2014 Federal Highway Administration data shows that 29-percent of Louisiana’s nearly 13,000 bridges are deficient. That’s the 14th highest percentage in the US. LA-DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallett says motorists should not take this description of bridges in Louisiana too literally..:
CUT 12 (11) “it is unsafe”
He says DOTD is working to replace and repair as many bridges as they can.

There is some national press going around today over the fact that US Senator David Vitter and Governor Bobby Jindal aren’t fans of each other. Jindal told a reporter he’d only speak off record about how he really feels about Vitter. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat…:
CUT 4 (05) “Senator”
On the other hand in the race for Governor Pinsonat doesn’t think Jindal’s dislike of Vitter is hurting the Senator.

Two Slidell residents have been arrested after they allegedly were involved in the pouring of beer down a one-year-old’s throat. Slidell police detective Daniel Seuzenau says the child’s grandfather notice signs of abuse…:
CUT 9 (11) “child’s throat”
The two were arrested on cruelty to juvenile charges.

CLECO announces its shareholders approve of a merger of the utility company with Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets by British Columbia Investment Corporation. The move would still need the PSC’s approval.

As students in Northeast Louisiana miss their 4th winter weather day in a row, officials say all these days off could mean longer days for students. The state requires 63,720 instructional minutes per student per academic year, and Ouachita Parish Superintendent Bob Webber says they’ve already exceed extra time that is incorporated for inclement weather…:
CUT 6 (08) “to each day”
Monroe City Schools also missed a day in October because of the EF-2 tornado that ripped through the parish.

State Climatologist says thankfully this serious bout of precipitation the entire state has seen has passed, but the cold temperatures remain. He says a weak cold front is now moving over Louisiana…:
CUT 9 (07) “more precipitation”
He says a warm up is finally due by Sunday and into next week.

The ongoing rift between Governor Bobby Jindal and Senator David Vitter is getting national press. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (29) “reporting”

In a big state college baseball match up tonight — LSU and Southeastern Louisiana will face off. Both teams will end up playing four games in four days as the Tigers host Princeton this weekend and the Lions will face the Big Ten’s Northwestern University.

The ongoing rift between Governor Bobby Jindal and Senator David Vitter is getting national press. In a recent interview with the National Journal, Jindal told a reporter to turn the recorder off and he’d say what he really thinks about Vitter. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says voters in Louisiana do not want to see these two fighting…:
CUT 3 (09) “public trust”
He says if anything the dispute could benefit Vitter in his quest for Governor as most rural Louisiana Republicans don’t care for Jindal.

The embattled comedian Bill Cosby, aka Dr. Huxtable, is appearing tomorrow night at the Heymann Performing Arts Center in Lafayette. There are some who aren’t happy about that due to allegations recently surfaced accusing Cosby of sexually abusing women. 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. The performance is set for 8pm.

The snow that impacted north Louisiana yesterday has moved out of the area, but some of the roadways are still slick. Scott Carwile has more…:
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

Lots of students have been missing school for snow days and many northeast Louisiana districts are still out as they have been all week. Officials say they need to make up the time off which could mean either extending the school, shaving time off spring break or adding to the school year. Talks are underway to determine how the minutes need to be made up.

A single vehicle school bus crash in Rapides Parish Tuesday morning resulted in eleven children being injured. Trooper Scott Moreau says the bus was traveling down muddy Highway 121 when the driver lost control and the bus overturned on its side. He says they are looking to find a reason why there was so much mud on the road…

cut 10 (09) “is low”

Moreau says State Police are not expecting any charges for the driver but the investigation is still ongoing.

A recent LSU audit shows newly-elected US Senator Bill Cassidy provided services to the university that equaled the 20-thousand dollar salary that he received. During the US Senate race, it was alleged that Cassidy was paid for work he did not perform. Political Blogger Lamar White helped break the story that started the controversy and does not think the audit completely clears Cassidy…

cut 11 (09) “extremely unusual”

White’s comments were made on the Louisiana Radio Network’s Jim Engster Show.

