passenger in her car identified as Brian West. Anderson says three juvenile passengers in Tell’s car received minor to serious injuries in the crash.

The Department of Transportation says work will begin tonight on a $1 million project to modify exit ramps on I-10 in Lafayette. Spokesperson Deidra Druilhet says crews will be working on the east and westbound exit ramps at Ambassador Caffery…

cut 3 (06) “capacity there”

She says these improvements will help with the flow of traffic through the area. The project is expected to be completed in March.

New Orleans Congressman Cedric Richmond sent a letter to Airlines for America expressing concern that airfare prices have not gone down despite the significant decline in fuel costs. Scott Carwile reports…

cut 1 (31) “reporting”

State Police say a single vehicle accident in Beauregard Parish has left a DeRidder man dead. They say, for unknown reasons, a truck driven by 69-year-old Donald Rollins ran off the road and struck a tree. Rollins was transported to a local hospital for what was believed to be minor injuries. However, authorities were later notified that Rollins succumbed to internal injuries he suffered as a result of the crash. Rollins was properly restrained at the time of the crash. The investigation is ongoing.

Claiborne Fundamental Elementary School in Shreveport and Gibson Elementary School in Terrebonne Parish are this year’s National Title I Distinguished Schools. Claiborne Principal Ellen Hall says the Title I part of the award means that they serve children who have been identified as having financial need, but that level of income for their parents does not put a ceiling on their ability to learn…

cut 15 (10) “can not be done”

Hall says the secret to their success revolves around everybody having high expectations and believing that it can be done.

A department of education report that shows more than 61-thousand public school students received an out of school suspension last academic year as a result disciplinary action. Baton Rouge senator Sharon Weston Broome is concerned that sending a misbehaving student home, will not correct their behavior in the future, and that issue needs to be discussed more…

cut 11 (10) “need to exercise”

That number is about nine-percent of the state’s public school students.

New Orleans Congressman Cedric Richmond is concerned that airfare prices have not gone down despite the drop in fuel costs. Richmond says it only seems fair that with the cost of fuel dropping rapidly, that some of those savings be passed on to consumers…

cut 4 (09) “to American families”

Richmond wants an explanation of what exactly makes up the price of an airline ticket.

It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which marks the birthday of the chief spokesman for the civil rights movement. King is credited with helping advance civil rights and was assassinated in 1968. Dr. Faye Williams of Alexandria currently serves as the Chair of the National Congress of Black Women and she says a lot has changed since then…

cut 7 (11) “will live on”

King’s 17 minute long speech at the March on Washington in 1963, which became known as I Have A Dream, is regarded as one of the finest speeches in the history of American oratory.

The Louisiana Department of Education has tapped Gibson Elementary School in Terrebonne Parish and Claiborne Fundamental Elementary School in Shreveport as this year’s National Title I Distinguished Schools. Gibson principal Sharon Henry says the secret to such success is working together to do what’s right for kids…

cut 13 (07) “be successful”

Henry says 89% of her students are considered economically disadvantaged and the academic progress they have made is remarkable.

Baton Rouge state Senator Sharon Weston Broome is concerned about a department of education report showing more than 61-thousand public school students received an out of school suspension last academic year as a result disciplinary action. Broome says she’s meeting with school officials in an attempt to find out if sending a disruptive or troubled child home is the best punishment…

cut 10 (10) “minor infractions”

The report says out of school suspensions and expulsions were the result of fights, willful disobedience, disrespect of teachers, or the use of drugs on campus.

A report from the department of education shows that nine-percent of public school students in Louisiana received out-of-school suspensions and expulsions last year academic year. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 2 (28) “reporting”

State Police say a two-vehicle accident in Natchitoches Parish has left three people dead and four others injured. They say a vehcile, driven by 41-year-old Stacey Lachney of Pineville, crossed the center line of US 70 and collided with a car driven by 31-year-old Jennifer Tell of Montgomery. Lachney and Tell were killed, as was Brian West. Four others are hospitalized with minor to serious injuries.

Gibson Elementary School in Terrebonne Parish and Claiborne Fundamental Elementary School in Shreveport are named as this year’s National Title I Distinguished Schools by The Louisiana Department of Education. Claiborne Fundamental Elementary gets the honor for exhibiting high student performance for two or more consecutive years. Principal Ellen Hall says their teachers work extremely hard and they have a great parental involvement program…

cut 14 (10) “and great things happen”

The program recognizes two schools from each state.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It’s a day which marks the birthday of the chief spokesman for the civil rights movement. Chair of the National Congress of Black Women, Dr. Faye Williams of Alexandria, says we should use today to remember Dr. King by calling on people from all walks of life to work together in providing solutions to our most pressing national problems…

cut 8 (07) “that’s his legacy”

She says today is a day of service.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It’s a day which marks the birthday of the chief spokesman for the civil rights movement which is actually January 15th. Dr. Faye Williams of Alexandria currently serves as the Chair of the National Congress of Black Women and says today is a day of service…

cut 6 (09) “servant of the people”

The holiday is observed the third Monday of January each year.

New Orleans Congressman Cedric Richmond is concerned that airfare prices have not gone down despite the significant decline in fuel costs. He expressed his concerns in a letter to Nicholas Calio, President and CEO of Airlines for America. Richmond says the fact that airline ticket prices haven’t gone down doesn’t make any sense to him…

cut 3 (09) “fuel costs”

In a written statement, Airlines for America says air travel remains one of the best consumer bargains in America.

The Louisiana Department of Education has named Gibson Elementary School in Terrebonne Parish and Claiborne Fundamental Elementary School in Shreveport as this year’s National Title I Distinguished Schools. Gibson principal Sharon Henry says they get the honor for having made the most progress in closing the achievement gap with historically non-performing students…

cut 12 (11) “by 10%”

The program recognizes two schools from each state.

A Baton Rouge lawmaker is concerned about a department of education report that shows more than 61-thousand public school students received an out of school suspension last academic year as a result disciplinary action. Senator Sharon Weston Broome believes that’s too high

cut 9 (10) “infractions”

That number is about nine-percent of the state’s public school students.

Lawmakers approved a 20% pay raise for State Troopers today during a Joint Legislative Budget Committee meeting. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 1 (32) “reporting”

US Senator David Vitter says former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason will be his guest during President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday in Washington. Gleason, who has ALS and has been an advocate for others living with it, announced through Twitter that he was meeting with US Heath and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burton before going to Congress to hear the President’s speech.

A governor’s candidate forum was held in Baton Rouge, and the four candidates discussed what needs to be done for Louisiana highways. The lone democrat in the race, Amite representative Jon Bel Edwards, says Louisiana could spend more money on highways, if state government made sure Transportation Trust Funds went to roads and not other areas…

cut 14 (12) “and bridges”

Republicans Senator David Vitter, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, and Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle also spoke at the forum.

The EPA has agreed to delay the open tray burn of the M6 propellant at Camp Minden for at least 90 days. Minden Representative Gene Reynolds says this is “half time” and now is not the time to let up because the town hasn’t won yet…:

cut 9 (06) “that would be great”

Reynolds says there will now be more meetings to discuss how this 15 million pounds of M6 should be disposed of in a way that does not harm the environment.