The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that Lafayette was the lowest in the nation for employment decline from October last year to October this year. But the Lake Charles area has the nation’s third best percentage of job increases. LSU Economist Dr. Loren Scott says two LNG export terminals are under construction in southwest Louisiana…:
CUT 8 (11) “build them too”
The struggling oil and gas industry is hurting Houma-Thibodaux where about 2800 jobs were lost in the same time period and in Lafayette it’s 4300.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu issued a statement today in response to Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s call to block all Muslims from entering the US. Landrieu says it’s absolute disgraceful poisonous rhetoric which is reminiscent of David Duke’s racism. He says the way to defeat ISIS is to strengthen ties with Muslims, not alienating them with ignorant, hateful statements.

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s office says an HIV positive man who bit two deputies and a correctional officer has been arrested on charges of intentional exposure to the AIDS virus and battery. They say 25-year-old Justin Freeman of Lake Charles allegedly fought with arresting deputies and bit them so hard it drew blood. The man is being held with no bond.

State Police is investigating a seven vehicle crash that occurred on I-10 in West Baton Rouge Parish early this morning…causing major traffic delays and a huge mess. Sergeant Nick Manale says troopers believe a stopped vehicle was hit from behind by 6 mac trucks and thankfully only two people were injured — but not seriously. He says there were many factors involved with this crash…:
Cut 11 (11) “18-wheelers”
He says the investigation is ongoing.

Starting with 2018 high school graduates, students in public schools will be required to apply for financial aid for college. State Superintendent of Education John White says about 15,000 seniors don’t seek federal aid and are leaving tens of millions of dollars on the table. He says students will be allowed to opt out of filling out financial aid applications, but parents will have to sign a waiver so they at least have a choice…:
CUT 5 (09) “first place”

The AP is reporting that Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne will be making twice what he is now once he becomes the commissioner of administration for Governor-elect John Bel Edwards. As a statewide elected official, Dardenne currently earns a salary of $115,000, but as the Edwards Administration’s chief budget adviser, Dardenne will make $237,500 a year.

State Police say a disgruntled ex husband allegedly killed his former wife and her boyfriend at a home in East Feliciana Parish near Clinton. The victims are identified as 46-year-old Kem Smith of Clinton, and 39-year-old Clifton Cowan Jr of Zachary. Trooper Bryan Lee says troopers were asked to investigate after the bodies were found Sunday…:
CUT 13 (10) “degree murder”
He says Sanders was arrested without incident.

ULM’s committee in charge of finding a new football coach says they’ve narrowed the pool of candidates down to a handful of individuals. No names were released. Student athlete committee member Gerrand Johnson says the next coach has to have a proven winning record, provide dynamic leadership and be open to innovation. Another committee member said the next coach has to have a desire to recruit local talent.

State Police say a 31-year-old man is under arrest for allegedly murdering his ex-wife and her new boyfriend at a home in East Feliciana Parish. Trooper Bryan Lee says Eric Sanders of Norwood is charged with two counts of first degree murder. He says the victims were found Sunday at a residence near Clinton..:
CUT 12 (09) “Zachary, Louisiana”
He says Sanders was arrested without incident.

An accident involving several 18 wheelers early this morning caused an excessive amount of debris on I-10 which is keeping the westbound lanes closed near Port Allen in West Baton Rouge Parish according to State Police. Sergeant Nick Manale says 6 mac tracks crashed into a stopped vehicle at 3am in fog and thankfully no serious injuries were reported…:
CUT 10 (11) “local hospitals”
LSP says the westbound lanes between Baton Rouge and Grosse Tete could remain closed until late afternoon.

A new policy is in place that will require high school seniors attending public schools to apply for financial aid to attend college. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
CUT 1 (27) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

LSU’s Leonard Fournette was a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy before the Alabama game, but it turns out he’s not even a finalist. Fournette did not receive an invitation to be in New York City, when the Heisman will be handed out Saturday. Even though Fournette played one less game than scheduled, he still broke the LSU single season rushing record by compiling 1,741 yards.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is out with new numbers that show good and bad news for Louisiana. Lafayette ranks as the worst in the nation for job loss, while the Lake Charles area is the third best in percentage of employment gains between October 2014 and the next year. LSU Economist Dr. Loren Scott says the struggling oil and gas industry reaches many sectors of the economy…:
CUT 7 (09) “services sector”
He says construction projects in southwest Louisiana have helped the area add 4600 jobs. Houma-Thibodaux has lost about 2800 and Lafayette about 4300 during the same time period..

