Investigators say it may take several days before they determine a cause to a fatal fire in Alexandria on Saturday night that killed four people, including three children…

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo” 

While there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards announces the creation of a coronavirus task force. The Governor says it’s a matter of when, not if we find a case, and when we do he will let you know.

Cut 11 (11) “…announce that”

Houma Republican Tanner Magee files a House bill that would allow local companies to use independent contractors to deliver alcohol, whereas previously you had to be an hourly employee of the delivery company. Magee says his bill is important because of the state’s need to keep up with modern times adding one of the problems that have held the state back is the unwillingness to change.

Cut 15 (11) “…the United States.”

One person is dead after being shot in the chest with a crossbow and two others have been arrested by Caddo Parish deputies in connection to the killing.  Caddo Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says the body was discovered by two teens shortly after 4PM Saturday near Wallace Lake in Shreveport.

Cut 6 (04) “…to come out.”

The victim has been identified as 33-year-old Rodney Christopher Nordby and the two arrested have been identified as 24-year-old Daniel Haire and 27-year-old Dillon Brown.

Federal and state officials are ramping up preparation efforts for a possible Coronavirus outbreak in Louisiana. Governor John Bel Edwards reports there are a few dozen people in Louisiana who have recently visited coronavirus epicenters and have been asked to stay in their homes for a 14 day period to make sure they don’t show signs of infection. Edwards says they will inform the public if a Louisiana case is discovered, and only trust official sources like LDH and CDC when seeking out virus news.

Cut 12 (08) “…the facts.”

Senator Bill Cassidy is proposing legislation that would change telehealth practices so doctors can send healthcare workers out to those who feel they might have the symptoms of the virus, so they out of waiting rooms and not expose others.

Cut 9 (12) “…infection″

The number of cases in America is at 90.

One person is dead after being shot in the chest with a crossbow and two others have been arrested. The victim has been identified as 33-year-old Rodney Christopher Nordby and the two arrested have been identified as 24-year-old Daniel Haire and 27-year-old Dillon Brown. Caddo Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says the victim was shot Thursday night during a dispute at Haire’s home.

Cut 7 (09) “…of the body.”

Houma Republican Tanner Magee files a House bill that would allow local companies to use independent contractors to deliver alcohol. Rouses Supermarket facilitates deliveries through independent contractors. Recent changes for food delivery service Waitr now follow that same model. However, Magee says originally, Waitr had its delivery methods in compliance with the current law.

Cut 14 (10) “…Rouses’ business model.”

Today at the Baton Rouge Press Club Governor Edwards announced the creation of a coronavirus task force and says if a case develops in Louisiana it will be announced by his administration…

Cut 11 (11) “…announce that”

Edwards encourages citizens not to panic over the news of the reported deaths in the U-S but to gather facts from reputable sources like the CDC and the Louisiana Department of Public Health.

And Senator Bill Cassidy says after his experience with Katrina, he’s proposing a federal bank account where public health has immediate access to funds in order to speed its response.

Cut 10 (12) “care of”

The investigation continues today into the weekend house fire in Alexandria that killed four people, including three children. Alexandria Fire Department Chief Larry King says the deadly blaze started late Saturday night and half the home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived…

Cut 3 (10)  “…family sake”  

Houma Republican Tanner Magee files a House bill that would allow companies to use independent contractors to deliver alcohol. Current law says alcohol home deliveries have to be conducted by an hourly-wage employee of the business.

Cut 13 (10) “…deliver their products.”

Rouses Supermarket facilitates deliveries through independent contractors. Recent changes for food delivery service Waitr now follow that same model.

One person is dead after being shot in the chest with a crossbow and two others have been arrested by Caddo Parish deputies in connection to the killing.  Caddo Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says the body was discovered by two teens shortly after 4PM Saturday near Wallace Lake in Shreveport.

Cut 6 (04) “…to come out.”

The victim has been identified as 33-year-old Rodney Christopher Nordby and the two arrested as 24-year-old Daniel Haire and 27-year-old Dillon Brown.

Senator Bill Cassidy addresses reporters and about health concerns and his efforts to combat the coronavirus. Cassidy, who is also a physician, is proposing changes to telehealth practices so doctors can send healthcare workers out to those who feel they might have the symptoms of the virus and keep them out of the waiting rooms and not expose others.

Cut 9 (12) “…infection″

Investigators are trying to determine what caused a fatal fire in Alexandria on Saturday night that killed four people, including three children. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo” 

The investigation continues today into the weekend house fire in Alexandria that killed four people, including three children. Alexandria Fire Department Chief Larry King says the deadly blaze started late Saturday night and half the home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived…

Cut 3 (10)  “…family sake”  

King says there were no working smoking detectors in the home.

Governor Edwards will lay out his legislative agenda today at the Baton Rouge Press Club, exactly one week before the start of the 2020 session. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat expects the Governor will continue pushing a minimum wage increase and equal pay for women, Democratic priorities, but also tout a major bipartisan policy…

Cut 7 (09) “…needs”

The Governor’s budget recommends a 25 million dollar increase in early childhood education spending.

