The U-S can witness a rare trifecta tomorrow morning of a super moon, a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse. But Jeff Palermo reports Louisiana will not have a great view…
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

President Trump has invited two Louisiana residents to tonight’s State of the Union address. Cajun Navy founder Jon Bridgers and Ashlee Leppert, an electronics technician with the U-S Coast Guard in New Orleans. Both invitees rescued Hurricane Harvey victms.

The state is suing three Louisiana businesses for tax evasion amid allegations they didn’t withhold and remit appropriate payroll taxes from employee earnings. Department of Revenue spokesman Byron Henderson says these businesses allegedly misidentified workers as independent contractors…:
Cut 3 (07) “tax withheld”
The companies are Elliott Roofing Services in Metairie, Antunez Painting in Baton Rouge and Extreme Cars and Trucks in Monroe.

The port of New Orleans set a record in 2017 for the number of cruise passengers as one-point-one million set sail from the Big Easy. Spokesperson Donnell Jackson says they are expecting additional growth this year, as the 2500 passenger Royal Caribbean International returns to New Orleans in December. He also says Norwegian Cruise Line will be replacing the Norwegian Pearl..:
ctu 13 (08) “…our of New Orleans”

The state Department of Revenue is suing Elliott Roofing of Metairie, Antunez Painting of Baton Rouge and Extreme Cars and Trucks of Monroe for alleged tax evasion by not withholding and remitting appropriate payroll taxes from employee earnings.  LDR spokesperson Bryon Henderson says companies who practice this fraud take money away from the state…

Cut 4  (10) “and infrastructure.” 

For the first time since 1866, three separate celestial events will occur at the same time in the U.S. tomorrow morning with a blue moon a super moon and a lunar eclipse.  LSU Physics and Astronomy graduate student Tyler Ellis explains why the moon will look larger tonight…

Cut 10 (08) “the earth.”

Live feeds of the eclipse will be shown at nasa-dot-gov.

The Lost Bayou Ramblers are back in home after celebrating their Regional Roots Music Album Grammy in New York City. The group of six from Lafayette had just announced earlier last week that they would be taking a break from writing and performing for a while. Co-founder Andre Michot (Me-show) says they’ve been playing non-stop for almost two decades, and now the guys would like to take a vacation..:

Cut 8 (05) “part of it”

The port of New Orleans set a record in 2017 for cruise passengers as 1.1 million moved through the Big Easy last year alone.  It’s the fourth consecutive year of more than a million passengers either arriving or departing from New Orleans.  Spokesman Donnell Jackson says these year end results validate the continued appeal of cruising from The Crescent City…:

Cut 14 (10) “out of New Orleans”

Members of the Lafayette Cajun band The Lost Bayou Ramblers are back in Louisiana today after a couple of days of celebrating their Grammy in New York City.  Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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For the first time in 150 years, Americans will get to witness a trifecta of a supermoon, a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse. Jeff Palermo reports that Louisiana won’t have the best view in the morning…:

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The state Department of Revenue is suing three companies for tax evasion by not withholding and remitting appropriate payroll taxes from employee earnings.  The companies are Elliott Roofing Services in Metairie, Antunez Painting in Baton Rouge and Extreme Cars and Trucks in Monroe.  LDR Spokesperson Byron Henderson says these businesses misidentified their employees as “Independent Contractors”…

Cut 3 (07) “tax withheld.”

The three companies are accused of allegedly withholding over 242-thousand-dollars total between 2013 and 2015.   Henderson says not only companies who practice this fraud have an unfair advantage in out bidding competitors, but it also takes money away from the state…

Cut 4  (10) “and infrastructure.” 

The GAME ON Task Force was created to combat these income tax fraud cases.  Henderson says these three cases are just the start of what they are uncovering through audit investigations…

Cut 5  (08)  “tax liabilities.”

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Members of the Lafayette Cajun band The Lost Bayou Ramblers are back in Louisiana today after a couple of days of celebrating their Grammy in New York City. “Kalenda” won the group a gramophone for Best Regional Roots Music Album. Co-founder Andre Michot (Me-Show) says winning was a complete shock…:

Cut 6 (05)  “all the way, you know?”

Andre and his brother, Louis (Lou-ee) have been performing for 20 years, and this was the second time they were nominated for a Grammy. Andre says they were raised around Cajun and Zydeco music in Acadiana, as their father was also in a band…:

Cut 7 (08)  “accordion and fiddle”

The group of six had just announced earlier last week that they would be taking a break from writing and performing for a while. Michot says they’ve been playing non-stop for almost two decades, and now the guys would like to take a vacation..:

Cut 8 (05) “part of it”

A Louisiana artist has won the Regional Roots award six times in the 7-year-old category.

