If you’re a kid attending Vermilion Catholic and you haven’t entered ninth grade yet, you’d better get off social media immediately. Andrew Greenstein explains why.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Hayden Federico won a state championship with West Monroe in 2024. Now, he’ll play for a Men’s College World Series Title with Ole Miss in Omaha. Kace Kieschnick has more.

Cut 2 (28) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

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Louisiana has a new voter ID law. Jeff Palermo has the details.

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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If you attend Vermilion Catholic and haven’t entered the ninth grade yet, you’d better delete your social media profiles now! That’s because the pre-K-through-12 school has banned social media for all students in eighth grade and below, with the ban extending to ninth grade in the fall of 2027. Father Alexander Albert says social media has proven to do nothing but disrupt the educational and social development of kids.

Cut 4 (08) “…with each other.”

With the school being a private school, it is entirely their prerogative to impose such a restriction on its students. The social media ban is effective 365 days a year as long as the student is enrolled at the school, with incoming students considered to be enrolled in the preceding summer. Father Albert says the policy has gotten positive reviews.

Cut 5 (10) “…easier as parents.”

The school’s policy largely mirrors the policies of the social media platforms, most of which prohibit anyone under 13 years old from creating accounts. Albert says the policy creates a disciplinary mechanism at the school level, and students subject to the policy caught with social media accounts face significant penalties.

Cut 6 (10) “…they consider expulsion.”

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In case you haven’t noticed, pretty much the price of everything has gone up. And that has taken a huge bite out of families’ budgets. So as we get into the summer travel season, and potentially looking ahead to the holiday shopping season, money will certainly be a lot tighter than in years past. Layne McDaniel with the Society of Louisiana CPAs says in light of that, be prepared if your kids have some tough money questions for you.

Cut 7 (08) “…need to understand.”

McDaniel says when you talk to your kids about these tough financial times, there’s no need to give too many complicated details to younger kids.

Cut 8 (08) “…up this summer.”

McDaniel says if your kids are older, that’s when you can more freely give them more details of exactly what’s going on.

Cut 9 (13)  “…something like that.”

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West Monroe High School product Hayden Federico is heading to the College World Series with Ole Miss. The sophomore outfielder is the son of Louisiana Tech assistant coach Michael Federico, who says he doesn’t get the chance to watch him play often, so seeing him in Omaha will be special.

Cut 10 (10) “…words for it.”

Michael says he’s been to Omaha as a fan once before, a 1967 trip with some teammates from his Southern Miss baseball team. He says he told his kids he wouldn’t return to the College World Series until he was coaching or one of them was playing in it.

Cut 11 (13) “…coaching in it.”

Hayden is batting .296 and has started all but four games for the Rebels. Michael says he’s going to try to turn off coach mode and be an Ole Miss fan this weekend.

Cut 12 (11) “…a national championship.”

Ole Miss takes on UNC in game two of the Men’s College World Series at 6 p.m. tomorrow.

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Governor Landry has signed a package of election integrity and security bills designed to enhance election safeguards and further secure Louisiana’s election process. Secretary of State Nancy Landry says one of the measures strengthens the state’s voter ID laws.

Cut 13 (12)  “…vote would count.”

Landry says the new voter ID law lists the acceptable forms of identification needed for a voter to cast a ballot if he or she shows up to vote without a state-issued photo ID.

Cut 14 (09) “…like Costco cards.”

The new law goes into effect on July 1st, 2027. So starting with the statewide elections in 2027, if a voter does not have a photo ID, he or she will need to provide the poll worker with a birth certificate, Social Security Card or certificate of citizenship, along with a voter registration notice, a recent utility bill, bank statement or pay stub.

Landry says the governor also signed a bill that requires Louisiana to use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program to help identify any non-citizen that’s registered to vote in Louisiana.

Cut 15 (11) “…rolls remain clean.”

Governor Landry has also signed a bill that prohibits a person from taking a photo of the Election Day precinct registers. That’s the piece of paper you sign, right before you go into the voter’s booth.

