Extra! Extra! Hear all about it! The West Carroll Gazette has been saved. Joe Gallinaro has more.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

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The Public Service Commission says it will conduct an audit of Delta Utilities billing and costs after hearing complaints about high gas bills from Baton Rouge and New Orleans customers. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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An Alabama man could spend the rest of his life behind bars after being arrested for indecent conduct with a Lafourche Parish teenage girl. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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West Carroll Chamber of Commerce has purchased the West Carroll Gazette from Louisiana State Newspapers, which means the newspaper will continue publishing on a weekly basis. Adam Holland owns KWCL Radio and is on the board directors for the chamber; he says the community did not want to lose its local paper.

Cut 4 (09) “..can’t be replaced.” 

A couple of weeks ago, Louisiana State Newspapers announced it would no longer publish the West Carroll Gazette, and Holland says that caused an uproar within the parish. The paper has been in existence for 116 years, and Holland is pleased to announce it will continue to be a part of West Carroll for many more years.

Cut 5 (11) “…of this community.”

Holland says many people in Oak Grove and throughout West Carroll Parish are elated with the news.

Cut 6 (07) “…thing’s been saved.”

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Many Delta Utilities customers in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas are upset over their high gas bills. Rahsha Williams is the head of a community center in Baton Rouge, and she told the Public Service Commission that Delta Utilities natural gas bills are a real problem.

Cut 7 (10) “…their grocery budget.”

On July 1st, Delta Utilities acquired Entergy’s natural gas utilities in East Baton Rouge Parish and New Orleans. It’s caused confusion, because these customers are now getting separate electric and gas bills. Williams says energy bills are already high, and now seniors on fixed incomes are trying to figure out how to pay their gas bills.

Cut 8 (10) “…public health impact.”

Delta Utilities spokeswoman Sarah Porteus says gas bills are high because demand is higher in the winter months, and the cost of natural gas increased 150-percent from September to February.

Cut 9 (08)  “…their March bill.”

Porteus says customers who are unable to pay their bill can contact Delta Utilities to work out a payment plan, and she also encourages customers to utilize levelized billing.

Cut 10 (06) “…amount every month.”

The Louisiana Public Service Commission will perform an audit of Delta’s billing and costs this summer.

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The worst-kept secret in Lafayette was let out of the bag this week; and today, it’s expected to become official – Dr. Ramesh Kolluru will lose the “interim” tag and will officially be named the next president of U-L Lafayette. Kolluru had been serving as interim president since the retirement of Dr. Joseph Savoie and had been widely expected to land the job permanently since day one. UL System President and CEO Rick Gallot (“gallow”) says making Kolluru the seventh president of U-L Lafayette is the right move.

Cut 11 (10) “…fiber and DNA.”

Kolluru was named as the sole finalist for the job earlier this week, beating out 11 other candidates. Gallot says the choice among the Presidential Search Committee was obvious.

Cut 12 (11) “…that he’s garnered.”

Gallot says Kolluru has been very effective during his time as interim president, so it only makes sense to give him the job permanently.

Cut 13 (08)  “…change and evolve.”

The search committee will present Dr. Kolluru to the Board of Supervisors during a special meeting in Baton Rouge today, at which time the board is expected to make the appointment official.

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An Alabama man is potentially facing the rest of his life in prison after being arrested for indecent conduct with a Lafourche Parish teenage girl on an online gaming platform. Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Captain Brennan Matherne says 24-year-old Landen Westfall contacted the girl while playing Roblox.

Cut 14 (12) “…and harming herself.”

Matherne says Westfall also got the girl to send him nude photos of herself. Westfall is facing two counts of criminal assistance to suicide, 261 counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and 15 counts of child pornography. Matherne says given all the counts Westfall is facing, he may never be a free man again.

Cut 15 (11) “…for 15 counts.”

Matherne says incidents like this underscore the importance of parents always monitoring their kids’ online activities – including Roblox, which is specifically marketed towards children.

Cut 16 (12) “…all of them.”

Westfall is booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex, and bail is set at 750-thousand dollars.

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The second-ranked LSU baseball team looks to bounce back tonight against Dartmouth after suffering its first loss of the season to McNeese on Tuesday. Coach Jay Johnson gave an injury update on senior outfielder Chris Stanfield.

Cut 17 (17)  “…to the table.”

Johnson also said sophomore catcher Cade Arrambide, who exited Tuesday’s game with a foot injury, is fine and will play this weekend.

Even without Stanfield, LSU is lighting up the scoreboard, as the Tigers are averaging 11.4 runs a game. Johnson says multiple players have done a good job stepping up and producing in his absence.