State Police have released the identities of the deceased victims in the East Feliciana Parish double homicide. They are 46-year-old Kem Smith of Clinton, and 39-year-old Clifton Cowan Jr of Zachary. Troopers determined the victims were boyfriend and girlfriend, and the suspect in the killings, 31-year-old Eric Sanders of Norwood, is the ex-husband of the murdered female. Sanders is charged with two counts of first degree murder.

State Police are still cleaning up a seven vehicle crash that occurred on I-10 in West Baton Rouge Parish early this morning. Sergeant Nick Manale says the crash happened around 3AM in heavy fog conditions when a passenger vehicle stopped in the roadway…:
CUT 9 (09) “stopped vehicle”
The crash caused the closure of the entire interstate for several hours this morning, and the westbound lanes remain closed between Baton Rouge and Gross Tete as salvage teams work to off-load the 18 wheelers and get them off the road.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Lafayette ranks as the worst in the nation for jobs decline. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Eric Gill”

According to State Police, I-10 westbound remains closed between Baton Rouge and LA 77 in Grosse Tete as cleanup efforts continue on a pileup injury crash involving 7 vehicles including six 18 wheelers. They say it happened this morning around 3am near Port Allen in West Baton Rouge Parish . Troopers are still working to clear the interstate.

Police in Shreveport say a convention security guard killed a man he reported attacked him overnight. They say 34-year-old Tyeshom Harvey spotted a subject destroying some property so he called police. Cops obtained surveillance footage which show the man attacking Harvey which is when the security guard stabbed the man killing him. The investigation continues, no charges have been filed in the matter.

Filling out financial aid applications with the state and federal government will be required for graduation starting in 2018. State Superintendent of Education John White says they estimate about 15-thousand seniors do not seek federal aid and that’s a shame, because they could be eligible for assistance to attend a university or community college..:
CUT 4 (11) for Louisiana kids”
Students can opt out, but their parents will need to sign a waiver.

Starting with the senior class 2018, Louisiana high school students who attend public school will be required to apply for financial aid for college. State Superintendent of Education John White says students are leaving tens of millions of dollars on the table every year because they do not apply…:
CUT 3 (09) “financial aid”
He says financial aid applications will be required for graduation starting in 2018.

State Police are still working to clean up a crash on I-10 between Baton Rouge and Grosse Tete after a collision around 3am involving six 18-wheelers and a passenger vehicle. They say thankfully only two people were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, but traffic through the area has been a nightmare as all of the mac trucks are off-loaded. I-10 West through the area remains closed between I-10/110 split in Baton Rouge and LA 77 in Grosse Tete. US 190 is an alternate route.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Lafayette ranks as the worst in the nation for jobs decline. Between October 2014 and October 2015, the area lost approximately 4,300 jobs. LSU Economist Dr. Loren Scott says the Lafayette economy, as well as Houma-Thibodaux’s, is getting hit hard by the decline in oil prices…:
CUT 6 (10) “Louisiana experiences“

Leonard Fournette is not a finalist for the Heisman Trophy…:
CUT 1 (30) “Jeff Palermo”

Governor-elect John Bel Edwards announces Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne as his Commissioner of Administration. Dardenne says up until Edwards called him to think about the position, he was ready to retire but this is a challenge he was willing to accept…

cut 16 (11) “the solution”

Edwards says he chose Dardenne for the position, because of his history in the legislature and knowledge on how to balance the state budget.

LSU’s Leonard Fournette was a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy before the Alabama game, but it turns out he’s not even a finalist. Fournette did not receive an invitation to be in New York City, when the Heisman will be handed out Saturday. LSU Coach Les Miles says not winning the Heisman, or finishing as a Heisman finalist, will likely motivate Fournette to have an even better year next season…

cut 12 (02) “bit differently”

Even though Fournette played one less game than scheduled, he still broke the LSU single season rushing record by compiling 1,741 yards.

