The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is closely monitoring levels along the Red and Mississippi Rivers due to rising water levels. Eric Gill reports..:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Eric Gill”

Some suspected drunk drivers in Acadiana will be ordered by a judge to provide a blood or urine sample to determine if they are drunk if they refuse a breathalyzer test. State Police Troop I Spokesman Brooks David:
CUT 11 (09) “that vehicle”

LSU star running back Leonard Fournette needs 259 yards tonight in the Texas Bowl to reach 2,000 on the season. The Tigers and Red Raiders battle tonight at 8pm in NRG Stadium. Fournette told reporters in Houston that he didn’t set any goals for this season…:
cut 12 (13) “to the limit”
Lone Star Sports & Entertainment said the Texas Bowl isn’t officially sold yet, but is expected to be by game time.

A Simmesport man is under arrest accused of the shooting death of his estranged wife who was a nurse at the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office. Simmesport Police say 59-year-old Faron Gaspard shot 65-year-old Verna Gaspard multiple times at close range with a shotgun Sunday night. Faron then fled the scene. Authorities found Faron Monday at his mother’s house in Markesville. They were able to force him out of the house and take him into custody. Faron is charged with first degree murder.

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is closely monitoring levels along the Red and Mississippi Rivers due to rising water levels. Executive Director Kevin Davis says they’re working with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the National Weather Service to keep an eye on river levels…:
CUT 6 (07) “several weeks”
Davis expects more issues with the Mississippi River than the Red River. Mississippi River levels are expected to crest 9 to 12 feet above flood stage in Vicksburg, Natchez, and Baton Rouge.

A Bossier Parish man died when he crashed an ATV he was riding with another person. State Police say 37-year-old Brandon Severance of Bossier City failed to make a turn on the roadway, causing the ATV to exit the road and crash into a tree. He died from his injuries after being ejected, his passenger, 34-year-old Amanda Mitchell of Haughton, sustained serious injuries but survived. The crash remains under investigation.

Some suspected drunk drivers in Acadiana will be ordered by a judge to provide a blood or urine sample to determine if they are drunk if they refuse a breathalyzer test. State Police Troop I Spokesman Brooks David says the “No Refusal” campaign takes place today and tomorrow. He urges adults to make smart choices after drinking and to never get behind the wheel…:
cut 10 (09) “arrest you”
David says they’ll be out in full force to make sure no family has to face the loss of a loved one during the holiday season.

State Police is participating in “No Refusal” DWI checkpoints today and tomorrow. Lafayette Parish will have two checkpoints and Troop I spokesman Brooks David warns drivers of the dangers of not taking the breathalyzer test…:
CUT 9 (10) “of impairment”

The 8-3 LSU Tigers and the 7-5 Texas Tech Red Raiders face off tonight in the Texas Bowl in NRG Stadium in Houston. Tiger Rag Assistant Editor James Moran says you can expect this to be a high scoring game with lots of offense…
cut 14 (12) “a little bit”
The game has an 8PM kickoff and you can watch on ESPN.

A domestic situation in Stonewall has claimed the life of a 67-year-old man, according to the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Rodney Arbuckle believes the incident stemmed from a custody dispute involving 36-year-old Donovan Carman’s two-year-old child. Arbuckle says they responded to a call of someone being shot Monday afternoon…:
CUT 3 (11) “the residence”
The victim, Bobby Nichols, is the grandfather of the child. He died at a local hospital and Carman is charged with first degree murder.

Two employees at the Office of Motor Vehicles allegedly stole more than $200,000 in cash over three years while working in the customer payments department, according to a legislative audit. Heather Prather and Angelle Temple were arrested and fired earlier this year. The auditor recommends the OMV change its cash handling procedures.

Louisiana’s future first lady, Donna Edwards, says she plans to stress the importance of keeping art and music in public schools. Eric Gill has more…
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Police in Gonzales are still working to identify a body that was found on the side of the road over the weekend. They say they believe the man was a victim of homicide, but there were no obvious signs off how he died. East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Beau Clark has performed an autopsy and will be releasing the findings soon. Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact authorities.

