The Jindal administration laid out a plan today to close a one-point-six billion dollar shortfall. It doesn’t call for any tax increases, but Governor Bobby Jindal proposes the scaling back of some corporate tax credits and higher fees on college students, to reduce drastic cuts to higher ed and health care. Delhi Senator Francis Thompson…
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Legislators will discuss over the next few weeks and pass a budget in June.

This week’s wintery weather did more than made things difficult on the roads; it has made for a lower supply of crawfish. But Mark Shirley, with the LSU AgCenter, says crawfish are good, no matter what size they are…
CUT 5 (08) “Louisiana crawfish”
Until then, the price will be a bit higher.
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Republican gubernatorial candidate, US Senator David Vitter, is getting the endorsement of an ex-president…
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Bill Cosby will be appearing for an 8 pm show tonight at the Heymann (Hi-men) Center in Lafayette, but not without controversy, as allegations of sexual abuse against women still remain. Cosby released a statement thanking the fans for their support, but critics point out that – just because he’s a talented celebrity – doesn’t mean he cannot commit sexual assault.

The Jindal Administration laid out its plan today on how to cope with a one-point-six-billion dollar revenue shortfall for the fiscal year that begins July 1st. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
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Gas prices jumped another 2 cents last night to $2.19 as they continue their rapid rise according to the American Automobile Association. That’s up 7 cents already from this time last week as refineries make the shift from the winter to summer blend of gasoline.

This week’s wintry weather that hit Louisiana could result in a lower supply of crawfish this weekend. Mark Shirley, with the LSU AgCenter, says pond water temperatures dropped into the 40′s this week, which keeps crawfish from crawling into traps. He says you should see an improvement in the price as temperatures warm up…:
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He says the cold temperatures might also mean smaller mudbugs on your plate.

The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s office says a man is under arrest accused of pranking 911 calls because he was bored. Sheriff Jason Ard says 27-year-old Brandon Kirkland admitted to faking two 911 calls claiming businesses in the area were being robbed. He says the story he gave detectives didn’t fly…:
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Kirkland is charged with 2 counts of terrorizing.

Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols proposed a budget for next fiscal year that calls for a $211 million dollar cut to higher education. But Nichols told lawmakers they could further reduce those cuts by raising the cigarette tax and using those revenues to provide families with a tax credit to help offset the costs for higher fees at public colleges…:
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Lawmakers will spend the next several weeks discussing budget solutions before passing a spending plan in June.

The Jefferson Davis Sheriff’s Office has arrested two men in connection with the homicide of a Lake Arthur man. Spokesman Christopher Ivey says deputies were dispatched to the home of 73-year-old Charles Talen, Sr. to notify him that his stolen vehicle had been found burned…:
CUT 12 (06) “inside his home”
18-year-old Roderick Cawthrone, Jr. and 18-year-old Brett Hebert, both of Lake Arthur, face first degree murder charges in the death of Talen.

In the race for Governor US Senator David Vitter got the endorsement of former President George H.W. Bush. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says the backing of Bush and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is a big boost in Vitter’s quest to become governor…:
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Vitter is the front runner in this year’s governor’s race, ahead of Republicans Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne, Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, and Democratic state Representative John Bel Edwards.

The football scheduled for Sunbelt Conference teams came out today, and UL-Lafayette and ULM will play each other on Halloween at Cajun Field. The Warhawks are also scheduled to play at Hawaii.

The Jindal Administration presented a proposed budget today that provides a starting point on how to prevent drastic cuts to health care and higher education, despite a one point six billion dollar revenue shortfall for next fiscal year. Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols says they want lawmakers to scale back a dozen refundable tax credits which would save the state 526-million dollars…:
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Even with a cap on certain tax credits, the cut to higher ed is 211-million dollars.

The Louisiana filmed movie Focus hits theaters today and according to the Motion Picture Association of America, the movie spent over $8.3 million dollars in 43 days here. The say that money went to local labor at in state businesses and on location costs.

