Hard freeze warnings have been posted for portions of south and northeast Louisiana in anticipation of the arctic cold that’s moving in tomorrow. Mike Marcotte, with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, says it’ll bring the coldest temperatures seen this season. He says lows Thursday morning in central Louisiana could be in the upper teens…:
CUT 12 (08) “20 to 25”
He says the weekend will see morning temps rise above freezing, but it will be on the cool side.

Louisiana’s new lawmakers will officially start their new jobs today after being sworn in on Capiol Hill. 5th District Congressman Republican Ralph Abraham of Alto says one of the first items they will address will be the Keystone XL Pipeline…:
CUT 4 (06) “do with it”
Today the White House announced President Barack Obama would veto Keystone XL pipeline legislation if it passes but Abraham says he’s optimistic the US-Senate would be able to override a veto.

The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office says the town clerk in Forest Hill has been arrested on multiple counts of forgery, malfeasance in office, and more. Lt. Tommy Carnline says they believe 31-year-old Trista Goleman had allegedly been cashing money orders that were being sent to the town for fine payments and she was booked into jail..:
CUT 7 (12) “are felonies”
He says it appears she was working alone in this incident.

Angola Warden Burl Cain says he has not taken any steps to install a cooling system on death row. A federal judge has ruled that the state needs to take more measures to air condition death row during the hot summer months but it’s on appeal. Cain says death row was built in 2005 and has a natural ventilation system so it’s not even the hottest part of the prison…:
CUT 15 (09) “it’s hot”
He says installing air conditioning in the prison would be too expensive.

New 5th District Congressman, Republican Ralph Abraham of Alto, will be sworn in on Capitol Hill today. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

Doctor Bill Cassidy will be sworn in as a US Senator today giving Louisiana two republicans in the US Senate. U-L Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross anticipates since Cassidy has a medical background, he’ll find some issues that he can be an expert on…:
CUIT 12 (12) “quite heavily”
He says Louisiana will now have a unified voice on issues that the Senate debates.

The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office says the town clerk in Forest Hill has been arrested on multiple counts of forgery, malfeasance in office, and more. Lt. Tommy Carnline says their investigation began when town officials discovered some discrepancies in their fine collections…:
CUT 6 (09) “Trista Goleman”
Goleman faces 17 felony counts each of forgery, malfeasance in office, injuring public records and filing false public records.

The short Mardi Gras season begins today on this Twelfth Night. You’ll start seeing King Cakes all over the place now before Fat Tuesday this year on February 17th.

New 5th District Congressman, Republican Ralph Abraham of Alto, will be sworn in on Capitol Hill today as Congress convenes with the GOP a majority in the House and Senate. Abraham says he’s very excited to serve the 5th District…:
CUT 3 (09) “our constituents”
Abraham will be taking over the seat previously occupied by Vance McAllister whose popularity tanked after a cheating scandal.

Angola Warden Burl Cain says he has not taken any steps to install a cooling system on death row. A federal judge has ruled that the state needs to take more measures to make death row less hot and that’s currently under appeal. Cain says it would be too expensive to add any type of cooling system at the prison…:
CUT 13 (07) “I can’t afford it”
He adds that death row isn’t even the hottest part of the prison.

A Baton Rouge TV station reports Ohio State Quarterback and two-time Big 10 MVP Braxton Miller is considering transferring to LSU. A shoulder injury kept Miller from playing this season and two younger QBs passed him up on the Buckeye depth chart. Bayou Bengals Insider publisher Derek Ponamsky says it’s not a surprise to hear Miller might be interested in LSU…:
CUT 9 (10) “talk about”
He says after below average play from the QB position this past season, there’s a good chance LSU will bring a veteran in who can play right away.

The Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is asking residents to prepare for plunging temperatures and freeze warnings. The National Weather Service says an arctic air mass moving across much of the U.S. will begin impacting Louisiana tonight. Freezing temperatures are expected to last several hours beginning tomorrow night.

According to the Des Moines Register, Governor Bobby Jindal is scheduled to have two closed door meetings with conservative religious leaders in Iowa today. Scott Carwile reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

Arraignment proceedings will be held Thursday for Will Hayden, formerly the star of the now cancelled Sons of Guns reality show. Hayden is charged in East Baton Rouge Parish with two counts of aggravated rap and one count of forcible rape. Hayden owned Red Jacket Firearms but the gun company cut ties with him after his arrests.

