The only school in Louisiana to make it to the NCAA tournament is coming back home. Southern University had one of their worst shooting games in the 59-55 loss to Holy Cross Thursday evening. Southern finished the season with a 22-13 record.

UL-Lafayette is still alive as the Cajuns hit 11 of their final 18 shots from 3-point range, pick up a 96-72 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association named LSU’s Ben Simmons its USBWA’s freshman of the year.

The New Orleans Saints announce they’ve re-signed backup quarterback Luke McCown to a two-year contract and free agent linebacker Nate Stupar to three years. In 2015, McCown played in 8 games with one start and completed 32-39 passes. Stupar played for the Falcons last season.

In the NBA, the Pelicans snapped a four game losing streak as New Orleans got the win over the Sacramento Kings 123-108.

Schools in the LHSAA are not satisfied with the current state of affairs in Louisiana, so Paul Rainwater and others are proposing a new option, the Louisiana High School Sports Cooperative, or LHSSC. Rainwater says it will take 60 schools’ commitments to form a new organization, which would be open to both public and private schools. He says this group would only have an initial fee:
Cut 10 (09) “annual basis”
Rainwater would be the Executive Director.

The LSU baseball team had an easy time at the Box last night against UNO, picking up a 9-4 win. The Tigers improve to 13-3 on the year and begin conference play on Friday against Alabama.

In Thibodaux, Nicholls State put forth tough effort over Southern as a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Colonels to a 9-8 win over the Jags.

Grambling fell to Arkansas 3-2. UL-Lafayette trounced Northwestern State 10-1. ULM got a 12-4 win over McNeese State. Louisiana Tech beat Alcorn State 15-4.

The bill to raise the state’s sales tax by a penny has been signed into law by the governor, and it will take effect April 1. Jeff Palermo has more…
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Governor John Bel Edwards will meet with the administrator of FEMA today to discuss recent severe weather and flooding in Louisiana. Following the meeting, they will both hold a briefing to provide updates to the public.

Interstate 10 at the Texas state line remains closed in both directions, according to State Police.

A religious organization or clergy member could refuse to participate in a same sex marriage under a bill being discussed in the current legislative session.
Author of the Pastor Protection Act, Bossier City Representative Mike Johnson, says the measure simply protects an individual’s religious belief…:
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Johnson expects this legislation to get a hearing within the next few weeks.

A teen from St. Martin Parish is facing multiple charges for allegedly bringing a gun onto a school campus then posting a picture of it to Snapchat. Deputies say 19-year-old Jacob Syon, who was not a student, entered St. Martinville High and took a picture for social media of him with the weapon on his waistband.

President Barack Obama nominated a new Supreme Court justice, Merrick Garland, but not all agree with this decision. Emelie Gunn has more…

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The National Weather Service is concerned about potential flooding along two major rivers in the northern half of the state. Hydrologist C.S. Ross says all the rain that fell in northwest and northeast Louisiana is making its way down south.

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Ross says last week’s rain event produced almost 27 inches of rain near Monroe.

The Revenue Estimating Conference met today to get the exact figures on budget deficit for this and next fiscal year. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says Louisiana is now looking at about a $70 million dollar hole for this fiscal year that will have to be filled, which he says is higher than they first thought …:

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Dardenne says there was slightly better news for the next fiscal year that begins July 1.

LSU President F. King Alexander tells the House Education Committee budget cuts are impacting enrollment, faculty and research. Alexander says the university has been receiving more money from the federal government than they have from the state. He says research funding originally for LSU is now going to universities in other states because we don’t invest in higher education.

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Higher education is facing a 27 million dollar cut in state funding this fiscal year but that number is expected to grow once a new round of cuts are announced.

The Revenue Estimating Conference is out with its projections for Louisiana’s budget deficits. Michelle Southern has the story…
voicer 2 (29) “…I’m Michelle Southern”

State lawmakers learned today the budget deficit for this fiscal year is nearly 70-million dollars, which is twice as high as what lawmakers hoped for when they approved hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes during the special session. That means more cuts to higher education and health care.

LSU System President F King Alexander was testifying in the House Education Committee when this news came down and says this is not good news for their students and the hospitals they help operate. Alexander says there was huge demand for their new medical center in New Orleans, but that’s not the case anymore with the talk of budget cuts…
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The budget deficit for next fiscal year now stands at 750-million dollars. The House is expected to begin hearings on next year’s budget next week.

Republican US Senator David Vitter doesn’t anticipate a hearing on President Barack Obama’s nominee for the US Supreme Court, Merrick Garland. Vitter is a member of the committee that would hold a hearing on Garland’s appointment, but he won’t go if there is a meeting…
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Vitter believes the next President should choose the next Supreme Court justice.

Flooding in Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes will impact the strawberry crop this year. Whitney Wallace, with the LSU Ag Center, says we won’t know how much the berries were damaged until farmers go to harvest…:
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Wallace says the losses will vary from one field to another, based on the berries and how much rain fell. Some areas received over a foot of rain last week and a few strawberry fields were completely covered in water.

The Revenue Estimating Conference has pegged Louisiana’s budget shortfall at 70-million dollars, despite 300 million dollars in taxes being approved by lawmakers in the special session. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says that means painful cuts will be needed in the areas of higher education and health care, but the shortfall for next year is not as bad as previously predicted….
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Lawmakers are expected to begin holding hearings on next fiscal year’s budget next week.