Alexandria Police are searching for a suspect in a shooting that sent one man to the hospital. They say two men got into an altercation following a traffic accident. During the altercation, one driver pulled a gun and shot the other driver multiple times. The victim was transported to a local hospital. His condition is not known. The investigation is ongoing.

The state Department of Transportation and Development says the maintenance work being done on the Sunshine Bridge in St. James Parish is now complete. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 2 (29) “I’m Michelle Southern”

Governor-elect John Bel Edwards announces his Commissioner of Administration is Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne. Emelie Gunn has more…

cut 3 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

State Police say a 31-year-old man is under arrest in the deaths of two people found dead in a home in East Feliciana Parish. Authorities say Eric Sanders of Norwood was arrested Monday and booked on two counts of first degree murder. The victims were found by a relative inside a home near Clinton Sunday morning. Although the names of the deceased have not been released, it’s reported that the victims were Sanders’ ex-wife and her boyfriend.

Governor Bobby Jindal’s statewide tour highlighting his economic development wins during his two terms in office begins in Shreveport today. According to the governor’s office, Jindal’s economic development efforts are leading to over 91-thousand new jobs in Louisiana. Former Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret says he’s proud of the work he did with Jindal and they sweated blood and tears to produce those results…

cut 6 (08) “leaders”

Jindal will be in Monroe tomorrow visiting CenturyLink.

The state Department of Transportation and Development says the maintenance work being done on the Sunshine Bridge in St. James Parish is now complete. DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallett says it was a $25 million dollar job…

cut 7 (10) “four lanes of traffic”

The project, which began in February 2014, involved cleaning, painting, and performing structural repairs to the main spans of the Sunshine Bridge on LA70.

Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne has been tapped as Governor-elect John Bel Edwards’s Commissioner of Administration. The Lt. Governor says he will work as hard as he can to act responsibly…

cut 15 (11) “of Louisiana”

Dardenne, who ran for governor and finished fourth the primary, crossed party lines and endorsed Edwards over Senator David Vitter in the gubernatorial runoff.

Governor Bobby Jindal begins a statewide tour highlighting his economic development wins during his two terms in office in Shreveport today. Jindal’s former Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret says job creation was one area where Jindal really made a big impact…

cut 5 (07) “the state”

According to the governor’s office, since 2008, the state has secured economic development wins with more than 62-billion dollars in new capital investment.

The maintenance work being done on the Sunshine Bridge in St. James Parish is now complete according the state Department of Transportation and Development. DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallett says, during the project, the bridge was limited to one lane in each direction which did cause some delays, but it was work that had to be done…

cut 8 (06) “the life of it”

The Sunshine Bridge was built in the early 60s and requires regular maintenance to ensure that the structure provides a long service life.

The Heisman Trophy finalists have been announced and LSU’s Leonard Fournette’s name is not on the list. LSU coach Les Miles says the cancelling of the McNeese game hurt Fournette’s chances. He says while Fournette is not a Heisman finalist, he still had one heck of a year…

cut 11 (10) “for anybody”

The Heisman will be handed out Saturday in New York City.

Governor-elect John Bel Edwards announces Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne as the Commissioner of Administration and Kimberly Lewis Robinson as Secretary of Revenue. Edwards says he chose Dardenne for the position, because of his history in the legislature and knowledge on how to balance the state budget.

cut 13 (09) “and honest”

Edwards says Dardenne will make sure that we propose and pass a budget that is truly worthy of the people of Louisiana. He says Robinson is a talented professional who understands the serious budget problems and can simplify our current tax structure.

cut 14 (09) “the administration”

Dardenne says up until Edwards called him to think about the position, he was ready to retire but this is a challenge he was willing to accept.

Governor Bobby Jindal will be in Shreveport today to begin a tour around the state highlighting his economic development wins during his two terms in office. Jindal will tour the Benteler Steel/Tube facility and visit with employees. Tomorrow, he’ll be at CenturyLink in Monroe. His former Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret says Jindal worked hard at bringing jobs into Louisiana…

cut 4 (08) “an impact”

According to the governor’s office, under Jindal’s leadership the state has set employment and per-capita income records and his economic development efforts are leading to over 91-thousand new jobs in Louisiana.