New Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson begins meeting with local economic development groups emphasizing small business success. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (29) “I’m Eric Gill”

Fire officials believe a wood burning stove caused a deadly fire in Ponchatoula over the weekend. They say it happened at a camp on the Tangipahoa River that had no electrical power and was only accessible by boat. 54-year-old Elizabeth Piner was able to flee on a vessel, but once the fire was extinguished, investigators located the body of her friend, 57-year-old Joel Hall.

LSU is reportedly set to release a budget cut plan today after receiving news from the Edwards administration it could be losing $65 million dollars as part of a $131 million dollar cut across higher ed institutions in Louisiana. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne…:
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Dardenne says the governor is open to suggestions from others who have a different approach to the budget problems.

Govenor John Bel Edwards says one possible way to help with the state’s $750 million dollar mid-year deficit is to raise the cigarette tax. He sent out a proposal of a 22 cent increase, but Randy Hayden with Invest in a healthy Louisiana says that’s not enough. He says compared to our surrounding southern states, we still have very low taxes on tobacco products…:
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Governor John Bel Edwards is proposing to raise the cigarette tax by 22 cents but one organization doesn’t think that’s enough. Emelie Gunn has more…

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For the week ending January 16th, initial unemployment insurance claims in Louisiana dropped by over 700 claims. In figures released by the state labor department Friday, initial claims fell to 3,485 from 4,203 the week before. Continued unemployment claims rose by over 550 claims during the same time period.

The Edwards administration has told higher education leaders that a cut in state funding to public colleges and universities is likely this fiscal year because of the budget crisis. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says their goal is to come up with a plan that will not burden taxpayers but at the same time prevent drastic cuts in state funding…

cut 12 (08) “are provided”

Darden says higher ed could face a cut of up to $131 million.

New Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson starts a statewide tour today, emphasizing small business growth. Pierson says economic development starts small and on the local level. He says LED stands ready to help small business flourish with 10 Small Business Development Centers throughout the state…

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He says 97-percent of employers across Louisiana are small businesses.

The Edwards Administration has informed public universities in Louisiana that cuts are likely to come this fiscal year. Jeff Palermo has more…

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The state Fire Marshal’s Office says a fire in West Monroe has critically injured a family of four, including a pregnant mother. 26-year-old Jeremiah Owojori and his 7-month old son were transported to an area hospital where they remain on life support. His pregnant wife, 24-year-old Ashley and their 5-year-old son were transported to LSU Medical Center in Shreveport where they remain in critical condition. Authorities suspect faulty wiring led to the fire. The investigation is ongoing.

A former teacher’s aide was acquitted of molestation of a juvenile by a St. Tammany Parish jury. Wendell Troullier was arrested in 2014 after a 10-year-old boy claimed he was inappropriately touched while at the man’s house. Defense attorney Robby Gill says Troullier was never arrested before this case and he maintained his innocence throughout, even during intense interrogation at police headquarters…

cut 14 (06) “period”

Troullier, who was employed by the St. Tammany Parish School System for 11 years, was fired following his arrest.

Governor John Bel Edwards has proposed a 22 cent hike in the cigarette tax to help with the state’s budget crisis. Consultant with the Invest in a Healthy Louisiana campaign Randy Hayden says right now it looks like this proposed tax could go up or down, depending on negotiations…

cut 9 (11) “health outcomes”

He says studies show cigarette tax increases start to impact health when they’re raised over a dollar.

The Edwards administration says a cut in state funding for higher education is likely this fiscal year. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says, unfortunately, this is just the reality of where we are as a state…

cut 11 (11) “next year”

He says at this point the cut could be as much as 131 million dollars.

Governor John Bel Edwards has suggested a 22 cent cigarette tax increase to help with the state’s budget deficit. Consultant with the Invest in a Healthy Louisiana campaign Randy Hayden says compared to our surrounding southern states, we still have very low taxes on tobacco products…

cut 8 (10) “on it”

The campaign suggests raising the cigarette tax another $1.25 per pack.

Today, new Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson begins a statewide emphasizing small business success in the state. Pierson says the state’s current budget crisis will certainly be topic of discussion in how it could impact small business…

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Pierson will visit 10 cities through February 5th.

A St. Tammany Parish jury acquits a former teacher’s aide of molestation of a juvenile. Wendell Troullier was arrested by Slidell Police in 2014 after a 10-year-old boy said Troullier touched him inappropriately while at the man’s house. Defense attorney Robby Gill says the lead detective said during the trial that they never took DNA from the child, which led to the jury finding Troullier not guilty…

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Troullier was facing a minimum 25-year prison sentence if found guilty.

