The Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Program has offered grant awards for nearly 31-hundred homeowners affected by the floods in 2016, totaling nearly 92-million dollars. Office of Community Development Executive Director Pat Forbes says these funds are helping people rebuild their homes and many of the homeowners are reimbursed for work already done.

Cut 13 (11) “to work”

A suicidal man was shot by the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.  State police say after deputies arrived on the scene after being notified of the situation, the unidentified man walked out with a weapon.  The man is in critical condition.  The investigation continues.

The USDA reminds holiday chefs not to forget food safety when cooking your Thanksgiving turkey. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Governor John Bel Edwards sent an email today to supporters asking for donations on the second anniversary of his election. The governor’s latest campagin finance report shows he has 3.3 million dollars on hand but Political Analyst Clancy Dubos says Edwards will need every penny he can get.
Cut 14 (06) “against him”
Dubos says if Edwards is able to help solve Louisiana’s fiscal problems, it will help his chances of being re-elected in 2019.

A report by Well Being Trust finds the state’s drug, alcohol and suicide death rate could increase 42-percent in the next decade. Chief Policy Officer Ben Miller says the opioid epidemic is at the root of this upsetting report.
Cut 10 “themselves addicted”
The report outlines a strategy of prevention, early identification and treatment for those addicted to opioids.

Longtime Delhi representative Francis Thompson has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The 76-year-old says an MRI discovered the cancer and he’s hoping to be all better soon.
cut 4 (10) “….work out well”
Thompson was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 1974 and doesn’t plan on having this health care stop his political career.

Nicholls State is gearing up to host its first ever college football playoff game. Athletic Director Matthew Roan says since the announcement, the ticket office phones are ringing off the hook.
cut 6 (07) “…rolling today”
The Colonels will host South Dakota at 3 PM at John L Guidry Stadium on Saturday in the opening round of the FCS playoffs.

Two years ago today, John Bel Edwards was elected as Louisiana’s 56th governor. Edwards approval ratings are solid, but political analyst Clancy Dubos says there’s no guarantee the Democrat from Amite will be re-elected.
Cut 12 (13) “too many victories”
Edwards is already fundraising for his re-election effort in 2019.

Findings by Well Being Trust show the Bayou State’s drug, alcohol and suicide rate could go up 42-percent in the next decade. Chief Policy Officer Ben Miller says their report outlines a strategy of prevention, early identification and treatment in the hopes Louisiana doesn’t see an increase in these type of deaths.
Cut 11 (08) “encounter it.”

Nicholls State will host its first ever college football playoff game this Saturday and the Colonels will take on South Dakota. Athletic Director Matthew Roan gives a lot of credit to third-year head coach Tim Rebowe, who has been sucessful on and off the field.
Cut 7 (10) the program”

A magical holiday drive through attraction is opening this holiday weekend in Ouachita Parish.
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

A report released today finds that Louisiana’s drug, alcohol and suicide death rate could increase 42 percent in the next ten years. Well Being Trust chief policy officer, Ben Miller, says those who find themselves trapped by drug abuse need to know that there is a way out. Members of the medical community and those in mental health need to help lower the risk of suicide by making the first step…

Cut 10 (09) “commit suicide.”

Delhi Senator Francis Thompson, who has served in the state legislature for 40 years, has announced he is battling prostate cancer. Thompson was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 1974. Senate President John Alario is the only other state legislator who has served longer than Thompson. The chairman of the Senate Ag committee plans to be ready for the next legislative session…

Cut 5  (05)  they’ll be wrong”

He will have surgery next month.

Holiday shopping is expected to increase in Louisiana, due to greater consumer confidence and low unemployment rates.  National Retail Federation spokesperson Ana Searfin Smith says they are anticipating a 3-percent increase in shopping overall…

Cut 14 (12) “Christmas tree”

Nicholls State is preparing to host its first ever college football playoff game. The Colonels made the 24-team field by finishing 8-3 in the regular season and winning seven games in the Southland Conference. Nicholls is making just its fourth appearance in the playoffs and the first since 2005. Athletic Director Matthew Roan says they are good enough to make a deep run in the playoffs

Cut 8 (07) “as well”

Kickoff is Saturday at 3pm in Thibodaux.

A state audit finds that the Louisiana Department of Health is not calculating Medicaid rates for nursing facilities accurately.  Louisiana Legislative Office Director of Performance Audits Karen LeBlanc says they discovered 19.7 million dollars the state could have saved this past year was spent on patients not covered by Medicaid…

Cut 7 (07)  “not eligible.”

