The coroner in St. Tammany Parish confirms charred remains found Monday in a double murder case as those of a missing local priest…:

CUT 03(32)      “…Thorington.”

Lake Charles Police arrest a man from Welsh for a shooting earlier this week at a local hookah lounge that left seven people shot and wounded. Cops tracked a vehicle used in the getaway to 20-year-old Damien Guidry Jr., who is now facing seven counts of attempted murder. Three of his victims are in critical condition.

A month-long narcotic investigation in Caddo Parish leads to the arrest of 53-year-old Emmanuel Barrett of Shreveport. Caddo Sheriff’s Drug Task Force head Lt. Darin Marshall says when they searched Barrett’s home, they found a significant amount of illegal substances…:

CUT 13(06)      “…methamphetamines.”

He says those drugs were worth about $7-thousand on the street.

If you want to give input on highway projects the state is considering, the Louisiana Department of Transportation is making it easier. Spokesman Rodney Mallett says there’s a new interactive map on the DOTD website…:

CUT 07(07)      “…January 6^th.”

Now you can click on the map instead of going to a meeting or sending an email. It’s on the DOTD website.

5:30 (17) 8:30 (20)

Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s deputies have arrested 61-year-old Jeffery Brant of Ville Platte after he was allegedly found in bed with a seven-year-old girl in Bunkie Tuesday morning.  Captain Tim Ryan says the girl’s parents held Brant at gunpoint until they arrived, and it doesn’t appear that anyone was harmed, including the seven-year-old or her four-year-old sister.

Cut 4 (10)  “…by Mr. Brant” 

Brant faces multiple charges that include indecent behavior with juveniles.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy says his “No Surprises Act” has saved 9 million Americans from receiving surprise medical bills this year alone. Cassidy authored the legislation that went into effect at the beginning of the year.

Cut 6 (07)  “…Americans.”

According to the National Retail Federation, a record 197 million consumers shopped either in a store or on the internet over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, which included Cyber Monday. N-R-F President Matthew Shay says the kick-off to the holiday shopping season saw a big increase of in-store shoppers…
Cut 9 (10 “…last year”
The average price for a gallon of regular gas in Louisiana is $3.03 today, that’s down 28 cents from this time last month. And AAA spokesperson Nick Chabarria (Cha-BEAR-ee-uh) credits a drop in crude oil prices for relief at the pump. He says crude oil prices account about for 50 to 60 percent of what motorists pay at the pump.

Cut 13 (10) “…last year.”  

He says the statewide average for gas should drop be $3.00 this week.

Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a Ville Platte man allegedly found in bed with a seven-year-old girl in Bunkie early yesterday morning.  Captain Tim Ryan says the girl’s parents held 61-year-old Jeffrey Brant at gunpoint until authorities arrived…:

CUT 03(10)      “…invited in.”

He’s charged with home invasion, criminal trespass, and indecent behavior with juveniles. The little girl and her younger sister are apparently unharmed.

Thanksgiving holiday weekend shopping gives retailers hope for a good Christmas season. National Retail Federation president Matt Shay says figures from the weekend indicate there could be a 6-to-8-percent increase in retail sales over last year…:

CUT 11(10)      “…four weeks.”

197-million Americans did some shopping between Friday and Monday; either online or in stores.

Police in Covington confirm the murder of a retired local priest, Father Otis Young, who had been reported missing last Saturday. A coroner confirmed the badly burned remains found Monday were Young’s. He was apparently bludgeoned to death. A second victim’s identity has not been confirmed yet, but it is believed she is Ruth Prats, a church assistant. A suspect is in custody.

The statewide average for regular gas today is $3.03 a gallon, and AAA expects it to continue to drop…:

CUT 02(32)      “…Thorington.”

Caldwell Parish is recovering after a confirmed tornado strike last night during strong thunderstorms. Two people are reported injured and numerous buildings took heavy damage near the town of Clark on Highway 126. The National Weather Service is working to establish where the twister fell on the Extended Fujita scale, but it was likely an EF-1 Fortunately, no one was reported killed.

An Evangeline Parish man faces serious charges after he broke into a Bunkie home and climbed into bed with a seven-year-old girl…:

CUT 01(27)      “…Golsby.”

Senator Bill Cassidy celebrates his No Surprises Act; a law to protect us from getting unexpected medical bills. The law has been in effect since January and he says 9-milion Americans have been spared the pain of a surprise wallop of out-of-network charges. He says, under the law he co-authored with New Hampshire Democrat Senator Maggie Hasson, patients can only be required to pay in-network costs for medical services…:

CUT 08(03)      “…the past.”

Cassidy says if you do receive a higher medical bill than expected, let the state Department of Insurance know right away, or call the U.S. Health & Human Services.

Gasoline prices still slowly dropping. The statewide average for regular gas is $3.03. AAA’s Nick Chabarria says that could drop below 3 bucks by the week’s end…:

CUT 14(07)      “…last year.”

