LSU has confirmed five students living off-campus have come down with the mumps. Doctor Frank Welch with the state office of public health says they are trying to determine if there’s a connection between the students because they did not live in the same apartment

Cut 4 (12) “…families.”

Welch says you can protect yourself from getting the mumps by receiving two doses of the M-M-R vaccine.

The Census is right around the corner and that’s set to make the House Governmental Affairs Committee a busy place for the next two years. Lake Charles Republican Stephen Dwight was just named chair of the committee. He lays out the timeline for when Louisianans can expect reapportionment to begin.

Cut 6 (10) “…redistricting”

In Louisiana, the death rate for pregnant women is twice the national average and the leading cause of death for expectant mothers is homicide, that’s according to a joint study between Tulane and LSU. These numbers come as no surprise to Mariah Wineski Executive Director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Cut 10 (09) “…also preventable”

Of the 119 pregnancy-related deaths in Louisiana from January 2016 to December 2017, 13-percent were homicides.  You can call Louisiana Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-888-411-1333 for assistance.

LSU has confirmed five students living off-campus have come down with the mumps. Doctor Frank Welch with the state office of public health says the contagious disease can spread through contact with saliva or respiratory droplets…

Cut 3 (09)  “…very seriously” 

Republican lawmakers in the House will chair the financial and redistricting panels, but Democrats have chairmanships over five committees. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James is the new chairman of House Criminal Justice Committee and he plans to hold an extensive public hearing on repealing the death penalty…

cut 6 (12) “…crime”
It’s been ten years since Louisiana carried out an execution.

In Louisiana, the leading cause of death is homicide for pregnant women, or women who have just given birth, that’s according to a joint study between Tulane and LSU. Mariah Wineski Executive Director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence highly encourages females in a domestic situation that fall into this category, to seek help immediately.

Cut 12 (12) “…unborn child”

The LSU Alexandria Foundation receives a $460,000 contribution from six community partners to fund the expansion of the nursing program.  Foundation director Melinda Anderson says the money will fund scholarships as well as the salary and benefits of an additional faculty member over the next four years.

Cut 14 (07) “…students every year.”

The House Criminal Justice Committee will be headed up by a Baton Rouge Democrat who will take on some of the session’s most controversial topics. Matt Doyle spoke with Ted James…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

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Homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant women in Louisiana according to a joint study from Tulane and LSU. Brooke Thorington has more…

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington” 

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The LSU Alexandria Foundation receives a $460,000 contribution to fund the expansion of the nursing program.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 3 (30)  “…I’m Kevin Barnhart” 

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Baton Rouge Democrat Ted James is named Criminal Justice Committee Chairman, and plans to approach incarceration reform, marijuana, and capital punishment with a focus on their fiscal impact.

The bipartisan criminal justice reform of 2017 significantly reduced the state’s prison population, but James says he will guide the committee towards further reductions with a new pitch.

Cut 4 (12) “…crimes.”

Louisiana retook the title of the nation’s highest per capita incarcerator last year after briefly dropping to 49^th following the 2017 criminal justice reform.

Marijuana decriminalization is spreading to more states every year, and James says he plans on introducing decriminalization legislation to the committee with a focus on the cost savings.

Cut 5 (09) “…areas.”

Louisiana currently allows for the tightly regulated sale of medical marijuana for patients with certain conditions.

James says capital punishment repeal is likely to be back on the docket and compared to previous years he plans on permitting an extensive public hearing on the topic.

Cut 6 (12) “…crime.”

James also anticipates gun legislation will be addressed as well.

_____________________________

President Trump highlighted two bills by Senator Bill Cassidy last night, one focusing on parental leave and the other targeting surprise medical billing.

Cassidy’s family leave bill would allow parents to receive a larger child tax credit in their child’s first year after birth or adoption. He says it’s a favorite of the President’s daughter…

Cut 7 (08) “…mandates.”

The legislation would be paid for by drawing from parent’s future child tax credits.

Cassidy says he and Trump have heard endless horror stories from constituents that prompted his surprise medical billing proposal.

