For the first time ever, Louisiana will have a recreational alligator hunting season. Joe Gallinaro reports.

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For the next five days, listen to the radio or watch TV at your own risk. Andrew Greenstein explains why.

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LSU has tied a program high for the most SEC losses in one season. Jeff Palermo has the story.

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While commercial alligator hunting has been legal in Louisiana for quite some time, recreational alligator hunting is now legal for the first time, now that Governor Landry has signed Senate Bill 244 into law. The bill’s author is Franklin Senator Robert Allain, who notes that Louisiana’s alligator population has now topped three-million, and there aren’t enough commercial alligator hunters to get it under control.

Cut 4 (14) “…along the way.”

Allain says that growing alligator population has led to alligators appearing in places they’re not supposed to be in, including neighborhoods.

Cut 5 (14) “…contact with them.”

People may be surprised to learn that alligators can run as fast as 15 miles an hour.

Allain says recreational alligator hunting tags will be awarded through a lottery system.

Cut 6 (08) “…get two tags.”

The recreational alligator hunting season period will be announced at a later date.

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Over the next five days, watch TV or listen to the radio at your own risk. That’s because you’ll be bombarded with some of the dirtiest campaign ads in the Republican U.S. Senate race, with the primary election Saturday. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says Bill Cassidy, John Fleming and Julia Letlow are pulling out all the stops to get their messages out to avoid finishing in last place.

Cut 7 (09) “…margin of error.”

Cross says the three are going negative, because history has shown that negative campaigning works. And he says in this instance, the mission for all three is to put distance between their opponents and President Trump.

Cut 8 (11) “…to your side.”

That’s a taller task when it comes to attacking Julia Letlow, since she has Trump’s endorsement. Cross says in his time following national politics, he has never seen anything like Trump’s influence in elections.

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The LSU baseball team is creating the wrong kind of history one season removed from winning the program’s eighth national championship. With three regular season games to go, the Tigers have suffered 18 losses in SEC play, which matches the most conference losses in program history. Tiger Rag Editor Glenn Guilbeau says a lot has gone wrong, but the lack of development from pitchers returning from last year’s team really sticks out.

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Guilbeau says injuries have also been an issue.

Cut 11 (10) “…with multiple injuries.”

Starting pitcher Cooper Moore also got hurt in March and never returned. Friday night starter Casan Evans missed a couple of weekends due to arm soreness. Guilbeau says for LSU to get back to being a national contender again, the pitching has to improve dramatically.

Cut 12 (08) “…offensive players too.”

Center fielder Derek Curiel, shortstop Steven Milam and right fielder Jake Brown are expected to turn pro after they are selected in the Major League Baseball draft in July.

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The 2026 Louisiana black bear hunting season will take place from December 5th to the 20th; and this year, bear hunting will be allowed in all seven of the state’s black bear management areas. LDWF Large Carnivore Program Manager John Hanks says 42 tags will be tentatively issued for the hunt.

Cut 13 (08) “…for a lottery.”

The lottery for the 2026 season will begin in late July.

Louisiana held its first black bear hunting season in more than 35 years in December of 2024. That year, 10 bears were harvested. Sixteen were harvested last year; and Hanks says with the black bear population continuing to thrive, they’ve decided to open it up even more.

Cut 14 (09) “…we’re expanding more.”

Bear area specific population estimates and vital rate data are used to determine the number of bear harvest permits to be issued. Cubs and females are not legal to harvest. Hanks says nearly half of the tags that will be issued will be for Bear Management Area Four. Hanks says that’s where they are seeing the most interest in a bear hunting season, in northeast Louisiana.

Cut 15 (11) “…excited about it.”

A 300-pound plus bear can provide about 200 plates of food. Bear fat can be used for baking, cooking, making candles and waterproofing boots.

State Senator Jay Morris of West Monroe is accused of using a derogatory word towards Black people at a racially charged Senate Committee meeting last Friday. Jeff Palermo has the story.

