A massive winter storm has hit the state today, bringing snow, sleet and ice. Temperatures are in the teens across the I-20 corridor and the snow is falling. Monroe could see three to four inches of snow, while Shreveport could see two to three inches. It’s also snowing in Alexandria where an inch of snow could fall. State Climatologist Barry Keim says south Louisiana is dealing with an ice storm…
cut 6 (07) “…and sleet”
Numerous roads are closed. If the state department of transportation shuts down a road, State Police Trooper Brent Hardy urges motorists not to drive around the barricades…
cut 7 (14) “…go assist you”
For more information on road closures use the state’s 5-1-1 system.

MedPharmics is looking for pregnant women and children from 6 months to 17 years old to participate in COVID vaccine trials. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

The number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital has fallen below one-thousand as the state health department reported a decline of 126 fewer coronavirus patients on Sunday compared to Friday. The total now stands at 875. The number of confirmed deaths is up to 8,663.

Snow, sleet, and freezing rain is falling across most of the state this morning. National Weather Service Meteorologist Charlie Woodrum says the I-20- corridor could see significant snowfall totals…
Cut 4 (10)“…toward Alexandria.”
Not only is there snow, but roads are icy from freezing rain. Numerous roads are shut down including I-10 between Lafayette and Baton Rouge. Sheets of ice have formed on elevated highways in north Louisiana and I-49 through Alexandria is closed, so are bridges in the Alexandria area. State Police Trooper Brent Hardy urges residents to avoid travel until the icy conditions have passed, but if you have to drive…
cut 8 (11) “….icy conditions”
Once the wintery precipitation moves out, record cold temperatures move in.

Democrats fell ten votes short in the US Senate of convicting former President Donald Trump of inciting the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, and Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy was one of seven Republicans to vote in favor…
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

A historic winter storm has many Louisiana residents staying indoors today. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Democrats fell ten votes short in the US Senate of convicting former President Donald Trump of inciting the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, and Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy was one of seven Republicans to vote in favor. Matt Doyle has more…

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Matt Doyle.” 

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MedPharmics is looking for pregnant women and children from 6 months to 17 years old to participate in COVID vaccine trials. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 3 (32)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”  

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Most of the state is under a winter storm warning as Louisiana is getting hit with snow, sleet, and freezing rain. National Weather Service Meteorologist Charlie Woodrum says the northern half of the state could see a significant amount of snow

Cut 4 (12)“…four inch range.”

Not only is there snow, but roads are icy from freezing rain. Ice accumulations between a tenth of an inch to a quarter of an inch are possible. And we are also looking at record low temperatures tonight and into tomorrow with wind chill readings in the single digits or possibly below zero

Cut 5 (09)“…snow accumulations.”

The National Weather Service says there’s a potential for snow as far south as Opelousas. State Climatologist Barry Keim says south Louisiana is looking at a significant ice storm…

Cut 6 (07) “…and sleet”

Total ice accumulations of up to a half-inch expected in south Louisiana, except for south of New Orleans, which will only see a cold rain.

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Numerous roads are closed as a result of the snow, sleet, and freezing rain that’s falling. If the state department of transportation shuts down a road, State Police Trooper Brent Hardy urges motorists not to drive around the barricades…

Cut 7 (14)  “…go assist you”

Hardy says if you do have to drive on slick roads, make sure you are traveling at a reduced speed

Cut 8 (11) “…icy conditions”

Hardy says be aware that ice is difficult to see and it’s often present on overpasses, bridges, and shady spots on the roadway. He says for road closure information, call 5-1-1, go to 5-1-1-dot-la-dot-org or use the Louisiana 5-1-1- smartphone app…

Cut 9 (11) “…star 5-7-7″

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Senator Bill Cassidy was one of seven Republicans to vote in favor of convicting former President Trump over allegations he incited an insurrection at the U-S Capitol on January 6^th.  Some might be surprised by Cassidy’s vote but ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says before becoming a US Senator Cassidy had a history of bucking the Republican Party line.

Cut 10 (13) “…past.”

Cassidy released a brief video statement after the vote saying “Our constitution and our country is more important than any one person. I voted to convict President Trump because he is guilty.”

Cassidy was quickly censured by the state GOP Executive Committee but Stockley doesn’t expect the Senator will face any long-term fallout.

Cut 11 (11) “…solidarity.”

The State GOP released a statement saying they condemn the vote in the “strongest possible terms”, and House GOP Caucus Chairman Blake Miguez tweeted that Cassidy should not expect a warm welcome when he comes home.

Stockley says this vote likely bought Cassidy some favor with Democrats who currently control Congress and the White House.

Cut 12 (09) “…vote”

While the final vote was 57-43, coming up short of the two-thirds vote needed for conviction.

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Clinical trials are now underway for pregnant women and children for the COVID vaccines. Medical Director of MedPharmics Dr. Robert Jeanfreau says they are looking to recruit participants.

Cut 13 (09) “…we do.”

Jeanfreau says while some pregnant women were in the initial clinical trials for the vaccines, they need to have more participants for a more accurate study and he says so far the data indicates the vaccines are during pregnancy.

Cut 14 (08) “…safe.” 

