A new study from Bankrate finds Louisiana has a cool housing market and New Orleans and Shreveport are among the coldest for their market size in the country. Bankrate analyst Alex Gailey says a big reason for the sluggish housing market is that many Louisiana residents can not afford to own a home…

Cut 11 (12) “….buy a home”

It is now illegal in Louisiana to handle your cell phone while driving. It’s a secondary offense. That means an officer will not pull you over just for handling your cell phone while driving; but if the officer observed you doing so while committing another moving violation, that would add an additional fine to your citation. Slidell Representative Brian Glorioso says he wrote his bill that way after prior attempts to make it a primary offense failed.

Cut 4 (09) “…pretextual stop issue.”

LSU is ranked ninth in the preseason coaches college football poll. Yesterday, the Tigers volunteered at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. The team supplied nearly 40-thousand meals across 11 parishes in just one hour. Coach Brian Kelly…

Cut 14 (08) “…of work.”

Researchers have determined the size of the dead zone off Louisiana’s coast is the size of Connecticut. The dead zone is an area in the Gulf of America that has low to no oxygen, because of high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous that flowed into the Gulf from the Mississippi River. LSU Oceanography Professor Nancy Rabalais says the Gulf has two layers of water: a warmer, fresher top layer, with a colder, saltier one beneath. She says this leads to the dead zone along the ocean floor.

Cut 8 (13) “…doesn’t diffuse.”

Now that the calendar has flipped to August, you should be making a concerted effort to keeping your hands off your cell phones while driving. After all, it’s now against the law. If you need time to get used to it, Slidell Representative Brian Glorioso, who wrote the new law, has some good news for you – there is a grace period.

Cut 5 (08) “…until January 1st.”

LSU enters the 2025 season ranked ninth in the coaches poll. The team is hard at work preparing for the season opener at Clemson. Wide Receiver Aaron Anderson has missed most of fall camp with nagging knee inflammation stemming from his time at Alabama. Head Coach Brian Kelly says it was reaggravated in his offseason work, but he felt good today.

Cut 13 (12)  “…on the field.”

A study from Bankrate finds Louisiana’s housing market is cool and New Orleans and Shreveport are among the coldest in the country for their market size. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

On the heels of the Medicaid Millionaire comes the story of the Medicaid Romeo and Juliet. The State Attorney General’s Office says Keith and Shelly Duncan of Denham Springs failed to accurately report their marital status and household income to claim Medicaid benefits and to defraud the state out of more than 133-thousand dollars. The two are charged with government benefits fraud.

We’re hearing from the state representative who helped get the ban on handling cell phones while driving into law. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

State Police say two pedestrians standing on the shoulder of I-10 in Breaux Bridge were struck and killed by a Lexus yesterday afternoon. Authorities say 66-year-old Cynthia Dinet of Gretna and 68-year-old Elisa Lightell of Maurice were standing next to their vehicle on the shoulder when the Lexus encountered traffic and veered into the right shoulder, hitting the pedestrians.

The Dead Zone, which is off the coast of Louisiana, where there is not enough oxygen to support marine life is about the size of Connecticut this summer. High levels and nitrogen and phosphorus that exit out of the Mississippi River into the Gulf have created the dead zone. LSU Oceanography professor Nancy Rabalais says many farmers are aware of the issue and can help…

Cut 7 (10) “….Gulf of Mexico”

The LSU Tigers are ranked ninth in the preseason coaches poll, which came out today. Coach Brian Kelly says he’s seen a motivated team and it’s led to a competitive culture…

Cut 12 (10) “…on the field”

ULM athletics director John Hartwell announced his resignation today. A release from the school says Hartwell will pursue other professional opportunities.

A new study from Bankrate finds Louisiana has a cool housing market, and New Orleans and Shreveport are among the coldest for their market size in the country. Data analyst Alex Gailey says high homeowners’ insurance rates is one reason why it’s tough to sell a home in Louisiana…

Cut 9 (08)  “…housing costs.”

Gailey says on the flip side, a cool housing market is good for buyers as it means more options, you can negotiate more and get concessions from the seller.

Researchers determined the 2025 Gulf of Mexico dead zone is about the size of Connecticut. The zone represents an area of low to no oxygen, unable to support marine life. LSU Oceanography Professor Nancy Rabalais says the zone is caused by high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in waterways.

Cut 6 (10) “…the oxygen.”

We’re now hearing from the representative who helped get a ban on hand-held cell phone use while driving across the finish line in the legislature and into law. Slidell Republican Brian Glorioso says it was a long time coming.

Cut 3 (09) “…matters and issues.”

The new law makes handling a cell phone while driving a secondary offense. That means an officer will not pull you over just for handling your cell phone while driving; but if the officer observed you doing so while committing another moving violation, that would add an additional fine to your citation. There is a grace period; officers will issue warnings instead of additional fines until the end of the year.

