An income tax bill described as the linchpin towards reaching an overall deal towards closing a looming a one-billion dollar budget shortfall failed on the House floor this afternoon. Ruston Representative Rob Shadoin asked his colleagues to put aside party politics and vote for the legislation…

Cut 13 (06) “her people”

Failure of this legislation means its likely legislators will not be able to solve the fiscal cliff and hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts will be needed in state government. That means less money for TOPS,  hospitals that depend on state money and higher education. Shreveport Representative Barbara Norton…

Cut 14 (09) “back home”

The bill needed 53 yes votes to pass. It only got 50.

Authorities are investigating the finding of a severed head in Cameron Parish.   Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”.

A Monroe woman who pleaded guilty to attempted first degree murder of Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Agent Tyler Wheeler was sentenced to a total of 120 years in prison. 32-year-old Amethyst Baird Rathore shot Wheeler during a traffic stop in Morehouse Parish last year leaving him for dead.   Rathore entered the guilty plea last October…

Authorities are on the lookout for a man involved in the murder of a 29-year-old man from New Iberia. Iberia Sheriff Louis Ackal says Courtland Hall was shot and killed by 26-year-old Akeam Daniels. Daniels remains on the run.  He is a black male, five-foot-ten, 155-pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. An earlier AMBER Alert was canceled after two-month-old Amari Daniels was found late last night abandoned in the car the father was last seen driving. Sheriff Ackal…

Cut 7 (07)  “the child.”

At this hour the Louisiana House is debating tax bills that would help bridge a one-billion-dollar budget gap. House Speaker Taylor Barras promised yesterday that the entire schedule of items will be considered this afternoon, including numerous amendments. A sales tax bill that would generate 300-million dollars annually was soundly defeated on Wednesday.

A report says 75 percent of Louisiana’s young people are un-fit to serve in the military. Jim Shannon has the reaction from a retired Louisiana Marine General.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jim Shannon”

February’s rainfall in North Louisiana set a record going back to the 1870’s. Shreveport National Weather Service forecaster Matthew Duplantis says it’s no wonder the lakes, rivers and creeks are at or above flood stage…

Cut 11 (10) “zero inches.”

A new report shows 75-percent of the state’s young adults are unable to join the military because of a number of factors. Retired Admiral David Callahan.
Cut 3 (:14) “another 3rd.”
Callahan says this is a national security issue and the best way to address this problem is to properly fund early child care and education.

The search continues for 26-year-old Akeam Daniels, who is accused of fatally shooting the boyfriend of his daughter’s mother. Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal says it was a crime of passion…
Cut 6 (11) “month old.”
That prompted an AMBER alert, but the two month-old was found safe in the suspect’s abandoned car.

The House has begun discussions on a key piece of legislation that’s needed in order to raise revenue to close a one billion dollar budget deficit. If the legislature can not pass any tax bills to replace expiring sales taxes, significant cuts will occur to next fiscal year’s budget. House Speaker Taylor Barras is optimistic…
cut 15 (04) “…work to do”

Authorities are investigating the finding of a severed head in Cameron Parish. Jeff Palermo has more…
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”.

A new report just released finds the majority of Louisiana’s young people are un-fit for military service.  The Pentagon reports that more than 70 percent of Americans aged 17 to 24 cannot join the United States military – 26 million young Americans for various reasons.

Officials say the problems in Louisiana are not any different from young people around the country.

With 75 percent of Louisiana kids in-eligible to serve,  the former chief of the Marine’s Paris island training facility Major General Ron Richard, from here, says it’s time for people to wake up and pay more attention to our youth.

Cut 5  (09 ) “test of time.”

We will find out Sunday if two movies filmed in Louisiana will win an Oscar.  Mudbound was filmed in New Orleans and rural St. James Parish, while Logan was filmed in several locations including Amite, Ferriday, Hammond and New Orleans. Louisiana Entertainment Executive Director Chris Stelly says these projects had far reaching impacts in the state’s economy…

Cut 10 (09) “59-million-dollars.”

