Georgia-Pacific will be laying off at least 650 workers in March from its Port Hudson paper facility, in a major blow to the North Baton Rouge economy. Baton Rouge Senator Regina Barrow says it’s a huge loss, and a drastic shock to a community that relied on those union jobs to provide a good quality of life, but with more and more people going digital, and sending correspondence through email and text, the need for traditional paper that the facility specialized in has diminished.

Cut 12 (10)   “…white paper” 

A female Shreveport Police officer is dead after being shot multiple times outside of a home last night around 8:30 as she was on her way to start her shift.  The officer was identified as Chateri Payne, who had graduated from the police academy in November. Police Chief Ben Raymond says they are looking for the public’s help.

Cut 6 (06) “…killers to justice.”

Raymond says at this time, law enforcement agencies from all across the northern portion of the state are assisting.

Two Bossier City women are dead after an overnight double homicide shooting. Public Information Officer Traci Landry says officer’s arrived to a tragic scene after getting an 8:30PM call from a neighbor who heard gunshots. 22-year-old Shandrell and 40-year-old Maeisha Simoneaux are believed to have been murdered by the father of Shandrell’s two kids, 22-year-old Fred Jackson, who has been arrested. Landry says it didn’t take long to apprehend the alleged murderer.

Cut 9 (10) “…interviewing.″

Landry says enough evidence was collected to charge Jackson with 1^st Degree Murder.

Out of the four NFL playoff games this weekend, the Saints are the largest favorite at eight points. New Orleans beat Philadelphia 48-7 in November and the two teams meet again on Sunday. Coach Sean Payton anticipates a much different matchup…
cut 18 (14) “…..tremendous challenge”

A female Shreveport Police officer is dead after being shot multiple times outside of a home last night around 8:30 as she was on her way to start her shift.  The officer was identified as Chateri Payne, who had graduated from the police academy in November.  Police Chief Ben Raymond says the murder of an officer is a catastrophic event to a law enforcement agency.

Cut 5 (10) “…this uniform everyday.”

The investigation is ongoing.

President Donald Trump will visit New Orleans on Monday, so he can speak at the American Farm Bureau Convention. Rice and soybean farmers say the tariffs and now the government shutdown have hurt their ability to make money off their crop. There’s also concern among producers about whether documented workers living in Mexico can return for the growing season. Louisiana Farm Bureau President Ronnie Anderson says farmers are eager to hear from the president…

Cut 4 (11) “…right here″

Georgia-Pacific will be laying off at least 650 workers in March from its Port Hudson paper facility, in a major blow to the North Baton Rouge economy. Baton Rouge Representative Regina Barrow says it’s a huge loss, and a drastic shock to a community that relied on those jobs to provide a good quality of life.

Cut 11, 10 seconds, working there

Barrow says with more and more people going digital, and sending correspondence through email and text, the need for traditional paper that the facility specialized in has diminished. Mayor-President Sharon Weston-Broome says the city will activate a Rapid Response employment program to help displaced workers find new employment. 300 workers will remain at the facility.

Shreveport police officer 22-year-old Chateri Payne was fatally shot multiple times last night just before 8:30PM while in uniform, but just before she began her shift. A press conference just wrapped up where it was revealed Officer Payne has been on the job for two months. No one has been arrested in connection with the shooting, and the investigation is ongoing.

President Donald Trump will visit New Orleans on Monday, so he can speak at the American Farm Bureau Convention. Louisiana Farm Bureau President Ronnie Anderson is glad to see the President will be at their centennial convention…

Cut 3 (11) “…this country.”

Rice and soybean farmers say the tariffs and now the government shutdown have hurt their ability to make money off their crop. There’s also concern among producers about whether document workers living in Mexico can return for the growing season.

The Louisiana Legislative Women’s Caucus has requested the Board of Ethics reconsider its recent decision to no longer allow campaign funds to be spent on childcare.

Cut 1 (32) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

Two Bossier City women are dead after an overnight double homicide shooting. Public Information Officer Traci Landry says officer’s arrived to a tragic scene after getting an 8:30PM call from a neighbor who heard gunshots.

Cut 8, 9 seconds, wounds

A suspect in the shooting has been arrested.

Authorities have called an 11 AM press conference to address a fatal shooting last night of a uniformed Shreveport police officer. The most recent update indicates that the deceased officer is a female and was in uniform at the time of the shooting, but had not started her shift yet.

