US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces the Lower Chamber will vote to send two articles of impeachment to the Senate, a month after voting to impeach President Trump. Pelosi has withheld the articles after a disagreement on how the trial should be held. Senator John Kennedy says the waiting game has been embarrassing.
Cut 6 (04) “farce”
Representatives Schiff, Nadler, and five other Democrats have been named impeachment managers and will prosecute the case in the Senate.
Smoking is not allowed in the Superdome but that didn’t stop several LSU players including quarterback Joe Burrow from lighting up a cigar following the team’s victory over Clemson in the national championship game. Baton Rouge defense attorney and cigar enthusiast Franz Borghardt says he couldn’t help but wonder how many of the guys who were partaking were under 21, which is a violation of federal law.
Cut 7 (11) “…on football performance.”

Saints QB Drew Brees turns 41 today, and coming off a disappointing end to the season there’s questions as to what his age means for the team going forward. Locked on Saints podcast host Ross Jackson says he fully expects Brees will be back in Black and Gold, but it’s obvious that his physical ability has deteriorated quickly over the past few years.
Cut 14 (11) “…to be”
Coach Payton says he expects Drew will be back, which likely means backup Teddy Bridgewater, who went 5 and 0 while Brees was injured, will leave in free agency.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has begun an I-10 widening and improvement project in Calcasieu Parish.  DOTD spokesperson Tammy York says the work will bump up the capacity and upgrade the surface of the road in the stretch just west of Sulfur.
Cut 3 (09)  “…a $45.5 million project.” 
York says the area is a fairly congested portion of I-10. The project is expected to wrap up in summer 2021.

Chairman of the House Republican Delegation Blake Miguez is frustrated Gonzales Representative Clay Schexnayder was elected House Speaker over Albany Representative Sherman Mack. The GOP House delegation publically backed Mack and Miguez says based on last November’s election, the House was set to carry out a conservative agenda…
cut 11 (09) “…policy”

Former Saints special teams standout and ALS advocate Steve Gleason will receive the Congressional Gold Medal this afternoon at the US Capitol. Gleason was diagnosed with ALS in 2011 and in that time he has helped over 15,000 people deal with the crippling disease through the Team Gleason charitable organization…
cut 4 (11) “….all of us”
The distinction is the highest honor Congress can bestow on a civilian and fewer than 200 have been a recipient and Gleason is the first NFL player to get the award.

It’s against the law to smoke in the Superdome, but that didn’t stop LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and several players from partaking in a post-game cigar after beating Clemson. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

University of Louisiana at Monre President Nick Bruno has told the University of Louisiana System that he plans to retire by June 30th. Bruno has led ULM since 2010. During that time higher education saw cuts in state funding, despite that challenge Bruno was able to bring a medical school to campus.

Is there a rift within the Louisiana Republican Party? Twenty-three Republicans in the House voted against the majority of the GOP House delegation when they voted for Representative Clay Schexnayder of Ascension Parish as House Speaker.
cut 29 (10) “…forward”
That’s Erath Representative Blake Miguez who chairs the House Republican delegation. He says Sherman Mack from Livingston Parish was the better choice to lead a conservative agenda in the House.

Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Randall Gaines is elated over the election of Schexnayder as House Speaker. Gaines believes Schexnayder will split up legislative leadership positions more fairly than Mack would…
cut 13 (09) “…committees”

Former Saints special teams standout and A-L-S advocate, Steve Gleason, receives the Congressional Gold Medal today. U-S Senator Bill Cassidy says the distinction is the highest honor Congress can bestow on a civilian and fewer than 200 have been a recipient…
cut 5 (11) “….sort of person’
The Team Gleason organization has helped raise millions of dollars to benefit thousands of A-L-S patients.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees turns 41-years-old and will be a free agent in March. So what does the future hold for the future Hall of Famer. Locked on Saints podcast host Ross Jackson expects Brees will be back, but he predicts back-up Q-B Teddy Bridgewater will sign a long-term contract with another team…
cut 16 (10) “…situation”

Chairman of the House Republican Delegation Blake Miguez is frustrated Gonzales Representative Clay Schexnayder was elected House Speaker over Albany Representative Sherman Mack. The GOP House delegation publically backed Mack and Miguez says based on last November’s election, the House was set to carry out a conservative agenda…
cut 11 (09) “…policy”

