Mother Nature could be putting a damper on the holiday weekend in South Louisiana. Chanele Stigger is a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles.
Cut 9 (09) “…skies and showers.”
The flip side of the coin is, when rain is not falling, it will actually be quite pleasant to be outside, with highs in the mid-80s to the low 90s.

The Labor Day weekend Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is in full swing. Law enforcement will be out in full force through Monday cracking down on drunk drivers. Greg Fischer with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says there’s always something you can do to keep yourself safe if you ever encounter a drunk driver.
Cut 8 (09) “…their seat belt.”
In 2022, 490 people across the country were killed in crashes over the Labor Day weekend; almost 40-percent of those involved a drunk driver.

A new report from the Public Affairs Research Council shows around 60% of Louisiana high school seniors are applying for college financial aid this year, a 10% drop from last year. Louisiana still ranks second nationally for FAFSA completions, but Steven Procopio with PAR says he’s worried that rank could slip.
Cut 4 (11) “…overall nation.”
PAR expects completed FAFSA applications in Louisiana are to decline even further after BESE repealed a policy that made students apply for federal student aid to graduate.

While LSU plays Sunday and UL-Lafayette plays tomorrow, other Louisiana teams got their seasons underway last night. Tulane blanked Southeastern Louisiana, 52-0, in New Orleans. ULM kicked off the Bryant Vincent era by beating Jackson State, 30-14, snapping a ten-game losing streak. And despite big plays early on, Northwestern State lost to Tulsa, 62-28.

A new report from the Public Affairs Research Council shows around 60% of Louisiana high school seniors are applying for college financial aid this year, a 10% drop from last year. Steven Procopio with PAR…
Cut 3 (11) “…a lot of it.”
The report goes on to say around 92% of parish public school districts saw fewer seniors completing FAFSA by June 28 compared to last year.

Law enforcement is out in full force cracking down on drunk driving this Labor Day weekend. Greg Fischer with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is a federally-funded program that allows departments to use the money as they wish to combat drunk driving.
Cut 7 (12) “…the road longer.”
Other departments could use the money for additional patrols or other needs.

Just two days away from the Vegas Kickoff Classic between LSU and USC. Joseph Bocanegra with Stub Hub says even though the game is sold out, you can still get into Allegiant Stadium for less than 200 dollars.
Cut 12 (09) “…they’re able.”
Bocanegra urges fans to buy tickets from reputable sellers with a fan protect guarantee, to avoid social media sources, and never to pay cash. He says the LSU/USC game is Stub Hub’s best selling game of the season followed by Saturday night’s Notre Dame and Texas A&M in College Station.

Another holiday weekend is upon us; and thus, law enforcement will be out in full force cracking down on drunk driving. Greg Fischer with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is in effect through Monday.
Cut 6 (13) “…notice of that.”
In 2022, the last year that statistics are available, 490 people across the country were killed in crashes over the Labor Day holiday weekend; almost 40-percent of those involved a drunk driver.

Louisiana is set to receive 104-million-dollars in “lagniappe” federal funds for transportation and infrastructure projects. Congressman Garret Graves says while this is a significant step forward, Louisiana still faces substantial infrastructure challenges.
Cut 9 (07) “…for decades.”
Graves says currently, the Capital Region has the fourth worst traffic in America.

Just two days away from the second-ever Vegas Kickoff Classic between LSU and USC. Joseph Bocanegra with Stub Hub says you would think with Los Angeles being so close to Las Vegas, Trojans fans would outnumber Tigers fans, but he says that’s not the case…
Cut 11 (10) “…in California.”
The game is sold out, but Bocanegra says tickets are available on StubHub for less than 200 dollars.

The Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival is underway in Morgan City. Festival Association President Nelson Cortez says this is the 89th year for the festival.
Cut 14 (14) “…started from that.”
Weather could be a factor, as there is a flood watch in effect. The festival runs through Monday.

Gary Westcott is the new Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections. After being appointed by Governor Landry, Westcott said he’s ready to get to work.
Cut 4 (11) “…need to make.”
Westcott had been with the Department of Corrections for 29 years before retiring as regional administrator in 2020.

The Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival is underway in Morgan City. Festival Association President Nelson Cortez says the food court and craft section kicks off tonight, as well as music performances in Lourdes Park. And later on:
Cut 13 (16) “…the Atchafalaya River.”
Weather could play a factor, as there’s a flood watch in effect for the area. The festival runs through Monday, Labor Day.

Tigers Fans are headed to Las Vegas to cheer on LSU as they take on USC Sunday Night in the second-ever Vegas Kickoff Classic. Colleen Crain has more
Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

Other Louisiana teams got their seasons underway last night. Tulane blanked Southeastern Louisiana, 52-0, in New Orleans. ULM kicked off the Bryant Vincent era by beating Jackson State, 30-14, snapping a ten-game losing streak. And despite big plays early on, Northwestern State lost to Tulsa, 62-28.