After the Board of Ethics vote to no longer allow campaign funds to be used for childcare for campaign events and activities, the Louisiana Legislative Women’s Caucus has requested the board to reconsider the decision. Caucus Chair Sen. Beth Mizell says it’s a crucial issue, because candidates may not have the financial means to cover the cost of child care for the time it takes to run a campaign.

Cut 6 (10) “…run their campaign.”

A Baton Rouge candidate had been advised by the Board that she could be penalized if she used campaign funds for that purpose.

The Pelican Institute is asking lawmakers to back their revenue neutral tax plan that they say would slash corporate and upper-income tax levels by eliminating the myriad tax exemptions and deductions that have built up in the Louisiana constitution over the decades, but Senior Fellow Chris Jacobs says first the state needs a constitutional rewrite.

Cut 9 (09) “…our constitution.″

By eliminating those deduction, Jacobs says the state could reduce the corporate tax rate from 8 percent to 3.2 percent.

Louisiana is one of seven state to receive a one-point-two million dollar federal grant that will go towards improving the outcomes for child victims of human trafficking. First Lady Donna Edwards says this is an issue that everyone needs to be concerned about

Cut 11 (12) “…make a difference.”

In 2016, Shared Hope International ranked Louisiana number one in the nation for its anti-trafficking laws.

President Trump is coming to the Bayou state as he will speak at the National Farm Bureau Convention in New Orleans on Monday.  The President has previously visited New Orleans for a rally in March of 2016.  The announcement is celebrated by the Attorney General Jeff Landry.
A State GOP operative says the party is seriously considering backing just one candidate in the governor’s race for the October open primary…

Cut 2 (30) “Im Matt Doyle”  

Louisiana’s House Republican delegation supports President Trump’s effort to secure billions of dollars for wall at the U-S Mexico border. Mr. Trump calls it a security crisis, however top congressional Democrats say the president is providing misinformation. Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise says if Democrats want to claim they support border security, they should be willing to negotiate…

Cut 13 (12) “…the table”

Detectives with the Bossier City Police Department’s Juvenile unit arrested a daycare worker following an investigation into a report of cruelty to a juvenile.  On January 7, personnel from Epic Learning Center notified the parent of a toddler and the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services that an accident occurred at their facility.  The parent then contacted the police.  Detectives says it appeared an employee shook the toddler, then  slung the child to the floor.  The child suffered a bloody nose and busted lip.

Educators are keeping their finger on the pulse of sports betting in Louisiana after Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s open to dedicating any revenue from the additional gaming to better preparing children for kindergarten.  While he expects the gains to be modest, Edwards says the sports betting is also an important aspect in making sure the state doesn’t see a decline in gaming revenue.

Cut 4 (11) “…our best interest.″

After a 2015 GOP gubernatorial blood bath that saw the ascendance of The South’s only Democratic governor, Louisiana Republican operative Scott Wilfong, on Talk Louisiana, said the party is taking a hard look in 2019 at throwing their weight behind just one candidate before the October open primary. Wilfong says the party will be discussing that question, and soon.

Cut 6 (06) “…ultimately”

An Acadiana restauranteur and chef has died following a plane crash while on a hunting trip in California.  Lionel Robin is fondly remembered in his community and his food crawfish etouffee was once featured on the Food Network.   Henderson Mayor Sherbin Collette says he has known Robin is whole life.

Cut 9 (08) “…would help them.″

Robin had owned and operated Robin’s Restaurant in Hersonville for about four decades, but had recently been working as the hospitality chef for Tabasco Pepper Sauce.

Louisiana’s House Republican delegation supports President Trump’s effort to secure billions of dollars for wall at the U-S Mexico border. Mr. Trump calls it a security crisis, however top congressional Democrats say the president is providing misinformation. Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise says Democrats are in denial

Cut 12 (12)   “…southern border” 

Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s open to dedicating revenue from sports betting to early childhood education.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (32) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

A day care worker has been arrested in Bossier City and charged with cruelty to a juvenile. Parents of a toddler enrolled at the Epic Learning Center were called on January 7^th and informed of an incident that had occurred on the premises, and which point the parents called Bossier Police. Investigators say 61-year-old Patricia Newsome picked up the toddler, shook the kid, and then threw it to the floor. She’s been booked into Bossier City Jail.

After a 2015 GOP gubernatorial blood bath that saw the ascendance of The South’s only Democratic governor, Louisiana Republican operative Scott Wilfong, on Talk Louisiana, said the party is taking a hard look in 2019 at throwing their weight behind just one candidate before the October open primary. Wilfong says potential candidates will be given an opportunity to build support and compete for the Louisiana GOP’s backing, and he hopes that once a frontrunner becomes clear, the other competitors will bow out gracefully.

