Louisiana is near the bottom in state health rankings.  Kelley Ray has more on the United Health Foundation’s report…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

______________________________________

U-S Senator John Kennedy believes former State Police leader Mike Edmonson owes the state back taxes for free housing and other benefits. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

______________________________________________

A recent report from the Champlain College’s Center for Financial Literacy gives Louisiana a “D” for financial literacy education.  Jeff Palermo spoke with a legislator who recently passed a financial literacy law…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo .”

____________________________________________________

Louisiana once again ranks 49^th out of 50 states in a health ranking report.  America’s Health Rankings Annual Report analyzes 35 health guidelines.  CEO of United Health Care of Louisiana Joe Ochipinti (Occa-pin-ti) says the Bayou State ranks near the bottom because a quarter of it’s residents smoke and that in turn raises other health related problems…

Cut 4  (08) “lung cancer.” 

Ochipinti have seen some positive health developments in the Bayou State.  He says obesity and premature death rates have decreased over the last year.  Ochipinti says another good factor in the report is the number of uninsured in Louisiana has seen a substantial decrease…

Cut 5  (08)  “people coverage.”

Ochipinti says education and healthy lifestyles are the key to lowering sickness and death rates, and people need to take this report seriously in order to make improvements…

Cut 6 (09)  “to see.”

________________________________________________________

A Tulane researcher has received a 414-thousand-dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health to study why males have more impulse control issues than females.  Director of the Tulane University Brain Institute Jill Daniel says if are able to determine why males are more vulnerable to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and addiction, it will lead to better treatment…

Cut 7 (05)  “that behavior.”

Daniel says they know impulsive behavior issues start when a person is a child and continue into adulthood.  She says their study will look at how the prefrontal cortex of the brain produces undesired behavior…

Cut 8 (11) “organized differently.”

There are potential sex differences in the connection between the pre-frontal cortex and the area of the brain that control impulses.  She says they believe that is what makes a person, male or female, more impulsive…

Cut 9 (13)  “good idea.”

________________________________________________________

Col. Mike Edmonson is under public scrutiny for how he spent taxpayer money during his time as the leader of state police. Governor John Bel Edwards says the investigation continues and the legislative auditor has released a preliminary report.

Cut 12 (11) “all that”

Kennedy says Governor John Bel Edwards raised taxes on the residents of Louisiana but not a member of his own cabinet. He says he wrote the letter to Secretary Robinson strictly regarding the information he found in the legislative auditor’s report.

Cut 13 (12)  “pay them”

_________________________________________________________

A “Report Card on State Efforts to Improve Financial Literacy in High Schools” gives Louisiana schools a “D”, down from a “B” grade just two years ago.  Minden State Representative Gene Reynolds authored a 2016 law that requires financial literacy to be taught in high schools, but it appears some schools are only teaching personal finance as another existing course of study…

Cut 14 (04) “gets taught.”

Reynolds believes financial literacy is not being taught as extensively as it should, because schools are judged on how well students achieve in math and English…

Cut 15 (08) “backburner”

Reynolds says he plans to discuss with the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to make sure students are receiving adequate financial literacy education…

Cut 16  (12)  “of the process”

Only three other states Montana, Vermont and Wyoming got a “D” grade while the District of Columbia got the lowest grade of an “F”.

_________________________________________________________

LSU starting Q-B Danny Etling is familiar with the Tigers bowl opponent, Notre Dame. Etling grew up in Indiana, attended games in South Bend as a kid and also played against Notre Dame, while at Purdue. Etling says it is a little bit ironic his final college game will be against the Golden Domers…

Cut 17 (14) “game plan”

LSU has several draft-eligible juniors who could enter the NFL draft. Cornerback Donte Jackson knows a decision has to be made soon, but right now the focus is on the Fighting Irish…

Cut 18 (20) “Notre Dame.”

Jackson says he speaks with former LSU players who are now in the NFL, like TreDavious White, about whether he should come back for his senior season…

Cut 19 (24)   “thinking about it”

Governor John Bel Edwards spoke with House Republicans today about the state’s looming one-point-one billion dollar budget deficit. Edwards told conservative lawmakers he would like to close the budget gap by using the recommendations developed by a budget and tax task force
Cut 8 (10) “those recommendations.”
Edwards plans on calling a special session in February to address the so-called fiscal cliff.

State Police is trying to figure out who fired gunshots at the state Department of Transportation headquarters building in Baton Rouge. It’s located very close to the Governor’s mansion. Senior Trooper Bryan Lee says…
Cut 14 (08) “the incident”
Windows on the east side of the building received damage from the gunshots.

Autopsies will be conducted tomorrow on two bodies found in a St. Landry Parish lake. Jeff Palermo has more on this complex investigation…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A white man accused in two racially motivated murders in Baton Rouge pleaded not guilty today to all charges against him. Kenneth James Gleason allegedly fatally shot two black men in September and also fired shots into a home that was occupied by a black family. A trial date has not been set. Prosecutors can seek the death penalty in this case.

