A storm is approaching that could bring sleet and possibly light snow north of Interstate 20. Emelie Gunn has more…
voicer 2 (30) “…I’m Emelie Gunn”

Walker and Denham Springs have filed a class action suit against the state and all of the contractors infolved in the I-12 widening project. The Livingston Parish towns claim the concrete barrier wall on the interstate made the flooding worse in August, because it prevented water from draining out.

A community forum takes place tonight in New Orleans where residents can voice their concerns about repealing the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. Jeanie Donovan from Loyola’s Jesuit Social Research Institute says over a half a million Louisianans will lose health insurance coverage if the Republican Congress repeals Obamacare…
cut 12 (10) “the state”
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy says he wants to repeal and replace Obamacare, with something that’s more affordable and more efffective.

An oil platform 80 milexs off the coast of Grand Isle caught on fire early this morning. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class Travis Magee says there were people working on the platform when the blaze started…
cut 10 (10) “…reported injuries”
The four workers were reportedly taken to Terrebonne General Hospital for observation.

A community forum takes place tonight in New Orleans to begin the possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Jeanie Donovan from Loyola’s Jesuit Social Research Institute says the forum is a call to action to get people in touch with their elected officials so they can voice how a repeal would impact Louisianans…..
cut 13 (09) “…coverage”
Newly elected US Senator John Kennedy has said, at least on the Senate side, he doesn’t believe that Congress will want to repeal Obamacare without having something else in place.

The annual Quality counts report from Education Week gives Louisiana a D-plus for public education. According to the study, the state performed poorly when it comes to K-12 achievement and funding for public schools. Louisiana finished 46th out of the 50 states.

Louisiana is bracing for the possibility of wintry mix for some parts of the state tomorrow, mainly northern half. Cold temperatures are also coming. Patrick Omundson, with the National Weather Service, says it will be a cold day tomorrow and the wind will make feel even colder…
cut 8 (06) “….chill too”
Below freezing temperatures are expected for the weekend.

A blaze on an oil production platform in the Gulf of Mexico has been extinguished. Four workers were forced to evacuate early this morning, about 80-miles off the coast of Grand Isle. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class Travis Magee says the cause of the fire is not known….
cut 11 (11) “…the situation”
The four workers were taken to Terrebonne General Hospital for observation.

Early this morning, a fire broke out on an oil production platform in the Gulf of Mexico, sending four workers into the water. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class Travis Magee says around 2:30 am they received reports of a fire on a Renaissance Offshore platform about 80 miles off the coast of Grand Isle.
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Magee says the blaze is now extinguished and the four workers who were on the platform were recovered by an offshore supply vessel and then flown to Terrebonne General Medical Center.

A severed human arm was found near a canal in St. John the Baptist Parish. It was discovered near the Reserve Canal by I-10 eastbound near mile marker 202.9. The sheriff’s office says detectives are still trying to determine how the body part ended up in the waterway.

Several stores have announced they are closing their doors soon. K-Mart and Sears are shutting down two of their locations in south Louisiana and a Macys in Kenner is also closing. LSU marketing professor Dan Rice says many times when large stores like these close, it takes awhile to find a business to take its place….
cut 5 (12) “….jump in there”

Tonight a community forum will take place in New Orleans for those who are concerned about the possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Jeanie Donovan with Loyola’s Social Research Institute says not only will half-a-million Louisiana residents lose their coverage, but the state’s budget would take a hit…
cut 14 (08) “….is repealed”
U.S. Senator John Kennedy says Republicans are interested in replacing Obamacare with something better.

Rain is moving into the state bringing in the chance for light snow north of I-20. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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Several stores are closing their doors for good in the coming months. LSU marketing professor Dan Rice says online shopping could be affecting these stores like Sears, Kmart, Macy’s and others..:
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The Limited is shutting down nationwide including all 5 stores in Louisiana.

A community forum is scheduled for tonight where Louisiana residents will have a chance to voice their concerns about repealing the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. Jeanie Donovan from Loyola’s Jesuit Social Research Institute will MC the event. She says over a half a million Louisianans will lose health insurance coverage if the Republican Congress repeals Obamacare…
cut 12 (10) “the state”
Newly elected US Senator John Kennedy has said, at least on the Senate side, he doesn’t believe that Congress will want to repeal Obamacare without having something else in place. The meeting begins at 6pm.

A fire on a platform in the Gulf of Mexico has been extinguished according to the US Coast Guard. They say there were no signs of pollution in the area of the rig owned by Houston-based Renaissance Offshore LLC. Four workers had to escape the flames into the water around 2:30am, but were rescued by a nearby vessel and no injuries were reported.