Cut 18 (15)  “…great player here.”

Senior first baseman Zach Yorke has become an early fan-favorite through nine games. Yorke is tied for the most home runs on the team with four, and Johnson says he has not even reached his full potential yet.

Cut 19 (20) “…really, really well.”

A Metairie woman who investigators say was driving while impaired is charged in connection with the death of Jefferson Parish Deputy Christopher Ohlmeyer during a funeral procession last month. New Orleans Police Captain Anthony Micheu did not say which drugs were in Erica Katsanis’ toxicology report, but investigators believe she ignored the warning labels for those drugs.

Cut 12 (10) “…not properly taken.”

A New Orleans-area state representative has filed a bill that would impose a 25-dollar fine for staring at your cell phone while crossing a crosswalk. Chalmette Republican Mike Bayham says if a pedestrian is looking at his or her cell phone at the same time a driver is looking at his or her cell phone, that’s a recipe for disaster.

Cut 7 (08) “…if not killed.”

This run of dry weather has put the state in a tough spot. Jeff Palermo reports.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Governor Landry is asking Congress to shift West Feliciana Parish’s federal judicial district from the Middle District to the Western District. Landry says this is to ease the caseload in a district with a growing population. It would also shift cases involving prisoners at Angola from courts where all judges were appointed by President Obama to courts where most judges were appointed by President Trump.

Governor Jeff Landry announced on his “X” account today that A-T-and-T is investing 45-million dollars to upgrade the network inside Tiger Stadium before the 2026 season. AT&T president David Aubrey says they are proud to work with LSU to bring state-of-the-art connectivity to college football’s greatest venue…

Cut 10 (08) “…connected.”

LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson provided updates on sophomore catcher Cade Arrambide and senior outfielder Chris Stanfield. Arrambide, who left Tuesday’s game against McNeese with a foot injury, is expected to play this weekend. Johnson said Stanfield is recovering from a hand injury but does not anticipate him playing this weekend.

New Orleans Saints veteran center Will Clapp has announced he’s retiring after eight seasons in the NFL. Clapp suffered a foot injury in the preseason, which caused him to mis the entire 2025 season. The New Orleans native played six of his eight seasons with the Saints.

NFL combine workouts begin today, and LSU wide receivers Aaron Anderson, Barion Brown, Chris Hilton Jr., and Zavion Thomas will have the opportunity to boost their draft stocks after the Tigers struggled offensively in 2025. Mike Detillier of WWL Radio says he believes Anderson is the most NFL-ready of the group.

Cut 17 (20)  “…route-runner downfield.”

Devonta Lee, a former standout wide receiver at LSU, Louisiana Tech, and Amite High, has died after battling bone cancer.

The LSU men’s basketball team secured its first win since January after defeating Ole Miss 106-99 in double overtime last night. With the win, the Tigers improved to 15-and-13 on the year.

The Louisiana Tech men’s basketball team will host Missouri State tonight at 6:30 p.m.

According to the latest information from the U-S Drought monitor, three-quarters of the state is in drought conditions and 43-percent of the state is experiencing either severe or extreme drought. State Climatologist Jay Grymes says we could use two weeks of consistent rainfall…

Cut 5 (12) “…into the spring”

The forecast for the next week calls for dry weather.

Governor Landry announced on his “X” account today that A-T-and-T is investing 45-million dollars to upgrade the network inside Tiger Stadium before the 2026 season. LSU President Wade Rousse joined Landry for the announcement. Rousse says when you have over 100-thousand people in one place, you need service that works.

Cut 9 (08)  “…first responders.”

If a New Orleans-area lawmaker has his way, those who don’t pay attention when crossing crosswalks will have to pay the price. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

A former Amite high school football star, who played at LSU and Louisiana Tech has died from bone cancer. Devonta Lee was a four-star recruit and played for three seasons at LSU. He caught two passes during LSU’s 2019 national championship season. When he transferred to Tech in 2022 he was diagnosed with bone cancer. At one point he was considered cancer free, but the cancer came back and Lee has passed away at the age of 27.

An Alabama man is potentially facing the rest of his life in prison after being arrested for indecent conduct with a Lafourche Parish teenage girl on an online gaming platform. Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Captain Brennan Matherne says 24-year-old Landen Westfall contacted the girl while playing Roblox.

Cut 14 (12) “…and harming herself.”

Westfall’s bail is set at 750-thousand dollars.

A 53-year-old Metairie woman has been charged in connection with the death of a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputy who was struck and killed during a funeral procession on January 30th. New Orleans Police Captain Anthony Micheu says Erica Katsanis was impaired when she struck Deputy Christopher Ohlmeyer’s motorcycle from behind.

