Louisiana has declared a state of emergency as the Mississippi River approaches flood levels. The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness spokesperson Mike Steele says there are no major problems looming but those living in flood-prone areas should be ready for a battle of attrition this rain season

Cut 7 (10) “…long time.”

Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves has been named the top Republican on the newly reformed Climate Crisis panel. Graves joins five other Republicans on the panel that will be led by Democrat Kathy Castor of Florida. The Congressman says he’ll use his position to push back against climate change policies from non-energy producing states that would impact Louisiana’s economy.

Cut 13 (10) “…disadvantage”

Authorities suspect the plane that lost contact with the tower yesterday shortly after launching from the Shreveport Downtown Airport may be located just north of the airport in the Red River. A local company has leased a barge that is set to park near the suspected crash site and a team of commercial divers from Morgan City will be on scene for 7 pm tonight. Caddo Parish Spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says so far though, they have yet to catch a glimpse of the plane…

Cut 10 (08)“…the water.”

Mardi Gras celebrations continue around the state.  In Lafayette, the weekend festivities get kicked off tonight, with parades on Saturday.  Executive Director of Convention and Visitors Commission Ben Berthelot says the party doesn’t stop when the parades are finished as the area offers plenty of great nightlife.

Cut 4 (09) “…Downtown Lafayette.″

The number one ranked LSU Tigers take their 8-0 record on the road for the first time this season when they visit 18th ranked Texas this weekend. The Longhorns visited LSU last year and the Tigers took two of three. Zack Hess struck out 10 Texas hitters last season in six innings and looks forward to facing them again tonight…
cut 17 (22) “on top”
Josh Smith is leading a potent LSU offense that’s produced 92 runs in eight games.
Smith missed the series against Texas last year because of a back injury, so he’s looking for the next three days in Austin…
Cut 18 (10) forward to it”
__________________________________
the 13th ranked LSU Tigers Men’s basketball takes on the Crimson Tide in Tuscalousa early on Saturday. The Tigers are wrapping up the last three games of their year, and hope to grab a win against the Tide who are 8-7 in conference play.
Elsewhere in the SEC you’ve got a clash of the titans as 4th ranked Kentucky takes on 7th ranked Tennesee. Both teams are in a three way tie with LSU for the conference lead. That game tips off at 1pm.
UL Lafayette takes on Appalacian State on Sunday, and ULM plays Coastal tommorow at 2.
Southern plays Alcorn state tommorow at 530.
The Pelicans are in Arizona tonight to have a go at fellow lottery bound disapointments Pheonix. It’s the second game in a four game road trip.

Authorities suspect the plane that lost contact with the tower yesterday shortly after launching from the Shreveport Downtown Airport may be located just north of the airport in the Red River. Caddo Parish Spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says the plane launched at 1037 yesterday, and authorities say no one saw what happened next.

Cut 9 (12) “…radio.”
When asked whether anyone had survived the incident, Chadwick says they have not heard from anyone on the flight.

Louisiana has declared a state of emergency as the Mississippi River approaches flood levels. The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness spokesperson Mike Steele says this precaution is taken to speed up any support process needed for areas throughout the Bayou State…

Cut 6 (09) “…state level”

Congressman Garret Graves will head the Republican side of the newly reformed Climate Crisis Panel. Matt Doyle talked to the Congressman about the high profile appointment…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Matt Doyle”  

Mardi Gras celebrations continue around the state.  In Lafayette, the weekend festivities get kicked off tonight, with parades on Saturday.  Executive Director of Convention and Visitors Commission Ben Berthelot says they are expecting great crowds with lots of great music.

Cut 3 (08) “…as well.”

Lafayette is a celebration hotspot for carnival season with more festivities kicking off tonight.  Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

It looks like the people of Lafayette may be able to dodge the rain as the weather calls for only a 20% chance of showers on Saturday.  Temps will peak in the mid 70s, with a low of 67.  Things are not looking as promising in New Orleans with afternoon thunderstorms in the outlook.

Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves has been named the top Republican on the newly reformed Climate Crisis panel. The panel will focus on threats posed by climate change, but will likely feature a partisan split on the origin of the threat. Graves, who agrees that sea rise poses a threat to the nation, says the appointment will give him a platform to raise awareness of Louisiana’s vulnerabilities.