Governor John Bel Edwards was a surprise visitor at today’s House Republican delegation retreat in New Orleans. Edwards says he spoke to legislators about the looming fiscal cliff as the state is facing a one-point-one billion dollar budget deficit. The governor says the state can make up that revenue by removing dozens of sales tax exemptions….
cut 9 (08) “…the problem”
Edwards says it’s his goal not to raise taxes, but some republican legislators say eliminating tax breaks is a tax increase.

The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office is trying to figure out how two bodies ended up in Lake Dubbisson near Ville Platte. Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says they are working with Alexandria Police, because they believe 30-year-old Anthony Michael Murray of Rapides Parish kidnapped 21-year-old Lia Ali Kazan in a motel parking lot…
Cut 3 (05) “it together.”
Autopsies on the bodies will be conducted tomorrow.

The Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office says they’ve arrested and fired one of their deputies after he allegedly wrecked his patrol car while driving intoxicated early this morning. Commander Lonny Cavalier says authorities responded to calls of a vehicle in a ditch and it turned out to be 22-year-old Deputy Joseph Edward Repp of Pierre Part.
Cut 11 (11) “careless operation”
Cavalier says Repp blew a .09 on the breath test, which is just above the legal limit.

A Boutte (Boo-tee) man says his dog saved his life from a house fire over the weekend. Calvin Baldwin says he was exhausted after coming home from the High School Football State Championship games in New Orleans and fell asleep on his couch.
Cut 6 (12) “the house”
He says the fired started as a result of an electrical spark.

Governor John Bel Edwards spoke with House Republicans today about the state’s looming one-point-one billion dollar plus budget deficit.  He is wanting to call a special session early next year to address the problem.  He wants the legislature to approve a tax code that stabilizes the state’s budget, which would be beneficial to the economy…

Cut 10 (08) “going forward”

One penny of the states five cent sales tax expires on June 30^th, thus causing the proposed deficit…

An Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Deputy was arrested and then fired after allegedly driving while intoxicated.  Commander Lonny Cavalier says Joseph Edward Repp blew a .09 on a breath test after crashing his patrol car in a ditch. He says it’s extremely disappointing…

Cut 12 (11) “zero tolerance”

The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office says they have the identities of two people who were found in Lake Dubbisson. 21-year-old Lia Ali Kazan of Shreveport and 30-year-old Anthony Michael Murray of Rapides Parish were found with Murray’s body found in Kazan’s vehicle that was submerged.  Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says they are trying to find out what the relationship between the two were…

(Cut 5) (07) “right now.”

Police think Kazan may have been kidnapped by Murray, but have no witnesses to that fact…

A dog is being hailed a hero after he saved his owner’s life.  Calvin Baldwin of Boutte (Boo-tee) says Rusty woke him up to alert him to the house fire.  Both are staying at his mother’s since his house is a total loss due to an electrical spark…

(Cut 7) (08) “for me.”

Governor John Bel Edwards met with members of the House Republican Delegation today as he’s eyeing a February special session to solve the so-called fiscal cliff. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (29) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Senator John Kennedy is asking the Louisiana Department of Finance that former State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson pay uncollected income taxes while serving on Governor Edwards cabinet as secretary.  The fringe benefits Kennedy claims include housing, utilities and cable tv.  Kennedy says it’s not fair that Edmonson gets by not paying when the Governor is asking to raise taxes by over 1-billion-dollars…

The Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office says a deputy was arrested and fired after he allegedly wrecked his patrol car while driving intoxicated early this morning. Commander Lonny Cavalier says the accident occurred near Deputy Joseph Edward Repp’s home in Pierre Part…

Cut 13 (11)  “a ditch”

The headquarters for the state Department of Transportation in Baton Rouge were vandalized last night. Windows on the east side of the building received damage from the gunshots. Senior Trooper Bryan Lee says steps have been taken to ensure the building is secure and it is monitored by the Department of Public Safety…

Cut 15 (08) “those areas”

Evidence is being collected for an investigation…

Governor John Bel Edwards spoke with House Republicans today about the state’s looming one-point-one billion dollar plus budget deficit. Edwards told conservative lawmakers he would like to close the budget gap by using the recommendations developed by a budget and tax task force
Cut 8 (10) “those recommendations.”
A big reason for the so called “fiscal cliff” is that one penny from the state’s five-cent sales tax will expire on June 30th.

The headquarters for the state Department of Transportation were vandalized last night by gunfire, according to State Police. The building is located near the Governor’s mansion in Baton Rouge. Senior Trooper Bryan Lee says investigators are currently collecting evidence and working to determine a cause and who would’ve done this.
Cut 14 (08) “the incident”
Windows on the east side of the building received damage from the gunshots.

St. Landry Parish authorities have identified two bodies found in Lake Dubbisson. Jeff Palermo says the next step is trying to find out why there were together…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A Boutte man is thanking his beloved pup, Rusty, for saving him from a house fire. Calvin Baldwin says he fell asleep on his couch after a long day of watching the high school football championship games in New Orleans when he was woken by Rusty pawing at his hands. Baldwin saw smoke near the bathroom and was able to get out of the house with the dog. It’s believed the fire was started by an electrical spark.

