A former investigator with the DA’s Office in Washington Parish has been indicted by a grand jury amidst allegations he used his position to force women to have sex with him. Chief Deputy Mike Haley says 66-year-old Michael Cotton of Bogalusa allegedly threatened a female drug offender to obtain sex. He says the victims assisted in the investigation…:
CUT 3 (10) “Mr. Cotton”
He says Cotton is being held with $75,000 bond on an extortion charge and $25,000 for public bribery.

Governor-elect John Bel Edwards’ office has released the details of the 2016 Louisiana Governor’s Inauguration. The ceremony will begin at the State Capitol at 11:30am on Monday January 11th, and Governor-elect Edwards will take the oath of office at noon. Reserved seating is for invited guests, but the public is invited to attend the general admission area at the Capitol Complex.

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign begins today to keep drivers safe during the holiday season. Emelie Gunn has more…:
Cut 2 (26) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Good news ice cream lovers. Just in time for Christmas, Blue Bell returns to Louisiana shelves on Monday for the first time since ceasing operations following a Listeria outbreak last March. Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi are in the fourth phase of Blue Bell’s market re-entry plan.

The Holiday Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign begins today with increased patrols throughout the state. State Police Sgt. Nick Manale says law enforcement will be on the lookout for drivers who are getting behind the wheel impaired…:
CUT 9 (10) “joyous time”
According to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, during the 2014 holiday season, there were 671 fatal and injury crashes and 99 involved alcohol.

A former investigator with the DA’s Office in Washington Parish has been indicted by a grand jury amidst allegations he used his position to force women to have sex with him, according to officials. They say 66-year-old Michael Cotton allegedly threatened a female drug offender to obtain sex and used the influence of his position for sex with another woman. He faces many charges including extortion and abuse of office.

A 54-year woman lost her life in a fatal hit and run crash in Lafayette according to police, and the at-fault driver is still at large. Investigators say a Dodge Ram slammed into the back of a car that was stopped in traffic, then the driver and passenger of the truck fled on foot. Indrid Reichle of Lafayette was in the back seat of the car and was pronounced dead at the scene. The search continues for the driver of the truck.

There’s just one shopping weekend left until Christmas and folks that fell behind this year will be out and about Saturday and Sunday with list in hand. Tomorrow is known as “Super Saturday,” but LSU Marketing Professor Dan Rice doesn’t think it’ll be as crazy as the day after Thanksgiving…:
cut 4 (10) “those numbers”
Rice says the good news for last minute shoppers is that they could be paying even less in stores as many sales have already kicked in.

This is the last Christmas shopping weekend and folks are expected to pack the mall with list in hand. LSU Marketing Professor Dan Rice says shopping number reports so far show consumers are spending a little less this year, but it’s not because there are less shoppers, it’s because they are paying lower prices…:
Cut 6 (10) “purchase basis”
He says online shopping gets bigger and bigger every year, but this weekend more people will head to the brick and mortar stores to ensure they have gifts in hand by Christmas.

Not long after the New Orleans City Council voted to remove four Confederate monuments, several organizations filed a lawsuit in federal court to stop the endeavor. They claim the city is failing to comply with federal laws protecting sites on the National Register of Historic Places. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu signed an ordinance calling for the relocation of the four Confederate monuments following the City Council’s decision.

Court filings reveal that LSU altered its contract with former defensive coordinator John Chavis after he signed it in 2012. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

State Police say Louisiana’s casinos brought in over $200 million dollars in November which is a 2.6 percent increase over the prior year. New Orleans saw winnings decline nearly 8 percent in November and Harrah’s blames the declines on the smoking ban. Now with the Golden Nugget, Lake Charles was up 15.4 percent over last year.

State Police say the stepped up patrols begin today as efforts get underway to keep drunk drivers off the road for the holiday. Sgt. Nick Manale says the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign runs through January 3rd. He says over the Thanksgiving holiday they saw a high number of traffic fatalities and want to prevent that from happening again…:
CUT 7 (09) “all safe”
During the 2014 holiday season, there were 671 fatal and injury crashes and 99 involved alcohol.