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LSU landed one of the most sought-after talents in the transfer portal in Notre Dame outfielder Bino Watters. The Michigan native hit .362 with 10 homers, 51 RBI and a .610 slugging percentage his sophomore season with the Irish. Bradley Smart covers the ACC for D1Baseball and says he’s only gotten better each year in South Bend.

Cut 16 (17) “…pickup for LSU.”

While Watters certainly has the SEC power profile, he also has exceptional bat-to-ball skills. Smart says in two years and 382 at-bats with the Irish, he struck out just 63 times.

Cut 17 (16)  “…do damage on.”

LSU was in a heated recruiting battle with Texas and Texas A&M for the slugger, but Jay Johnson and his staff were able to bring him to Baton Rouge to address some glaring needs in the outfield next season. Smart says he can be a day one starter for the Tigers.

Cut 18 (14) “…production out of.”

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Today is the final day of Organized Team Activities for the Saints before minicamp kicks off next week. Head Coach Kellen Moore praised the confidence his team has gained as the offseason has gone on. He says one player that’s stood out is free agent running back Travis Etienne.

Cut 19 (19) “…rotating as much.”

The Saints will rely on a young secondary this year. At outside corner, Kool-Aid McKinstry was a second-round pick in the 2024 draft, and Quincy Riley was a fourth-rounder last year who saw significant snaps. Safety Jonas Sanker turned heads as a rookie filling in for an injured Julian Blackmon last year, and McKinstry says he’s made great progress replacing Alontae Taylor at slot corner this season.

Cut 20 (18) “…same exact way.”

For the second time in three days, a shooting rocks an East Baton Rouge Parish school. A student was shot and wounded while leaving Baker High School this morning. Preston Castille, the president and CEO of Helix Community Schools, the charter school network that Baker High School belongs to, says it happened while summer school was in session.

Cut 12 (08) “…still on campus.” 

At the end of the school year, more than 66-percent of students from kindergarten through third grade were reading at or above grade level — compared to just under half at the start of the school year. John Wyble, the CEO of the Center for Literacy and Learning, says this increase can be attributed to a return to the science of reading.

Cut 6 (11) “…what they read.”

A Pittsburgh little league practice became a lifelong memory Monday night when ex-LSU star and Pirates ace Paul Skenes decided to drop in on his day off. Kace Kieschnick reports

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

An 80-million-dollar manufacturing facility is coming to Monroe. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois says welcoming Faith Technologies Incorporated to the area is a big win for the city.

Cut 10 (07) “…all day long.”

Louisiana’s youngest students made great strides in reading proficiency. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

USA Today reports many Richland Parish teachers are receiving bonus checks of more than 50-thousand-dollars this year. Other teachers and staff will receive over 17-thousand-dollar checks. The annual bonus is based on sales tax revenue, which boomed in the parish this year due to the construction of Meta’s 27-billion-dollar data center.

An 80-million-dollar Faith Technologies Incorporated manufacturing facility is coming to Monroe. Construction is already underway and expected to be completed spring 2027. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois says the facility will produce electrical assemblies and energy solutions to ship to project sites along the I-20 corridor.

Cut 9 (09)  “…power-first economy.”

A student at Baker High School in East Baton Rouge Parish was shot this morning after shots were fired at the school Monday. Preston Castille, the president and CEO of Helix Community Schools, the charter school network that Baker High School belongs to, says all summer school activities and in-person instruction have been suspended again.

Cut 14 (09) “…had been resolved.”

No word as to when the Baker High School campus will reopen.

For the second time this week there has been a shooting at Baker High School in East Baton Rouge Parish. No one was injured in Monday’s shooting, but today officials say a male was shot in the school’s parking lot and is in stable condition. Preston Castille, the president of Helix Community Schools, the charter school network that Baker High School belongs too, says they do not know if the shootings are related.

Cut 13 (14) “…remain safe”

Castille says summer school for the time being will be held virtually.

