The LSU Board of Supervisors has approved an extension and pay raise for football coach Ed Orgeron. Athletics Director Joe Alleva appeared at today’s meeting and said Orgeron is deserving of a 500-thousand dollar raise…

Cut 12 (10) “…extremely well.”

Orgeron’s new contract runs through 2023 and his annual salary is four million dollars, the ninth highest in the SEC.

Flooding in the Midwest has many concerned about how those draining flood waters could impact the already very high Mississippi River levels. National Weather Service Slidell meteorologist Danielle Manning says those flood waters from the Missouri River basin do have to pass through the river on the way to the Gulf of Mexico. But what kind of impact will it have?

Cut 7 (09) “…start rising again.”

The Rosedown Plantation in St. Francisville is under fire for posting an exhibit sign that described the slaves who powered the plantation as “happy.” A state parks official says the sign has been removed and admits it was in poor taste. Southern University Political Science Professor Albert Samuels says after the confederacy fell, a coordinated propaganda campaign was established to rehabilitate the Rebel’s image.

Cut 5 (11)  “the war.”

St. Martin Parish sheriff deputies arrest a Broussard mother after she allegedly left her two children, ages 1 and 5, unattended in an unlocked, running vehicle at a truck stop casino for about an hour and a half while she played video poker inside.  The Good Samaritan law states that someone can bust open a window in an effort to save a child or animal trapped in a car, but Major Ginny Higgins says the person who spotted the children did the right thing by not taking that action because the doors were unlocked.

Cut 11 (08)   “…save their lives.”

The LSU Board of Supervisors athletic committee has approved a two-year contract extension for Coach Ed Orgeron and the Louisiana native is getting a 14-percent raise, which means he’ll make four-million dollars a year. Athletic Director Joe Alleva says Orgeron can earn even more money…
Cut 13 (12) “…500,000 dollars”

St. Martin Parish sheriff deputies arrest a Broussard mother after she allegedly left her two children, ages 1 and 5, unattended in an unlocked, running vehicle at a truck stop casino for about an hour and a half while she played video poker inside. Major Ginny Higgins says thankfully the kids were not harmed….
Cut 9 (07) “…were in there.”
37-year-old Tara Jackson is facing two counts of child desertion.

The Rosedown Plantation in St. Francisville is under fire for posting an exhibit sign that described the slaves who powered the plantation as “happy.” A state parks official says the sign has been removed and admits it was in poor taste. Southern University Political Science Professor Albert Samuels says he’s not surprised by the sign…
Cut 3 (10) “…was”
About 850 people were enslaved at Rosedown, and the site has become the most visited historic location in Louisiana, hosting over 28-thousand visitors last fiscal year.

Flooding in the Midwest has many concerned about how those draining flood waters could impact the already very high Mississippi River levels. National Weather Service Slidell meteorologist Danielle Manning says those flood waters from the Missouri River basin shouldn’t be a threat.

Cut 6 (10) “…come down significantly.”

The LSU Board of Supervisors athletic committee has approved an extension and pay raise for football coach Ed Orgeron. Orgeron’s new contract runs through 2023 and his annual salary is four million dollars. Athletics Director Joe Alleva appeared at today’s meeting and says Orgeron can earn even more money…

Cut 13 (12) “…500,000 dollars”

Orgeron is now the ninth highest paid head coach in the SEC.

Flooding in the Midwest has many concerned about how those draining flood waters could impact the already very high Mississippi River levels. National Weather Service Slidell meteorologist Danielle Manning says those flood waters from the Missouri River basin do have to pass through the river on the way to the Gulf of Mexico. But what kind of impact will it have?

Cut 7 (09) “…start rising again.”

The Rosedown Plantation in St. Francisville is under fire for posting an exhibit sign that described the slaves who powered the plantation as “happy.” A state parks official says the sign has been removed and admits it was in poor taste. Southern University Political Science Professor Albert Samuels says after the confederacy fell, a coordinated propaganda campaign was established to rehabilitate the Rebel’s image.

Cut 5 (11)  “the war.”

