One of the largest companies in Louisiana may be the most important player on the field Sunday for the Super Bowl. Matt Doyle has the story.

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The Louisiana movie industry is seeing a revitalization after lawmakers reworked the state’s film tax credit program in 2016.  Kelley Ray talked with Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson…

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A task force’s proposal to alter TOPS for lower performing students is running into opposition from Taylor Foundation members. Jeff Palermo was there…

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Monroe-based CenturyLink is being relied upon to keep the lights on, and the broadcast rolling for this year’s Super Bowl. U.S. Bank Stadium is a new stadium built from the ground up with state-of-the-art technology, mostly by CenturyLink. Director of Smart Solutions Jesse Sullivan says it’s a project years in the making.

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CenturyLink is responsible for most of the technology infrastructure needs in the stadium. Perhaps most importantly, Sullivan says it’ll be high quality Wi-Fi throughout the stadium.

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CenturyLink will handle all of the major network video streams coming out of the stadium, as well as the massive data load of 72,000 fans sending snaps, Facebook videos, and Instagram selfies. Sullivan says the raw amount of data is staggering.

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Tech giant CenturyLink employs 2,700 Louisianans, with a payroll over 200- million dollars a year.

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The St. Landry Parish Crime Stoppers program has been awarded the 2017 Best “Crime of the Week” segment in the nation for cities up to 250-thousand people. A 20-minute program airs weekly on Thursday mornings on Lafayette radio station K-P-E-L and shorter segments on other stations including K-E-U-N.  Segments also air on Lafayette TV stations. Major Eddie Thibodeaux on the award from Crime Stoppers USA…

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The program is responsible for assisting in 60 arrests in 50 different cases in 2017.  Thibodeaux says the anonymous tips are the reason behind its success…

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Thibodeaux says as the segments have evolved, members of the St. Landry Parish’s Sheriff’s Office have become more involved…

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The awards were presented at a Crime Stoppers USA seminar in Hawaii.

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The Louisiana movie industry is seeing a revitalization after lawmakers reworked the state’s film tax credit program in 2016. The state offers a 150-million-dollars-a-year-cap on credits issued, or 20-million-dollars per production.  Louisiana Economic Development says producers spent an estimated 668-million-dollars in 2017, up from 365-million-dollars the year before. Secretary Don Pierson says the recent uptick bodes well for the economy…

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Oscar winner Tom Hanks has chosen the Capital City to film the World War II movie “Greyhound”.  Pierson says shooting will begin in Mid-March aboard the U.S.S. Kidd and other Baton Rouge locations…

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An Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress, including Senator Bill Cassidy and Representative Garret Graves, hit a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Virginia today.

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Today is the deadline for retailers to mail notices to Louisiana residents who purchased products online, but did not pay sales tax at the time of purchase.  Louisiana Department of Revenue spokesperson Byron Henderson says if you fail to report these taxes, it’ll cost you…

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I-10 westbound was closed for several hours this morning at the West Pearl River Bridge in Slidell due to multiple accidents involving two 18-wheelers that were hauling live bees. Trooper Dustin Dwight says 8 vehicles were involved in the crash and first responders were dealing with a mess…:

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Gas prices keep going up, which could signal high prices in the future.   Triple A fuel analyst Don Redman says with price increases coming on a daily basis, we may be paying much higher prices during the busy travel season, like around $3.00 a gallon…

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Regular gas is at 2.43 a gallon on average in Louisiana.

An Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress to a retreat in West Virginia, including Senator Bill Cassidy and Representative Garret Graves collided with a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Virginia. Cassidy says he was fortunate and he and his wife Laura were not injured, but says other passengers felt the brunt of the collision, which derailed the train…

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One person in the garbage truck was killed and five others are reportedly injured.

I-10 westbound was closed for several hours this morning at the West Pearl River Bridge in Slidell due to multiple accidents involving two 18-wheelers that were hauling live bees. State Trooper Dustin Dwight…

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Eight vehicles altogether were involved in the accident.