LSU admitted in court filings to making what it calls nominal changes to the contract of its former defensive coordinator John Chavis. Legal analyst Tim Meche says this isn’t uncommon…:
CUT 11 (06) “fatal flaw”
Chavis is suing LSU for defamation and LSU is suing Chavis for buyout money for breaking his contract early to leave for Texas A&M last year.

There’s just one shopping weekend left until Christmas and folks that fell behind will be out and about with list in hand. Don Molino reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Don Molino”

Zatarains has issued a voluntary recall of its 8oz boxes of Red Beans and Original Rice due to a possible dairy allergen. They say boxes with a best buy date of July next year could contain a Parmesan rice mix which contains dairy ingredients — but the original rice product doesn’t have a dairy allergen warning. No illnesses or allergic reactions have been reported to date and no other Zatarain’s products are involved in this recall.

There’s a messy battle playing out between LSU and it’s former defensive coordinator John Chavis. Apparently the university made alterations to Chavis’ contract, but LSU claims they were nominal and did not affect terms. The now Texas A&M DC is suing LSU for defamation. During a hearing Thursday, a judge ordered Chavis to turn over his phone records. Legal analyst Tim Meche says it would probably be best for both sides to settle…:
CUT 12 (09) “very careful”

There’s just one shopping weekend left until Christmas and folks that fell behind this year will be out and about Saturday and Sunday with list in hand. LSU Marketing Professor Dan Rice says stores will be packed as shoppers try to wrap everything up…:
CUT 5 (07) “no doubt”
Rice says online shopping drops off, as crunch time gets people to brick and mortar stores for their gifts to make sure they have them in hand.

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign begins today to keep drivers safe during the holiday season. Emelie Gunn has more…:
Cut 2 (26) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

A Baton Rouge couple is in jail after cops discovered 4 children living at their residence in deplorable conditions. Authorities say an officer was called to a home in response to a disturbance and noted in his report that he walked in to find feces on the floor and roaches and other bugs in every room of the house. DCFS took the children into protective custody. Robert Martin and Kimberly Hall, both 36, face counts of cruelty to juveniles.

The Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign gets underway today — an effort aimed at reducing the number of alcohol related deaths during the holiday season. State Police Sgt. Nick Manale says there are many safe ride home options available to revelers who may have had too much to drink…:
CUT 8 (07) “right choice”
He reminds drivers that an adult is legally impaired when their blood alcohol level is .08 or higher.

Following the New Orleans City Council vote to remove Confederate monuments from their prominently displayed locations, four organizations have reportedly filed a lawsuit in federal court to stop the endeavor. Their claims include that the city is failing to comply with federal laws protecting sites on the National Register of Historic Places. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu signed an ordinance calling for the relocation of the four Confederate monuments following the City Council’s decision.

Court filings reveal LSU made alterations to a contract after it was signed by former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis. Chavis is suing the school for defamation and claims he does not owe the university any money for leaving for Texas A-and-M. Legal analyst Tim Meche says a messy divorce like this, leads to ugly revelations…:
Cut 10 (06) “unfavorable light”
LSU claims the alterations to the contract were nominal.

Good news ice cream lovers. Just in time for Christmas, Blue Bell returns to Louisiana shelves on Monday for the first time since ceasing operations following a Listeria outbreak last March. Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi are in the fourth phase of Blue Bell’s market re-entry plan.

There’s just one shopping weekend left until Christmas and folks that fell behind will be out and about with list in hand. Don Molino reports…:

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Don Molino”

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The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign begins today to keep drivers safe during the holiday season. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (26) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Court filings reveal that LSU altered its contract with former defensive coordinator John Chavis after he signed it in 2012. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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There’s just one shopping weekend left until Christmas and folks that fell behind this year will be out and about Saturday and Sunday with list in hand. Tomorrow is known as “Super Saturday,” but LSU Marketing Professor Dan Rice doesn’t think it’ll be as crazy as the day after Thanksgiving…:

cut 4  (10)  “those numbers”

Rice says the good news for last minute shoppers is that they could be paying even less in stores as many sales have already kicked in. He says you can expect the malls to be packed as folks rush to wrap everything up…:

Cut 5  (07)  “no doubt”

Rice says online shopping drops off, as crunch time gets people to brick and mortar stores for their gifts to make sure they have them in hand. He says shopping number reports show consumers are spending a little less this year, but it’s not because there are less shoppers, it’s because they are paying lower prices…:

Cut 6 (10)  “purchase basis”

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To keep alcohol related deaths down during the holiday season, police are increasing the number of officers on our roadways. State Police Sgt. Nick Manale says the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign begins today and runs through January 3^rd.  He says over the Thanksgiving holiday they saw a high number of traffic fatalities and want to prevent that from happening again.

CUT 7 (09)  “all safe”

According to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, during the 2014 holiday season, there were 671 fatal and injury crashes and 99 involved alcohol. Manale says there are many options to get a safe ride home, rather than drinking and driving.

Cut 8  (07)  “right choice”

Manale reminds drivers that an adult is legally impaired when their blood alcohol level is .08 or higher. He says they will be on the roads looking for the drivers who don’t make the right choice and get behind the wheel impaired.

Cut 9 (10) “joyous time”

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Court filings reveal LSU made alterations to a contract after it was signed by former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis. Chavis is suing the school for defamation and claims he does not owe the university any money for leaving for Texas A-and-M. Legal analyst Tim Meche says a messy divorce like this, leads to ugly details

Cut 10 (06) “unfavorable light” 

LSU claims the alterations to the contract were nominal. Meche says it’s not uncommon for a contract to be changed after its signed

cut 11 (06) “fatal flaw”

The judge has asked Chavis to turn over phone records. Meche says this will help determine if Chavis worked for A-and-M prior to the time he was announced as an Aggies assistant coach. He says the two sides should look to settle to prevent more unflattering evidence to become public

Cut 12 (09) “very careful”

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A bunch of points are expected on Saturday night at the R-and-L Carriers New Orleans Bowl as Louisiana Tech faces Arkansas State. Both teams rank in the top 20 in scoring as the Red Wolves are averaging 41 points a game and the Bulldogs have averaged 37 a contest. Tech head coach Skip Holtz on why A-S-U is so hard to defend

Cut 13 (12)  “big plays”

Saturday marks the end of a great college career for running back Kenneth Dixon. The senior from Arkansas has 83 career touchdowns and he’s the all-time leading rusher in Bulldog history. Holtz says Dixon has been hampered by an ankle injury, but he’ll be ready to go Saturday night

Cut 14 (08) “the season”

Arkansas State brings an eight game winning streak ino the bowl, while the Bulldogs suffered a blow out loss to Southern Miss in their regular season finale. Holtz says his team still has a bad taste in its mouth from that game…

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Louisiana public schools received an overall letter grade of “B” from the state department of education. That’s based on a variety of factors including test and graduation data from the previous school year. State Superintendent of Education John White…

cut 13 (10) “…all are increasing”

Go to Louisiana-believes-dot-com to find out the letter grade of the public school your child attends.

On a six-to vote, the New Orleans city council votes to remove four Confederate monuments from their current location, including the one from Lee Circle. There were passionate arguments on both sides. Here’s the thoughts from one pro monument speaker…
cut 12 (11) “…fair minded”
Mayor Mitch Landrieu says three of the monuments could be removed in a matter of days.

Former US Representative Charles Melancon will lead the state department of wildlife and fisheries. Melancon is joining Governor-elect John Bel Edwards’ new administration. Melancon says he wants to find a balance between private and commerical fisherman…
cut 3 (08) “…Wildlife and Fisheries”
Colonel Mike Edmonson also remains as the State Police Superintendent.

Court filings reveal LSU made alterations to a contract after it was signed by former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis. Chavis is suing the school for defamation and claims he does not owe the university any money for leaving for Texas A-and-M.

And a judge in central Louisiana has denied a bond reduction request for a Marksville deputy marshal, who has been charged in the murder of a six-year-old boy. Derrick Stafford remains in jail on a one-million dollar bond. His family says race is playing a role in the prosecution against him.