The LSU National Center for Biomedical Research and Training is set to start helping first responders from around the country prepare for the coronavirus. NCBRT Associate Director of Research and Development Jerry Monier says they’re developing training that will teach responders the history of the virus, how to ID it, how to respond to it, and then…

Cut 4 (06)_ “…need arise.”

NCBRT will release information on when these trainings will become available on its website.

LSU Manship School of Mass Communication professor Len Apcar relaunches a website that aims to help spot fake news and disinformation.  The website, detectfakenews.com, is a curated resource guide on the latest developments in fake news.  Apcar says fake news is all around us, but it’s a small percentage of the overall amount of information out there.  However, it is increasing.

Cut 11 (09) “…more fake news.”

Apcar says the process of fact-checking is usually a quick one with the website.

First responders from around the country have begun reaching out to the LSU National Center for Biomedical Research and Training, asking when coronavirus trainings will be available…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

_____________________________________

Governor Edwards is expected to detail his legislative priorities for the upcomming session today at the Baton Rouge Press Club. Matt Doyle spoke with an analyst about what to expect…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle.” 

___________________________________________

An LSU professor is shedding light on how to detect fake news. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 3 (31)  “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”  

____________________________________________

The LSU National Center for Biomedical Research and Training is set to start helping first responders from around the country prepare for the coronavirus.

NCBRT Associate Director of Research and Development Jerry Monier says they’re developing training that will teach responders the history of the virus, how to ID it, how to respond to it, and then…

Cut 4 (06)_ “…need arise.”

NCBRT is known for it’s work training first responders nationwide, and Monier says they’re no stranger to preparing people to take on public health emergencies…

Cut 5 (10)  “…occured.”

NCBRT trained over 3,000 personnel located in the center of the West African Ebola crisis.

The US has yet to suffer a major outbreak of the virus, but Monier says first responders aren’t just waiting for that first explosion to happen.

Cut 6 (08) “…themselves.”

NCBRT will be releasing information on when these trainings will become available on their website.

____________________________

Governor Edwards will lay out his legislative agenda today at the Baton Rouge Press Club, exactly one week before the start of the 2020 session.

Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat expects the Governor will continue pushing a minimum wage increase and equal pay for women, Democratic priorities, but also tout a major bipartisan policy…

Cut 7 (09) “…needs”

The Governor’s budget recommends a 25 million dollar increase in early childhood education spending.

Lawsuit reform is expected to dominate the upcoming session. Pinsonat says despite his past opposition, he feels Edwards has little choice but to come out with some compromise offers today.

Cut 8 (07) “veto it”

Pinsonat says a substantial number of this year’s new class of lawmakers won their seats on the back of promises to vote for lawsuit reform.

Pinsonat says Edwards will likely call for a number of spending increases today, but his ambitions may be more hampered by this year’s more Republican legislature.

Cut 9 (11) “…session″

The Revenue Estimating Conference has yet to agree to a revenue forecast for the budget.

____________________

LSU Manship School of Mass Communication professor Len Apcar relaunches a website that aims to help spot fake news and disinformation.  The website, detectfakenews.com, is a curated resource guide on the latest developments in fake news.  Apcar says the website is full of tips on how to fact check with do-it-yourself tools and information.

Cut 10 (08) “…facts and sourcing.”

Apcar says fake news is all around us, but it’s a small percentage of the overall amount of information out there.  However, it is increasing.

Cut 11 (09) “…more fake news.”

Apcar says the process of fact-checking is usually a quick one with the website.

Cut 12 (10) “…different fake stories.”

The website was created three years ago to give users advice on how to spot fake news articles, and has since grown into a one-stop aggregator of latest news, research, and analysis of disinformation.

_____________________________________

A Shreveport woman is dead after being attacked by two pit bulls on Thursday night.  The victim has been identified as 64-year-old Geraldine Hamlin.  Shreveport Police Corporal Angie Willhite says the woman shared a home with her son and the dogs.

Cut 13 (07) “…to her arms..”

The victim was taken to a hospital where she died on Friday morning.  Willhite says the dogs were very familiar with the victim.

Cut 14 (07) “…to the family.”

Willhite says it is unclear as to what, if anything, provoked the animals to attack.

Cut 15 (05) “…of their protocol.”

Louisiana drivers saved money at the pump in 2019 compared to 2018 and are on course to save more this year.  Matt Doyle has the story.

cut  2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

A 19-year-old frat member has been arrested, accused of breaking into Tiger Stadium on separate occasions and causing $8000 in damages to the field with an ATV. The field was under construction and without grass at the time and just had a new drainage system installed when Delta Chi member Clayton Fleetwood used of the ATV on the field area caused enough ruts/damage to require the precision grading to be repeated.

Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans scores a 2.6-million-dollar grant to help expand capacity. The money was won in part because of the work of Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves, who sits on the House Subcommittee on Aviation. Graves says the airport has received nearly ten million dollars in grants since November of 2019

Cut 10 (11) “…that you did.”

Two taxiways at the airport are also set to undergo construction in the fall, part of a 40 million dollar project.

New Orleans State Senator Troy Carter files a bill that will ban “hate-related” throws at Mardi Gras parades. Earlier this month a father was stunned when his son caught a racially-themed throw at the Mystic Knights of Adonis parade in Gretna. Carter says if a person is caught throwing hate-related throws in the proposed bill…

Cut 5 (06)  “…consecutive.”

New Orleans State Senator Troy Carter files a bill that will ban “hate-related” throws at Mardi Gras parades. Earlier this month a father was stunned when his son caught a racially-themed throw at the Mystic Knights of Adonis parade in Gretna. Carter says all races and ethnicities should be brought together at parades.

Cut 3 (12)  “…need to do”  

When Carter learned a young boy caught a throw, which was a caricature of a black man holding a watermelon with a noose around his neck.

According to AAA, in 2019, Louisiana households saved nearly $46 a month at the pump compared to 2018.  AAA fuel analyst Don Redman says coronavirus fears are driving prices down again, so we may see savings this year over last year.

Cut 7 (09) “…time last year.”

Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans scores a 2.6 million dollar grant to help expand capacity. The money was won in part because of the work of Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves, who sits on the House Subcommittee on Aviation. Graves says it’s some vital funding.

Cut 9 (09) “…airport″

The one billion dollar new terminal was unveiled last year, but Graves says the rest of the airport’s infrastructure could still use some love.
Fears from the Coronavirus could roll over into putting dents into Louisiana’s tourism. The markets have taken a hit as a result of the virus and UNO Professor of Economics Dr. Janet Speyrer says some economists are forecasting the possibility of the coronavirus pressing the US economy into a recession, so people will be making cuts to their leisure spending.

Cut 13 (06) “…travel as much.”

According to AAA, in 2019, Louisiana households spent about 13% of their income filling up at the pump.  AAA fuel analyst Don Redman says there were savings compared to 2018 as households saved nearly $46 a month.

Cut 6 (07) “…almost $550.”

While prices saw an uptick earlier in 2020 due to concerns over an Iranian conflict, Redman says coronavirus fears are driving prices down again, so we may see savings this year over last year.

Fears from the Coronavirus could roll over into putting dents into Louisiana’s tourism industry.  UNO Professor of Economics Dr. Janet Speyrer says travelers may cut out nonessential trips due to being unaware of where other travelers may be coming from and their potential to be infected.

Cut 12 (10) “…in the US.”

New Orleans State Senator Troy Carter files a bill that will ban “hate-related” throws at Mardi Gras parades. Earlier this month a father was stunned when his son caught a racially-themed throw at the Mystic Knights of Adonis parade in Gretna. When Carter learned a young boy caught a throw, which was a caricature of a black man holding a watermelon with a noose around his neck, less than two weeks later he filed the bill for the session that opens March 9^th.
Cut 4 (11) “…of Mardi Gras.”
If the thrower cannot be identified, then the organization would be fined for the offense.
Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans scores a 2.6 million dollar grant to help expand capacity. The money was won in part because of the work of Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves, who sits on the House Subcommittee on Aviation. Graves says over a million people came to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and projects like these keep the money flowing into Louisiana.
Cut 11 (09) “…impact”
Louis has received nearly $10m in grants since November of last year.

New Orleans State Senator Troy Carter files a bill that will ban “hate-related” throws at Mardi Gras parades. Earlier this month a father was stunned when his son caught a racially-themed throw at the Mystic Knights of Adonis parade in Gretna. Carter says all races and ethnicities should be brought together at parades.

Cut 3 (12)  “…need to do”  

AAA says coronavirus fears may be putting a dent in your retirement account, but they’re certainly going to help you when you get to the pump. While prices saw an uptick earlier in 2020 due to concerns over an Iranian conflict, AAA fuel analyst Don Redman says coronavirus fears are driving prices down again, so we may see savings this year over last year.

Cut 7 (09) “…time last year.”

Friday’s statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.17.

Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans scores a 2.6 million dollar grant to help expand capacity. The one billion dollar new terminal was unveiled last year, but Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves, who helped secure the funding, says the rest of the airport’s infrastructure could still use some love.

Cut 10 (10) “we have”

Two taxiways at the airport are also set to undergo construction in the fall, part of a 40 million dollar project.

Fears from the Coronavirus could roll over into putting dents into Louisiana’s tourism industry.  UNO Professor of Economics Dr. Janet Speyrer tourism is likely to suffer, but business travel may also see a slump due to cuts in spending.

Cut 14 (11) “…quite a bit.”

Markets have been getting plumed on coronavirus news this week.