With gas prices on the rise, drivers may be wondering if three dollar a gallon gas is on the horizon.  The current average for a gallon of regular gasoline is 2.43, up from six cents a week ago.  Triple A fuel analyst Don Redman says oil is trading at around 64-dollars a barrel.  He says demand is driving the oil market…

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Oil closed at 64.77 a barrel today.

A new Certified Louisiana logo will soon be on local products.  Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says for a product to be certified Louisiana, it passes state and federal food safety tests and must be made primarily in the Pelican State.  He says there are a couple of certified options for products that pass the test…

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Louisiana Radio Network News, I’m Matt Doyle

An Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress to a retreat in West Virginia, including Senator Bill Cassidy and Representative Garret Graves collided with a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Virginia.  Officials says one in the garbage truck is dead and another seriously injured. Cassidy explains what happened…

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Cassidy says he was fortunate and he and his wife Laura were not injured, but says other passengers felt the brunt of the collision, which derailed the train.

Today is the deadline for retailers to mail notices to Louisiana residents who purchased products online, but did not pay sales tax at the time of purchase. Louisiana Department of Revenue spokesperson Byron Henderson says after you receive the notice, you have two options.

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LRN

Gas prices are seeing an unusual spike for this time of year, according to AAA. Michelle Southern reports…:

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Louisianans looking to buy local products at their grocery store should look for a new logo. Louisiana Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says they have overhauled their Certified logo program with flashier, more diverse logos to further highlight goods made in the Bayou State. He hopes it spurs more interest in Louisiana goods.

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Louisiana Radio Network News

An Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress to a retreat in West Virginia, including Senator Bill Cassidy and Representative Garret Graves collided with a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Virginia.  One person in the trash truck was killed and at least five others sustained injuries.  Both Cassidy and his wife are doctors and rushed to help…

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Graves’ office has confirmed he is ok.

Louisiana drivers continue to see higher gas prices and a return to three-dollars a gallon may not be too far off.  The current average for a gallon of regular gasoline is 2.43, up from six cents a week ago.  Triple A fuel analyst Don Redman says refineries will begin the process of changing to summer blend which always tacks on extra cost to consumers…

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He says the three dollar a gallon gas may show up by summer.

Today is the deadline for retailers to mail notices to Louisiana residents who purchased products online, but did not pay sales tax at the time of purchase. Customers are required to include these forms so they can pay those taxes when they file this year. Louisiana Department of Revenue spokesperson Byron Henderson says if you fail to report these taxes, it’ll cost you.

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Louisiana customers won’t need to worry about Amazon, since sales tax is added at the time of purchase.

Louisianans looking to buy local products at their grocery store should look for a new logo. Louisiana Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says they have overhauled their Certified logo program with flashier, more diverse logos to further highlight goods made in the Bayou State.

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The program also features a new website.

An Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress to a retreat in West Virginia, including Senator Bill Cassidy and Representative Garret Graves collided with a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Virginia.  Officials says one in the garbage truck is dead and another seriously injured. Cassidy says he and his wife were not injured, but says other passengers felt the brunt of the collision.

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Cassidy and his wife are doctors and provided aid. Congressman Graves was not injured.

The Coast Guard about 1,300 gallons of pol spilled from a facility into the southwestern Louisiana Wetlands. The area where the spill occured is currently used to released endangered whooping cranes back into the wild. The spill was linked to Peak Operating Company.

The Coast Guard is reporting that as of now, the spill is contained.

LRN

Today is the deadline for retailers to mail notices to Louisiana residents who purchased products online, but did not pay sales tax at the time of purchase. Customers are required to include these forms so they can pay those taxes when they file their taxes this year. Louisiana Department of Revenue spokesperson Byron Henderson says it’ll be easy to track down those who fail to file.

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Louisianans looking to buy local products at their grocery store should look for a new logo. Louisiana Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says they have overhauled their Certified logo program with flashier, more diverse logos to further highlight goods made in the Bayou State. Strain says there’s a couple of different certified options for products that pass the test.

