Baton Rouge Police are currently looking for a suspect accused of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl after taking her from a local park. Sgt. Mary Ann Godawa says it happened on December 13 when the girl was allegedly lured near the car of the suspect…:
CUT 3 (08) “assaulted”
She says the suspect is described as a black male, approximately 6 feet tall with a medium to heavyset build and he could be driving a tan Nissan Maxima.

A weekend house fire in Alexandria has left two-year-old twins dead. The Alexandria Fire Department says the blaze was contained in the back of the home, where the twins bedroom was. The girls’ father was able to remove them from the fire. Both were taken to a local hospital where they succumbed to their injuries. The investigation is ongoing.

Now that winter has officially begun, lots of folks may start experiencing Holiday Blues. Michele Many (Main-EEE), a clinical social worker with the LSU Department of Psychiatry says it’s very common to become depressed during the Christmas season. She says this happens, in part, because we’re getting less UV exposure due to the shorter winter days…:
CUT 6 (11) “have more of it”
Many says one of the best ways you can battle the “bah humbugs” is to take care of yourself physically and try not set standards that are impossible to live up to.

Gas prices keep skyrocketing down. The current statewide average for a gallon of regular dropped another 2 cents last night to $2.24 according to the American Automobile Association. That’s almost 14 cents less than this time last week and down 85 cents from last Christmas.

A new Southern Media and Opinion Research poll shows Republican Senator David Vitter’s change in position on Common Core will benefit him. Scott Carwile reports…:
CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

The Baton Rouge Police Department is looking for a man they believe lured a 7-year-old girl into his car at a park then drove her to an unknown location and sexually assaulted her. The incident happened Saturday December 13th. The suspect is described as a black male about 6 feet tall with a medium to heavyset build — he’s possibly driving a gold or tan 4-door Nissan Maxima.

Before the end of the year you might want to think about your personal income tax situation. John Teriot with the Louisiana Society of CPAs says if you know you’ll have a big federal or state tax bill in the spring you can start paying it off now…:
CUT 12 (10) “file your return”
Theriot says now would also be a good time to let your employer know you want to up your contribution on your 401K or change your filing status on your W4.

Today is the first full day of winter and we all remember the bitter cold we experienced last year. Well State Climatologist Barry Keim says the climate prediction center’s forecast for the next three months indicates we could see a repeat..:
CUT 4 (07) “normal rainfall”
He says if an El Nino forms we could see above normal rainfall and possibly frozen precipitation once again.

As 2014 winds down, there are some things taxpayers can do to help them financially. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 3 (30) “reporting”

A Bayou L’Ourse man is under arrest accused of taking his 5-year-old daughter hostage and shooting their family dog. The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office says after Danny Ray Reding stayed up all night drinking with a friend, he fired a revolver four times. He also fired a shot in the direction of his friend. Reding then locked himself in an upstairs bedroom with his daughter. The child was rescued unharmed and the dog survived. Reding faces attempted second degree murder and several other charges.

Winter is officially here and lots of people are wondering what kind of weather to expect. State Climatologist Barry Keim says says the wildcard this winter is that El Nino which hasn’t formed yet. Keim says if the El Nino does form the way they think it will, we’ll get more rain and even possibly some freezing rain like we saw last winter…

cut 6 (12) “above normal”

He says the climate prediction center is giving the system a 60% chance of forming sometime this winter.

The Saints’ playoff hopes came to an end yesterday with a bitter 30-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The loss reflected the Saints disappointing season. They had four turnovers and the defense allowed Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan to throw for 322 yards. It’s the first time a Sean Payton coached team has missed the playoffs since 2008…

cut 20 (09) “consistently enough”

The Saints finished their home schedule with 5 straight losses in the Dome.

A new Southern Media and Opinion Research poll shows that Republican Senator David Vitter’s change in position on Common Core is popular with voters, with 64-percent agreeing with him. Another Republican gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne, says he supports the controversial education standards. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says Common Core will make next year’s governor’s race interesting…

cut 9 (11) “will be Common Core”

He says, politically, Vitter made the right move.

As 2014 comes to a close there are some things taxpayers can do to put them in a better financial position in the coming year. Louisiana Society of CPAs accountant John Theriot says before the new year, you might want to think about making charitable donations, so you can deduct it on your 2014 tax form…

cut 11 (10) “deduction also”

He also says now would be a good time to change your filing status on your W4.

The Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office says a DeRidder couple, who are currently charged with second degree cruelty to a juvenile, could face murder charges when the child dies. 28-year-old Kevin Waller and 23-year-old Brittany Cooley are currently being held without bond in the Beauregard Parish jail. Cooley’s five-month-old daughter was taken to an area hospital with a fractured skull and severe bruising. The infant is being kept on life support so her organs can be donated.

It’s the first full day of winter and Michelle Southern tells us if we can expect cold and frozen precipitation like last winter…:

cut 1 (25) “reporting”

A Southern Media and Opinion Research survey found that 64-percent of voters agree with Republican Senator David Vitter’s change in position on Common Core. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says opposing Common Core will help Vitter in his quest to become Louisiana’s next governor. He says the testing standards will be a main issue in the governor’s race…

cut 8 (09) “in Louisiana”

Vitter announced earlier this month that he now opposes the new educational testing standards.