Interstate 10 at the Louisiana-Texas line remains closed as a result of flood waters from the Sabine River, which is covering the interstate on the Texas side. Louisiana State Troopers are encouraging residents to use either I-20 or US 190 as alternative routes to get into the Lone Star state.

Flooding is having an impact on the state’s strawberry crop. Areas in Livingston and Tangiaphoa Parish received over a foot of rain last week. But LSU AgCenter’s Whitney Wallace says the crop is NOT a total loss…
cut 11 (11) “….local farmers”
Some strawberry farmers say they’ve never had a whole field go under water until this year.

President Barack Obama nominated a new Supreme Court justice, Merrick Garland, but not all agree with this decision. Emelie Gunn has more…
voicer 1 (31) “…reporting”

The Revenue Estimating Conference is out with its projections for Louisiana’s budget deficits. Michelle Southern has the story…
voicer 2 (29) “…I’m Michelle Southern”

Higher education is already facing a 27-million dollar cut in state funding this fiscal year and that number is expected to grow. LSU President F King Alexander anticipates a lower enrollment next school year….
cut 7 (09) “…28 ACT”

Republican US Senator David Vitter opposes holding a hearing for President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. Vitter, a member of Senate Judiciary Committee, says with a new president coming into office, let the voters decide the new justice…
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President Obama says Garland is one of the sharpest legal minds and someone who will bring intregrity and even-handedness to the nation’s high court.

The devastating floods that have hit Louisiana is also impacting the state’s strawberry crop. Whitney Wallace, with the LSU Ag Center, says the losses will vary from one field to another, based on the soil, berries and other factors….
cut 10 (10) “…later on”
Wallace says despite the damage, there will be strawberries for Easter and next month’s Strawberry Festival.

LSU President F. King Alexander went before the House Education Committee to talk about how budget cuts are impacting enrollment, faculty and research. Alexander says research funding originally for LSU is now going to universities in other states because Louisiana doesn’t invest in higher education…:
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He says the university has been receiving more money from the federal government than they have from the state.

But higher ed got more bad news today. The Revenue Estimating Conference said there is now a $70 million dollar hole in the current financial year budget which means more cuts to colleges and healthcare. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says they are on a time crunch, but over the next several days they will sit down and decide how to make the cuts in the best possible way to minimize the damage…:
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Next fiscal year’s projected shortfall is now $750 million.

Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson will undergo up to five hours of questioning during a deposition in his lawsuit to oust his daughter and her grandchildren inheriting the franchises, a federal magistrate decided today. Benson’s lawyers successfully argued any longer would be too taxing on the 87-year-old’s health. U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Wilkinson also scheduled the deposition to start March 24 and to last two days.

The National Weather Service is concerned about continued flooding in north Louisiana. Meteorologist CS Ross says the Red River crest which has devastated south Bossier is moving through the Coushatta area today. He says it will rout toward the Grand Ecore area tomorrow, and into central Louisiana later this week and into the weekend…:
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23 parishes are now declared federal disaster areas, but the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness expects more will be added once damage assessments are complete.

The Revenue Estimating Conference met today to get more exact figures on budget deficit numbers for this and next fiscal year. Co missioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says for the budget period that ends June 30th, Louisiana is now looking at about a $70 million dollar hole that will have to be filled. He says that’s higher than they first thought so another challenge lies ahead…:
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The good news he said is that the shortfall for next fiscal year is lower than they thought at about $750 million dollars.

Flooding throughout the southeastern part of the state will impact the strawberry crop this year, particularly in Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes. Whitney Wallace, with the LSU Ag Center, says we won’t know how much the berries were damaged until farmers go to harvest…:
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The National Weather Service says a flood wave in north Louisiana continues to develop on the Ouachita River in Monroe at the highest level since 2009. Meteorologist CS Ross says there is still flooding going on in northwest Louisiana too…:
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Ross says last week’s rain event produced almost 27 inches near Monroe. The Red River crest is moving through the Coushatta area today and will move into Alexandria later this week into the weekend.

Mike Steele with GOHSEP says people whose homes were damaged by flood need to register to receive their federal assistance…:
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There are now 23 declared parishes.

The Revenue Estimating Conference is meeting at this hour to get more exact figures on what Louisiana is looking at budget wise when it comes to the deficit. The previous speculation on the current year shortfall had been $30 million, but staff determined today that it’s actually around $66 million. For the budget year that begins July 1st, the projected deficit is around $750 million dollars.

The total number of parishes that have been declared federal disaster areas has climbed to 23, after 16 more parishes were added to the list. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
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The National Weather Service is concerned about potential flooding along two major rivers in the northern half of the state. Hydrologist CS Ross says now all the rain they saw in northwest and northeast Louisiana has to go somewhere..:
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He says last week’s rain event produced almost 27 inches of rain near Monroe.

State officials are urging motorists traveling the state today to log on to 511la.org to check the status of road closures as many are under water and alternate routes need to be taken. I-10 at the Louisiana/Texas border is closed due to flooding on the Sabine River.

The Advocate reports that the West Feliciana Parish Coroner confirmed south Louisiana serial killer Derrick Todd Lee died of heart disease. Lee, who is linked to at least seven deaths, died January 21st after being taken off death row at Angola to be treated at a hospital, according to the Department of Corrections.