Many people are still reporting flu like symptoms in Louisiana, but the state health department sees a glimmer of hope. After peaking toward the end of last year, state immuniziation director Dr. Frank Welch says they are seeing fewer people at doctor offices suffering from the flu…
Cut 3 (08) “of flu.”
Welch says to help minimize the spread of the flu bug, stay home, if you are suffering from symptoms.

Sad story out of Vermilion Parish as two teenage girls are dead from a head on crash on US 167 and 20-year-old Tyler Meaux of Kaplan is facing charges after he was allegedly drunk behind the wheel. State Police Sergeant Jared Sandifer says Meaux attempted to flee on foot after the crash…
cut 7 (09) “…was impaired”
The girls killed in the wreck attended North Vermilion High School.

The state has a way to deal with invasive Asian Carp spreading through the waterways. Matt Doyle talked with a chef for his buttery solution.
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

It’s American Heart Month and Louisiana ranks fifth in the nation in heart disease deaths. Doctor Tiffany Powell-Wiley says hereditary factors play a role in who is affected….
cut 15 (09) “…white counterparts”
Powell-Wiley says diet and exercise are key factors in improving heart health.

A highway traffic safety enforcement program that resulted in some state troopers receiving overtime pay when they were at home has been reinstated after new rules were put in place. The investigation by WVUE-TV in New Orleans led to the suspension of three troopers. State Police Major Doug Cain says changes have been made to prevent payroll fraud…

Cut 4  (12) “those improvements” 

State Police arrest a 20-year-old Kaplan man for a hit and run crash that killed two high school students. Sergeant Jared Sandifer says Tyler Meaux was driving a Ford F-150 and heading the wrong way on U-S 167 last night when he slammed into a Honda Civic, carrying four teenagers…

Cut 6 (10)  “we believe”

3rd District Congressman Clay Higgins has only 50-thousand-dollars in the bank for a re-election bid and still needs to repay seven-thousand-dollars in debt from his 2016 campaign.  Political analyst Bernie Pinosnat says even though Higgins is well liked in southwest Louisiana, he needs money to make sure he gets re-elected…

Cut 10 (09) “work hard.”

Two others are raising money to explore running against Higgins.

An athletics volunteer at Port Allen High School has been arrested after he had consensual sex with a 15-year-old student.   30-year-old Donald Barbier befriended the girl in early January and communicated via social media.    Police says Barbier met with the girl several times after an initial January 19^th meeting.  Barbier is charged with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile and five counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile.

State Police brings back a program today that was suspended after investigative reporting found that some troopers were being paid overtime hours they actually didn’t work. It’s called the LACE program and parishes hire troopers to write speeding tickets outside of their regular shifts for L-S-P. The Fox 8 TV investigation found Trooper Daryl Thomas made 240-thousand dollars a year by abusing the LACE program. Troopers will still be paid for working extra shifts, but Major Doug Cain says there’s now a maximum time a trooper can work…
Cut 6 (05) “all overtime”
Fox 8 TV in New Orleans reports that Trooper Thomas is one of four under criminal investigation for payroll fraud.

Former Louisiana High School Football Coach Doug Pederson is a Super Bowl champion today after he led the Eagles to an upset victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52. Pederson was the head coach of Calvary Baptist from 2005 to 2008 and he’s also a former quarterback at ULM.

The latest campaign finance report finds U-S Representative Clay Higgins has only 50-thousand dollars on hand and he is up for re-election later this year. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says Higgins will need to be more agressive as a fundraiser…
cut 12 (10) “….of that”
Two other people in the third district are raising money to possibly challenge Higgins in November.

Louisiana Chef Phillipe Parola has developed a recipe to make Asian Carp a very tasty entree. The Asian Carp is a nonnative fish, which poases a threat to local recreational commerical fisheries. So the state is looking at ways to make the fish more profitable to catch. Parola says he’s learned how to prepare Asian Carp says it has wonderful flavor, like lemon fish…
cut 9 (07) “….and prepare”
Chef Parola has recipes on his website.