St. Martin Parish sheriff deputies arrest a Broussard mother after she allegedly left her two children, ages 1 and 5, unattended in an unlocked, running vehicle at a truck stop casino for about an hour and a half while she played video poker inside.  The Good Samaritan law states that someone can bust open a window in an effort to save a child or animal trapped in a car, but Major Ginny Higgins says the person who spotted the children did the right thing by not taking that action because the doors were unlocked.

Cut 11 (08)   “…save their lives.”

The LSU Board of Supervisors athletic committee has approved an extension and pay raise for football coach Ed Orgeron. Athletics Director Joe Alleva appeared at today’s meeting and said Orgeron is deserving of a 500-thousand dollar raise…

Cut 12 (10) “…extremely well.”

Orgeron’s new contract runs through 2023 and his annual salary is four million dollars, the ninth highest in the SEC.

Flooding in the Midwest has many concerned about how those draining flood waters could impact the already very high Mississippi River levels. National Weather Service Slidell meteorologist Danielle Manning says those flood waters from the Missouri River basin shouldn’t be a threat.

Cut 6 (10) “…come down significantly.”

The Rosedown Plantation in St. Francisville is under fire for posting an exhibit sign that described the slaves who powered the plantation as “happy.” A state parks official says the sign has been removed and admits it was in poor taste. Southern University Political Science Professor Albert Samuels says southern historic venues tend to downplay the terror of slavery, and instead play up the pageantry of those who built their wealth and power on the backs of those chained on their property.

Cut 4 (13) “…the focus″

About 850 people were enslaved at Rosedown, and the site has become the most visited historic location in Louisiana, hosting 28,251 visitors last fiscal year.
Here’s a look at your commodities.

Starting next school year, the Avoyelles school system will adopt a four-day week. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”
The Powerball is up to 550 million, and as more folks decide to buy tickets the Lotto wants to remind people not to toss out those tickets just because you didn’t win the jackpot. Lotto spokesperson Dustin Annison says there’s ine total winnings, so you’re actually more likely to have won a smaller prize than the big one.
Cut 11 (07) “though.”
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Third-seeded LSU is in Jacksonville getting ready for tomorrow’s first round NCAA match-up with 14th seeded Yale. Junior guard Skylar Mays both teams like to play an up tempo style and that should benefit the Tigers
Cut 16 (11) “for us”
Louisiana has the highest percentage of PlayStation fans in the country, per a survey by PC Magazine that asked gamers to name their top console. The poll nabbed 2,000 responses, and let people chose from Xbox, Nintendo, PC, PlayStation, or none. Associate features editor Rob Marvin gives the breakdown on how to Bayou State prefers to game…
Cut 7 (09) “…don’t game”
Louisiana had nearly half as many PC first gamers as the rest of the nation, and less than half the average number of Americans who picked Nintendo as their top system.

Starting next school year, the Avoyelles school system will adopt a four-day week.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

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Which gaming console is the most popular in Louisiana? Matt Doyle has the answer…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”  

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Could you be getting a check from the Department of Treasury soon?  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 3 (32) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

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Starting next school year, the entire school system in Avoyelles Parish will have a four day week. The decision was made in an effort to recruit teachers to the area. Avoyelles School Superintendent Blaine Dauzat says the Tuesday through Friday schedule hasn’t had a warm reception from everyone.

Cut 4 (10) “…parents and community.”

Mondays were selected as the day off as the school district believes it would be optimal for students in making doctor and dental appointments.

Dauzat says the parish is last in salaries for teachers in the state and an attempt to collect a tax aimed at giving teachers a raise failed a few years ago.

Cut 5 (11) “…we currently have.”

The schedule change means every weekend is a three day weekend and the school days will be extended by an extra hour. Among the concerns about the change is what parents will do for childcare for their kids for Mondays. Dauzat says conversations schools are not in the babysitting business.

Cut 6 (09) “…at this point.”

Caldwell Parish is the only other system in the state to adopt the four day week, doing so eleven years ago and has seen their district performance score rise for nine of those years.