They are searching for children 6 months all the way to 17 years old for the Moderna trial and pregnant women for the Pfizer trial.

Cut 15 (07)“…women.”

To see if you qualify visit medpharmics.com or call 504-457-2721

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The LSU men’s basketball team won its first game over a ranked opponent on Saturday as the Tigers topped 16th ranked Tennessee 78-65. Freshman Cam Thomas had 25 points while junior Javonte Smart had 20 points. LSU Coach Will Wade says it was their best game of the season…

Cut 16 (16) “…defensively.”

Dairus Days added 14 points. LSU also got a nice game from sophomore guard Aundre Hyatt who had eight points and eight rebounds. Reserve forward Josh Leblanc didn’t score but had five rebounds and three blocked shots and Wade is also appreciative of the 14 minutes he got from freshman backup guard Eric Gaines

Cut 17 (17) “…off rhythm”

Since losing to Alabama by 18, the Tigers have won two in a row heading into a Wednesday night road game against Ole Miss. Wade says he had a heart to heart talk with his players following the loss to the Crimson Tide…

Cut  18 (18) “…since then.”

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Louisiana Tech won two games over Conference USA West division leader UAB over the weekend, earning the sweep with a 69-64 win on Saturday. Bulldogs Coach Eric Konkol says only turning it over 12 times while producing 18 assists were the keys to the five-point win

Cut 19 (13) “…very good team.” 

Sophomore guard Kobe Williams was the leading scorer for the Bulldogs as he had 16 points. Konkol says Williams is a big ready why Tech is 10-and-4 in Conference USA play…

  cut 20  (11) “…run with him.” 

Winter storm warnings are in effect for north Louisiana and winter storm watches cover central and southwest Louisiana as the state braces for temperatures to quickly descend below freezing in the coming days. National Weather Service Shreveport Hydrologist C.S. Ross says wintery mix and snow is in play for the northern half of the state starting Sunday night…

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A second winter storm is expected to hit us on Wednesday as well.

Valentine’s Day is Sunday and dining with your sweetheart will be different with the limited capacity, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t show love to your favorite eatery.

Cut 1 (32) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington”  

All eyes are on Senator Bill Cassidy this weekend as the Senate is expected to vote on the impeachment of former President Donald Trump. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has signaled he will vote against impeachment and Cassidy, after voting to approve the trial on constitutional grounds, may be one of a handful of Republicans to vote yes on the question.

Northwest and north-central Louisiana are set to take the brunt of a nasty winter storm that’s descending on the state. Those areas are under winter storm warnings while the rest of the state outside of southeast Louisiana sits under a winter storm watch. National Weather Service Shreveport Hydrologist C.S. Ross says starting late tonight in the northern half of the state expect a light, patchy, freezing drizzle…

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Governor Edwards has declared a state of emergency ahead of the system.

Restaurants are trying to adapt to yet another Valentine’s Day under pandemic conditions, and this winter storm fiasco isn’t helping things either.  Wendy Waren with the Louisiana Restaurant Association says if you’re not interested in dining in then you can probably find a fun, creative to-go option nearby…

Cut 3 (12)  “…to go”

Behind Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day is the second busiest day of the year traditionally for restaurants.

The Louisiana Family Forum has found the new longest-married couple in the state: a pair out of Gonzales who’ve been married for 80 years. LFF President Gene Mills says there’s a lot to learn from 101-year-old Gail is and 99-year-old Patsy Richardson…

Cut 10 (11) “. ..benefits” 

The polar vortex is descending on Louisiana and most of north Louisiana outside of the Delta Parishes is now under a winter storm warning while the delta parishes, southwest Louisiana, and Central Louisiana are now under Winter Storm Watches. Southeast Louisiana, for now, looks like it may manage to dodge some of the worst of this. With this storm on the way and the northern half of the state set to get a wintery mix late Sunday into Monday Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency. Forecasts show we could be in for another winter storm as early as Wednesday.

Sunday is Valentine’s Day and between the pandemic and the cold, a lot of folks just won’t be going out. Wendy Waren with the Louisiana Restaurant Association asks you to consider order to-go if you’re going to be skipping the usual sit-down meal at a restaurant. She says there are all kinds of fun, romantic to-go choices…

Cut 5  (11)  “…that way.” 

The Louisiana Family Forum has found the new longest-married couple in the state: a pair out of Gonzales who’ve been married for 80 years. LFF President Gene Mills says 101-year-old Gail is a Catholic and 99-year-old Patsy Richardson is Baptist, and both are both highly active in their faith.

Cut 9 (08) “..coexistence”

The competition discovered 18 couples who’ve been married in Louisiana for over 70 years.

Pelican Waste has set up a GoFundMe for the two sanitation workers who spotted a car from an Amber Alert earlier this week in St. Martin Parish and helped rescue a kidnapped 10-year-old. The fund is raising money for Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine and Pelican spokesperson Monica Camille says they deserve it.

