Governor John Bel Edwards has released a statement on the state’s $313 million budget shortfall on the eve of a budget stabilization meeting. The governor says Louisiana is still recovering from years of mismanagement, and unfortunately our options are limited. He says they are working with government agencies to prepare for more cuts. He says if lawmakers can work together in the next session, Louisiana will be in a strong financial position in the future.

The Louisiana Department of Education has released its yearly school report cards. Emelie Gunn has more on those results…

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

An 8-year-old boy is recovering in a Baton Rouge hospital after his mother tried to slit his throat. Baton Rouge Police Cpl. L’Jean McKneely says the boy was transported to a local hospital with a non-life threatening laceration to the throat. He says the mother, 40-year-old Gloria Ross is charged with attempted first degree murder and second degree cruelty to a juvenile.

Cut 14 (07) “issues”

Ross told police she attacked her son because Jesus told her to.

The Robertson family of West Monroe say they are hanging up their reality show Duck Dynasty following this final season. President of the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce, Courtney Hornsby, says even though the show is ending, she doesn’t see them slowing down, as the family has also opened a diner and boutique in town.

Cut 4 (09) “our community”

The show is scheduled to end in April after 130 episodes.

The Baton Rouge Police Department arrests a woman for allegedly attempting to kill her 8 year old son by slitting his throat. Cpl L’Jean McKneely says the suspect, 40-year-old Gloria Ross, grabbed a kitchen knife as her kids were getting ready for school, and approached the young victim…:
Cut 12 (07) “to his throat”
McKneely says the woman told cops that Jesus told her to kill her son.

President-elect Donald Trump ran on a platform of immigration reform, often mentioning mass deportations, and Governor John Bel Edwards said on his monthly call-in radio show that state and federal laws could come into play. He says they’ll have to wait and see what politics come out of the Trump Administration…:
CUT 10 (09) “obviously”
Mr. Trump is slated to be sworn into office on January 20th.

Public colleges in Louisiana will have to absorb an 18-million dollar cut in state funding for this fiscal year. It’s part of Governor John Bel Edwards plan to reduce a 315-million dollar deficit. The governor is also proposing to delay 152 million dollars in payments to health care providers who care for Medicaid patients.

Duck Dynasty announces after 130 episodes, the show is coming to an end this April. Halen Doughty has more…
Voicer 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

An 8-year-old boy is recovering in a Baton Rouge hospital after his mother tried to slit his throat. Baton Rouge Police Cpl. L’Jean McKneely says the boy was transported to a local hospital with a non-life threatening laceration to the throat. He says the mother, 40-year-old Gloria Ross is charged with attempted first degree murder and second degree cruelty to a juvenile.

Cut 14 (07) “issues”

Ross told police she attacked her son because Jesus told her to.

Many people are concerned about what will come after president-elect Donald Trump takes office. Governor John Bel Edwards says he does expect some changes, especially with Medicaid.

Cut 9 (11) “look like”

341-thousand people have enrolled in Louisiana’s expanded Medicaid program.

Student achievement is on the rise in Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Department of Education’s annual school report cards. Superintendent John White says school and district letter grade ratings have improved, and he credits better student results.

Cut 6 (10) “enrollment credits”

There are 16 A rated school districts this year, up from 10 last year.

Duck Dynasty has been giving yuppies around the country a taste of the Louisiana lifestyle since 2012, but the show is finally coming to an end. President of the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce, Courtney Hornsby, says the show about the Robertson family has spiked an interest in West Monroe.

Cut 3 (09) “backyard”

The show will end in April, after 130 episodes.

The Baton Rouge Police Department arrested a mother for allegedly trying to kill her 8-year-old son by slitting his throat . Cpl. L’Jean McKneely says 40-year-old Gloria Ross’ two other children and the victim were able to escape and call 911. He says when Ross was questioned she told investigators she had a reason….
Cut 13 (06) “parish prison.”

The victim was taken to the hospital with non life threatening injuries.

