A diet created in part at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center has been ranked the second best diet for 2019 by US News and World Report…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

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Louisiana is receiving a federal grant to revive a program that aims to reduce recidivism among inmates with mental illness and substance abuse disorders.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (28) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”  

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Insurance Fraud isn’t something the state takes lightly, and that’s the lesson seven suspects who allegedly staged a 2016 crash are learning the hard way.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 3 (29) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

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The DASH Diet, developed in part by LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, has been named number two diet of 2019 according to U.S. News and World Report. Researcher Catherine Champagne says the diet emphasizes more greens, and shares similarities to the popular “Mediterranean diet”.

Cut 4 (11) “of fat” 

The Mediterranean diet, which features more oils and less meat, was ranked number one, and the “flexitarian” diet, a vegetarian diet that permits occasional meat consumption, came in at three.

The Dash Diet calls for two to three daily servings of dairy, six to eight servings of lean meats, two to three servings of fats and oils, six to eight servings of whole grains, and eight to ten servings of fruits and veggies. Champagne says fruits and vegetables are the key to this diet.

Cut 5 (09) “…certain levels.”

It also recommends four to five weekly servings of nuts, seeds, and beans, and only five or fewer servings of sweets a week.

The number one goal of the Dash Diet is not weight loss, but lowering blood pressure. That being said, if you stick to DASH, you’ll likely be on the right side of the “calories in, calories out” weight loss equation.

Cut 6 (07) “…calories.”

The full diet is available online at the Mayo Clinic’s website.

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Louisiana is receiving a federal grant to revive a program that aims to reduce recidivism among inmates with mental illness and substance abuse disorders.  The revised Second Chance Act program, now known as the New Beginnings program, will work with prisoners returning to the Baton Rouge and St. Tammany areas.  Department of Corrections Assistant Secretary Rhett Covington says the original program was discontinued due to lack of funding.

Cut 7 (11) “…money is gone.”

Covington calls the program a warm handoff into society to help overcome obstacles and barriers for the person to continue in treatment.

Cut 8 (09) “…them navigate things.”

Covington says the program provides a cost savings to tax payers as it reduces recidivism.

Cut 9 (09) “…program in place.″

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Seven suspects have been arrested for insurance fraud in a staged crash in Orleans Parish that occurred in October 2016.  Through the investigation, detectives determined Chevy Malibu and a rented GMC pickup truck were used in the collision.  State Police spokesperson Sr. Trooper Melissa Matey says after filing the crash report with police, that’s when the suspects went after insurance claims.

Cut 10 (10)   “…a monetary settlement.”

Matey says through an investigation, detectives secured a confession from one of the suspects.

Cut 11 (08) “…from New Orleans.”

Matey says the insurance fraud is not something law enforcement takes lightly.

Cut 12 (10)   “…false public records.”

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The top-seeded Saints have the weekend off from playoff football, but there are three teams playing this weekend to keep an eye on. Depending on how the games shake out, the Cowboys, Seahawks, or Eagles could head to the Big Easy next Sunday. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says the most dangerous of the three, Dallas, gave the Black and Gold one of their three losses this year…

Cut 13 (08) “…Dak Prescott.”

They take on the Seahawks in Arlington on Saturday night, where the winner will likely head to New Orleans, barring a stunning upset in the Eagles/Bears game.

That Seattle team beat Dallas earlier in the year, and has six wins in their last seven games after a rocky start that saw devastating injuries on defense the crippled the once vaunted “Legion of Boom”. Detillier says the Hawks ability to bounce back is a testament to the coaching genius of Pete Carol.

Cut 14 (11) “…the NFC.”

Kickoff is set for 7:15, and Dallas is favored by two points.

The biggest wildcard of the wildcard weekend may the Eagles, who head into the Windy City to take on the Bears and their league best defense. Last year’s champs have struggled, but Detillier says with their former backup QB back in the captain’s chair, anything is possible.

Cut 15 (10) “…could happen”

Kickoff in that game is Sunday at 3:40PM, and the Bears are favored by six.

A 64-year-old scam artist from Texas is behind bars after he allegedly convinced a  victim in Rapides Parish to pay him over $60,000, so he can pay US taxes and fees in Nigeria…

Cut 1 (33) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

68-year-old William Hood died earlier today while driving a U-Haul in a crash that authorities are attributing to storm related conditions in Sulphur. The vehicle was traveling along the road when a large tree was uprooted due to wind and heavy rain saturation on the ground, and then fell on the road and landed on the truck’s cab. Hood’s son, and passenger, was transported to the hospital with unknown injuries.

