Governor John Bel Edwards has issued a statement in response to the state’s unemployment rate falling for the sixth straight month in Louisiana. It dropped to 4.8% in October from 5.1 in September. Edwards said since he’s been in office he always knew that Louisiana’s brightest days are ahead of us, and these unemployment figures are reflecting that.

A south Louisiana restaurant will get national attention this weekend on the Travel Channel’s “Food Paradise.” Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 1 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Governor John Bel Edwards announces a plan to upgrade high speed internet connectivity to 164-thousand students in K-12 public schools. Education Policy Advisor for the Governor Donald Songy says these kids have broadband in their schools now but it’s slow…:
Cut 9 (09) “minimum speed”
90-percent of high speed internet costs are paid for by grant money but Songy says the struggle for many schools is finding the funding for that last 10-percent.

Some folks in Calcasieu Parish got a surprise when they were stopped by deputies today. The Sheriff’s Office said instead of tickets, citizens throughout the parish who committed minor traffic violations were given turkeys.

The election for the state treasurer’s runoff is tomorrow. Political Analyst Clancy Dubos says the mayoral race in New Orleans between two Democratic female candidates, LaToya Cantrell and Desiree Charbonnet, will likely help out Democrat Derrick Edwards’ campaign for treasurer against Republican John Schroder…:
Cut 15 (10) “would’ve been”
Otherwise Secretary of State Tom Schedler is expecting a dismal 13 percent turnout. He says the treasurer race is the only item on the ballot in half of the state’s parishes…:
Cut 9 (07) “the state”
About 400-thousand are expected to vote in Saturday’s election. Polls open at 7am.

The state is launching a Louisiana Cultural Shopping Trail to provide visitors an opportunity to discover unique retail stores as they travel through the Bayou State. Chairman of the Louisiana Tax Free Shopping Commission Steve Windham says L-A-shopping-trail-dot-com gives specialized businesses a chance to showcase the state’s vibrant culture to visitors:
Cut 5 (09) “cultural destination”
Over 100 stores make up the Louisiana Cultural Shopping Trail.

Tickets officially go on sale today for Wrestlemania 34, April 8th in New Orleans. When WWE superstar Big Show was in south Louisiana this week promoting the biggest event in professional wrestling, he encouraged locals to attend, because there’s nothing like it…:
Cut 12 (10) “in history”
The last time Wrestlemania came to The Big Easy was in 2014, bringing in over 75,000 fans and generating $142 million dollars in economic impact.

New Orleans’ mayoral election is a historic one, and polls are showing LaToya Cantrell beating fellow Democrat Desiree Charbonnet by a landslide:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

CenturyLink’s acquisition of Level 3 Communications is leading to some layoffs for the telecommunications company. A spokesperson confirmed Thursday that 35 people in Monroe and about 165 people overall are losing their jobs because of the merger. But CenturyLink employs about 2,700 people in Louisiana alone.

Love to shop? You’ll probably like the Louisiana Cultural Shopping Trail being launched by the state. Chairman of the Louisiana Tax Free Shopping Commission Steve Windham says L-A-shopping-trail-dot-com’s main goal is to encourage out of state travelers to shop at these unique retailers..:
Cut 6 (08) “to another”
Over 100 stores make up the Louisiana Cultural Shopping Trail.

Tickets are on sale now for WrestleMania 34, which takes place April 8th at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans. WWE superstar Big Show did a media tour in south Louisiana this week to promote the event. He said fans from all 50 states and 36 countries attended WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans in 2014, and you can expect more of the same next year…:
Cut 11 (07) “and then leave”
This is the quickest that Wrestlemania has ever returned to a previous host city ever.

Tomorrow is an Election Day in Louisiana, and Secretary of State Tom Schedler says if it weren’t for the New Orleans mayoral runoff between LaToya Cantrell and Desiree Charbonnet, turnout would probably be lower than his predicted 13 percent…:
Cut 7 (10) “single digits”
Polls show Cantrell beating fellow Democrat Charbonnet by a landslide. Political Analyst Clancy Dubos says while Charbonnet raised nearly twice as much money as her opponent, Cantrell spent more wisely…:
Cut 13 (11) “voters were”
There is also a state treasurer runoff on the ballot. Polls open at 7am.

