The state has reopened a couple of areas in the Gulf of Mexico that were affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to commercial fishermen. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

Gas prices keep dropping fast and Holiday consumers are happy. The current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $2.37 down two cents from last night and almost 12 cents less than this time last week.

State Police is investigating a crash involving a pedestrian who was struck and killed after he fell out of the back of a truck in LaSalle Parish over the weekend. Master Trooper Scott Moreau says 22-year-old Brittany Walker of Jena was traveling on La Highway 8 when she struck an unknown object in the roadway…:
CUT 12 (08) “was a person”
Investigators determined it was 43-year-old Marcus Jones who they believe had fallen out of the bed of a friend’s truck prior to being run over.

State Police say a suspected drunk driver heading the wrong way on a four-lane highway in Beauregard Parish struck another vehicle head-on, resulting in three fatalities. State Police Sergeant James Anderson says they believe 28-year-old Kristi Poteet was traveling south in the northbound lanes of US 171…:
CUT 3 (10) “heading north”
They suspect impairment on the part of Poteet.

The state has reopened a couple of areas in the Gulf of Mexico that were affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to commercial fisherman. Dean Blanchard who owns a seafood operation in Grand Isle says the now open Elmer’s and Grand Terre are great spots for shrimp:
CUT 6 (10) “for this week”
He says this is great news as these areas have been closed since 2010.

A man who was the janitor at Port Barre Elementary School for 27 years, then went to school and is now the principal is being featured in a People Magazine series called “Heroes Among Us.” Joseph “Gabe” Sonnier’s story has inspired many and he says this is his life lesson…:
CUT 12 (11) “or your dream”
You can find his story online at People.com.

State Police say three people died in a crash they believe was caused by an impaired driver in Beauregard Parish Sunday evening. They say 28-year-old Kristi Poteet was driving on the wrong side of the road when she struck a car driven by 41-year-old Ricky Gill head-on. Both drivers and a passenger in Poteet’s vehicle all died. They believe Poteet was impaired.

The United States Postal Service says if you are shipping by standard post, today is the last day to get that package in the mail for an on-time Christmas delivery. Scott Carwile reports…:
CUT 2 (31) “reporting”

5th District Congressman-elect Ralph Abraham says he’s ready to get started in Washington D.C. Abraham will be sworn in on January fifth and he expects the new Congress, will quickly act on a couple of important items ..

cut 5 (11) “Obamacare”

The Richland Parish Republican says he’s already be told he’s secured assignments on the House Agriculture and Veterans Affairs committees.

The state will auction off over seven-hundred underutilized state vehicles hoping to generate one-point-four million dollars in revenue. Division of Administration assistant commissioner Jan Cassidy says various state agencies are not using these vehicles enough, so the decision has been made to auction them off…

cut 13 (11) “one-point-four-million”

The vehicles will be auctioned off in East Baton Rouge Parish.

The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a New Iberia man following a domestic disturbance. Authorities found that two female victims, ages 19 and 20, had been shot during the incident. The 20-year-old was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The 19-year-old was treated for non-life threatening injuries. 25-year-old Donovan Kennedy was arrested and chrarged with one count of second degree murder and one count of attempted second degree murder.

People Magazine is featuring a man who was once the janitor at Port Barre Elementary School and years later became the principal in a series called “Heroes Among Us.”…

cut 3 (31) “reporting”

State Police report that three people are dead after a head-on collision last night in Beauregard Parish. Authorities say Kristi Poteet was driving on the wrong side of a divided highway when she collided with a vehicle driven by Ricky Gill of Singer. Poteet, Gill, and an unidentified passenger in Poteet’s car were pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say impairment on the part of Poteet is a suspected factor in the crash.

5th District Congressman-elect Ralph Abraham says he’s ready to begin his duties in Washington D.C. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 1 (27) “reporting”

The state hopes to generate one-point-four million dollars in revenue by selling underutilized state vehicles at auction. Division of Administration assistant commissioner Jan Cassidy says they are constantly evaluating state inventory to make sure they are spending tax dollars appropriately and it’s been determined they reduce the number of state vehicles by over seven-hundred…

cut 15 (08) “surplus vehicles”

Cassidy says these vehicles have been driven less than 15-thousand miles over the last year.

The United States Postal Service says if you are shipping Christmas cards or packages by standard post, today is the last day to get that package in the mail for an on-time Christmas delivery. Spokesman McKinney Boyd admits that most people communicate electronically these days, but says there is still nothing like receiving a Christmas card in the mail…

cut 9 (09) “many miles away”

If you are shipping by First Class or Priority Mail, the deadline is Saturday and you have until December 23 to ship using Priority Mail Express.

Over seven-hundred underutilized state vehicles will be sold at auction in hopes of generating one-point-four million dollars for the state. Division of Administration assistant commissioner Jan Cassidy says these vehicles have been driven less than 15-thousand miles over the last year…

cut 14 (12) “job done”

The auction sale will take place in the first quarter of next year.

5th District Congressman-elect Ralph Abraham says he’s ready to begin his duties in Washington D.C. The Republican from Richland Parish says he’s already be told he’s secured assignments on the House Agriculture and Veterans Affairs committees…:

cut 4 (10) “in the nation”

Abraham will be sworn in on January fifth.

A man who was once the janitor at Port Barre Elementary School and years later became the principal is being featured in a People Magazine.” Joseph “Gabe” Sonnier says he decided to go to school full-time while he continued working as the custodian. He says after getting his associate’s degree and bachelor’s degree he began teaching a Port Barre Elementary School…

cut 11 (09) “elementary”

His story has inspired many people and Sonnier has been featured on several TV shows and magazines.