Police are on the lookout for a man involved in the murder of a 29-year-old man in New Iberia. Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal says they are seeking 26-year-old Akeam Daniels. Daniels is described as a black male, five-foot-ten-inches-tall, weighing 155-pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

That prompted an AMBER Alert, which was later canceled. Ackal says two-month-old Amari Daniels was found late last night abandoned in the car the father was last seen driving…

Cut 7 (07)  “the child.”

The suspect is believed to be in a brown honda accord.

The House is set to try again today on passing tax proposals that will go towards closing a one-billion dollar budget deficit. A sales tax bill that would generate 300-million dollars anually was soundly defeated on Wednesday, but House Speaker Taylor Barras says that measure is still a critical part of addressing the fiscal cliff…

The House is in session this morning for a critical day of votes on tax bills that would help close a looming one billion dollar budget deficit…
cut 14 (10) “….the Senate”
That’s House Speaker Taylor Barras who expressed some optimism last night that tax negoitiations were progressing.

Police are on the lookout for a man involved in the murder of a 29-year-old man in New Iberia. Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal says they are seeking 26-year-old Akeam Daniels. Daniels is described as a black male, five-foot-ten-inches-tall, weighing 155-pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Ackal says it was a crime of passion…
Cut 6 (11) “month old.”
That prompted an AMBER alert, but the two year-old was found safe in the suspect’s abandoned car.

There is a Louisiana connection with today’s funeral for evangelist Billy Graham. Michael Farrar has the story.
Cut 1 (28) “I’m Michael Farrar.”

If you are heading through Lake Charles this weekend, be aware that a four-month construction project to repair joints on the I-10 Lake Charles bridge will begin and the inside eastbound lane will be closed. State Transportation spokesperson Rodney Mallett…
cut 9 (10) “…that bridge”
The construction zone will be from Opelousas Street to the Calcasieu River Bridge.

The House is set to try again today on passing tax proposals that will go towards closing a one-billion dollar budget deficit. A sales tax bill that would generate 300-million dollars annually was soundly defeated on Wednesday, but House Speaker Taylor Barras says

If the legislature cannot pass any bills to replace a billion dollars in sales taxes that are set to expire on June 30th, significant cuts would be needed to balance the budget. Barras remains optimistic

Cut 15 (04) “work to do”

Lawmakers are running out of time as the special session to pass revenue generating measures must end Wednesday night.

The Reverend Billy Graham will be laid to rest today in North Carolina.  There is a Louisiana connection. The 99-year-old evangelist will be buried in a coffin made by prisoners at Angola. Former inmate David Bacon says his life wouldn’t be what it is today, had it not been for him to meet Graham while he was at Angola…

Cut 6 (11)  “everyone else.”

Graham’s wife Ruth, who died in 2007, is also buried in one of the Angola caskets.

Four months of construction work will begin Saturday on the I-10 bridge in Lake Charles. DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallet says 8.5 million dollar project will initially close the inside eastbound lane so crews can replace expansion joints on the nearly 60-year-old structure.

The joints need to be replaced because the I-10 Lake Charles Bridge will take on more traffic when a re-decking project gets underway on I-210.

The Reverend Billy Graham will be laid to rest today in North Carolina.  There is a Louisiana connection. The 99-year-old evangelist will be buried in a coffin made by prisoners at Angola. Former inmate David Bacon  recalls the time when there wasn’t much use for religion at Angola, but former warden Burl Cain opened the door for churches to come in and Graham helped to satisfy the prisoner’s spiritual needs…

Cut 5  (11)  “several chapels.”

We will find out Sunday if two movies filmed in Louisiana will win an Oscar.  Mudbound was filmed in New Orleans and rural St. James Parish, while Logan was filmed in several locations including Amite, Ferriday, Hammond and New Orleans. Louisiana Entertainment Executive Director Chris Stelly hopes this will convince other film studios to consider Louisiana for locations. He says the state continues to demonstrate there is no better place than here to create entertainment content…

Cut 12 (12) “office sucess.”

Drivers in Lake Charles will see the start of a four month project this weekend on I-10 that includes the World War Two Memorial Bridge. Kelley Ray has more.

