A St. Mary Parish man faces numerous charges for illegally taking nutria, to profit from the state’s bounty program. More from Jeff Palermo…:

Cut 2 (33)  “….I’m Jeff Palermo.” 

A Good Samaritan who was witnessing an armed robbery in the New Orleans French Quarter is credited with intervening and wrestling the gun from the assailant’s hands. The would-be thief got away, and the intended victim and rescuer were unharmed.

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and while you’ll probably witness some last-minute shopping today, overall shoppers are predicted to spend a whopping $25.9-billion in the US this year. Katherine Cullen with the National Retail Federation says that’s up from $24-billion spent last year, and the second highest on record…:

Cut 3 (11) “…last year.” 

Bad news for the Pelicans as All-Star forward Zion Williamson will miss several more weeks after he re-aggravated his right hamstring. Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin says even though Williamson has missed 28 games this season, he’s confident the team can still play at a high level without their all-star and make the playoffs…

Cut 13 (09) “…mentality means.” 

The Pels play in Oklahoma City tonight.

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, so if you’re in stores tonight you will likely see a good many last-minute shoppers. The National Retail Federation says we’ll spend more this year than last year for our loved ones. NRF’s Kathy Cullen says online purchases will make a up the lion’s share, but big dollars will also be spent in retail stores and, oh yes, florists…:

CUT 05  (11)        “…for a loved one.”

National Valentine’s spending is expected to be at around $26-Billion.

Running for State Treasurer this fall, Baton Rouge state Rep. Scott McKnight. He says he’s a fan of outgoing Treasurer John Schroder, and says he’d run the Treasury, and represent Bond Commission, much as Schroder did…:

CUT 11  (11)        “…with there.”

State Wildlife & Fisheries agents arrest a Patterson man for illegally taking nutria, to collect bounties for the invasive species. LDWF spokesman Adam Einck says their investigation began with them being alerted to videos posted on social media that showed the cruel acts…:

CUT 06(11)      “…was doing it.”

45-year-old Harris DeHart is charged with a long list of offenses, including animal cruelty and violating state law for legally taking non-game animals. Einck says DeHart was harvesting nutria tails to game the nutria bounty program, which has strict rules as to how the animals may be dispatched.

Sheriff’s deputies in West Baton Rouge Parish found a person dead in a car Sunday, and say the car belongs to 55-year-old Sheila Baker, who’s been missing from Lafayette since Christmas. The remains inside the car haven’t been positively ID’ed yet, but officers suspect it is Baker. An autopsy will determine how she died.

Let’s talk the fall election. So far there is only one declared candidate running for State Treasurer. Current Treasurer John Schroder is running for governor, and his seat will be wide open this autumn. Enter Baton Rouge state Representative Scott McKnight, and insurance professional, who says he’s ready to handle holding and allocating state funds. As for any excess, McKnight says it would be his job to invest it wisely…:

CUT 10  (10)        “…the economy.”

McKnight is a republican and the only announced candidate for Treasurer so far.

State Wildlife & Fisheries agents arrest a Patterson man for gaming the nutria bounty program, by catching the rodents, cutting off their tails and letting them go…sometimes mortally injured. LDWF spokesman Adam Einck says 45-year-old Harris DeHart was cheating the system and taking the animals illegally…:

CUT 08  (09)        “…taken away.”

He could face up to 10 years if convicted.

The National Retail Federation says spending on Valentine’s Day gifts will exceed last year’s $23.9 billion. Brooke Thorington has more…:

CUT 01(31)      “…Thorington.”

The state’s Legislative Auditor says the City of Westlake, in Calcasieu Parish, fell victim to an email hack that netted thieves over $64-thousand in illegitimately-billed overdue payments. The auditor found the city hadn’t properly vetted the bogus invoices before paying them.

Baton Rouge Representative Scott McKnight who’s so far the only candidate running for state treasurer addressed the Press Club of Baton Rouge this afternoon. The insurance executive has been in the legislature since 2020…:

CUT 09(10)      “…State Treasurer.”

Current State Treasurer John Schroder is not seeking re-election and is running for governor.

