The House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing today on the impeachment inquiry but Republican Congressman Mike Johnson feels it is all a big charade.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

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Medicaid enrollees can now choose their managed care plan and find local providers via the Healthy Louisiana app. Matt Doyle has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle” 

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Times are good for football fans in Louisiana and retailers are seeing an uptick in team apparel as a result. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 3 (32) “   I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

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Republican Congressman Mike Johnson still feels strongly that the impeachment inquiry is a charade, this ahead of today’s House Judiciary Committee hearing over the case. Johnson says he hasn’t had access to the underlying evidence that has been gathered by the House Intelligence Committee, adding they’ve been secretive.

Cut 4 (09) “…to this point.”

Johnson says a number of House Democrats who have predetermined this political outcome, with some vowing to impeachment just days into the Presidency.

Cut 5 (07) “…of what’s happening.”

Johnson feels there is a chance that process could drag on for months, which he says is a shame.

Cut 6 (08) “…now see that.”

Louisiana’s only Democratic Congressman Cedric Richmond also sits on the House Judiciary Committee, however he has not been as vocal in pushing for impeachment as other Democrats.

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Louisiana is the first state in the nation to allow Medicaid recipients to enroll via an app.

Medicaid Deputy Director Jen Katzman says Healthy Louisiana has been popular with users so far, garnering a 4.5 star rating on app stores for its ease of use, and utility.

Cut 7 (10) “Spanish”

LDH advertises that the app also simplifies the process for choosing between the five managed care plans.

Along with options for enrollment in one of the state’s health plans, Katzman says you can also use it to look up nearby providers.

Cut 8 (04) “…maps”

Katzman says the app is emblematic of a broader generational shift that points towards a far more digital future for Medicaid.

Cut 9 (10) “…the app”

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A decked-out holiday-themed six-car train is making it’s sixth stop in the state tonight in Zwolle treating families to a festive and fun time.

KCS Express Spokesperson Doniele Carlson says you can walk along the side of three of the cars for a great photoshoot, and step inside the other three for a chance to see some Christmas magic…

Cut 10 (10) “…inside”

Santa will also be available for the kids to visit.

The KCS Express comes courtesy of donations from the railroad company’s workers and vendors, and Carlson says it’s a charity that’s been around since 2001.

Cut 11 (10) “…this cause”

The train started in Shreveport and has rolled through LaPlace, Gonzales, Baton Rouge, Pineville, and Coushatta so far, and Carlson says it’s got a ways to go…

Cut  12 (06) “…this year.” 

The money donated to the Salvation Army will go towards warm clothes for those in need.

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The performance of Louisiana teams on the football field is resulting in a spike in sports apparel sales.  Sara Sanders is the co-owner of the Purple and Gold Sports Shop in Baton Rouge and says many fans are inquiring about the specialized jersey that Joe Burrow wore when he took the field for the final time at Tiger Stadium.

Cut 13 (09) “…not for sale.”

LSU just wrapped a perfect season and will compete for in the SEC Championship game.

Sanders says the Black and Gold Sports Shop is also seeing a spike based on the success of the 10-and-2 Saints and several players are seeing strong sales on their jerseys.

Cut 14 (08) “…well this season.” 

The 10-and-2 Ragin’ Cajuns are seeing a similar impact in Lafayette.  Sarah Armentor with the Ragin’ Cajuns Store says the number 98 is a big seller for its jerseys.

Cut 15 (08) “…put a player.”

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The play of junior running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been a big surprise this season for LSU. Edwards-Helaire has rushed for 1,233 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s also caught 43 passes. Before the season started, many thought freshmen running backs would take playing time from Edwards-Helairie, but the Baton Rouge product says that’s been the case his whole life, people doubting him

Cut 16  (24)  …to the house” 

LSU is making its first appearance in the SEC Championship game since 2011, while Georgia is in the title for the third consecutive year. Edwards-Helaire says the Tigers can’t wait to get to Atlanta

Cut 17  (22)  ready to play ” 

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Southeastern Louisiana’s run through the F-C-S playoffs takes them to Montana this Saturday as the Lions seek their first-ever appearance in the quarterfinals. Montana is a six national seed and brings a 9-and-3 record into the contest. S-L-U Coach Frank Scelfo

cut 18  (22)  of a game” 

This should be a high scoring game. The Lions average 37 points a game, while Montana averages 36 a contest. Scelfo says the Grizzlies feed off the big play…

cut 19 (19)    regular basis”    

An Arkansas man is under arrest after allegedly shooting his way into an empty West Monroe School and bunkering up in a bathroom in hopes of sparking a standoff with police. Jeffery Smith allegedly fired over a dozen shots in the school, but Sgt. CJ Beck says the police never came because the school’s burglar alarm never went off…

Cut 7 (11) “…left.”

Smith was armed with a handgun.

Tiger fans are Atlanta bound this Saturday as the Bayou Bengals take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game.  StubHub spokesperson Erin Exum says it is important to buy tickets from a reputable source and not a scalper outside of the venue on game day.

Cut 5 (11) “…game like this.”