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Louisiana has the highest percentage of PlayStation fans in the country, per a survey by PC Magazine that asked gamers to name their top  console. The poll nabbed 2,000 responses, and let people chose from Xbox, Nintendo, PC, PlayStation, or none. Associate features editor Rob Marvin gives the breakdown on how to Bayou State prefers to game…

Cut 7 (09) “…don’t game”

Louisiana had nearly half as many PC first gamers as the rest of the nation, and less than half the average number of Americans who picked Nintendo as their top system.

Taking a look at the breakdown, it’s not a regional trend, and Louisiana was among only nine states that picked PlayStation as their top choice.

Cut 8 (06) “xbox.”

The survey also got a chance to take a look at how different demographics pick their gaming systems. Marvin says it’s clear men and women have different tastes in gaming.

Cut 9 (07) “…gaming″

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The Powerball is up to 550 million for today’s drawing, and as that number rises, so do the amount of people playing, all trying to chase that elusive life changing big ticket. But, Lotto spokesperson Dustin Annison says even if you don’t take home the grand prize, don’t toss out your ticket.

Cut 10 (12) “…check your tickets”

The half billion dollar drawing is the 8th largest jackpot in the history of Powerball, and the 11th highest in American lotto history.

Already this year the Lotto has seen a million dollar ticket go unclaimed, meaning that money is now back in Lotto hands. To avoid another incident like that, Annison says double check your results after the drawings, because statistically, you’re actually more likely to win 50,000 dollars than a couple hundred mil.

Cut 11 (07) “though.”

Most folks play for the big prize, so it’s normal to only see the winning Powerball numbers displayed after a drawing, but Annison says go to the lotto’s website after the drawing to see what else you may have scored before tossing a potential life changing ticket in the trash.

Cut 12 (08) “…prize tiers.”

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The Department of Treasury is mailing out a second round of unclaimed property checks. Just over 44,000 checks are being mailed out this week, totaling $4.2 million dollars. State Treasurer John Schroder says they had some issues with the first wave of checks, with people not believing they had come into a large sum of money.

Cut 13 (08) “…to the bank.”

The checks range in value and could be worth upon to $1500. Any greater value will result in a claim form being mailed to the recipient.

Schroder says every parish in the state has residents receiving some sort of money.

Cut 14 (12) “…citizens of Louisiana.”

Schroder encourages residents to keep an eye on your mailbox and keep an eye on the department’s website. He adds more money is coming.

Cut 15 (09) “…deal with internally.”

For those that are curious to see if anything has been found in their name, head over to LATreasury.com and click on “unclaimed property” at the top of the page.

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Third-seeded LSU is in Jacksonville getting ready for tomorrow’s first round NCAA match-up with 14th seeded Yale. Junior guard Skylar Mays both teams like to play an up tempo style and that should benefit the Tigers

Cut 16  (11) “for us” 

Will Wade remains suspended as the team begins their journey through March Madness. Mays say they miss Wade, but the talent on the floor is good enough to reach the Final Four, especially when it comes to guard play between him, Tremont Waters and Javonte Smart…

 cut 17 (09)   “whole thing” 

Mays even though the Tigers didn’t win a game in the SEC Tournament, they remain confident heading into the Big Dance

Cut 18 (13) we play” 

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser gave an update on the status of the four New Orleans Confederate monuments today on Talk Louisiana, saying he’s working to get the city to transfer control of them. Rumors circulated after the monument’s removal that private citizens were cutting deals to have the statues transferred to their property, but Nungesser says none of those efforts were ever completed. Despite the initial failures, the Lt. Governor says some private citizens are still making an attempt.
Cut 4 (07) “…there″
DCFS Division of Family Support Deputy Assistant Secretary Sammy Guillory says those who normally get their SNAP on the 10th through the 14th will instead get their funds on the 9th next month. Guillory says they had to make the change to make sure some of their recipients did not end up going too long without their food assistance.
Cut 10 (09)“…issuances.”
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Motorists in Alexandria will begin seeing changes to the speed limit on I-49 beginning today.
Cut 2 (28) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”
House Republican Caucus Chairman Lance Harris attacked Governor Edwards re-election claims that taxes have gone down during his term at today’s joint legislative budget committee, noting that taxes are higher than when Jindal left office, and says business taxes are up as well…
Cut 14 (10) “…three years ago”
Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says the increase was necessary to cover the Jindal budget shortfall.