Tickets are on sale now for WrestleMania 34, which takes place April 8th at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Jeff Palermo reports..:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The state is launching a Louisiana Cultural Shopping Trail to provide visitors an opportunity to discover unique retail stores as they travel through the Bayou State.
Cut 4 (09) “main street”
That’s Chairman of the Louisiana Tax Free Shopping Commission Steve Windham.

The state is launching a Louisiana Cultural Shopping Trail to provide visitors an opportunity to discover unique retail stores as they travel:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kelley Ray”

Orleans District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro says his office is pursuing the death penalty for accused cop-killer Darren Bridges. A grand jury indicted Bridges Thursday on charges of first degree murder in the death of New Orleans Police Officer Marcus McNeil.

Secretary of State Tom Schedler is expecting a voter turnout of 13 percent statewide for Saturday’s election which features the race for state treasurer and the New Orleans mayoral runoff. He didn’t expect so many to early vote…:
Cut 8 (06) “proud of”
Polls will be open tomorrow from 7am to 8pm.

Tickets are on sale now for WrestleMania 34, which takes place April 8th at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans. WWE superstar Big Show did a media tour in south Louisiana this week to promote the event…:
Cut 10 (09) “World Series”

The state is launching a Louisiana Cultural Shopping Trail to provide visitors an opportunity to discover unique retail stores as they travel through the Bayou State.  Kelley Ray has more…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kelley Ray”

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Tickets are on sale now for WrestleMania 34, which takes place April 18th at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Jeff Palermo reports..:

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Polls show Democratic councilwoman LaToya Cantrell beating fellow Democrat and former judge Desiree Charbonnet by a landslide in Saturday’s New Orleans mayoral election. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 3  (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”  

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The state is launching a Louisiana Cultural Shopping Trail to provide visitors an opportunity to discover unique retail stores as they travel through the Bayou State. Chairman of the Louisiana Tax Free Shopping Commission Steve Windham says L-A-shopping-trail-dot-com will highlight great antique or boutique shops, along with stores that feature hand-crafted goods…

Cut 4  (09) “main street.”

Windham says the Louisiana Cultural Shopping Trail gives specialized businesses off the beaten path a chance to showcase the state’s vibrant culture to visitors who are traveling our highways…

Cut 5  (09)  “cultural destination.”

Windham says Louisiana residents are encouraged to visit the over 100 stores that make up the Louisiana Cultural Shopping Trail, which winds throughout the state, but the main goal is to encourage out of state travelers to shop at these unique retailers…

Cut 6 (08) “to another.”

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Secretary of State Tom Schedler is expecting a voter turnout of 13 percent statewide for Saturday’s election which features the race for state treasurer and the New Orleans mayoral runoff between LaToya Cantrell and Denise Charbonnet.  Schedler says if it wasn’t for this race, it would be a slow day at the polls…

Cut 7 (10)  “single digits.”

Voter turnout for the October statewide election was 14-percent. Schedler says he initially thought that turnout for the November election would be even lower but early voting turnout was better than expected…

Cut 8 (06) “proud of.”

Schedler says the Treasurer Race between Democrat Derrick Edwards and Republican John Schroder is the only item on the ballot in half of the state’s parishes…

Cut 9 (07)  “the state.”

About 400-thousand are expected to vote in Saturday’s election.

