The Justice Department is suing the State of Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Corrections, claiming that the state is keeping prisoners in custody after they have completed their sentences. Lydia Wright with the Promise of Justice Initiative…

Cut 12 (09) “…served their time.”

In a joint statement, Governor Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a joint statement, calling the lawsuit frivolous and, in their words, “Grinch Joe Biden’s parting Christmas present to the state and to its people.”

A weekend officer involved shooting led to the death of 48-year-old Timothy Douglas of Ponchatoula Authorities say a Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s deputy shot Douglas during an altercation after a foot pursuit Saturday night in Hammond. State Police were called in to investigate. Trooper Marc Gremillion says the deputy was trying to apprehend Douglas who was allegedly driving a stolen vehicle.

Cut 7 (11) “…shooting incident .”

Gremillion says the investigation remains active.

Senator John Kennedy is hailing the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Expect unseasonably warm and wet weather for the Christmas week, with highs in the mid-70s. LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry says we are not expecting severe weather with the rain this week but Christmas Eve and Christmas Day bring increased chances of showers and thunderstorms. He says a cold front will come through Christmas Day.

Cut 10 (07) “…not very cold.”

One of the final acts of the 118^th Congress was approval of the Social Security Fairness Act, which will increase social security benefits for thousands of police, firefighters, teachers and other public sector workers and their spouses in Louisiana and across the country. Senator John Kenney was one of 76 senators who voted for it…

Cut 4 (09) “…who earned it”

The bill eliminates two statues that reduced payouts to many public sector workers.

Some encouraging job numbers for Louisiana. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the state added four-thousand non-farm jobs last month and more than 20-thousand non-farm jobs in the last year. Emily DiPalma with the Louisiana Workforce Commission says a few sectors led the way in job growth.

Cut 14 (09) “…over the year.”

Unseasonably warm and wet weather is expected for Christmas week, with highs in the mid-70s and rain likely through Saturday. LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry Keim says Christmas Eve and Christmas Day bring increased chances of showers and thunderstorms,

Cut 9 (09)  “…west of Shreveport,”

But Keim says the chance for severe weather is low and the rain should arrive after midnight in St. James Parish, where they light bonfires along the Mississippi River every Christmas Eve.

The Saints will not be in the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year, but they still have three more regular season games left, starting with tonight’s matchup at Green Bay. Spencer Rattler will start at quarterback for the injured Derek Carr and the rookie wants to get off to a fast start…

Cut 22 (20) “…great in”

Kick off is at 7:15.

Senator John Kennedy is hailing the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act. The act eliminates two provisions that reduced the Social Security benefits of people who worked in the public sector. Senator Kennedy said good riddance to them.

Cut 3 (17) “…earn their pensions.” 

The Justice Department is suing Louisiana, claiming that the state is keeping prisoners in custody after they have completed their sentences. The department says a years-long investigation found that the Louisiana Department of Corrections keeps thousands of prisoners behind bars beyond their scheduled release dates. Governor Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a joint statement, calling the lawsuit frivolous and calling it, in their words, Grinch Joe Biden’s parting Christmas present to the state and to its people.

State Police are investigating a deadly deputy-involved shooting in Hammond Saturday night. Authorities say a Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s deputy fatally shot 48-year-old Timothy Douglas of Ponchatoula during a foot pursuit. Trooper Marc Gremillion says the deputy was trying to apprehend Douglas who allegedly was driving a stolen vehicle…

Cut 6 (12) “…altercation ensued.”

If you’re dreaming of a White Christmas, you’ll be out of luck in this state. But if you’re dreaming of a WET Christmas, your dreams just might come true. The state will be experiencing a warming trend, with temperatures topping 70 degrees in much of the state by Christmas. And on Christmas Day, rain is in the forecast in many areas.

The Falcons made it official yesterday – the Saints will not be going to the playoffs. Those slim chances were dashed yesterday when the Falcons blew out the Giants. The Saints take on the Packers in Green Bay tonight.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Louisiana added four-thousand non-farm jobs last month and more than 20-thousand non-farm jobs in the last year. Emily DiPalma with the Louisiana Workforce Commission says the state’s two biggest metro areas topped the list.

Cut 15 (16) “…over the year (3x).”

DiPalma says this marks 44 straight months that monthly jobs experienced year-over-year growth.

If you enjoyed the cooler weather this weekend, I hope you took full advantage, as it’s going to warm up this week. By Christmas, temperatures will hit the 70s throughout much of the state. And while your dreams of a White Christmas won’t come true, they will come true if you’re dreaming of a WET Christmas.

When the Saints take the field tonight against the Packers in the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field, they will be playing for pride. The Falcons’ blowout win over the Giants yesterday ended what was left of the Saints’ faint playoff hopes.

27-percent of Louisiana third graders – more than one in four – scored far below state reading targets on a fall assessment. Deputy Superintendent Jenna Chaisson (CHASS-on) says there have, however, been many literacy improvements in the state.