Gas is down an average of 12-cents from one week ago.

Authorities say an Evangeline Parish man faces several charges after he got into the bedroom of a seven-year-old girl in Bunkie. Marsanne Golsby has more…

Cut 1(27)  “…I’m Marsanne Golsby”

______________________________________

The statewide average for regular gas today is $3.03 a gallon, and AAA expects it to continue to drop. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (32)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

______________________________________

Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a Ville Platte man allegedly found in bed with a seven-year-old girl in Bunkie early yesterday morning.  Captain Tim Ryan says the girl’s parents held 61-year-old Jeffrey Brant at gunpoint until authorities arrived.

Cut 3 (10) “..invited in.” 

Brandt was arrested and booked with home invasion, criminal trespass, and indecent behavior with juveniles. Ryan says it doesn’t appear anyone involved was harmed, including the seven-year-old or her four-year-old sister, who Ryan says was also in the home.

Cut 4 (10)  “…by Mr. Brant” 

He says Brant got in through an unlocked door, and he didn’t fight back when the parents confronted him.

Cut 5 (10) “…on anyone”

Ryan says Brant appeared to be under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance.

___________________________________________________

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy says his “No Surprises Act” has saved 9 million Americans from receiving surprise medical bills this year alone. Cassidy authored the legislation that went into effect at the beginning of the year.

Cut 6 (07)  “…Americans.”

Passage of the bill was a two-year effort on behalf of Cassidy and New Hampshire Democrat Senator Maggie Hasson.

Cut 7 (09)  “…facing Americans.”

Cassidy who’s also a physician says the law protects patients from having to pay out-of-network costs billed by their health insurance and that patients can only be required to pay in-network costs for their services.

Cut 8 (03)  “…the past.“

Cassidy says if you do receive a higher medical bill than expected, you should contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-985-3059 or the Louisiana Department of Insurance at 1-800-259-5300.

_______________________________________

According to the National Retail Federation, a record 197-million consumers shopped either in a store or on the internet over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, which included Cyber Monday. N-R-F President Matthew Shay says the kick-off to the holiday shopping season saw a big increase of in-store shoppers…

Cut 9 (10 “…last year” 

Shaw says 63-million consumers shopped inside a store on Small Business Saturday, up from 51-million in 2021

Cut 10 (10) “…in store shopping” 

Shaw says 86-percent of the consumers they surveyed say they expect to see great deals for the rest of the holiday shopping season, which gives them hope of seeing a six to eight percent increase in retail sales over last holiday season

Cut 11 (10)  “…four weeks”

_______________________________________________

The average price for a gallon of regular gas in Louisiana is $3.03 today, that’s down 28 cents from this time last month. And AAA spokesperson Nick Chabarria (Cha-BEAR-ee-uh) says the average price in Louisiana is down almost a dime from a year ago.

Cut 12 (11) “…end of 2022.” 

Chabarria credits a drop in crude oil prices for relief at the pump. He says crude oil prices account about for 50 to 60 percent of what motorists pay at the pump.

Cut 13 (10) “…last year.”  

In addition to crude oil prices stabilizing, Chabarria says with today marking the end of the 2022 hurricane season, we were extremely fortunate we didn’t experience multiple storms in the gulf this year. And barring any disruptions he expects the average price in Louisiana to drop below $3.00 a gallon this week.

Cut 14 (07)   “…last year.” 

A week ago the average price for regular gas in Louisiana was $3.14.

___________________________________________

Deputies in Avoyelles Parish arrest a man for allegedly breaking into a home and crawling in bed with a 7-year-old girl. Sheriff’s Captain Tim Ryan says 61-year-old Jeffrey Brant got in through an unlocked door, and when he was discovered by the child’s parents he offered no resistance…:

CUT 05(10)      “…on anyone.”

Ryan says Brant appeared to be under the influence of…something. He’s been booked with home invasion, criminal trespass, and indecent behavior with juveniles.

The National Retail Federation says 197-million Americans took part in holiday shopping over the Thanksgiving weekend. NRF President Matt Shay says 63-million did their shopping in stores; a big increase over last year…:

CUT 10(10)      “…in-store shopping

He says retailers have hope that it will be a profitable holiday for them this year.

Eight people were shot last night at a hooka lounge in Lake Charles. Police say no one was killed, but three are in critical condition. Lake Charles Police are investigating and ask anyone with information on the crime to contact them right away.

The statewide average for regular gas in Louisiana today is $3.03 a gallon and AAA expects it to continue to drop…:

CUT 02(32)      “…Thorington.”

Authorities say an Evangeline Parish man faces several charges after he got into the bedroom of a seven-year-old girl in Bunkie. Marsanne Golsby has more…
Cut 1 (27) “…I’m Marsanne Golsby”

Lake Charles Police say eight people were shot at the V-V-S-1 Hooka Lounge on Broad Street at around 1:30 this morning. Cops say three of the shooting victims are in critical condition, three are in stable condition and two of them were treated and released. Authorities say one person is in custody.