Cut 8 (09) “…get out”

The only two Republicans in the race so far are Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone, and Congressman Ralph Abraham.

An Acadian restauranteur and chef has died following a plane crash while on a hunting trip in California. Robin had owned and operated Robin’s Restaurant in Hersonville for about four decades, but had recently been working as the hospitality chef for Tabasco Pepper Sauce. Henderson Mayor Sherbin Collette.

Cut 10 (09) “…he wouldn’t miss.”

Educators are keeping their finger on the pulse of sports betting in Louisiana after Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s open to dedicating any revenue from the additional gaming to better preparing children for kindergarten.  Edwards says if the state really wants to make a difference in the lives of children, more needs to be done about early childhood education.

Cut 3 (08) “…kindergarten any longer.”

Louisiana Republican operative Scott Wilfong, on Talk Louisiana, said the party is taking a hard look in 2019 at throwing their weight behind just one candidate before the October open primary. Louisiana operates a “jungle” primary, and GOP state leaders have requested closed primaries where each party sends their winning candidate to a general election, but Wilfong says that’s yet to materialize.

Cut 7 (11) “one candidate”

The only two Republicans in the race so far are Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone, and Congressman Ralph Abraham.

An Acadian restauranteur and chef has died following a plane crash while on a hunting trip in California.  Lionel Robin is fondly remembered in his community and his food crawfish etouffee was once featured on the Food Network. Henderson Mayor Sherbin Collette says Robin was a happy guy and his crawfish etouffee was so popular, he canned the dish and it was distributed around the country.

Cut 11 (11) “…food was fantastic.”

Louisiana’s House Republican delegation supports President Trump’s effort to secure billions of dollars for wall at the U-S Mexico border. Congressman Steve Scalise says Democrats are refusing to negotiate a deal for border security.

Cut 13 (12) “…the table”

Governor Edwards says the barrier could be upgraded, but this debate shouldn’t result in a government shutdown.

Educators are keeping their finger on the pulse of sports betting in Louisiana after Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s open to dedicating any revenue from the additional gaming to better preparing children for kindergarten. While he expects the gains to be modest, Edwards says the sports betting is also an important aspect in making sure the state doesn’t see a decline in gaming revenue.

Cut 4 (11) “…our best interest.″

Edwards says the legislature has commissioned a study on sports betting to inform their decision moving forward.

An Acadian restauranteur and chef has died following a plane crash while on a hunting trip in California.  Lionel Robin is fondly remembered in his community and his food crawfish etouffee was once featured on the Food Network.   Henderson Mayor Sherbin Collette says he has known Robin is whole life.

Cut 9 (08) “…would help them.″

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue spoke with the press in an effort to answer questions of how the food stamps program will be impacted by the government shutdown.  In an effort to extinguish as much confusion and anxiety as possible, Perdue says soon the department will be reaching out to states to instruct them to request early issuance of February SNAP benefits. Perdue says SNAP benefits should be okay through February, which he says he’s hopeful should give ample time to resolve the issues with the government shutdown.

Cut 14 (11) “…able to sign.”

Educators are keeping their finger on the pulse of sports betting in Louisiana after Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s open to dedicating any revenue from the additional gaming to better preparing children for kindergarten.  Edwards says if the state really wants to make a difference in the lives of children, more needs to be done about early childhood education.

Cut 3 (08) “…kindergarten any longer.”

Edwards’s cautions says any revenue gains from sports betting would be modest.

After a 2015 GOP gubernatorial blood bath that saw the ascendance of The South’s only Democratic governor, Louisiana Republican operative Scott Wilfong, on Talk Louisiana, said the party is taking a hard look in 2019 at throwing their weight behind just one candidate before the October open primary. Wilfong says the party will be discussing that question, and soon.

Cut 6, 6 seconds, ultimately

Congressman Garret Graves supports pending legal action against several federal agencies for refusing to distribute RESTORE funds to families who fall into the “duplication of benefits” loophole after the 2016 floods. Graves blames the delay on a group that’s opposed the regulatory change from the beginning, because he says they erroneously fear it would result in flood victims getting paid by both the SBA and HUD.

Cut 12 (10)   “…entire process.”

Flood victims who received Small Business Administration loans after the 2016 floods were not eligible to receive RESTORE grants for flood damage. But in October, Congress approved legislation to allow it.

BP has announced plans to go forward with a one-point-three billion dollar expansion in production in the Gulf of Mexico after seismic imaging discovered an additional one-point-four billion barrels of oil under the sea.