Cut 8 (13) “…network.”

The legislation would address the sky-high bills that come with receiving out of network procedures when the patient isn’t aware they are out of network.

The two bills will be up for consideration in a post impeachment Congress that just finished a bitter partisan battle. Cassidy says legislation like this can help get the two chambers on track.

Cut 9 (10) “start”

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In Louisiana, the death rate for pregnant women is twice the national average and the leading cause of death for expectant mothers is homicide, that’s according to a joint study between Tulane and LSU. These numbers come as no surprise to Mariah Wineski Executive Director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Cut 10 (09) “…also preventable”

Of the 119 pregnancy-related deaths in Louisiana from January 2016 to December 2017, 13-percent were homicides. Wineski says healthcare providers can help identify women who might need assistance if they are in a dangerous situation.

Cut 11 (11) “…can play”

Maternal deaths are defined as anything occurring during pregnancy or the year after birth. Wineski highly encourages females in a domestic situation that fall into this category, to seek help immediately.

Cut 12 (12) “…unborn child”

If you are experiencing domestic violence contact the Louisiana Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-888-411-1333 for assistance.

_____________________________________

The LSU Alexandria Foundation receives a $460,000 contribution from six community partners to fund the expansion of the nursing program.  Foundation director Melinda Anderson says this helps combat the nursing shortage in Central Louisiana.

Cut 13 (10) “…some more nurses.”

The money will fund scholarships as well as the salary and benefits of an additional faculty member over the next four years.

Cut 14 (07) “…students every year.”

Anderson says the positive impact will reach beyond the students and says the whole region will see a substantial benefit.

Cut 15 (10) “…public private partnership.”

LSUA and the Department of Nursing has a year to year passing rate of around 94 percent.

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The 18th ranked LSU men’s basketball team looks to extend its winning streak to eleven games tonight and improve to 9-0 in the SEC when they visit Vanderbilt. Former NBA player Jerry Stackhouse is in his first season as head coach of the Commodores and Tigers Coach Will Wade says Vandy is a well coached team…

Cut 16  (14)  …spot” 

But the Commodores have yet to win a game in the SEC this season. Wade says Vanderbilt’s ability to make a bunch of three-pointers makes them a dangerous team…..

Cut 17  (19) “for 3″ 

Vanderbilt averages eight made three-pointers a game. Tip off tonight is at 8.

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LSU football looks to put the finishing touches on its best recruiting class in more than a decade as today begins the second national signing period for the 2020 class . 24-7 sports recruiting analyst Shea Dixon says the Tigers are hoping five-star defensive end Jordan Burch signs at LSU, even though he is committed to South Carolina, but Burch knows LSU is one of the best football programs in the country

cut 18  (21) ” this one”   

Burch is from South Carolina and is scheduled to announce where he’ll sign at noon central time.

Dixon says LSU is expecting a signed national letter of intent from four-star running back Kevontre Bradford out of Lancaster High in Texas

cut 19 (13)  Acadiana area”  

Dixon says LSU also reached into Texas to get a commitment from four-star defensive back Dwight McGlotern from Klein Oak High in Texas. He says McGlothern is expected to sign today…

cut 20 (15) “ bit of both”    

Senator Bill Cassidy says he will not vote to remove President Trump tomorrow in the final day of the Senate impeachment trial. He spoke for nine minutes on the floor, ending his comments by quoting then-Congressman, and now Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer’s 1998 Clinton impeachment speech…

Cut 5 (06) “…prophet.”

Democrats allege the President used military aide to pressure Ukraine into investigating his political rival, Joe Biden.

A Tulane study gives credence to the idea that colorectal cancer screenings should begin at 45. The study found a 46 percent increase in diagnoses from age 49 to 50 and Tulane Associate Clinical Professor Dr. Jordan Karlitz says they also found 93 percent of cases discovered at age 50 had been growing for quite some time…

Cut 10 (07) “radiation” 

A new, potentially lethal drug has been discovered in a St. Mary Parish traffic stop.  It’s called “gray death” and it is heroin cut with fentanyl. St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson David Spencer says this drug is fairly new, first popping up around Georgia and Alabama in 2017.

