Governor John Bel Edwards met with reporters today to talk about the challenges and successes of 2016. Edwards says his most difficult day in office came on July 17th when a gunman shot six Baton Rouge law enforcement officers, killing three of them. He says the two historic floods were also challenging…
cut 10 (12) “…13 individuals”

Governor Edwards has fought for Equal Pay during his time in office and there’s a new report that shows women earn on average 76-percent of the salary men make in Louisiana. Tulane Business Professor Mark Rosa says business owners agree with the concept of equal pay for equal work, but it’s hard to make it a reality when job duties are diffferent…
cut 5 (07) “…to pay”

State Police Colonel Mike Edmonson announces that troopers will begin wearing body cameras next year. Edmonson says law enforcement around the state are changing their training methods to better prepare officers for the field, and the footage from these cameras will help improve their methods. He says from a training perspective, this is a homerun….
cut 13 (11) ‘…look at”
The cameras will be paid for through the existing State Police budget at a cost of five-point-three million dollars over five years.

A Mississippi man has been charged with arson for starting a fire that caused damage to the ULM waterski house. Campus surveillance captured video footage and authorities have determined that 36-year-old Michael Daquilla of Centerville allegedly set fire to the building. Daquilla has no known connections to ULM.

Governor John Bel Edwards took time today to reflect on what he says has been a rewarding but challenging year as well. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Governor Edwards also appeared with State Police Col Mike Edmonson today to announce that Louisiana will become the first state in the nation to supply all state troopers with body cameras. Edmonson says they plan to roll out the cameras in the French Quarter next year and expand from there. He adds the cost will be about $5.3 million over the next five years with money from the existing budget.

A trail camera in Morehouse Parish captured a pic of a live wild cougar, and it’s been authenticated by the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Maria Davidson is LDWF’s Large Carnivore Program Manager. She says they got the picture in November and it’s not likely that this animal is still in Northeast Louisiana…:
CUT 7 (09) “the same place”
She says they encourage people to report any physical evidence of cougar sightings.

Many people don’t know that when they buy an item online from a retailer that doesn’t tack on state and local sales taxes, consumers are responsible for reporting the purchase. Amazon is going to begin automatically adding the taxes in January according to Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson…:
CUT 13 (09) “on me”
She says the state should see an improvement in collections as a result of this.

Governor John Bel Edwards calls 2016 a challenging year, but also very rewarding and positive as well. Edwards says he entered office and immediately addressed an unprecedented budget deficit by making cuts and raising revenues through tax increases…:
Cut 9 (09) “myself in”
He say the most difficult day was when he learned of the police officer shootings in Baton Rouge on July 17th. The governor is now with State Police to announce that Louisiana will become the first state in a nation to supply all state troopers with body cameras.

Today is the first day of winter, but State climatologist Barry Keim says the forecast is calling for warmer and drier than normal conditions for the next three months…:
cut (09) “with precipitation”
He says Louisianians can expect temperatures in the 70s Christmas weekend.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries confirms the first sighting of a wild cougar in the state since 2011. It said a trail camera picture sent to the department in November out of Morehouse Parish is authentic. Maria Davidson is LDWF’s Large Carnivore Program Manager. She says this is unusual as there is no cougar population here:
CUT 6 (10) “thousands of miles”
She says they move so fast that there is little chance the cougar would still be in Northeast Louisiana.

An assistant warden at Angola was reportedly arrested Tuesday on rape charges in an incident he allegedly committed at his home which is on prison property. The suspect is identified as 34-year-old Barrett Boeker.

Governor John Bel Edwards is at this hour remarking to reporters on the good and the bad of Louisiana in 2016. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the governor inherited a historic budget deficit when he took office on January 11th, which took up most of his time during the first half of the year…:
CUT 7 (09) “on that”
He says Edwards was able to raise over $1.5 billion in revenues this year, but there are still challenges ahead in 2017.

There’s been a lot of talk about the news that Amazon will begin charging state and local sales taxes at the start of the year. State Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson says the online retailer has gone forward with voluntary compliance…:
cut 14 (08) “about it”
She says Louisiana law has always required consumers to pay taxes on items they purchase online.

Louisiana women earned about 76% of what their male counterparts earned from 2014-2015, according to the Us Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s a 1.4% decline from the prior year. Tulane business professor Dr. Mark Rosa says almost no one would argue that women and men should be paid the same, but there are a lot of labor intensive jobs in Louisiana..:
CUT 4 (09) “welding job”
The statistics show women in Louisaina had a median weekly income of $630 to $828 for men.

