US Senator John Kennedy isn’t entirely sold on the House GOP plan to overhaul the nation’s health care law. But he says improvements can easily be made like including more healthcare assistance for those that need it:
CUT 7 (08) “the help”
Giving states more flexibility with how they operate Medicaid is another of the changes Kennedy would like to see with the House bill.

There have been three arrests made in the case of a noose that was found hanging at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Landry Parish. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Major Eddie Thibodeaux says two juveniles and one 18-year-old, Judah Barber of Opelousas, have been charged with…:
cut 12 (06) “to intimidate”
He says Barber was booked and later bonded out, and the two juveniles were booked and released in the custody of their parents.
The number of confirmed mumps cases in Louisiana is likely going to keep rising before it goes down, according to Dr. Frank Welch with the state Department of Health. He says the viral infection has a long incubation period which is why it’s important to know how to prevent the spread of mumps this St. Patrick’s Day weekend…:
cUT 5 (11) “through saliva”
He says it’s a good idea to know the symptoms such as headache, fever, fatigue, and jaw swelling just below your ear.

LSU says they have identified a person of interest in the case of an alleged rape and abduction near a sorority house on campus. The initial incident was reported on Wednesday. Few other details are being released at this time. LSU says they’ve also identified property of interest, but that this is still an active and developing investigation.

The State Department of Health predicts the mumps outbreak in Louisiana is going to keep growing for now. Medical director of the state Immunization Program Dr. Frank Welch says the viral infection has a long incubation period so it could be a few weeks before we know how bad it will get here. He says it’s a good idea to know the symptoms…:
cut 4 (08) “both sides”
He says mumps is spread through saliva so limit kissing time and don’t share drinks when you’re celebrating St. Patty’s this weekend.

US Senator John Kennedy says there are problems with the House Republican’s plan to overhaul the nation’s health care law, but he’s confident it will be improved as it moves through the legislative process. Kennedy likes that the GOP plan is not as generous with tax credits as Obamacare, but it’s not ungenerous either…:
Cut 6 (10) “to buy insurance”
Opponents of the proposal say more people will become uninsured.

A man in Washington Parish is facing animal cruelty charges for allegedly shooting and killing 5 puppies. Deputy Mike Haley with the Sheriff’s Office 25-year-old Shawn Glen Jones of Angie initially denied being involved in the February incident, but then the truth came out…:
CUT 10 (09) “at the location”
Jones is booked on five counts of cruelty to animals, and he’s being held in the Washington Parish Jail on a $15,000 bond.

The effort to recall Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni is over; and was not successful. Organizers say they came up more than 40,000 signatures short and they needed more than 90,000 from Jefferson Parish voters. The recall petition began in October, when reports surfaced that Yenni had sent inappropriate text messages of a sexual nature to a 17-year-old boy.

Opening arguments are slated to begin on Monday in the case of the Marksville City Marshall accused of killing a 6-year-old boy. The judge ruled today that there will not be a change of venue in Derrick Stafford’s murder trial.

The Louisiana Department of Health confirms at least 12 mumps cases, and indicates that number is likely growing. Medical director of the state Immunization Program Dr. Frank Welch says the viral infection has a long incubation period…:
Cut 3 (09) “lag time”
He says the infection spreads through saliva so preventative measures include not sharing drinks and cleaning surfaces that are often touched.

The reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible in the fatal shooting of 3 people in a New Orleans neighborhood, including two children, is now $10,000. Anyone with information in the case can call Crimestoppers.

A Washington Parish man is behind bars after police say he shot and killed five abandoned puppies in February. Chief Deputy Mike Haley with the Sheriff’s Office says a concerned citizen contacted the Humane Society after seeing the abandoned puppies on the side of the road:
Cut 9 (10) “they were dead”
25-year-old Shawn Glen Jones of Angie is booked on five counts of cruelty to animals.

After years of problems, Greater Ouachita Water Company is looking for a buyer. Ouachita Parish Police Jury President Scotty Robinson says they’re looking for a company that’s good for the citizens and good for the parish…:
Cut 25 (12) “Ouachita Parish”
Robinson says residents have been receptive to the idea of selling GOWC to another company.

Proposed changes to the state’s criminal justice system have been sent to the governor and now the work begins to get the legislature to support the plan, which supporters say would save the state 151-million dollars over the next 10 years. New Orleans Representative Walt Leger is a member of the task force that came up with the proposals…
cut 4 (10) “…across the board”
Some of the reforms that will be discussed include new sentencing guidelines and expanding probation and parole eligibilty.

Jury selection is complete in the murder trial of Derrick Stafford. Stafford, who was working as a Marksville deputy marshal, is accused of killing a six-year-old boy during a police chase in 2015. The attorneys on both sides selected two alternates today and opening arguments begin Monday.

A Tulane stufy finds cancer patients are more receptive to palliative (pay-lee-ay-tive) care once they know more about it. Researcher Michael Hoerger says there’s a resistance to this kind of care, because some patients confuse it for hospice…
cut 11 (11) “….two months longer”

The Greater Ouachita Water Company is looking for a buyer and Ouachita Parish Police Jury President Scotty Robinson says this is good news for the 25-thousand customers who have been dealing with discolored water and billing errors for year from G-O-W-C. Robinson on why the water has been bad…
cut 8 (12) “….slimy stuff”
Robinson says the police jury will have a say in the buyer.

Americans for Prosperity Louisiana launches a Tank the Gas Tax Campaign, to urge lawmakers to say no to an increase in the state’s gas tax. Though some argue that the gas tax hasn’t been raised in 30 years and doesn’t account for inflation, Americans for Prosperity Louisiana Director John Kay says taxes shouldn’t go up just because they haven’t been increased in a while…:
CUT 15 (09) “that problem first”
There’s talk of increasing the state’s gasoline tax between 17 to 23-cents to generate more money to fix Louisiana’s lousy roads.

