If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, there’s a big event happening in Ponchatoula starting today. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The House Labor Committee approves legislation that would protect a worker from disciplinary action if he or she does not use a co-worker’s preferred gender pronoun. Jeff Palermo has the story.

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Ole Miss fifth-year senior transfer linebacker T.J. Dottery spoke about his decision to follow his coach to LSU. Andre Champagne has more.

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If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, why not head to Ponchatoula and take in the Strawberry Festival? It starts this morning at eleven and runs through Sunday at Memorial Park on North Sixth Street. Donald Lanier with the Strawberry Festival says they’ll be taking over Main Street tomorrow morning with a parade that begins at 9:30.

Cut 4 (08) “…off the weekend.”

The best part about the Strawberry Festival is that it costs nothing to get in, and Lanier says there are strawberries everywhere.

Cut 5 (09) “…anything like that.”

And if you’re wondering how this year’s strawberry crop is, Lanier says to put it bluntly, it is fantastic!

Cut 6 (12) “…them fast enough.”

One important change from last year – tonight and tomorrow night, the festival will close at eight o’clock. In past years, it would stay open until ten, but an unfortunate incident last year is leading organizers to close it two hours earlier. It closes at six Sunday evening.

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Teacher pay raises won’t be the only thing voters will be deciding in next month’s constitutional amendment election. There are four other amendments on the ballot, including one that would allow local governments to reduce or eliminate inventory taxes on businesses in exchange for a one-time payment. Steven Procopio, the president and CEO of the Public Affairs Research Council, says while the tax is universally disliked by the business community, getting rid of it is not that simple.

Cut 7 (14) “…they afford it?”

Procopio says another amendment on the ballot is whether the mandatory retirement age for judges should be raised from 70 to 75 – the third time that this has been put to voters.

Cut 8 (08) “…fresh or younger?”

Voters will also decide whether to authorize the creation of the St. George Community School System in East Baton Rouge Parish. Procopio says the only reason that this is going to voters statewide is because that’s what the rules say.

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But for the most part, the outcome of that vote would have no impact on anyone living outside East Baton Rouge Parish.

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The House Labor Committee passes legislation that would prohibit a private or public employer from firing or taking retaliatory action against an employee for misgendering. Chairman Raymond Crews of Bossier City is the author of the legislation.

Cut 10 (09) “…is that proper?”

Crews is referring to Luke Ash, who was let go of his job last July after he refused to use someone’s preferred pronouns. The measure is heading to the House floor after a six-to-four vote along party lines in House Labor.

Shreveport Democratic Representative Tammy Phelps reminded the committee that as long as a business does not fire a worker based on race, sex, age, religion, natural origin or disability, it does not have to give a reason for the dismissal.

Cut 11 (06) “…why they’re firing.”

Peyton Rose Michelle, with Louisiana Trans Advocates, believes the legislation is unfair, because state law does not protect trans people from discrimination, yet this bill would protect someone who intentionally tries to disrespect a transgender individual.

Cut 12 (10) “…and be disrespectful.”

Denham Springs Representative Roger Wilder voted for the legislation. Wilder says he will always use the birth-assigned pronouns based on his religious beliefs, and he shouldn’t lose his job over that.

Cut 13 (10)  “…to protect that.”

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If you missed out on eating crawfish during Easter weekend, now is the time to get them and at a lower price. Laney King, the co-founder of The Crawfish App, says dock prices fell 50 cents per pound Monday, which has resulted in live crawfish selling for less than three dollars a pound.

Cut 14 (13) “…dollars a pound.”

King says Easter is the highest demand weekend of the year for crawfish; but once that passes, demand softens slightly, but supply remains strong and that combination leads to lower prices.

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King says the post-Easter price drop is a typical seasonal pattern.

Cut 16 (07) “…this nice price.”

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LSU fifth-year senior linebacker T.J. Dottery is one of four players who decided to follow Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge after Ole Miss’ playoff run. Dottery, who led the SEC in tackles last season with 98, says he’s already enjoying playing for his new defensive coordinator, Blake Baker.

Cut 17 (15)  “…nothing but good.”

The LSU defense brought in several top transfers while returning a couple of key starters from last year’s team. Dottery says the Tigers’ defense will have to do something special this season.

Cut 18 (14)  “…part of it.”

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The LSU baseball team begins a three-game series against Ole Miss in Oxford this weekend. Sophomore catcher Cade Arrambide says he and his teammates are looking forward to playing another rival in another hostile ballpark.

