The U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the state’s congressional map – specifically on its two majority Black districts. Andre Champagne reports.
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Small business optimism declined in September for the first time in three months. Jeff Palermo has the story.
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An urgent warning about a highly lethal drug. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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The U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments today on the constitutionality of the state’s congressional map – specifically, the two majority Black districts. This is the second time the Supreme Court is hearing this case. This past June, the court punted the issue to this session. Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino says by doing so, it reframed the issue from a narrow issue of whether the districts violate the Voting Rights Act.
Cut 4 (14) “…drawing congressional districts.”
Ciolino says the drawing of the current congressional map, with its two majority Black districts, was born from a Supreme Court decision so that it would comply with Section Two of the Voting Rights Act.
Cut 5 (13) “…drawing those lines.”
What’s interesting is during the last Supreme Court term, Attorney General Liz Murrill urged the court to uphold the current congressional map. Now, she’s urging the court to overturn it. Ciolino says Murrill’s shift in position is in response to a major shift in the court’s focus – and 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.”
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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 a feature that allows parents to set an even stricter setting for their children.
Cut 8 (08) “…to the teens.”
Parents will be able to control things like political content and even the time of day when they can access the site. Davis says regardless of their settings or whether their kids’ accounts are teen-specific, there’s certain content they should never have to worry about their kids getting access to.
Cut 9 (10) “…take it down.”
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Optimism among small business owners nationwide fell in September. It’s the first decline in three months. NFIB spokesman Todd Pack says the uncertainty index also rose to its fourth-highest reading in over 51 years.
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Pack says 14-percent of owners reported inflation as their single biggest problem, and 64-percent of those small business owners surveyed reported that supply chain disruptions were affecting their businesses.
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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.”
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The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office is issuing an urgent warning about green fentanyl. Sheriff Gerald Sticker says the only difference between green fentanyl and regular fentanyl is the color.
Cut 13 (09) “…100-percent deadly.”
The sheriff’s office says green fentanyl has the consistency of sidewalk chalk, gel or tar. It says it can easily be mistaken for cannabis or other less potent drugs. Sheriff Sticker says green fentanyl has been linked to an increase in opioid-related emergency calls throughout the Northshore and greater New Orleans.
Cut 14 (10) “…overdoses and use.”
Sticker reminds you that fentanyl is extremely powerful – about 50 times more potent than heroin. Sticker says a dose equivalent to just two grains of salt is enough to kill you.
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McNeese State football is off to a 1-and-5 start after being blown out by Southeastern. Sophomore quarterback Jake Strong struggled against the Lions, completing only 5-of-14 passes for 37 yards and two interceptions. Head coach Matt Viator says the Cowboys’ offense has to do a much better job against Houston Christian on Saturday.
Cut 16 (15) “…to do better.”
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The Southern Jaguars are off to their worst start to a season since 1971 after the 45-14 loss to Bethune-Cookman. Head coach Terrance Graves says it’s important to instill belief in his players and encourages the fan base to stick with the Jaguars through a tough start.
Cut 17 (16) “…more than anybody.”
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Grambling is now 3-and-3 after a heartbreaking 21-20 loss to Texas Southern. The Tigers had multiple crucial turnovers, including a fumble in the fourth quarter that allowed Texas Southern to run the clock out. Head coach Mickey Joseph says his young team has to clean up their play.
Cut 18 (16) “…get them better.”
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Vanderbilt’s number-7 scoring offense will be tested against LSU on Saturday, as the Tigers boast the number-5 scoring defense, allowing less than 12 points per game. Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea says the Commodores’ offensive success will come down to execution and patience.
Cut 19 (18) “…schedule at times.”
In LSU’s 24-17 win over Vanderbilt last season, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier completed 28-of-37 passes for 332 yards and threw for a touchdown. Lea says Nussmeier has plenty of strengths and that his team has to limit the big plays against the Tigers.
Cut 20 (14) “…fight against points.”