Over 200 state troopers will be in New Orleans for the final weekend of Carnival 2020. Trooper Monroe Dillon says law enforcement will be utilizing the See Something Send Something app, where if you spot something that may need the attention of law enforcement, you can send in an anonymous tip to officials.

Cut 15 (12) “…it is free.”

Governor Edwards plans to spend a billion dollars a year building and restoring the coast over the next four years, according to his recently released second term coastal plan. 115 million dollars from last year’s surplus will help bolster those efforts. Restore the Mississippi River Delta Director Steve Cochran says not only is that money flexible, but it shows we mean business.

Cut 11 (09) “…mouth is”

The Tulane National Primate Research Center will soon begin work on a vaccine, and more effective diagnostic tools for the coronavirus. Associate Director Dr. Skip Bohm says part of their work will be developing more reliable ways to test for the disease. Bohm says like many early periods of a virus, they’re seeing a lot of false negatives and false positives.

Cut 5 (11)  “…diagnostics.”

Cleco customers will see a drop on their power bill starting in March with the removal of the storm restoration fee. The fee became part of customers’ statements to pay to fix the damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says the cost to repair Cleco’s system after storms was approximately $160 million, the largest combined storm expense in the company’s history.

Cut 8 (04) “…to the customers.”

Governor Edwards is calling for record levels of spending on coastal restoration in his second term. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Matt Doyle 

Ag Commissioner Mike Strain has officially issued the state’s first hemp licenses to farmers. The State Agriculture agency finalized regulations for growing hemp in the state after legislative approval last year. Strain said the agency worked hard to ensure the regulatory framework was in place as soon as feasibly possible and in time for the 2020 growing season.

The Tulane National Primate Research Center will soon begin work on a vaccine, and more effective diagnostic tools for the coronavirus. The virus is expected to arrive at the St. Tammany Parish based facility in the next two to three weeks, and Associate Director Dr. Skip Bohm says it will likely take a while for their work to come to fruition.

Cut 4 (11_ “…use”

The virus has infected some 75,000 people worldwide and is thought to have killed over 2,000.

More than two hundred state troopers are being deployed to the city of New Orleans for the final and likely the busiest weekend of Carnival 2020. Trooper Monroe Dillon says law enforcement will be keeping an eye out for those who have partied too hard and decide to get behind the wheel.

Cut 14 (07) “…they’re driving different.”

The coronavirus virus is expected to be in St. Tammany Parish within the next three weeks for study by the Tulane Primate Research Center. Matt Doyle has more…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

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Governor Edwards is calling for record levels of spending on coastal resotration in his second term. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Matt Doyle 

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Over 200 state troopers are descending upon New Orleans this weekend. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 3 (31)  “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”  

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The Tulane National Primate Research Center will soon begin work on a vaccine, and more effective diagnostic tools for the coronavirus.

The virus is expected to arrive at the St. Tammany Parish based facility in the next two to three weeks, and Associate Director Dr. Skip Bohm says it will likely take a while for their work to come to fruition.

Cut 4 (11_ “…use”

The virus has infected some  75,000 people worldwide and is thought to have killed over 2,000.

Part of their work will be developing more reliable ways to test for the disease. Bohm says like many early periods of a virus, they’re seeing a lot of false negatives and false positives.

Cut 5 (11)  “…diagnostics.”

25 countries have reported cases of the outbreak, with 15 in the United States.

Bohm says the Center was chosen for this work due to it’s long history of, and expertise in biosafety, biocontainment, infectious diseases, and…

Cut 6 (10) “…labratories.”

Tulane was one of the first labs in the nation to receive CDC approval to study the virus.

____________________________

Cleco customers will see a drop on their power bill starting in March with the removal of the storm restoration fee. The fee became part of customers’ statements to pay to fix the damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says it’s good news for their customers.

Cut 7 (11) “…$45 each year.”

The cost to repair Cleco’s system following the storms was approximately $160 million. Cahill says that was the largest combined storm expense in the company’s history.

Cut 8 (04) “…to the customers.”

Cahill says the storm recovery for Katrina included 3,400 workers and last 29 days while Rita included 2,900 workers for 11 days and adds that some of the money collected will go toward future storm recoveries.

Cut 9 (11) “…our customers’ costs.”

Cleco customers will save a combined $22.3 million annually because of the fee removal.

____________________

Governor Edwards plans to spend a billion dollars a year building and restoring the coast over the next four years, according to his recently released second term coastal plan.

Restore the Mississippi River Delta Director Steve Cochran says with this plan in place, if the world can begin reducing it’s greenhouse gas emissions we could begin reversing the effects of coastal land loss.