Smoking is not allowed in the Superdome but that didn’t stop several LSU players including quarterback Joe Burrow from lighting up a cigar following the team’s victory over Clemson in the national championship game. A police officer reportedly ordered the stogies to be put out. No players were issued a citation. Baton Rouge defense attorney Franz Borghardt says if they were, charges would have probably been dropped…
cut 9 (12) “….the same thing”

ALS advocate and former Saints special teams standout Steve Gleason will receive the Congressional Gold Medal this afternoon. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Saints quarterback Drew Brees turns 41 today. Locked on Saints podcast host Ross Jackson expects Brees to be back with the Black and Gold in 2020, but he’s not getting any younger…
cut 14 (07) “….to be”
Brees will be a free agent in March.

Speaker of the House Clay Schexnayder’s election has Democrats celebrating, and conservative Republicans lamenting what it might mean at the State Capitol for the next four years. Schexnayder defeated Sherman Mack in a 60-45 vote, over half of Schexnayder’s votes came from Democrats. House GOP Caucus Chairman Blake Miguez says it’s disappointing to see a Republican court Democrats for power.
cut 10 (10) “…we have”
68 of the 105 members in the House are Republicans and a majority the House Republican delegation supported Mack.

Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Randall Gaines celebrated the coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats who came together to vote for Schexnayder. He says the other option was too extreme.
Cut 12 (08) “…agenda”

Former Saints special teams standout and ALS advocate Steve Gleason will receive the Congressional Gold Medal this afternoon at the US Capitol. Gleason was diagnosed with ALS in 2011 and in that time he has helped over 15,000 people deal with the crippling disease through Team Gleason and his no white flags organization…
cut 4 (11) “….all of us”
The distinction is the highest honor Congress can bestow on a civilian and fewer than 200 have been a recipient and Gleason is the first NFL player to get the award.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees turns 41-years-old today. Locked on Saints podcast host Ross Jackson expects New Orleans to sign the soon to be free agent to a new contract, even though Brees’ arm strength is not what it once was and that means Sean Payton might have to run the ball more next year…
cut 15 (09) “….this season”

Clay Schexnayder’s surprising election as House Speaker elicits very different reactions from Democrats and Republicans. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 3 (30) “…matt Doyle”

Funeral services for Amite Mayor Milton Buddy Bel will be held Friday. The 74-year-old died Sunday after suffering head trauma from a fall last week. Bel has served as Amite’s mayor since 2012. He’s described as an incredible husband, father, grandfather and brother. He also owned Cabby’s restaurant in Amite for 24 years.

Today is a big day for A-L-S advocate and former Saints special teams standout Steve Gleason as he will receive the Congressional Gold Medal. It’s the highest honor Congress can bestow on an individual. Cassidy says A-L-S takes away a person’s ability to walk and talk, but Gleason has spearheaded research that allows A-L-S patients to communicate…
cut 6 (13) “….those with A-L-S”
The ceremony begins at 2 PM central time.

A lasting image from LSU’s national championship victory over Clemson will be quarterback Joe Burrow smoking a cigar while sitting on a couch. Cigar afficionado Franz Borghardt says the imagery will result in a spike in cigar sales…
cut 8 (11) “….it’s that moment”
A police officer reportedly threatened to arrest Burrow and other players, because they were breaking the law by smoking inside a public building.

ALS advocate and Former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason will receive the Congressional Gold Medal this afternoon at the US Capitol. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

________________________________________

It may be unlawful to smoke in a state-owned building, but social media posts from the locker room show that didn’t stop Joe Burrow and several other plays from partaking in a post-game cigar on Monday night. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart” 

____________________________________________

Clay Schexnayder’s surprising Speakership election has elicited very different reactions from Democrats and Republicans. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 3 (30)  “…matt Doyle” 

____________________________________________

Former New Orleans Saints player and ALS advocate Steve Gleason will receive the Congressional Gold Medal this afternoon at the US Capitol.  Gleason was diagnosed with ALS in January 2011 and in the time since has helped over 15,000 people also dealing with the crippling disease with Team Gleason.  Senator Bill Cassidy…

Cut 4 (11) “…all of us.”

Cassidy worked on the honor on the Senate side will Cedric Richmond and Steve Scalise made the push on the House side.  The distinction is the highest honor Congress can bestow on a civilian and fewer than 200 have been a recipient.

Cut 5 (11) “…sort of person.”

