LRN PM Newscall December 20

A vet is under arrest for shockingly killing a dog.  Kelley Ray has more on this troubling incident…

Cut 1 (29) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

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Governor John Bel Edwards held his last press conference of the year, where he addressed concerns about the looming fiscal cliff. Matt Doyle has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

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U-S Senator Bill Cassidy says the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act approved by Congress does more than just cut taxes for working families. Cassidy says the legislation also allows victims of last year’s floods in North and South Louisiana to deduct all of their personal casualty losses from their taxable income, which could means thousands of dollars…

Cut 3 (08) “recovery costs”

Cassidy says the bill also preserves the Historical Tax Credit, which since 2002 has helped facilitate nearly 800 reconstruction projects…

Cut 4  (06) “38,000 jobs” 

Cassidy says the tax reform legislation also creates nearly 100-million in additional funding for coastal restoration projects in Louisiana…

Cut 5  (08)  “coastal erosion”

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A River Ridge vet has been arrested for allegedly shooting and killing her neighbor’s dog, because of excessive barking. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto says 35-year-old Kelly Folse shot “Bruiser” last week and the dog died the following day. Lopinto says Folse has not been happy with the barking dog for awhile…

Cut 6 (10)  “with it.”

Lopinto says his department is used to protecting individuals, but this bizarre case shows that protection at times can extend to include protecting animals…

Cut 7 (06)  “the top.”

Lopinto says he can’t believe such a person who is supposed to take care of animals would go to this length to silence an animal she was aggravated with…

Cut 8 (10) “techs do.”

Lopinto says felony charges are expected to be filed against Folse.  She was terminated from Abadie Veterinarian Hospital following her arrest.

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Governor John Bel Edwards plans on having February special session to address the looming fiscal cliff, but only if there is an agreement with house Republican leaders on a plan to address the one billion dollar shortfall. The governor set a January 19th deadline for the agreement

Cut 9 (07)  “healthcare”

Edwards has already provided several suggestions to creating revenue to replace the loss of a temporary one cent sales tax that’s set to expire on June 30th. The governor is proposing to make changes to income tax brackets and the elimination of tax breaks that benefit businesses

 

The governor warned that failure to reach an agreement on addressing the one billion dollar shortfall will result in deep cuts to higher education and healthcare. He says legislators will see the cuts first hand when he proposes next fiscal year’s budget in January.

 

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It appears this could be a record breaking sugar cane crop in Louisiana. The great crop means the grinding season could continue until mid January.  LSU Ag Center sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois says the bumper crop can be attributed to favorable weather conditions…

Cut 12 (11) “dry harvest.”

A freak snow storm a couple of weeks ago dumped as much as six inches in southeast Louisiana, but Gravois says damage to the crop was minimal…

Cut 13 (09)  “cold weather.”

2012 as of now remains the record breaking year for the industry with more than 84-hundred pounds per acre harvested.  With a similar expected harvest, Gravois says market prices will remain competitive with better prices passed on to consumers…

Cut 14 (10) “2016 price.”