Cut 10 (13) “…teachers and leaders”

Under a new state law, third graders who fall well below state reading targets do not get promoted to fourth grade.

A new report shows that a quarter of a million Louisianians live in households that can’t afford enough food. Joel Berg with Hunger Free America points out that the money the government spends to determine which kids get free meals at school and which ones get reduced-cost meals could actually go to feeding all kids.

Cut 9 (11)  “…all its kids.”

The Louisiana Department of Health will no longer be promoting seasonal vaccines like flu, COVID and mpox, as the department is prohibiting workers from doing so. Rosemary Westwood, who broke the story for NPR; says that is something that the department had regularly done, especially since the start of the COVID pandemic.

Cut 5 (12) “…to get them.” 

In a statement, the Department of Health says its position now is that seasonal vaccines should be individual choices.

More families in Louisiana are going hungry. Joel Berg with Hunger Free America says a new report shows that a quarter of a million Louisianians live in households that can’t afford enough food – that’s an increase of 10-percent since the summer of 2021.

Cut 7 (09) “…terms of hunger.”

More than 1 in 4 Louisiana third graders – 27-percent – scored well below state reading targets on a fall assessment. Deputy Superintendent Jenna Chaisson (CHASS-on) says these screeners give them valuable information for where students are in their reading comprehension.

Cut 12 (13) “…literacy skills…”

Under a new state law, third graders who score well below reading targets do not get promoted to fourth grade.

Some encouraging job numbers for Louisiana. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the state added four-thousand non-farm jobs last month and more than 20-thousand non-farm jobs in the last year. Emily DiPalma with the Louisiana Workforce Commission says a few sectors led the way in job growth.

Cut 14 (09) “…over the year.”

The Louisiana Department of Health is prohibiting workers from promoting seasonal vaccines like flu, COVID and monkey pox. That includes advertising, promoting on social media, giving media interviews and holding vaccine events. Rosemary Westwood broke the story for NPR; she says part of the directive comes from state Surgeon General Ralph Abraham.

Cut 4 (11) “…including masking.”

L-D-H says its position now is that seasonal vaccines and other practices like wearing masks and social distancing should be individual choices. The state agency will continue to stress the need for childhood immunizations.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission says the state added over 20-thousand jobs in the past year, but the state’s unemployment rate also rose, increasing from four percent last November to four-point-three percent. But L-W-C’s Emily Dipalma says that’s nothing to be concerned about…

Cut 13 (08) “…consider full employment”

Twenty-seven percent of Louisiana third graders scored well below a reading screener in the fall. But Sean Richardson reports schools will be aggressive in trying to get these students to read at grade level…

Cut 2 (36) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

State Police is investigating a fatal police shooting in Hammond on Saturday night. Authorities say a Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Deputy fatally shot 48-year-old Timothy Douglas of Ponchatoula, who was allegedly driving a stolen vehicle and got into a physical altercation with cops during a police chase.

The Louisiana Health Department is leaving it up to individuals to decide whether they should get a COVID-19 or a flu vaccine. In years past, LDH has led campaigns to get the public vaccinated against the flu and COVID. Rosemary Westwood from N-P-R has done extensive reporting on this issue and says this new policy is not in writing, which puts L-D-H workers in an uncomfortable position…

Cut 6 (07) “…not okay”

The Louisiana Department of Education says 27-percent of third graders scored well below on a reading test this fall. Deputy Superintendent of Education Jenna Chaisson says this is why they ask kindergartners through third-grade to take a reading screener…

Cut 11 (10) “…how to read”

Third-graders  still scoring well-below on their end of year reading tests could possibly be held back.

Louisiana is on a winning streak of sorts in job growth. Colleen Crain has more.

Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

The U-S department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Louisiana and its Department of Corrections, claiming the state is not releasing prisoners when they should be released. The suit says some incarcerated individuals spend weeks and months in prison beyond their release date. Attorney General Liz Murrill says she looks forward to fighting this because the safety of Louisianians is a top priority.

The Louisiana Department of Health is prohibiting its workers from promoting seasonal vaccines. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Governor Landry tells the Advocate Newspaper he’s frustrated that the legislation he signed earlier this year has not resulted in a drop in homeowners insurance rates. Homeowners insurance rates have increased on average by six percent this year. Landry is open to a special session on insurance reform but wants to see proposed legislation that will reduce rates.

According to a report from Hunger Free America, more than 450-thousand Louisiana residents didn’t have enough to eat over two one week periods in August and September this year, that’s an 18-percent increase from a similar study done in 2021. But Hunger Free America CEO Joel Berg says 75-percent of those families that participated in the state’s Sun Bucks program say it helped them buy more fruits and vegetables…

Cut 8 (14) “….really did help”

The Landry administration first refused to participate in the summer EBT program, but changed its mind after hearing from state lawmakers who said Louisiana should take advantage of federal dollars to help low income families pay for groceries during the summer months.

It will be warmer today, but rain moves into the state for Christmas Eve into Christmas Day.