Many people have expressed concerns about a Trump presidency, but Governor John Bel Ewards says he’s interested in seeing the nation unite. Edwards says one policy he does foresee going into effect is the ability to buy health insurance across state lines. He says he hasn’t heard much opposition to it…
Cut 11 (09) “prices down”

The Louisiana Department of Education’s annual school report cards found statewide gains in student achievement. But Superintendent John White says at the same time there are challenges the school grading system doesn’t reveal. He says the system doesn’t fully reflect the gains made by many schools that are making progress.
Cut 7 (10) “quality is”

The report finds the number of schools receiving A grades has increased to 16, up from 10 last year.

The Duck Dynasty series, featuring the Robertson family, will be coming to an end after 130 episodes. The show originally drew in over 10 million views but has since declined. But Korie Robertson, Willie’s wife, says that decline hasn’t stopped people from visiting West Monroe.
Cut 5 (10) “from everywhere”

The Department of Education in Louisiana says that our public schools keep showing improvement. Superintendent John White says, in its annual report card, the number of school districts receiving an “A” grade is 16, up from 10 the prior year. He says students and teachers are stepping up.
Cut 8 (07) “is up”

Duck Dynasty announces after 130 episodes, the show is coming to an end this April. Halen Doughty has more…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Entergy Louisiana says it intends to break ground in August on a new $869 million dollar power station in St. Charles Parish, in an effort to increase power supply for the growing market. The electricity provider has been given the green light by the Public Service Commission to build the natural gas-fired, combined-cycle power plant about 30 miles from New Orleans. Entergy says the new plant will provide southeast Louisiana with a reliable source of clean, affordable energy to meet customer demand and help drive economic growth.

President-elect Donald Trump ran on a platform of immigration reform, often mentioning mass deportations, and Governor John Bel Edwards said on his monthly call-in radio show that state and federal laws could come into play. He says they’ll have to wait and see what politics come out of the Trump Administration…:
CUT 10 (09) “obviously”
Mr. Trump is slated to be sworn into office on January 20th.

The Louisiana Department of Education has released its yearly school report cards. Emelie Gunn has more on those results…:
Cut 2 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The Baton Rouge Police Department arrests a woman for allegedly attempting to kill her 8 year old son by slitting his throat. Cpl L’Jean McKneely says the suspect, 40-year-old Gloria Ross, grabbed a kitchen knife as her kids were getting ready for school, and approached the young victim…:
CUt 12 (07) “to his throat”
McKneely says the woman told cops that Jesus told her to kill her son.

While many people around the country are concerned about what will happen when president-elect Donald Trump takes office, Governor John Bel Edwards says he is more interested in seeing the country come together. Edwards says he does expect some changes to Medicaid, but it’s too early to tell what those changes might be…:
Cut 9 (11) “look like”
The state expanded the Medicaid program this year, and 341-thousand people have enrolled so far.

There was no winner of the $293 million Powerball drawing held on Wednesday, and the jackpot has now soared to $320 million dollars with a cash option of $202 million.

The Louisiana Department of Education has released its annual school report cards and found statewide gains in student achievement. Superintendent John White says the distribution of school and district letter grade ratings has improved. He credits this to an improvement in student results….:
Cut 6 (10) “enrollment credits”
The number of school districts receiving an “A” grade is 16, up from 10 last year.

TOPS recipients will be responsible for more than half of their spring tuition, and Governor John Bel Edwards said on his monthly call-in radio show that funding the program was a top priority for him in the last session…:
Cut 13 (07) “not to”
But House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry said the governor is to blame for the TOPS cut because he was more concerned about funding other services, like public-private hospitals.

There was an arrest made of the cop accused of shooting Philando Castile in Minnesota – an incident that happened the same week Alton Sterling was killed during a confrontation with Baton Rouge Police officers. But experts say a decision in the Sterling case will take much longer. Legal analyst Tim Meche says federal authorities are handling the Sterling case which history has shown they don’t get in a hurry…:
Cut 1 (10) “taking longer”
DA Hillar Moore recused himself from the Sterling matter which is why it’s in the hands of the US Attorney…unlike in Minnesota.

The West Monroe Robertsons say they are hanging up their reality show Duck Dynasty following this final season. The family says it was a joint decision by them and A&E. President of the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce, Courtney Hornsby, says even though the show is ending, she doesn’t see them slowing down…:
cut 4 (09) “our community”