Caldwell Parish Sheriff Clay Bennett says two people were injured from a twister that caused damage near the town of Clarks.

The average price for a gallon of regular gas in Louisiana is $3.03 today, that’s down 28 cents from this time last month. And AAA spokesperson Nick Chabarria (Cha-bear-ree-ah) says the average price in Louisiana is down almost a dime from a year ago.
Cut 12 (11) “…end of 2022.”
Chabarria credits a drop in crude oil prices for relief at the pump.

According to the National Retail Federation, a record 197-million consumers shopped either in a store or on the internet over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, which included Cyber Monday. N-R-F President Matthew Shay says the kick-off to the holiday shopping season saw a big increase of in-store shoppers…
Cut 9 (10 “…last year”
Shaw says 63-million consumers shopped inside a store on Small Business Saturday, up from 51-million in 2021

Lake Charles Police are investigating a mass shooting that took place around 1:30 this morning at a lounge in the 500 block of Broad Street. Police says at this time there are eight known victims. Their injuries range from critical to stable and two victims have been treated and released from the hospital. One person is in custody and the investigation is ongoing.

Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s deputies have arrested 61-year-old Jeffery Brant of Ville Platte after he was allegedly found in bed with a seven-year-old girl in Bunkie Tuesday morning.  Captain Tim Ryan says the girl’s parents held Brant at gunpoint until they arrived, and it doesn’t appear that anyone was harmed, including the seven-year-old or her four-year-old sister.

Cut 4 (10)  “…by Mr. Brant” 

Bran faces multiple charges that include indecent behavior with juveniles.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy says his “No Surprises Act” has saved 9 million Americans from receiving surprise medical bills this year.

Cut 7 (09)  “…facing Americans.”

Cassidy co-authored the bipartisan legislation and the law went into effect January 1^st.

The National Weather Services says it appears that an EF-3 tornado touched down in Caldwell Parish. The sheriff’s office reports two were injured in their home as a result.  The front that moved through the southeast was responsible for damage in Mississippi and claimed two lives Alabama.

Avoyelles Parish Sherif deputies have arrested a Ville Platte man allegedly found in bed with a seven-year-old girl in Bunkie early yesterday morning. Captain Tim Ryan says the girl’s parents held 61-year-old Jeffrey Brant at gunpoint until authorities arrived.
Cut 3 (10) “..invited in.”
Ryan says it doesn’t appear anyone involved was harmed physically. Brant was charged with home invasion, criminal trespass and Indecent Behavior with Juveniles.

The 2022 hurricane season ends today, unless a storm forms in December which is rare, the season produced 14 named storms. Florida was hit by two hurricanes but State Climatologist Barry Keim says Louisiana was spared…
cut 15 (09) “…of Louisiana”

The Louisiana Chemical Association says a potential nationwide railroad worker strike would have dire consequences to their industry as the flow of essential chemicals would come to a halt, including chemicals for crop and food protection. Louisiana Chemical Association President Greg Bowser…
cut 11 (07) “….as well”
A rail strike could happen as early as next Friday. The U-S House is scheduled to vote today on legislation to block the rail strike, despite objections from labor leaders.

Republican US Senator Bill Cassidy says his “No Surprises Act” has saved 9 million Americans from receiving Surprise Medical Bills this year alone. Cassidy authored the legislation that went into effect at the beginning of the year.
Cut 6 (07) “…Americans.”
Passage of the bill was a two-year effort on behalf of Cassidy and New Hampshire Democrat Senator Maggie Hasson.

Covington Police have identified one of the two victims that were burned beyond recognition. Police say one of the victims is 71-year-old retired Catholic priest Otis Young. The other victim has yet to be identified however Young was reported missing along with St. Peter Catholic Church Administrator Ruth Prats just hours before the bodies were discovered on Monday. Antonio Tyson has been arrested and charged in the case.

Governor Edwards has endorsed state senator Greg Tarver in the Shreveport mayoral race. Tarver a black Democrat is facing white a Republican in the race, Tom Arceneaux. Political consultant Roy Fletcher says Shreveport is a majority black, majority democrat city, so Edwards endorsement is probably unnecessary…

Cut 8 (10)  “…getting black votes.”
Greg Bowser with the Louisiana Chemical Association fears a freight rail strike could have dire consequences for the chemical industry and the country. He says water treatment facilities depend on chlorine and the ag industry on fertilizer. And because Louisiana is one of the country’s largest chemical producers, it could hurt the state’s economy.

Cut 12 (09) “…losing jobs.”

Rail workers are holding out for higher wages and more vacation time.

The 2022 hurricane season ends today and despite a predicted above-average season, Louisiana was spared this year. State Climatologist Berry Keim says Ian will go down as the signature storm after landfall in Florida.

Cut 14 (08)  “…big deal.”

Six weeks later Nicole followed a similar path. The 2022 season anticipated 21 named storms and only 14 were produced.