The nationwide movement known as Small Business Saturday driven by local communities to rev up traffic for independently owned businesses is being heralded as a success.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (29) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Louisiana has seen a drastic drop in the temps around the state, as today many areas are 20 to 30 degrees colder than the same time yesterday.  State Climatologist Barry Keim says that’s even before factoring in the wind chill.

Cut 3 (09) “…in some locations.”

A crash involving a suspected impaired driver took the life of 13 year old Kyrin Pete of Lake Charles during the early morning hours of Thanksgiving Day. Trooper Derek Senegal says 33-year-old Jacob Ryan Herbert of Lafayette was behind the wheel of the vehicle that struck the teenager.

Cut 12 (08)   “…on LA 385.”

Reports have pegged Texas A&M Head Coach Jimbo Fisher’s nephew, Cole Fisher as the assailant who attacked LSU Analyst Steve Kragthorpe after the Aggies 74-72 win over LSU Saturday night. USA Today Reporter Glen Guilbeau says the altercation started when Dameyune Craig, who was fired by Coach O after one year as an assistant at LSU…

Cut 9 (07) “move along.”

That’s when Cole Fisher allegedly decked Kragthorpe. Guilbeau was interviewed on Talk Louisiana.

The nationwide movement known as Small Business Saturday driven by local communities to rev up traffic for independently owned businesses is being heralded as a success.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (29) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

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Reports say  the guy who assaulted an LSU Analyst after Saturday’s loss was none other than the nephew of A&M head Coach Jimbo Fisher…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”  

Louisiana has seen a drastic drop in the temps around the state, as today many areas are 20 to 30 degrees colder than the same time yesterday.  State Climatologist Barry Keim says temps should rise back up later in the work week.
Cut 5 (08)  “…pretty mild temperatures.” 

As the cold air continues to impact the state, the high temps will only get into the low 50s across the state today.

This past Saturday proved to make a huge impact on locally owned shops and restaurants as the movement known as “Small Business Saturday” saw big numbers.  National Federation of Independent Business Louisiana spokesperson Dawn Starns says looking at the full shopping period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, more than two-thirds of small business owners expect sales to be stronger than 2017.
Cut 8 (06) “…holiday shopping turnout.”

Reports have pegged Texas A&M Head Coach Jimbo Fisher’s nephew, Cole Fisher, as the assailant who attacked LSU Analyst Steve Kragthorpe after the Aggies 74-72 win over LSU Saturday night. USA Today Reporter Glen Guilbeau says after Fisher decked Kragthorpe, who suffers from Parkinson’s, former LSU running back and current Tiger Staffer Kevin Faulk stepped in to protect a good friend, and went to town on Fisher.

Cut 10 (09)   “…understandable”

An LSU Manship School Assistant Professor says his research shows the loss of local media can make towns a lot more partisan. Joshua Darr says his research reinforced the importance of keeping local news alive and supported, so that local voters can be fully informed about local candidates history and positions on vital local issues, as opposed to just falling back on party line voting.

Cut 12 (10)   “…local options”

Louisiana has seen a drastic drop in the temps around the state, as today many areas are 20 to 30 degrees colder than the same time yesterday.  State Climatologist Barry Keim says that’s even before factoring in the wind chill.

Cut 3 (09) “…in some locations.”

As the cold air continues to impact the state, the high temps will only get into the low 50s across the state today, but that will pass as Louisiana is expected to see temperatures rise once again later into the week.

This past Saturday proved to make a huge impact on locally owned shops and restaurants as the movement known as “Small Business Saturday” saw big numbers.  National Federation of Independent Business spokesperson Dawn Starns says according to a recent survey, it was a record setting year.

Cut 6 (07) “…that’s just phenomenal.”

Reports have pegged Texas A&M Head Coach Jimbo Fisher’s nephew, Cole Fisher as the assailant who attacked LSU Analyst Steve Kragthorpe after the Aggies 74-72 win over LSU Saturday night. USA Today Reporter Glen Guilbeau says the fight started Dameyune Craig, who was fired by Coach O after one year as an assistant at LSU…

Cut 9 (07) “move along.”

That’s when Cole Fisher allegedly decked Kragthorpe, who suffers from Parkinson’s, right where his pacemaker is embedded. After that former LSU running back and current Tiger Staffer Kevin Faulk says he stepped in to protect Kragthorpe, and let the Nephew of Jimbo Fisher have it.

