Today is the start of the Lenten season and many people will be totally giving up meat for the next 40 days or at least eating seafood only on Fridays. Gulf Seafood Institute chairman Harlon Pearce says the warmer things get, the better the supply will be of our Louisiana favorites…

cut 7 (09) “out there”

Pearce says fish is in excellent supply right now and this is the time of year that oysters are at their best.

Abita Brewing Company announces their craft-brewed root beer is now available in cans. Abita President David Blossman says ever since they launched Abita beer in cans, people have been asking for their root beer to be in cans too including his own family…

cut 10 (08) “of events”

Blossman says their popular root beer will also continue to be sold in six-pack glass bottles.

A Baton Rouge company has developed what they call a smart fabric to help diagnose head injuries to football players during games. Marucci BodiTrack’s President Curtis Cruz says they place this pressure-mapping fabric inside helmets and it registers each hit taken in real-time…

cut 13 (10) “as well”

Cruz says knowing exactly where a player took a hit and how hard the impact was is important later on down the road when you’re actually providing care and treatment. He says this technology will makes its debut during LSU spring football.

Folks in Louisiana have enjoyed Fat Tuesday festivities, despite some cold temperatures. At the Courir de Mardi Gras in Mamou, Mayor Ricky Fontentot says the riders and runners were out in their costumes and ready to roll through the countryside as they do every year…
cut 6 (10) “…enjoying themselves”

A report by the Schott Foundation for Public Education shows the black male high school graduation rates in Louisiana trails whites’ by 16 points. For the 2012-13 school year, only 53-percent of black male students graduated compared to 69-percent of white males. Foundation President John Jackson says these numbers are reason for concern…:
CUT 13 (12) “to succeed”
He says the results of this study indicate a climate that doesn’t foster health living and learning environments for black males.

State Police say a third person has died from Monday’s truck versus train collision in DeSoto Parish. Trooper Matt Harris says the driver and the two passengers in the truck were the ones killed in the wreck. Harris says truck attempted to cross over a set of tracks that didn’t have a warning gate or lights…
cut 9 (09) “…proceed forward”
Harris says they believe the driver stopped, but began moving forward when it was already too late and they were hit.

Union Parish authorities have arrested a 23-year-old mother who allegedly left her eight-month-old son on his grandfather’s droopstep wrapped in a blanket and in a car seat. Detectives say Keondra Kenshun Ferguson left the child there, because she was depressed and there was no one to help her. Deputies believe the child was outside in mid-30 temperatures for an hour and a half. Ferguson was charged with child abandonment and the father is now taking care of the baby.

The rain has gone, but the temperatures for this Fat Tuesday are far from comfortable, as many people are celebrating in some of the coldest temperatures for Mardi Gras Day in recent memory…
CUT 4 (08) Q: ‘day progresses’
But now that we are in the home stretch of the celebrations, those temperatures are dropping once again.

The woman in jail for 10 years for obstruction of justice charges in connection to the brutal murder of a LaFourche Parish man staying at the Budget Inn in Washington Parish, is still not talking. Now the Sheriff’s Office is looking for your help in solving the murder of 46 year-old Larkie Toups on New Year’s Day in 2008…
CUT 12 (10) Q: “LaFourche Parish”
That’s Chief Deputy Mike Haley, who says there is a $1000 reward being offered in the case.
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A recent report by the Schott (shot) Foundation for Public Education shows the black male high school graduation rates in Louisiana trails whites’ by 16 points…
CUT 2 (31) “reporting”

In Acadiana, several phone bomb threats were reportedly made today. The first two were called into the Walmart in Crowley, and Rayne Police are investigating another one made to Mouton Pharmacy. KATC reports the threats in Crowley and Rayne are similar, and both law enforcement agencies are working together to find the person or persons responsible.

Folks in Louisiana are enjoying Mardi Gras Festivities, despite some rather cold conditions. Some revelers in New Orleans we spoke with say they aren’t going to let a little cold weather stop them…:
CUT 3 (08) “don’t hurt”
Many are saying this is the coldest Mardi Gras Day they can remember.

