The state’s budget picture is worse than originally thought as the Revenue Estimating Conference this morning projects there will be an $892 million dollar mid-yer shortfall. Lawmakers must fill the hole by July 1st. A special session to address the budget begins Sunday.

Now that the Mardi Gras season is over, today, Ash Wednesday, begins the Lenten season as Christians across Louisiana prepare for Easter. Masses will be held across the state today to allow people to receive their ashes.

And begins the 40 days of lent. Many choose to give up meat and take advantage of Louisiana’s seafood, and there’s good news for crawfish lovers. Farmers say this could be one of the best years for mudbugs ever — thanks to El Nino. Wild crawfish farmer Sherbin Collette of Henderson says more people are harvesting to make a living since the oil industry is losing jobs
CUT 9 (06) “can’t make it”
He says warm weather and high waters contribute to the size and juiciness of the crawfish.

The data compiling website Roadsnacks released a list of the most boring cities in Louisiana, and Central came in at number one. Rounding out the top five were Mandeville, Franklin, Springhill and Minden. Roadsnacks spokesman Nick James says they classified boring places as those where the population was older, married or had kids. He says they did this research scientifically without polling and seem to get positive results…:
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You can see the full list at roadsnacks.net.

Governor John Bel Edwards will have a televised statewide address to residents of Louisiana about the state’s budget situation tomorrow night at 6:30. It will also be carried on all of our radio stations. The state found out today that the budget deficit for this fiscal year has grown from $750 to $892 million. The Revenue Estimating Conference met this morning.

It’s ash Wednesday as thousands of Christians around the state will mark the start of the 40-day Lenten season by receiving crosses of ash on their forehead to symbolize penance. Churches around the state are holding services and some have set up mobile ash distribution sites so people can get their ashes without attending mass.

The Lenten season is also a busy time of the year for the seafood industry and Halen Doughty reports this could be one of the best for crawfish in Louisiana…
voicer 1 (30) “….I’m Halen Doughty”

Bossier City Representative Mike Johnson is expected to formally announce he’s entering the race to represent Louisaina’s fourth congressional district. The republican gained name recognition for pushing a religious freedom bill in the legislature last year. Political analyst Elliot Stonecipher says Johnson will do well with voters in Bossier, but Caddo Parish is a different story…
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Stonecipher expects a lot of candidates to get in this race.

The website Roadsnacks has released its top ten most boring cities in Louisiana and Central, which is located in East Baton Rouge Parish, is number one. Roadsnacks spokesperson Nick James says they looked at city population to come up with their list…
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Rounding out the top ten were cities like Slidell, Zachary, Oakdale, Covington and Denham Springs.

Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany introduces legislation designed to make sure President Barack Obama’s proposed 10-dollar tax on a barrel of oil never passes Congress. Boustany says this tax would create another level of problems for the state’s struggling oil and gas industry…
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The President is pushing the oil tax as a way to fund a 21st century clean transportation system.

Fishermen that harvest wild crawfish out of the Atchafalaya Basin like what they are seeking this season. Sherbin Collette says the mudbugs are bigger because high waters flushed out many swamps that have not been fished in years….
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Collette expects an agressive crawfish market as more people are getting into the industry, because of job losses in oil and gas.

Louisiana’s revenue forecasts will be revised today and that means the state’s budget crisis could get worse. If the data shows less revenue coming into the state than anticipated, then the state’s 750-million dollar shortfall for this fiscal year and 1-point-nine billion dollar deficit for next fiscal year could grow.

Central is the boringest city in Louisiana, according to a ranking complied by the website Road Snacks. Emelie Gunn has more on the factors that go into the ranking…
voicer 2 (30) “…I’m Emelie Gunn”

State representative Mike Johnson from Bossier City is expected to formally announce he’s running for US Representative in Louisiana’s fourth congressional district. Political analyst Elliot Stonecipher says several people are expected to get in this race and it will all come down to money…
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Republican Trey Baucum, a Shreveport cardiologist announced his candidacy last week.