Wisconsin-based Faith Technologies Incorporated is building a 200-million dollar facility in Monroe to expand its manufacturing capacity for innovative electrical solutions. L-E-D Secretary Susan Bouregois says it’s a great economic win for north Louisiana to go along with the new data centers…

Cut 11 (07) “…center opportunities”

The state Department of Education says k-through-third grade reading proficiency climbed 16.5 percentage points from the beginning to the end of the school year. The Center for Literacy and Learning worked with many of the high-performing districts, including LaSalle, Rapides and Vernon Parishes. CEO John Wyble…

Cut 8 (13) “…great thing”

What a thrill for a group of little leaguers in Pittsburgh as former LSU star and Pirates ace Paul Skenes stopped by their practice Monday and played catch with the kids and signed autographs. A father of one of the little leaguers, Eddie Dubis, says it’s something you don’t see from the modern professional athlete….

Cut 5 (12) “…city of Pittsburgh”

For the second time in three days, a shooting rocks an East Baton Rouge Parish school. A student was shot and wounded while leaving Baker High School this morning. Preston Castille, the president and CEO of Helix Community Schools, the charter school network that Baker High School belongs to, says it happened while summer school was in session.

Cut 12 (08) “…still on campus.” 

At the start of this school year, just under half of kindergarten through third grade students could read at or above grade level. By the end of the school year, that number rose to more than 66-percent. John Wyble, the CEO of the Center for Literacy and Learning, says along with a return to the science of reading, the progress can be attributed to schools diligently staying on top of students’ progress in their reading abilities.

Cut 7 (10) “…support and interventions.”

An 80-million-dollar manufacturing facility is coming to Monroe. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois says welcoming Faith Technologies Incorporated  to the area is a big win for Monroe.

Cut 10 (07) “…all day long.” 

The 50-thousand-square-foot facility will produce electrical assemblies and energy solutions to ship to project sites along the I-20 corridor. It’s expected to be completed next spring.

A little league team in the north suburbs of Pittsburgh got a surprise visit from the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Monday evening. Paul Skenes was driving by Ingomar Franklin Park when he saw the lights on for a little league practice and decided to check it out. Eddie Dubis, a coach in the league and father of two of the kids, says it only took a few minutes for the 6-6 superstar to be noticed.

Cut 3 (10) “…two hours.”

The Louisiana Department of Education says k-through-third grade reading proficiency climbed 16.5 percentage points from the beginning to the end of the school year.  Two-thirds of K-through third grade students finished the year at or above reading grade level. The Center for Literacy and Learning worked with many of the high-performing districts, including LaSalle, Rapides and Vernon Parishes. CEO John Wyble…

Cut 8 (13) “…great thing”

Faith Technologies Incorporated, located in Wisconsin, is building 200-million dollar facility in Monroe to expand its manufacturing capacity for innovative electrical solutions. L-E-D Secretary Susan Bouregois says it’s another great economic win for north Louisiana to go along with the construction of new data centers…

Cut 11 (07) “…center opportunities”

A Pittsburgh little league practice became a lifelong memory Monday night when ex-LSU star and Pirates ace Paul Skenes decided to drop in on his day off. Kace Kieschnick reports

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

LSU baseball has received a commitment from one of the top outfielders in the transfer portal. Bino Watters who had an excellent sophomore season at Notre Dame has reportedly committed to the Tigers. Watters played left field for the Fighting Irish and hit .362 with 10 home runs and 51 RBIs and was a first-team All-ACC selection.

Louisiana’s youngest students made great strides in reading proficiency. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

LDH announces that the Louisiana Carrot Initiative is now available at all Louisiana Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market locations. The Carrot Initiative provides SNAP recipients with a 30-cent bonus for every dollar spent on fresh fruits and veggies. Participants can earn up to 25 dollars in bonus benefits each month.

An 80-million-dollar Faith Technologies Incorporated manufacturing facility is coming to Monroe. Construction is already underway and expected to be completed spring 2027. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois says the facility will produce electrical assemblies and energy solutions to ship to project sites along the I-20 corridor.

Cut 9 (09)  “…power-first economy.”

Have you seen the social media posts involving former LSU star Paul Skenes playing catch with a group of little leaguers at a park in Pittsburgh? Eddie Dubuis, is a father of two of the kids that had a chance to meet Skenes…

Cut 4 (09) “…talking about”

The Pirates All-Star was driving around on his off day, saw the kids playing baseball, and decided to stop his car and watch. Before you knew it, he was playing catch with the little leaguers and signing autographs.