Cut 10 (09) “…time.”

The state will also establish a Climate Initiatives Taskforce aimed at finding ways to curb in-state carbon emissions.

The Governor also announced 115 million dollars from last year’s surplus will help bolster those efforts. Cochran says not only is that money flexible, but it shows we mean business.

Cut 11 (09) “…mouth is”

The billion dollars a year will fund a web of projects, highlighted by massive sediment diversions that will redirect river sediment into the wetlands.

Cut 12 (11) “…pulses.”

Cochran says the billion dollars a year in coastal spending is the highest in the state’s history. 

_____________________________________

Over two hundred state troopers are being deployed to the city of New Orleans for Carnival 2020.  This is an uptick from last year as crowds are expected to be bigger.  Trooper Monroe Dillon says much of the concentration will be around downtown and the French Quarter.

Cut 13 (09) “…keep them safe.”

This weekend marks the final and likely busiest weekend of Carnival 2020.  Dillon says law enforcement will be keeping an eye out for those who have partied too hard and decide to get behind the wheel.

Cut 14 (07) “…they’re driving different.”

Dillon says law enforcement will be utilizing the See Something Send Something app, where if you spot something that may need the attention of law enforcement, you can send in an anonymous tip to officials.

Cut 15 (12) “…it is free.”

__________________________________________

The Pelicans return from the All-Star break as they start a three-game road trip in Portland tonight. New Orleans is 5.5 games back from Memphis, who occupies the final playoff spot in the West. Pels Coach Alvin Gentry says every game is important the rest of the way….

Cut 16  (19)  …of business’   

New Orleans is 23-and-32 on the season. Gentry says in order to finish with a winning season, they need to cut down on turnovers

Cut 17  (18) “zero in on 

New Orleans won six of its last nine heading into the All-Star Break. Veteran guard Jrue Holiday believes the team can make a real run at catching Memphis

cut 18  (12) “be fun”   

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After a sloppy loss at Nicholls on Wednesday, the 11th ranked LSU baseball team returns to the Box tonight to host Eastern Kentucky. Coach Paul Mainieri is asking his starters for six innings this weekend against a good hitting team

cut 19 (17) about that”  

Mainieri says this weekend he plans to give Wes Toups a shot in left field, Hal Huges will start at shortstop and freshman catcher Alex Milazzo will get two starts behind the plate. The coach says Milazzo has a major league arm…

cut 20 (18) “on you”    

The Board of Regents approves a new policy that could result in financial penalties for universities that do not comply with minimum admissions requirements for incoming students. LSU’s adoption of holistic admissions under former President Alexander saw the school push far past the limit of non-eligible student admissions and Higher Ed Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed says…

Cut 7 (11) “…policy”

58-year-old Geraldine Carmouche was killed last night at a New Orleans parade after reportedly trying to pass between two floats, tripping, and being run over. The incident has sparked some calls for new safety regulations to keep people away from floats, but New Orleans Councilwoman Kristian Palmer says it’s just not feasible.

Cut 9 (08) “…would take″

The Louisiana Lottery says the lack of massive Powerball and Mega Million jackpots recently results in fewer dollars for education.  Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin says there is currently a rare, eight-month drought of multistate games rising into major jackpot territory, which has had an impact on ticket sales. Chopin believes some players are waiting until those jackpots hit a certain level before participating.

Cut 4 (12) “…big large jackpots.”

The Louisiana Lottery is required to transfer at least 35 percent of its revenue to the state.

Summerfield High School Principal Brian Biggs is in the Claiborne Parish jail after being arrested this morning at his home for multiple sex crimes. State Police Trooper Brent Hardy says the investigation began after authorities were notified of concerned parents…

Cut 13 (11) “…request inappropriate images.”

58-year-old Geraldine Carmouche was killed last night at a New Orleans parade after reportedly trying to pass between two floats, tripping, and being run over. New Orleans Councilwoman Kristian Palmer says thankfully you almost never see this happen.
Cut 11 (10) “frequently”
Over in Lafourche Parish, a school traffic guard is dead after being struck by a truck driven by 83-year-old Jerry Matt of Thibodeaux while directing traffic along Highway 20 near Chackbay Elementary School this morning. The victim has been identified as 67-year-old Larry Boudreaux.

Summerfield High School Principal Brian Biggs is in the Claiborne Parish jail after being arrested this morning at his home.  State Police Trooper Brent Hardy says he faces a slew of charges.
Cut 12 (13) “… behavior with juveniles.”

Bond is set at one million.