Reports of up to four inches of snow fell in north Louisiana yesterday which has caused icy conditions on roadways in the area. DOTD is responding with salt and sand, as needed, to keep roadways passable. State Police urge motorists to exercise extreme caution while driving this morning. Temperatures today are expected to rise above freezing which should melt most of the ice.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says The Bayou State now has the second highest number of bald eagles that are nesting. Michelle Southern reports…:

cut 3 (30) “reporting”

Eleven children were injured in a single vehicle school bus crash in Rapides Parish Tuesday morning. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 2 (32) “reporting”

The wintry weather that moved across north Louisiana yesterday dropped significant amounts of snow in the area and has caused hazardous driving conditions this morning. Icy conditions remain on roadways, bridges, and overpasses. If you do plan on driving this morning, you should use extreme caution behind the wheel and give yourself some extra time to reach your destination.

State Farm announces they’ve received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to use drones to inspect customers’ roofs. Spokesman Gary Stephenson says they plan to use the drones to look at a roof before issuing policies, for renewals, catastrophe damage and in claims holding. He says the flying devices will assess damage at a faster pace in certain instances…

cut 6 (06) “inspection”
The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says Louisiana now has the second highest number of nesting bald eagles. Michael Seymour, who works with all non-game birds with LDWF, says they looked at 647 nests and found that 356 were active with eggs, young and adults tending to them. He says most of them were located in the southeastern part of the state…

cut 14 (08) “pine trees”

Seymour says bald eagles build families during the first few months of the year which is why they have recently conducted a new survey.

Snowy conditions yesterday in north Louisiana has left slippery roadways in some areas this morning. Several roads remain closed due to icy conditions. Department of Transportation spokesman Rodney Mallet says even though temperatures will rise above freezing today, that doesn’t mean that roads will immediately re-open…

cut 8 (09) “so to speak”

If you do plan on driving this morning, give yourself some extra time to reach your destination and take it slow as ice on some roadways has not had sufficient time to melt.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says The Bayou State now has the second highest number of bald eagles that are nesting. Michael Seymour works with all non-game birds with LDWF and he says over the past couple of weeks they’ve been using helicopters to survey nests of bald eagles. He says in 2007 they discovered about 340 nesting pairs…

cut 13 (09) “not a decrease”

He says most were located in the southeastern part of the state.

A recent LSU audit finds newly-elected US Senator Bill Cassidy did provide services to the university that equaled the 20-thousand dollar salary that he received. Doctor Cassidy, who is a liver specialist, said in a written response that the audit provides sufficient facts to conclude that he provided services for equal or more than that of his compensation. But Political Blogger Lamar White, who helped break the story, says the audit confirms that gaps do exist in Cassidy’s time sheets, and he still questions whether Cassidy double-dipped…

cut 12 (09) “questions were answered”

White’s comments were made on the Louisiana Radio Network’s Jim Engster Show.

State Farm has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to use drones to inspect customers’ roofs. Spokesman Gary Stephenson says this will help them check out claims for damage quicker…

cut 5 (10) “that are available”

He says they look forward to testing the unmanned aircraft systems on roof inspections to make things easier for their customers.

The snow that impacted north Louisiana yesterday has moved out, leaving slippery roadways in some areas. Department of Transportation spokesman Rodney Mallet says several roads will remain closed until they are deemed safe for travel. He says if you do plan to venture out today, check for what roads are open…

cut 7 (08) “plan accordingly”

You should give yourself some extra time to reach your destination and take it slow as ice on some roadways has not had sufficient time to melt.

Eleven children were injured in a single vehicle bus school bus crash in Rapides Parish Tuesday morning. Trooper Scott Moreau says the bus was traveling down muddy Highway 121 when the driver lost control and the bus overturned on its side..

cut 9 (09) “5 to 15.”

Moreau says State Police are not expecting any charges for the driver but the investigation is still ongoing.

