The Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish has censured Senator Bill Cassidy for his vote to allow the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump to continue on constitutional grounds, but Cassidy says  even Trump’s lawyers agree that the House managers made a strong case that the impeachment trial should continue

Cut 14 (12) “.five minutes”

The Youngsville Police Department has arrested a Lafayette Parish School system employee for allegedly have sex with an exchange student that was living in her house. Police chief Ricky Boudreaux says 36-year-old Kimberly Wellman-Rich had relations with the student and her 34-year-old Husband knew…

Cut 7 (07) “…residence.”

Administrators with the Lafayette Parish School system and the company that placed the student with the family removed the male juvenile from the residence.

The recent third wave of the pandemic took its toll on nursing homes across the state according to new data from AARP showing 347 deaths from December 21^st to January 17^th. 36 percent of facilities reported staffing shortages during this period as well and State Director Denise Botcher says staffing issues have long plagued the industry.

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The State Fire Marshal is warning Louisianans to prepare their home for the polar vortex by checking their smoke detector and taking note of space heater safety. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says don’t ever use your oven or stovetop to try and heat your home.

Cut 10 (10) “. …cooled down” 

Browning says if you plan on using a space heater plug it directly into the wall.

The LSU men’s basketball team grabbed a big win over Mississippi State last night 94-80.  The Tigers were led by freshman Cam Thomas who poured in a team-high 25 points.  Darius Days’ impact was felt as he added a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in his first game back from injury.  Javonte Smart also added a double-double with 22 points and 11 assists.  The Tigers improve to 12-6 overall and 7-4 in the SEC.

The New Orleans Pelicans win streak came to an end last night as they fell to the Chicago Bulls 129-116.  Zion Williamson led the Pels with 29 points.  Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball each added 21 points on the night.  The Pelicans are now 11-13.

The Southeastern Lions lost to Sam Houston last night 79-61 as they fall to 6-13 on the year.  Nicholls State edged out a victory over Lamar 76-71 as the team improves to 12-6.  Also, Northwestern grabbed a one-point victory over Incarnate Word 68-67.

ULM men’s basketball will take on the Ragin Cajuns in a two-game series starting tonight in Lafayette and concluding Saturday in Monroe.  The Warhawks have struggled on the hardwood this season losing ten in a row, but coach Keith Richard says he’s proud of the way his team continues to play hard.

Cut 17 (12) “good preparation”

The LSU football team added another player to its 2021 class as they signed transfer linebacker Mike Jones from Clemson.  Jones appeared in nine games for Clemson last season and posted 26 tackles, two interceptions, and half a sack.  This gives the Tigers 24 signees in 2021 with one available spot remaining.  Jones will be immediately eligible to play next season.

Former LSU Tiger and Buccaneers linebacker Devin White took a victory lap on his horse around Raymond James Stadium yesterday.  Much like he did in Baton Rouge, the Super Bowl champion road the horse through the Stadium to reminisce on the season, only this time he was holding the Lombardi Trophy.

Kimberly Wellman-Rich and her husband Jeffery Rich of Youngsville are under arrest after authorities discover an alleged sexual relationship involving a foreign exchange student the two were hosting. Youngsville Police Chief Ricky Boudreaux says Wellman-Rich allegedly had intercourse with the student, and…

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Wellman-Rich is a Lafayette Parish teacher.

The recent third wave of the pandemic took its toll on nursing homes across the state according to new data from AARP. State Director Denise Botcher says from December 21^st to January 17^th 347 residents died of COVID, and 1,521 residents tested positive.

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1,391 staff also tested positive during that time.

Participating Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies will begin offering COVID vaccinations to eligible Louisianans tomorrow. Regional Health and Wellness Director for Walmart Bethany Evans says this should increase accessibility to the vaccine in rural areas.

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Appointments are required to be vaccinated.

The incoming polar vortex could bring a wintery mix to the northern half of the state Monday and Sunday nights. State Climatologist Barry Keim says temperatures are set to begin dropping rapidly over the next few days leading to a perfect storm for some potential snow…

Cut 14 (09) “…state.” 