Governor Landry promotes Gary Westcott to Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Westcott says his priorities will include fixing the state’s prison system and enhancing public safety.
Cut 5 (09) “…in the past.”
Westcott was deputy secretary under Jimmy LeBlanc, who stepped down yesterday due to health reasons.

Congressman Garret Graves announces Louisiana will receive 104-million-dollars in “lagniappe” federal funds for transportation and infrastructure projects. Graves says while this funding is a significant step forward, Louisiana still faces substantial infrastructure challenges, and that continued investment will be necessary.
Cut 9 (07) “…for decades.”
Graves says currently, the Capital Region has the fourth worst traffic in America.

Just two days to go before LSU’s big game against USC in Las Vegas. Joseph Bocanegra with Stub Hub says while the game is sold out, you can still get into Allegiant Stadium for less than 200-dollars.
Cut 12 (09) “…they’re able.”
Bocanegra says LSU/USC is Stub Hub’s best selling game of the season, followed by tomorrow night’s Notre Dame-Texas A&M game in College Station.

The Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival is underway in Morgan City. Mother nature could put a damper on this year’s festivities, as there’s a flood watch in effect for the area. Still, Festival Association President Nelson Cortez says they’re expecting a lot of people this year.
Cut 15 (06) “…the five days.”
The festival is sponsored and financed solely by donations, and Cortez says they usually raise more than 100-thousand dollars each year.

The Louisiana Department of Education has provided schools and teachers a guide on how Artificial Intelligence can be used safely and effectively in the classroom by students. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education president Ronnie Morris served on Louisiana’s A-I task force…

Cut 23 (10) “…solve the problem”

Morris says A-I can help personalize learning experiences.

Congressman Garret Graves announces Louisiana will receive 104-million-dollars in “lagniappe” federal funds for transportation and infrastructure projects…

Cut 7 (12) “…shovel-ready.”

Graves says this money can help complete the LA 1 extension in Lafourche Parish.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette says its managing about 600-million dollars in projects which will transform the campus. One of the those projects is 55-million dollar Engineering Student-Centered Collaborative Building…

Cut 30 (06) “…parking garage”

That’s Director of Facility Management, Scott Hebert, who also says the College of Engineering’s Madison Hall is being renovated.

The Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival is underway in Morgan City, this is the 89^th year for the festival that honors the two biggest industries for St. Mary Parish, oil and gas and the shrimping industry…

Cut 14 (14) “….started from that”

Festival Association President Nelson Cortez says the traditional Blessing of the Fleet will take place Sunday morning.

Louisiana has a new prisons chief. Andrew Greenstein has more.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Louisiana can use more money for roads and Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says the federal government is sending an additional 104-million dollars to the Bayou State….

Cut 8 (07) “…of Louisiana”

Graves says these dollars are earmarked for shovel ready projects.

This is the first big football weekend of the year for Louisiana. You have high school jamborees tonight, several college football games tomorrow, USC-LSU on Sunday night and last night ULM snapped a ten-game losing streak by beating Jackson State 30-14. First-year head coach Bryant Vincent…

Cut 30 (12) “…proud of em”

Also, last night Tulsa defeated Northwestern State 62-28, Tulane blanked Southeastern Louisiana 52-0.

The Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival is underway in Morgan City. Festival Association President Nelson Cortez says the food court and craft section kicks off tonight, as well as music performances in Lourdes Park. And later on:

Cut 13 (16) “…the Atchafalaya River.” 

Congressman Garret Graves says Louisiana will receive 104-million dollars in “lagniappe” federal funds for transportation and infrastructure projects.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Sean Richardson”

Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says they will hold a lottery next month for coastal residents interested in receiving up to ten-thousand dollars in grant money to replace their current roof with what’s called a fortified. Lottery registration will take place from September 18 to the 20^th and check the state Department of Insurance’s website  for more information.

Governor Jeff Landry has named Gary Westcott as the new \Secretary for the Department of Corrections. Westcott will oversee the state’s prisons, but he’ll also have a say on re-entry programs and other programs that seek to cut down on the recidivism rate…

Cut 6 (10) “…get rid of those”

Westcott has nearly three decades of experience working for the Department of Corrections and the Division of Probation and Parole.

The LSU-USC game is a hot ticket on the secondary ticket market. Stubhub spokesperson Joseph Bocanegra (Bo-cuh-nay-gruh)….

Cut 10 (12) “….played Arizona”

Boanegra says residents from Louisiana are buying more tickets than those from southern California.