Louisiana is one of nine states reporting a high activity level for flu-like illnesses. That’s according to CDC’s latest U-S Influenza Surveillance report. The CDC says 4.5 percent of the hospital visits in Louisiana during the Christmas week were because of the flu or flu-like illnesses. LSU Health New Orleans Infectious Diseases specialist, Doctor Fred Lopez, says that’s concerning, but not a cause for alarm just yet.

Cut 7 (06) “…right now”

Last year saw record numbers of flu cases state wide.

A steady rain continues to fall across an already saturated Louisiana today. National Weather Service Lake Charles Senior Forecaster Kent Kuyper says the rain, which could be heavy at times, will come to an end later today or early tomorrow morning

Cut 12 (10)   “…rest of the afternoon.” 

Flooding concerns have popped up across the state, with authorities keeping an eye on Lake Sibley, cane River Lake, rivers in Covington, Lake Wallace, and others.

Louisiana is one of nine states reporting a high activity level for flu-like illnesses. That’s according to CDC’s latest U-S Influenza Surveillance report. LSU Health New Orleans Infectious Diseases specialist, Doctor Fred Lopez, encourages Louisiana residents to get the flu shot now

Cut 6 (09) “…be protected”

The CDC says 4.5 percent of the hospital visits in Louisiana during the Christmas week were because of the flu or flu-like illnesses.

A 64-year-old Texas man is in the Rapides Parish detention center accused of scamming a victim out of over $60,000 over the course of several months.  The scammer convinced the victim, he would be given a million dollars, but needed assistance paying US taxes and fees from Nigeria.  Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Capt. Tommy Carnline says the scammer claimed to be a retired FBI agent.

Cut 3 (09) “…is so unfortunate.”

Southeastern Louisiana University is asking area residents to donate their Christmas trees for wetland restoration.This marks the 24th straight year Southeastern has conducted its recycled tree program, and it’s estimated that 40,000 trees have been deployed since then. Southeastern’s Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station manager Rob Moreau says Middendorf’s Restaurant in Manchac has an offer for donors…

Cut 11 (10) “…free lunch”
For directions to drop off sites and available drop off times visit the southeastern.edu

Parts of Caddo Parish have received nearly twice as much rainfall in December as they normally do, leading to concerns the saturated ground could prevent flood waters from draining in a timely fashion. South Caddo and Wallace Lake will likely see the biggest impacts from deluge, with the Lake at risk of hitting a flood stage that would flood access roadways, and require cattle to be moved to higher ground. Authorities are monitoring the situation.

A 64-year-old Texas man is in the Rapides Parish detention center accused of scamming a victim out of over $60,000 over the course of several months. Detectives got a break in the case when one of the persons that was wired money was identified as Scott Alan Romans, and he was arrested following a traffic stop in Gulfport, Mississippi. Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Capt. Tommy Carnline says it can be tough to make busts in these cases.

Cut 4 (12) “…that money immediately.″

The scammer convinced the victim, he would be given a million dollars, but needed assistance paying US taxes and fees from Nigeria.

A steady rain continues to fall across an already saturated Louisiana today. National Weather Service Lake Charles Senior Forecaster Kent Kuyper says there is an end to all of this rain. He says the weekend looks dry and mild…

Cut 14 (10) “…this event.”

Louisiana is one of nine states with a high number of flu cases. Jeff Palermo spoke with LSU Health New Orleans Infectious Diseases specialist Doctor Fred Lopez…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”  

There was an officer involved shooting in Monroe around 2:20AM this morning at the Super 8 Motel. Officers say they were responding to a disturbance complaint, and once they arrived on scene, shots were fired resulting in one policeman, and two subjects being hit. Both subjects hit were treated for non-life-threatening injuries and then arrested. The officer shot was also treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

A new Congress was sworn in today and Louisiana’s five U-S House Republican members now find themselves in the minority party. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says with Democrats in control of the House, expect climate change legislation to come up…
cut 28 (11) “….those lines”
But Hogan says with Republicans still in control of the Senate, gridlock is likely for the next two years.

Most of the state is seeing a steady rain fall and it’s causing concerns along rivers and other waterways. Kent Kuyper with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says several lakes and rivers are at flood stage or above…
cut 13 (12) “…coming up”
Kuyper says dry and mild air moves into the state tomorrow.