Gleason’s efforts have helped establish a database for thousands of ALS patients worldwide for researchers to access in an effort to combat the disease.  Cassidy says Gleason has also worked with Microsoft to create communication tools.

Cut 6 (13) “…those with ALS”

_____________________________

The image of Joe Burrow’s victory stogie in the locker room is one that will forever be attached to LSU’s championship celebration.  Baton Rouge defense attorney and cigar enthusiast Franz Borghardt says he couldn’t help but wonder how many of the guys who were partaking were under 21, which is a violation of federal law.

Cut 7 (11) “…on football performance.”

Smoking is also prohibited in the Superdome as it is a state-owned building.

Borghardt believes the imagery will likely result in a spike for cigar sales in Louisiana.  Borghardt says the moment was emblematic of everything he loves about cigars and says they are a wonderful means of celebrating life’s triumphs.

Cut 8 (11) “…it’s that moment.”

Despite the unlawful behavior, Borghardt does not believe any law enforcement officer or prosecutor in their right mind would actually try to pursue any real ramifications against the players.

Cut 9 (12) “…the same thing”

____________________

Speaker of the House Clay Schexnayder’s election has Democrats celebrating, and conservative Republicans lamenting what it might mean for Legislation over the next four years.

Schexnayder won 60-45, with over half of his votes coming from Democrats. House GOP Caucus Chairman Blake Miguez says it’s disappointing to see a Republican court Democrats for power.

Cut 10 (10) “…we have”

The Republicans who broke rank are considered to be more moderate than the rest of the caucus.

The election is thought to give Governor Edwards a surprising amount of Legislative influence despite a recent election where Republicans cleared out many former Democratic strongholds.

Cut 11 (09) “policy”

Miguez says we will get a preview of the Governor’s influence on the new Speaker today when the Revenue Estimating Conference meets to vote on adopting this year’s forecast.

Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Randall Gaines celebrated the coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats who voted in Schexnayder. He says the other option, Sherman Mack, was too extreme.

Cut 12 (08) “…agenda”

And Gaines says Schexnayder agreed to give Democrats access to certain Legislative positions that Mack would have likely frozen them out of.

Cut 13 (09) “…committees.”

_____________________________________

Saints QB Drew Brees turns 41 today, and coming off a disappointing end to the season there’s questions as to what his age means for the team going forward.

Locked on Saints podcast host Ross Jackson says he fully expects Brees will be back in Black and Gold, but it’s obvious that his physical ability has deteriorated quickly over the past few years.

Cut 14 (11) “…to be”

With that in mind, Jackson says it’s highly likely you will see Sean Payton’s offense build even more around a run game, ball control offense that takes fewer big shots than it used to…

Cut 15 (09) “…this season”

Coach Payton says he expects Drew will be back, which likely means backup Teddy Bridgewater will leave in free agency. Jackson says if a good, long term offer to start shows up, Teddy will take it.

Cut 16  (10)  …situation” 

Bridgewater was a perfect 5-0 last season when he filled in for an injured Brees. He threw for 1,384 yards with nine TDS and two picks.

Are the 2019-2020 Tigers the greatest college team of all time? Coach O says that’s one for fans and the media to decide, he’s just proud of his team’s effort in the 42-25 clobbering of Clemson in last night’s CFP Championship Game. That being said safety Grant Delpit already knows what most Louisianan’s opinion is on that question…

Cut 13 (12) “yes sir”

While most Louisianans were decked out in Purple and Gold, many in the town of Jennings were conflicted as Jennings High star running back Travis Etienne lined up in Orange and Purple. The back put up 114 total yards and a TD, and said he was disappointed to lose, but happy to be back home…

Cut 6 (08) “home crowd”

And the LSU offense may look a lot different next season as passing game coordinator Joe Brady will reportedly take the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator gig at the request of new coach Matt Rhule.

While many throughout the state may be showing love for Coach Ed Orgeron, no one is more excited about his success than those in the area where he grew up.  Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Lt. Brennan Matherne says there is now a grassroots effort in place to get Orgeron to be a grand marshal in one of the parish’s Mardi Gras parades this year.

Cut 5 (12) “…that’s the hope.”

Tigers fans lined the streets outside the LSU Football Operations building to greet their heroes returning home from their triumphant win over Clemson last night in the Dome. The event was packed with families decked out in purple and gold. This little Tiger had been waiting to see the team for quite some time.

Cut 11 (10) “…LSU”

A parade is set for Saturday.