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For the first time since 1866, three separate celestial events will occur at the same time in the U.S. tomorrow morning.  There will be a blue moon, which means a second full moon in a calendar month, a super moon and a total lunar eclipse. But unfortunately, Louisiana won’t see much of the eclipse according to LSU Physics and Astronomy graduate student Tyler Ellis…

Cut 9 (09) “that’s unfortunate”

Ellis says Louisiana will be able to observe the larger than life super moon however.  He explains why the moon looks larger at times…

Cut 10 (08) “the earth.”

If you want to view the eclipse, NASA will provide live feeds of the celestial phenomena from the U.S. west coast, where it will be visible early tomorrow morning…

Cut 11 (08) “very quickly.”

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The port of New Orleans set a record in 2017 for cruise passengers as 1.1 million moved through the Big Easy last year alone. Spokesman Donnell Jackson says this marks the fourth consecutive year of more than a million passengers at their terminals. He says this reinforces the port’s importance as a driver of the hospitality industry’s economic impact on the region.:

Cut 12 (08) “their cruise”

Jackson says they are expecting additional growth this year, as the 2500 passenger Royal Caribbean International returns to New Orleans in December. He also says Norwegian Cruise Line will be replacing the Norwegian Pearl..:

Cut 13 (08) “out of New Orleans”

Jackson says these year end results validate the continued appeal of cruising from The Crescent City…:

Cut 14 (10) “out of New Orleans”

__________________________________________________________

Three Louisiana Companies are being sued for tax evasion amid allegations they didn’t withhold and remit appropriate payroll taxes from employee earnings. State Department of Revenue spokesman Byron Henderson says these three cases are just the start of what they are uncovering…:
Cut 5 (08) “tax liabilities”
The companies are Elliott Roofing Services in Metairie, Antunez Painting in Baton Rouge and Extreme Cars and Trucks in Monroe.

The port of New Orleans set a record in 2017 for cruise passengers as 1.1 million moved through the Big Easy last year alone. Spokesman Donnell Jackson says this reinforces the port’s importance as a driver of the hospitality industry’s economic impact on the region.:
Cut 12 (08) “their cruise”
This marks the fourth consecutive year of more than a million passengers at New Orleans cruise terminals.

Members of the Lafayette Cajun band The Lost Bayou Ramblers are back in Louisiana today after a couple of days of celebrating their Grammy in New York City. Andre and Louis (Lou-ee) Michot (Me-Show) have been performing for 20 years, and Andre says they were raised around Cajun and Zydeco music in Acadiana, as their father was also in a band…:
Cut 7 (08) “accordion and fiddle”
This was the second time The Lost Bayou Ramblers were nominated.

If you’ve got plants that appear to have died in the recent frigid weather, don’t give up on them just yet. Horticulture expert Dan Gill with the LSU Ag Center says many plants tend to come back in the spring as their roots are still alive. He says you can easily check a tree with the scratch test…:
Cut 15 (09) “still alive”
He says some plants won’t begin rebounding until March or April it could be summer for trees.

Members of the Lafayette Cajun band The Lost Ramblers are back in Louisiana today after a couple of days of celebrating their Grammy in New York City. “Kalenda” won the group a gramophone for Best Regional Roots Music Album. Co-founder Andre Michot (Me-Show) says winning was a complete shock…:
Cut 6 (05) “all the way, you know?”
A Louisiana artist has won the Regional Roots award six times in the 7-year-old category.

For the first time since 1866, three separate celestial events will occur simultaneously in the U.S. tomorrow morning. There will be a blue moon, a super moon and a total lunar eclipse. But Louisiana won’t see much of the eclipse, according to Tyler Ellis with the LSU Department of Physics and Astronomy:
Cut 9 (09) “that’s unfortunate”
NASA will be showing the event online at nasa.gov.

The man who founded the Cajun Navy will be in attendance for tonight’s State of the Union. Matt Doyle has more…:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Matt Doyle”

A group in New Orleans which fought the removal of Confederate monuments created a Mardi Gras bead to commemorate the Robert E. Lee statue which was taken down last May. But they are now gone as Forever Lee Circle said on Facebook that the beads bearing their name are sold out.

