If you’re a kid attending Vermilion Catholic and you haven’t entered ninth grade yet, you’d better get off social media immediately. Andrew Greenstein explains why.
Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
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Hayden Federico won a state championship with West Monroe in 2024. Now, he’ll play for a Men’s College World Series Title with Ole Miss in Omaha. Kace Kieschnick has more.
Cut 2 (28) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”
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Louisiana has a new voter ID law. Jeff Palermo has the details.
Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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If you attend Vermilion Catholic and haven’t entered the ninth grade yet, you’d better delete your social media profiles now! That’s because the pre-K-through-12 school has banned social media for all students in eighth grade and below, with the ban extending to ninth grade in the fall of 2027. Father Alexander Albert says social media has proven to do nothing but disrupt the educational and social development of kids.
Cut 4 (08) “…with each other.”
With the school being a private school, it is entirely their prerogative to impose such a restriction on its students. The social media ban is effective 365 days a year as long as the student is enrolled at the school, with incoming students considered to be enrolled in the preceding summer. Father Albert says the policy has gotten positive reviews.
Cut 5 (10) “…easier as parents.”
The school’s policy largely mirrors the policies of the social media platforms, most of which prohibit anyone under 13 years old from creating accounts. Albert says the policy creates a disciplinary mechanism at the school level, and students subject to the policy caught with social media accounts face significant penalties.
Cut 6 (10) “…they consider expulsion.”
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In case you haven’t noticed, pretty much the price of everything has gone up. And that has taken a huge bite out of families’ budgets. So as we get into the summer travel season, and potentially looking ahead to the holiday shopping season, money will certainly be a lot tighter than in years past. Layne McDaniel with the Society of Louisiana CPAs says in light of that, be prepared if your kids have some tough money questions for you.
Cut 7 (08) “…need to understand.”
McDaniel says when you talk to your kids about these tough financial times, there’s no need to give too many complicated details to younger kids.
Cut 8 (08) “…up this summer.”
McDaniel says if your kids are older, that’s when you can more freely give them more details of exactly what’s going on.
Cut 9 (13) “…something like that.”
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West Monroe High School product Hayden Federico is heading to the College World Series with Ole Miss. The sophomore outfielder is the son of Louisiana Tech assistant coach Michael Federico, who says he doesn’t get the chance to watch him play often, so seeing him in Omaha will be special.
Cut 10 (10) “…words for it.”
Michael says he’s been to Omaha as a fan once before, a 1967 trip with some teammates from his Southern Miss baseball team. He says he told his kids he wouldn’t return to the College World Series until he was coaching or one of them was playing in it.
Cut 11 (13) “…coaching in it.”
Hayden is batting .296 and has started all but four games for the Rebels. Michael says he’s going to try to turn off coach mode and be an Ole Miss fan this weekend.
Cut 12 (11) “…a national championship.”
Ole Miss takes on UNC in game two of the Men’s College World Series at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
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Governor Landry has signed a package of election integrity and security bills designed to enhance election safeguards and further secure Louisiana’s election process. Secretary of State Nancy Landry says one of the measures strengthens the state’s voter ID laws.
Cut 13 (12) “…vote would count.”
Landry says the new voter ID law lists the acceptable forms of identification needed for a voter to cast a ballot if he or she shows up to vote without a state-issued photo ID.
Cut 14 (09) “…like Costco cards.”
The new law goes into effect on July 1st, 2027. So starting with the statewide elections in 2027, if a voter does not have a photo ID, he or she will need to provide the poll worker with a birth certificate, Social Security Card or certificate of citizenship, along with a voter registration notice, a recent utility bill, bank statement or pay stub.
Landry says the governor also signed a bill that requires Louisiana to use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program to help identify any non-citizen that’s registered to vote in Louisiana.
Cut 15 (11) “…rolls remain clean.”
Governor Landry has also signed a bill that prohibits a person from taking a photo of the Election Day precinct registers. That’s the piece of paper you sign, right before you go into the voter’s booth.
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LSU landed one of the most sought-after talents in the transfer portal in Notre Dame outfielder Bino Watters. The Michigan native hit .362 with 10 homers, 51 RBI and a .610 slugging percentage his sophomore season with the Irish. Bradley Smart covers the ACC for D1Baseball and says he’s only gotten better each year in South Bend.
Cut 16 (17) “…pickup for LSU.”
While Watters certainly has the SEC power profile, he also has exceptional bat-to-ball skills. Smart says in two years and 382 at-bats with the Irish, he struck out just 63 times.
Cut 17 (16) “…do damage on.”
LSU was in a heated recruiting battle with Texas and Texas A&M for the slugger, but Jay Johnson and his staff were able to bring him to Baton Rouge to address some glaring needs in the outfield next season. Smart says he can be a day one starter for the Tigers.
Cut 18 (14) “…production out of.”
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Today is the final day of Organized Team Activities for the Saints before minicamp kicks off next week. Head Coach Kellen Moore praised the confidence his team has gained as the offseason has gone on. He says one player that’s stood out is free agent running back Travis Etienne.
Cut 19 (19) “…rotating as much.”
The Saints will rely on a young secondary this year. At outside corner, Kool-Aid McKinstry was a second-round pick in the 2024 draft, and Quincy Riley was a fourth-rounder last year who saw significant snaps. Safety Jonas Sanker turned heads as a rookie filling in for an injured Julian Blackmon last year, and McKinstry says he’s made great progress replacing Alontae Taylor at slot corner this season.
Cut 20 (18) “…same exact way.”