There are seven days left in the special legislative session and lawmakers still are at odds over the best way to address the 940 million dollar budget deficit for this fiscal year. Jeremy Alford of lapolitics.com says the governor is worried that if lawmakers can’t come up with a solution, another special session will be needed…:
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The Senate says they will pass the bill on budget cuts out of committee today. The House is finally expected to take up tax bills this afternoon.

Louisiana’s presidential primary is Saturday March 5, so what kind of impact will Bayou State voters have on who receives the Republican and Democratic nomination? ULM Political Science professor Joshua Stockley says Louisiana will be a critical state for the candidates, especially for Republicans…:
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Scientists say the damage from the BP oil spill has significantly diminished since 2010. Emelie Gunn has more…:

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The second Marksville deputy accused in the shooting death of a 6 year old boy in Avoyelles Parish has been freed from jail on a $1 million dollars bond. Authorities say say Derrick Stafford will wear an electronic bracelet at his home while awaiting trial.

Former US Representative Joseph Cao (Gow) has entered the race for the US Senate seat that will vacated by David Vitter. Eight well-known candidates are now in the race. UL Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says fundraising may be the defining factor in this race because so many candidates are competing for limited funds in the state.

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Cross says some of the candidates may have to self-fund.

The special legislative session must end next Wednesday and lawmakers are still at odds over the best way to address the 940-million dollar deficit for this fiscal year. The full House is expected to take up bills Thursday when they convene at 1pm.

Former Saints safety Darren Sharper has reached a new plea deal in his federal drug and rape case. The agreement comes two weeks after U.S. District Judge Triche Milazzo rejected a prior plea deal. Sharper’s sentencing was set for Thursday but will take place June 16. A hearing for the new plea agreement will be March 17.

One person was killed and three others were injured in a two-vehicle crash last night near the Roanoke community in Jefferson Davis parish. Sgt. James Anderson with Louisiana State Police says none of the adults involved in the accident were wearing seat belts. Anderson says the crash was the result of 24-year-old Kayla Laborde failing to stop at a stop sign.

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25-year-old Kevin Daigle of Elton was pronounced dead at a Lafayette hospital. A two-year-old in one of the vehicles was restrained and received moderate injuries.

Louisiana’s iconic black bear, the original teddy bear, will be removed from the endangered species list next week, according to Louisiana Gannett. The ceremony to formally remove the bear from the list will be held at the Tensas National Wildlife Refuge. During the 1950s the Louisiana black bear population was fewer than 100, but that number has grown to upwards of 1000 bears.

The special legislative session must end next Wednesday and lawmakers are still are at odds over the best way to address the 940 million dollar budget deficit for this fiscal year. Jeremy Alford of La-politics-dot-com (lapolitics.com) says there has been repeated delays on many tax votes, but there should be some movement hopefully Thursday afternoon…:
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Alford says if the House is unable to send over any additional revenue, then Governor Edwards will be left to make more cuts. Senate Finance Chairman Eric LaFleur, a Democrat from Ville Platte, says House Bill 122 on budget cuts will pass out of his committee Thursday. He says once that happens, more decisions can be made on the state’s deficit…:
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The full House is expected to take up tax bills Thursday when they convene at 1pm.

Parents with children that have developmental disabilities went before the Senate Finance Committee urging lawmakers to increase taxes to help fund programs that help them take care of their kids. Ashley McReynolds is the mother of 9-year-old Cooper who has a serious genetic disorder that makes him feel like he’s starving to death. She says without state assistance they would not be able to raise Cooper at home…:
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The testimony made many members of the committee extremely emotional.

The student body presidents of 19 Louisiana colleges wrote a letter to every state legislator today urging them to stop any further cuts to higher education. It says students of Louisiana are challenging their Senate and House of Representatives to provide real, long-term budget solutions to ensure the future of higher education. The letter calls on legislators to prevent higher education from having to absorb even the best case scenario cut, recommended by Edwards’ office, of about $75 million.