Heres commodities.

The Better Business Bureau has these tips on this Cyber Monday to make sure you are not a victim of a holiday scam. Michael Farrar has the story…

Cut 1 (28) “I’m Michael Farrar”

Senator John Kennedy is expected to announce this week on whether he’ll run for Governor in 2019 against John Bel Edwards. Southeastern Louisiana Professor Dayne Sherman expects Kennedy to get in the race, as even if he loses, he’ll retain his seat, and…

Cut 7 (09) “…good graces.”

Bruno and Sherman were interviewed on Talk Louisiana.

An LSU Manship School Assistant Professor says his research shows the loss of local media can make towns a lot more partisan. Joshua Darr says that’s because when local media dies, the often more heavily partisan national outlets fill the gap. He says that may Balkanize voters who previously may have spent more time considering the local issues when considering a candidate, and not just their party affiliation.

Cut 11 (10) “…is thriving.”

LSU suffered an absolute heart breaking loss on Saturday to Texas A&M as the Aggies outlasted the Tigers 74-72 in seven overtimes. A&M sent the game into overtime with a touchdown on the final play of regulation, after a second had been put on the clock. But Coach Ed Orgeron says that second should have never been put up, because they’ve been told that if the previous play ends with three seconds or left you can’t stop the clock by snapping the football and throwing it to the ground

Cut 13 (09) “…in my opinion”

A study shows towns that lose their local newspapers are nearly 2 percent more likely to vote in a more partisan fashion. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 3 (30) “…Matt Doyle”

A crash involving a suspected impaired driver during the Thanksgiving Holiday has left a teenage pedestrian dead in Calcasieu Parish.  The crash took the life of 13 year old Kyrin Pete of Lake Charles during the early morning hours of Thanksgiving Day.  Toxicology samples were taken and the crash remains under investigation.

It’s Cyber Monday a chance for consumers to find great deals on the internet. Southeast Louisiana Better Business Bureau spokesperson Cynthia Albert says if you are in a generous mood and plan on donating money, you can check if the charity is legit at give-dot-org…

Cut 5 (12) “…bureau.”

LSU suffered an absolute heart breaking loss on Saturday to Texas A&M as the Aggies outlasted the Tigers 74-72 in seven overtimes. A&M sent the game into overtime with a touchdown on the final play of regulation, after a second had been put on the clock. But Coach Ed Orgeron says that second should have never been put up, because they’ve been told that if the previous play ends with three seconds or left you can’t stop the clock by snapping the football and throwing it to the ground

The Better Business Bureau has these tips on this Cyber Monday to make sure you are not a victim of a holiday scam. Michael Farrar has the story…

Cut 1 (28) “I’m Michael Farrar”

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 Analysts expect Senator John Kennedy to join the 2019 Governor’s race this week. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

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The Ragin Cajuns will play in the first ever Sun Belt Championship game in football this Saturday as UL-Lafayette defeated ULM 31-28 to win the Western Division. The Cajuns jumped out to a 14-0 lead and won the game when the Warhawks missed a potential game-tying field goal as time expired. Running back Trey Ragas says the culture instilled by first year coach Billy Napier helped them pull out the win…

Cut 19 (14)   “…keep fighting”

Ragas had a big game on Saturday in Monroe as he rushed for 115 yards. The Cajuns will play in the Sun Belt Championship game on Saturday against Appalachian State. Ragas says it’s an unbelievable feeling…

Cut 20 (09) “…feel awesome”

Today kicks of early voting for the December 8th election. The Secretary of State’s office says there are 134 candidate runoffs in 47 parishes.

John Couvillon of JCM Analytics says the Shreveport mayoral race is one high profile election heading to a run-off, plus there are other local races…

Cut 9 (11) “being sought.”

A judge handed down a 105 year prison sentence to a man convicted of putting a pipe bomb that detonated under a couple’s bed.

56 year old Douglas Holley would be over 160 years old if he manages to live long enough to serve the 105 year sentence issued by Bossier Judge Parker Self on Friday.

Holley turned down a plea bargain of 40 years imprisonment after conviction in August for two counts of attempted first degree murder of Tracy and Robert Hewlett and other charges.

According to the Associated Press, Holley planned vengeance on Robert Hewlett, a veterinarian, for the death of Holley’s horse due to a terminal case of colic.