State Police are reminding holiday travelers that buzzed driving is drunk driving. Sgt. James Anderson says 10 people died and over 700 injured in crashes in Louisiana during the last Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Cut 4  (11) “a crash”

Troopers will be out in full force during Zero Deaths for the Holidays campaign.

A magical holiday drive through attraction is opening this holiday weekend in Ouachita Parish.  Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

New Orleans is seeing a decrease in tourism.  The group STR reports that hotel room stays are down ten percent from last year.  Officials say that it is nothing to worry about.  They says part of the decline is due to Halloween falling on a weekday this year.

A state audit finds that Medicaid payments to the 260 private nursing home facilities in Louisiana reached one-billion-dollars last year, yet nursing home populations went up less than one-percent.  Some of those payments were for nursing home residents who weren’t eligible for Medicaid.  Louisiana Legislative Office Director of Performance Audits Karen LeBlanc says better procedures are needed to ensure the nursing homes are compensated accurately…

Cut 8 (09) “disallowed costs.”

Holiday shopping is expected to increase in Louisiana, due to greater consumer confidence and low unemployment rates.  National Retail Federation spokesperson Ana Searfin Smith says they are anticipating a 3-percent increase in shopping overall…

Cut 14 (12) “Christmas tree”

State Police plans to focus on impaired driving and occupant protection this Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 3  (29) “I’m Emelie Gunn”  

A Christmas light extravaganza is set to light up the night in Calhoun in Ouachita Parish.  Candy Cane Lane opens Thanksgiving night and will take visitors on a magical mile long journey.   Owner Ben Hanson says the planning has been underway for nearly a year…

Cut 10 (10)  “million lights.”

A state audit finds that the Louisiana Department of Health is not calculating Medicaid rates for nursing facilities accurately..  Louisiana Legislative Office Director of Performance Audits Karen LeBlanc says better procedures are needed to ensure the nursing homes are compensated accurately…

Cut 8 (09) “disallowed costs.”

Medicaid payments to the 260 private nursing home facilities in Louisiana reached one-billion-dollars last year, yet nursing home populations went up less than one-percent.

State Police is reminding holiday travelers that buzzed driving is drunk driving. Sgt. James Anderson says troopers will be out in full force under the Zero Deaths for the Holidays campaign to put an end to drunk driving.

Cut 5  (10)  “the wheel”

An executive order to help in rebuilding efforts with the implementation of a uniform building code after the 2016 floods in Louisiana may be rescinded.   Governor Edwards issued a year long delay to implement the code which details building code standards.  The intent was to remove any bureaucratic roadblocks following the flood.  However, New Orleans alone lost out on 700-million-dollars in projects due to the delay.  The new rules would now into effect by the end of the year.

The gift giving season is upon us once again.  Don Molino has more on what people want this year…

Cut 1 (27) “I’m Don Molino.”

A state audit finds that the Louisiana Department of Health is not calculating Medicaid rates for nursing facilities accurately.  Louisiana Legislative Office Director of Performance Audits Karen LeBlanc says they discovered 19.7 million dollars the state could have saved this past year which was spent on patients not covered by Medicaid…

Cut 7 (07)  “not eligible.”

Medicaid payments to the 260 private nursing home facilities in Louisiana reached one-billion-dollars last year.

Holiday shopping is expected to increase in Louisiana. That’s the view of LSU Marketing Professor Dan Rice who says households have largely recovered from the 2016 floods and the state’s unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been since 2008…

Cut 13 (11) “intend too.”

State Police plans to focus on impaired driving and occupant protection this Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 3  (29) “I’m Emelie Gunn”  

A new study out of the Education Research Alliance for New Orleans at Tulane University finds from 2001 to 2014, black students were twice as likely as white students to be suspended. Low income students were about 1.75 times more likely as non-low income students to be suspended. Researcher Nathan Barrett…

Cut 8 (08) “within incidents”

A well known north Louisiana chef was arrested after allegedly stalking a woman by calling and texting her 54 times.  Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Glen Springfield says 35-year-old William Blake Phillips was asked several times to quit calling, even coming to her home.  Springfield says Phillips denied some of the allegations…

Cut 4  (11) “the residence.” 

