Over 184-thousand Louisianans signed up for insurance through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Marketplace Director and CEO Kevin Counihan says they are very pleased with how things are going…

cut 7 (08) “easier and simpler”

Nationwide, about 11.4 million Americans selected Marketplace plans or automatically re-enrolled by Sunday’s deadline.

Due to mid-year budget cuts, Secretary of State Tom Schedler announces reduced days of operation for 14 state museums. In addition to the reduced hours of operation, 24 Secretary of State employees will be laid off. Schedler says if there’s group or individual that wants to provide financial resources, his door is open…

cut 15 (11) “those discussions”

He says the reduced hours could be in place for the foreseeable future.

A doctoral candidate in LSU’s College of Engineering believes he’s come up with a unique way to control mosquito-borne diseases. Charles Malveaux’s idea is to use drones for mosquito control. Malveaux says the concept is pretty straightforward…

cut 4 (06) “can be targeted”

Malveaux’s plan would use drones to treat breeding areas with larvicide, preventing mosquitoes from hatching.

Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says the severe insect pest Emerald Ash Borer, or EAB, has been detected in Louisiana. The EAB attacks ash trees and has been confirmed in Webster Parish. Strain says the EAB was discovered last year in southern Arkansas and they think it got there from someone who brought firewood from another state…

cut 11 (07) “from where you buy it”

He says the EAB could be devastating to the trees.

Secretary of State Tom Schedler announces reduced days of operation for 14 museums. Starting in mid-April, the old state capitol in Baton Rouge and the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport will only operate three days a week. Schedler says he has less state dollars to work with…
cut 13 (10) “…currently expand”
Schedler says 12 smaller museums under his control will only be open one-day a week.

Over 184-thousand Louisianans have enrolled for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. That’s an 81-percent increase in participation compared to last year and Marketplace director Kevin Counihan says they still have a long way to go, especially when it comes to making the customer experience easier…
cut 8 (06) “….we’re working on”

The State Department of Ag and Forestry says an insect pest called Emerald Ash Borer has been found in Louisiana. Commissioner Mike Strain says the bug attacks ash trees and has been confirmed in Webster Parish…
cut 10 (07) “…the trees die”
Strain says there’s no method to eradicate the insect, so to keep it him from spreading he’s urging residents in north Louisiana to not transport firewood more than ten miles.

A doctoral candidate in LSU’s college of Engineering is working on technology that would use drones to kill off mosquitos. Charles Malveaux says drones are used to apply chemicals for other purposes, especially agriculture, and it can be a powerful tool in combating mosquitoes…
cut 6 (11) “..in the future”
Malveaux says he knew someone who died from the West Nile Virus.

The federal government announces that nearly 185-thousand Louisianans signed up for insurance through the federal Insurance Marketplace as of Sunday’s deadline. Michelle Southern has more…
cut 2 (30) “….reporting”

The state department of Revenue announces they will begin issuing tax refunds the week of March second, which is a week later than originally planned. Revenue Secretary Tim Barfield says the delay is in response to the recent increase and still unfolding developments centered around fraudulent tax returns filed across the country.

A dozen museums under the control of the Secretary of State will be open only one day a week, because of budget cuts to that department. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says the reduced hours are in place for the foreseeable future…
cut 14 (10) “….as it looks”
The old state capitol in Baton Rouge and the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport will be in operation for three days a week, instead of five.

Big upset in college baseball last night as Nicholls State defeated second ranked LSU six to three. The Tigers left 17 runners on base, while Colonels first baseman Seth Stevens had two hits and two RBIs.

Over 184-thousand Louisiana residents enrolled for health insurance through the federal marketplace that was set up by the Affordable Care Act. The open enrollment deadline was Sunday. Marketplace director Kevin Counihan hopes open enrollment next year will be bigger and better than it was this year…
cut 9 (09) “…certainly does”

Crawfish processors say new federal guidelines regarding guest worker wages could cause a big hike in the price of the mudbugs. Louisiana’s crawfish industry depends heavily on legal foreign workers to perform jobs they can’t fill locally. Lafayette restaurant owner and crawfish processor Frank Randol says the federal government mandates those workers now be paid $12.35 an hour…:
CUT 3 (08) “wholesale level”

The Union Parish Sheriff’s Office says a Bernice woman is under arrest after leaving her eight-month old son on a relative’s doorstep. Sheriff Dusty Gates says they received a call from the child’s father reporting that the baby was left outside a relative’s residence in Bernice…:
CUT 12 (12) “30 degrees”
The infant’s mother, 23-year-old Keondra Ferguson, is charged with criminal child abandonment.