Quite a few stores in the Bayou State are closing their doors for good this year. Jeff Palermo has more…:
CUT 1 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Precipitation is moving into Louisiana over the next 24 hours bringing in the possibility of light snow. Patrick Omundson with the National Weather Service in Shreveport says it could start midday tomorrow in north Louisiana…:
CUT 6 (09) “mid-evening”
He says south of I-20 can expect a sleet mix, but no freezing rain.

Louisiana has a real problem with train/vehicle fatalities and had the fourth most in 2015. That’s why the state Department of Transportation is launching a railroad safety campaign. Spokesperson Rodney Mallet says there is a certain stop a car should sit if a train is coming..:
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He adds you should never try to beat a train that could take more than a mile to come to a stop.

According to the NFL, TV viewership fell an average of eight percent this season. On average, one-point-four million fewer people watched a game this year than in 2015.

There’s been a lot of talk heating up about ways to make New Orleans a safer place to live and visit and the Attorney General’s Office is joining the effort. AG Jeff Landry says the problem with increased police efforts are not limited to the French Quarter..:
CUT 11 (11) “residents safe”
Landry says his team of agents made 11 eleven arrests in New Orleans during the final quarter of 2016 and assisted NOPD in five other arrests.

So what are the chances we could see snow tomorrow. Jeff Palermo has more…
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The state has launched a railroad safety campaign. DOTD Spokesperson Rodney Mallett says it includes law enforcement officers monitoring railroad intersections…:
cut 14 (08) “write tickets”
Based on the latest data from the Federal Railroad Administration, Louisiana was fourth in the nation for the number of highway-rail crossing fatalities in 2015.

Several stores are closing their doors for good in the coming months. Sears Holdings announces Kmart locations in Gonzales and Jefferson Parish, as well as Sears in Gretna and Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge will close by this April. LSU marketing professor Dan Rice says in Sears’ case, the company looked at places where there’s overlap.
Cut 3 (12) “in Louisiana”
The Limited is shutting down nationwide, meaning all 5 stores in Louisiana will lock their doors permanently this Saturday.

The Attorney General’s Office has started the hashtag campaign “Make New Orleans Safe Again” to reduce crime in the Crescent City after shootings increased by 25-percent last year. AG Jeff Landry blames Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s poor leadership for the uptick in crime. He says NOPD is under a federal consent decree that the mayor agreed to.

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Landry says with the help of NOPD, his Violent Crime Task Force made 16 total arrests in the last quarter of 2016. The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for a statement.

LSU police are investigating damage to the turf at Tiger Stadium. University Police say vandals broke into the stadium around 11:30 pm Tuesday and were inside until after midnight. LSU sports information director Michael Bonnette says the damage wasn’t major and it can be fixed.

The state has released its revised coastal restoration plan. Brann Haase with the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority says the worst case scenario for the coast would be about 4-thousand square miles of land loss, if they did nothing.

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Haase says public meetings will be held around the state to gather input on the plan of action. The first meeting is scheduled for January 17 in Lake Charles.

A weather system is moving through the state today, bringing with it the possibility for winter precipitation north of I-20. State climatologist Barry Keim says the system should move through quickly, but once it passes, arctic air pushes in.

Cut 9 (10) “all season”

Keim says there’s about a 20-percent chance of snow in north Louisiana.

We’re starting to hear the word snow in our forecasts, but State Climatologist Barry Keim says the chance for the white stuff in north Louisiana is about 20-30 percent…:
CUT 8 (09) “this particular point”
He says this wintry precipitation could move along the I-20 corridor as early as tonight, persist through tomorrow and Friday night.

Louisiana ranked number 4 in the nation for the number of people killed by trains in 2015, with 13 deaths. That’s why DOTD launched the “Do Not Stop on the Tracks” campaign. DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallett says drivers have a responsibility to know the rules when approaching crossings, but for its part the state spent nearly 6 million dollars on railroad safety projects last year…:
Cut 15 (10) “do that”
They emphasize the message, do not stop on the tracks.

The state has released a revised coastal restoration plan. Bren Haase with Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority says an important part of the idea addresses reducing storm surge damage along the coast…:
Cut 6 (11) “year 50”
He says roughly $18 billion has been secured to implement the 50-year plan, which would take $50 billion to fully fund it.

Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge was vandalized this week according to the LSU Police Department. They say nothing was permanently damaged, and they are in the process of investigating the incident. There is currently no information being given on the extent of the damage, suspect or motive. The field was covered by a tarp on Wednesday.

The US Coast Guard is responding to a report of a fire on an oil production platform about 80 miles south of Grand Isle. They say the blaze is now suppressed, but it is not yet entirely extinguished. Four people were rescued.