How would you feel about voting on an iPad? Secretary of State Tom Schedler says he plans to ask Governor-elect John Bel Edwards to help him get the transition off the ground over the next 3-4 years. He says voting machines need to be replaced and while iPads are expensive, it’s a cheaper alternative than getting all new machines….:
cut 4 (09) “a unit”
Schedler says by changing to iPads, they’ll be able to open more precincts.

LSU and Texas Tech face off tonight in the Texas Bowl. Tiger Rag Assistant Editor James Moran says the play style of each team is extremely different but neither the Tigers or Red Raiders have a stellar defense so expect a high scoring game. He says if LSU sticks to the running game they should be able to come away with the win…:
CUT 15 (14) “talented team”
The contest wil be televised by ESPN and kickoff at 8pm.

U-L Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says John Bel Edwards’ victory in the governor’s election is the top political story in Louisiana for 2015. He says Senator Vitter’s decision not to return to the US Senate was almost as surprising as Edwards’ victory over him in the governor’s race. Cross says Vitter’s loss has created an enormous vacuum in the race for his senate seat…

cut 9 (06) “David Vitter”

Cross says no one predicted a democrat would become governor of Louisiana.

As the state’s first lady, Governor-elect John Bel Edwards’ wife Donna Edwards says she plans to stress the importance of teaching art and music in public schools. Slidell Junior High Music Teacher Emily Wright says students who take dance, art or music classes are more likely to stay in school…

cut 12 (08) “people want”

Wright says keeping art and music courses in public schools is important because there is a direct correlation with other subjects.

Secretary of State Tom Schedler plans to switch to iPad voting over the next few elections. Emelie Gunn has more…

cut 1 (29) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

A Simmesport man is under arrest accused of the shooting death of his estranged wife. Simmesport Police say 59-year-old Faron Gaspard shot 65-year-old Verna Gaspard multiple times at close range with a shotgun Sunday night. Faron then fled the scene. Authorities found Faron Monday at his mother’s house in Markesville. They were able to force him out of the house and take him into custody. Faron is charged with first degree murder.

2015 was an exciting year in Louisiana politics. Michelle Southern has more on the highlights of the past year….

cut 2 (32) “I’m Michelle Southern”

The Desoto Parish Sheriff’s Office says one man is dead after what is described as a domestic type crime in Stonewall. They say, during what is believed to be a custody dispute, 36-year-old Donovan Carman shot his child’s grandfather. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he later died. His name has not been released by authorities. The police investigation is ongoing and formal charges against Carman are pending.

Louisiana voters could cast their ballots on iPads for the next governor’s election. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says over the next three to four years, voting machines need to be replaced and iPads are a cheaper alternative than getting all new machines. He says they plan to gradually incorporate the new voting system over the next few elections…

cut 6 (09) “this system”

Many are concerned that when voting on an iPad their votes are being stored in a cloud, but Schedler says votes are not saved.

The 8-3 LSU Tigers and the 7-5 Texas Tech Red Raiders face off tonight in the Texas Bowl. Tiger Rag Assistant Editor James Moran says you can expect this to be a high scoring game with lots of offense…

cut 14 (12) “a little bit”

This will be longtime LSU play-by-play announcer Jim Hawthorne’s final football game.

By the time the next governor’s election comes around, Secretary of State Tom Schedler plans on having voters cast their ballots on iPads. He says voters can download the Geaux Vote app on their smart phones to fill out ballots beforehand and the iPads can read those votes…

cut 5 (10) “you’re finished”

Schedler says by changing to iPads, they’ll be able to open more precincts, including on college campuses so students don’t have to travel home or mail in a ballot to vote.

One of the top political stories in Louisiana in 2015 was Governor Bobby Jindal. U-L Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says it’s not very common to have an absent governor, who was off to Iowa campaigning for President of the United States…

cut 8 (10) “resign”

Cross says John Bel Edwards’ victory in the governor’s race is the state’s top political story of the year.

Future First Lady Donna Edwards says she plans to stress the importance of teaching art and music in public schools. Slidell Junior High Music Teacher Emily Wright says music is interesting and gives students a way to express themselves…

cut 11 (06) “have to do”

Mrs. Edwards is a former public school music teacher.

