Alabama has decided to throw some shade towards Mardi Gras in New Orleans over the origin of the celebration. Billboards of sprung up throughout The Big Easy which say, “You are 114 miles from America’s original Mardi Gras” – and they are paid for by Alabama Tourism implying Mobile celebrated Carnival before New Orleans. Louisiana Mardi Gras expert Arthur Hardy says Mobile may have done it first, however…:
Cut 3 (10) “in 1857”
Hardy thinks it’s all in good fun and doesn’t feel like the Alabama campaign is in any way a threat to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Monroe based CenturyLink will be handling all of the major network video streams and data inside US Bank Stadium during this year’s Super Bowl. Director of Smart Solutions Jesse Sullivan says you wouldn’t believe the amount of raw data that will be used…:
Cut 26 (08) “on Sunday”

U-S Senator John Kennedy announces a plan to pay for large infrastructure projects like replacing the Jimmie Davis Bridge in Shreveport, widening I-10 in New Orleans and the Comite River Diversion Canal, which would mitigate flooding in the Baton Rouge area. Kennedy says the state can generate nearly 150-million dollars if it leverages noncash securities held by the state’s Unclaimed Property Division…:
Cut 6 (11) “win-win”
But Governor John Bel Edwards has put out a statement calling it an unrealistic proposal and calls on Kennedy to pass a bill to fund projects like the Comite River Diversion Canal.

The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office says a 58-year-old woman has been found dead in a neighborhood pond. They say residents reported in the Denham Springs residential area that Ltanya Grimes may have fallen into the water by accident. The matter is under investigation.

A task force’s recommendations to alter the TOPS scholarship is taking fire from advocates for lower income students. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish’s proposal would cap payments to lower performing high school students. Taylor Foundation Executive Director Dr. James Caillier says it will have a negative affect on poor students.

Cut 13 (11)  “the bottom”

The Louisiana movie industry is seeing a revitalization after lawmakers reworked the state’s film tax credit program in 2016.  Louisiana Economic Development says producers spent an estimated 668-million-dollars last year.  Secretary Don Pierson says the recent uptick bodes well for the economy…

Cut 10 (12) “to Louisiana.”

One of the largest companies in Louisiana may be the most important player on the field Sunday for the Super Bowl. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Alabama is inviting Mardi Gras partiers to come there instead.  10 billboards have been installed around the New Orleans area and south Mississippi.  They claim Alabama has the “original” Mardi Gras.  The Billboards don’t specifically mention a city, but say how many miles you are from the location which all point to Mobile.  Mobile claims the first pre-lenten celebration occurred there in 1703…

A task force’s recommendations to alter the TOPS scholarship is taking fire from advocates for lower income students. One proposal would force students to take a minimum 15 credit hours a semester to keep their scholarship, three more than required now. Taylor Foundation Executive Director Dr. James Caillier says this targets poor students who have families with bills that rich people don’t…:
Cut 15 (10) “can not”
Another proposal would cap payments to lower performing high school students.

Alabama seems to have thrown some shade on Mardi Gras in New Orleans over the origin of the celebration. Billboards have sprung up throughout The Big Easy, Slidell and elsewhere that read “You are 114 miles from America’s original Mardi Gras.” The Alabama Department of Tourism paid for them saying that Mobile celebrated Mardi Gras before New Orleans. City officials say they don’t consider the Alabama campaign a threat to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Monroe-based CenturyLink is being relied upon to keep the lights on, and the broadcast rolling for this year’s Super Bowl. U.S. Bank Stadium is new and built from the ground up with CenturyLink’s state-of-the-art technology. Director of Smart Solutions Jesse Sullivan says high quality Wi-Fi is available throughout the stadium…:
Cut 5 (10) “same experience”
Tech giant CenturyLink employs 2,700 Louisianans.

The St. Landry Parish Crime Stoppers program has been awarded the 2017 Best “Crime of the Week” segment in the nation for cities up to 250-thousand people. Major Eddie Thibodeaux says they couldn’t do it without the public:
Cut 8 (12) “the cases”
The program is responsible for assisting in 60 arrests in 50 different cases in 2017.

