Amid talk of who is and is not running for governor this fall, the first person who officially declared candidacy is Lake Charles attorney Hunter Lundy. Lundy is an independent, who says the fact that he is not aligned with either big political party makes him the best choice for voters…:

CUT 06  (10)        “…sides of the aisle”

Lundy is joined by GOP Attorney General Jeff Landry, and fellow Republican State Treasurer John Schroder. Others are expected to enter the race, including some well-known Democrats.

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office says a teen in the town of Gray posted a social media threat that he was attempting to acquire a gun and bring it to H.L. Bourgeois High School Thursday. Terrebonne Sheriff’s spokesman Blake Tabor says the teen was arrested and is being held without bond for now…:

CUT 10(10)      “…nor should we.”

The investigation is ongoing.

A lot of cops and deputies were seen today at two Ouachita Parish schools – Ouachita High and East Ouachita Middle. We’re told they were looking into alleged threats made against the schools but no credible threats were determined. They are still investigating.

Freshman quarterback Walker Howard has reportedly entered the transfer portal after just one season at LSU. Jeff Palermo has the story…:

CUT 02(30)      “…Palermo.”

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office arrest a Gray teen in connection with a social media threat that he was attempting to acquire a gun and bring it to HL Bourgeois High School Thursday. Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Blake Tabor says they received an anonymous tip Wednesday afternoon and soon after took him into custody.

Cut 9 (11) “…of terrorizing.” 

The suspect is being held without bond at the Terrebonne Parish Juvenile Justice Complex.

Freshman LSU quarterback Walker Howard has reportedly entered the transfer portal. Tiger Rag Assistant Editor William Weathers says Howard was third string on the depth chart behind starter Jayden Daniels and back-up Garrett Nussmeier…

Cut 12 (09) “…number two guy”

.

Today marks the seven-year anniversary of Medicaid expansion in Louisiana, Whitney Thomas reports what this means for the state.

Cut 1 (33)  “…I’m Whitney Thomas.”

Seven years ago today, Governor John Bel Edwards expanded the state’s Medicaid program on his first full day in office which gave more than 500-thousand working Louisianans access to health care. The governor’s communications director Lauren Leist says having more people with health insurance played a critical role in the state’s battle against COVID…

Cut 5 (11) “…from COVID.”

State Health Officer Doctor Joe Kanter says we are seeing another uptick in COVID cases as a result of a new variant that the World Health Organization says is the most transmissible to date.

Cut 8 (10) “…available to us.”
Protections in the form of previous COVID infection antibodies, vaccines, boosters, and oral therapeutics.
The National Federation of Independent Business says small business optimism for the near future has dropped again, for a 12th straight month…

Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.” 

California-based Niagara Bottling announces plans to build a 160-million-dollar state-of-the-art production facility near Hammond. Niagara has more than 40 production facilities worldwide and the Tangipahoa Parish facility will be the first location in the state. Construction is set to begin in the second quarter of 2023 and the production facility will employ 70 individuals with an average annual salary of 55-thousand dollars.

The newest strain of COVID, XBB.1.5 (XBB-dot-1-dot-5) is rapidly spreading. State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says currently it accounts for about 18 percent of cases in Louisiana.

Cut 7 (11) “…would imagine.”
Kanter says at this point the new variant is not producing a large increase in severe cases and hospitalizations are manageable.

Optimism for the future continues to drop among Louisiana’s small businesses. NFIB State Director Dawn McVea says 51-percent of member businesses say their outlook for the next six months has gotten wors with inflation as their biggest obstacle in meeting costs and making a profit…:

Cut 11 (11)  “…is not great.”

The Louisiana Department of Transportation will begin the first phase of repairs a week from tomorrow on Interstate 10 eastbound overpass at I-49 in Lafayette after a truck driving under the overpass caused extensive damage. DOTD spokesperson, Deidra Druilhet says the second phase will begin after Mardi Gras…

Cut 15 (13)  “…all finished up.”

31-year-old Terrance Robinson of LaPlace faces cruelty charges after the one-year-old he was babysitting suffered a suspected drug overdose. St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office says Robinson was arrested after he took the child to the hospital for treatment on January 5^th. Robinson is the boyfriend of the child’s mother, and he was babysitting while she was at work. What the child ingested was not disclosed. The child was listed in stable but critical condition according to the Sheriff’s Office.

It was seven years ago today Governor John Bel Edwards expanded the state’s Medicaid program which provided an additional 500-thousand working Louisianans with health insurance. The governor’s office says during that time hundreds of thousands of Louisianans received treatment for cancer, hypertension and mental health. The governor’s communications director Lauren Leist says it was the best decision the governor has made during his time in office…
cut 6 (10) “…at home”

State Health Officer Doctor Joe Kanter says we are seeing another uptick in COVID cases as a result of a new variant that’s considered highly transmissible.
cut 8 (10) “….to us”
Protections in the form of previous COVID infection antibodies, vaccines, boosters, and oral therapeutics.

Optimism for the near-future continues to drop among Louisiana’s small businesses. NFIB State Director Dawn McVea says a recent national survey resulted in a 12th straight month of member businesses who feel the next 3-to-6 months will be rough…:
Cut 10 (07) “…growing their business.”
51-percent of NFIB member businesses say their outlook for the next six months has gotten worse.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation announces plans to repair the Interstate 10 eastbound overpass at I-49 in Lafayette after a truck driving under the overpass caused extensive damage to three of the eight grinders on the eastbound bridge. DOTD spokesperson Deidra Druilhet says the repairs will come in two phases, with the first phase taking place a week from Friday…
Cut 13 (14) “…on I-10.”
Expect interstate closures when the work takes place January 20th to 22nd.