The lenten season begins today and it’s a busy time of the year for the seafood industry. Crawfish fisherman Sherbin Collette of Henderson says the mudbugs coming out of the Atchafalya Basin are outstanding this year, because the conditions have been just right to produce quality and quantity…
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Collette says high waters flushed out many swamps that have not been fished in years.

Louisiana’s budget situation could get even worse when the revenue estimating conference meets at the state capitol today. The state is already looking at a 750-million dollar shortfall for this fiscal year and a 1-point-nine billion dollar deficit next year and the shortfalls could grow because less than anticipated revenues are coming into the state’s coffers.

Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany files legislation that looks to block President Barack Obama’s proposed 10-dollar tax on a barrel of oil to help fund a new 21st century clean transportation system. Boustany says it’s not right that the president is trying to fund his environmental agenda on the backs of hard-working Louisiana families in the oil & gas sector…
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Both of Louisiana’s Republcian US Senators say the President’s oil tax has no chance of passing.

We find out later today if the state’s budget situation is even worse than previously thought. The Revenue Estimating Conference meets to get a revised forecast on how much money the state is expected to collect in taxes. Governor John Bel Edwards has hinted that the 750-million dollar shortfall for this fiscal year could grow.

State representative Mike Johnson, a republican from Bossier City, is expected to announce his candidacy today in the 4th Congressional District race…
voicer 3 (31) “….I’m Michelle Southern”

Republican Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany introduces legislation that seeks to block President Obama’s proposed $10 tax on a barrel of oil to pay for a new 21st century clean transportation system. Boustany says a new tax on oil will hit an industry that has already struggled over the past year…
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Other Republican Congressional members have also said Mr. Obama’s tax proposal is dead on arrival.

The party is all over as the carnival season came to a close at midnight last night and the Lenten season is underway. The New Orleans Police Department says they confiscated 30 guns near parade routes over the last 12 days.

Governor John Bel Edwards has put together a special web page to solicit public input on how to handle the state’s budget crisis. The governor’s director of communications Richard Carbo emphasizes the importance of public involvement and encourages people to contact their legislator.

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The site can be found at gov-dot-louisiana-dot-gov.

It was a beautiful day for the Courier de Mardi Gras in Mamou. Mayor Ricky Fontenot says Mamou is like a little New Orleans because people from all over flock there for the Mardi Gras celebrations. He says the traditional celebration starts off early at 6 am…

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The website Trulia ranked the most Saintly Sanctuaries and Sin cities in the country and to no surprise, New Orleans comes in a number one for a sinful city. Spokesperson Filipe Chacon says the number of gambling establishments per household ranked highly in the categories of lust and greed for New Orleans. He says Shreveport came in as the number seven sin city in the country and both Louisiana cities come in pretty high on the list for sloth…

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A statue honoring the late Pete Maravich has been approved by the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Committee. The set back for a Maravich statue has been that “Pistol Pete” passed away a few credit hours short of earning an LSU degree. The LSU Board of Supervisors recently made changes to a policy that opened the door for a Maravich statue. Former LSU Basketball player Collis Temple Jr. says Maravich deserves this honor…

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Governor John Bel Edwards is seeking suggestions from the public on ways to resolve the 750-million dollar shortfall mid-year shortfall. Halen Doughty:
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ActionNews17.com is reporting a 19-year-old from Ponchatoula is dead after being hit by a bullet while riding in a car this morning. The say the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s office was told by the driver that he heard a popping sound then later turned to find his passenger, Gerrell Lee, shot. Anyone with information on this crime is urged to contact authorities.

The real estate website Trulia compiled data to come up with the most sinful city in the nation, and New Orleans got the top spot. Shreveport came in as the 7th most sinful cindy. Trulia spokesman Filipe Chacon says they came up with the list based on the seven deadly sins…:
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He says Shreveport and New Orleans beat out the original “sin city” because of Las Vegas’ low numbers in envy and gluttony.

LSU has been given the greenlight by the board to construct a statue honoring the late Pete Maravich. The legendary athlete is still college basketball’s all-time leading scorer at 3,667 points. Former star basketball Tiger Collis Temple Jr. says Pistol Pete had a historic impact on LSU…:
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The design for Maravich’s statue will be announced in the coming months.