The regular legislative session begins today. Lawmakers return to Baton Rouge looking at an 800-million dollar budget deficit for next fiscal year. Senate President John Alario says legislators could make changes to the TOPS scholarship program, because of the large deficit. Alario says there are proposals to raise the academic standards or limit the financial award a TOPS recipient receives…
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In response to last summer’s deadly movie theater shooting in Lafayette, Shreveport Representative Barbara Norton has filed legislation to prohibit the possession of a gun inside a motion picture theater. Norton also has a bill requiring metal detectors at movie theaters. Political analyst Clancy Dubos doesn’t see that bill passing the legislature…
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The regular session must on June sixth.

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says based on inital reports, nearly five-thousand homes have received flood damage. National Weather Service forecaster CS Ross says flood waters are starting to recede in some areas, but that brings another set of problems…
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The Pearl River is expected to crest at 21-feet today, the highest level since 1983. That’s causing flooding concerns in eastern St. Tammany Parish.

Louisiana has one of the highest rates of colorectal cancer in the contry. With this being National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Doctor Jordan Karlitz with the Tulane Medical Center, says colonoscopies are a great way to detect colon cancer…
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Karlitz says the recommended age to begin screening is 50.

The regular legislative session begins today, and while the budget will be top of mind, there are many other bills lawmakers will take up. LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says there are several measures that suggest this session will produce some of the same type of fights we saw in 2015…:
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They can’t take up tax measures this session which ends June 6th and many believe another special session will follow.

Emergency officials are still watching the rise of several rivers and bodies of water as several parishes in north and southeast Louisiana remain under a flood warning. The Rapides Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness says the levee at Bayou Darrow in Grant Parish did breach and they are working on a way to temporarily plug the control structure. GOHSEP says at least 5,000 homes have received damage, but that number is expected to go up.

There are several highway safety bills on the agenda for the regular session. One would no longer require motorcycle drivers over age 21 to wear a helmet, but political analyst Clancy Dubos doesn’t think that one will fly. He does feel lawmakers will want to tighten up distracted driving bills…:
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Governor John Bel Edwards is addressing a joint session of the legislature at 1pm on this opening day.

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and doctors say the illness is very prevalent in Louisiana. Dr. Jordan Karlitz with the Tulane Medical Center says they recommend African Americans be screened at age 45, and lower risk men and women at age 50…:
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He says screening is easy and been made much easier to tolerate.

Yahoo Sports is reporting that LSU star freshman Ben Simmons is signing with LeBron James’ agent. It’s expected Simmons will enter the draft and has played his last game as a Tiger as coach Johnny Jones didn’t accept an NIT bid on Sunday.

There are over 1200 bills that will be considered during the regular legislative session which begins today, and several will immediately impact citizens. Halen Doughty reports…:
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The Louisiana National Guard continues to assist local agencies from north to south Louisiana as nearly 1300 guardsmen respond to flood operations in over 25 parishes. Since March 9th they’ve rescued more than 3200 citizens, 316 pets, distributed about 12,000 bottles of water and 582,000 sand bags.

The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office identifies the man who drowned on Saline Bayou while attempting to retrieve items from his flooded home. They say a boat with three occupants capsized and officials were able to rescue two people, but not 78-year-old Harold Worsham who was later pronounced dead due to drowning.

There is still an $800 million dollar deficit for Louisiana next fiscal year, but lawmakers can’t take up tax matters during the regular session which begins today. Senate President John Alario says Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne is looking into all the state’s contracts to see if we can get some savings during the regular session…:
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He believes they won’t be able to avoid having another special session after this one.

Mississippi and Louisiana Mayors will hold a press briefing this afternoon to discuss ongoing impacts of the flooding thus far as well as projected effects taking place over the Mississippi River Valley.

The regular legislative session begins today with an 800 million dollar budget shortfall for the next fiscal year, and no way to raise revenue. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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Budget matters aside, there are several bills in the regular session that deal with higher ed reform. LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says there is plenty to suggest that this will also be an education session…:
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There are several matters up for debate this session that would have an immediate impact on Louisianians. One proposed bill would raise the minimum wage, and another seeks equal pay for women. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says these bills will be a contentious topic…:
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At 1pm, Governor John Bel Edwards will address lawmakers at a joint session of the legislature.

