A Baton Rouge businessman is seeking to form a public-private partnership to buy a financially troubled airline. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

____________________________________________

This past weekend, Leland and Gussie Lacaze (luh-KAH-zuh) of Natchitoches Parish were honored as the state’s longest married couple. Jeff Palermo ahs the story.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

____________________________________________

Legendary West Monroe football coach Jerry Arledge has died at the age of 83. Andre Champagne has more.

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

______________________________________________

A Baton Rouge businessman is looking to form a public-private partnership to buy Spirit Airlines and move its headquarters to New Orleans. John Miller, who’s the founder of the Country Club of Louisiana, says if he’s successful in his quest to buy the financially troubled ultra-low-cost airline, take everything you know about the airline and throw it in the garbage.

Cut 4 (08) “…of these extras.”

Miller says the purchase of Spirit Airlines is the first step in making Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport a hub airport, which he says would be the foundation of a 12-billion-dollar annual economic impact for New Orleans, with five-million new visitors to one of the most visited cities in the country.

Cut 5 (05) “…to almost 500.”

Miller says making New Orleans Airport a hub can further transform Spirit Airlines by opening it up to international destinations.

Cut 6 (12) “…international markets overseas.”

Frontier and JetBlue have both previously attempted to buy Spirit Airlines. Spirit’s shareholders rejected Frontier’s offer in July of 2022, and JetBlue’s 3.6-billion-dollar offer was blocked by a judge in 2024.

___________________________________________

On Valentine’s Day, Leland and Gussie Lacaze (luh-KAH-zuh) of Robeline were honored as this year’s longest known married couple. For 79 years, the Natchitoches Parish couple has been husband and wife. Family forum president Gene Mills says the couple met in May 1945.

Cut 7 (13) “…they got married.”

Mrs. Lacaze said the secret to a lasting marriage with joy is patience and hard work. She says they took the slow steady route, and it paid big dividends. Despite their advanced years, Mills says the couple is talkative and alert.

Cut 8 (10) “…for America’s freedom.”

Along with the honor of being recognized as Louisiana’s Longest Known Married Couple 2026, Mills says the couple receives recognition from the governor, cakes, and gifts. They will also receive a wish from Mr. Lacaze’s bucket list, a trip to the World War Two Museum in New Orleans.

Cut 9 (09)  “…them down there.”

___________________________________________

It’s just Tuesday for most of the country today; but here, it is Fat Tuesday, filled with Mardi Gras parades across south Louisiana. Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser will be riding in the Krewe of Bogue Falaya in Covington at 10 a-m with six travel writers.

Cut 10 (06) “…on a float.”

Nungesser says hundreds of thousands of people travel to Louisiana for the Mardi Gras weekend, and the out of state revelers are not just going to New Orleans.

Cut 11 (10) “…up every year.”

Nungesser says Mardi Gras is a time for everyone to come together.

Cut 12 (10) “…to be great.”

______________________________________________________

Legendary high school coach Jerry Arledge died this past weekend at the age of 83. Arledge served as West Monroe’s defensive coordinator from 1992 to 2012 and then succeeded the legendary Don Shows as head coach from 2013 to 2022. Arledge was the D-C for the Rebels’ eight state championships, and KNOE-TV Sports Director Aaron Dietrich says his defenses were elite.

Cut 13 (11)  “…period of time.”

As West Monroe’s head coach, Arledge went 103-and-22 with two 5A state championship game appearances. Dietrich says Arledge took great pride in coaching.

Cut 14 (12) “…every single day.”

Dietrich says Arledge and Shows changed the trajectory of West Monroe’s football program.

Cut 15 (07) “…Louisiana ever again.”

The Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office rolls out new technology aimed at notifying drivers of nearby pursuits. Vehicles in the department are being equipped with the Pursuit Alert Digital Siren. Sheriff Brett Stassi says it allows deputies to press a single button to notify drivers of pursuits.

Cut 3 (10) “…ahead of them.”

A 12-foot, one-thousand-pound, great white shark was recently tracked near the Chandeleur Islands east of New Orleans. Dr. Sean Powers, the director of the Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences at University of South Alabama, says the shark named Ernst traveled 32-hundred miles along the East Coast.