Louisiana orthopedic specialists are practicing a method to reduce the need for oral painkillers after surgery. Michelle Southern has more…

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Michelle Southern”

A Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office lieutenant has been suspended without pay indefinitely.  43-year-old Jeffery Villemaretee was arrested in New Orleans for allegedly entering his ex-girlfriend’s home without her permission and walking out with a TV.  He claims it belongs to him.  He will remain suspended pending a full investigation.

The gift giving season is upon us once again.  Don Molino has more on what people want this year…

Cut 1 (27) “I’m Don Molino.”

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A magical holiday drive through attraction is opening this holiday weekend in Ouachita Parish.  Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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State Police plans to focus on impaired driving and occupant protection this Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 3  (29) “I’m Emelie Gunn”  

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State Police is reminding holiday travelers that buzzed driving is drunk driving. Sgt. James Anderson says 10 people died and over 700 injured in crashes in Louisiana during the last Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Cut 4  (11) “a crash”

Anderson says troopers will be out in full force under the Zero Deaths for the Holidays campaign to put an end to drunk driving.

Cut 5  (10)  “the wheel”

State Police will proactively patrol our state’s highways during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period focusing on impaired driving and occupant protection. Anderson says Troopers urge all drivers to ensure everyone in the vehicle is property restrained

Cut 6 (11) “seat belt”

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A state audit finds that the Louisiana Department of Health is not calculating Medicaid rates for nursing facilities accurately.  Louisiana Legislative Office Director of Performance Audits Karen LeBlanc says they discovered 19.7 million dollars the state could have saved this past year was spent on patients not covered by Medicaid…

Cut 7 (07)  “not eligible.”

Medicaid payments to the 260 private nursing home facilities in Louisiana reached one-billion-dollars last year, yet nursing home populations went up less than one-percent.  LeBlanc says better procedures are needed to ensure the nursing homes are compensated accurately…

Cut 8 (09) “disallowed costs.”

The number of nursing care residents have remained the same, yet Medicaid payments have increased over all by about one-billion-dollars in the last ten years. LeBlanc says she’s afraid nursing home rates and payments from Medicaid will continue to rise since an inflated rate methodology gets to stay in place…

Cut 9 (10)  “them reduced.”

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A Christmas light extravaganza is set to light up the night in Calhoun in Ouachita Parish.  Candy Cane Lane opens Thanksgiving night and will take visitors on a magical on a mile long journey.   Owner Ben Hanson says the planning has been underway for nearly a year…

Cut 10 (10)  “million lights.”

Lights started to be strung on August 3^rd and Hanson and his family have been working nonstop since looping lights around trees and plywood cutouts of characters, even constructing two light tunnels over 100 feet each.  Hanson says this year is just a start and hopes to grow the attraction in the future…

Cut 11 (08) “live entertainment.”

Hanson says the attraction will be so bright, travelers along I-20 will be able to see it.  So how much electric does it take to power it?

Cut 12 (05) “house meters.”

They will be open Thursday through Sunday nights until December 21^st, then will be open nightly through January 1^st.

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Holiday shopping is expected to increase in Louisiana. That’s the view of LSU Marketing Professor Dan Rice who says households have largely recovered from the 2016 floods and the state’s unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been since 2008…

Cut 13 (11) “intend too.”

National Retail Federation spokesperson Ana Searfin Smith says they are anticipating a 3-percent increase in shopping over…

Cut 14 (12) “Christmas tree.”

But the big question for shoppers may not be what gifts to buy as much as where to get them.  Smith says consumers will keep using the internet to fill out their shopping lists…

Cut 15 (10) “the past.”

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Just one more regular season game left for LSU, as the Tigers are set to host Texas A-and-M on Saturday. LSU Head Coach Ed Orgeron calls the Aggies a strong SEC opponent…

Cut 16  (14)  “this week”

LSU beat Texas A-and-M 54-39 last season in College Station. Nick Starkel has started at quarterback in the last two games for the Aggies and has played well. Orgeron says LSU’s defensive backs allowed three big pass plays last week and they need to be better this Saturday…

Cut 17 (19)  “great receivers”

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Saints defensive end Alex Okafor will miss the rest of the season after tearing his Achilles tendon in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over Washington. The 26-year-old Okafor had four and a half sacks and Coach Sean Payton says losing Okafor is a difficult loss. Okafor’s injury means Trey Henderickson will get more playing. Here’s what Payton had to say about the rookie from Florida Atlantic

Cut 18 (18) “his play” 

Yesterday the Saints reviewed the tape from Sunday’s improbable win. Payton says it was good to be on the positive side of that crazy comeback

Cut 19 (22)   things up”