State Police say a train-truck crash in Desoto Parish has killed three men. Trooper Matt Harris says a group of oil field vehicles were on a private road yesterday afternoon when a truck, driven by 23-year-old John Watson of Centerville, approached some railroad tracks…
CUT 7 (10) “was too late”
The other two men are identified as 24-year-old Michael Ryder II of Goldonna and 35-year-old Herbert Barras III of Charenton.
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The investigation of a previous cold case in Washington Parish is back on in the brutal murder of a LaFourche Parish Man. Forty-six year-old Larkie Toups was killed on New Year’s Day in 2008. A female eyewitness to the brutal murder was arrested in 2013, and she’s still not identifying suspects. Chief Deputy Mike Haley says it’s a little tough, because there is still no body in the case…
CUT 11 (10) Q: ‘for his murder’
If you have any information, contact the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office.

It’s the one that got away from the LSU football, as Calvary Baptist 5 star quarterback Shea Patterson from Shreveport announces he will be going across the border to play for the Ole Miss Rebels next year. For the last two seasons, Patterson threw for over 5 thousand yards, 72 touchdowns with only 7 interceptions.

Everywhere else it’s just Tuesday, but in South Louisiana…:
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

Lafayette Police are seeking your help in their investigation of a fatal pedestrian crash on the westbound side of I-10 near the Ambassador Caffery exit on February 13 at about 1:45 am. Investigators say that 18 year-old Grant Ingram was crossing the interstate for unknown reasons, and was struck by several vehicles. If you have any information, contact Lafayette Police.

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A train versus truck accident in Desota Parish had deadly results yesterday afternoon, killing three men. State Police Trooper Matt Harris says the oil field worker truck was on a private road, stopped on the tracks momentarily, then was struck…
CUT 8 (11) Q: “on that end”
The dead are 23-year-old John Watson of Centerville, 24-year-old Michael Ryder II of Goldonna, and 35-year-old Herbert Barras III of Charenton.

New numbers released from the Schott (shot) Foundation for Public Education show quite a large gap between white and black male graduation rates. Foundation President John Jackson says the numbers can turn…
CUT 15 (11) Q: ‘in New Jersey’
Here, it’s only 53-percent of black male students, compared to 69-percent of white males.

Folks in Louisiana are enjoying Mardi Gras Festivities, despite the bone chilling temps. At Courir de Mardi Gras in Mamou – Mayor Ricky Fontenot says the riders and runners were out in their costumes and ready to roll through the countryside just as they do every year — rain, shine or cold…:
CUT 6 (10) “enjoying themselves”
Streets are crowded all over New Orleans and Lafayette for the chilly parades.

A recent report by the Schott (shot) Foundation for Public Education shows the black male high school graduation rates in Louisiana trails whites’ by 16 points. 29-percent of white males in the state were proficient in eighth grade reading and math compared to just nine-percent of black males says Foundation President John Jackson…:
CUT 14 (07) “to learn”
He says the state needs to commit to changing the education climate.

State Police say a train crashed into a truck yesterday and three men in the vehicle died in DeSoto Parish. Trooper Matt Harris says the deceased are the driver, 23-year-old John Watson of Centerville, and two passengers 24-year-old Michael Ryder II of Goldonna & 35-year-old Herbert Barras III of Charenton. He says this crossing had passive warning signals..:
CUT 9 (09) “forward”
He says they believe the driver stopped, but began moving forward when it was already too late and they were hit.

The Lafayette Police Department says they are still looking for information regarding the crash that claimed the life of a pedestrian on February 13th. They say they don’t know who hit 18-year-old Grant Ingram as he was crossing I-10 near Ambassador Caffery at 1:45am that morning.

The Washington Parish Sheriff’s office is asking for help in the case of a 2008 murder of a Lafourche Parish resident. Chief Deputy Mike Haley says 46-year-old Larkie Toups was killed on January 1, 2008 and after a year long investigation the case went cold. He says they opened it back up in 2013 and arrested an eyewitness to the crime…:
CUT 10 (10) “located”
He says they hope people who know more about this crime will come forward and claim the $1000 reward.

Even though it’s bitterly cold out, Mardi Gras celebrations are underway from New Orleans to Mamou. Revelers were up early this morning picking out prime spots for the parades and putting costumes on for the horseback ride through the country side. Temperatures probably won’t get out of the 40s this afternoon.

A recent report by the Schott (shot) Foundation for Public Education shows the black male high school graduation rates in Louisiana trails whites’ by 16 points. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 2 (31) “reporting”

The LSU men’s basketball team looks to improve their position in an NCAA tournament big when they face Texas A&M tonight.