Republican gubernatorial candidate, US Senator David Vitter, is getting the endorsement of former President George H.W. Bush according to his campaign. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says this is significant, especially on top of the endorsement of Kentucky Senator Rand Paul…:
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Bush describes Vitter as an effective, conservative leader.

The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s office says a man is under arrest accused of pranking 911 calls because he was bored. Sheriff Jason Ard says 27-year-old Brandon Kirkland allegedly called 911 dispatchers and reported that 2 masked men were entering a business in Watson to rob it…:
CUT 14 (07) “as themselves”
Kirkland admitted he did this as a prank two times and that’s two counts of felony terrorizing.

Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols has unveiled the governor’s proposed budget for next year. It calls for a 211 million dollar cut to higher education, which is less than anticipated. The governor is proposing to make 12 refundable tax credits non-refundable which would save the state 526-million dollars and the administration proposes an increase in student fees.

The new movie “Focus”, featuring Will Smith, hits theaters today and it’s just one of many major Louisiana shot movies to be released this year. Scott Carwile reports…:
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This week’s wintry weather that hit Louisiana could result in a lower supply of crawfish this weekend. Mark Shirley, with the LSU AgCenter, says pond water temperatures dropped into the 40′s this week, which keeps crawfish from crawling into traps. Shirley says if you want some crawfish this weekend, you may want to get them early…:
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He says unfortunately the decrease in production will mean the price of the mudbugs will be a bit higher.

Cops are investigating a two-vehicle fatal crash that killed one person and seriously injured two others Thursday evening in East Baton Rouge Parish. The Zachary Police Department says the wreck happened as a car was turning off Old Scenic when it collided with a truck. Two people in the car were sent to the hospital and another died. The names of those involved have not been released.

Governor Bobby Jindal’s proposed budget for next fiscal year, which is expected to include significant cuts to higher education and health care, will be presented to lawmakers today. La-politics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says once lawmakers have a chance to see the proposed budget and how bad the cuts will be, ideas will start flowing on how to deal with it….

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Drastic cuts are needed as the state faces a one-point-six billion dollar revenue shortfall.

The Louisiana shot film “Focus”, featuring Will Smith, opens today and it’s just one of many prominent movies to be released this year that were shot in the Bayou State. Chris Stelly, Executive Director of Louisiana Entertainment, thinks this summer is going to be a blockbuster season for films shot in Louisiana…

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“Terminator Genisys” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and the reboot of the “Fantastic Four” franchise are just a couple of the films scheduled for release this year.

The US Department of Commerce says merchandise exports from Louisiana hit a record $65.1 billion in 2014. That’s a 2.8-percent increase from 2013. The Bayou State’s leading export markets for last year were China, Mexico, and Canada. It’s reported that last year’s gain marked the sixth consecutive year of export growth for Louisiana.

Comedian Bill Cosby is appearing tonight at the Heymann Performing Arts Center in Lafayette and not everyone is laughing. Michelle Southern reports.

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The Jindal administration will propose a budget for next fiscal year to lawmakers that’s expected to include significant cuts to higher education and health care. Jeff Palermo has the story…

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The Jefferson Davis Sheriff’s Office has arrested two men in connection with the homicide of a Lake Arthur man. They say 18-year-old Roderick Cawthrone, Jr. and 26-year-old Brett Hebert, both of Lake Arthur, face first degree murder charges in the death of 73-year-old Charles Talen, Sr. Talen was found dead in his home Sunday. Authorities say more arrests are expected.

The new movie “Focus”, featuring Will Smith, hits theatres today and it’s just one of several major Louisiana shot movies to be released this year. Chris Stelly, Executive Director of Louisiana Entertainment, says other Louisiana films scheduled to open this year include “Pitch Perfect 2″ in May and “Jurassic World” in June. Stelly says he’s looking forward to seeing “Get Hard” starring Will Farrell and Kevin Hart that will open next month…

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This summer will also see the release of “Terminator Genisys” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in July and the reboot of the “Fantastic Four” franchise in August.