The Louisiana Lottery says the lack of massive Powerball and Mega Million jackpots recently results in fewer dollars for education. Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin says from July to December they transferred about $42-million dollars to the state treasury.

Cut 3 (09)  “…of last year.”  

Chopin says there is currently a rare, eight-month drought of multistate games rising into major jackpot territory, which has had an impact on ticket sales.

The Board of Regents approves a new policy that could result in financial penalties for universities that do not comply with minimum admissions requirements for incoming students. Higher Ed Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed says a school will be flagged for review if they allow too many students in, who do not meet requirements like minimum GPA, or ACT.

Cut 6 (12) “consider”

58-year-old Geraldine Carmouche has been identified as the Mardi Gras reveler who died last night at a New Orleans parade, reportedly after attempting to run between the gap in a linked tandem float. New Orleans Councilwoman Kristian Palmer says it’s a terrible tragedy, but also a reminder to parade-goers about being safe.

Cut 10 (05) “…do that”

Nyx, an all-woman parade, is the largest in New Orleans.

The Board of Regents OKs a new policy allowing schools who let too many students who don’t meet admonitions criteria in to be hit with financial penalties. The changes provoked concern the Board was increasing enrollment standards. Higher Ed Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed says that misunderstanding was evident in an Advocate headline claiming standards were going up.

Cut 8 (05)“…standards”

Summerfield High School Principal Brian Biggs is in the Claiborne Parish jail after being arrested this morning at his home for multiple sex crimes.  State Police Trooper Brent Hardy says the investigation continues and urges parents to have a talk with their kids about Biggs.

Cut 14 (07) “…Louisiana State Police”

Summerfield High famously produced NBA Hall of Famer Karl Malone.

The Louisiana Lottery says the lack of massive Powerball and Mega Million jackpots recently results in fewer dollars for education. Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin says the lack of excitement around big multistate jackpots has offset the uptick in scratch-off ticket sales, which are up about 3.7 percent.

Cut 5 (12)  “…doing really well.”

The Louisiana Lottery is required to transfer at least 35 percent of its revenue to the state, much of which is used toward education.

The death of a woman last night at a New Orleans parade has sparked some calls for a safety overhaul of carnival season, but a New Orleans Councilwoman says that may not be feasible…

cut  2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

A school traffic guard is dead after being struck by a vehicle while directing traffic along Highway 20 near Chackbay Elementary School this morning. He’s been identified as 67-year-old Larry Boudreaux.

Summerfield High School Principal Brian Biggs is in the Claiborne Parish jail after being arrested this morning at his home for multiple sex crimes.  State Police Trooper Brent Hardy says the bond for 54-year-old Biggs is set at $1 million. The investigation began after authorities were notified of concerned parents after they accused Biggs of acting inappropriately with children on the internet.
Cut 13 (11) “…request inappropriate images.”
Summerfield High famously produced NBA Hall of Famer Karl Malone.
The Louisiana Lottery says the lack of massive Powerball and Mega Million jackpots recently results in fewer dollars for education. Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin says there is currently a rare, eight-month drought of multistate games rising into major jackpot territory. Chopin believes some players are waiting until those jackpots hit a certain level before participating.
Cut 4 (12) “…big large jackpots.”

Lottery contributions to the state treasury see a downturn due to a lack of big jackpots from multi-state games. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart” 

____________________________

The death of a woman last night at a New Orleans parade has sparked some calls for a safety overhaul of carnival season, but a New Orleans Councilwoman says that may not be feasible…

cut  2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

___________________________

The Louisiana Lottery says the lack of massive Powerball and Mega Million jackpots recently results in fewer dollars for education. Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin says from July to December they transferred about $42-million dollars to the state treasury.

Cut 3 (09)  “…of last year.”  

Chopin says there is currently a rare, eight-month drought of multistate games rising into major jackpot territory, which has had an impact on ticket sales. Chopin believes some players are waiting until those jackpots hit a certain level before participating.

Cut 4 (12) “…big large jackpots.”

Chopin says the lack of excitement around big multistate jackpots has offset the uptick in scratch-off ticket sales, which are up about 3.7 percent.

Cut 5 (12)  “…doing really well.”

The Louisiana Lottery is required to transfer at least 35 percent of its revenue to the state, much of which is used toward education.

___________________________________________

The Board of Regents approves a new policy that could result in financial penalties for universities that do not comply with minimum admissions requirements for incoming students. Higher Ed Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed says a school will be flagged for review if they allow too many students in, who do not meet requirements like minimum GPA, or ACT.

Cut 6 (12) “consider”

Specific penalties were not laid out, rather the policy notes they will be implemented to the degree the Board “deems appropriate”, “In accordance with the degree, repetition, and/or nature of the violation” per the AP.