A hard freeze warning is in effect for northern Tangipahoa, St. Helena St. Tammany and Washington parishes for midnight tonight until eight o’ clock tomorrow morning. The National Weather Service says temperatures could drop into the mid-20s in this part of the state. We could see low temps fall into the low 20s in northeast Louisiana.

A survey of Louisiana public school teachers finds that 78-percent of them believe the annual standardized tests are excessive…
CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

The Secretary of State’s Office is bracing for a $930 thousand dollar mid-year budget reduction. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says this one is the largest to hit historical sites. He says there will be dozens of layoffs, and hours of operation reductions are planned, as many museums and the Old State Capitol cut back.
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The Department of Labor’s required $5 an hour pay increase for guest workers will probably cause a big rise in the price of crawfish. Legal foreign workers perform jobs crawfish processors cannot fill locally, and that pay raise could mean more consumer cost. Lafayette restaurant owner and crawfish processor, Frank Randol, says the feds caught them off-guard…
CUT 5 (10) Q: “changed the game”

A brother and sister are dead after being shot at the Sugar Shack in New Roads early this morning. Point Coupee Sheriff’s Office Captain Steven Juge says the incident happened around 12:30 am…
CUT 9 (08) “parking lot”
The victims are 38-year-old Seneca Williams and 41-year-old Lichelle Williams. The suspect is 31-year-old Jamie Croom, who remains at large.

The Louisiana Association of Educators has released a new survey showing about 78 percent of teachers are against yearly standardized tests of students, because they say the prep time for kids to get ready is taking away from learning time. LAE President Debbie Meaux says it’s a problem now, and a possible problem for the future, as they seek to find new teachers…
CUT 8 (06) Q: “for children”

A late-night shooting at a New Roads nightclub has left two people dead, and authorites on the hunt for the suspect who pulled the trigger. Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff’s Office Captain Steven Juge says the suspect who remains at large is 31 year-old Jamie Croom…
CUT 11 (06) Q; “a club”
That club was the Sugar Shack, and the dead are 38 year-old Seneca Williams and her brother, 41 year-old Lichelle Williams.
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New federal guidelines for an increase in guest worker wages could be hitting crawfish lovers in the pocketbook. Louisiana’s crawfish industry depends heavily on guest workers to perform jobs they cannot fill locally, and processors say the five dollar an hour raise to 12.35 an hour will result in a $3 per pound increase in the price of tail meat…
CUT 4 (07) Q: ‘of the country’
That’s Lafayette restaurant owner and crawfish processor Frank Randol.

In Union Parish, a Bernise woman is under arrest after leaving her 8 month-old son on a relative’s doorstep. With temperatures in the mid-30s before being discovered after about 90 minutes outside, the child was taken to the hospital with pnemonia. Sheriff Dusty Gates says they arrested 23 year-old Keondra Ferguson on criminal child abandonment charges…
CUT 14 (05) Q: ” the child”
The baby is now in the custody of the father.

The price of Louisiana crawfish could be going up big time. Here’s Eric Gill with that story…:
CUT 1 (30) Q: “reporting”

The US Department of Health and Human Services says over 184,000 people in Louisiana are signed up for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. That is a growth of 82 thousand state-wide over last year. Nationwide that number is about 11.4 million Americans. These numbers are as of February 15th which was the deadline to sign up this year.
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New numbers from the Louisiana Association of Educators reveals 78 percent of teachers believe annual state-required standardized tests takes too much time away from classroom instruction…
CUT 7 (10) Q: “to learn”
That’s LAE President Debbie Meaux, who thinks the better option is to test once in elementary school; once in middle school; and one more time at the high school level.

A brother and sister are dead after being shot at a New Roads nightclub early this morning. Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff’s Office Captain Steven Juge (rhymes with huge) says there was some type of altercation at the The Sugar Shack …:
cut 10 (09) “from people”
The dead are thirty-eight-year-old Seneca Williams and 41-year-old Lichelle Williams. The suspect is 31-year-old Jamie Croom, who remains at large.