CLECO shareholders have approved the sale of the Pineville-based utility company, but the Public Service Commission still has to give its consent. PSC Commissioner Clyde Holloway says he expects a vote before the PSC during the latter part of the third quarter of this year…

cut 9 (07) “their findings are”

A North American investor group led by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets and by British Columbia Investment Corporation is seeking to purchase CLECO.

Governor Bobby Jindal’s will present a proposed budget for next fiscal year to lawmakers today and significant cuts to higher education and health care are expected. La-politics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says the governor opposes any tax increase to close the deficit, but Jindal is open to changing the rules for refundable tax credits to increase revenue, but the budget ax will likely still fall hard…

cut 5 (08) “budget hole”

He says during today’s joint legislative budget committee there will be discussion on how to mitigate those cuts.

The new movie “Focus”, featuring Will Smith, hits theatres today and it’s just one of many major Louisiana shot movies to be released this year. Chris Stelly, Executive Director of Louisiana Entertainment, says “Focus” could top the box office this weekend…

cut 10 (09) “really well”

Stelly thinks this summer is going to be a blockbuster season for films shot in Louisiana.

Shareholders have approved the sale of the Pineville-based utility company CLECO, but the Public Service Commission still has to give its consent. PSC Commissioner Clyde Holloway says he knows what they have now with CLECO, but they don’t know what they’d be getting with Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets — a company outside of the US…

cut 8 (09) “and for the employee”

A North American investor group led by Macquarie and by British Columbia Investment Corporation is seeking to purchase the utility company.

Embattled comedian Bill Cosby, who’s accusing of sexually abusing women, will perform tonight at the Heymann Performing Arts Center in Lafayette. Ebony Turner, Director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, says it’s their hope that people in the audience tonight realize that famous people also have private lives that are very different from who they portray…

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The performance is set for 8pm.

Governor Bobby Jindal’s proposed budget for next fiscal year will be presented to lawmakers today and significant cuts to higher education and health care are expected. La-politics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says during today’s joint legislative budget committee there will be discussion on how to mitigate those cuts…

cut 4 (09) “be enough”

Drastic cuts are needed as the state faces a one-point-six billion dollar revenue shortfall.

Cleco’s shareholders have approved the sale of the Pineville-based company, but the Public Service Commission still has to give its consent. A North American investor group led by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets and by British Columbia Investment Corporation is seeking to purchase the utility company. PSC Commissioner Clyde Holloway says he will study this proposed merger carefully…

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Holloway says he expects a vote before the PSC during the latter part of the third quarter of this year.

Embattled comedian Bill Cosby is appearing tonight at the Heymann Performing Arts Center in Lafayette. There are some who aren’t happy about that due to allegations which recently surfaced accusing Cosby of sexually abusing women. Ebony Turner, Director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, is concerned people who still buy tickets to Cosby’s show don’t take these alleged victims seriously…

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The comedian released a statement thanking fans for love, support and trust and added he can’t wait to warm the hearts of the audience with the gift of laughter.

National media has picked up on the rift between US Senator David Vitter and Governor Bobby Jindal. Jindal told a reporter with the National Journal that he would really say how he feels about Vitter if it was off the record. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat…:
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On the other hand in the race for governor, Pinsonat doesn’t think Jindal’s dislike of Vitter will hurt the Senator.

Students in Northeast Louisiana missed a 4th day in a row due to the bad winter weather this week — that means some serious time needs to be made up. Ouachita Parish Superintendent Bob Webber the ideal option is to make school days longer, but they may need to add days to the calendar. He says in his 13 and a half years as Superintendent, he’s never seen more than 2 inclement weather days in a row…:
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2014 Federal Highway Administration data shows that 29-percent of Louisiana’s nearly 13,000 bridges are deficient. Eric Gill reports…
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Two Slidell residents were arrested after they allegedly forced a one-year-old to drink beer. Slidell police detective Daniel Seuzenau says the child’s grandfather noticed signs of abuse…
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Twenty-four-year-old Flower and 23-year-old Verdin were arrested on cruelty to juvenile charges.