Governor John Bel Edwards has signed an executive order to expand Medicaid access in Louisiana. Dawn Starns, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, says they are disappointed in the governor’s decision. She feels there are bigger problems facing the state that should be handled first…:
CUT 6 (10) “down the road”
Edwards says accepting the federal dollars to expand the Medicaid program would benefit more than 300,000 low income workers in Louisiana.

Edwards is going to meet President Barack Obama tonight at AirForce when with the president arrives in Baton Rouge. Mr. Obama is in town to speak at McKinly High in Baton Rouge tomorrow morning. Whether the two men will sit down and talk is unknown at this time. The president is known to travel the country following his state of the union which he delivered last night.

A Denham Springs gas station clerk is under arrest for allegedly selling a dangerous sythetic drug at the store, which caused two high school students to overdose. 36-year-old Essam Farhat faces 228 counts of possession with intent to distribute. Denham Springs Police Det. Glenn Lemoine says undercovers went in and bought the drug and later executed a search warrant
CUT 10 (08) “in the wall”
Lemoine says the drug is a liquid known as “Juicy” and it’s injested through a vaporizer.

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 weak 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”

Governor John Bel Edwards wants to raise the minimum wage in Louisiana but he’s facing opposition from a key member of the upper chamber. Columbia Senator Neil Riser, who chairs the Labor Committee, says he will oppose any bill that raises Louisiana’s minimum wage. He says it would do nothing but harm the state’s fragile economy…:
CUT 3 (10) “to 50-percent”
The governor reportedly wants to increase the state’s minimum wage to $8.25 an hour, one dollar above the federal minimum that Louisiana currently recognizes.

Louisiana is the worst state in the nation according to Politico Magazine. The publication releases the list annually on the occasion of the State of the Union address. The findings look at factors such as education, health and well being, crime and unemployment. Mississippi has been at the bottom of the list the past two years. Louisiana was second to last in 2015.

Governor John Bel Edwards is traveling the state today to get updates and discuss current and future operations related to flooding along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers. The Governor is speaking in Vidalia at this hour, before traveling to Krotz Springs and Morgan City. Edwards will then welcome President Barack Obama to Baton Rouge tonight at the Metropolitan Airport.

Don’t forget to get your Powerball ticket today for the world’s largest jackpot. $1.5 billion dollars is up for grabs in tonight’s drawing…:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The ball is rolling towards expanding the number of people who can receive government-funded health insurance. Jeff Palermo has more…

cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Governor Edwards will meet President Barack Obama when he visits Baton Rouge, although the visit may be a brief one. The governor will greet the president on the tarmac when Air Force One lands tonight. It’s uncertain if the two-men will actually have a sit down meeting. Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo says, at this point, there has been no meeting set beyond the greeting on the tarmac.

Today’s your final chance to purchase a ticket for tonight’s $1.5 billion PowerBall jackpot drawing. Louisiana Lottery Spokesperson Kimberly Chopin says they’re seeing a lot of first time players because of the world record jackpot. She advises players to not be quick to throw away their ticket tonight, even if they didn’t win the PowerBall jackpot…

cut 5 (08) “any prize”

The deadline to purchase a ticket is 9PM.

NOAA has issued new regulations allowing fish farming in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Critics feel this would cause fisherman to lose fishing grounds and possibly be put out of work. But NOAA’s Deputy Director of Aquaculture, David O’Brien, says aquaculture can compliment wild fisheries and help support fishing communities…

cut 14 (09) “support each other”

O’Brien says these new rules have been in the works for about 10 years.

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed an executive order to expand Medicaid in Louisiana. The goal is to have 300-thousand low-income, working citizens covered by Medicaid by July 1st. Edwards says they will follow other states lead for a smooth enrollment sign-up…

cut 9 (08) “help us”

The state will have to hire 248 people to help with the enrollment process and it will cost 2-point-8 million dollars, but health care providers are expected to pick up that bill.

The PowerBall jackpot has shot up to 1.5 billion dollars, making it the biggest jackpot in the world. Louisiana Lottery Spokesperson Kimberly Chopin says ticket sales keep going up as the jackpot grows. She says when ticket sales continue to climb they’re able to transfer more money to the state of Louisiana…

cut 4 (09) “for us”

The jackpot has a cash value of $930 million.

Oil prices have hit 30 dollars a barrel, which is the lowest price since December 2003. Eric Smith with the Tulane Energy Institute says we could see the price drop even lower as 2016 goes on. He says it will be tough for oil companies to make money with oil trading at that price…

cut 10 (12) “category”

A glut in supply of oil has led to this huge decline in oil prices.

Fish farming will now be allowed in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, after new regulations were issued this week by NOAA. NOAA’s Deputy Director of Aquaculture, David O’Brien, says they’ve been pushing for this because 90% of U.S. seafood is imported…

cut 13 (10) “here in the US”

This means commercial seafood can now be harvested in enclosures on the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico.

Over 300-thousand Louisiana residents who can’t afford or struggle to pay for health insurance could be eligible for Medicaid as a result of an executive order signed by Governor John Bel Edwards. Former Governor Bobby Jindal refused to expand Medicaid, because he said it would become too costly for taxpayers. But Edwards disagrees…
cut 8 (11) “…other program”
More than 1.4 million Louisianians are already insured by Medicaid.

Crude oil is trading at 30-dollars a barrel which is a 12-year low. A glut in the supply of oil has led to a crash in oil prices. Eric Smith with the Tulane Energy Institute says countries in the Middle East are showing no signs of cutting back…
cut 12 (10) “…bumper production”
Smith says prices could decline even more.

Brisk sales are expected again today as those hoping to become instant millionaires buy tickets for tonight’s one-point-five billion dollar Powerball jackpot. Louisiana Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin has this advice…
cut 6 (04) “…ticket early”
And Chopin says if you don’t match all six numbers, check to see if matched enough numbers to win one of their many secondary prizes.

Fish farming will be allowed in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, after new regulations were issued by NOAA. Michelle Southern reports…:
voicer 3 (30) “…I’m Michelle Southern”

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.