Two men have lost their jobs with Livingston Parish Public Works after allegedly stealing guns from a home while they were supposed to be working. Livingston police chief Randy Dufrene says 37-year-old Kelby Henderson and 24-year-old Adam Church knew the homeowner was a gun collector

Cut 12 (11) “handicap child” 

Dufrene says they also used a parish vehicle to drive to the victim’s home.

Today is Giving Tuesday, a day bringing attention to charitable donations.  President and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank Mike Manning says with the holiday, kids are out of class, meaning they won’t be fed at school and they’ll need to find food somewhere.

Cut 11 (10) “…blessed they are.”

An Arkansas man is under arrest after allegedly breaking into a West Monroe school Saturday and peppering the inside of the building with bullets in an effort to provoke a confrontation with police.  West Monroe Police Sgt. C.J. Beck describes the surveillance footage of Jeffery Smith’s 12 hours inside the school…

Cut 6 (13) “front door”

But the burglar alarm never went off, so after 12 hours of parking in the school, firing off random shots in the hallway, Smith went home.

Two men have lost their jobs with Livingston Parish Public Works after allegedly stealing guns from a home while they were supposed to be working. Livingston police chief Randy Dufrene says the victim is shocked to find out it was their co-workers who’d robbed them…

Cut 14 (12) “…you know”

Tiger fans are Atlanta bound this Saturday as the Bayou Bengals take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game. Tickets have been purchased in 47 states, StubHub spokesperson Erin Exum says Bulldog fans will likely be prevalent in their home state.

Cut 4 (11) “…Saturday comes around.”

The Tigers are a touchdown favorite to win on Saturday.

Today is Giving Tuesday, a day bringing attention to charitable donations.  President and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank Mike Manning says they have seen an increase in contributions in honor of Giving Tuesday.

Cut 9 (09) “…awareness about giving.”

Manning says Giving Tuesday is effective in increasing the awareness to those that may not be paying attention to the needs for contributions.

Two men have lost their jobs with Livingston Parish Public Works after allegedly stealing guns from a home while they were supposed to be working. Livingston police chief Randy Dufrene says 37-year-old Kelby Henderson and 24-year-old Adam Church broke into their co-worker’s home three times…

Cut 13 (11) “…gun collected.”

Dufrene says they also used a parish vehicle to drive to the victim’s home.

An Arkansas man is under arrest after allegedly breaking into a West Monroe school Saturday and peppering the inside of the building with bullets in an effort to provoke a confrontation with police. West Monroe Police Sgt. C.J. Beck says police never responded because the burglar alarms didn’t go off, and Jeffery Smith eventually left. Beck says Smith’s motive is still unclear…

Cut 8 (06) “…police”

Beck was armed with a 9mm handgun.

Tiger fans are Atlanta bound this Saturday as the Bayou Bengals take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game.  StubHub spokesperson Erin Exum says over a thousand tickets are currently available with an average price of $567.

Cut 3 (07) “…less than $200.”

The Tigers are a touchdown favorite to win on Saturday.

Today is Giving Tuesday, a day bringing attention to charitable donations. President and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank Mike Manning says Giving Tuesday is effective in increasing the awareness to those that may not be paying attention to the needs for contributions.

Cut 10 (08) “…advantage of that.”

Manning adds the federal tax reform passed has resulted in generally lower charitable donations nationwide, but that locally they have remained steady.

Two men have lost their jobs with Livingston Parish Public Works after allegedly stealing guns from a home while they were supposed to be working. Livingston police Chief Randy Dufrene says 37-year-old Kelby Henderson and 24-year-old Adam Church knew the homeowner was a gun collector

Cut 12 (11) “handicap child” 

Dufrene says they also used a parish vehicle to drive to the victim’s home and perform the break-ins.

An Arkansas man is under arrest after allegedly shooting his way into an empty West Monroe School and bunkering up in a bathroom in hopes of sparking a standoff with police. Jeffery Smith allegedly fired over a dozen shots in the school, but Sgt. CJ Beck says the police never came because the school’s burglar alarm never went off…

Cut 7 (11) “…left.”

Tickets for LSU’s appearance in the SEC Championship game are going for a pretty penny. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (28) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Today is Giving Tuesday, a day bringing attention to charitable donations. President and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank Mike Manning says with the holiday, kids are out of class, meaning they won’t be fed at school and they’ll need to find food somewhere.

Cut 11 (10) “…blessed they are.”

West Monroe Police arrest an Arkansas man who allegedly shot up an elementary school Saturday in an attempt to force a confrontation with the authorities…

cut  2 (31) “…I’m Matt Doyle”    

LSU President F King Alexander’s name has come up as a candidate to become a president at one of the two university systems in California. Alexander told the Los Angeles Times he’s leaving his options open. The 56-year-old Alexander has led LSU since 2013 after heading Cal State Long Beach for seven years.

Today is Giving Tuesday, a day bringing attention to charitable donations.  President and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank Mike Manning says they have seen an increase in contributions in honor of Giving Tuesday.

Cut 9 (09) “…awareness about giving.”

Manning says Giving Tuesday is effective in increasing the awareness to those that may not be paying attention to the needs for contributions.