The Hewlett’s own the Holly Hill Farm Equestrian Center.

The couple may have escaped the 2015 explosion because of the husband, Robert Hewlett getting out of bed extra early due to him being jet lagged from his trip to Australia.

Thousands of 2016 Louisiana flood victims continue to wait for President Donald Trump to sign a waiver so they can be eligible for disaster aid.

Flooded homeowners who took out Small Business Administration disaster loans remain ineligible for grant dollars, because of the federal government’s duplication of benefits policy.

Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says he’s heard from the White House that this issue should be resolved shortly.

He hopes so, because it’s incredibly frustrating.

Cut 13 (06) “…issue resolved.”

Tonight marks the 45th anniversary of the Bayou Classic football game set to take place on the Super Dome.

The annual sports event has Grambling State University Tigers going head to head with the Southern University Jaguars.

Although these two historically black college and universities are based in Louisiana, they have a world wide fan base.

The ‘2018 Bayou Classic Battle of the Bands’ presents a dynamic half time showdown between the marching bands with a fierce rivalry among the musicians, dancers and associated performers that take the field when the teams pause for half time.

The  scheduled kick off today at 4 pm.

A trio of women were arrested in Baton Rouge on Thanksgiving for allegedly attempting to take clothing worth over two thousand dollars from stores without paying for the items.

Baton Rouge police identified Kimaijah Aclise, age 17, Ashley Knighten, age 27, and 20 year old Brandi D. Binson in the arrest at the Seigan Lane Marketplace shopping area on Thursday evening.

Authorities believe the three women were working together as a team and that two others managed to avoid being arrested.

Communities throughout Louisiana have many happy holiday events going on. For those living in or traveling through the 3-3-7 area code, there’s the “Safari of Lights” at Zoosiana (Zoo-see-ann-uh), the Zoo of Acadiana along highway 30 east in Broussard.

The “Safari of Lights” features larger than life illuminated displays with animal themes from 5 pm to 9 pm on the Zoosiana grounds.

However, folks in northwest Louisiana should look to the skies for their holiday lights during Saturday night’s “Rockets Over The Red Fireworks Festival.”

The free event features two prominent viewing areas: Shreveport’s Riverview Park, as well as the Louisiana Boardwalk outlets in Bossier City.

A wide variety of unique holiday events are listed on the Louisiana Travel (dot) com website.

For those on the lookout for a real tree, one Louisiana farmer says this year’s crop is good. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (29) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The Saints roasted the Atlanta Falcons on Thanksgiving night, defeating them 31 to 17, and the guys who caught Drew Brees’ four touchdown passes were all undrafted players.

Cut 6 (11) “…stuff happen.”

It’s the 10th straight win for the New Orleans Saints.

And LSU also goes after its 10th win of the year tonight when the Tigers take on Texas A-and-M at 6:30pm in Texas.

Early voting begins today for the December 8th election. Featured on the ballot are the run off candidates for the secretary of state’s office.

Voters had a high turnout for the November 6th election with voter participation just over 50-percent.

Despite that, pollster John Couvillon of JMC Analytics expects a much lower turnout for this election.

Cut 8 (11) “…the primary”

Early voting continues through December 1st, except for Sunday.

A movie that began filming in Louisiana a year ago, opened nationwide this week. “Green Book” stars Mahershala (MUH-HER-SHALL-UH) Ali who won the 2016 best actor Academy Award for his role in “Moonlight.”  Viggo Mortensen also co-starred in the film.

The movie had a limited release in mid November, it expanded to a national release on November 21st.

The drama is set in the 1962 but was filmed in Orleans parish locations that include the McAlister Auditorium on Tulane’s campus and the Rosevelt Hotel in the French Quarter according an Advocate newspaper article.

The Thanksgiving holiday has been changed forever for two southwest Louisiana families as a result of an alleged drunk and driving wreck. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (22) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The federal government’s duplication of benefits policy is complicating disaster aid for many homeowners devastated by the 2016 flood.

The problem is that flooded homeowners who received a Small Business Administration disaster loan were deemed ineligible for grants.

Yet in October, Congress approved a law to allow Louisiana flood victims who got an S-B-A loan to also be eligible for federal grants through the Restore Louisiana program.

However there’s a disagreement among bureaucrats over whether the president also needs to sign a waiver.

Congressman Garret Graves took up the issue.

Cut 12 (06) “…this fixed”