The country’s newest historically Black medical school earns preliminary accreditation. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

____________________________________________

After 26 years of waiting, the I-20 Rivalry returns tomorrow. Kace Kieschnick has more.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

____________________________________________

If you’ve been waiting on fall-like weather, you are in luck — it arrives today. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

___________________________________________

The newest historically Black medical school earns preliminary accreditation. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which is the accrediting body for U.S. programs granting medical doctorate degrees, gave its preliminary accreditation to Xavier University’s Ochsner College of Medicine in New Orleans. University President Dr. Reynold Verret says the school is the only HBCU college of medicine in the Gulf South and the first HBCU medical school to be on the path to full accreditation in a very long time.

Cut 4 (05) “…60s and 70s.”

Dr. Leonardo Seoane (say-oh-AH-nee), the president and founding dean of the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine, says it’s the culmination of a ten-year quest, and the school is gearing up to welcome its first class in the summer of 2027.

Cut 5 (12) “…start next summer.”

Dr. Seoane says while the initial class will be 50 students, he expects future classes to grow in size.

Cut 6 (09) “…100 per class.”

__________________________________________

ULM hosts Louisiana Tech tomorrow in the first installment of the I-20 Showdown in 26 years. The Sun Belt rivals are separated by just 35 miles, and Warhawks Athletic Director S.J. Touhy told KNOE-TV in Monroe that he expects a big crowd.

Cut 7 (08) “…numbers end up.”

It is just the third home game of the season for ULM. Touhy told KNOE-TV in Monroe that the students have been great supporters so far this season, and the Warhawks are working to make Saturday’s game day extra special.

Cut 8 (11) “…a fun day.”

The Warhawks are 0-and-5 to start the season and have now lost 13 straight. Head coach Bryant Vincent is still confident in his team, and Touhy told KNOE-TV the administration is behind him.

Cut 9 (11)  “…him showing that.”

Kickoff in FMOL Health St. Francis Stadium is set for 7 p.m.

__________________________________________________

The 89th annual International Rice Festival is underway in Crowley. Festival Coordinator Shanna (SHAA-nah) Monk says the weather will be perfect, so bring the entire family.

Cut 10 (09) “…bigger every year.”

Plus, there will be a children’s parade at 1:30 this afternoon, and the grand parade is tomorrow afternoon at three.

Monk says the live music will be rocking the two stages until midnight tonight and tomorrow night.

Cut 11 (13) “…on Saturday night.”

Of course, no festival centered on a food item would be complete without a cooking contest, and Monk says the Rice Festival is no different.

Cut 12 (09) “…a rice dish.”

There’s also a carnival midway, with rides that are open from ten a-m to ten p-m today and tomorrow, and from noon to six p-m Sunday. Admission to the Rice Festival is free, and you can ride all the rides you want for 30 dollars today and tomorrow, and 25 dollars on Sunday.

__________________________________________________

The first real cold front of Fall moves through the state on Friday. Temperatures will be much cooler this weekend, but LSU Health climatologist Barry Keim says the threat of wildfires increases because of dry and breezy conditions.

Cut 13 (11)  “…is pretty high.”

Nearly all of north and central Louisiana is under an outdoor burn ban. And there’s a red flag warning out for central and north Louisiana, which means any fires that develop could spread rapidly.

The National Weather Service says this cold front could bring gusts of more than 30 miles per hour and humidity levels will fall below 40-percent.

Keim says if you’re going to a high school football game tonight, bring a jacket.

Cut 14 (08) “…all get out.”

Keim says much of the state will see morning lows in the 40s, with Sunday being the coldest morning.

Cut 15 (10) “…across northern parishes.”

__________________________________________________

Number-22 LSU takes on 16th-ranked Mississippi State at 11 a.m. tomorrow. Coach Lane Kiffin will face another former coordinator in Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby. Lebby was the Ole Miss offensive coordinator for two seasons, and Kiffin says his offense can be lethal.

Cut 16 (16) “…pick you apart.”

That offense is commanded by quarterback Kamario Taylor. Taylor is off to a stellar start to his sophomore campaign, but he is listed as questionable with a right foot injury. Kiffin says he can be a dangerous player.

