Tomorrow is Election Day in Louisiana, but the ballot is quite sparse in most districts; many having only four amendments to the state constitution for voters to decide. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin urges you to not let them be decided by a small percentage voter turnout…:

CUT 03  (09)        “…what we have.”

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is up for re-election on Saturday. Cantrell also opposes Constitutional Amendment One on the ballot which creates a single commission to collect sales and use taxes. “LAPolitics.com” publisher Jeremy Alford says business groups support Amendment One…:

CUT 12(07)      “…almost immediately.”

Cantrell has the advantage; having drawn no well-funded challengers.

Grant Parish deputies say a man is in critical condition, after he tried a home invasion robbery and was shot by the homeowner. 39-year-old Chad Scott, of Pollock, allegedly made forced entry to the home only to be met by the resident; an armed off-duty Wildlife & Fisheries agent. Scott is in the hospital. State Police are investigating.

Bonfires on the Levee are officially given the go-ahead for this Christmas Eve in St. James Parish, after COVID snuffed them out last year. More from Brooke Thorington…:

CUT 02(31)      “…Thorington.”

Voters across our state finally get the chance to vote tomorrow, after weeks of delay due to Hurricane Ida. Dave Brannen has more…:

CUT 01  (31)        “…Brannen.”

A Covington man is charged with sexual contact with minors; using the social media app Snapchat to search for victims. St. Tammany Parish deputies say 18-year-old Ryheim Ross’s victims were 11, 12 and 13. He’s being held on over $400-thousand bond.

More pain at the pump, as the national average price of regular gas is now at $3.41. The statewide average is $3.16 and oil is around $800 a barrel. Louisiana AAA fuel analyst Don Redman says he expects things to remain pretty much right there for the next several weeks…:

CUT 07  (11)        “…into the winter.”

OPEC has agreed to slowly increase production, but Redman says it’ll be some time before that brings any relief at the gas pump.

Bonfires on the Mississippi River levee return this Christmas.  St. James Parish President Pete Dufresne says cancelling last year due to the pandemic was a hard call to make … but he says this year – weather permitting – the fires will return…:

CUT 10  (11)        “…to normalcy.”

The parish will start issuing permits next week. The bonfires can be lit anytime from November 21^st to Christmas Eve.

Voters head to the polls tomorrow in Louisiana, but for most, there’s not a lot to cast their votes on. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says every registered voter will have the opportunity to decide the outcome of four constitutional amendments.  Ardoin says if you aren’t sure where your polling location is, or what’s on your ballot, you can visit the website geauxvote.com.

Cut 5 (11) “…experience, I promise.”

The statewide average price of regular gas in the Bayou State is $3.16 a gallon. Down about a penny. And even though most of us tend to dislike the time change, Triple A’s Don Redman says it might have one redeeming quality, especially right now, because it’s darker on your commute home.

Cut 8 (11) “…the price.”

Redman doesn’t expect to see gas prices change drastically one way or the other as we approach winter.

The longtime Louisiana Christmas tradition of the Lighting of Bonfires is officially back on the calendar after being extinguished last year due to the pandemic. St James Parish President Pete Dufresne says the Christmas Eve pastime of lighting the way for Papa Noel has been a community event for decades…

Cut 9 (10) “…St James Parish.”

Four people from Larose are facing drug charges following an investigation that, among other things, led to a loaf of bread that had been hollowed out and stuffed with 50 grams of suspected methamphetamine. The Lafourche Parish sheriff says the discovery by a drug agent’s K-9 was made during a traffic stop earlier this week. Among the four arrested was suspected drug dealer, 46-year-old Reggie Estay.  The three others were arrested during a search of Estay’s West 11^th Street home, all of them said to be in possession of meth.

Voters head to the polls tomorrow in Louisiana. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says every registered voter will have the opportunity to decide the outcome of four constitutional amendments. Ardoin says because of an expected 35 percent voter turnout in Orleans Parish, voters statewide should be aware that New Orleans could have the largest impact on the fate of the constitutional amendments.

Cut 4 (13) “…folks would want.”

The National Average for a gallon of regular gas has dropped by a penny to $3.41. The decrease in demand has led to a slight price relief. Triple-A spokesperson Don Redman says the statewide average in the Bayou State is $3.16 a gallon. He says he doesn’t expect to see prices change drastically one way or the other as we approach winter.

Cut 7 (11) “….into the winter.”  

Redman says while OPEC has agreed to slowly increase production he says we most likely won’t see an impact in prices at the pump for some time.

