Officials cut the ribbon today on the LSU Center for River Studies, which features a 747 sized model of the bottom tip of the Mississippi river..:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”.

Three hunters…two adults and a child…from West Feliciana Parish are dead after the pontoon boat they were on capsized near the Buffalo River area in Wilkinson County. The pontoon boat was being utilized as a duck blind. One of the deceased has been identified, Madaline Hemba, who worked for the city of Zachary.

The Slidell Police Department arrests two Gulfport men for allegedly trying to sell fake flat-screen televisions. Detective Daniel Seuzeneau says they got a report about the suspects’ activities taking place at a gas station near a Mardi Gras parade route. He says cops moved in to check the serial numbers on the TVs, and quickly learned that they weren’t stolen…:
Cut 14 (10) “inside the boxes”
47-year-old Clover Sims and 44-year-old Lloyd Bradley are charged with theft by fraud.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue begins accepting state income tax returns today. Spokesperson Bryon Henderson says make sure your personal information is up to date with LDR…:
Cut 5 (10) “contact information”
The state return deadline is May 15th.

Officials are cutting the ribbon today on the new LSU Center for River Studies, which has a massive, interactive model of the bottom 179 miles of the Mississippi River. Director Clint Willson says it gives coastal scientists a powerful tool in the fight against coastal erosion…:
Cut 6 (12) “have available”
The project is the result of a collaboration between LSU and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.

Several strip clubs on Bourbon Street have had their alcohol licenses pulled by the ATC after investigators say they found multiple instances of prostitution, lewd acts and, in some cases, illegal drug activity. NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison…:
Cut 9 (08) “in New Orleans”

Three hunters from West Feliciana Parish lost their lives in the Buffalo River area in Wilkinson County, Mississippi after their pontoon boat capsized. Woodville Police Chief Jessie Stewart says authorities from several different agencies responded to the scene after hearing from a survivor of the accident…:
Cut 12 (07) “notified authorities”
Two adults and a child were among the bodies recovered from the chilly water Sunday afternoon.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue began accepting 2017 state individual income tax returns today. Taxpayers can begin filing their state income tax returns electronically at revenue.louisiana.gov.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue begins accepting state income tax returns today. There are several ways to file, including electronically on the LDR website. Spokesman Bryon Henderson says filing online is safe…:
Cut 3 (12) “60 days”
Visit revenue-dot-louisiana-dot-gov-forward-slash-file-online.

UL-Lafayette has been named one of the Top 25 in U.S. News and World Report’s list of, “Universities and Colleges Where Students are Eager to Enroll.” Dr. DeWayne Bowie, vice president for Enrollment Management, says this is in line with feedback they get from students…:
Cut 10 (07) “visit with us”
The list includes schools with selective admission that have a high percentage of students admitted by an institution who end up enrolling.

Two adults and one child were found dead after four Louisianans were reported missing Sunday morning when hunting in Woodville, Mississippi. Search and recovery efforts found the bodies of a man, his sister-in-law, her child, and a dog that are believed to have gotten trapped under a boat that capsized near the Buffalo River area in Wilkinson County.

The Trump administration says they will speed up the approval of a key coastal restoration project. The agreement would reduce the permitting process for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion from five years to two. Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana spokesperson Jimmy Frederick…:
Cut 11 (06) “for us”
The state intends to pay for much of the project using funds it received from BP after the 2010 oil spill.

This afternoon Governor John Bel Edwards is speaking at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the LSU Center for River Studies. The research and education facility includes one of the world’s largest river models — at the Water Campus near downtown Baton Rouge.

Those fighting to save Louisiana’s coast are applauding the commitment made by the Trump administration to speed up the permitting process of the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diverson project. Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana spokesperson Jimmy Frederick says the 1.3 billion dollar project will rebuild the wetlands by returning sediment, fresh water, and nutrients from the Mississippi River to build and maintain land in Louisiana’s Barataria Basin…
Cut 13 (09) “sea level-rise”

Three hunters…two adults and a child…from West Feliciana Parish are dead after the pontoon boat they were on capsized near the Buffalo River area in Wilkinson County. The pontoon boat was being utilized as a duck blind. One of the deceased has been identified, Madaline Hemba, who worked for the city of Zachary.

UL-Lafayette has been named as a top 25 college in the nation where students are eager to attend. Michelle Southern reports…:
voicer 3 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

Recently, retail giant Walmart raised its lowest hourly rate from 9 to 11 dollars and authorized bonuses of up to one-thousand dollars. Zachary Walmart Manager Cornelius Lombard says employees at his store are appreciative…
cut 5 (11) “…continued success”

GOP lawmakers say they are still waiting on specifics from the Edwards Administration on what to do about the fiscal cliff. But Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says it’s time for the legislature to “put up or shut up” and present a proposal of their own…:
Cut 16 (13) “billion dollars”
Republicans want to see more cuts in state spending rather than tax changes.