LSU’s adoption of holistic admissions under former President Alexander saw the school push far past the limit of only allowing in four percent of incoming high school students to not meet ACT and GPA criteria, and Reed says…

Cut 7 (11) “…policy”

Alexander argued the policy is in place at 80 percent of other flagship universities and touted the results of freshmen classes admitted under it.

The changes provoked concern the Board was increasing enrollment standards. Reed says that misunderstanding was evident in an Advocate headline claiming standards were going up.

Cut 8 (05)“…standards”

She says LSU still has a minimum 25 ACT and 3.0 high school GPA requirement for admission.

____________________________________________________

58-year-old Geraldine Carmouche was killed last night at a New Orleans parade after reportedly trying to pass between two floats, tripping, and being run over.

The incident has sparked some calls for new safety regulations to keep people away from floats, but New Orleans Councilwoman Kristian Palmer says it’s just not feasible.

Cut 9 (08) “…would take″

The incident happened roughly around 9 PM last night at the Nyx Parade. Witnesses at the scene reported seeing Carmouche try to hop between the gap in a linked tandem float.

Cut 10 (05) “…do that”

Nyx, an all-woman parade, is the largest in New Orleans with over 3,300 members and 88 floats. The incident occurred at float 21, and all floats behind that were routed back to the staging area.

The last time a person was killed by a float at a parade in New Orleans was 2008 as Endymion was entering the Superdome. Palmer says thankfully you almost never see this happen.

Cut 11 (10) “frequently”

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Summerfield High School Principal Brian Biggs is in the Claiborne Parish jail after being arrested this morning at his home for multiple sex crimes.  State Police Trooper Brent Hardy says the bond for 54-year-old Biggs is set at $1 million after being booked on a slew of charges.

Cut 12 (13) “… behavior with juveniles.”

Hardy says the investigation began after authorities were notified of concerned parents after they accused Biggs of acting inappropriately with their child on the internet.

Cut 13 (11) “…request inappropriate images.”

Hardy says the investigation continues and urges parents to have a talk with their kids about Biggs.

Cut 14 (07) “…Louisiana State Police”

Summerfield High famously produced NBA Hall of Famer Karl Malone.

_______________

A woman was killed during the Krewe of Nyx Parade last night in New Orleans after she was run over by a float. Witnesses say the woman was trying to cross in between a tandem float and she apparently tripped over the hitch connecting the two sections and fell to the ground before being caught under the back half of the float. Her identity has not been released.

Governor Edwards responded to the controversy over his decision not to include a specific teacher pay raise in his budget, saying he is confident there will ultimately be a raise in this year’s legislative session. Edwards says his plan to have teachers being paid the southern regional average by the end of the term hasn’t changed.

Cut 11 (10) “…to do”

Many teachers were shocked at the non-inclusion of a pay raise saying the Governor had broken a campaign promise.

Senator Bill Cassidy officially kicks off his run for a second term in Washington DC. Cassidy says he will continue to push for the use of fracking in the natural gas industry that has provided prosperity and helped improve air quality.  He adds under Trump’s economy, the US has become energy dominant.

Cut 14 (09 ) “…some place else ”

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality adds the first all-electric car to its vehicle fleet. DEQ’s first Electric Vehicle is a Chevy Bolt. DEQ Spokesperson Gregory Langley says the car offers an EPA-estimated 259 miles of range on a single charge, nearly 10-percent more than previous models. But most importantly it’s good for the environment.

Cut 5 (08)  “…generating electricity.”

In New Orleans, a woman was run over and killed by a float in the middle of the Krewe of Nyx parade Wednesday night. The accident happened near Magazine Street and Valence. Witnesses say the woman stepped in between the front float and back float of a tandem float, was struck by the second float and killed. The victim’s identity has not been released.

A teacher pay raise may not be in the budget right now, but Governor Edwards is confident educators will get an increase by the end of the session.

Cut 3 (31)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

The Humane Society of Louisiana is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of a person who threw a bag containing eight puppies from a bridge into Bayou Portage in St. Martin Parish on Sunday.  Humane Society of Louisiana executive director Jeff Dorson says the person behind the tossing could face up to eight felony counts, one for each pup, with a fine of $5,000 to $25,000 and possible prison time of 1 to 10 years for each count.

Cut 8 (13) “…would be fatal.”

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality adds the first all-electric car to its vehicle fleet. DEQ’s first Electric Vehicle is a Chevrolet Bolt. DEQ Spokesperson Gregory Langley says they hope to add more EVs to the fleet but…

Cut 4 (10) “…great deal.”