If you’re looking for an on-time Christmas delivery, the United States Postal Service says if you are shipping by standard post, today is the last day to get that package in the mail. Spokesman McKinney Boyd says you can avoid lines at the post office by going to their website and schedule a free package pickup…

cut 8 (07) “pick it up”

The web address is www-dot-usps-dot-com.

Louisiana hopes to generate one-point-four million dollars in revenue by selling over seven-hundred underutilized state vehicles at auction. Division of Administration assistant commissioner Jan Cassidy says these vehicles are not being used enough by various state agencies, so the decision has been made to auction them off..

cut 13 (11) “one-point-four-million”

The vehicles will be auctioned off in East Baton Rouge Parish.

The United States Postal Service says if you are shipping by standard post, today is the last day to get that package in the mail for an on-time Christmas delivery. Spokesman McKinney Boyd says today is the post office’s busiest day where they’ll process in the neighborhood of 354,000 packages statewide…

cut 7 (09) “and letters tonight”

He says if you are shipping by First Class or Priority Mail, the deadline is Saturday for a Christmas delivery.
A man who was once the janitor at Port Barre Elementary School and years later became the principal is being featured in a People Magazine series called “Heroes Among Us.” Joseph “Gabe” Sonnier says on a day in the mid-80s the then-principal at the school told the janitor he knew he was very smart and capable of doing more with his life…

cut 10 (08) “to heart”

Sonnier says later he decided to go to school full-time while he continued working as the custodian. Sonnier, now 53, says he got his master’s degree and then was appointed principal at the same school where he worked as a janitor for 27 years.

State Police say four people were killed early Friday morning as a result of a fiery head-on crash in Avoyelles Parish. Investigators say the driver of a Chevy pickup lost control and slammed into a Toyota Prius on Louisiana Highway 107, northeast of Marksville. Troopers are still working to identify all of the victims, but one of the persons killed was 59-year-old Kenneth Davis of Deville.

LaSalle Parish lawmen have made an arrest in the investigation into a bomb threat at Jena High School on Wednesday morning. The sheriff’s office has arrested 18-year-old Jaqurius Dequan Ogletree. He is not a Jena student and his bond will be set next week.

Haynesville and Many won state championships in football last night. In the One-A title game, Haynesville won its 17th state title in football by shutting out Mangham 16-0. Many won its first state title by beating Kinder 22-15.

Former Saints safety Darren Sharper has been indicted by an OrleansParish grand jury on two counts of aggravated rape. Michelle Southern has more…
cut 2 (31) “…reporting”

Monday will be the busiest day of the year for the US Post office. Spokesperson McKinney Boyd says you can avoid lines at your local post office by going their website and schedule a free package pickup…
cut 8 (07) “….pick it up”
Boyd says the December 23rd is the deadline to send a package using Priority Mail express.

State Police say four people were killed in a fiery crash that took place in Avoyelles Parish early Friday morning. Authorities say a Chevy pickup collided with a Toyota Prius on Louisiana Highway 107, northeast of Marksville. After the collision, both vehicles became fully engulfed in flames. State Police have identified one of the victims, 59-year-old Kenneth Davis of Deville.

State Police say two Town of Franklinton employees are under arrest accused of stealing over $22,000 in water and utility payments from residents. Trooper Greg Marchand says 39-year-old Carmen Freemen and 42-year-old Caprice Dawson processed over 230 payments that were never deposited into the town’s account…
CUT 4 (07) “own personal gain”
They were arrested on many charges including felony theft and malfeasance in office.

5th District Congressman-elect Ralph Abraham says he’s ready to begin his duties in Washington D.C. Michelle Southern reports….
cut 1 (27) “…reporting”

In the Mercedes Benz Superdome tonight…Acadiana is seeking to win back-to-back state titles for the first time in school history as they take on Destrehan in the Class Five-A Championship game. Last night….Haynesville won the One-A title by shutting out Mangham 16-0, and Many is the two-A champs after beating Kinder 22-15.

Louisiana hopes to generate one-point-four million dollars in revenue by selling over seven-hundred underutilized state vehicles at auction. Division of Administration assistant commissioner Jan Cassidy says these vehicles are not being used enough by various state agencies, so the decision has been made to auction them off…
cut 13 (11) “…one-point-four million”
The vehicles will be auctioned off in East Baton Rouge Parish.

Two employees from the Town of Franklinton are under arrest, accused of stealing over $22,000 in water and utility payments from residents. State Trooper Greg Marchand says they arrested 39-year-old Carmen Freemen and 42-year-old Caprice Dawson on several charges…
CUT 5 (06) “in Franklinton”
He says Freemen and Dawson processed over 230 payments that were never deposited into the town’s account.

Former Saints star Darren Sharper is now facing state and federal indictments based on cases that occurred in Orleans parish. He’s facing two counts of aggravated rape and federal drug charges as he allegedly drugged two female victims before sexually assaulting them in September of 2013. Legal Analyst Tim Meche says even though Sharper played for the Saints, he believes a future trial will be held in Orleans Parish…
cut 8 (10) “…anywhere else”

An unrestrained passenger in a car that was hit by an 18 wheeler on I-20 yesterday in Lincoln Parish has died after being ejected from the vehicle. State Trooper Michael Reichardt says the driver of the vehicle said she hit something in the road and lost control, eventually getting struck by an 18-wheeler…
CUT 10 (08) Q: “died at the hospital”
Reichart says 28 year-old Kimberly Henderson of Monroe died at a local hospital.