Many Food Stamp beneficiaries will be receiving their funds on a modified schedule next month as the program wraps up it’s government shutdown inspired scheduling changes. DCFS Division of Family Support Deputy Assistant Secretary Sammy Guillory says those who normally get their SNAP on the 10th through the 14th will instead get their funds on the 9th.

Cut 9 (11) “…freak out”

House Republican Caucus Chairman Lance Harris used today’s joint legislative budget committee to question Governor Edwards re-election claims that taxes have gone down during his term. The state representative from Alexandria says taxes are actually higher than they were when Edwards took office…

Cut 12 (07) “…in taxes.”

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser gave an update on the status of the four New Orleans Confederate monuments today on Talk Louisiana, saying right now the monuments are still being stored, and are not in the best condition at the moment, so he’s pushing to have the them transferred to a historic preservation group comprised of historical experts and academics who understand the history of the old statues.

Cut 5 (10)  “…forward.”

The monuments were taken down in 2017, sparking an intense series of standoffs in front of the statues in multiple areas of the city.

Motorists on I-49 in the urbanized areas of Alexandria will see an increase in the speed limit. DOTD spokesperson Erin Buchanan says the change will see plenty of benefits as many of the drivers are already accustomed to driving the new speed limit.

Cut 7 (11) “…things like that.”
From about Broadway Avenue north to the US 71 interchange, the speed will increase from 60 to 65, and 60 to 70 elsewhere.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser gave an update on the status of the four New Orleans Confederate monuments today on Talk Louisiana, saying he’s working to get the city to transfer control of them. There’s one major roadblock though, and that’s P.G.T Beauregard, who isn’t controlled by the city…

Cut 3 (11) “…forward”

The monuments were taken down in 2017, sparking an intense series of standoffs in front of the statues in multiple areas of the city.

Motorists on I-49 in the urbanized areas of Alexandria will see an increase in the speed limit. DOTD spokesperson Erin Buchanan says today crews are changing out the speed limits signs in the area.

Cut 6 (09) “…to 65 mph.”

The remaining portions in the Alexandria will see an increase from 60 to 70 miles per hour.

Many Food Stamp beneficiaries will be receiving their funds on a modified schedule next month. DCFS Division of Family Support Deputy Assistant Secretary Sammy Guillory says this should be the last month featuring disturbances to the usual SNAP cycle, after months of having to continually modify the schedule due to SNAP gaps caused by the shutdown.
Cut 11 (09)   “…in may”
Those who normally get their SNAP benefits the 10th through the 14th will instead get their funds on the 9th.
House Republican Caucus Chairman Lance Harris used today’s joint legislative budget committee to question Governor Edwards re-election claims that taxes have gone down during his term. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says a combination of cuts and tax increases were needed to overcome a massive budget deficit. Dardenne reminds Harris that deeper cuts to the state budget could have been made, but the state legislature never presented a plan.
Cut 13 (07) “…those things.”

The Lt. Governor says he’s working to get New Orleans to relinquish control of the four Confederate monuments taken down in 2017, and turn them over to a group dedicated to historic preservation. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”
Motorists on I-49 in the urbanized areas of Alexandria will see an increase in the speed limit to 70. DOTD spokesperson Erin Buchanan says says speed studies were conducted to calculate the optimal new speed for the area.
Cut 8 (12) “…feel comfortable driving.”
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House Republican Caucus Chairman Lance Harris used today’s joint legislative budget committee to question Governor Edwards re-election claims that taxes have gone down during his term. The state sales tax is about a half-cent lower than it was last year, but still higher than the four-percent during the Jindal administration. Harris points out some business taxes have also increased…
Cut 14 (10) “…three years ago”
Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says a combination of cuts and tax increases were needed to overcome a massive budget deficit.
DCFS Division of Family Support Deputy Assistant Secretary Sammy Guillory says those who normally get their SNAP on the 10th through the 14th will instead get their funds on the 9th in April, to insure some did not go without food for too long.
Cut 10 (09)“…issuances.”