LSU says an audit they performed finds newly-elected US Senator Bill Cassidy provided services to the university that equaled the 20-thousand dollar salary that he received. There were allegations during the US Senate race that Cassidy was paid for work he did not perform. Political Blogger Lamar White helped break the story that started the controversy and does not think the audit completely clears Cassidy…

cut 11 (09) “extremely unusual”

White’s comments were made on the Louisiana Radio Network’s Jim Engster Show.

It’s been a snowy day across northern Louisiana. State Police troooper Matt Harris says it may look pretty, but it doesn’t mix well with cold pavement and drivers who are NOT used to driving on slippery, slushy roads…
cut 8 (08) “…in crash”
While some of the snow that fell in the morning, started melting in the afternoon, Harris says there’s a concern some of that what will re-freeze on the roads tonight.

Eleven school children were injured in a school bus crash in Rapides Parish this morning. Troopers say the bus was traveling on Highway 121 and there was a large amount of mud on it, when the bus driver lost control, causing the buse to leave the roadway and overturn on its side. The injuries to the children are considered minor to moderate, and the children’s ages range from five to 15. The driver is not expected to face any citations, as the mud is considered a factor in the crash.

The Legislative Black Caucus calls on Governor Jindal to stay in Louisiana and deal with the state’s budget crisis. Monday, Jindal spoke against President Obama at a press conference outside the White House. Monroe Representative Katrina Jackson says the governor needs to concentrate on problems facing Louisiana…:
CUT 12 (10) “budget crisis”

If you plan to take a drivers ed course, the Department of Motor Vehicles says make sure the course is certified. State Police Sgt Nick Manale says there is an online web source which provides information on state licensed driver education providers…:
CUT 10 (09) “criteria too”
The website is expresslane.org.

As the snow begins to move out of north Louisiana, State Police are reminding everyone that many roads will remain icy through tomorrow morning. State Tropper Matt Harris says to be extremely cautious…
CUT 7 (10) Q: “of control”
And remember that any melted snow will likely re-freeze overnight.

Members of the Legislative Black Caucus are calling on Governor Bobby Jindal to stay in Louisiana and deal with the state’s budget crisis. But Baton Rouge Representative Ted James says Louisiana is in the governor’s rearview mirror…
CUT 14 (10) Q: “last session”
It’s reported that Jindal spent 45-percent of his time outside of Louisiana in 2014.
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The chance of you getting audited by the IRS is getting smaller.
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

In Rapides Parish, 11 children were injured in a school bus crash on LA Highway 121 south of Highway 496 around 6:15 this morning. State Police discovered a large amount of mud on the road, which is considered to be a factor in the accident. The children and the driver received minor to moderate injuries. The children’s ages ranged from 5 to 15.

The snow that arrived in north Louisiana today made it extremely tough to get around, with icy conditions causing dozens of accidents. State Trooper Matt Harris says if you do have to drive somewhere in areas where snow has already fallen, you need to take it easy…
CUT 6 (09) “destination”
And remember that any ice that melted on the roads today will likely re-freeze tonight.

The Department of Motor Vehicles is urging everyone to be sure their local driver education program is properly certified through the state — and now there’s a way you can check online through expresslane.org…
cut 10 (09) “criteria too”
That’s State Police Sgt Nick Manale, who adds you must to go through a properly licensed education provider to legally receive a learner’s permit or new license.
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The chances of getting audited by the IRS is getting smaller, as the audit rate dropped to its lowest level in at least ten years last year and is expected to drop further this year. John Theriot, with the Louisiana CPA Society, says one reason for the drop is money…
CUT 3 (10) “qualified people”
Which is why Theriot believes the audit rates will go even lower in the years to come.

A former Calcasieu Parish first district attorney pleaded guilty today to felony malfeasance in office and misdemenaor simple battery. Judge H. Ward Fontenot sentenced Ronald Rossitto to a two year suspended prison sentence with two years of active supervision. The charges stem from a January 2013 incident where Rossitto inappropriately groped a man in his office after offering to get his driver’s license reinstated. He was accused of a similar incident in Orleans Parish, where he served as assitant DA.