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Well, Jerry Reed might be chagrined to learn that it is now legal to recreationally hunt alligators in Louisiana, thanks to Governor Landry signing Senate Bill 244 into law. The bill’s author is Franklin Senator Robert Allain, who notes that Louisiana’s alligator population has now topped three-million, and there aren’t enough commercial alligator hunters to get it under control.

Cut 4 (14) “…along the way.”

Allain says that growing alligator population has led to alligators appearing in places they’re not supposed to be in, including neighborhoods.

Cut 5 (14) “…contact with them.”

West Monroe Senator Jay Morris is accused of using a racially insensitive word during the redistricting debate last Friday. The video from media members is inconclusive on whether Morris said the word “Boy” when confronting audience members who he said were talking loudly during the debate, making it hard for him to concentrate and answer questions.

Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Caleb Kleinpeter says he spoke with several news organizations who were covering the tense committee meeting and none of them heard Morris use the word “Boy.”

Cut 8 (04) “…debunked that.”

But State Democratic Party Executive Director Dadrius Lanus says he knows what he heard.

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The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee will meet again on Wednesday. It’s expected it will approve a map that eliminates one, if not both, Black Majority districts from the state’s Congressional map.

Two teens were killed in a crash in Concordia Parish, and the teen driving the SUV is under arrest. Investigators say early yesterday morning, 18-year-old Gregory Steele of Vidalia lost control of the SUV and drove it off the roadway, causing it to overturn. Steele suffered minor injuries, but 19-year-old Jacob Bonnette of Vidalia and 17-year-old Michelle Baity of Natchez, Mississippi, were killed. State Police Trooper Casey Wallace says alcohol appears to have been a factor.

Cut 13 (08) “…the traffic violations.”

Another 18-year-old suffered moderate injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment. Wallace says none of the four were restrained. 

Soaring gas prices will likely not put a dent in Memorial Day travel, with a record 39-million people expected to hit the road. Don Redman with Triple-A Louisiana says that’s because people had already made their plans before the war in Iran began.

Cut 10 (05) “…already baked in.”

The early voting numbers released by the Secretary of State’s office paint a startling picture. Of the nearly quarter-million ballots cast in the seven days of early voting, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by nearly 45-hundred. JMC Analytics Pollster John Couvillon says three factors especially motivated Democrats to show up to the polls.

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Those hearings really got heated when West Monroe Senator Jay Morris allegedly used a racially derogatory term. State Democratic Party Executive Director Dadrius Lanus says Morris called him “boy” when telling him to shut up. Senate Governmental Affairs Chairman Caleb Kleinpeter told reporters he does not believe Morris directed that word towards Black people.

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Two teens were killed in a crash in Concordia Parish early Mother’s Day morning, and the teen driving the SUV is under arrest. State Police Trooper Casey Wallace says investigators believe 18-year-old Gregory Steele of Vidalia was impaired when he lost control of the SUV and rolled it over.

Cut 14 (05) “…report finalize that.” 

19-year-old Jacob Bonnette of Vidalia and 17-year-old Michelle Baity of Natchez, Mississippi, were killed. Steele and another 18-year-old were injured. None of the four were restrained.

Soaring gasoline prices won’t be keeping drivers off the roads this Memorial Day weekend, with more than 39-million people expected to venture more than 50 miles from home. Don Redman with Triple-A Louisiana says the bigger concern is high gasoline prices putting a huge dent into holiday travel late in the year.

Cut 12 (08) “…the discretionary income.”

West Monroe Senator Jay Morris is accused of using a racially derogatory term during a heated debate over a new Congressional District map. Because tensions were running high, the meeting was briefly paused. Louisiana Democratic Party Executive Director Dadrius Lanus says when Morris got up from his seat, he told him to “Shut Up Boy”…

Cut 6 (14) “…say that.”

Morris denies using the word “boy” when he told audience members behind him to hush up.

