With the special session set to end Wednesday night, lawmakers are scrambling to come up with a plan to address the state’s large budget deficit. There’s talk about increasing the Louisiana’s four-cent sales tax by as much two-cents, but Governor John Bel Edwards says the tax burden should be spread out, impacting businesses too…:
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Edwards does remain hopeful the House will send over some additional tax bills to the Senate by the end of today.

Expect a wet week in Louisiana as forecasters expect a system to move in that will soak The Bayou State. Brandi Hughes with the National Weather Service in Shreveport says the rain will move in tomorrow afternoon…:
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A flash flood watch has been issued for 23 parishes, mostly on the western side of the state.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approves changes to the Common Core education standards for Louisiana. BESE president Jim Garvey says these new standards in English and math were reviewed and developed by committees that consists of about 100 teachers from around the state. He says they worked hard on creating more clarity about what was expected from educators and students…:
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He says the new standards will still uphold high learning expectations that help students move forward to better prepare for college and careers.

A 19-year-old from Natchitoches is under arrest for allegedly shooting his father severa times and killing him. Cops say 19-year-old Marlon Rachal II is charged with second degree murder in the death of 39-year-old Marlon Rachal Sr who suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Police did not release a motive for the shooting.

The state House has approved a bill that will increase the state’s alcohol tax for the first time since 1948. There was an effort to put a three-year expiration on the higher tax, but New Orleans Representative Walt Leger objected to the admendment with Shreveport Representative Thomas Carmody…
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The measure heads to the Senate where they are are expected to approve the higher alcohol tax, with the extra revenues going towards the state’s massive budget deficit.

Colfax Representative Terry Brown has filed a bill for the regular session that would require Governor Edwards to examine the state’s contracts with the Saints and Pelicans. Brown says hopefully once the governor reviews the agreements, he’ll take away any state subsidies…
cut 6 (09) “….Saints”

Legislation has been filed for the upcoming session that would increase the fines for those caught emailing, texting or looking at social media while driving. Highway safety advocate, Colonel Jim Champagne, is glad the legislature is willing to look at this issue, because this is a dangerous practice that needs to stop….
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The regular session begins a week from today.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has approved changes to the Common Core education standards. BESE President Jim Garvey says school districts will have more control on what goes on in the classroom…
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The governor and the legislature still has to review these changes.

The state House approves a bill that would raise the tax on alcohol and it now heads to the Senate. There are three days left in the special session where lawmakers are charged with addressing the massive budget deficit for this fiscal year and next. Governor John Bel Edwards is calling on the Capitol to raise revenues to fill the budget holes.

The regular session begins March 14th and a pre-filed bill would require Governor John Bel Edwards to review agreements with the Saints and Pelicans and renegotiate if need-be. According to a 2013 Forbes article, Owner Tom Benson will receive 392-million dollars in subsidies through 2025. It’s Colfax Representative Terry Brown’s bill and says Louisiana is tough fiscal times and tough decisions need to be made…:
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Brown says this legislation does not require Governor Edwards to renegotiate with the Saints and Pels, but it asks him to consider altering the contracts.

A bill filed by Baton Rouge Senator Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb would raise the fine for texting while driving. Halen Doughty has the story…:
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State Police Troop I investigated two separate fatal crashes Sunday — one in St. Mary Parish and the other in Evangeline Parish. In the first, they believe 19-year-old Demetrius Bergeron of Ville Platte was driving drunk and without a seat belt when he exited a roadway and crashed. He suffered fatal injuries. In the second crash, 52-year-old Jimmy Barras from Patterson crashed into a tree and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three days to go in the special session and legislators worked through the weekend. Sunday, the House ended up passing a small increase on alcohol to help plug the state’s massive budget deficit. A three-year expiration on the higher tax was proposed as an amendment to the bill, but Dry Creek Representative Dorothy Sue Hill objected to a sunset date. She says it’s been decades since the last time it was raised..:
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That amendment did not pass. If the Senate agrees to a higher alcohol tax, it would raise four-million dollars this fiscal year.

Legislation that would raise the fine for texting and driving is on the table for the regular session. Highway safety advocate Jim Champagne says this distracted driving behavior is extremely dangerous…:
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The proposed fine is $500, up from $175.

Legislation filed for the regular session would require the governor to review the state’s agreements with the Saints and Pelicans. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton were the winners in their respective parties in the Louisiana Presidential Primary on Saturday. Some ballots including local elections including Monroe where incumbent Mayor Jamie Mayo easily gained a victory in the city’s mayoral election.

New Orleans native quarterback Peyton Manning is expected to announce he’s retiring today after 18 seasons in the NFL.

