A settlement has been reached in the civil lawsuit against two law enforcement officers that have been convicted criminally in the death of a six-year-old autistic boy during a traffic stop in Marksville in 2015. An attorney for the family of Jeremy Mardis says he can’t disclose the terms. Derrick Stafford was sentenced to 40 years, while Norris Greenhouse is serving 7-and-a-half years behind bars.

Unfortunately there are thousands of Louisiana families who have a loved one suffering with Alzheimer’s disease this Easter weekend. Adrienne Mullens, with the Alzheimer’s Association Louisiana Chapter, says they estimate there are 232-thousand people in Louisiana who care for someone with Alzheimer’s….
cut 13 (11) “…this disease”
Mullens says they are calling on the state legislature to provide assistance for those families who miss hours at work to care for Alzheimer patient.

Shaquille O’Neil is offering a helping hand to the Lafayette High athletics program after the school reached out to him for fundraising help. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

There will be plenty of Easter egg hunts this weekend. Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says it’s important to use the correct dyes when coloring your eggs…
Cut 9 (09) “human consumption.”
Strain says a dozen eggs should cost you anywhere from $2.30 to $2.50.

Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul will hold a press conference at 5 PM today where he will announce the results of a discplinary hearing for the two officers involved in the 2016 fatal shooting of Alton Sterling. The attorney for officer Blane Salamoni said he expected that his client will be fired.

Former NBA and LSU star Shaquille O’ Neal has committed to donating cash to help Lafayette High School build a new weight room. The school is looking to raise 42-thousand dollars and Mighty Lions head football coach Rob Pool says the donation will go a long ways towards fixing a crucial part of the athletics program….
cut 7 (10) “….for it”
Shaq will make his donation on South Louisiana Giving Day which will take place in May. Pool says the original idea was for the Hall of Famer to promote the event, instead he’s pledged to make a donation.
Easter weekend is the peak demand for crawfish eating. LSU Ag Center aquaculture specialist Dr. Greg Lutz believes there’s enough mudbugs to go around…
cut 4 (09) “…we had”
Lutz says crawfish like to eat when the weather is warm, so the size of the mudbugs are excellent too.

And if you plan on decorating hard boiled eggs or eating devil eggs for Easter, Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says prices are up slightly from last year….
cut 11 (09) “…..good value”
Strain says also make sure you use F-D-A approved dye if you plan on decorating hard boiled eggs.

There will be perfect weather for the Easter weekend, after some stormy weather earlier this week. The National Weather Service has determined four tornadoes hit northeast Louisiana on Wednesday. One of the twisters injured four people in Franklin Parish.

After a slow start, the crawfish supply is ready to match the Easter weekend demand. Freezing temperatures in January temporarily halted production, but LSU Crawfish expert Doctor Greg Lutz says the mudbugs are roaring back with help from this nice, warm spring weather. He says the higher temperatures encourages the delicacies to stuff their faces, which leads to big, plump crawfish.

Cut 5  (06) “out there”

Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul will reveal the results of his department’s administrative review of the two officers involved in the Alton Sterling shooting at 5PM today. The Chief says he will also be releasing large amounts of evidence that was until now, not available to the public. That includes body cam footage and audio, the 911 call, and video footage from the convenience store where Sterling was shot.

There are some things to keep in mind for this weekend’s Easter egg hunts, especially if you plan on eating those eggs. Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says make sure those eggs haven’t been outside of a fridge for too long.

Cut 10 (12) “food poisoning.”

Representatives with the Alzheimer’s Association of Louisiana were at the state capitol this week to let lawmakers know Alzheimer’s is health care crisis in this state. Spokesperson Adrienne Mullens says the number of families dealing with this disease is staggering

Cut 12 (12)   “affected”

She says the number is 232-thousand.

Representatives with the Alzheimer’s Association of Louisiana were at the state capitol this week to urge state legislators to approve funding to help families who have loved ones suffering from this horrible disease. Jim Shannon has more…

Cut 1 (26) “I’m Jim Shannon”

We will find out the fate of two Baton Rouge Police officers involved in the shooting death of Alton Sterling. A press conference detailing the findings of an internal investigation will be held today at 5pm. Video shows Blane Salamoni fired the weapon that killed Sterling. The other officer, Howie Lake held Sterling down. Attorney General Jeff Landry said there wasn’t any wrongdoing on their part.

NBA and LSU legend Shaquille O’Neil is helping Lafayette High School athletes get ripped with a big donation to the school’s weight room renovation project. The school is looking to raise 42,000 dollars to give the Mighty Lions a better room to pump iron in. Shaq kicked off the fund drive with a message of encouragement to the students.

Cut 6 (12)  “bye bye”

Many children will be eager to find eggs during the traditional Easter egg hunts this year. There are things to keep in mind, especially if you plan on eating those eggs that are found. Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says it’s important to use the correct dyes when coloring your eggs…

Cut 9 (09) “human consumption.”

Easter weekend is the peak demand for crawfish eating. LSU Ag Center aquaculture specialist Dr. Greg Lutz believes there’s enough mudbugs to go around…
cut 4 (09) “…we had”
Lutz says crawfish like to eat when the weather is warm, so the size of the mudbugs are excellent too.

Flu season is calming down but a particularly nasty strain is still out there…
Voicer 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

A Walker High Senior says he’s being threatened with expulsion over the length of his hair and has taken to social media to fight back. Jeremy McLain is nearing his goal of 17,000 signatures on a petition to overturn the Livingston Parish School Board regulation on hair length. McLain says Assistant Princpal Tim Rodgers threatened to have him thrown out of school for not following the policy…
cut 13 (09) “…..I’m expelled”
Walker High says they are just following the Livingston school system’s dress code policy.

