Opelousas police officer Savannah Butler faces two counts of negligent injury after her firearm was discharged at police chief Graig LeBlanc and his wife Crystal. St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says it happened after an argument between the LeBlancs outside of Butler’s home.

Cut 6 (11) “…front of him.”

Guidroz says they do not know why Chief LeBlanc was at Butler’s residence on December 22^nd, or why his wife, who’s a Captain with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office later arrived at the home and what led to the argument.

Authorities are searching for Sammy Patrick, a Black male, who they believe could be in Concordia Parish, after he allegedly shot, killed, sexually assaulted, and then set the elderly female victim on fire in Forest, Mississippi, Saturday afternoon. He’s considered armed and extremely dangerous.

An innocent bystander was killed on New Year’s Eve near Westwego in Jefferson Parish as a woman was attempting to retrieve her stolen vehicle. Sheriff Joe Lopinto says when the owner tried to get her vehicle back, she was confronted by three male suspects in the parking lot, and at least one of the suspects fired at the vehicle’s owner…

Cut 9 (09) “…our state.” 

The Jefferson Parish coroner has identified the victim as 32-year-old Corey Washington.

Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) is asking residents to cut down on waste as one of their New Year’s resolutions. Director Susan Russell suggests using reusable bottles and bags and fewer single-use paper and plastic items.

Cut 5 (09) “ …don’t biodegrade.” 

She says 43 million pieces of trash litter Louisiana roadways.

A new Legislature takes over next week and tackling violent crime will be one of their major priorities. Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala says the state needs to address the alarming shortage of law enforcement officers…
cut 11 (11) “…that profession”

LSU’s defense didn’t have a good day yesterday but they came up with back-to-back sacks on Wisconsin’s final drive to preserve a 35-31 over the Badgers in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Coach Brian Kelly on his defense securing a victory…
cut 15 (15) “…win a championship”

Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) is urging Louisianans to adopt one of their resolutions to help clean up the Bayou State in the New Year. Director for KLB Susan Russell says litter is a major issue in Louisiana. She says one simple resolution is to a bag in the car to collect litter.

Cut 3 (13) “…get home.”

According to KLB’s 2023 roadside litter study, there were more than 143 million pieces of litter on Louisiana roadways.

Authorities are searching for Sammy Patrick, a Black male, who they believe could be in Concordia Parish, after he allegedly shot, killed, sexually assaulted, and then set the elderly female victim on fire in Forest, Mississippi, Saturday afternoon. You’re urged to call law enforcement if you know his whereabouts, he’s considered armed and extremely dangerous.

Pennington Biomedical health experts say New Year resolutions that involve nutrition, exercise or mental health are doable by making small steps.  Teiko Foxx has more…

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

After 35 years, Jay Dardenne announces he’s retiring from politics. The former Secretary of State, Lt. Governor and current Commissioner of Administration says when he was chosen to serve with Governor John Bel Edwards, they were in for a quite surprise when Edwards was first sworn in.

Cut 9 (12)  “…two billion dollar problem.”

The LSU Tigers completed their mission of achieving a ten-win season as LSU rallied in the final minutes to beat Wisconsin 35-31 in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa. Garrett Nussmeier was named the game’s MVP as he led the Tigers back from two 14-point deficits…

Cut 13 (13) “…Las Vegas” 
LSU kicks off the 2024 season on September 1st against USC in Las Vegas.

Morgan City Police have released the name of the woman who died after falling into the Atchafalaya River on December 26th. 49-year-old Angela Maria Clark’s body was found around midnight, after following up on a report of a person who fell into the river in the Front Street area. This is an active investigation.

The Louisiana Violent Crime Task Force has submitted a report for the next Legislature to review. Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala served on the Task Force and says the report contains several broad recommendations and areas to address. He says speeding up the time between an arrest and trial has to be addressed…

Cut 10 (12) “…set ablaze.”
Bacala says legislation is also needed to bring real, substantial consequences to juveniles committing serious crimes.

Jay Dardenne’s 35-year political career is ending. He served as Secretary of State, Lt Governor, and is currently Commissioner of Administration. In the state senate, he helped craft several significant laws.

Cut 7 (11) “…the victim.”

If you’ve set a goal of taking better care of your health for a resolution… Pennington Biomedical Assistant Professor of Research Jacob Mey says ease into it, don’t start with a goal that involves working out 6 days a week…

Cut 5 (13) “…step counts.”

And if things get off track you can always start over again

A Violent Crime Task Force has submitted a report that will give the new Legislature something to work from as they look to pass criminal justice reform measures. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (35) “…I”m Jeff Palermo”

For the third consecutive year, The Louisiana Office of Tourism  “Explore Louisiana” float won the Showmanship Award for the second year in a row. The Mardi Gras-inspired float featured a larger-than-life Mardi Gras jester, second-line inspired umbrellas, fleur de lis, and lots of purple, green, and gold.

If you made health and fitness goals part of your New Year resolutions, Pennington Biomedical Assistant Professor of Research Jacob Mey says don’t start with a goal that involves working out 6 days a week. He says if you fall off the wagon, regroup and identify achievable steps to keep going.

Cut 6 (09) “…person perspective.”

The LSU Tigers beat Wisconsin 35-31 in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa. Garrett Nussmeier was named the game’s MVP as he led the Tigers back from two 14-point deficits.  In his first collegiate start, Nussmeier threw for 395 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Nussmeier led LSU on an eight-play, 98-yard drive for the winning touchdown with just over three minutes left.

Cut 14 (11) “…very thankful.” 