Colfax Representative Terry Brown has filed legislation for the regular session that would require the governor to look over Louisiana’s agreements with the Saints and Pelicans and allow him to renegotiate the contracts to reduce state subsidies. Brown says if we’re cutting public dollars for developmentally disabled children and roadways, state-funding for professional sports teams should be reduced…:
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Brown says since 2002 the Saints and Pelicans have received about 369 million dollars from the state.

Today at the Capitol, with three days left in the special session, lawmakers continue to hammer away at the state’s current $900 million dollar budget shortfall, and the next financial year’s $2 billion dollar deficit. The House approved a small increase in the alcohol tax Sunday, and now there’s talk on a measure that would add an extra half penny to the state sales tax beyond the 1 cent increase, But Governor John Bel Edwards says he doesn’t like that idea.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approves the Louisiana State Student Standards in English and math, which replaces Common Core in these areas. BESE president Jim Garvey says these new standards still uphold high learning expectations and will help students move forward to better prepare for college and careers….:
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State law passed in 2015 provided BESE with the mechanism to develop state standards for English and math.

A 19-year-old from Natcchitoches is in jail for allegedly shooting and killing his 39-year-old father, according to cops. They say Marlon Ray Rachal II is charged with second degree murder.

The National Weather Service says a large storm system could bring heavy bouts of rain to south Louisiana this week. They say some showers and a few thunderstorms are expected to develop Tuesday, but the heaviest rainfall is expected to move into the area Wednesday through Friday. Four to 8 inches of rain is possible according to forecasters.

There are three days left in the special session to address massive budget shortfalls this fiscal year and next. Governor John Bel Edwards is calling on lawmakers to raise revenues to fill the budget holes and he scored a victory last night when the House approved an increase to the state’s alcohol tax. The bill’s author, Natchitoches Representative Kenny Cox, urged his colleagues to support the higher tax…:
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Louisiana has not raised taxes on alcohol since 1948.

Baton Rouge Senator Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb files a bill for the regular session that would increase the fine for texting while driving. It’s currently $175, but this measure seeks to raise that fine to $500. Highway safety advocate Jim Champagne says police are having a hard time getting a handle on the issue..:
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The regular session convenes on March 14th.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has approved the Louisiana State Student Standards, which changes Common Core. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
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The Republican and Democratic parties in Louisiana congratulate the Presidential Primary candidates who pulled out victories in The Bayou State. After the March 5th election day, Donald Trump won 47 of the state’s 64 parishes for the Republicans, and Hillary Clinton picked up 71% of Democratic votes in Louisiana.

UNO poll shows Donald Trump is the favorite to win the state’s Republican primary today. Halen Doughty has more…

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A Hahnville teacher has been arrested for allegedly having inappropriate conduct with a student. The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office says the arrest of 30-year-old Jeremy Eusea comes from another similar incident where Eusea was texting a 16-year-old student inappropriate pictures and messages in the 2010-2011 school year. He is facing multiple charges, including Computer Aided Solicitation of a Minor and Indecent Behavior with a Juvenile.

Governor John Bel Edwards is demanding that the House of Representatives approve additional revenue generating bills. The House and Senate have agreed to some revenue increases and budget cuts that close this fiscal year’s deficit from 940-million dollars to around 147-million. But the governor says more work needs to be done in the last days of the special session…

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The House did not approve the bill to increase the alcohol tax.

The major candidates running for the 2016 US Senate seat in Louisiana will appear today at the annual police jury association meeting in Shreveport. Political Analyst Elliot Stonecipher says the biggest issue is how other Republicans in the race can relate to the front runner John Kennedy because the State Treasurer’s anti-tax stance has helped to boost his popularity.

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A survey from the University of New Orleans shows billionaire businessman Donald Trump will likely be the favorite in Louisiana’s presidential primary today. Meanwhile in the Democratic primary, former-president Bill Clinton made a couple of campaign stops in Louisiana on behalf of his wife Hillary Clinton. Clinton says his wife is the most qualified candidate for the presidency.
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Governor John Bel Edwards is demanding the House of Representatives approves more bills to generate revenue. Edwards says without new revenues hospitals, universities and other necessary state services could have to close their doors. He says it’s time for the legislature to act.
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Reports say legislatiors are looking to increase the state’s sales tax even more, possibly by one and a half or two cents.

The major candidates running for US Senate in Louisiana in 2016 will appear today at the annual police jury association meeting in Shreveport. Political Analyst Elliot Stonecipher says right now Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy is the frontrunner. But he says having all the candidates together for this meeting kicks off the race.
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Stonecipher says a big issue is how other Republicans in the Senate race relate to Kennedy because the State Treasurer’s anti-tax stance has helped boost his popularity.

Researchers at Louisiana Tech are working with the New Orleans Police Department to help them select new officers who are the best fit the N-O-P-D’s new community based approach to law enforcement. Louisiana Tech Professor Frank Igou says N-O-P-D is looking for a certain type of officer as the department wants to correct misconduct issues that have occurred in the past.
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