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month health experts say the illness is a significant problem in Louisiana. Dr. Jordan Karlitz with the Tulane Medical Center says they’re studying why that is and emphasizes the importance of both men and women being screened…:
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Officials in Rapides Parish report the levee at Bayou Darrow in Grant Parish has been breached. A federal disaster declaration is in place for 7 north Louisiana parishes. A flood warning continues for areas along the Amite and Tangipahoa Rivers in southeast Louisiana. St. Tammany Parish is expected to be next in line for flooding as areas further north drain from storms.

The regular legislative session begins today. Lawmakers are still facing an $800 million dollar deficit for next fiscal year, but bills to raise taxes can not be considered. Senate President John Alario hopes this is a learning experience for legislators who were unwilling to raise more revenue during the special session.
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He says if that happens, funds could be allocated for the next fiscal year and hopefully close the gap.

As areas in the state grapple with historic, devastating floods, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security says at least 5,000 homes have received damage, but that number is expected to go up as it does not include entire regions that are still responding to emergencies. President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration for seven north Louisiana parishes: Bossier, Claiborne, Grant, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland and Webster. Several parishes in southeast Louisiana are also under flood warnings and public schools in Livingston, Tangipahoa,and Ascension are closed today due to high water impacting travel.

Budget matters will dominate the regular session which begins today, but there a lot of other bills are on the table. Jeff Palermo has a preview…:
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Following an embarrassing 71-38 loss to Texas A&M in the SEC tournament, LSU coach Johnny Jones says the team will sit out the entire postseason after failing to make the NCAA tournament.

Louisiana continues to struggle from days of severe weather that has caused thousands of evacuations, cars and homes underwater, roads submerged and bridges washed out. The Governor’s Office says reports on the number of homes with flood damage is already more than 2500, but several key parishes haven’t reported data yet so the number will go up. Residents are still being forced from their homes. Governor John Bel Edwards is providing updates today, then plans to visit Tangipahoa Parish which has seen catastrophic devastation. The governor says although they have not come up with an estimate on the damage yet, he expects it to be quite high…:
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Flash flood watches and flood warnings are in place for many parishes as river levels are high and are expected to keep rising over the next several days. The National Guard has deployed hundreds of guardsmen who have assisted in thousands of rescues of people and pets.

The weather system dropped as much as 20 inches of rain in some areas. Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland says areas in Winn, Jackson, and Bienville Parishes have many roadway and bridge closures due to high water and infrastructure failure. He says law enforcement is working to get patients in hospitals proper medical care, even though the roads are all covered with water.
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Washington Parish got clobbered with rain and Emergency Preparedness Director Tommy Thiebaud says to put it simply, water is everywhere…:
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He says these water levels are unprecedented.

In other news, the Bureau of Safety says it’s investigating the death of a worker who was killed while working on an oil platform rig in the Gulf of Mexico, about 150 miles south of New Orleans.

It’s daylight savings time weekend. The time change officially starts Sunday at 2am.

Governor John Bel Edwards issues a statewide declaration of emergency in wake of widespread flooding. Jeff Palermo reports…:
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The Louisiana National Guard says nearly 700 Guardsmen responded to flood operations, and as of Friday, they’ve rescued more than 1,310 citizens, 125 pets and 16 livestock.

A teenager is dead after tumbling from a kayak in the Penn Mill Lakes area between Covington and Folsom. The St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office says 17-year-old Zachary Foret’s death is not believed to be related to the weather.

The Sabine River is overflowing in Vernon Parish due to water releases from Toledo Bend causing major flood damage. Vernon Parish Emergency Preparedness Director Kenneth Moore says some flood victims have lost everything, but the community is coming together to help those in need…:
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Over 20 inches of rain have fallen over north Louisiana causing immense damage. Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland says areas in Winn, Jackson, and Bienville Parishes have many roadway and bridge closures due to high water and infrastructure failure. He says they’ve placed multiple requests for assistance through the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness:
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Flood watches and warnings are posted throughout north and southeast Louisiana. Additional showers are expected today, but forecasters say dry weather will settle in by Tuesday. But rising waters on rivers are a major concern. The governor has declared a state of emergency for the entire state.