State Police has reinstated its highway traffic safety enforcement program, which allows Troopers to work extra hours to write speeding tickets and the overtime is paid for by local district attorneys. But the program was suspended after it was learned some Troopers were claiming more hours than they actually worked. State Police Major Doug Cain says adjustments have been made to prevent payroll fraud allegations…
cut 5 (09) “….are working”

U-S Representative Clay Higgins only has 50-thousand dollars in the bank, according to his latest campaign finance report. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says Higgins is popular in his district, but he still needs to spend cash to run a re-election campaign this year..
cut 11 (10) “…of money”

The state may have a new way to deal with invasive Asian Carp spreading through the waterways. Matt Doyle talked with a chef for his buttery solution to the threat.
Voicer 2 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

It’s American Heart Month, which is dedicated towards the prevention of heart disease. Doctor Tiffany Powell-Wiley with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute says try the DASH diet, which calls for you to eat more fruits and vegetables and stay away from foods high in saturated fat….
cut 14 (10) “…in the blood”

A 20-year-old man from Kaplan has been charged in a fatal hit and run that killed two high school students from North Vermilion High School. Authorities say the driver of the truck, Tyler Meaux, tried to flee on foot, but was taken into custody a short time later.

U-S Representative Clay Higgins has the fewest amount of campaign dollars out of the Louisiana Congressional delegation and mid-term elections are in November. Kelley Ray spoke with political analyst Bernie Pinsonat…
Cut 3 (29) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

February is American Heart Month, dedicated to the education and prevention of heart disease. Louisiana ranks fifth in the nation in heart disease deaths. Dr. Tiffany Powell-Wiley is with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute…
Cut 13 (09) “heart disease.”
She says try the “DASH Diet” which calls for you to eat more fruits and vegetables and stay away from foods high in saturated fat.

Louisiana Chef Phillipe Parola has come up with a way to Asian Carp taste good, which is good news because Asian Carp doesn’t belong in our waterways. Parola says if you catch an Asian Carp, don’t toss it back, toss it in Tony’s….
cut 8 (11) “…25 minutes”
Parola says if cooked the right way, Asian Carp has a wonderful flavor, similiar to lemon fish.

Former Northeast Louisiana University Quarterback Doug Pederson is a Super Bowl champion this morning as the head coach of the Eagles guided Philadelphia to its first Super Bowl Championship with a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots…
cut 30 (09) “…get it done”
Former LSU Tigers Jalen Mills and Donnie Jones are also Super Bowl champs.

3rd District Congressman Clay Higgins has 50-thousand-dollars in the bank for a re-election bid and still needs to repay seven-thousand-dollars in debt from his 2016 campaign. Political analyst Bernie Pinosnat says even though Higgins is well liked in southwest Louisiana, he needs more funds to get re-elected…
Cut 10 (09) “work hard.”
Higgins has the fewest dollars on hand out of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation as mid-term elections take place in November.

State Police reinstates a highway safety traffic program. Michelle Southern reports changes have been made after a TV news report found troopers receiving overtime pay, even though they were at home
Voicer 1 (23) “I’m Michelle Southern.”

We are waiting on more information from State Police on a fatal accident that claimed the lives of two teenagers who attended North Vermilion High School in Maurice. The head on crash happened last night on Highway 167.

New Orleans Police say they will not charge a tow-truck driver who fatally shot a man who attacked him in the Lower Garden District. Authorities say the tow-truck driver acted in self defense.

State Police have announced charges against a man who was shot by a Bienville Parish Sheriff’s deputy as they were attempting to arrest him. 41-year-old Steven Hulion has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault of a peace officer and one count of aggravated battery.

A Louisiana chef has found a solution to the invasive and very large Asian Carp. It involves a little white wine and butter. Fishermen have been asking what to do if a 100-pound Asian Carp jump out of the water and into their boat, which has been known to happen. Chef Philippe Parola has developed a way to cook the Sliverfin…
Cut 7 (07) “and prepare.”
Chef Philippe Parola says filet it like a red fish, then season it, and put it with olive oil, white wine and lemon juice, bake for at least 20 minutes.