The Louisiana entertainment industry has seen seeing a revitalization since lawmakers reworked the state’s film tax credit program in 2016. The state offers a 150-million-dollars-a-year-cap on credits issued. Secretary Don Pierson says the recent uptick bodes well for the economy…:
Cut 10 (12) “to Louisiana”
Oscar winner Tom Hanks has chosen the Baton Rouge to film the World War II movie “Greyhound.”

A task force’s recommendations to alter the TOPS scholarship is drawing fire from advocates for lower income students. Taylor Foundation Executive Director Dr. James Caillier says a proposal to cap payments for lower performing students hurts poor people…:
Cut 14 (08) “of funds”
The TOPS task force will vote on adopting their proposals February 7th.

One of the largest companies in Louisiana may be the most important player on the field Sunday for the Super Bowl…:
Cut 1 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Today Governor John Bel Edwards will speak at the inaugural Universities of Louisiana For Our Future Conference. The event begins at the War Memorial Student Union on the campus of Southeastern this morning at 11:30am.

A task force’s proposal to alter TOPS for lower performing students is running into opposition from Taylor Foundation members…:
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Governor John Bel Edwards $600 million dollar road plan has been approved to be financed by the Joint Transportation Committee, clearing the first step in the massive process to rebuild Louisiana’s infrastructure. Included in the plan is a project to widen I-10 from the Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge, to the I-10/I-12 split, and construction of an interchange into Barksdale Airforce Base in Bossier City.

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Monroe-based CenturyLink is being relied upon to keep the lights on, and the broadcast rolling for this year’s Super Bowl. U.S. Bank Stadium is brand new and built from the ground up with state-of-the-art technology, mostly by CenturyLink. Director of Smart Solutions Jesse Sullivan…:
Cut 4 (12) “the Super Bowl”
CenturyLink employs 2,700 Louisianans.

The St. Landry Parish Crime Stoppers program has been awarded the 2017 Best “Crime of the Week” segment in the nation for cities up to 250-thousand people. Major Eddie Thibodeaux on the award from Crime Stoppers USA…:
Cut 7 (12) “the crimes”

A task force’s recommendations to alter the TOPS scholarship is taking fire from advocates for lower income students. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish’s proposal would cap payments to lower performing high school students. Taylor Foundation Executive Director Dr. James Caillier says Morrish’s proposal will have a negative affect on poor students…:
Cut 13 (11) “the bottom”
The TOPS task force will vote on adopting their proposals February 7th.

The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office says a 58-year-old woman has been found dead in a neighborhood pond. They say residents reported in the Denham Springs residential area that Ltanya Grimes may have fallen into the water by accident. The matter is under investigation.

The Louisiana entertainment industry is seeing a revitalization after lawmakers reworked the state’s film tax credit program in 2016. Kelley Ray talked with Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson…:

Cut 2 (29) “I’m Kelley Ray”

One of the largest companies in Louisiana may be the most important player on the field Sunday for the Super Bowl. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle”

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The Louisiana movie industry is seeing a revitalization after lawmakers reworked the state’s film tax credit program in 2016.  Kelley Ray talked with Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson…

Cut 2 (29) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

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A task force’s proposal to alter TOPS for lower performing students is running into opposition from Taylor Foundation members. Jeff Palermo was there…

Cut 3 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Monroe-based CenturyLink is being relied upon to keep the lights on, and the broadcast rolling for this year’s Super Bowl. U.S. Bank Stadium is a new stadium built from the ground up with state-of-the-art technology, mostly by CenturyLink. Director of Smart Solutions Jesse Sullivan says it’s a project years in the making.

Cut 4  (12) “the Super Bowl.” 

CenturyLink is responsible for most of the technology infrastructure needs in the stadium. Perhaps most importantly, Sullivan says it’ll be high quality Wi-Fi throughout the stadium.

Cut 5  (10)  “same experience.”

CenturyLink will handle all of the major network video streams coming out of the stadium, as well as the massive data load of 72,000 fans sending snaps, Facebook videos, and Instagram selfies. Sullivan says the raw amount of data is staggering.