LSU’s defense struggled giving up 508 yards, but back-to-back sacks on the Badgers final drive put the game away. Coach Brian Kelly says it was a good confidence builder…

The LSU Tigers completed their mission of achieving a ten-win season as LSU rallied in the final minutes to beat Wisconsin 35-31 in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa. Garrett Nussmeier was named the game’s MVP as he led the Tigers back from two 14-point deficits…
Cut 13 (13) “…Las Vegas”
LSU kicks off the 2024 season on September 1st versus USC in Las Vegas.

A new Legislature takes over next week and tackling violent crime will be one of their major priorities. Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala says the state needs to address the alarming shortage of law enforcement officers…
cut 11 (11) “…that profession”

LSU Pennington Biomedical health experts want you to know New Year resolutions that involve nutrition, exercise or mental health are doable with small shifts. Teiko Foxx has more…
Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in finding a man wanted in the fatal shooting of an elderly woman who was also set on fire in Scott County Mississippi on Saturday. Sammy Patrick is considered armed and dangerous and could be in Concordia Parish. A five-thousand dollar reward is being offered any information that leads to Patrick’s arrest.

A new administration takes over on Monday with the swearing in of Republican Jeff Landry as governor. Landry plans to hold a special session in February on crime. Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala says they will look to pass criminal justice reform initiatives. Bacala says he finds it interesting that felony arrests in New Orleans have significantly dropped, from 22-thousand in 2010 to just four-thousand in 2022…
cut 12 (12) “….blow up”

Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne is leaving politics after a 35-year career. Dardenne has served as a state senator, Secretary of State and Lt. Governor. Dardenne was elected as Lt. Governor in 2010 and launched the Pick Your Passion marketing campaign….
cut 8 (10) “…after Katrina”

Many of us have made health and fitness resolutions for the new year. LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Assistant Professor of Research Jacob Mey has some tips on staying on track. Mey suggests making subtle adjustments to your diet and every day ask yourself…
Cut 4 (10) “…positive direction.”
Mey says when starting a new exercise routine, a couple of days of exercise at a light effort is a great way to start.

A great performance from LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier yesterday helped the Tigers pull off a 35-31 win over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Nussmeier threw for 395 yards and three touchdowns. Coach Brian Kelly on the Nuss bus..
cut 16 (16) “…for us”
LSU finishes the season with a 10-3 record.

The Louisiana Violent Crime Task Force has submitted a report for the next Legislature to review. Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala served on the Task Force and says the report contains several broad recommendations and areas to address. Bacala says speeding up the time between an arrest and trial has to be addressed…
Cut 10 (12) “the victim”

LSU’s defense didn’t have a good day yesterday but they came up with back-to-back sacks on Wisconsin’s final drive to preserve a 35-31 over the Badgers in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Coach Brian Kelly on his defense securing a victory…
cut 15 (15) “…win a championship”
LSU finishes with ten wins for a second consecutive season.

January 8th will mark the end of a long political career for Jay Dardenne. Colleen Crain has more…
Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain”

It’s a new year and Louisiana’s new Legislature will get to work soon on redrawing the state’s Congressional map. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (32)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

36-year-old HARRY L RICHARD JR was fatally shot on New Year’s Eve around 11:05 pm in Rayne. Authorities say Richard was found with several gunshot wounds to his upper body in the 1000 block of Lyman Avenue. He was taken to a local hospital in Crowley where he later died.

Louisiana Red Cross Regional Volunteer Services Officer Rebecca Merritt says more volunteers are needed this year in Louisiana. In the last year, she says volunteers responded to more than 16 hundred local disasters.

Cut 4 (13) “…Cross going.”

Merritt says more than 900 people voluntarily give time to help the Louisiana Red CrossShe says there are lots of different disaster-related volunteer roles.

People are already focusing on New Year resolutions and LSU Health New Orleans Chair of Psychiatry Dr. Rahn Bailey suggests making resolutions you can control and having a support group.

Cut 6 (08) “…positive future.”

How many special sessions will lawmakers see in 2024 before the start of the regular session in March? Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says a special session to redraw a new Congressional map will begin January 15th and a criminal justice reform session is expected to take place in February…

Cut 9 (06)  “…serious outcomes.”

Republicans will have a supermajority in both the House and Senate, but Pinsonat says Democrats will likely have a new Congressional map that would provide the opportunity for two additional Democrats to be elected to Congress in November or in a December runoff.

Tax Expert for Advantous, Jason DeCuir says in 2024 Louisiana is moving to a Uniform Local Sales Tax Board to collect taxes from businesses, instead of the Parish E-File System.

Cut 12 (11) “…local government.” 

DeCuir says after the Wayfair lawsuits, new federal rules regarding sales tax collection require states to have a simple centralized collection method. He says the state’s previous fragmented system cost Louisiana uncollected revenue from remote online businesses…

To avoid a setback after making New Year resolutions, LSU Health New Orleans Chair of Psychiatry Dr. Rahn Bailey says having positive support in your life increases your chances of being more likely to keep your resolutions.

Cut 7 (09) “…very beneficial.”

Bailey recommends joining or participating in group activities that involve hobbies you enjoy. At the same time, you’ll meet people with shared interests.

The American Red Cross has responded to nearly twice as many large disasters across the country as it did a decade ago. Regional Volunteer Services Officer Rebecca Merritt says the need for more volunteers in 2024 to help respond to disasters in the Bayou State has never been greater. She says volunteers responded to more than 16 hundred local disasters.

Cut 4 (13) “…Cross going.”

More than 900 people voluntarily give time to help the Louisiana Red Cross.