Mardi Gras celebrations take place throughout the state the next two weekends. Executive Director of the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission Ben Berthelot says the city of Lafayette holds big parades, and rural communities do Mardi Gras their own special way…:
Cut 5 (08) “twenty or thirty minutes”
Tonight at 6 PM the Krewe of Janus will roll in Monroe and West Monroe. The parade draws an estimated 200-thousand people.

Monroe-based CenturyLink is opening a new outbound sales center bringing 150 jobs to the area. Kelley Ray has more…
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

Mardi Gras festivities are happening across the state this weekend. Michelle Southern reports…:
Cut 1 (32) “I’m Michelle Southern”

Will the weather cooperate with today’s parades? State Climatologist Barry Keim says central and south Louisiana will certainly see rain today…
cut 15 (11) “…ponchos”

Monroe based CenturyLink will open a new outbound sales center bringing 150 jobs to Monroe. CenturyLink spokesperson Anne Marie Sartor says the center will focus on small businesses throughout the country in helping them with their needs…
Cut 7 (09) “them grow.”
The job fair will be held in West Monroe at the Hilton Garden Inn on February 12th.
An Offers.com survey says Louisianans are the top spenders this year for Super Bowl parties. Forget gumbo, jambalaya or crawfish. Spokesperson Carson Yarborough says Louisiana has a fairly standard go to for Super Bowl snacks.
Cut 11 (09) “this Sunday”
Offers dot-com says Louisiana consumers plan to spend 71-dollars on average for their Super bowl viewing parties.

The governor’s deputy chief of staff says another meeting could take place Monday between Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards and Republican House Speaker Taylor Barras. Edwards is waiting on Barras to provide him with a list of revenue generating tax proposals that republican legislators could support in a possible special session this month to address a one-billion dollar shortfall for next fiscal year. Barras has already provided the governor with recommendations on how to reduce state spending.

Big and small towns will have Mardi Gras Parades today. Kelli West with the Alexandria-Pineville Convention and Visitors Bureau, says for the second year in a row, the town of Ball will host a big parade at 10 A-M along Highway 165….
cut 4 (09) “…as well”
Also today, Monroe’s Krewe of Janue which has been around since 1984, will roll at 6 PM. Thibodaux will have two different parades on Sunday, the krewes Shaka and Ambrosia will roll at 1:30 and 2 PM respectively.

CenturyLink announces they are adding 150 jobs in Louisiana as they are opening a new outbound sales center in Monroe. CenturyLink recently merged with Level 3 Communications. CenturyLink spokesperson Ann Marie Sartor says there was initial concern as to how the merger would affect employees in the Monroe area, but this shows their commitment to Louisiana.…
Cut 9 (10) “it well.”
A job fair will take place February 12th for anyone interested in working for CenturyLink.

An Offers.com survey says Louisianans are the top spenders this year for Super Bowl parties. Offers.com spokesperson Carson Yarborough says Louisiana spends nearly 40 percent more per party than the average state…:
Cut 10 (11) “national average”
The Eagles and Patriots will battle on Sunday at 5:30pm on NBC.

Festivities surrounding Mardi Gras are happening across the state starting this weekend. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 1 (32) “I’m Michelle Southern”

Employees of the DeSoto Parish School System will soon receive a one-time salary supplement for a job well done.  In recognition of the district earning an “A” rating from the Louisiana Department of Education, the School Board authorized a $2,000 bonus for all full-time employees.  The DeSoto Parish School System was ranked 49th in Louisiana in 2010, but is now ranked 9^th.

An Offers.com survey says Louisianans are the top spenders this year for Super Bowl parties. Big game parties will be raging across the state. Spokesperson Carson Yarborough says Louisiana spends nearly 40 percent more per party than the average state and there’s another category the Bayou State paces the nation in…

Cut 12 (06) “have fun.”

Louisiana’s nutria forecaster Pierre C. Shadeaux says spring is coming early as he didn’t see his shadow in New Iberia Friday.  LSU Climatologist Barry Keim says Shadeaux’s prediction may be close on the mark. He says most everyone is happy with Shadeaux’s prognostication since January was a very harsh month in Louisiana, but Groundhog Day is more about tradition…

Cut 14 (08) “of salt.”