Parents of children with developmental disabilities went before the Senate Finance Committee urging lawmakers to increase taxes to help fund programs that help them take care of their kids. Ashley McReynolds is the mother of 9-year-old Cooper who has a serious genetic disorder that makes him feel like he’s starving to death. She says without state assistance they would not be able to raise Cooper at home. The testimony definitely touched members of the Senate Finance Committee like Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt….

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Former US Representative Joseph Cao (Gow) has joined the race for the US Senate seat that will be vacated by David Vitter. Eight well-known candidates are now in the race. Cao, a republican, served one term in the House beginning in 2009. UL Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says with so many familiar names in the race, Cao is not a favorite to head into the run off.

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One person was killed and three others were injured in a two-vehicle crash last night near the Roanoke community in Jefferson Davis parish. Sgt. James Anderson with Louisiana State Police says none of the adults involved in the accident were wearing seat belts.

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25-year-old Kevin Daigle of Elton was pronounced dead at a Lafayette hospital.

Duck Dynasty fans are celebrating at the Duck Commander Warehouse in West Monroe as the show airs its 100^th episode tonight. Willie Robertson’s wife Korie, who also co-owns Duck Commander, says they are already filming season 10, and their new adopted 13-year-old son Rowdy Robertson will make appearances in the new season – joining 5 other siblings. The one hour season 9 finale airs tonight at 8pm on A&E.

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The state House once again decided to postpone the tax bills, one week from the day the legislative session must end. Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s getting concerned about the stale mate lawmakers are in right now as the GOP hesitates to raise taxes before they see more cuts in government spending. A more than $900 million dollar deficit must be filled by July 1st.

The Senate Finance Committee heard heartbreaking testimony today from parents of children with disabilities who want lawmakers to help fund programs to assist with raising their kids. A Zachary father says his 14-year-old son Blaine suffers from severe autism and another rare condition. He says with two other kids in college, he needs assistance from the state to help him take care of Blaine…:
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The testimony made several committee members emotional.

A tragic accident in Jefferson Davis Parish claimed the life of one 25 year old man and injured three others including a two year old child. State Police spokesman Sgt James Anderson says none of the adults were buckled up, but the two year old was restrained but still sustained injuries. He says not wearing seat belts had serious consequences for the adults involved…:
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25-year-old Kevin Daigle of Elton was pronounced dead at a Lafayette hospital.

Duck Dynasty fans are celebrating at the Duck Commander Warehouse in West Monroe as the show airs its 100th episode tonight. Willie Robertson’s wife Korie, says the small town of West Monroe has seen a huge boost in tourism since the show aired. She says the best thing about filming the show has been spending time together with their family…:
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The one hour season 9 finale airs tonight at 8pm on A&E.

Former US Representative Joseph Cao (Gow) has entered the race for the US Senate seat, joining seven other well-known candidates. UL Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says the candidates with high name recognition and available funds will have a leg up. Democrats Foster Campbell and Caroline Fayard are also in the running, but Cross says only one of them may have a real shot…:
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Parents with children that have developmental disabilities went before the Senate Finance Committee urging lawmakers to increase taxes to help fund programs that help them take care of their kids. Ashley McReynolds is the mother of 9-year-old Cooper who has a serious genetic disorder that makes him feel like he’s starving to death. She says without state assistance they would not be able to raise Cooper at home…:
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The West Monroe-based show Duck Dynasty marks its 100th episode today. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
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Former state lawmaker Brett Geymann of Lake Charles says he’s running for Louisiana 3rd District Seat in the US House of Representatives. Geymann, a republican, is seeking to replace Charles Boustany, who is running for US Senate.

The state house is meeting at this hour and said they plan to take up the cigarette tax increase proposal.

Former US Representative Joseph Cao has announced he will run for the US Senate seat that David Vitter will vacate. Halen Doughty has more…:

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Baton Rouge Police say a Department of Development inspector is booked for allegedly trying to extort money from several Baton Rouge businesses. They say 29-year-old Jeremy Jamal Johnson, a code enforcement officer, is accuse of walking into establishments and and demand inspection money or else he’d shut them down. Johnson was charged with attempted felony theft, extortion, malfeasance in office and public bribery.