LSU and Texas Tech face off tonight in the Texas Bowl in NRG Stadium in Houston. Tiger Rag Assistant Editor James Moran says this game is highlighted by massive contrasting styles…

cut 13 (14) “to win the game”

The contest will be televised by ESPN with kickoff scheduled for 8PM.

Governor-elect John Bel Edwards’ wife Donna Edwards says she plans to stress the importance of teaching art and music in public schools as the state’s first lady. Emily Wright, a Music Teacher at Slidell Junior High, says she was really excited to hear this because many people see music as an extra course when in reality, children really need to take these classes.

cut 10 (07) “in school”

Wright says keeping art and music courses in public schools is important because there is a direct correlation with other subjects.

Secretary of State Tom Schedler plans on having voters cast their ballots on iPads for the next governor’s election. He says over the next three to four years, voting machines need to be replaced and iPads are a cheaper alternative than getting all new machines.

cut 4 (09) “a unit”

He says they plan to gradually incorporate the new voting system over the next few elections.

2015 will go down as an extremely memorable year in the history of Louisiana politics. Governor Bobby Jindal’s tenure ended, US Senator David Vitter’s political career ended and Governor-elect John Bel Edwards shocked pundits throughout the state with his victory. U-L Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says no one predicted a democrat would become governor…

cut 7 (10) “biggest story”

Cross says Senator Vitter’s decision not to return to the US Senate was almost as surprising as Edwards’ victory over him in the governor’s election.

A St. Mary Parish Deputy was shot and injured while responding to an incident in Ashton, and State Police is leading the investigation. Master Trooper Brooks David say the deputies were responding to a scene of a possible shooting where they located a male subject who was injured. He says a SWAT team moved in when the suspect started shooting again…:
CUT 9 (06) “and shot”
The St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office says the deputy who was shot is listed in stable condition. The suspect is also injured and faces many charges.

State Police say a 5th person has died from his injuries sustained in a train crash last week in New Iberia. They say 49-year-old Stephen Leblanc died over the weekend after. A 70-year-old woman and three 12-year-old children who were in the car died following the crash. KATC is reporting that another 12-year-old child who was in the car is the sole suvivor of the wreck.

The Advocate is reporting that the head of internal invesitagtions at the Louisiana State Penetentiary is retiring amid criminal probes into Angola Warden Burl Cain. 71-year-old Kenneth Norris claims he’s not leaving because of the investigation but because of his health. The paper claims Cain gave special treatment to certain inmates he was friends with which would violate Corrections Department rules. Norris is married to Cain’s niece.

Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson issued a statement in response to a Sunday Times Picayune column that suggested he sell both teams. Benson said he is not selling either team. Saints sideline reporter Kristian Garic is not surprised by Benson’s response…:
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Due to the family dispute over who should inherit the teams, the column suggested it would be best for the franchises and New Orleans the franchises.

A line of severe thunderstorms moved through the state overnight, causing damage and power outages. Meteorologist Alek Krautmann, with the National Weather Service in Slidell, says the record high temps seem to be done as a cold front moved through behind the weather system…:
CUT 7 (08) “tomorrow night”
He says they are investigating the possibility that tornadoes moved through last night in some areas.

Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson says he has no plans to sell the franchises. The letter came in response to a Times Picayune column that suggests legal matters concerning ownership succession could have a detrimental affect on how these teams would be run. Saints sideline reporter Kristian Garic doesn’t think this was a direct attack on Benson:
CUT 14 (08) “that at all”
Garic says Benson loves the Saints and the Pelicans and will have an amazing legacy.

An outbreak of canine influenza is sweeping across Texas and there is concern the virus could make its way to Louisiana. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (29) “I’m Eric Gill”

State Police say a St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s deputy was shot while responding to a shooting in Ashton. As deputies originally responded, they found a man at the residence suffering from a gunshot wound. He was listed in stable condition at a local hospital. The suspect then allegedly shot at officers as they attempted to secure the scene. When a SWAT team was extracting deputies from the scene, one deputy was shot.