Cut 8 (11) “…new to us.”

He says it looks like concrete or limestone.

The CDC launches a first of its kind virtual human simulation tool to help cancer survivors adopt healthier behaviors. It’s called Talk to Someone, a place to ask questions and engage in conversations with Linda, a virtual cancer survivor. Cancer survivor Rebecca Shimkets says there’s no shame in having challenges and reaching out for help…

Cut 14 (07) “…to reach out.”

There are nearly 17 million cancer survivors in the US, with 22 million projected in ten years.

A final removal vote in the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump is set for tomorrow, and Senator Bill Cassidy says he will vote against removing the Commander in Chief. Polls show a near dead even split on public opinion related to impeachment and removal, and Cassidy says you can’t undo an election without a strong consensus.

Cut 4 (09) “…society.”

Democrats allege the President used military aide to pressure Ukraine into investigating his political rival, Joe Biden.

A new, potentially lethal drug has been discovered in a St. Mary Parish traffic stop.  It’s called “gray death” and it is heroin cut with fentanyl.  St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson David Spencer says  it doesn’t look like heroin that officials are used to seeing on the street.

Cut 7 (09) “…pieces of concrete.”

There’s an active debate in the medical community about whether to start colorectal cancer screenings at 45 or 50, and a study by Tulane indicates starting screenings before 50 may be the better choice. Tulane Associate Clinical Professor Dr. Jordan Karlitz studied cancer rate increases on a year to year basis, and found a 46 percent increase in diagnoses from ages 49 to 50…

Cut 9 (10) “increase”

The increase from 49 to 50 was particularly noticeable in men, who saw a 53 percent increase in diagnoses.

The CDC launches a first of its kind virtual human simulation tool to help cancer survivors adopt healthier behaviors. It’s called Talk to Someone, a place to ask questions and engage in conversations with Linda, a virtual cancer survivor, about a variety of topics, including mental health. Cancer survivor Rebecca Shimkets…

Cut 12 (13) “…I was having.” 

Senators John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy are expected to vote no on the articles of impeachment. The vote is expected to split along party lines, and Cassidy says it’s evidence the whole process is partisan.

Cut 3 (12)  “…article one” 

A Tulane study uncovers data that supports a push to begin colorectal cancer screenings before age 50. Matt Doyle has more.

cut  2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

A new, potentially lethal drug has been discovered in a St. Mary Parish traffic stop.  It’s called “gray death” and its heroin cut with fentanyl.  St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson David Spencer says different batches contain different levels of fentanyl and just touching it could have bad consequences.

Cut 6 (10) “…play with it.”

The CDC launches a first of its kind virtual human simulation tool aimed at helping cancer survivors adopt healthier behaviors.  The tool is known as Talk to Someone and it will talk about issues such as alcohol and tobacco use, along with nutrition and fitness to prevent recurrences. Cancer survivor Rebecca Shimkets says it is a tool that would have been valuable upon her recovery.

Cut 13 (11) “…that I had.”

A final removal vote in the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump is set for tomorrow, and Senator Bill Cassidy says he will vote against removing the Commander in Chief. Cassidy ended his comments by quoting then-Congressman, and now Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer’s 1998 Clinton impeachment speech…

Cut 5 (06) “…prophet.”

A new, potentially lethal drug has been discovered in a St. Mary Parish traffic stop.  It’s called “gray death” and it is heroin cut with fentanyl.  St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson David Spencer it started showing up around Georgia and Alabama in 2017.

Cut 8 (11) “…new to us.”

He says if you see it call authorities.

There’s a debate within the medical community if colorectal cancer screenings should start at age 45 or 50, and a study by Tulane indicates starting screenings before 50 may be the better choice. Tulane Associate Clinical Professor Dr. Jordan Karlitz hopes the study will receive further review and potentially influence policy creators, as well as the public.