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Tickets are on sale now for WrestleMania 34, which takes place April 18th at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The last time WWE’s flagship show came to The Big Easy was in 2014, bringing in over 75,000 fans and generating $142 million dollars in economic impact. WWE superstar Big Show did a media tour in south Louisiana this week to promote WrestleMania 34…:

Cut 10 (09)  “World Series”

Fans from all 50 states and 36 countries attended WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans. Big Show says you can expect more of the same next year…:

Cut 11 (07) “and then leave”

This is the quickest that Wrestlemania has ever returned to a previous host city ever. Big Show encourages locals to go, even if they aren’t wrestling fans, because there’s really nothing like it…:

Cut 12 (10) “in history”

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The election for the New Orleans mayoral race is tomorrow and polls show Democratic councilwoman LaToya Cantrell beating fellow Democrat and former judge Desiree Charbonnet by a landslide. Political Analyst Clancy Dubos says Charbonnet has raised nearly twice as much money as her opponent but  Cantrell has spent her money more wisely.

Cut 13 (11) “voters were”

Dubos says Cantrell’s campaign was very much rooted in social media. He says Charbonnet began the race as the frontrunner but recent attacks weakened her considerably.

Cut 14 (10) “her out”

This will be the first time a female has been mayor of New Orleans. Dubos says this big race with two Democratic candidates is likely to help out Democrat Derrick Edwards’ campaign for State Treasurer against Republican John Schroder.

Cut 15 (10) “would’ve been”

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The forecast calls for rain and temperatures falling into the 50s on Saturday in Knoxville for the LSU-Tennessee game. But the Tigers should have success running the football as the Volunteers rank last in the SEC in rushing defense. LSU Quarterback Danny Etling hopes success on the ground will lead to good results through the air…

Cut 16  (14)  “get involved”

Tennessee is a disappointing 4-6, 0-6 in the SEC, which is why Butch Jones was fired and Brady Hoke named as the interim head coach this week. Etling says they expect to face a fired up Tennessee team…

Cut 17 (17)  “be ready”

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Layoffs have been announced by CenturyLink after their acquisition of Level 3 Communications.  35 workers in Monroe and 165 companywide are being let go.  Spokesperson Annmarie Sartor says the layoffs come in the IT department.  She says 27-hundred still work in Louisiana for CenturyLink.

Nicholls State has named Jay Clune as the university’s 6^th president.  Clune is currently the interim graduate dean for the University of West Florida. The Houma native is a Nicholls graduate and he will take over after the first of 2018. Clune says he wants students coming to Nicholls to learn in a modern environment…

Cut 6 (07)  “some programs.”

Louisiana Republican delegation in the US House were among the yes votes for a tax reform plan that was approved today. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise says the bill will stimulate the economy…

Cut 5  (11)  “so long”

Democrat Cedric Richmond voted against it, because he says it will hurt undeserved communities.  The measure still needs Senate approval.

Natchitoches unveils its newly renovated rue Beauport Riverfront tonight, which cost four million dollars. Mayor Lee Posey says the riverbank was torn up until about a month ago with the renovations. He says once sod was laid down, everything started to come together.

Cut 12 (11) “it better”

Louisiana Republican delegation in the US House were among the yes votes for a tax reform plan that was approved today. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise says the bill will stimulate the economy…

Cut 5  (11)  “so long”

Democrat Cedric Richmond voted against it, because he says it will hurt undeserved communities.  The measure still needs Senate approval.

Officials have released the names of two people who were killed in a mobile home fire in Livingston Parish.  They are identified as 57-year-old Jesse Lowrance and his granddaughter six-year-old Kenley Lowrance. The residence did not have working smoke alarms. Fire Chief Joe Koczrowski (Cuz-Rou-Ski) says they are still trying to determine the cause…:

Cut 15 (07) “purely accidental”

Two others in the home at the time remain in critical condition…

Natchitoches dedicates its newly renovated Beauport Riverfront tonight on the heels of the 91^st Christmas Festival of Lights. Emelie Gunn has more…

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Serena Williams and Redditt co-founder Alexis Ohanian will tie the knot tonight in New Orleans at the Contemporary Arts Center.  Many superstars are expected to attend the wedding including Kim Kardashian West, Beyonce and Ciara.  Eva Longoria was reportedly at the rehearsal dinner last night…