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

The House is set to try again today on passing tax proposals that will go towards closing a one-billion dollar budget deficit. A sales tax bill that would generate 300-million dollars anually was soundly defeated on Wednesday, but House Speaker Taylor Barras says Lawmakers are running out of time as the special session to pass revenue generating measures must end Wednesday night. Barras says we’ll know after today on whether this special session will be successful…

Cut 14 (10) “the Senate.”

The House will try again today to pass tax proposals that would generate revenue to replace the loss of a billion dollars in temporary taxes. Jeff Palermo has a preview…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Reverend Billy Graham will be laid to rest today in North Carolina.  There is a Louisiana connection. The 99-year-old evangelist will be buried in a coffin made by prisoners at Angola. Former inmate David Bacon says Graham was so impressed with the caskets they made for those who died while in prison, he ordered one on the spot…

Cut 4  (10) “simple casket.” 

We will find out Sunday if two movies filmed in Louisiana will win an Oscar.  Mudbound was filmed in New Orleans and rural St. James Parish, while Logan was filmed in several locations including Amite, Ferriday, Hammond and New Orleans. Louisiana Entertainment Executive Director Chris Stelly says…

Typically, movies that are nominated get a second life after their initial release. He says this puts Louisiana on the silver screen to many more fans…

Cut 11 (07) “the state.”

Four months of construction work will begin Saturday on the I-10 bridge in Lake Charles. DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallet says 8.5 million dollar project will initially close the inside eastbound lane so crews can replace expansion joints on the nearly 60-year-old structure…

The joints need to replaced because the I-10 Lake Charles bridge will take on more traffic when a re-decking project gets underway on I-210. Mallett says it’s also just time to replace the joints, because they’ve been known to go out over the years…

Cut 8 (10) “these repairs.”

There is a Louisiana connection with today’s funeral for evangelist Billy Graham. Michael Farrar has the story.

Cut 1 (28) “I’m Michael Farrar.”

Four months of construction work will begin Saturday on the I-10 bridge in Lake Charles. DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallet says 8.5 million dollar project will initially close the inside eastbound lane so crews can replace expansion joints on the nearly 60-year-old structure…

Cut 7 (10)  “section work.”

We will find out Sunday if two movies filmed in Louisiana will win an Oscar.  Mudbound was filmed in New Orleans and rural St. James Parish, while Logan was filmed in several locations including Amite, Ferriday, Hammond and New Orleans. Louisiana Entertainment Executive Director Chris Stelly says these projects had far reaching impacts in the state’s economy…

Cut 10 (09) “59-million-dollars.”

The House is set to try again today on passing tax proposals that will go towards closing a one-billion dollar budget deficit. A sales tax bill that would generate 300-million dollars anually was soundly defeated on Wednesday, but House Speaker Taylor Barras says that measure is still a critical part of addressing the fiscal cliff…

Cut 13 (06)  “as we can”

LSU baseball will play three different teams at Alex Box Stadium this weekend, starting tonight when they host Toledo out of the Mid-American Conference. Tomorrow, the Tigers play Sacred Heart and Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday. LSU’s starting middle infielders Hal Hughes and Brandt Broussard are two of the Tigers hottest hitters and Coach Paul Mainieri is not surprised

Cut 16 (23) “…at bats”

First pitch tonight is at 7 PM.

The Pelicans Anthony Davis is the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Month. A-D averaged 35 points and 13 rebounds in February. New Orleans takes a seven-game winning streak into Dallas on Sunday.

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The Ragin Cajuns won their school-record 26^th game as they defeated Arkansas State 85-74. UL Lafayette also moved to 14-0 at home. Frank Bartley surpassed 1,000 points for his career by scoring 18 points, and Bryce Washington added 15 for the Sun Belt champs.

ULM helped its chances at securing a first-round bye in the Sun Belt Tournament by beating Little Rock 48-44. Travis Munnings had 22 points as the Warhawks improved to 9-8 in the Sun Belt. ULM is in a three-way tie for fourth place.

10^th ranked Cincinnati clobbered Tulane 78-49, Grambling remains in first place in the SWAC after beating Alabama A-and-M 84-74 in overtime. Ivy Smith junior had a career-high 32 points. Smith had four three-pointers and nine rebounds. Grambling leads Texas Southern by one game in the conference standings. T-S-U topped Southern 90-88.