Senator Bill Cassidy may be sounding a little nervous about Republicans’ chances of keeping control of Congress. Andrew Greenstein reports.

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Starting this Saturday and running through October 11th, Louisiana hunters are able to harvest black-bellied whistling ducks. Kace Kieschnick has the story.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Kace Kieshnick.”

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Based on polling, most Americans do not support the U.S. military conflict with Iran. But Jeff Palermo reports Senator John Kennedy is fully behind the military action.

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“Republicans have a problem.” Those are the words of Senator Bill Cassidy now that we’re inside five weeks to go before the midterm elections. Cassidy says President Trump’s words of motivation for his fellow Republicans may end up backfiring.

Cut 4 (09) “…voting for Republicans.”

Based on opinion polls nationwide, Democrats are widely expected to win back control of the House, despite Republican efforts to redraw district lines in their favor; and Democrats have a decent chance of winning a majority in the Senate. But of the Senate seats to flip to the Democrats, Cassidy does not expect Louisiana to be among them.

Cut 5 (10) “…we know that.”

There have been only two publicly-released Senate polls in Louisiana, both commissioned by the Jamie Davis campaign, and both show Davis within four points of Julia Letlow. Cassidy says there are other quality Republican incumbents on the November ballot who could help the GOP keep control of Congress’ upper house.

Cut 6 (15) “…with great integrity.”

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This Saturday, a special black-bellied whistling duck season begins. It will run through October 11th. Wildlife and Fisheries Assistant Secretary Tommy Tuma says Louisiana is the first state to have a black bellied whistling duck season, and it’s because there is an overabundance of them.

Cut 7 (07) “…in the season.”

The black-bellied whistling ducks have grown into a significant agriculture and residential nuisance. Tuma says they damage rice fields, their persistent loud whistling noises is not pleasant to listen to, and they compete with native wood ducks for nesting places.

Cut 8 (08) “…some crop depredation.”

The daily bag limit for the season with be four, with a possession limit of 12. Tuma says all hunters participating in the season will be required to have a free, black-bellied whistling duck hunting permit from LDWF.

Cut 9 (09)  “…whistling duck permit.”

Shooting hours will be sunrise to sunset, and hunters are required to report effort and harvest within 15 days of the black-bellied whistling duck season closure.

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Public opinion polls show that most Americans do not support the United States’ military conflict against Iran.  But Louisiana U.S. Senator John Kennedy says President Trump’s decision to use military force against Iran will result in a much safer world.

Cut 10 (13) “…Mad Max 4.”

Kennedy says the U.S., with the help of Israel, has weakened Iran’s military, including its naval fleet and the country no longer has an air defense system. Louisiana’s Republican Senator also says Iran no longer has nuclear weapons program.

Cut 11 (14) “…of your B-S.”

Kennedy says he knows the war in Iran has raised the price of gas and increased inflation, but he’s proud America has weakened Iran’s military capability.

Cut 12 (09) “…weapons-producing facilities.”

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Louisiana Tech University president Jim Henderson announced he will be retiring at the end of December after a career in Louisiana higher education that has lasted over two decades. Henderson previously served as the Northwestern State University president and UL system president. He says going back to the university level has been energizing and rewarding for him and his wife.

Cut 13 (12)  “…joy for us.”

In his three years at Louisiana Tech, Henderson helped welcome record-breaking freshman classes and guided the university to the highest retention rate in the UL system. He says health concerns are the reason for his retirement.

Cut 14 (08) “…decide what’s next.”

Henderson said in an email to staff that there has been a noticeable decline in his health but no immediate threats to his mortality. He plans to go spend time with his family in Florida as he focuses on his health.

Cut 15 (08) “…be in January.”

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With Whit Weeks out for the foreseeable future, LSU junior linebacker Davhon (DAY-von) Keys is expected to replace Weeks in the starting lineup. Keys has plenty of experience, as he started five games his freshman year and filled in for Weeks when he was injured last year. Keys says Weeks brought a lot of energy to the defense, and he needs to do the same.

Cut 16 (11) “…and speak up.”

This Saturday, LSU hosts the McNeese Cowboys, an FCS team that the Tigers should be able to handle rather easily. But Keys says they are keeping the same mindset that they had last week when they faced Texas A&M.

Cut 17 (12) “…make a difference.”

LSU is ranked 3rd in the nation in total defense, as they’re getting great contributions from older players and freshman like defensive tackle Deuce Geralds. Geralds is second on the team in sacks with four. Keys says Geralds has been an impressive kid to watch as soon as he stepped foot on campus.

Cut 18 (15) “…the big screen.”