Cut 17 (16) “…quarterback college friendly.”

__________________________________________________

After losing three straight at home, the Saints kick off a long road trip against the Giants on Sunday. Former Saints quarterback Jameis Winston has led New York to two wins and a tie since taking over for an injured Jaxson Dart. Saints D-end Carl Granderson says the Black and Gold will need to capitalize on any mistakes.

Cut 18 (14)  “…a mistake sometimes.”

__________________________________________________

UL Lafayette hosts Troy tomorrow as the Cajuns try to rebound from a disappointing loss to Louisiana Tech. Head coach Michael Desormeax says the team is angry after blowing a 12-point fourth-quarter lead, and they should be. But now they have to turn to a Trojans team hitting their stride.

Cut 19 (10) “…room for error.”

Troy has extended rest coming off a Tuesday night win over Southern Miss last week. The Trojans are scoring 28 points a game and rank fourth in the Sun Belt in yards per game. Desormeaux says they still haven’t abandoned their run-heavy philosophy.

Cut 20 (16) “…down the field.”

Troy leads the conference in rushing yards per game.

Cut 24 (fade after 3 seconds and use as bed)

Yes, seasons do change – including here in Louisiana, believe it or not. And this weekend is definitely going to start feeling like fall. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says if you’re going to a high school football game tomorrow night, bring a jacket.

Cut 14 (09) “…get out.”

The SEC is not dismissing its federal lawsuit against LSU, but Attorney General Liz Murrill told 104.5 ESPN in Baton Rouge that goes directly against the wishes of the member institutions.

Cut 9 (14)  “…wrongdoing.”

The SEC says even though LSU never rostered any former NFL or NBA players, Will Wade’s recruitment of former G League player RJ Luis still threatens its pro player ban and its right to enforce its rules.

A new survey says increasing access to child care could get almost 30-thousand mothers to re-enter the workforce, generating 3.2-billion dollars in additional earnings. Dr. Heather Cope, the chief of policy and research at the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, says the state needs to make child care more affordable, with child care currently costing up to 12-thousand dollars a year per child.

Cut 5 (06) “…any family’s budget.”

A new ferryboat is in operation for the Cameron crossing in Cameron Parish. Department of Transportation Secretary Glenn Ledet says the Holly Beach ferryboat will replace the Cameron Two, which has been in service since 1964.

Cut 6 (08) “..100 miles”

A new survey says increasing access to child care could unlock billions of dollars in economic growth for the state. Dr. Heather Cope, the chief of policy and research at the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, says increasing access to early childhood education could allow almost 30-thousand parents to re-enter the workforce.

Cut 3 (11) “…for the state.”

The SEC is not dismissing its federal lawsuit against LSU. Attorney General Liz Murrill told 104.5 ESPN in Baton Rouge that SEC lawyers could not negotiate a joint statement in which LSU implied it had done something wrong and would not do anything wrong in the future.

Cut 10 (14) “…any violation.” 

Cut 23 (fade after 4 seconds and use as bed)

In this case, the Calcasieu Ship Channel will have to do. A new ferry boat has been put into service at the Cameron Crossing in southwest Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Researchers at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center say one out of every four male active duty U.S. Army personnel have testosterone levels below the clinical threshold. The study comes amid Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s order that all male service members 30 and older be tested for testosterone.

A new survey says increasing access to child care would mean big bucks for the state’s economy. Joe Gallinaro reports.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

State lawmakers learned today that Louisiana finished the previous fiscal year with a budget surplus of 565-million dollars. The state constitution limits how legislators can spend that money. Legislative leadership says they can use the additional cash to improve roads, complete more capital construction projects and fortify the coast.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill continues to call on the Southeastern Conference to drop its lawsuit against LSU officials. The league filed a federal lawsuit about six weeks ago to prevent LSU from rostering players that signed contracts with NFL and NBA teams. Murrill told ESPN Baton Rouge Radio LSU has not done that, so why the lawsuit….

Cut 11 (11) “…bizarre”

LSU men’s basketball played an exhibition game with just players last night as Coach Will Wade’s team is making doubly sure that the players who play are eligible.