Gov. John Bel Edwards and Venture Global LNG announced today the company will invest $8.5 billion to develop a natural gas liquefaction facility and export terminal in Plaquemines Parish. They say Plaquemines LNG will create 250 new direct jobs at an average annual salary of $70,000 per year, plus benefits. Full operations are expected to begin in 2022.

Governor John Bel Edwards holds a press conference today to review the challenges and successes the state has seen in 2016. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says based on his latest Southern Media and Opinion Research survey, Edwards approval rating is at 64-percent. But Pinsonat says the governor faces a number of challenges in 2017, which will impact his popularity going forward….
cut 9 (08) “….houses fixed”
Edwards had a meeting with Senator-elect John Kennedy and US Representatives-elect Mike Johnson and Clay Higgins to discuss flood recovery efforts and asked them to push the Housing and Urban Development Department to approve rules on how the state can spend the second installment of federal recovery dollars.

A student at Northshore High School in Slidell has died after a car he was riding in ended up submerged in water in the Salt Bayou area. He’s been identified as Tyler Levy.

The latest data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics finds women earn on average 76-percent of the salary men make in Louisiana. Tulane business professor Dr. Mark Rosa says typically, women spend more time caring for families, and being out of the office could affect earnings, especially in commissioned jobs.
Cut 3 (07) “better pay”
In Louisiana, there’s been a push for several years to pass an Equal Pay Bill requiring companies to pay women the same salary as men for equal work.

The Southern Rail Commission has provided cash to Baton Rouge and a couple of other cities to help develop a passenger rail service that connects Baton Rouge with New Orleans. John Spain is with the commission and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, he says there’s also talk of passenger trail service between New Orleans and Orlando….
cut 11 (09) “…seven days a week”

Today Governor John Bel Edwards will deliver remarks at an end of the year news conference on a review of 2016 in Louisiana. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the governor had some victories in his first year, like getting federal funding for flood victims and raising over 1.5 billion dollars during two special sessions…:
Cut 8 (09) “his popularity”
A survey last month found that 64-percent approve of the governor’s job performance.

What does Amazon’s new sales tax collecting policy mean for customers? Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson says consumers are supposed to be paying these taxes for online purchases anyway and now brick and mortar stores will have a fair advantage and this should benefit the economy too…:
CUT 15 (11) “of this”
She says Amazon will begin adding the taxes on January 1st.

It’s the first day of winter, but we might not see many cold days over the next three months. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
Cut 3 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A man has been arrested in connection with a suspected arson at the University of Louisiana at Monroe ski house. ULM Police were dispatched to the fire Tuesday afternoon and contained it using water from Bayou Desiard before the fire department arrived. The suspect is identified as 36 year-old Michael Daquilla of Centreville, Mississippi. No word on why this man allegedly tried to set the ski house on fire.

Governor John Bel Edwards meets with reporters today to look back on his first year in office. Don Molino has more on the governor’s challenges and successes in 2016…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Don Molino”

It’s the first day of winter, but we might not see many cold days over the next three months. State climatologist says a drier and warmer than normal season is predicted, but that does’t mean we won’t see some cold air…:
CUT 6 (08) “next three months”

Could a rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans become a reality in the future. The Capitol City has received a quarter of a million dollars to start planning for the commuter train. John Spain with the Southern Rail Commission says he’s optimistic the legislature will allocate funds for the project in the next session…:
cut 12 (07) “in place”
Spain says this commuter rail would hopefully be part of a larger route that stretches from Baton Rouge to Orlando, Florida.

Many people don’t know that when they buy an item online from a retailer that doesn’t tack on state and local sales taxes, consumers are responsible for reporting the purchase. Amazon is going to begin automatically adding the taxes in January according to Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson…:
CUT 13 (09) “on me”
She says the state should see an improvement in collections as a result of this.

Governor John Bel Edwards is set to meet with reporters today to look back at the challenges and successes Louisiana has seen during 2016. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says Edwards inherited an historic budget deficit when he took office on January 11th, which took up most of his time during the first half of the year…:
CUT 7 (09) “on that”
The Governor’s monthly call in radio show airs today at 2pm.

Today is the official first day of winter, so what can we expect over the next 3 months? State Climatologist Barry Keim says you may not be bundling up too much or needing the umbrella often thanks to the weak La Nina currently in place…:
Cut 5 (10) “includes Louisiana”
Winter Solstice officially began at 4:44 this morning.

Online shoppers in Louisiana are asking how Amazon’s announcement that it will collect Louisiana sales taxes next year will affect them. Halen Doughty has the answer…:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

An assistant warden at Angola was reportedly arrested Tuesday on rape charges in an incident he allegedly committed at his home which is on prison property. 34-year-old Barrett Boeker was being held Tuesday at the West Feliciana Parish jail after turning himself in, and his bond set at $200,000.