One person was killed and three others, including a 2 year old, were injured in a two-vehicle crash last night near the Roanoke community in Jefferson Davis parish. Sgt. James Anderson with Louisiana State Police says the investigation revealed that the driver, 24-year-old Kayla Laborde failed to stop at a stop sign and this is happening too often…:
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25-year-old Kevin Daigle of Elton was pronounced dead at a Lafayette hospital.

Duck Dynasty fans are celebrating at the Duck Commander Warehouse in West Monroe as the show airs its 100th episode tonight. Willie Robertson’s wife Korie, who also co-owns Duck Commander, says they kicked off the celebration this morning with camp cupcakes and mystery gifts for the first 100 customers at the warehouse…:
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The one hour long season 9 finale airs on A&E tonight at 8.

Former US Representative Joseph Cao (Gow) has entered the race for the US Senate seat that will vacated by David Vitter. Eight well-known candidates are now in the race. UL Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says fundraising may be the defining factor in this race because so many candidates are competing for limited funds in the state…:
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Cross says Republicans John Kennedy, Charles Boustany and John Fleming are favorites to make the runoff. Democrats Foster Campbell and Caroline Fayard are also candidates in the US Senate Race.

Governor John Bel Edwards continues to press lawmakers on his proposals to increase taxes in order to fill the more than $900 million dollar shortfall this special session which must end a week from today. Legislators are in a holding pattern right now as the House postpones tax votes. GOP leadership is hesitant to increase taxes, because they would like to see more cuts in government spending. The Senate approved the one cent state sales tax on Tuesday.

Gas prices are starting to rise as refineries conduct maintenance in preparation for the busy driving summer season. AAA spokesperson Don Redman says the statewide average has increased four cents since last week and this uptick is typical for this time of year….
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Redman says refineries are also slowing production in response to abundant supply of gas.

Duck Dynasty fans are celebrating the show’s 100th episode today at Duck Commander in West Monroe. The one hour finale of season 9 airs tonight at 8pm on A&E. The Robertson’s are already in the process of filming season 10.

Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s becoming more concerned about where things stand at the Capitol with 5 days to go in the special legislative session called to balance the state’s budget. He met with Republican lawmakers today to try to once again persuade them to back his tax hike proposals. The Senate approved the one penny increase on the state sales tax yesterday and New Orleans Senator JP Morrell thanked his fellow senators for pushing this through…:
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The State House of Representatives continues to put off voting on numerous tax bills.

Triple-A spokesperson Don Redman says the statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline is a $1.60, up four-cents from a week ago. He says refineries are shutting down for spring maintenance which means the price at the pump should keep rising through March….:
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One person was killed and three others were injured in a two-vehicle crash last night near the Roanoke community in Jefferson Davis parish. Sgt. James Anderson with Louisiana State Police says none of the adults involved in the accident were wearing seat belts…:
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Twenty-five-year-old Kevin Daigle of Elton was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

According to a new study from WalletHub, Louisiana is the worst state for women. Jill Gonzales from Wallet Hub says they found Louisiana has one of the highest high school dropout rates for women at just over 4%. She says the ranking for women’s equality in the workplace is also very low, but there are ways to improve…:
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Louisiana ranks near the bottom in terms of women living in poverty.

According to Triple-A, the statewide average for a gallon of gasoline has climbed four cents since last week. Fuel analyst Don Redman says the price at the pump is on the rise, because production has slowed down at refinieries, because of regular mainetenance and an abundant supply of fuel on the market already. But Redman doesn’t expect prices to get too high…
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Triple-A has the statewide average at a $1.60 for regular gasoline.

Governor John Bel Edwards met with republican leaders with the House and Senate encouraging them to take action on bills that could raise revenue, so the state can avoid deep cuts to higher education and health care. GOP leadership is hesitant to increase taxes, because they would like to see more cuts in government spending. The special session must end a week from today.

Louisiana is the worst state for women, according to a new study from Wallethub. Halen Doughty reports…
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A racial discrimination trial between the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and their former head football coach Jerry Baldwin begins today. Baldwin, an african-american, was 6-27 when fired in 2001.

Former US Representative Joseph Cao has entered Louisiana’s 2016 US Senate race. Cao is a republican and served in the US House for one-term after he defeated former Congressman William Jefferson in 2008.