The Mardi Gras season officially kicks off today which means it’s King Cake time. It’s Twelfth Night and this season will be shorter as Mardi Gras falls early this year on February 17th. There’s a story in The Wall Street Journal saying King Cakes no longer come with the baby inside due to a concern over lawsuits. Gambino’s Bakery owner Sam Scelfo says they are traditionalists and leave the baby in the cake but leave plenty of indicators letting people know it’s in there…:
CUT 9 (10) “one before”
He says they typically sell between 70,000-75,000 King Cakes in any given season.

And we’ve got a chilly start to the season as most of the state woke up to frosty temps because a large ridge of Canadian high pressure is advancing southward. High temperatures this afternoon with be in the 50s across most of the state but by tomorrow the northerly winds increase and Wednesday night will likely be one where your pipes, pets and plats will need attention.

Governor Bobby Jindal is back in Iowa today for two closed door meetings with conservative religious leaders. According to the Des Moines Register, the meetings will take place in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says Jindal is looking to shore up his support among this group of voters…

cut 4 (08) “presidential nomination”

Stockley says these are important meetings to determine how serious of a presidential hopeful Jindal can be.

Angola warden Burl Cain says he has not taken any steps to install a cooling system on death row despite a federal court’s ruling to lower the heat levels. That federal ruling is currently under appeal. Cain says death row was built in 2005 and has a natural ventilation system so it’s not even the hottest part of the prison…

cut 15 (09) “it’s hot”

Cain says it would be too expensive to add any type of cooling system at the prison.

The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office says a Cut Off man is under arrest charged with his fourth offense DWI. They say 50-year-old Trent Callais was found sleeping in his vehicle in a fast food restaurant’s drive-thru lane. Authorities say Callais appeared to be impaired and he performed poorly on a field sobriety test. Callais was booked into the Lafourche Parish Jail on a $50,000 bond.

King Cake season is officially underway on this Twelfth Night and it’ll be a short one with Mardi Gras falling early this year on February 17th. Michelle Southern reports.

cut 2 (29) “reporting”

Governor Bobby Jindal is scheduled to have two closed door meetings with conservative religious leaders in Iowa today. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley calls this part of the process the “invisible primary”, where candidates try to win endorsements and backing before the actual contests. He says this will have an important impact on Jindal’s decision to run, or not to run, for president…

cut 6 (11) “invisible primary”

According to the Des Moines Register, the meetings will take place in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines.

Doctor Bill Cassidy will be sworn in as a US Senator today. U-L Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross anticipates since Cassidy has a medical background, he’ll find some issues that he can be an expert on…

cut 12 (12) “quite heavily”

He says Louisiana will now have a unified voice on issues that the Senate debates with Cassidy and Senior Senator David Vitter.

Angola warden Burl Cain says he has not taken any steps to install a cooling system on death row despite a federal judge’s ruling to reduce the heat levels. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 3 (28) “reporting”

A federal judge has sentenced a Bastrop tax preparer to more than three years in prison for filing fraudulent tax returns. 41-year-old Claudia Mays received a 39 month sentence in prison for filing 15 tax returns using stolen identities and false information. Mays was also ordered to pay more than $94,000 in restitution. 53-year-old Carla Inzina of Bastrop, who assisted Mays, was sentenced to three years probation.

Louisiana will have two Republicans in the US Senate after Doctor Bill Cassidy is sworn-in today. U-L Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says the state loses clout in the Senate, with Cassidy replacing three-term democratic Senator Mary Landrieu. But he says Louisiana can make up for it by having Cassidy and Senior Senator David Vitter working together in a Republican controlled Senate…

cut 11 (11) “might seem”

According to the Des Moines Register, Governor Bobby Jindal is scheduled to have two closed door meetings with conservative religious leaders in Iowa today. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says Iowa is important because it’s the first primary and evangelicals and conservatives are important because of their participation. He says these meetings are very important to Jindal’s hopes…

cut 5 (11) “financial backing”

Angola warden Burl Cain says he has not taken any steps to install a cooling system on death row. A federal judge has ruled that the state needs to take more measures to cool off death row during the hot summer months. Cain says they couldn’t just reduce the heat levels on death row, it would have to be the entire prison…

cut 14 (10) “another prison”

The ruling is currently under appeal.