Many people this weekend will enjoy the Gold Brick Egg and Heavenly Hash easter candies. They are made in Ponchatoula and CEO Rob Nelson says they’ve been making them the same for decades….
cut 8 (09) “…can’t change”
Nelson says their chocolate pecan eggs have been gaining in popularity in recent years.

After a slow start, the crawfish supply is ready to match the Easter weekend demand. Freezing temperatures in January temporarily halted production, but LSU Crawfish expert Doctor Greg Lutz says the mudbugs have bounced back….
cut 3 (07) “…started to eat”
Lutz says not only is the crawfish plentiful, the quality is good too.

Louisiana is recovering from one of the worst flu epidemics in recent memory, and while the numbers have come down, Louisianans, specifically those with children, should remain vigilant. State health department immunization director Dr. Frank Welch says a particularly nasty strain of flu is still out there…
Cut 4 (12) “of infection.”
The C-D-C says nearly 58-percent of all confirmed flu cases are caused by B-strain viruses.

A Walker High School student is using social media to get support on his side after the school threatened to expell him because of his long hair….
cut 15 (06) “…every student”
That’s Jeremy McLain, who says he’s nearing his goal of 17-thousand signatures on a petition to overturn the Livingston Parish School Board regulation on hair length. The Walker High Principal says they are just enforcing the district’s dress code policy.

Elmer chocolate in Ponchatoula has once again delivered the very popular Easter egg candies Gold Brick Egg and Heavenly Hash. The family owned chocolate maker completed an expansion in 2016 and CEO Rob Nelson says it’s really help them produce different and new types of chocolate for Valentine’s Day….
cut 9 (11) “…the pieces”
Elmer chocolate employs 270 in Ponchatoula.

The Louisiana House approves legislation that calls for a 30-year contract extension between the state and Harrah’s land-based casino in New Orleans. House Speaker Taylor Barras says the deal also calls for Harrah’s to make a 350-million dollar investment in the gaming property. Harrah’s is already planning their big expansion…

Cut 10 (10) “existing casino”

A Walker High Senior who says he’s being threatened with expulsion over the length of his hair has taken to social media to fight back against the school. Jeremy McLain and others say this isn’t the first time the subject has come up. Students with long or colored hair were threatened with getting kicked out of school…

Cut 14 (08) “pretty crazy”

One student was even reported as having been barred from walking on graduation day.

Elmer Chocolate in Ponchatoula is carrying on a 163 year old tradition as Easter.

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Louisiana is recovering from one of the worst flu epidemics in recent memory with the number of cases dropping. After being one of the hardest hit states in the nation, Dr. Frank Welch says Louisiana is actually looking better off now than most of the south.

Cut 6 (07) “our neighbors”

But Welch still recommends anyone suffering from flu like symptoms avoid other people, and visit your doctor.

The Louisiana House approved a 30-year contract extension between the state and Harrah’s land-based casino in New Orleans. If the Senate approves the contract, the Harrah’s casino in New Orleans would remain in operation until 2054.  House Speaker Taylor Barras says the company currently pays the state 60-million dollars a year. With the new contract Louisiana would receive an additional three-point-six million dollars annually …

Cut 12 (11) “education”

Flu cases in Louisiana are declining slowly. State Immunization director Dr. Frank Welch says the numbers look a lot better than they were just three to four months ago. A record 12-percent of doctor visits were because of the flu…

Cut 5  (08)  “like illness.”

A Walker High Senior is facing expulsion over the length of his hair, and is taking to social media to fight back. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Elmer Chocolate in Ponchatoula is carrying on a 163-year-old tradition this Easter. Not only are they the second largest producer of Valentine candy in the world, they have been a big part of Gulf South Easter celebrations. CEO Rob Nelson…

Cut 7 (10)  “to generation.”

A 30-year contract extension between the state and Harrah’s land-based casino in New Orleans has been approved by the House. The legislation would allow the casino to make big expansions. Barras says Harrah’s would also add new restaurants and a night club. He says Harrah’s massive investment in the only land-based casino in the state will mean hundreds of jobs…

Cut 11 (12) “900 range”

The bill now goes to the Senate.

Louisiana lawmakers have voted to keep the state minimum wage as low as possible under federal law and spurned a proposal to make state contractors pay men and women equally. The AP Says the House labor committee killed a bill forcing companies with state contracts to pay male and female employees doing similar jobs the same amount. A measure that would establish a minimum wage of $15 an hour was also defeated. New Orleans Rep. Joe Bouie sponsored both bills.

Flu season is calming down but a particularly nasty strain is still out there threatening children in particular. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

Walker High Senior Jeremy McLain says he’s being threatened with expulsion over the length of his hair. He is nearing his goal on 17,000 signatures on an online petition to overturn the Livingston Parish School Board regulation on hair length. McLain says Assistant Principal Tim Rodgers threatened to have him thrown out of school for not following the policy.

Cut 13 (09)  “i’m expelled”

The Louisiana House approves legislation that calls for a 30-year contract extension between the state and Harrah’s land-based casino in New Orleans. House Speaker Taylor Barras says the deal also calls for Harrah’s to make a 350-million dollar investment in the gaming property and the casino operator already has robust plans in mind

Cut 10 (10) “existing casino”

Louisiana is recovering from one of the worst flu epidemics in recent memory, and while the numbers have come down, Louisianans, specifically those with children, should remain vigilant. State health department immunization director Dr. Frank says a particularly nasty strain of flu is still out there, and it’s hitting kids hardest.

Cut 4  (12) “of infection.” 

Elmer Chocolate in Ponchatoula is carrying on a 163 year old tradition as Easter approaches this weekend.   Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”