Flood waters continue to rise across southeast Louisiana, and also in the northern part of the state. The National Weather Service keeps the flash flood watches in place through this evening in these areas. Meteorologists Chris Bannan says, while it won’t be nearly as bad as we’ve seen the past several days, more rain is expected to fall across southeast Louisiana today…:
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The Louisiana National Guard says they’ve rescued close to 1500 people through out the state, including hundreds in Tangipahoa Parish. Emergency Preparedness Director Dawson Primes says the storms left communities under water…:
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Forecasters say dry weather will settle in by tomorrow, but river flooding remains an imminent threat. Officials are urging residents to prepare for significant backwater flooding.

Record flooding is already occurring along a strip of the Sabine River, and looks to move downstream along the Louisiana/Texas border over the next several days. Vernon Parish Emergency Preparedness Director Kenneth Moore says this is the most significant flooding he’s ever seen…:
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Governor John Bel Edwards visited north Louisiana Friday to survey the damage. He expects destruction from the storms has caused millions of dollars in damages throughout the state, and they will be looking to FEMA for help…:
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An emergency declaration remains in place as ordered by the governor. He says the state government has met all of the requests for resources that his office has received.

Don’t forget to set your clocks forward 1 hour at 2am, as we spring forward.

The entire state has been declared a state of emergency. Governor John Bel Edwards traveled to Shreveport, West Monroe and Franklinton to assess the destruction from the storm. He says although they have not come up with an estimate on the damage yet, he expects it to be quite high.

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Edwards says the state government has met all of the requests for resources that his office has received. He says the cost for reparations may pose a problem for the legislature, given the fiscal deficit the state is facing, so he will look to the federal government for additional money and resources.

Tangipahoa Parish Emergency Preparedness Director Dawson Primes says his parish is seeing a lot of water.

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Primes says the forecast for the river levels is skyrocketing because of water coming down from north Louisiana. He says so far they have rescued about 500 people.

Much of southeast Louisiana is under a flash flood watch until Saturday afternoon. Chris Bannan with the National Weather Service in Slidell says rainfall totals varied throughout the state, and some areas got about 17 inches of rain in just 12 hours. He says we could still get up to 5 more inches of rain, which could be an issue for people near the rivers.

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The Louisiana National Guard has rescued more than 1,000 citizens, over 200 pets and 16 livestock. They have also distributed over 12,000 bottles of water and issued 324-thousand sandbags.

In other news, a state judge has sentenced a former priest in Lake Charles to two life sentences, plus 50 years for sexually abusing two altar boys in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Mark Broussard was convicted on five counts, including two counts of aggravated rape.

And a Baton Rouge judge has declared a mistrial in the discrimination case involving former UL Lafayette Coach Jerry Baldwin.

The Governor has been to Shreveport, West Monroe and Franklinton today assessing the damage from the storm. All of Louisiana has been declared a state of emergency.

Washington Parish Emergency Preparedness Director Tommy Thiebaud says water is everywhere.

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Tangipahoa Emergency Preparedness Director Dawson Primes says they have gotten upwards of 17 inches of rain in his parish. He says they have been doing rescues all day.

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Chris Bannan with the National Weather Service says rainfall totals vary across the southeastern part of the state.

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The Sabine River is overflowing in Vernon parish and causing major flood damage, due to water released from Toledo Bend. Vernon Parish Emergency Preparedness Director Kenneth Moore says some flood victims have lost everything. But he says the community is coming together to help those in need.

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North Louisiana is experiencing immense flood damage. Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland says areas in Winn, Jackson, and Bienville parishes have many road and bridge closures because of the high waters. He says they have placed several requestes for assistance through the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

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In college basketball…LSU has advanced in the SEC Tournament. They defeated Tennessee 84-75. Antonio Blakeney had 22 points to lead the way. The Tigers will play Texas A-and-M tomorrow at noon.