Two new ferry boats will help commercial  and private vehicles cross the Calcasieu Ship Channel in Cameron Parish. They are replacing a ferry that’s been in service since 1964. Louisiana Transportation Secretary Glenn Ledet says a private company will also handle operations, which will be good for DOTD…

Cut 8 (08) “….longtime”

Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors in Houma built the ferries.

State Treasurer John Fleming says it’s been 75-hundred dollars for 46 years and now it’s time for Louisiana’s homestead exemption to go up.  Flemming says he’s ready to work with Louisiana legislators and other state and local officials to substantially increase the homestead exemption

Cut 12 (05) “…governor about this.”

Fleming says because the homestead exemption has not been increased, it’s resulted in an increase in property taxes on homeowners as a result of rising property values.

The first real cold front of Fall moves through the state on Friday. Temperatures will be much cooler this weekend, but LSU health climatologist Barry Keim says the threat of wildfires increases…

Cut 13 (12) “…pretty high”

Nearly all of north and central Louisiana is under an outdoor burn ban.

The Louisiana Policy Institute for Children says a recent study shows that if there was adequate access to early childhood education, 30-thousand parents would be able to work, instead of staying at home to care for their children….

Cut 4 (11) “…workforce entirely”

That’s Doctor Heather Cope with the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, who says the state is missing out on three-billion dollars in additional earnings because of the lack of affordable early childhood education options.

In Cameron Parish, two new ferries are replacing the Cameron Two ferry that’s been in service since 1964.  Each boat will measure 190- feet, by 50 feet, by 13 feet. DOTD Secretary Glenn Ledet says putting these new boats in service will ensure uninterrupted loading and unloading of commercial vehicles across the Calcasieu Ship Channel…

Cut 7 (10) “…often.”

About 800 vehicles a day depend on this ferry service.

The author of Amendment 8 says it’s something the state needs. It would prohibit a foreign adversary or an agent of a foreign adversary from seizing private property for necessary purposes, known as expropriation.  Rosepine Representative Chuck Owen says the amendment would clarify current law to specify “foreign adversaries” as defined by the U.S. Treasury Department.

Cut 24 (08) “…and Iran are.”

Saints Head Coach Kellen Moore is reacting to harsh words from owner Gayle Benson as she expressed her displeasure over the team’s disappointing start to the season. Moore says Benson’s comments will not change the team’s preparation because they were already focused on getting better. He says they work in a results-based business and things will need to improve.

Cut 14 (08) “…better moving forward.”

Cut 23 (fade after 4 seconds and use as bed)

In this case, the Calcasieu Ship Channel will have to do. A new ferry boat has been put into service at the Cameron Crossing in southwest Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Three suspects are arrested in connection with a deadly shooting in St. Martinville. 22-year-old Carter Williams, 18-year-old Kason Sias Jr. and 17-year-old Jenarius Johnson are charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 19-year-old Michael Fusilier of Lafayette.

A new survey says increasing access to child care could get almost 30-thousand mothers to re-enter the workforce, generating 3.2-billion dollars in additional earnings. Dr. Heather Cope, the chief of policy and research at the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, says the state needs to make child care more affordable, with child care currently costing up to 12-thousand dollars a year per child.

Cut 5 (06) “…any family’s budget.”

A new ferryboat is in operation for the Cameron crossing in Cameron Parish. Department of Transportation Secretary Glenn Ledet says the Holly Beach ferryboat will replace the Cameron Two, which has been in service since 1964.

Cut 6 (08) “..100 miles”

The Cameron crossing is not getting just one ferryboat, it’s getting two. The second ferry boat is expected to be completed in late November.

Saints owner Gayle Benson issued a call to action to her team to respond to a disappointing start to the season. Kace Kieschnick has how her head coach and quarterback responded.

Cut 23 (33) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

It will be the Big 12 versus the Pac-12 in the 50th Independence Bowl this December. The Pac-12 tie-in is actually for one of its Legacy teams – Oregon State, Washington State and the ten schools which departed the conference back in 2024. The game will be played Tuesday, December 22nd, at 7:30 Central Time.