Governor John Bel Edwards has put out a variety of different proposals to help with the state’s budget deficit, one being increasing the cigarette tax by 22 cents. Consultant with the Invest in a Healthy Louisiana campaign Randy Hayden says his organization doesn’t think that’s enough. He says the campaign suggests raising the cigarette tax another $1.25 per pack…

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Hayden says we had the third lowest cigarette tax in the country until Louisiana increased the tax 50 cents in 2015.

The Edwards administration has informed higher education leaders that a cut in state funding to public colleges and universities is likely this fiscal year. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says at this point it could be as much as 131 million dollars…

cut 10 (09) “shortfall”

New Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson begins a statewide tour today, meeting with local economic development groups emphasizing small business success in the state. Pierson says Governor John Bel Edwards has made small business growth a priority of his administration. He says it’s important to learn the different economic development needs from each region of the state…

cut 4 (10) “southwest Louisiana”

Pierson will make stops today in Tallulah, Delhi, and Alexandria.

Governor John Bel Edwards administration has informed higher education leaders that a cut in state funding to public colleges and universities is likely this fiscal year. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says at this point it could be as much as 131 million dollars….
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Dardenne says they’re still in the process of reviewing what’s going to be necessary in order to combine cuts with revenue measures in the hopes of softening the cuts. He says this is just the reality of where we are as a state.

If you’re doing some traveling this weekend, the statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $1.65. That’s six cents cheaper than a week ago.

Not as cold as yesterday, but still chilly today. That’s how your forecast looks for today. Freeze watches have been posted in southeast Louisiana from late tonight through tomorrow morning.

Louisianians are representing in our nation’s capital this week as the 68th annual Washington D.C. Mardi Gras is underway. LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says there’s a lot of talk about the budget, but the snow is a major topic…:
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He says for the first time in three years, Louisiana’s governor, John Bel Edwards, is attending.

Do you have a favorite king cake that you swear by? Now there’s a website where you can rate and judge yours against other bakeries. Erica Sweeney is the spokesperson for the site, KingCakeSnob.com. She says you vote on a variety of characteristics of the king cake and the results are updated as each user submits a review…:
CUT 5 (10) “the best looking king cake”

Higher education leaders have been told to start preparing for the possibility of midyear budget cuts, because the state is facing a massive shortfall this fiscal year. The LSU system has been told by the Edwards administration that a cut of 131-million dollars is possible, while the UL system faces 38-million dollars in mid-year cuts.

The 68th D.C Mardi Gras is taking place this weekend in Washington, D.C. LaPolitics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says this year’s event gives political pundits the opportunity to begin handicapping Louisiana’s upcoming US Senate election…
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Officials at Louis Armstrong say 2015 was a record year as 10-point-six million passengers flew out of the New Orleans airport, a nine-percent increase over the previous year.

There’s a new website that seeks to settle the score on who makes the best king cake. Emelie Gunn reports…
cut 1 (29) “…reporting”

LSU football fans are anxious for the start of the 2016 season as the Tigers will have 19 scholarship seniors on the team. Several of them had an opportunity to enter the NFL draft and Coach Les Miles is happy to see them stay…
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The season opener is September 3rd against Wisconsin.

Higher education is bracing for mid-year budget cuts as a result of a 750-million dollar budget shortfall the state is facing this fiscal year. For the LSU system, a cut in state funding of a 131-million dollars is possible.

An 82-year-old and an 83-year-old were killed in a head-on crash on LA 25 in Covington last night. State Police says one of the victims, Edith Brown of Mandeville crossed the centerline and slammed into a vehicle driven by Joseph Cyprian of Folsom, killing them both.

A family from Omaha hopes someone will come forward and identify the driver of a vehicle in a hit and run that claimed the life of Josh Woodruff, whose body was dragged through the New Orleans French Quarter early New Year’s Day. Karen Woodruff says her 28-year-old son sent a heartfelt text message before he was killed..
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The 68th DC Mardi Gras takes place this weekend in our nation’s captial and a “Who’s Who” of Louisiana politics are in attendance. Eric Gill has more..
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A 60-year-old man from St. Tammany Parish won a one-million dollar Powerball prize. Charles Schwetizer the Second matched all five white ball numbers on the January 13th drawing. That was the day when the grand prize was one-point-five billion dollars. Schweitzer received 700-thousand dollars after federal and state taxes were withheld.