Cut 11 (11) “…screened”

The CDC launches a first of its kind virtual human simulation tool aimed at helping cancer survivors adopt healthier behaviors.  The tool is known as Talk to Someone. There are nearly 17 million cancer survivors in the US, with 22 million projected in ten years.  Cancer survivor Rebecca Shimkets says there is no shame in having challenges and reaching out for help.

Cut 14 (07) “…to reach out.”

A newly discovered drug in Louisiana known as gray death has the potential to kill someone, just by touching it. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart” 

The City of New Orleans is facing a tab of $11-million for the partial collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel. The City is also facing a $7-million dollar expense in relation to a cyber attack on the computer system. A planned implosion for the construction site is set for mid to late March of the hotel. The council was presented with an itemized list of expenses at today’s committee meeting.

There’s an active debate in the medical community about whether to start colorectal cancer screenings at 45 or 50, and a study by Tulane indicates starting screenings before 50 may be the better choice. The study also found 93 percent of cases discovered at age 50 had been growing for quite some time. Tulane Associate Clinical Professor Dr. Jordan Karlitz says that’s dangerous.

Cut 10 (07) “radiation” 

The CDC launches a first of its kind virtual human simulation tool aimed at helping cancer survivors adopt healthier behaviors.  The tool is known as Talk to Someone, and a cancer survivor can ask questions and engage in conversations with Linda, a virtual cancer survivor, about a variety of topics faced by survivors, including mental health.  Cancer survivor Rebecca Shimkets…

Cut 12 (13) “…I was having.” 

A final removal vote in the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump is set for tomorrow, and Senator Bill Cassidy says he will vote against removing the Commander in Chief. Polls show a near dead even split on public opinion related to impeachment and removal and Cassidy says you can’t undo an election without a strong consensus.

Cut 4 (09) “…society.”

Democrats allege the President used military aide pressure Ukraine into investigating his political rival, Joe Biden.
A new, potentially lethal drug has been discovered in a St. Mary Parish traffic stop.  It’s called “gray death” and it is heroin cut with fentanyl.  St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson David Spencer says it doesn’t look like heroin that officials are used to seeing on the street.
Cut 7 (09) “…pieces of concrete.”
Some reports indicate the potency is up to 10,000 times that of morphine.

There’s an active debate in the medical community about whether to start colorectal cancer screenings at 45 or 50, and a study by Tulane indicates starting at 45 may be the better choice. Tulane Associate Clinical Professor Dr. Jordan Karlitz studied cancer rate increases on a year to year basis, and found a 46 percent increase in diagnoses from ages 49 to 50…

Cut 9 (10) “increase”

The study also found 93 percent of cases discovered at age 50 were invasive, indicating they’d been growing for quite some time.

Bob Griffin, a pioneer of television in Shreveport who worked at KSLA before jumping to KTBS over the course of his 60 year career, has died. He was 85.

A final removal vote in the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump is set for tomorrow, and Senator Bill Cassidy says he will vote against removing the Commander in Chief. The vote is expected to split along party lines, and Cassidy says that’s evidence the whole process was a partisan exercise.
Cut 3 (12)  “…article one” 
Polls show a near dead even split on public opinion related to impeachment and removal.
A new, potentially lethal drug has been discovered in a St. Mary Parish traffic stop.  It’s called “gray death” and it is heroin cut with fentanyl.  St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson David Spencer says different batches contain different levels of fentanyl and just touching it could have bad consequences.
Cut 6 (10) “…play with it.”
Some reports indicate the potency is up to 10,000 times that of morphine.

Congressman Ralph Abraham’s remarkably small reelection war chest has rumors flying that he will not seek a fourth term in office. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle” 

Authorities have identified the shooter involved in the murder-suicide that claimed four lives in Union Parish over the weekend. He has been identified as 48-year-old Christopher Colvin of Spearsville. Investigators say Colvin shot and kill his wife, 40-year-old Casey Colvin, her daughter 18-year-old Billie Beaird and family friend 17-year-old Lela Platt in the family’s mobile home.