It’s officially winter and many have not forgotten last year’s winter, which saw cold temperatures and some frozen precipitation. State Climatologist Barry Keim says we could see a repeat this year. He says the wildcard is the El Nino which has been in the forecast, but hasn’t formed yet. Keim says the climate prediction center is giving the system a 60% chance of forming sometime this winter…

cut 5 (10) “the rain chances”

The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Bayou L’Ourse man accused of taking his 5-year-old daughter hostage and shooting their family dog. Authorities say after Danny Ray Reding stayed up all night drinking with a friend, he fired his gun four times, hitting the family dog. Reding also fired a shot in the direction of his friend. Reding then locked himself in an upstairs bedroom with his daughter. The child was rescued unharmed and the dog survived the injury. Reding is booked on multiple charges including attempted second degree murder.

The Black & Gold had a chance to win the NFC South on Sunday, but instead the Saints’ playoff hopes came to an end with a bitter 30-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. What makes it hurt even more is that New Orleans finishes the year with five straight losses at the Dome. Coach Sean Payton on the lack of home wins this year…

cut 19 (14) “pretty obvious”

It’s the first time a Payton coached team has missed the playoffs since 2008.

A new poll shows that Republican Senator David Vitter’s change in position on Common Core is popular with voters. Vitter announced earlier this month he opposes the new educational testing standards and a Southern Media and Opinion Research survey found that 64-percent agree with Vitter. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says Vitter made the right move, politically…

cut 7 (08) “with Common Core”

He says the testing standards will be a main issue in the governor’s race.

Here in the final days of 2014, there are some things taxpayers can do to put them in a better financial position in 2015. John Theriot is an accountant with the Louisiana Society of CPAs and he says business owners should accelerate expenses, because anything they can pay before year’s end will get the 2014 deduction…

cut 10 (09) “should do that”

Theriot says now would also be a good time to let your employer know you want to up your contribution on your 401K.

A weekend house fire in Alexandria has left two-year-old twins dead. The Alexandria Fire Department says the blaze was contained in the back of the home, where the twins bedroom was. The girls’ father was able to remove them from the fire. Both were taken to a local hospital where they succumbed to their injuries. The investigation is ongoing.

Today is the first full day of winter and many have not forgotten last year’s winter, which saw colder than normal temperatures and a few rounds of frozen precipitation. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the climate prediction center’s forecast for the next three months indicates we could see a repeat..

cut 4 (07) “normal rainfall”

Keim says the wildcard right now is the El Nino which has been in the forecast for several months, but hasn’t formed yet.

New employment numbers came out yesterday and Louisiana’s labor force grew to over 2-point-one million for November. LWC Executive Director Curt Eysink says people from all over are responding to Louisiana’s strong job growth by joining our workforce…:
cut 12 (11) “great jobs”
The number of people employed in the state jumped by over 59 thousand over the year.

A Ponchatoula man faces up to 40 years in prison for downloading more than half a million images of child pornography. Fifty-two year-old Robert Swan pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a network that included children as young as 4 weeks of age in sex acts. His bond was set Thursday by a judge at $51 million dollars.

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Republican Metairie Congressman Steve Scalise is finding himself a target of the political group Senate Conservatives Action. They’re sponsoring radio ads that accuse him of siding with President Obama…
CUT 6 (12) Q: ‘from shutting down”
That’s LaPolitics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford who says rumors are circulating that Rob Maness may challenge Scalise in 2016.

The fall shrimping season comes to a close on some state waters Monday. How was it?…
CUT 3 (12) “rather abruptly”
That’s Daren Martin, owner of Martin’s Fresh Shrimp in Chauvin.

A group called Senate Conservatives Action is targeting Republican Metairie Congressman Steve Scalise (scah LEESE) with some radio ads…
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration has reached an agreement with the Secretary of State’s office to archive state employee health insurance program’s records. They had stopped sending claims for several months, because of privacy concerns. Now, the new agreement will have those records in a facility that is under Federal laws protecting personal information

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There have been over 65 highway deaths in Louisiana since Thanksgiving, and Sgt. Nick Manale of State Police says that is way too many…
CUT 10 (05) Q: “unrestrained occupants”
So if you’re not buckled up this weekend, don’t expect any leniency when you get pulled over.

For November last month, Louisiana added about seven thousand jobs. With those numbers, the state is outpacing the national average…
CUT 13 (09) Q: ‘to November’
That’s Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eysink (eye sink), who says the total number in the state a record setting 2.1 million people with jobs. He says industrial announcements keep coming and people from around the nation and the world are paying attention.

New employment numbers are out and Louisiana’s labor force grew to over 2.1 million in November, and that’s a record…
CUT 2 (29) “reporting”

From the R and L Carries New Orleans Bowl this morning, to a huge Saints game against the Falcons about 24 hours later, it’s a busy sports weekend for the Crescent City. Technically, it is not a playoff game, but don’t try to tell that to the players and head coach Sean Payton. If the Saints beat the Dirty Birds this week, and Tampa Bay next week, they’re in.

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It’s a group called Senate Conservatives Action, and they are sponsoring radio ads that target Republican Metairie Congressman Steve Scalise. The ads accuse Scalise of siding with President Obama instead of standing on the conservative platform. LaPolitics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says there is some intrigue here as this conservative group supported Rob Maness in his run for the US Senate…
CUT 7 (05) Q: “Steve Scalise”

After working several fatal crashes last weekend that resulted in nine deaths, State Police troopers are urging drivers to use extra caution while on the highways this weekend and during the holidays, because driver error is responsible for many of the wrecks they are seeing…
CUT 9 (09) “distractions alone”
That’s Sergeant Nick Manale of State Police.