Cut 12 (12) “  acts” 

For the second game in a row, the Pelicans got demolished from deep, losing 143-130 to the Dallas Mavericks. It’s back to back games the Pels have now let a team shoot over 50 percent from three and Dallas superstar Luka Doncic feasted, putting up 46-12-8. History was made it’s the first time four players 25 and under scored 30 or more points in a game as Doncic was joined by Kristaps Porzingis who dropped 36 points while the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram scored 36 and 30 points respectively. The 36 was a career-high for Zion, who only missed one shot.

It’s been 448 days since McNeese has played a competitive game of football but that’s set to change at 6 PM tonight as the Cowboys take on Tarleton State for the first game of spring football. The Lake Charles based team canceled its fall season due to COVID, then watched its school, field, press box, and team meeting rooms get destroyed by Hurricanes Laura and Delta.

The Tigers take on the 16^th ranked Volunteers at the PMAC for some SEC action at 1 PM. The two are tied for second in the SEC standings at 7-4.

The Cajuns and Warhawks are at it at 4 PM today for the second game of a doubleheader. ULM upset UL Lafayette in the first contest 72-66 for only their 5^th win on the year.

McNeese is back on the court as well with a game against Northwestern today at 4 PM. Northwestern is 5-4 in conference play while McNeese is struggling at 2-7.

The Southeastern Lions host Nicholls State tonight in Hammond for a 7 PM tip-off. Nicholls is just a game back of a current three way tie for first in the Southland while Southeastern is languishing at 4-5, 6-12 on the season.

In some NFL news it looks like the Seahawks and QB Russell Wilson’s happy marriage could be coming to an end. Seahawks brass are reportedly fuming about Wilson’s public comments questioning the team’s ability to compete.

tap to impact all regions of the state Sunday night into Monday with a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. And the winter mix continues into the week Meteorologist C-S Ross says the I-20 corridor could see single-digit low temperatures for Tuesday morning.

Cut 8 (06) “…into the teens”

The northern half of the state is under a Winter Storm Watch.

The Louisiana Family Forum has found the new longest-married couple in the state: a pair out of Gonzales who’ve been married for 80 years. LFF President Gene Mills says Gail is 101 and wife Patsy Richardson is 99, and there’s says there’s a lot everyone could learn from these two.

Cut 10 (11) “…benefits” 

Pelican Waste has set up a GoFundMe for the two sanitation workers who spotted a car from an Amber Alert earlier this week in St. Martin Parish and helped rescue a kidnapped 10-year-old. The fund has a goal of $10-thousand for Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine and Pelican spokesperson Monica Camille says they deserve it.

Cut 12 (12) “  acts” 

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest dining days of the year for the restaurant industry and in Louisiana, Valentine’s Day usually competes with Mardi Gras Parades but that’s not the case this year. Wendy Waren with the Louisiana Restaurant Association says however many restaurants are offering to-go options to celebrate carnival at home or for touring house floats by car.

Cut 4 (08) “…home.” 

Freezing rain, sleet, and snow are all in the forecast on Sunday and Monday. C-S Ross with the National Weather Service says Shreveport, Monroe, and Alexandria could see several inches of snow. He says high temperatures will stay below freezing that day for those cities and dangerous wind chills are also expected Monday and Tuesday.
Cut 7 (08) “…below zero.”

Pelican Waste has set up a GoFundMe for the two sanitation workers who spotted a car from an Amber Alert earlier this week in St. Martin Parish and helped rescue a kidnapped 10-year-old. The fund has set of goal of $10-thousand for Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine. Pelican spokesperson Monica Camille says they deserve it…

cut 12 (12) “…acts

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest dining days of the year for the restaurant industry but with limited capacity due to the pandemic, Wendy Waren with the Louisiana Restaurant Association says many members have creative options for their patrons this year.

Cut 3 (12)  “…to go”

The Louisiana Family Forum has found the new longest-married couple in the state: a pair out of Gonzales who’ve been married for 80 years. LFF President Gene Mills says 101-year-old Gail is a Catholic and 99-year-old Patsy Richardson is Baptist, and both are both highly active in their faith.

Cut 9 (08) “..coexistence”

This year’s search turned up 18 couples who’ve been married for more than 70 years.

Louisiana could get hit with a major winter storm on Monday. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 2 (30) …I’m Jeff Palermo”  

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was scheduled to meet with the Biden Administration and others this morning to discuss COVID relief, but she tested positive at the White House screening for entry. Cantrell missed the meeting but then took a second test and her results were negative. A statement from her office says at no time did she display symptoms and will return home as scheduled this evening.

Pelican Waste has set up a GoFundMe for the two sanitation workers who spotted a car from an Amber Alert earlier this week in St. Martin Parish and helped rescue a kidnapped 10-year-old. The fund is for Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine and Pelican spokesperson Monica Camille says they deserve it.

Cut 14 (11) “…with it”

The GoFundMe has a 10,000 dollar goal…

The Louisiana Family Forum has found the new longest-married couple in the state: a pair out of Gonzales who’ve been married for 80 years, Gail and Patsy Richardson. LFF President Gene Mills says this year’s search turned up over 18 couples who’ve been married for more than 70 years. Mills says they will be celebrated.

Cut 11 (06) “..of fame”

Those in the top ten list will receive a proclamation from the Governor and a King Cake.