Three Louisiana Companies are being sued for tax evasion amid allegations they didn’t withhold and remit appropriate payroll taxes from employee earnings. State Department of Revenue spokesman Byron Henderson says these businesses allegedly misidentified workers as independent contractors…:
Cut 3 (07) “tax withheld”
The companies are Elliott Roofing Services in Metairie, Antunez Painting in Baton Rouge and Extreme Cars and Trucks in Monroe.

State Police has arrested an animal control officer in West Feliciana Parish for allegedly charging Entergy for performing his job duties while he was being paid by the sheriff’s office at the same time. 57-year-old Daniel Klein of St. Francisville is charged with four counts of abuse of office and one count of malfeasance in office — all felonies.

President Donald Trump has invited Cajun Navy founder Jon Bridgers of Livingston Parish to tonight’s State of the Union address. Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says the volunteer group is credited with rescuing thousands of people during Hurricane Harvey and the 2016 floods…:
Cut 10 (10) “great story”

The President’s first official address will begin at 8pm. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan believes Mr. Trump will stick to his copy points…:
Cut 4 (10) “that way”
Senior Administration officials have been quoted saying it will be an “optimistic speech,” likely highlighting economic progress.

The State of the Union is expected to cover a wide range of issues from the economy to national security.  Baton Rouge Congressman Garrett Graves says immigration will be another hot ticket item tonight.

Cut 12 (09) “1.8 million.”

Cajun Navy founder Jon Bridgers is expected to be recognized during the speech.  His volunteer group is credited with rescuing thousands during Hurricane Harvey and the 2016 floods.

One of the state agencies facing massive cutbacks if Governor John Bel Edwards “Doomsday budget” becomes reality is the LSU Pennington Biomedical Center.  Executive Director John Kirwan says with the uncertainty about the budget, he hopes they can draw the best and brightest…

Cut 9 (10)  “moving forward”

The recent cold weather has put stress on tropical plants that normally flourish all year long in Louisiana.  Jeff Palermo spoke with LSU horticulturalist Dan Gill…

Cut 3 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Baton Rouge based Raising Cane’s has a new mascot.  Todd Graves and his wife Gwen announced they have added a Yellow Labrador Retriever puppy named Raising Cane the Third.  She follows her predecessor Raising Cane the Second who died in 2016 at the age of 16.  The latest nine-week-old addition will be trained to serve as a therapy dog and attend company and community events.

What can we expect tonight during President Donald Trump’s first official State of the Union? Senior Administration officials have been quoted saying it will be an “optimistic speech.” LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says lawmakers will pay close attention to Mr. Trump’s agenda…:
Cut 6 (11) “his proposals”
Hogan believes economic progress will be a focal point of the speech.

The President has invited Cajun Navy founder Jon Bridgers of Livingston Parish to attend. Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says praising the efforts of the volunteer disaster rescue group is something in which everyone can agree…:
Cut 11 (07) “amazing work”
The Cajun Navy is credited with rescuing thousands of people during Hurricane Harvey and the 2016 floods.

If you’ve got plants that appear to have died in the recent frigid weather, don’t give up on them just yet. Horticulture expert Dan Gill with the LSU Ag Center says many plants tend to come back in the spring as their roots are still alive. He says you can easily check a tree with the scratch test…:
Cut 15 (09) “still alive”
He says some plants won’t begin rebounding until March or April it could be summer for trees.

The West Monroe Police Department is asking for help locating an attempted murder suspect who allegedly shot a man during a drug deal arranged on Snapchat. They say 19-year-old Hunter Millwood is believed to have gone to the home of two men to sell drugs when he was shot. The suspect at large on one count of attempted second degree murder is 28-year-old Sylvester Smith Jr. Cops believe Millwood was selling drugs over Snapchat.

President Donald Trump’s first official State of the Union address is tonight. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan believes Mr. Trump will stress the strengths of his Administration…:
Cut 5 (08) “economic vitality”

The man who founded the Cajun Navy will be there tonight…:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Governor John Bel Edwards’ “Doomsday Budget” proposal has state agencies scrambling to shore up funding, and LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center is looking at a potential 600,000 dollar cut. Executive Director John Kirwan says all of this uncertainty tends to drive away talented researchers…:
Cut 8 (10) “this or that”
Kirwan says the budget cuts threaten Pennington’s groundbreaking research on diabetes, which he says effects nearly 50 percent of the state’s population.

If you’ve got plants that appear to have died in the recent frigid weather, don’t give up on them just yet. Horticulture expert Dan Gill with the LSU Ag Center says some of Louisiana’s flourishing tropical plants tend to come back in the spring…:
Cut 14 (10) “what’s dead”