Cut 6 (08)  “on Sunday.”

Tech giant CenturyLink employs 2,700 Louisianans, with a payroll over 200- million dollars a year.

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The St. Landry Parish Crime Stoppers program has been awarded the 2017 Best “Crime of the Week” segment in the nation for cities up to 250-thousand people. A 20-minute program airs weekly on Thursday mornings on Lafayette radio station K-P-E-L and shorter segments on other stations including K-E-U-N.  Segments also air on Lafayette TV stations. Major Eddie Thibodeaux on the award from Crime Stoppers USA…

Cut 7 (12)  “the crimes.”

The program is responsible for assisting in 60 arrests in 50 different cases in 2017.  Thibodeaux says the anonymous tips are the reason behind its success…

Cut 8 (12) “the cases.”

Thibodeaux says as the segments have evolved, members of the St. Landry Parish’s Sheriff’s Office have become more involved…

Cut 9 (09)  “out there.”

The awards were presented at a Crime Stoppers USA seminar in Hawaii.

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The Louisiana movie industry is seeing a revitalization after lawmakers reworked the state’s film tax credit program in 2016. The state offers a 150-million-dollars-a-year-cap on credits issued, or 20-million-dollars per production.  Louisiana Economic Development says producers spent an estimated 668-million-dollars in 2017, up from 365-million-dollars the year before. Secretary Don Pierson says the recent uptick bodes well for the economy…

Cut 10 (12) “to Louisiana.”

Oscar winner Tom Hanks has chosen the Capital City to film the World War II movie “Greyhound”.  Pierson says shooting will begin in Mid-March aboard the U.S.S. Kidd and other Baton Rouge locations…

Cut 11 (09) “of that.”

An Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress, including Senator Bill Cassidy and Representative Garret Graves, hit a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Virginia today.

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Today is the deadline for retailers to mail notices to Louisiana residents who purchased products online, but did not pay sales tax at the time of purchase.  Louisiana Department of Revenue spokesperson Byron Henderson says if you fail to report these taxes, it’ll cost you…

Cut 5  (05)  “could apply”

I-10 westbound was closed for several hours this morning at the West Pearl River Bridge in Slidell due to multiple accidents involving two 18-wheelers that were hauling live bees. Trooper Dustin Dwight says 8 vehicles were involved in the crash and first responders were dealing with a mess…:

Cut 9 (09) “the cargo”

Gas prices keep going up, which could signal high prices in the future.   Triple A fuel analyst Don Redman says with price increases coming on a daily basis, we may be paying much higher prices during the busy travel season, like around $3.00 a gallon…

Cut 7 (09)  “in Louisiana.”

Regular gas is at 2.43 a gallon on average in Louisiana.

An Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress to a retreat in West Virginia, including Senator Bill Cassidy and Representative Garret Graves collided with a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Virginia. Cassidy says he was fortunate and he and his wife Laura were not injured, but says other passengers felt the brunt of the collision, which derailed the train…

Cut 12 (12) “attended to.”

One person in the garbage truck was killed and five others are reportedly injured.

I-10 westbound was closed for several hours this morning at the West Pearl River Bridge in Slidell due to multiple accidents involving two 18-wheelers that were hauling live bees. State Trooper Dustin Dwight…

Cut 10 (09) “plus career”

Eight vehicles altogether were involved in the accident.

With gas prices on the rise, drivers may be wondering if three dollar a gallon gas is on the horizon.  The current average for a gallon of regular gasoline is 2.43, up from six cents a week ago.  Triple A fuel analyst Don Redman says oil is trading at around 64-dollars a barrel.  He says demand is driving the oil market…

Cut 6 (11)  “seen that.”

Oil closed at 64.77 a barrel today.

A new Certified Louisiana logo will soon be on local products.  Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says for a product to be certified Louisiana, it passes state and federal food safety tests and must be made primarily in the Pelican State.  He says there are a couple of certified options for products that pass the test…

Cut 15 (06) “to Table”