The newest strain of COVID, XBB.1.5. (XBB-dot-1-dot-5) is rapidly spreading. State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says currently it accounts for about 18 percent of cases in Louisiana.
Cut 7 (11) “…would imagine.”
Kanter says at this point the new variant is not producing a large increase in severe cases.

Seven years ago today, Governor John Bel Edwards expanded the state’s Medicaid program on his first full day in office which gave more than 500-thousand working Louisianans access to health care. The governor’s communications director Lauren Leist says having more people with health insurance played a critical role in the state’s battle against COVID…
cut 5 (11) “…from COVID”

The National Federation of Independent Business says small business optimism for the near-future has dropped again, for a 12th straight month…
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

California-based Niagara Bottling announces plans to build a 160-million dollar state-of-the-art production facility near Hammond. Niagara has more than 40 production facilities worldwide and the Tangipahoa Parish facility will be the first location in the state. Construction is set to begin in the second quarter of 2023 and the production facility will employ 70 individuals with an average annual salary of 55-thousand dollars.

Today marks the seven-year anniversary of Governor John Bel Edwards expanding the state’s Medicaid program. Whitney Thomas has the story.
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Whitney Thomas.”

Another candidate has entered the 2023 governor’s race. 68-year-old Lake Charles small business owner and attorney Hunter Lundy says he will run as an independent. Lundy says he has a servant’s heart and a stubborn desire to talk about things that should be done. The primary is in October.

State health officer Doctor Joe Kanter says a new COVID-19 variant has caused a bump in COVID infections coming out of the holidays. The XBB.1.5 variant is expected to become the most dominant version in the next few weeks. Kanter says fortunately it’s not increasing hospitalizations at this point, but he expects cases to continue to rise.
Cut 9 (11) “…with earlier.”

The NFIB says small business optimism has dropped as fewer owners are expecting better business conditions over the next six months. Inflation remains the biggest problem. NFIB state director Dawn McVea says many owners are hoping government can help…
cut 12 (13) “….from all of this”

The newest strain of COVID, XBB.1.5. is said to be the most transmissible variant yet. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Freshman LSU quarterback Walker Howard has reportedly entered the transfer portal. Coach Brian Kelly said after the Citrus Bowl that he was certain quarterbacks Jayden Daniels, Garrett Nussmeier and Howard would remain on the roster. Howard won a state championship at St. Thomas More in Lafayette and is the son of former LSU QB Jamie Howard.

On January 12th, 2016, Governor John Bel Edwards signed an executive order expanding Medicaid. The governor’s communications director Lauren Leist says that decision seven years ago provided health insurance to over half a million working Louisianans…
Cut 4 (12) “…for hypertension.”
Leist also says more than 180 thousand residents received specialized mental health treatment as a result of the Medicaid expansion.

The state department of transportation has released its plans on how it will fix the damaged Interstate 10 overpass in Lafayette at I-49. DOTD spokesperson Deidra Druilhet says it will be a two-phase process, with phase one taking place January 20th to 22nd…
cut 14 (12) “….westbound”
Druilhet says phase two will take place during the spring time.

Former state senator Karen Carter Peterson received a 22-month prison sentence today after admitting she used more than 140-thousand dollars in campaign funds from her own campaign and the Democratic Party to feed a gambling addiction. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says Peterson will spend at least a year and a half in prison…

Cut 14 (12)   “…she gets out .”

Dakota Theriot plead guilty today to killing five people after a multi-parish shooting spree in 2019. Among his victims in Livingston Parish were his girlfriend, her father, and her brother, then his parents in Ascension Parish. 21^st Judicial District Attorney Scott Perilloux says even with Theriot diagnosed with mental illness he expects he’ll be placed with the general population at Angola.

Cut 11 (03)  “…going to happen.”

Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says his decision on running for governor is coming very soon. On Talk 107.3 in Baton Rouge this morning, Graves says there seems to be a desire to have more than just Attorney General Jeff Landry and Treasurer John Schroder running…:

Cut 4 (08)  “…extraordinary.” 

Graves says now that the U.S. House speaker fight is over, he’ll talk with friends and family and make his decision soon.

Eggs are among the most-increased prices of standard food items; up over 50-percent in one year. Ag Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain says it’s due to an avian flu outbreak, but also supply chain issues and increased costs for production…:

Cut 7 (10)  “  packaging costs” 

He says the laying hens lost to avian flu can be replaced, but those costs need to retreat before you or I see lower prices for eggs or poultry.

Dakota Theriot plead guilty today to killing three people in Livingston Parish and two in Ascension Parish after a multi-parish shooting spree in 2019. Among his victims were his girlfriend, her father, her brother, and his parents. 21^st Judicial District Attorney Scott Perilloux says Theriot’s history of mental illness, and the pandemic delayed his trial.

Cut 9 (11) “…entered into.” 

Former state senator Karen Carter Peterson received a 22-month prison sentence today after admitting she used more than 140-thousand dollars in campaign funds from her own campaign and the Democratic Party to feed a gambling addiction. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says Peterson’s punishment could have been more severe…

Cut 13 (05) “…get.” 

Congressman Garret Graves says he’s still looking at running for governor and plans to give it more consideration now that a Speaker of the House has been chosen. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (30)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

The national average price for a dozen eggs hit $3.59 in November, up nearly 50 percent from the previous year, and the price for eggs still remains at a historical high. Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says a bird flu outbreak is the main reason…

Cut 6 (07)  “…egg laying chickens”