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Louisiana Radio Network

An Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress, including Senator Bill Cassidy and Representative Garret Graves, hit a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Virginia….:
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Gas prices keeping on rising. The current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $2.43, up 6 cents from last week. AAA Fuel Analyst Don Redman says prices will be even higher during busy travel months…:
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I-10 westbound was closed for several hours this morning at the West Pearl River Bridge in Slidell due to multiple accidents involving two 18-wheelers that were hauling live bees. Trooper Dustin Dwight says thankfully they were able to contain the bees fairly quickly, but it was quite a task…:
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He said no one was seriously injured in the crashes.

Louisianans looking to buy local products at their grocery store should look for a new logo. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says the new, certified images are bigger and flashier than before, which he hopes spurs more interest in home grown products…:
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The certified logos include: Certified Louisiana, Certified Cajun, Certified Creole and Certified Farm to Table.

An Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress to a retreat in West Virginia, including Senator Bill Cassidy and Baton Rouge Representative Garret Graves, collided with a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Virginia. Cassidy says one of the occupants of the garbage truck died. He explains what happened…:
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Cassidy and his wife, and Graves’ office says they are all okay.

Today is the deadline for retailers to mail notices to Louisiana residents who purchased products online, but did not pay sales tax. Customers are required to include these forms so they can pay those taxes when they file this year. Louisiana Department of Revenue spokesperson Byron Henderson:
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Amazon already charges sales tax at the time of purchase.

The state Department of Agriculture announces a new logo to look for if you’re interested in purchasing home grown products at the grocery store.
Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says they have overhauled their Certified logo program with a flashier, more diverse image to further highlight goods made in the Bayou State…:
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Visit ldaf.la.gov to check out the new logo.

A Jefferson Parish man imprisoned for nearly four decades is free after being cleared in a 1979 rape. 58-year-old Malcolm Alexander’s conviction and life sentence were thrown out Tuesday by a state judge in Gretna.

Motorists continue to see higher gas prices, and a return to $3.00 a gallon may not be too far off. The current average for a gallon of regular gasoline is 2.43, up from six cents a week ago. Triple A fuel analyst Don Redman says this is unusual for this time of year as demand is typically down:
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A year ago we were paying $2.15 a gallon.

I-10 westbound is closed at the West Pearl River Bridge in Slidell due to multiple accidents involving two 18-wheelers that were hauling live bees. Trooper Dustin Dwight says there are a total of 8 vehicles involved in the crash and first responders are dealing with a mess…:
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He doesn’t know when they will be able to re-open the interstate.

A TOPS task force is meeting at the capitol at this year and changes could be coming to the popular scholarship program…:
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The State Health Department is offering free flu shots today at parish health units, in hopes more people will be vaccinated. Regional Health Director Dr. Marilyn Reynaud says over ten percent of doctor visits are for influenza related symptoms…:
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Visit ldh.la.gov for participating health units.

The state is holding a day of free flu vaccinations today at health units across Louisiana for those who have not yet been vaccinated…:
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The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal accident involving a pedestrian who was struck by a Sheriff’s Office vehicle. They say Sgt. Pat Brooks had just left an off-duty job around 9:45 last night when he made impact with a black male wearing a black shirt and black pants on a street with no lights. The pedestrian later died.

Republican House Speaker Taylor Barras provides Governor John Bel Edwards with budget cutting proposals as part of the negotiations to solve a nearly billion dollar shortfall. GOP delegation chairman Lance Harris says if the governor supports their budget reforms, House Republicans can look at making tax changes in order to create the revenue to cover the gap…:
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Governor Edwards says he looks forward to seeing full details, including fiscal notes and bill language.

St. Landry Parish Congressman Clay Higgins echoes many of the things President Trump talked about last night in the State of the Union address. The Republican says it’s time for Congress to put aside their differences and quit obstructing progress on issues such as immigration and healthcare:
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Mr. Trump’s first State of the Union is the most-tweeted joint address to Congress ever, according to Twitter.