American consumers are expected to spend about $2-billion more on Valentine’s Day than last year. Katherine Cullen with the National Retail Federation says the reason for the increase is more consumers showing appreciation for others…:

CUT 04(07)      “…even pets.”

I was going to go with inflation as the reason, but…OK.

A St. Mary Parish man face numerous charges for illegally taking nutria, to profit from the state’s bounty program. More from Jeff Palermo…:

CUT 02(33)      “…Palermo.”

A Good Samaritan who was witnessing an armed robbery in the New Orleans French Quarter is credited with intervening and wrestling the gun from the assailant’s hands. The would-be thief got away, the intended victim and his rescuer are unharmed.

State Wildlife & Fisheries agents arrest a Patterson man for illegally taking nutria, to collect bounties for the invasive species. LDWF spokesman Adam Einck (EYE-nk) says 45-year-old Harris DeHart is seen in online “how-to” videos catching nutria by gassing them, cutting off their tails and letting them go; impaired and badly injured. Einck says he faces a long list of charges…:

CUT 07(11)      “…that’s not allowed.”

Einck says the state pays a bounty for the invasive animals, and they pay by how many tails one turns in…but the manner in which the animals are dispatched is laid out in state law. He says DeHart was gaming the bounty system.

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor says the City of Westlake fell victim to an email hack that netted thieves over $64-thousand in illegitimately-billed overdue payments. The auditor found the city hadn’t properly vetted the bogus invoices before paying them.

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and while you’ll probably witness some last-minute shopping today, overall shoppers are predicted to spend a whopping $25.9-billion in the US this year. Katherine Cullen with the National Retail Federation says that’s up from $24-billion spent last year, and the second highest on record…:

CUT 03(11)      “…last year.”

Consumers are expected to spend $4.4-billion on an evening out and more than $5.5-billion on jewelry.

Bad news for the Pelicans as All-Star forward Zion Williamson will miss several more weeks after he re-aggravated his right hamstring. Pelicans’ executive vice president David Griffin says Williamson was set to return soon, but re-injured himself at practice…:

CUT 12(13)      “…to navigate.”

New Orleans is at Oklahoma City tonight.

Dense early morning fog is blamed for a 15-vehcile pile-up this morning near Lake Peigneur in Iberia Parish. State Police are investigating what exactly happened, but we are told no one reported seriously hurt.

The National Retail Federation says spending on Valentine’s Day gifts will exceed last year’s $23.9 billion. Brooke Thorington has more…:

CUT 01(31)      “…Thorington.”

State Wildlife & Fisheries agents arrest a Patterson man for illegally taking nutria, to collect bounties for the invasive species. LDWF spokesman Adam Einck (EYE-nk) says their investigation began with them being alerted to videos posted on social media that showed the cruel acts…:

CUT 06(11)      “…who was doing it.”

At that was – allegedly – 45-year-old Harris DeHart. Einck says he was gigging the rodents, cutting their tails off and releasing them; impaled and badly cut. Among his many charges: numerous counts of animal cruelty.

…and now a look at today’s commodities with Don Molino…

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon announces a 30-day application period is open for the Insure Louisiana Incentive Program. Donelon says a similar program after hurricanes Katrina and Rita reduced the number of Citizens policies by 40-thousand…:

CUT 11(08)      “…they’re facing.”

Donelon encourages Louisiana homeowners who have Citizens or are unable to find affordable insurance to contact an insurance agent and ask for as many quotes as possible in the coming months.

Chair of the state Democratic Party, Katie Bernhardt tells The Advocate she’s not running for governor. And while her recent TV ad received widespread criticism from party members, “LAPolitics.com” publisher Jeremy Alford says she never declared her candidacy for any office in the ad, only that help was coming…:

CUT 13(11)      “…to run.”

Sheriff’s deputies in West Baton Rouge Parish found a person dead in a car Sunday, and say the car belongs to 55-year-old Sheila Baker, who’s been missing from Lafayette since Christmas. The remains inside the car haven’t been positively ID’ed yet, but officers suspect it is Baker. An autopsy will determine how she died.

February is American Heart Month and heart disease is the leading cause of death in Louisiana. Do you know what your risk factors are? Brooke Thorington has more…:

CUT 01(31)      ”…Thorington.”