Now that the governor has released his plan for how he’d like to see criminal justice reformed in Louisiana, the recommendations are now in the hands of lawmakers. New Orleans Representative Walt Leger is a member of the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force…:
CUT 5 (10) “this point”

All 12 jurors have reportedly been sworn in for the murder trial of Derrick Stafford, which begins Monday in Avoyelles Parish. Stafford is a former Marksville City Marshall accused of fatally shooting a 6-year-old autistic boy during a 2015 traffic stop. It’s been reported that both the prosecution and defense are challenging some of the jury selections, reportedly over race, which is expected to be a big issue in the case of a black cop allegedly shooting white child.

The Greater Ouachita Water Company is looking for a buyer. Jeff Palermo has more..:
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Proposals to raise the state’s gasoline tax is getting pushback from the conservative political advocacy group, Americans for Prosperity. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Th Ascension Parish council has voted to call for the resignation of Parish President Kenny Mattassa. A grand jury recently indicted Matassa on charges of public bribery for allegedly offering favors to a man if he’d drop out of a race for office in Gonzales. Council members voted 6-4 in favor of calling for Mattasa to step down. He bonded out of jail on a $5000 bond.

Now that the governor has released his plan for how he’d like to see criminal justice reformed in Louisiana, the recommendations are now in the hands of lawmakers. New Orleans Representative Walt Leger, who sits on the task force that put the plan together, says bills will be filed that would put Louisiana where it needs to be in terms of prison population…:
Cut 6 (10) “deserve”
The recommendations include changes to drug and property crimes, altering probation and parole supervision, simplifying the criminal code, and narrow sentencing ranges.

Greater Ouachita Water Company is looking for a buyer. Ouachita Parish Police Jury President Scotty Robinson says GOWC’s roughly 25-thousand customers have been dealing with discolored water and billing errors for years. He says OPPJ has a say in who the buyer will be because they have a member on the water company’s executive board…:
Cut 7 (10) “police jury”
After years of dealing with these issues, he believes many customers would welcome a change.

The governor’s recommendations on criminal justice reform are now in the hands of lawmakers. Jeff Palermo reports…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Some state leaders have said one of the only ways to get the revenue needed to repair the state’s roads and bridges, is to consider some type of gas tax increase. But Americans for Prosperity State Director John Kay says structural changes should be made, not taxes increased…:
Cut 14 (10) “time to do”

Cancer patients are warming up more to the idea of palliative (pay-lee-ay-tive) care — focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. That’s according to a study out of Tulane, and researcher Michael Hoerger (Her-ger) says after learning about the benefits of palliative care, 75-percent of participants were more likely to seek it out…:
Cut 12 (09) “palliative care”
He says the goal of this type of care is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.

Catholics who abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent get a pass today. Father Frank Coens of St. Paschal Catholic Church in West Monroe says the St. Patrick’s Day exception dates back to an old Irish tradition..:
Cut 25 (09) “Irish family”
He recommends that if Catholics do eat meat today, make some type of other Lenten personal sacrifice.

Now that the governor has released his plan for how he’d like to see criminal justice reformed in Louisiana, the recommendations are now in the hands of lawmakers. New Orleans Representative Walt Leger is a member of the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force. He hopes the legislature realizes that this plan is one that actually fights crime…:
Cut 4 (10) “across the board”
He says legislation will be offered that will get the state where it needs to be in terms of prison population.

The conservative political advocacy group, Americans for Prosperity, is pushing back against proposals to increase the state’s gasoline tax. State Director John Kay says they stand against any increase on the gasoline tax, no matter how big or small, because Louisiana taxpayers have already seen their taxes go up enough…:
Cut 13 (07) “the legislature”
Proponents say a gas tax increase would be the only way to get all the money needed to fix the state’s road and bridge backlog.

A Tulane study finds cancer patients are more likely to receive palliative (pay-lee-ay-tive) care after learning more about it. Researcher Michael Hoerger (Her-ger) authored the study and says there are a lot of misconceptions about palliative care. He says the purpose of this study is to dispel some of the rumors…:
Cut 10 (09) “serious illness”
He says after learning about the benefits of palliative care, 75-percent of participants were more likely to seek it out.

All 12 jurors have been sworn in for the trial of one of the former Marksville city deputies accused of shooting and killing a 6-year-old autistic boy, and injuring his father. Derrick Stafford’s trial is slated to begin on Monday.

All 12 jurors have reportedly been sworn in for the murder trial of Derrick Stafford, which begins Monday in Avoyelles Parish. Stafford is a former Marksville City Marshall accused of fatally shooting a 6-year-old autistic boy during a 2015 traffic stop. It’s been reported that both the prosecution and defense are challenging some of the jury selections, reportedly over race, which is expected to be a big issue in the case of a black cop allegedly shooting white child.

The state has set a new record for seat belt usage. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Proposals to reduce the state’s incarceration rate have been released by the Justice Reinvestment Task Force. Governor John Bel Edwards says we’re a long way from mission accomplished, as the proposals will be taken up in the upcoming regular session.

Cut 12 (09) “legislative instruments”

The recommendations seek to focus prison beds on those who are a real threat to public safety.

Catholics can eat meat this Friday because it’s St. Patrick’s Day. Fr. Frank Coens says that’s because of the old Irish tradition of eating corned beef and cabbage during the feast of St. Patrick. But he says if you’re going to eat meat, it’s good to find another way to do penance.

Cut 15 (10) on Friday”

He says the exception doesn’t just apply to Irish Catholics.