The price of oil per barrel has hit 30-dollars for the first time since 2003. Eric Smith with the Tulane Energy Institue says to stop the crash in oil prices, the supply has to meet a week demand for oil and in the short term the only way to do that is to cut back on production….
cut 11 (07) “…some more”
Smith says unfortunately countries in the Middle East show no signs of cutting back.

Governor John Bel Edwards signs an executive order that will allow additional 300-thousand low-income individuals to receive government health insurance. There are ramp up costs, but Edwards says DHH Secretary Rebekah Gee is working with healthcare providers, so the state doesn’t have to pay anything this fiscal year…
cut 7 (10) “….state’s portion”
The goal is to have these additional Medicaid health care cards available by July 1st.

New federal rules are in place to allow fish farming in the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA’s Deputy Director of Aquaculture, David O’ Brien, says this has been in the works for 10 years and during that time there have been a series of reviews to make sure fish farming will not harm the environment. He says this will be a big boost for the domestic seafood industry
cut 15 (07) “…so to speak”
Many commercial fishermen have fought against fish farms in the Gulf, as they’ve raised concerns about losing fish grounds and the potential for outbreaks of disease.

Today is the last day to purchase your Powerball tickets for tonight’s world record one-point-five billion dollar jackpot. It’s been 19 straight drawings since a lucky person last matched all six numbers.

Today, Governor John Bel Edwards signed an executive order to expand Medicaid in Louisiana. Edwards spoke alongside patients he said would benefit from the federally funded health insurance. He says these are low income adults who were too poor to qualify for subsidized care on the health insurance exchange:
CUT 15 (11) “financial security”
Edwards says by July 1st, they expect more than 300,000 citizens will enroll under the new Medicaid eligibility.

Nola.com is reporting that Mandeville Mayor Donald Villere admitted to police that he had been drinking when he was busted urinating off the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The Mayor was issued a citation for the offense. He apparently asked cops to help him out because he is running for re-election.

A 12-year-old girl died in a residential structure fire in Eunice, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office. They say firefighters located the lifeless body of young Cailey Duplechain during suppression efforts, dead of apparent smoke inhalation. Her stepfather and 4-month old brother were able to escape the blaze with injuries and are expected to recover. An electric space heater was located near the origin of the fire and the home, which was completely destroyed, had no smoke alarms.

A woman who worked for the Webster Parish sheriff’s office was found dead in a shallow grave near her home in Homer, and a man who lived close by has been arrested in connection with her death. Webster Parish Sheriff Gary Sexton says he worked with 68-year-old Sulyn Prince for years…:
CUT 11 (09) “sheriff’s office”
35-year-old Jermaine Johnson, a registered tier 3 sex offender, is charged with second degree murder.

The first executive order issued by Governor John Bel Edwards would expand Medicaid eligibility requirements in Louisiana so that more low income people have have access to federally funded healthcare. The administration hopes to have 300,000 Louisianians signed up by July 1st.

A Homer man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 68-year-old Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office employee. Emelie Gunn has more…:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Governor John Bel Edwards says he’d like to see the minimum wage in Louisiana raised. The state’s current minimum wage is the federally mandated wage of $7.25 per hour. LSU Economist Jim Richardson says he’s heard talk of raising that to anywhere between $8.50 to 10.10 per hour. He says a hike in minimum wage could cause businesses to re-think how they do business…:
CUT 4 (07) “business”
Supporters of a higher minimum wage say putting more money in workers hands will help spur the economy. But Richardson points out that money has to come from somewhere.

The NCAA has issued penalties to the UL-Lafayette football program admit self-sanctions related to an assistant coach allegedly faking recruits ACT scores. The school is fined $5000 and has to vacate any wins where ineligible players participated. Voice of the Ragin Cajuns Jay Walker says nobody had any idea these infractions were taking place…:
CUT 14 (06) “responsible for it”
The school has sued the ACT over failure to detecting the cheating.

Starting July 1st, Governor John Bel Edwards says he hopes to have 300,000 healthcare cards into the hands of low-income people who are newly eligible for Medicaid. The Governor signed his first executive order today and it expands the federally funded health insurance program. Edwards says this will help keep the working poor from slipping further into poverty..:
CUT 16 (12) “funds”
Edwards says to qualify, a family or individual must have income at 138% of the federal poverty level.

BP says they plan to cut an additional 4,000 jobs this year, including from oil production operations in the United States. The company did not say how many people in the US would be laid off. Benchmark US crude today fell below $30 a barrel before settling at $30.44 at the close. Tuesday’s statewide average for a gallon of gas was $1.74 according to AAA.