Cut 10 (15) “…recently learned.”

Starting next year LSU will wear jersey patches sponsored by an Australian Company that’s building an L-N-G production and export terminal in southwest Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Funeral services for legendary football coach Pat Collins are tomorrow in Monroe. Collins led Northeast Louisiana University, now known as ULM, to a national title in Division One-Double-A – now known as the Football Championship Subdivision – in 1987. Collins was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. He was 84 years old.

The No. 2 LSU baseball team opened the 2026 season with a three-game sweep over Milwaukee. The Tigers set a school record with 49 strikeouts in a series. Coach Jay Johnson says he has a lot of pitchers that can throw strikes…

Cut 18 (11)  “…a strength.”

LSU continues its five-game homestand by hosting Kent State tonight at 6 PM.

Today, LSU Athletics announced a multi-year deal jersey-patch partnership with Woodside Energy. The Woodside Energy logo will be featured on all 21 of LSU’s uniforms starting during the 2026-2027 athletic season. Front Office Sports has reported that the company logo uniform patches can result in up to ten million dollars for schools annually.

The LSU women’s basketball team dropped to number seven in this week’s AP Poll after losing to No. 3 South Carolina on Saturday.

Louisiana Tech completed a four-game sweep of Houston Christian on Sunday by blanking the Huskies 11 to 0 in seven innings. The Bulldogs scored 39 runs in the four-game series. Coach Lane Burroughs says they swung the bats well.

Cut 19 (21) “…this weekend”

Funeral services for Legendary football coach Pat Collins is tomorrow in Monroe. Collins led Northeast Louisiana University, now known as ULM, to the Division One-Double-A Championship in 1987. Former N-L-U receiver Tag Rome was an assistant coach on that national championship team and says Coach Collins was a father figure, and you knew where you stood with him…

Cut 6 (07) “…he was.”

The Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office announces the arrest of a suspect who fatally struck a teenager on an electric bike on Saturday and then fled the scene. Twenty-two-year Ethan Trahan of Reeves has been charged with hit and run. Fourteen-year-old Kulyn Manuel was killed. He was named the Oberlin High School School Student of the year in October.

The Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office rolls out new technology to warn drivers of oncoming pursuits. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Funeral services honoring Legendary football coach Pat Collins will be held tomorrow in Monroe. Collins led Northeast Louisiana University, now known as ULM, to the Division One-Double-A Championship in 1987 and was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. Former NLU receiver Tag Rome was an assistant coach on the ‘87 national championship team and says Coach Collins was tough on his players, but was a strong leader…

Cut 7 (11) “…was spirtual.”

The LSU women’s basketball team has fallen one spot to number seven in the latest A-P Top 25 poll following its loss to South Carolina on Valentine’s Day night. Coach Kim Mulkey says missing nine free throws was the key in the game…

Cut 15 (14) “…tonight.”

That’s now 18 straight losses to South Carolina. LSU is at 17^th ranked Ole Miss on Thursday night.

The field is set for the Louisiana Senate Republican primary. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 30 (31) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

It was reported that all the riders on Float 32 in the Krewe of Thoth in New Orleans were removed after throwing beads in an aggressive manner at federal agents. But this afternoon the New Orleans Police Department corrected that report, saying the riders were removed for throwing items in an aggressive manner at a paradegoer holding an anti-ICE sign.

The Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office has implemented a system that would alert other drivers of a police chase. For drivers to receive the alert, they would need to download an app called “Digital Siren.”  The system was developed by Tim Morgan, the CEO of Pursuit Alert and Digital Siren. He says he hopes his technology will be so widespread that it will eventually no longer be necessary to download an app to receive the alerts.

Cut 5 (05) “…with some automakers.”

Iberville Parish authorities pushed for this technology after two teenagers that attended Brusly High School were killed by an Addis Police Officer who sped through an intersection during a chase.