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LSU redshirt junior pitcher Gavin Guidry says getting off the field quickly and inducing short innings will be key against an Ole Miss team that capitalizes on mistakes and errors.

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The House Labor Committee turns aside a bill that would have raised the minimum wage to 12 dollars an hour. The debate over raising the minimum wage is an annual one at the state capitol. Lafayette Representative Themi Chassion wants to see more action than just talking.

Cut 26 (06) “…real adjustment.”

The vote to defeat the bill was seven-to-five. Slidell Representative Brian Glorioso was among the seven who voted no; he says the solution to boosting incomes in Louisiana is not raising the minimum wage.

Cut 22 (06) “…fix the problem.”

The minimum wage is $7.25, and it’s been that way for 17 years. Leah Long, the state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, said it shouldn’t be up to the government to decide how much business owners should pay their employees.

Cut 28 (06) “…type of business.”

The House Labor Committee passes legislation that would prohibit a private or public employer from firing or taking retaliatory action against an employee for misgendering. Chairman Raymond Crews of Bossier City is the author of the legislation.

Cut 10 (09) “…is that proper?”

Crews is referring to Luke Ash, who was let go of his job last July after he refused to use someone’s preferred pronouns.

Peyton Rose Michelle, with Louisiana Trans Advocates, believes the legislation is unfair, because state law does not protect trans people from discrimination, yet this bill would protect someone who intentionally tries to disrespect a transgender individual.

Cut 12 (10) “…and be disrespectful.”

The measure is heading to the House floor after a six-to-four vote along party lines.

The LSU baseball team suffered its fourth midweek loss of the season Tuesday, falling 10-7 to Bethune-Cookman. After that midweek loss, the Tigers will need to keep winning in conference play to have any chance of hosting an NCAA Regional in June. The challenge doesn’t get any easier, as LSU travels to Oxford to face Ole Miss this weekend. Coach Jay Johnson says the Rebels’ lineup is one of the toughest in the SEC.

Cut 17 (15)  “…trying to execute.”

Last night, Southeastern walked off UL Lafayette with a two-out, solo home run by Rhett Centanni, handing the Cajuns their third straight loss. It marked the Lions’ third consecutive win. Southeastern will host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi this weekend, while the Cajuns will host tenth-ranked Southern Mississippi.

Louisiana Tech senior quarterback Trey Kukuk (CUE-kuck) has been the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback during spring practice, as Blake Baker continues to rehab from a torn ACL he suffered at the end of last season.. Head coach Sonny Cumbie says Kukuk has already shown tremendous improvement in just seven practices.

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LSU women’s basketball senior guard Flau’jae Johnson has officially been invited to New York for the WNBA Draft on April 13. In the latest ESPN Mock Draft, Johnson was predicted to be selected fifth by the Chicago Sky.

Former LSU golfer and Shreveport native Sam Burns is currently the co-leader at the Masters Tournament after shooting a 5-under 67 in the opening round. He shares the lead with the reigning Masters champion, Rory McIlroy. University High graduate Patrick Reed is also among the top performers, sitting tied for third after a 3-under 69 on day one.

The House Labor Committee voted against a bill today to increase the state’s minimum wage to 12 dollars an hour starting on January 1st. Business groups say a higher minimum wage will result in fewer jobs and higher costs that will be passed on to the consumer. Melissa Flourney, the co-founder of Ten-thousand Women, pointed out to the committee that 30 states have a higher minimum wage than $7.25.

Cut 9 (10)  “…leaving Arkansas.”

The measure failed on a vote of seven to five. Slidell Representative Brian Glorioso voted against the measure, saying he would rather see investments in workforce training…

Cut 10 (09) “…minimum wage.”

The minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since July of 2009.

The first long range forecast for the upcoming hurricane season is encouraging. Colleen Crain has the story…

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Organizers of this year’s Strawberry Festival are putting an extra emphasis on safety and security this year after last year’s event was marred by a shooting. That’s already started, as four people have been banned from this year’s festival for making threats to the event. Ponchatoula Police have identified one of them as 19-year-old Amari Sexton.

Fuel prices continue to climb, with no end in sight. Andrew Greenstein reports.

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Motorists might not have to pay for an inspection sticker next year. The Louisiana House has approved a bill to eliminate the inspection sticker requirement and replace it with a QR code that would cost six dollars. An inspection sticker costs ten dollars a year. The Senate still need to approve the legislation.

