Another candidate has thrown his hat into the ring for the 2023 Governor’s Race. It’s first-term Republican Representative Richard Nelson of Mandeville who made the announcement this morning. At age 36 he becomes the youngest candidate so far.

Louisiana is in a property insurance crisis and legislative leaders are meeting with the governor’s office today about calling a special session with hopes of incentivizing other insurers to come here. But Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland questions why they should be called in to address the issue when they haven’t for other markets, like the trucking industry when very few companies would even write policies in Louisiana..:
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Up to 20 companies that write homeowners policies in the state have either gone insolvent or decided to stop renewing policies here. The Special Session would begin next month.

LDWF has discovered five additional suspected cases of chronic wasting disease in deer in Tensas Parish…:
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Xavier University is partnering with Ochsner Health in creating a new medical school. University President Reynold Verret says they aim to increase the number of Black physicians and…:
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Legislative leaders are set to meet today to discuss holding a special session next month to address Louisiana’s property insurance woes. Up to 20 companies that write homeowners policies in the state have either gone insolvent or decided to stop renewing policies here. But Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland says if Louisiana is going to incentivize other insurers to come here, will it be fair for the entire state?…
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Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says the situation is dire, and Louisiana needs to take action now.

Republican Louisiana Representative Richard Nelson announced this morning he’s running for governor of the state. The first term lawmaker out of Mandeville says he hopes at the age of 36 to offer Louisiana a fresh perspective not just for the next 4 years but with the next 40 years in mind.

2022 saw record-breaking high rental prices in Louisiana, but what might this year bring for renters? Kevin Gallagher has more…:
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State Police is investigating a multi-vehicle Ascension Parish crash that claimed the life of a 20-year-old Tuesday morning. Troopers say Cameron Hall was the passenger in a vehicle that collided head on with an oncoming truck. Drivers in two other cars could not avoid the crash which caused the 4-car collision. Hall was not restrained and died on the scene. Two of the other drivers sustained moderate injuries.

Legislative leaders are meeting today to discuss the possibility of a special session to entice property insurance companies to the state, but one lawmaker has questions. Brooke Thorington has more…:
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Another candidate for governor has emerged this morning, as Republican Representative Richard Nelson of Mandeville announced his campaign in the race to replace Governor John Bel Edwards. Nelson, at age 36, is the youngest candidate to announce so far. He joins state Senator Sharon Hewitt, Attorney General Jeff Landry and Treasurer John Schroder as the major Republicans in the race.

Xavier University in New Orleans is partnering with Ochsner Health in creating a new medical school. University President Reynold Verret says the partnership aims to address a chronic doctor shortage and diversify the medical field…:
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Xavier University is the only Roman Catholic historically black college in the US and the medical school would make it just the 5th Black medical school in the nation.

Five additional suspected cases of chronic wasting disease have been discovered in deer harvested by hunters on private land in Tensas Parish. This comes after a second case of CWD was confirmed last month. State Wildlife Veterinarian Jim LaCour says the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is working on zeroing in on the outbreak…:
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He says they are asking hunters to submit samples for testing and results will be posted on the LDWF website.

Today, legislative leaders and the governor’s office are slated to meet to discuss the possibility of holding a special session next month to address the state’s property insurance woes and how to bring new insurers here, but a North Louisiana lawmaker has questions. Since 2021 up to twenty insurance companies have either left or gone insolvent. Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland…:
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The matter was originally set to be addressed in the regular session that begins in April, but Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says the state can’t wait that long.

A Baton Rouge man is under arrest amid allegations he harassed the mother of his child and set her home on fire. 30 year old Christian King is booked with simple arson, violation of protective orders and simple criminal damage to property. Firefighters say the victim’s doorbell camera shows King dousing the home with gas before lighting it.

The price to rent a home hit record highs in 2022 due to low supply and high demand, according to the rental listing web platform Dwellsy. But the site’s co-founder Jonas Bordo says new apartment complexes are coming which should cause median rents to go down…:
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Bordo says Dwellsy feels inflation will ease over the coming months and rental prices will ease with it.

The price at the pump keeps creeping higher. AAA says the current statewide average for a gallon of regular is up three cents from yesterday to $3.03. That’s up 10 cents from the prior week. Analysts say the short days and messy weather of January are keeping people off the roads which lowers demand causing gas prices to go up.

The cold weather you’re feeling today is going to stick around through the Christmas weekend and state officials are reminding you to keep the usual precautions in place as a result around your home. Those include wrapping pipes, checking on neighbors and keeping pets inside.

UL-Lafayette will face Houston in Shreveport’s Independence Bowl today. Kace Kieschnick spoke with Bowl spokesperson Erik Evenson…:
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On his last monthly radio show of the year this week, Governor John Bel Edwards reflected on his time in office, and what he plans to do before his term ends in January 2024:
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State Police is investigating a fatal crash out of Assumption Parish that claimed the life of a teen passenger and sent a suspected impaired driver to jail on DUI and vehicular homicide charges. They say 50-year-old Juan Ramos of Houma hit the rear of a truck and trailer in front of him when his vehicle flipped and flew off an elevated highway on US 90 just east of Amelia. Ramos’ teen passenger suffered fatal injuries. The incident remains under investigation.

The New Orleans Police Department is investigating a fatal crash that claimed the life of a motorcyclist who was ejected after crashing into a stalled pick-up truck on US 90 near the Smoothie King Center and was thrown over the elevated roadway into the Superdome parking lot. EMS pronounced him dead on scene.

Put your beanie hat on, gloves and layer up today Louisiana, it’s cold out there. The Arctic air has arrived, and the winds are howling as temperatures across the state fell some 30 degrees in 12 hours from yesterday afternoon to this morning. Wind chills are in the teens and single digits and another hard freeze is on tap for tonight and Christmas morning.

US Senator Bill Cassidy outlines his priorities in a divided Congress in 2023. Marsanne Golsby reports…:
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Residents displaced from last week’s tornados are staying in travel trailers in state parks throughout Louisiana. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser helped spearhead that effort and says they are also feeding those families dinner tonight and will bring gifts for the kids. He asks us to remember these families Christmas weekend…
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There are two college bowl games today and one of them is right here in Louisiana as UL-Lafayette takes on Houston in Shreveport’s Independence Stadium. This is the 12th bowl game in Ragin Cajun football history, and the first meeting against The Cougars since 2006 when ULL won 31-28. The Independence Bowl kicks at 2pm.

The price of gas keeps falling as the New Year approaches. The current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $2.73 which is about 30 cents less than last Christmas.

The state is waking up to temperatures in the low 20s and teens this morning, with wind chills making it feel much colder.

Utility companies have decided to suspend shutoffs due to non-payment through the New Year, so there is no need to worry about going without heat as temperatures struggle to get above freezing.

To help those who are displaced from last week’s deadly tornadoes, the State Office of Tourism is providing a little Christmas cheer. Brooke Thorington has more…:
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If you were impacted by hurricanes in 2020 and 2021, the Office of Community Development wants you to know you can apply for federal aid online at restore.la.gov…:
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That’s O.C.D. director Pat Forbes who says if you don’t have internet you can apply by calling 866-735-2001.

On his last monthly radio show of the year this week, Governor John Bel Edwards reflected on his time in office. His current term ends on January 8, 2024. Mr. Edwards said one of his biggest accomplishments was reforming the state’s healthcare system…:
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