Triple-A is expecting a record 39-point-one million people will travel to a destination by car for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. AAA spokesperson Don Redman says the high gas prices will not keep people home for the first official summer weekend of the year…

Cut 11 (09) “…just gasoline alone”

Registered Democratic voters seem to be more energized about voting in the May 16^th primary. Based on totals provided by the Secretary of State’s Office 45-hundred more registered Democrats than registered Republicans either early voted or turned in absentee ballots. But pollster John Covillon says it doesn’t mean a Democrat has a chance of pulling off an upset when the general election happens in November for the U-S Senate race…

Cut 5 (07) “….John Bel Edwards did”

But Covillon says a large voter turnout of Democrats for the May 16^th primary could spell trouble for the five constitutional amendments on the ballot.

Sad story out of Concordia Parish as a 19 and 17-year-old are dead as a result of single vehicle wreck over the weekend. State Police Trooper Casey Wallace says it’s believed the driver, 18-year-old Grogory Steele of Vidalia was impaired…

Cut 13 (08) “…traffic violations”

The two people who died have been identified as 19-year-old Jacob Bonnette of Vidalia and 17-year-old Michelle Baity of Natchez.

Two teenagers are dead and another teen is facing charges in a single vehicle wreck in Concordia Parish. State Police say impairment is suspected…

Cut 14 (04) “….finalize that”

That’s Master Trooper Casey Wallace who says the driver of the vehicle, 18-year-old Gregory Steele of Vidalia, has been charged with two-counts of vehicular homicide and underage driving while intoxicated. Seventeen-year-old Michelle Baity of Natchez, Mississippi and 19-year-old Jacob Bonette of Vidalia died from their injuries in the crash. Investigators say no one in the vehicle was buckled up.

Despite gas prices over four-dollars a gallon, Triple-A is not predicting a drop off in people traveling during the upcoming Memorial Day holiday…

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That’s Don Redman who says AAA is predicting a record 39-million-point-one million people will travel by car this Memorial Day weekend, a slight jump over last year.

Some surprising early voting numbers were released by the Secretary of State’s office. Andrew Greenstein reports.

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Unless LSU baseball does something miraculous in next week’s SEC Tournament, like winning it, the Tigers will miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. LSU suffered its 18^th SEC loss yesterday, a 12-to-1 defeat to 5^th ranked Georgia. The 18 losses tie a program high that dates back to 1978.

The Louisiana Democratic Party Executive Director Dadrius Lanus accuses West Monroe Senator Jay Morris of using a derogatory word during a racially charged debate over a new Congressional District map. Lanus says when Morris got up from the table after testifying, he turned around told audience members to Shut Up and the second time he said “Shut Up Boy.” Morris denies the allegation, but Lanus told WRKF public radio he knows what he heard…

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Senate Governmental Affairs Chairman Caleb Kleinpeter says he spoke with several news organizations who were covering the tense committee meeting and none of them heard Morris use the word “Boy”…

Cut 8 (04) “..debunked that”

The senate Governmental Affairs Committee will meet again on Wednesday and it’s expected they will approve a map that eliminates one, if not both, Black Majority districts from the state’s Congressional map.

Two teens were killed in a crash in Concordia Parish, and the teen driving the SUV is under arrest. Investigators say shortly after 12:30 yesterday morning, 18-year-old Gregory Steele of Vidalia lost control of the SUV and drove it off the roadway, causing it to overturn. Steele suffered minor injuries, but 19-year-old Jacob Bonnette of Vidalia and 17-year-old Michelle Baity of Natchez, Mississippi, were killed. State Police Trooper Casey Wallace says alcohol appears to have been a factor.

Cut 13 (08) “…the traffic violations.”

Wallace says none of the teenagers were buckled up.

An effort to slow down the trend of public-school districts moving to a four-day week stalled on the House floor. As the debate went on, amendments were added to exempt more school systems and charter schools. Eventually Reserve Representative Sylvia Taylor stood up and said the issue needs to be studied…

Cut 15 (10) “…more study.”

The bill was returned to the calendar and it’s unknown if it will be discussed again in this session.