Tiger fans are Atlanta bound this Saturday as the Bayou Bengals take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game.  StubHub spokesperson Erin Exum says over a thousand tickets are currently available with an average price of $567.Exum stresses the importance of buy tickets from a reputable source and not a scalper outside of the venue on game day.

Cut 5 (11) “…game like this.”

The Tigers are a touchdown favorite to win on Saturday.

Tiger fans are Atlanta bound this Saturday as the Bayou Bengals take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game.  Tickets have been purchased in 47 states, but StubHub spokesperson Erin Exum says Bulldog fans will likely be prevalent in their home state.

Cut 4 (11) “…Saturday comes around.”

The average ticket price is $567.

An Arkansas man is under arrest after allegedly breaking into a West Monroe school Saturday and peppering the inside of the building with bullets in an effort to provoke a confrontation with police.

West Monroe Police Sgt. C.J. Beck describes the surveillance footage of Jeffery Smith’s 12 hours inside the school…

Cut 6 (13) “front door”

There are still about two dozen O-M-V locations that have yet to re-open following the ransomware attack that hit the state two weeks ago. Division of Administration Jacques Berry says one problem is that the O-M-V has old technology…
cut 12 (06) “…anyway”
No timeline has been set for when all offices will be back up and running with full service.

The LSU athletic department gave away for free 33-hundred blocks of sod from Tiger Stadium yesterday as the school plans on renovating the turf inside Death Valley. Dozens of LSU fans came on campus to haul the sod away. Kelsey from Baton Rouge got some painted grass…
cut 15 (05) “…not that silly”
The sod was removed as LSU plans to improve the drainage and install new turf at Tiger Stadium.

Tiger fans are Atlanta bound this Saturday as the Bayou Bengals take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game.  StubHub spokesperson Erin Exum says over a thousand tickets are currently available with an average price of $567.

Cut 3 (07) “…less than $200.”

The Tigers are a touchdown favorite to win on Saturday.

It’s been two weeks since a ransomware attack crippled state services and the Office of Motor Vehicles is still operating at a limited capacity. 54 of the state’s 79 OMV locations are back online, and Division of Administration spokesperson Jacques Berry says if you’re interested in knowing which locations are operational…

Cut 10 (09) “…parish”

No timeline has been set for when all offices will be back up and running with full service.

The Legislature is set to pick a new Speaker and Senate President January 13^th, and while the competition in the Lower Chamber is reportedly wide open, Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the Upper Chamber has a new favorite…

Cut 5 (07) “…January”

Pinsonat says Sharon Hewitt of Slidell, Ronnie Johns of Lake Charles, and Rick Ward of Iberville are also in the running.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows holiday weight gain is a serious problem, with the average person adding a pound of weight every year during this time, with those who are already overweight likely to add two pounds. LSU School of Public Health nutritionist Dr. Henry Nuss says a lot of those extra calories come in liquid form…

Cut 7 (12) “count them”

On January 13^th legislators will pick the new Speaker of the House and Senate President. Matt Doyle spoke with an analyst about who is currently in the running…

Cut 1 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

Senator Wesley Bishop pleads not guilty to accusations of making false statements to HUD by saying he was renting to tenants that didn’t exist.  Reports indicate Bishop received a $188,000 state loan in 2012 to fix up a New Orleans apartment building damaged in Katrina and rent it out at low rates for ten years.  Bishop faces up to five years in prison.

About two dozen Louisiana OMV offices remain closed from a ransomware attack on state computers two weeks ago. Over 50 locations are open, but Division of Administration spokesperson Jacques Berry says they are not running at full capacity yet…
cut 11 (09) “…can”
Berry says go to express-lane-dot-org to find out what the O-M-V office near you can offer.

LSU Athletics offered free slabs of sod from Tiger Stadium to fans yesterday. About 33-hundred servings of grass were given away in minutes. Cameron is a sophomore and says she and a friend had arrived hours early to claim their pieces of the field, only to watch the distribution descend into a chaotic scene.

Cut 14 (08) “…and split it.” 

The sod was removed as LSU plans to improve the drainage and install new turf at Tiger Stadium.

Election season maybe over for Louisiana voters, but jockeying is happening behind the scenes as some lawmakers are trying to figure out who to elect as the next House Speaker and Senate President. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says these positions hold major significance, deciding committee assignments and chairmanships with some substantial issues on the docket…
Cut 6 (11) “Legislature”
The Speakership and Presidency will be decided in a January 13th vote.

There are still about two dozen O-M-V locations that have yet to re-open following the ransomware attack that hit the state two weeks ago. Division of Administration Jacques Berry says one problem is that the O-M-V has old technology…
cut 12 (06) “…anyway”
No timeline has been set for when all offices will be back up and running with full service.

Hundreds of LSU fans got their grass handed to them. Kevin Barnhart was on hand to speak with those who obtained some of the free sod from Tiger Stadium during the Monday afternoon giveaway.
Cut 3 (32) “ I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

Stubhub says the average ticket price for the SEC Championship game is about 567-dollars, but you can get in for less than two-hundred dollars. The online ticket seller says they have about one-thousand tickets.