Thanks to G-P-S technology, a 12-foot, one-thousand pound great white shark was recently found to be off of Louisiana’s coast, near the Chandeleur Islands east of New Orleans. The shark’s name is Ernst’s and it was originally tagged near Nova Scotia. Doctor Scott Powers with the University of South Alabama, says Ernst will not be in the Gulf of Mexico permanently…

Cut 11 (11) “…colder waters”

Three people died in a horrific and tragic scene on I-12 in Livingston Parish yesterday. Authorities say a small sedan used the westbound exit ramp and entered the interstate in the wrong direction near Albany and collided head-on with an RV and caught fire on impact. All three occupants of the sedan including a 9-year-old child were pronounced dead at the scene. The occupants of the RV were able to exit the RV and suffered minor injuries.

A free app that allows drivers to be notified of police pursuits is being rolled out in Iberville Parish. It was on LA 1 on New Year’s Eve 2022 where 17-year-old Maggie Dunn and 16-year-old Caroline Gill were killed by Addis Police Officer who was driving 86 miles an hour while pursuing the driver of a stolen vehicle. Gill’s father, Jason, is thankful that the Iberville Sheriff’s office is rolling out this technology.

Cut 4 (04) “…in those pursuits.”

A 12-foot, one-thousand-pound, great white shark was recently tracked off of Louisiana’s coast, near the Chandeleur Islands east of New Orleans. Doctor Sean Powers, director of the Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences at University of South Alabama, says it’s rare to see a great white shark near the Northern Gulf coast, but not unprecedented

Cut 9 (12)  “…over fishing.”

Legendary football coach Pat Collins will be remembered during funeral services tomorrow in Monroe. Collins led Northeast Louisiana University, now known as ULM, to the Division One-Double-A Championship in 1987 and was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2015/ Collins also coaches at local high schools, West Ouachita and Ouachita. Former N-L-U receiver and assistant coach, Tag Rome …

Cut 8 (08) “…were his family.”

Another death is being attributed to the January Ice storms in North Louisiana. Last week a young Pineville man was killed while clearing damaged trees in Ouachita Parish. Authorities say 26-year-old Hunter Ray was struck by a tree that fell in an unintended direction as Ray was trying to get out of the way. It happened in the backyard of a residence.

The Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office rolls out new technology aimed at notifying drivers of nearby pursuits. Vehicles in the department are being equipped with the Pursuit Alert Digital Siren. Sheriff Brett Stassi says it allows deputies to press a single button to notify drivers of pursuits.

Cut 3 (10) “…ahead of them.”

The app is available for free on Apple and Android devices.

Starting next year LSU will wear jersey patches sponsored by an Australian Company that’s building an L-N-G production and export terminal in southwest Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Funeral services honoring Legendary football coach Pat Collins will be held tomorrow in Monroe. Collins led Northeast Louisiana University, now known as ULM, to the Division One-Double-A Championship in 1987 and was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. Former NLU receiver Tag Rome was an assistant coach on the ‘87 national championship team and says Coach Collins was tough on his players, but was a strong leader…

Cut 7 (11) “…was spirtual.”

LSU Athletic jerseys will be sporting a new patch in the 2026/2027 season. In a multi-year precedent-setting deal, 21 of the Tiger’s competition apparel will sport the Woodside Energy Logo. No specific details about what the Australian based company is going to be paying for the privilege.  It’s reported to be a multimillion-dollar deal and covers every sport. The NCAA is allowing the patches but they will not be allowed on jersey’s during championship games.

Funeral services for Legendary football coach Pat Collins is tomorrow in Monroe. Collins led Northeast Louisiana University, now known as ULM, to the Division One-Double-A Championship in 1987. Former N-L-U receiver Tag Rome was an assistant coach on that national championship team and says Coach Collins was a father figure, and you knew where you stood with him…

Cut 6 (07) “…he was.”

The Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office rolls out new technology to warn drivers of oncoming pursuits. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The town of Oberlin is morning an 8^th Grade Student of the Year. 14-year-old Kulyn Brooks was killed in a hit-and-run over the weekend. Investigators say the teen was crossing Hwy 165 on an electric bicycle Saturday when he was hit by a white dully truck that was pulling a horse trailer. Allen Parish Authorities are looking for the driver of the truck they observed on footage from a nearby camera and that they believe hit the teen and drove away. In October, Kulyn was named eighth-grade Student of the Year at Oberlin High School. He was an alter boy at his church and a multi-sport athlete. Crime Stoppers is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case.