Still plenty of controversy over Speaker Mike Johnson sending the House home for summer recess instead of holding a vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Jeanne Burns reports.

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Jeanne Burns.”

According to the state department of education, 42-percent of Louisiana’s nearly 45-thousand public school teachers were evaluated as highly effective for the 2023-24 school year.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announces deeply discounted combo hunting and fishing licenses for honorably discharged military veteran residents. Senator Brach Myers authored the legislation that resulted in the discounts and says it was a result of collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs and The Boot, an organization that encourages military veterans to make Louisiana their home once their service has ended.

Cut 11 (14) “…the outdoors.”

Good news for Central Louisiana. According to a study from the CENLA Economic Dashboard, Consumer spending is on the rise. LSUA Professor Randall Dupont…

Cut 8 (11) “…over year.”

Alexandria and Pineville each recorded quarterly growth of four to five percent, and Natchitoches posted an eight percent quarterly gain.

Oil City Republican Representative Danny McCormick had some choice words for House Speaker Mike Johnson for sending the House home early for summer recess to avoid a vote on releasing the Epstein files. McCormick says Johnson was wrong for calling out fellow Republican Thomas Massie, who’s sponsoring a bipartisan resolution calling for the files’ release.

Cut 15 (07) “…singled him out.”

Honorably discharged military veteran residents can now purchase a Sportsman’s Paradise license – a recreational hunting and fishing combination license – for just $20, an 80-percent discount. Lafayette Republican Senator Brach Myers, who authored the bill that paved the way for the steep discount, says it’s a small token of our appreciation for their selfless service to our country.

Cut 10 (09) “…the right heroes”

The Department of Children and Family Services needs second shift Child Protective Services investigators. DCFS Secretary Rebecca Harris says they need workers in the second shift because child maltreatment does not happen just between the hours of 8:00 to 4:30 Monday through Friday.

Cut 4 (08) “…to respond timely.”

Harris says they’re looking to hire 53 people to work four, 10-hour shifts per week.

Central Louisiana is showing steady economic growth, according to a study from the Cenla Economic Dashboard. The Alexandria metropolitan area has gained 707 jobs since May, and the dashboard’s author, LSUA Professor Randall Dupont, says Natchitoches is recovering from the April closure of its International Paper plant.

Cut 7 (08) “…of this year.”

Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to send the House home early for its summer recess rather than hold a vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files didn’t sit well with everyone including fellow

Republican, Oil City Representative Danny McCormick, who went as far as issuing a statement condemning the move. McCormick says in his statement, he was defending fellow Republican Thomas Massie, who co-sponsored a resolution to force the release of those files.

Cut 14 (05) “…them get released”

Johnson says he wants to release the files but after they are completely pored over and all names of victims are redacted.

The Department of Children and Family Services needs second shift Child Protective Services investigators because child maltreatment does not happen just between the hours of 8:00 to 4:30 Monday through Friday says DCFS Secretary Rebecca Harris. She says they need 53 people to work four, 10-hour shifts per week including every other weekend. But she says working second shift has  advantages like additional pay.

Cut 6 (12) “…per hour worked.”

Those hired would start their new jobs as early as September 15th.

LSU is less than a month away from its season opener against Clemson. The Tigers are looking for their first win in week one since 2019. Defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory has been at LSU in 2020 and wants to start 1-0….

Cut 20 (16) “…the place.”

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announces honorably discharged military veteran residents can purchase a recreational hunting and fishing combination license for $20, a reduction of $80 for the Sportsman’s Paradise license. Republican Lafayette Senator Brach Myers authored the legislation that resulted in a big discount for military veterans.

Cut 9 (09)  “…outdoors in Louisiana.”

Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to send the House home early for its summer recess rather than hold a vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files raised controversy but  Johnson says he’s committed to releasing the files and bringing Epstein and others to justice but only after all files are completely pored over and all names of victims are redacted.

Cut 13 (07)  “…be permanently destroyed.”

The Department of Children and Family Services needs help. DCFS Secretary Rebecca Harris says child maltreatment does not just happen between the hours of 8:00 to 4:30 Monday through Friday and they need second shift Child Protective Services investigators. They want to hire 53 people to work four, 10-hour shifts per week. And she says you do not need a college degree or any special licenses.

Cut 5 (10) “…first response world.”

A study from the Cenla economic dashboard reports steady growth for the Central Louisiana economy. Kace Kieschnick reports.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announces deeply discounted combo hunting and fishing licenses for honorably discharged military veteran residents Senator Brach Myers authored the legislation that resulted in the discounts and says it was a result of collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs and The Boot, an organization that encourages military veterans to make Louisiana their home once their service has ended.

Cut 11 (14) “…the outdoors.”