Cut 12 (11)   “…true crisis.”

Authorities suspect the plane that lost contact with the tower yesterday shortly after launching from the Shreveport Downtown Airport may be located just north of the airport in the Red River. When asked whether anyone had survived the incident, Caddo Parish Spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says they have not heard from anyone on the flight.

Cut 11 (08)   “…on board.”

Authorities suspect the plane that lost contact with the tower yesterday shortly after launching from the Shreveport Downtown Airport may be located just north of the airport in the Red River. A local company has leased a barge that is set to park near the suspected crash site and a team of commercial divers from Morgan City will be on scene for 7pm tonight. Caddo Parish Sherriff Spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says so far though, they have yet to catch a glimpse of the plane.

Cut 10, 8 seconds, the water

KTBS reports a bystander saw fuel floating on the water at that location.

Mardi Gras celebrations continue around the state. In Lafayette, the weekend festivities get kicked off Friday night, with parades on Saturday. Executive Director of Convention and Visitors Commission Ben Berthelot says says the party doesn’t stop when the family friendly parades are finished as the area offers plenty of great nightlife.

Cut 4 (09) “…Downtown Lafayette.″

_____________________________________
Louisiana has declared a state of emergency as the Mississippi River approaches flood levels. The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness spokesperson Mike Steele says says there are no major problems looming but those living in flood-prone areas should be ready for a battle of attrition this rain season…

Cut 7 (10) “…long time.”

The Louisiana Democratic Party has filed public information requests to verify a claim made by Republican Congressman Clay Higgins that he’s arrested “several thousand men” in his time in law enforcement. Executive Director Stephen Handwerk says it was a troubling claim that was either untruthful, or demonstrative of something much worse.

Cut 13 (12) “…of power.”

A Higgins spokesperson responded, saying the Congressman served ten years in law enforcement, making many arrests.

Louisiana has declared a state of emergency as the Mississippi River approaches flood levels. The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness spokesperson Mike Steele says this precaution is taken to speed up any support process needed for more flood-prone areas of the Bayou State…

Cut 6 (09) “…state level”

Steele says for additional information visit www.getagameplan.org

A New Orleans abortion doctor has had his license suspended following a letter from AG Jeff Landry to the Governor.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

Authorities suspect the plane that lost contact with the tower yesterday shortly after launching from the Shreveport Downtown Airport may be located just north of the airport in the Red River. Caddo Parish Spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says the plane launched at 1037 yesterday, and authorities say no one saw what happened next.

Cut 9 (12) “…radio.”

Mardi Gras celebrations continue around the state.  In Lafayette, the weekend festivities get kicked off Friday night, with parades on Saturday.  Executive Director of Convention and Visitors Commission Ben Berthelot says they are expecting great crowds with lots of great music.

Cut 3 (08) “…as well.”

Following a letter to the Governor from Attorney General Jeff Landry raising serious questions about threats to women’s health and safety, the medical license of a New Orleans abortion doctor has been suspended.  Landry says often is difficult for the public to obtain information on doctors in the abortion fields.

Cut 8 (10) “…the public domain.”

The Louisiana Democratic Party has filed public information requests to verify a claim made by Republican Congressman Clay Higgins that he’s arrested “several thousand men” in his time in law enforcement. Executive Director Stephen Handwerk says they’re committed to pursuing whether or not that statement is true, and if it is a factual statement, they intend to figure out what the conviction rate was on those thousands of arrests given what he says is a troubled history in positions of authority.

Cut 14 (12) “…to us.”

Pack a rain coat for this weekend’s parades cause it’s gunna be a wet one.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

The Bossier Sheriff’s Deputy that was struck by a vehicle while directing school traffic in January received a check following a fundraiser done by the five locations of Sonic Drive Thru in the parish.  Deputy Daniel Golden, who sustained several major injuries including broken legs from the accident, received a check for just over $3000.  Golden was recently able to go home and begin to heal and recover, which he says will still be a lengthy process.

Cut 11 (07) “…out for me.”