The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana’s study of virtual learning hopes to help create best practices for remote education in the future. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

Now a check on commodity prices for this Friday afternoon.

It appears the rise in gas prices has plateaued. Triple-A says the statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.16, it was a penny higher a week ago. Triple-A’s Don Redman says there’s been a drop in demand for gas and last weekend’s time change helped…
cut 8 (11) “…lower the price”

Voters head to the polls tomorrow in Louisiana, but for most, there’s not a lot to cast their votes on. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says every registered voter will have the opportunity to decide the outcome of four constitutional amendments.
Cut 3 (09) “….what we have.”
The polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

As we mentioned in the last segment there are four amendments to the state Constitution on tomorrow’s ballot. Amendment One would establish a centralized state sales & use tax collection authority. Dawn McVea, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, says this will help collect internet sales taxes…:
Cut 10 (11) “…our sales tax over time.”
McVea says NFIB also supports Amendment Two which would lower income tax rates, but eliminate the federal tax deduction for state individual income tax filers. But Louisiana Budget Project Director Jan Moller says A-2 is being pitched as revenue-neutral, but he says it will create bigger state budget deficits…:
Cut 12 (15) “…corporate income taxes.”

The National Average for a gallon of regular gas has decreased by a penny to $3.41. The decrease in demand has led to a slight price relief. Triple-A spokesperson Don Redman says with holidays around the corner he’s hoping the slight decrease is a sign that prices might be stabilizing for the winter at least…

Cut 6 (11) “…going up.” 

Crude oil prices remain above $80 a barrel.

Sticker shock is not only an issue putting fuel in your car but also shopping for a vehicle and most anything these days. Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says there are factors involved, also because of inflation and supply chain problems, that are certain to keep food prices higher for a while.

Cut 6 (09) “…this forward, unfortunately.”

He says meat, poultry, eggs and fish are up 19 percent from a year ago.

Governor Edwards returns to DC next week to lobby for additional relief funding for southwest Louisiana for recovery from Laura and Delta. Calcasieu Parish Police Jury President, Brian Abshire says while he appreciates what the governor has helped with so far, they along with other parts of southwest Louisiana need an additional 600-million dollars in disaster relief funding.

Cut 15 (10)  “…of our residents.”

It was August 2020 when Laura made landfall.

Virtual learning is under the microscope after becoming mainstream during the pandemic. Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana Policy Director Steven Procopio says when they examined high school level charter schools and their virtual learning especially among Black and economically disadvantaged students, charter schools outperformed state schools.

Cut 8 (10) “..during the pandemic.”

They are hoping to help set a best practices for virtual learning going forward.

A Constitutional Amendment on Saturday’s ballot – to alter state income taxes – draws support and opposition from interest groups. More from Kevin Gallagher…:

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.” 

State Police are investigating a home invasion in Grant Parish that resulted in the shooting of the suspect, 39-year old Chad Scott of Pollock Wednesday night. Police say the suspect entered the home of an off-duty wildlife agent, an altercation ensued, and the homeowner fired shots. Scott was transferred to a local hospital and the case remains under investigation.

Governor Edwards returns to DC next week in hopes of garnering more relief funds for southwest Louisiana. Calcasieu Parish Police Jury President, Brian Abshire says while things have improved in the area months after the storms, that’s not the case for everyone and every location.

Cut  16 (09) “..on their own”

Abshire says the 600-million-dollars in long-term disaster relief doesn’t go far enough

Steven Procopio, Policy director at the Public Affairs Research Council says they are making recommendations for virtual education that should increase transparency, more accurate data on student performance, improved outcomes, and a funding structure to cover the cost of virtual education after the pandemic forced many educators and students to use the platform.

Cut 9 (09)  “…outcomes are.”

Four amendments to the state Constitution will be decided Saturday. Amendment One would establish a centralized state sales & use tax collection authority. Dawn McVea, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, says our current system doesn’t have a mechanism for collecting Internet sales taxes and millions are being left un-collected…:
Cut 10 (11) “…our sales tax over time.”
McVea says NFIB also supports Amendment Two which would lower income tax rates, but eliminate the federal tax deduction for state individual income tax filers. Supporters say the tax reform would be revenue-neutral. But Louisiana Budget Project Executive Director Jan Moller disagrees and…
cut 13 (08) “….tax structure”

The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana’s study of virtual learning hopes to help create best practices for remote education in the future. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says meat, fish and poultry prices are up 19-percent over last year. Strain says power and transportation costs are leading to higher prices in the grocery store…
cut 5 (10) “…up 12-percent”
As for used car prices, Strain says they are up a whopping 58 percent.