King Cake season is officially underway but it will be a short one with Mardi Gras falling so early this year on February 17th. Gambino’s Bakery owner Sam Scelfo says they typically sell between 70,000-75,000 King Cakes in any given season and offer almost 70 different flavors…

cut 8 (07) “as we can”

He says the bulk of the pastry cakes they sell go two weeks before Mardi Gras.

Today, Governor Bobby Jindal is scheduled to have two closed door meetings with conservative religious leaders in Iowa. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says Jindal is looking to shore up his support among this group of voters…

cut 4 (08) “presidential nomination”

Jindal is thinking about a presidential run in 2016 and Iowa is important because they host the first primary.

Doctor Bill Cassidy will be sworn in as a US Senator today giving Louisiana two republicans in the US Senate. What will that mean for the Bayou State? U-L Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says Louisiana will have a unified voice on issues that the Senate debates…

cut 10 (10) “other issues”

Cross says Louisiana loses clout in the US Senate, with Cassidy replacing three-term democratic Senator Mary Landrieu.

King Cake season is officially underway on this Twelfth Night and it’ll be a short one with Mardi Gras falling so early this year on February 17th. Gambino’s Bakery owner Sam Scelfo says the bulk of the pastry cakes they sell go two weeks before Mardi Gras no matter what day it falls in the year…

cut 7 (10) “we’re excited about it”

Scelfo says they’ve been selling a bunch of King Cakes so far already this year but they expect to be extremely busy today.

It’s another election year in Louisiana and Angola Warden Burl Cain’s name has been thrown around as a possible candidate for Governor. He was in Baton Rouge today and says he’s still thinking about it..:
CUT 15 (09) “old Burl”
Cain says he’s a civil servant and he’ll have to resign if he runs so he’ll cross that bridge when he gets to it, if he gets to it.

Sad story out of Alexandria as cops say a man was accidentally shot and killed by another man who was playing with a gun. Lt. Brooks Fairbanks says 29-year-old Kendall Smith is charged with negligent homicide after a 29-year-old victim was located with a single gunshot wound…:
CUT 9 (05) “pronounced deceased”
Faibanks says after a tragedy like this it’s good to send the reminder that you should never ever handle a firearm in a reckless manner.

The Kenner Police Department says New Orleans Saints outside linebacker Junior Galette was arrested today and booked with domestic abuse battery. They say the incident involved a female acquaintance who sustained injuries including blood coming out of her ear when her earring was apparently ripped out. Lt. Brian McGregor read the victim’s statement:
CUT 12 (06) “I couldn’t breathe”
Galette told cops the woman was a dancer he brought home the night before and not his paramour.

Republican lawmakers are looking to move past the controversy surrounding House Majority Whip, Republican Congressman Steve Scalise of Metairie, over a speech he gave 12 years ago to a white supremacist group. Incoming Utah Representative Mia Love told ABC’s “This Week” that Scalise should remain in the party leadership…
cut 4 (11) “American people done”
Love is the first black female Republican elected to the House.

Republican lawmakers are looking to move past the controversy surrounding the new House Majority Whip Republican Congressman Steve Scalise, over a speech he gave 12 years ago to a white supremacist group…
CUT 1 (28) “reporting”
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest says Scalise once referred to himself as -quote- David Duke without baggage.

It’s possible we’re getting close to the bottom of the dramatic drop in gas prices. Gasbuddy.com reports some areas have increased slightly as refineries are about to shift production to their summer blends of gas.
—————————-
New Orleans Saints linebacker Junior Galette has been arrested and charged with domestic abuse battery. Galette told cops that the woman he brought home was a dancer, but the victim claims she was his assistant. Gallett’s cousin, 27-year-old Terrance Banks of Newark, New Jersey was also arrested for allegedly jumping her…
cut 13 (12) “jump me again”
That’s Kenner Police Lt. Brian McGregor reading the victim’s statement.

There could be another name on the Louisiana Governor candidate list. Angola Warden Burl Cain, although he said in Baton Rouge today he’s just thinking it over….
CUT 16 (10) Q” “to be’