Walmart announces they’ll be implementing pay increases this year, with bottom salaries going from nine to 11 dollars, and will authorize up to a thousand dollars in bonuses for some employees. But Making Change at Walmart Director of Communication Amy Ritter says Walmart can do better as many workers will still be below the poverty line…:
Cut 7 (11) “care program”

The Trump administration agrees to speed up the permitting process for a vital coastal restoration project. Jeff Palermo on what this means:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Louisiana Department of Revenue began accepting 2017 state individual income tax returns today. Taxpayers can begin filing their state income tax returns electronically through Louisiana File Online at revenue.louisiana.gov. State individual income tax returns are due May 15, 2018.

It doesn’t seem like lawmakers and the governor are any closer to negotiating a budget agreement, even after the worst-case-scenario plan was unveiled a week ago. The governor is proposing a reduction in tax breaks for businesses, but House Republican Caucus Chairman Lance Harris of Alexandria says the GOP wants to see more cuts in state spending…:
Cut 15 (09) “taxpayers pockets”
A $1 billion budget gap looms on July 1.

The Trump administration says they will speed up the approval of a key coastal restoration project. Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana spokesperson Jimmy Frederick says they hope they can now break ground for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion by 2020….:
Cut 12 (09) “the approval”
The agreement would reduce the permitting process from five years to two.

Several large corporations have announced they’ll be implementing pay increases this year, and one retail giant is joining in…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

The Lost Bayou Ramblers of Lafayette took home their first Grammy Award on Sunday for their album “Kalenda,” which won the band a gramophone for Best Regional Roots Music Album. It was the second time the Louisiana Cajun band was nominated for a Grammy. The group had just announced earlier last week that they would be taking a break from writing and performing for a while.

It doesn’t seem like lawmakers and the governor are any closer to negotiating a budget agreement, even after the worst-case-scenario plan was unveiled a week ago. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says the Governor is ready to move forward to address a $1 billion budget gap that looms on July 1, but Republican legislators have yet to present a plan:
Cut 17 (12) “we’ll cut”
The GOP feels the governor isn’t interested in negotiating, but instead trying to push passing replacement taxes only.

The Internal Revenue Service says the nation’s tax filing season begins today. The deadline will be April 17th this year, because April 15 falls on a Sunday and Emancipation Day which D.C. will observe that Monday.  The Louisiana Department of Revenue will also begin accepting returns today.

The Trump administration says they will speed up the approval of a key coastal restoration project. The agreement would reduce the permitting process for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion from five years to two. Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana spokesperson Jimmy Frederick…:
Cut 11 (06) “for us”
The state intends to pay for much of the project using funds it received from BP after the 2010 oil spill.

UL-Lafayette has been named one of the Top 25 in U.S. News and World Report’s list of, “Universities and Colleges Where Students are Eager to Enroll.” Dr. DeWayne Bowie, vice president for Enrollment Management, says the ranking is a testament, not only to academic offerings..:
Cut 8 (08) “second to none”
UL-Lafayette was the only school in Louisiana named to the list.

House Republican Caucus Chairman Lance Harris of Alexandria is still waiting on specifics from the Edwards administration on what to do about the fiscal cliff. The governor would like to call lawmakers into a special session, so changes can be made to our tax code to address a billion dollar shortfall. But Harris says he and his party are still in the dark…:
Cut 14 (12) “of today”
The Administration says it’s time for the legislature to “put up or shut up” and present their own proposal on where cuts should be made.

Two adults and one child were found dead after four Louisianans were reported missing Sunday morning when hunting in Woodville, Mississippi. Search and recovery efforts found the bodies of a man, his sister-in-law, her child, and a dog that are believed to have gotten trapped under a boat that capsized.

Several of the nation’s largest corporations announced they are giving employees a bonus as a result of federal tax reform. Walmart announced they are increasing bottom salaries from nine dollars to 11 dollars, and authorizing up to a thousand dollars in bonuses for employees. Zachary Walmart manager Cornelius Lombard…:
Cut 4 (10) “and cheers”
But the announcement drew strong criticism Wednesday from Making Change at Walmart. Spokeswoman Amy Ritter says the thousand dollar bonus headline was fairly misleading…:
Cut 6 (05) “400 dollars”
Making Change highlighted that this comes as Walmart also closed 63 Sam’s Club stores and an estimated 10,000 workers lost their jobs.

Waterways in multiple parishes closed this morning after a weekend of heavy rains pounded much of southeast Louisiana. They are Ascension, Livingston, and Tangipahoa.