Cut 11 (05) “…come back.”

This run of dry weather we’ve had lately has pushed the state into drought conditions. State Climatologist Jay Grymes says currently, about three-fourths of the state is in a drought, with half of the state rated as severe to extreme drought. 

Cut 3 (13) “…coast in Terrebonne.”

One state lawmaker wants you to pay attention when crossing crosswalks, or pay up. Chalmette Republican Representative Mike Bayham has filed a bill that would prohibit people from looking at their cell phones while crossing crosswalks. Bayham says it’s a modern-day safety issue.

Cut 6 (09) “…is paying attention.”

Those who are caught trying to get to the other side with their faces in their phones face fines of 25 dollars.

St. Bernard Parish Republican Mike Bayham has filed a bill that would result in a 25-dollar fine for a person who is walking across the street in the crosswalk, but is looking at their phone and not paying attention to the traffic….

Cut 8 (10) “…going across crosswalks”

Bayham notes it’s against the law to handle your cell phone while driving and pedestrians should also face punishment if they are paying attention to their phone while crossing the street.

Another bill that will be up for debate in the legislative session is a proposed constitutional amendment by state senator Jay Morris. The West Monroe Republican would like to see a mechanism for the removal of a judge or a district attorney upon the recommendation of the governor.

Cut 15 (13) “…very high bar.”

Morris says Louisiana residents are fed up with a system that allows repeat violent offenders to cycle through the courts without consequence.

According to the latest information from the U-S Drought monitor, three-quarters of the state is in drought conditions and 43-percent of the state is experiencing either severe or extreme drought. State Climatologist Jay Grymes says we could use two weeks of consistent rainfall…

Cut 5 (12) “…into the spring”

The forecast for the next week calls for dry weather.

Good news for LSU football fans as AT-and-T is installing a new antenna system so that there will better wireless access during games. AT&T president David Aubrey says they are proud to work with LSU to bring state of the art connectivity to college football’s greatest venue…

Cut 10 (08) “…connected.”

The project is expected to cost 45-million dollars.

A Metairie woman who investigators say was driving while impaired is charged in connection with the death of Jefferson Parish Deputy Christopher Ohlmeyer during a funeral procession last month. New Orleans Police Captain Anthony Micheu did not say which drugs were in Erica Katsanis’ toxicology report, but investigators believe she ignored the warning labels for those drugs.

Cut 12 (10) “…not properly taken.”

A New Orleans-area state representative has filed a bill that would impose a 25-dollar fine for staring at your cell phone while crossing a crosswalk. Chalmette Republican Mike Bayham says if a pedestrian is looking at his or her cell phone at the same time a driver is looking at his or her cell phone – which in itself is illegal, thanks to the work of the legislature last year – that’s a recipe for disaster.

Cut 7 (08) “…if not killed.”

This run of dry weather has put the state in a tough spot. Jeff Palermo reports.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Governor Landry is asking Congress to shift West Feliciana Parish’s federal judicial district from the Middle District to the Western District. Landry says this is to ease the caseload in a district with a growing population. It would also shift cases involving prisoners at Angola from courts where all judges were appointed by President Obama to courts where most judges were appointed by President Trump.

The drought gripping Louisiana has gotten worse in recent weeks. State Climatologist Jay Grymes says currently, about three-fourths of the state is in a drought, with half of the state rated as severe to extreme drought – and he says that’s making life very tough for many people, not just firefighters.

Cut 4 (12) “…into production season.”

A 53-year-old Metairie woman has been charged in connection with the death of a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputy who was struck and killed during a funeral procession on January 30th. New Orleans Police Captain Anthony Micheu says Erica Katsanis was impaired when she struck Deputy Christopher Ohlmeyer’s motorcycle from behind.

Cut 11 (05) “…come back.”

Micheu did not say what drugs were in Katsanis’ toxicology report.

One state lawmaker wants you to pay attention when crossing crosswalks, or pay up. Chalmette Republican Representative Mike Bayham has filed a bill that would prohibit people from looking at their cell phones while crossing crosswalks. Bayham says it’s a modern-day safety issue.

Cut 6 (09) “…is paying attention.”

Those who are caught trying to get to the other side with their faces in their phones face fines of 25 dollars.

Governor Landry announced on his “X” account today that A-T-and-T is investing 45-million dollars to upgrade the network inside Tiger Stadium before the 2026 season. LSU President Wade Rousse joined Landry for the announcement. Rousse says when you have over 100-thousand people in one place, you need service that works.

Cut 9 (08)  “…first responders.”