`

A soggy forecast is in store for the weekend.  Tonight is likely your best shot at a dry parade, and by Saturday you’ll almost certainly be a little damp, but State Climatologist Barry Keim warns revelers looking to take in the Sunday parades like Bacchus in New Orleans are in for a nasty surprise.

Cut 6 (12) “…something else.”

Following a letter to the Governor from Attorney General Jeff Landry raising serious questions about threats to women’s health and safety, the medical license of a New Orleans abortion doctor has been suspended.   Landry says the Dr. Kevin Work has had a long history of problems.

Cut 7 (07) “…us great concern.”
Landry says despite the political division behind abortion, this is not a politically motivated action.

The Bossier Sheriff’s Deputy that was struck by a vehicle while directing school traffic in January received a check following a fundraiser done by the five locations of Sonic Drive Thru in the parish.  Deputy Daniel Golden, who sustained several major injuries including broken legs from the accident, received a check for just over $3000.  Golden says he’s appreciative of the community rallying behind him in his recovery.

Cut 10 (07) “…everybody’s done.”

The Louisiana Democratic Party has filed public information requests to verify a claim made by Republican Congressman Clay Higgins that he’s arrested “several thousand men” in his time in law enforcement. Executive Director Stephen Handwerk says it was a troubling claim that was either untruthful, or demonstrative of something much worse.

Cut 13 (12) “…of power.”

It’s going to be a rainy Mardi Gras weekend, and revelers should plan to pack an umbrella and rain coat if they plan on enjoying the parades for the next few day. State Climatologist Barry Keim says if you are going out, tonight is the night to do it. This weekend’s temps will be in the mid to low 70s in south Louisiana, mid 60s in the north. Keim says Saturday, which features possibly the largest parade crowds, you’ll almost certain get some Rain.
Cut 5 (09) “…weather day.”

Following a letter to the Governor from Attorney General Jeff Landry raising serious questions about threats to women’s health and safety, the medical license of a New Orleans abortion doctor has been suspended. Landry says the Dr. Kevin Work has had a long history of problems.
He adds despite the political division behind abortion, this is not a politically motivated action.
Cut 9 (11) “…are being found″

The Bossier Sheriff’s Deputy that was struck by a vehicle while directing school traffic in January received a check following a fundraiser. Deputy Daniel Golden, who sustained several major injuries including broken legs from the accident, received a check for just over $3000. He was recently able to go home and begin to heal and recover, which he says will still be a lengthy process.
Cut 11 (07) “…out for me.”

The Louisiana Democratic Party has filed public information requests to verify a claim made by Republican Congressman Clay Higgins that he’s arrested “several thousand men” in his time in law enforcement. Executive Director Stephen Handwerk says they were inspired to file the request after getting calls from cops who said there’s no way Higgins has arrested that many people.
Cut 15 (07) “being true.”
A Higgins spokesperson responded, noting the Congressman’s ten year career in law enforcement, saying “It’s also not uncommon for any patrol officer to make several arrests in one shift or several arrests from a single incident during one shift. Further, this doesn’t count traffic arrests, referred to as summons.”

The state Democratic Party is challenging a claim made by Republican Congressman Clay Higgins during the Michael Cohen hearing Wednesday. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

It’s going to be a rainy Mardi Gras weekend, and revelers should plan to pack an umbrella and rain coat if they plan on enjoying the parades for the next few day. State Climatologist Barry Keim says After tonight’s low rain chances, the weather will really start getting dicey. He says Saturday, which features possibly the largest parade crowds, you’ll almost certain get some precipitation.

Following a letter to the Governor from Attorney General Jeff Landry raising serious questions about threats to women’s health and safety, the medical license of a New Orleans abortion doctor has been suspended. Landry says the Dr. Kevin Work has had a long history of problems.
Landry says often is difficult for the public to obtain information on doctors in the abortion fields.
Cut 8 (10) “…the public domain.”

The number one ranked LSU Tigers take their 8-0 record on the road for the first time this season when they visit 18th ranked Texas this weekend. Josh Smith is leading a potent LSU offense that’s produced 92 runs in eight games. Smith missed the series against Texas last year because of a back injury, so he’s looking for the next three days in Austin…
Cut 18 (10) forward to it”