The future of the state’s congressional map is in the hands of the Supreme Court, as it decides the constitutionality of the creation of the second majority Black district. Janai Nelson, the head of the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund, says a third of the state’s eligible voters are Black; thus, Black voters in two of the state’s six Congressional districts should have the ability to elect the candidate of their choice.

Cut 3 (11) “…process is constitutional.”

Solicitor General Ben Aguinaga (ahg-yee-NYA-gah) argued for the State of Louisiana and says race should not be the main factor in determining the districts of a congressional map.

Cut 5 (13) “…their voting strength (2x).”

Much needed rain is in the forecast for this weekend. But Jeff Palermo reports we are not looking at a drought buster.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

High school students will soon have fewer standardized tests to look forward to. The State Department of Education says starting in the 2026-27 school year, the state will conduct just four tests of tenth graders, down from the current six. The number of English and math tests will drop by one each.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments this morning on Louisiana’s congressional map that analysts say could chip away at the 1965 Voting Rights Act. At issue is the creation of the state’s second majority Black district. Janai Nelson, the head of the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund, says its creation was not done with the purpose of achieving a certain outcome.

Cut 4 (08) “…not party discrimination.”

But Solicitor General Ben Aguinaga (ahg-yee-NYA-gah) rejects Nelson’s assertion that the creation of that district was done without regard to political preference.

Cut 6 (10) “…same political candidates.”

While the Supreme Court normally issues its rulings in June, the court is expected to rule on this case in the next two to three months, so that if a new map needs to be drawn, it can be done in time for the 2026 elections.

Baton Rouge Police arrest a 16-year-old boy in connection with Saturday night’s shooting on the LSU campus that injured two people. Lieutenant L’Jean McKneely Jr. says thanks to good detective work, they identified the shooter and released a photo of the suspect, seeking the public’s help in finding him.

Cut 8 (11) “…juvenile detention.”

With burn bans in effect in 11 parishes, there is relief in sight. State Climatologist Jay Grymes says a cold front will boost rain chances this weekend. He says much of the northern half of the state could see one inch or more, while southern parishes could get a half inch of rain or less.

Cut 11 (09) “…of the drought”

Grymes says the state has not seen much rain since late August and expects more parishes will issue outdoor burn bans this week.

The Supreme Court hears oral arguments over Louisiana’s congressional map that could have a profound effect on the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Governor Jeff Landry is not accepting new applications for carbon capture injection wells. Landry’s executive order also calls on state regulators to prioritize review of the more than 30 applications already before them. Landry wants to see a clear roadmap established for the applications to be approved.

Baton Rouge Police have made an arrest in Saturday night’s shooting on the LSU campus that injured two people. Lt. L’Jean McKNeely says a 16-year-old male has been charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder. McKneely says the shooting stemmed from a prior altercation between the involved parties…

Cut 9 (09)  “…the gunfire”

District Attorney Hillar Moore says the 16-year-old suspect arrested could be tried as an adult. He’s being held without bond.

Eleven parishes now have an outdoor burn ban in place because of the dry conditions. State Climatologist Jay Grymes says for more than a third of the state, the fire danger is rated as High. Grymes says there is relief in sight as a cold front will boost rain chances this weekend …

Cut 10 (08) “…much rain”

Grymes says much of the northern half of the state could see one inch or more, while southern parishes could get a half inch of rain or less.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments this morning on Louisiana’s congressional map that could have a profound effect on the Voting Rights Act across the country. At issue is the creation of the state’s second majority Black congressional district that is occupied by Democrat Cleo Fields Janai Nelson, the head of the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund, said the creation of those districts is perfectly legal.

Cut 3 (11) “…process is constitutional.”

But Ben Aguinaga, a former law clerk for Justice Samuel Alito, argued for the State of Louisiana that the current congressional map is not.

Cut 5 (11) “…their voting strength.”

A ruling from the U-S Supreme Court is expected sometime next year.

Baton Rouge Police have charged a 16-year-old with two counts of first-degree attempted murder in connection with Saturday night’s shooting on the LSU campus that wounded two people. Lt. L’ Jean McKNeely says not only was there a football game at Tigers Stadium, but many people were also on campus for an unsanctioned event that was canceled by university officials. McKneely says as they were moving the crowd off campus, shots were fired.