By Tuesday morning temperatures in north Louisiana will be in the teens, in central Louisiana in the 20s, and in the 30s along the coast. 

A Legislative committee met today hoping to build a coalition of parties interested in reversing the Biden Administration’s recent oil and gas policies. Some are calling for a more forceful response from Governor Edwards against changes like the moratorium on offshore drilling licenses, but State Department of Natural Resources Secretary Thomas Harris says that’s counterproductive.

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The Biden Administration says these restrictions are key to helping the country hit carbon neutrality by 2050.

ULM Poli Sci Professor Joshua Stockley says Senator Bill Cassidy’s vote calling the impeachment of former President Trump constitutional was a surprising move. The vote was a reversal on the issue for the Senator and triggered a strong condemnation from the state GOP.

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An arrest has been made in the Quawan Charles case. The St. Mary Parish 15-year-old was found in a wooded area of Iberia Parish last November. Iberia Sheriff Tommy Romero says immediately after the arrest he spoke with the parents of Charles

Cut 8 (06) “…case closed.”

37-year-old Janet Irvin was arrested. Attorneys for Charles’s family say Irvin picked up Charles from his home in Baldwin without parental permission. Charles was reported missing on October 30th and his body was found on November 3rd. 

Public Affairs Research Council President Robert Travis Scott expects the Legislature will seek to reform the way the state collects sales taxes when the legislative session begins in April. Scott says a task force has been working to bring the state’s sales tax collection system in line with the rest of the country.

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Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy is among six Republican Senators to vote in favor of the constitutionality of President Trump’s second impeachment trial. Cassidy released a statement saying if anyone would like an explanation for the vote to listen to the arguments offered by House managers against the counter-arguments made by President Trump’s legal team today. He says this vote is not a prejudgment.

Four Monroe Area State Police Troopers have been arrested in relation to two incidents of alleged excessive use of force. Troop F spokesperson Michael Reichardt says the first incident took place in July 2019 and The second incident occurred last May following a vehicle pursuit in Franklin Parish. Reichardt says when the chase ended, the driver laid on the ground in a compliant position

Cut 4 (11) “…arrest report” 

Jacob Brown, Dakota DeMoss, George Harper, and Randall Dickerson have been arrested.

A Union Parish woman is facing attempted manslaughter and aggravated arson charges after allegedly setting her boyfriend’s bed on fire with him in it. State Fire Marshal spokesperson Ashley Rodrigue says the two had apparently been arguing throughout the evening.

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31-year-old Julianna Goodson of Bernice was arrested after investigators determined she intentionally set the fire.

Beginning in July Shreveport Regional Airport will start offering non-stop flights to Los Angeles through Allegiant for a limited time. Spokesperson Mark Crawford says it’s an exciting development because L.A. has always been one of the top ten most popular destinations out of the airport…

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The number of first doses of the COVID vaccine administered now exceeds the number of people who have tested positive for the virus…

cut 2 (30) …I’m Don Molino”  

Governor Edwards is getting his own vaccine today at 3 PM at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. Edwards is receiving his first of two doses alongside the rest of the Unified Command Group, and is also expected to make an announcement about how the state will proceed when the current public health order expires Wednesday.

Four Monroe-area State Police Troopers have been arrested for allegedly using excessive force in two separate incidents. Troop F spokesperson Michael Reichardt says one was last May following a vehicle pursuit in Franklin Parish, but the first incident took place during a traffic stop on I-20 in Ouachita Parish in July 2019

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One trooper, 30-year-old Jacob Brown, was involved in both incidents.  The other troopers arrested are 28-year-old Dakota DeMoss, 26-year-old George Harper, and 34-year-old Randall Dickerson. 

Allegiant will offer non-stop flights out of Shreveport Regional to Los Angeles starting July 2^nd and running through August 16^th. Spokesperson Mark Crawford says tickets are on sale now and mentions this is a bit of a trial run.

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