Another session and another year where an attempt to raise the minimum wage has been defeated. The House Labor Committee voted along party lines today to kill a proposal to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to 12-dollars in 2027 and 15-dollars an hour by 2029. The Economic Policy Institute says one in five workers would see a pay raise as a result of this legislation, but Slidell Representative Brian Glorioso says workforce training is how you increase wages…

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The Colorado State University Hurricane Forecast is predicting a somewhat below-average Atlantic hurricane season for 2026. Researcher Chandler Jenkins says that’s because a moderate to strong El Nino could be in place from August to October…

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C-S-U is predicting 13 named storms, six hurricanes and two of the hurricanes could be major.

The House Labor Committee turns aside a bill that would have raised the minimum wage to 12 dollars an hour. The minimum wage is $7.25, and it’s been that way for 17 years. The debate over raising the minimum wage is an annual one at the state capitol. Several other previous proposals failed to make it out of committee. Lafayette Representative Themi Chassion wants to see more action than just talking.

Cut 12 (06) “…real adjustment.”

Of course, you’re going to need to earn a lot more than minimum wage to fill your gas tank these days. Here in Louisiana, a gallon of regular unleaded is averaging $3.78 a gallon; diesel is averaging $5.32 a gallon. The summer travel season is rapidly approaching; and Gas Buddy-dot-com Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan says if this trend continues, it will have a devastating effect on summer travel, both by car and by airplane.

Cut 8 (06) “…in that regard.”

If the Colorado State University hurricane forecast team’s prediction is spot-on, we could be in for another quiet hurricane season this year. The team is predicting 13 named storms this year, which is one fewer than the average of 14. Researcher Chandler Jenkins says of those 13, the team is predicting six to become hurricanes, including two major hurricanes.

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There were 13 named storms last year, including five hurricanes – none of which made landfall in the U.S.

So who’s leading in the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate? It depends on which poll you believe. The campaigns for Julia Letlow and John Fleming have released polls showing each one in the lead. The poll by JMC Analytics and Polling commissioned by the Fleming campaign shows Fleming leading the pack with 33-percent support. A poll by BDPC Strategic Campaign Services commissioned by Letlow shows her in front with 29-percent support.

Fuel prices continue to rise in Louisiana and across the country, with no end in sight. The average price of regular unleaded is $3.78 a gallon, with diesel averaging $5.32 a gallon. Oil prices did start to come down yesterday in light of the two-week ceasefire. DeHaan says because of that, gas stations have not started to buy cheaper gasoline yet to ease the pain at the pump.

Cut 7 (06) “…tanks just yet.”

At this rate, workers making the minimum wage will never be able to afford gasoline. But today, the House Labor Committee voted against a measure to boost the minimum wage to 12 dollars an hour. Slidell Representative Brian Glorioso says if the state really wants to help out low-wage earners, provide them training to get a higher paying job.

Cut 11 (11) “…in a solution.”

The first long range forecast for the upcoming hurricane season is encouraging. Colleen Crain has the story…

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

Organizers of this year’s Strawberry Festival are putting an extra emphasis on safety and security this year after last year’s event was marred by a shooting. That’s already started, as four people have been banned from this year’s festival for making threats to the event. Ponchatoula Police have identified one of them as 19-year-old Amari Sexton.

The House Labor Committee voted against a bill today to increase the state’s minimum wage to 12 dollars an hour starting on January 1st. Business groups say a higher minimum wage will result in fewer jobs and higher costs that will be passed on to the consumer. Melissa Flourney, the co-founder of Ten-thousand Women, pointed out to the committee that 30 states have a higher minimum wage than $7.25.

Cut 9 (10)  “…leaving Arkansas.”

The measure failed on a vote of seven to five. Slidell Representative Brian Glorioso voted against the measure, saying he would rather see investments in workforce training…

Cut 10 (09) “…minimum wage.”

The minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since July of 2009.

The Colorado State University hurricane forecast team is predicting a slightly below-average Atlantic hurricane season, with 13 named storms – one short of the average. Researcher Chandler Jenkins says the team anticipates a moderate to strong El Nino during the peak of the season from August to October.

Cut 4 (08) “…in the Atlantic.”

The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana is out with its guide to the 2026 Constitutional Amendments. The one getting the most attention is Amendment 3, the one that would make a two-thousand-dollar pay raise for teachers permanent. PAR President and CEO Steven Procopio says the plan would involve retiring three trusts funds that currently go towards education.

Cut 25 (10) “…teacher pay raise.”