A Texas man who allegedly scammed a Rapides parish person out of 60-thousand dollars by claiming he was a retired F-B-I agent living in Nigeria has been arrested in Mississippi. Rapides Sheriff’s office Captain Tommy Carline says 64-year-old Scott Alan Romans has been charged with theft…
cut 5 (06) “…hard to do”
Romans bond was set at 20-thousand dollars.

For those who live around the Hammond area, Southeastern Louisiana University is asking residents to drop off their old Christmas tree at one of several sites, so that the trees can be used to enhance the wetlands. Rob Moreau says for the 24th straight year S-L-U is conducting a recycled tree program and the trees are deployed in the Manchac wetlands…
cut 10 (12) “…in and around”
Drop off locations can be found at southeastern-dot-e-d-u-slash-turtle cove.

A steady rain continues to fall across an already saturated Louisiana today. National Weather Service Lake Charles Senior Forecaster Kent Kuyper says the rain, which could be heavy at times, will come to an end later today or early tomorrow morning…
cut 12 (10) “…rest of the afternoon”
Calcacsieu Parish officials are concerned about possible flooding in the Starks and Vinton area. In Natchitoches Parish, Lake Sibley is overflowing and Cane River Lake is closed due to high levels.

Louisiana is one of nine states reporting a high activity level for flu-like illnesses. LSU Health New Orleans Infectious Diseases specialist, Doctor Fred Lopez, says doctors are also treating cases of strep throat and various respiratory viruses…
cut 8 (08) “…type of infections”
The CDC says 4.5 percent of the hospital visits in Louisiana during the Christmas week were because of the flu or flu-like illnesses.

A Monroe Police officer and two suspects were shot early this morning at Super 8 Motel on Highway 165 in Monroe. State Police says officers went to the motel to check on a disturbance complaint and when they arrived shots were fired. Authorities say the three people shot suffered non-life threatening injuries and two subjects have been arrested.

A 64-year-old scam artist from Texas is behind bars after he allegedly convinced his victim to pay him over $60,000 so he can pay US taxes and fees in Nigeria. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (33) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

A 64-year-old Texas man is in jail in Rapides Parish, accused of scamming a victim out of over $60,000 throughout the course of several months.  The scammer convinced the victim they would be given a million dollars, but needed assistance paying US taxes and fees from Nigeria.  Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Capt. Tommy Carnline says the scammer claimed to be a retired FBI agent.

Cut 3 (09) “…is so unfortunate.”

Southeastern Louisiana University is asking Tangipahoa parish area residents to donate their Christmas trees for wetland restoration. Southeastern’s Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station manager Rob Moreau says before you pack up the tree to deliver there are a few requirements…

Cut 9 (11) “…lights obviously″

Moreau estimates that 40,000 trees have been deployed in 24 years of the program.

Louisiana is one of nine states with a high number of flu cases. Jeff Palermo spoke with LSU Health New Orleans Infectious Diseases specialist Doctor Fred Lopez…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”  

And now commodities.

Louisiana is one of nine states reporting a high activity level for flu-like illnesses. That’s according to CDC’s latest U-S Influenza Surveillance report, which says 4.5 percent of hospital visits in Louisiana during the Christmas week were because of the flu or flu-like illnesses. Despite the uptick LSU Health New Orleans Infectious Diseases specialist, Doctor Fred Lopez says the jury is still out on a potentially above average flu season.

Cut 7 (06) “…right now”

Lopez says get a flu shot.

The US 11 bridge between Slidell and New Orleans will be shut down to traffic starting today, running through April 18^th. Department of Transportation Spokesperson Rodney Mallet says it’s the continuation of a lengthy repair process that won’t be completely finished until summer of 2020.

Cut 4 (06) “…system installed.” 

The repairs will cost 28 million dollars.

Authorities believe the five wild horses gunned down in the Peason Ridge Wildlife Management Area were deliberately shot.

Cut 1 (28) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

There was an officer involved shooting in Monroe around 2:20AM this morning at the Super 8 Motel. Officers say they were responding to a disturbance complaint, and once they arrived on scene, shots were fired resulting in one policeman, and two subjects being hit. Both subjects hit were treated for non-life-threatening injuries and then arrested. The officer shot was also treated for non-life-threatening injuries.