Election security is the theme of the Secretary of State’s office’s legislative package for 2026. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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New Saints running back Travis Etienne (AY-chan) spoke on his decision to come back to his home state on Friday. Andre Champagne has the story.
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The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office announces a trio of bills for its 2026 legislative package, and they focus on election security. House Bill 691 by New Iberia Republican Beau Beaullieu would check the state’s voter rolls against the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program to identify potential non-citizens. Secretary Nancy Landry says a recent check of the state’s voter rolls turned up non-citizens who had cast ballots.
Cut 3 (10) “…an eligible voter.”
House Bill 547 by Metairie Republican Polly Thomas would prohibit taking pictures of voter registration information in precinct registers. Secretary Landry says this is to protect those who haven’t voted yet from intimidation.
Cut 4 (11) “…who had voted.”
Senate Bill 319 by Shreveport Republican Thomas Pressly would list specific forms of ID that people can use to verify their identities at the polling place. Landry says this closes a loophole in the current law.
Cut 5 (13) “…with a signature.”
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The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries issues a Declaration of Emergency for Ouachita Parish and portions of all six surrounding parishes. Deer Program Manager Jonathan Bordelon says it comes after a deer tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease.
Cut 6 (07) “…Deer Area Two.”
Bordelon says it’s the first confirmed case of CWD in Ouachita Parish, and the parish is the fourth where CWD has been confirmed. During the Declaration of Emergency, baiting and feeding is restricted within the affected area, and the export of certain deer parts outside the affected area is prohibited. Bordelon says this is to prevent the spread of the disease, which would be nothing short of devastating to the deer population.
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Bordelon says while there’s no evidence that humans can contract any illness from a deer infected with CWD, they should still take extra precautions – including keeping the meat of an infected deer out of your kitchen.
Cut 8 (09) “…abundance of caution.”
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As the first day of spring approaches, crawfish prices are starting to come down. Laney King, the co-founder of The Crawfish App, has the latest statewide averages. ($4.15/lb. live; $6.83/lb. boiled)
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King says that’s down 35 cents and 50 cents, respectively, from the last two weeks – and that’s due to increased competition.
Cut 10 (13) “…is great news.”
King says the drop in retail prices comes despite a slow time for crawfish farmers.
Cut 11 (08) “…prices industry-wide.”
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Jennings native and former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne (AY-chan) is back in his home state to play for the Saints. Etienne grew up a Saints fan and remembers going to his grandparents’ house every Sunday to watch the black and gold. He says being able to play for his home-state team is a dream come true.
Cut 12 (13) “…in this moment.”
Etienne remembers watching the Saints win Super Bowl 44 and says he’s excited about the opportunity to help bring New Orleans back to its winning ways.
Cut 13 (12) “…limit for us.”
Last season, the Saints’ rushing offense ranked 28th in the NFL. Etienne says he’s looking forward to helping change that in Kellen Moore’s offensive system, which features a wide variety of running plays.
Cut 14 (12) “…what you want.”