The NCAA has announced sanctions against UL-Lafayette as a result of a former assistant football coach violating rules by arranging fraudulent entrance exam scores for five prospects. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 2 (28) “I’m Eric Gill”
The University is now suing ACT Inc seeking damages for failure to detect fake test results.

The worlds largest jackpot was raised again today. The Powerball is now $1.5 billion. If you go into a work pool, legal analyst Tim Meche says trust the person in charge…:
CUT 7 (08) “ticket with”

Today, Governor John Bel Edwards signed an executive order to expand Medicaid in Louisiana. Edwards spoke alongside legislators, community leaders and key stakeholders as well as patients he said would benefit from the federally funded health insurance. He says these are low income adults who were too poor to qualify for subsidized care on the health insurance exchange:
CUT 15 (11) “financial security”
Edwards says by July 1st, they expect more than 300,000 citizens will enroll under the new Medicaid eligibility.

Lottery officials on Tuesday raised tomorrow night’s Powerball jackpot to an estimated $1.5 billion dollars. The cash value is $930 million, before taxes. The world’s largest lottery jackpot has a one in 292.2 million chance to match all 6 numbers.

A Homer man is under arrest for allegedly murdering a 68-year-old Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office employee and burying her body in a shallow grave. Sheriff Gary Sexton says, after being reported missing by her daughter, the remains of 68-year-old Sulyn Prince were located in a wooded area behind her home…:
CUT 10 (09) “in it”
35-year-old Jermaine Johnson, who was convicted of simple rape in April 2015, is charged with second degree murder in the death of Prince.

The UL-Lafayette football program has been penalized by the NCAA for self-imposed sanctions related to a former assistant coach who allegedly faked exam scores for potential recruits. Voice of the Ragin Cajuns Jay Walker says the university already vacated wins from 2011 and the NCAA has ordered the same for 2012-2014 seasons for the games the ineligible players were in…:
CUT 13 (04) “all of the wins”

On Inauguration Day, Governor John Bel Edwards says a modest, but meaningful increase needs to be made to the minimum wage in Louisiana. So what would that mean for workers and businesses? LSU Economist Jim Richardson says a wage hike would not be “free money” as it currently belongs to someone..:
CUT 5 (10) “to spend it”
Richardson says he’s heard talk of raising the state’s minimum wage to $8.50 to $10.10 per hour.

Edwards also wants to expand Medicaid and is set to announce those plans this hour.

The Powerball jackpot for tomorrow’s drawing was raised to $1.5 billion dollars. Legal analyst Tim Meche says it’s more important than ever to make sure you sign the back of your ticket:
CUT 8 (08) “your ticket”

A Homer man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 68-year-old Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office employee. Emelie Gunn has more…:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

A Baton Rouge doctor is under arrest for allegedly prescribing medication illegally. BRPD says 57-year-old Dr. Randy LaMartiniere is accused of handing out over 3200 doses of Schedule II narcotics, 44 of Schedule III and 333 of Schedule IV while he was suspended by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. He faces 31 counts of illegal distribution.

The body of a woman who worked for the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office was found in a shallow grave near her home in Homer, and a man has been arrested in connection with her murder. 68 year-old Sulyn (SOOH’ lihn) Prince was reported missing by her daughter on Monday, according to Webster Parish Sheriff Gary Sexton…:
CUT 9 (09) “something wrong”
He says K-9s located Prince’s remains in woods near her residence. 35-year-old Jermaine Johnson is charged with second degree murder. The investigation is ongoing.

As the Powerball jackpot is now up to 1.5 billion dollars, many people are teaming up to buy tickets in bulk. Legal analyst Tim Meche says it’s not illegal to pool money to purchase several tickets, but you should make sure the person in charge is someone you trust…:
CUT 6 (09) “no agreement”

The UL-Lafayette football team has been placed on two years probation and will lose three scholarships for each of the next two seasons. The NCAA accepted the university’s self-imposed sanctions regarding a former UL assistant coach alleged to have violated rules by arranging fake entrance exam scores for five prospects. Voice of the Ragin Cajuns Jay Walker says the NCAA’s penalties could have been worse…:
CUT 12 (08) “in a bowl”
UL-Lafayette must also vacate wins from the 2011 season.

LSU running back Leonard Fournette is the first player in LSU history to lead the nation in rushing, with an average of 162.8 yards per game. Fournette is also the first running back from the SEC to be declared rushing champion since 1949.