The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating how two bodies ended up in Lake Dubbisson. They’ve been identified as 21-year-old Lia Ali Kazan of Shreveport and 30-year-old Anthony Michael Murry of Rapides Parish. Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says Kazan was reported missing while in Alexandria and they’re trying to piece together what happened after she was kidnapped.
Cut 4 (06) “Alexandria detectives.”

An Assumption Parish Sheriff’s deputy has been fired and arrested after allegedly wrecking his patrol car drunk earlier this morning. Commander Lonny Cavalier says 22-year-old Joseph Edward Repp of Pierre Part blew a .09 when authorities found him after leaving the scene. He says it’s extremely disappointing to have one of your own arrested for a situation like this.
Cut 12 (11) “zero tolerance”
Repp is charged with a DWI, careless operation and hit and run.

A Boutte (Boo-tee) man says his dog saved his life from a house fire over the weekend. Calvin Baldwin says he was exhausted after coming home from the LHSAA High School Football State Championship games and fell asleep on his couch.
Cut 6 (12) “the house”
He says the fired started as a result of an electrical spark.

The who man serves as LSU’s General Manager for the football program, Austin Thomas, is leaving for the same job at Tennessee. Thomas is a Tennessee native and has been a critical part of LSU’s recruiting efforts. He was with LSU for four and a half years.

The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office is trying to figure out how two bodies ended up in Lake Dubbisson.  Authorities have positively identified 21-year-old Lia Ali Kazan of Shreveport and 30-year-old Anthony Michael Murray of Elmer. Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says they are trying to find out why the two were together …

Cut 3 (05) “it together.”

Kazan was reported missing last week while visiting friends in Alexandria.

The Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office says they’ve arrested and fired one of their deputies after he allegedly wrecked his patrol car while driving intoxicated early this morning. Commander Lonny Cavalier says authorities responded to calls of a vehicle in a ditch and it turned out to be 22-year-old Deputy Joseph Edward Repp of Pierre Part.

Cut 11 (11) “careless operation”

Small business optimism is near a record high according to the National Federation of Independent Business. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (29) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

A Baton Rouge man termed a serial killer, pled not guilty to alleged racially motivated shootings.  23-year-old Kenneth Gleason is charged with first and second degree murder and two counts of attempted second degree murder.  Police believe he is the suspect in the shooting deaths of two people in September.  Gleason was ordered held without bond following his arraignment this morning.

The National Federation of Independent Business reports small business optimism is at a 34-year high. N-F-I-B state director Dawn Starns credits the push for tax reform on Capitol Hill. Starns says most small business owners will say taxes are their biggest problem, followed by finding qualified workers. She says there is a clear expectation that Congress and the President will address the taxes problem, but finding good employees is a persistent problem
Cut 9 (11) “coming out”

Grambling State is working to become the first university to offer a cybersecurity degree program. President Rick Gallot says it will compliment Grambling’s current technology training programs…
cut 14 (10) “…science department”
Gallot says an estimated two million cybersecurity workers will be needed by 2019.

The latest series of sexual harassment allegations has hit the NFL Network as three analysts with ties to Louisiana have been suspended for alleged inappropriate behavior with a former warddrobe sytlist. Professor of Psychiatry at LSU Health New Orleans, Michelle Many, says more women are now encouraged they will be believed, when making these accusations…
cut 12 (10) “…the individual”
Marshall Faulk, Heath Evans and Ike Taylor are among the analysts who have been accused of sexual harrassment in a lawsuit.

Abita Brewing has a new beer to celebrate New Orleans’ 300th birthday. It’s called Maison Blanc. Brewmaster Mark Wilson….
cut 6 (09) “…as well”
Wilson says Maison Blanc combines everything sought after by wine and beer drinkers alike.

The NFL Network has suspended Marshall Faulk, Ike Taylor and Heath Evans over allegations of sexual harassment and assault. A former wardrobe stylist, Jami Cantor, claims Faulk, who is a New Orleans native, groped her breasts and her behind and asked deeply personal questions about her sex life. Professor of Psychiatry at LSU Health New Orleans Michelle Many says sexual assault is a highly under reported crime.
Cut 11 (11) “actually punished”
She says when encountering behaviour like this, it tends not go away and gets worse until victims just can’t take it anymore.

A man from Boutte says his dog is the one who saved him from a fire that destroyed their home. Calvin Baldwin told WVUE that he was sleeping when his dog Rusty started scratching his arm to wake up him. That’s when he saw smoke and fled the house with his pup. Baldwin says Rusty is a life saver.

The Louisiana Board of Regents has given Grambling State University the green light to proceed with plans to establish the first cybersecurity degree program in the state. Grambling State University President Rick Gallot says this will prove true especially in their geographical area, with companies such as Monroe-based CenturyLink…:
Cut 15 (12) “that space”
He says the cybersecurity degree program it will compliment Grambling’s current technology training programs.

Small business optimism nationwide is near a record high, according to the National Federation of Independent Business. NFIB Louisiana State Director Dawn Starns says we haven’t seen this kind of optimism in 34 years, when the economy was booming during the Reagan administration. She credits the push for tax reform in Washington D.C.