Cut 7 (08) “…investigation”

McKneely says thanks to the public’s help and good detective work they were able to identify the shooter as a 16-year-old male, who was booked into he East Baton Rouge Parish Juvenile Detention Center on Tuesday.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office is issuing an urgent warning about green fentanyl. Sheriff Gerald Sticker says just like regular fentanyl, one dose of green fentanyl equivalent to just two grains of salt is enough to kill you.

Cut 15 (07) “…is extremely high.”

Baton Rouge Police say a 16-year-old has been charged with two counts of attempted first degree murder for a shooting that took place on the LSU campus on Saturday during the same time as the LSU-South Carolina game. Two people suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Detectives say the shooting stemmed from a prior altercation between the involved parties.

An urgent warning about a highly lethal drug. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Teenagers on Instagram using teen-specific accounts now have their content restricted. Haggai Davis, the chief operating officer of 180 Pros, a Baton Rouge IT services company, says from now on, the content they will be able to see on Instagram will be similar to what they can expect to see at a PG-13 movie.

Cut 7 (11) “…adult-oriented content.”

Davis says Instagram’s parent company Meta is also adding other features that will allow parents set control on things like political content and even the time of day when their kids can access the site.

Optimism among small business owners across the country was down in September for the first time since June. NFIB spokesman Todd Pack says 14-percent of owners reported inflation as their single biggest problem, and 64-percent surveyed reported that supply chain disruptions were affecting their businesses.

Cut 11 (09) “…prices in check.”

Oral arguments are underway at the Supreme Court at this hour on the constitutionality of Louisiana’s congressional map – specifically the state’s two majority Black districts. The Supreme Court heard the case in the last term and punted it to this term. Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino says given the court’s conservative makeup, there’s a good chance that the state will need to redraw its congressional map once again.

Cut 6 (12) “…votes in line.”

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office is issuing an urgent warning about green fentanyl. Sheriff Gerald Sticker says just like regular fentanyl, one dose of green fentanyl equivalent to just two grains of salt is enough to kill you.

Cut 15 (07) “…is extremely high.”

Optimism among small business owners nationwide fell in September. It’s the first decline in three months. NFIB spokesman Todd Pack says one in five small business owners cited labor quality as their single most important problem, which is forcing owners to increase pay.

Cut 12 (10) “…wages sometime soon.”

Teenagers on Instagram using teen-specific accounts now have their content restricted to PG-13 by default, and their parents can further restrict what they see. Haggai Davis, the chief operating officer of 180 Pros, a Baton Rouge IT services company, says regardless of any parental controls, there’s certain content they should never have to worry about their kids getting access to.

Cut 9 (10)  “…take it down.”

Small business optimism declined in September for the first time in three months. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Smitty’s Supply announced Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit against two other companies for selling and installing faulty equipment that Smitty’s says led to the series of explosions that has devasted the Roseland community since late August.  Smitty’s is seeking compensation for loss of inventory, income, and profits, clean up and restoration, and damage to the company’s reputation

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An urgent warning about a highly lethal drug this morning.  Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Gerald Sticker says the only difference between green fentanyl and regular fentanyl is the color and can easily be mistaken for cannabis or other less potent drugs. Sheriff Sticker says green fentanyl has recently been linked to an increase in opioid-related emergency calls throughout the Northshore and greater New Orleans.

Cut 14 (10) “…overdoses and use.”

The U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments today on the constitutionality of the state’s congressional map – specifically, the two majority Black districts. Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino …

Cut 5 (13) “…drawing those lines.”

The U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the state’s congressional map – specifically on its two majority Black districts. Andre Champagne reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

A community lead and a tip to Crime Stoppers have led to the arrest of a 16-year-old in that shooting on the LSU campus that left two people injured homecoming night.  Baton Rouge police say the teenager is facing several charges, including two counts of attempted first-degree murder though the incident is still under investigation.

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Optimism among small business owners across the country was down in September for the first time since June. NFIB spokesman Todd Pack says 14-percent of owners reported inflation as their single biggest problem, and 64-percent surveyed reported that supply chain disruptions were affecting their businesses.

Cut 11 (09) “…prices in check.”

Hey parents, if your Teenager’s on Instagram using teen-specific accounts, there are new restrictions in place for them. Haggai Davis, the chief operating officer of 180 Pros, a Baton Rouge IT services company, the content those teens will be restricted to PG-13 type content.  And parent company Meta, is adding a feature that allows parents to control the level of restriction.

Cut 8 (08) “…to the teens.”