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After falling to FAU 53-17 over the weekend, ULM has now lost 12 games in a row going back to last season. Despite the loss, head coach Bryant Vincent says there were still some positives to take away, like the play of senior quarterback Aidan Armenta.

Cut 19 (16) “…to make plays.”

Armenta was the starter coming into the season but was benched for Austin Carlisle, who missed Saturday’s game with an injury. Vincent says he would like to be able to play both quarterbacks.

The Warhawks open Sun Belt play at South Alabama this Saturday. The Jaguars hung around with Kentucky in a 45-21 loss last week. Vincent says the team needs to clean up its mistakes as a new season kicks off.

Cut 20 (12) “…South Alabama team.”

Kickoff is at 6:00.

A school bus is involved in a crash in Shreveport this morning with 58 kids onboard at the time. It happened at an intersection in a neighborhood in the northwest side of the city. 20 people were injured – 18 kids aboard the bus and the bus driver, and the driver of the other vehicle. Shreveport Fire Chief Clarence Reese says because of the number of people injured, they had to get several resources to the scene to assist them.

Cut 5 (09) “…in our area.”

Bill Cassidy was among the 77 senators who voted to pass the Protect College Sports Act and advance it to the House. His Louisiana colleague, John Kennedy, proposed an amendment that would have capped ticket price hikes to four-percent. That amendment was defeated, and Cassidy was among the senators who voted “no” to sink it.

Cut 8 (07) “…people don’t go.”

The bill faces an uncertain future in the House.

Diesel prices across the globe are still skyrocketing with no clear end in sight. Kace Kieschnick has more.

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It appears that Louisianans are slimming down. According to a national report, Louisiana is only one of two states which showed a significant decline in adult obesity rate, falling from 39.2-percent to 35.6-percent. That helped Louisiana move from number-three down to number-19 in the state rankings for obesity rates.

Filling up the gas tank continues to cost a bloody fortune. Gas-Buddy-dot-com has the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in Louisiana at about three-dollars-and-98-cents. GasBuddy Chief Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan does not expect prices to go down anytime soon thanks to geopolitical conflicts. U.S. attacks on Iran and Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries have driven up prices globally.

Cut 11 (10) “…is zero.”

Senator John Kennedy says he knows the war in Iran has raised the price of gasoline and has increased inflation, but he’s proud America has weakened Iran’s military capability.

Cut 12 (11) “…facilities.”

A scary start to the school day for dozens of Shreveport middle school students. Fire Chief Clarence Reese says about 58 students at Northside Lanier Middle School were aboard a school bus en route to school when it became involved in a crash with a car at an intersection in a neighborhood in the northwest side of the city.

Cut 3 (05) “…four-door sedan.”

20 people were injured; 18 kids aboard the bus and the bus driver, and the driver of the sedan. None of the injuries are serious.

Like John Kennedy, Bill Cassidy was among the 77 senators who voted in favor of the Protect College Sports Act last night. Cassidy recalled a conversation he had with former LSU and Alabama head football coach Nick Saban about a student-athlete 30 credit hours shy of graduation transferring to another school.

Cut 6 (13) “…get his degree.”

A State Police investigation has determined several laws might have been broken when an Orleans Parish grand jury indicted Attorney General Liz Murril on malfeasance and public intimidation charges. The charges were later dismissed. NOLA-dot-com has seen the L-S-P’s report and it alleges perjury, jury tampering, public intimidation and malfeasance are among the laws that might have been broken in coming up with that indictment. The Louisiana Supreme Court has appointed St. Tammany and Washington parishes district attorney D-A Collin Sims as a special counsel to handle the case.

The statewide average price for diesel gasoline has fallen below six dollars a gallon, but it’s still higher than $5.90 a gallon. GasBuddy’s Chief Petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan says while you may not personally use diesel fuel, the steep prices will affect the cost of everything else you buy.

Cut 10 (11) “…all of it.”

Like John Kennedy, Bill Cassidy was among the 77 senators who voted in favor of the Protect College Sports Act. Andrew Greenstein reports.

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The 11^th ranked LSU football team hosts McNeese on Saturday, but Coach Lane Kiffin says because of a rash of injuries, he’s looking at resting several of his starters or having them play very little…

Cut 16 (12) “…happened”

The Protect College Sports Act has advanced to the House, and Bill Cassidy was among the 77 senators who voted in favor of it. College-hopping has become more and more popular among student-athletes in recent years. Cassidy says that’s going to be very counter-productive for the student-athlete in the long-term, especially since only one-percent of them play sports professionally.

Cut 7 (05) “…statistically to graduate.”

The bill’s fate in the House is uncertain at best.

Saints wide receiver Chris Olave has been named a Guardian Signature Athlete in a partnership with the company behind the Guardian Cap. Guardian Sports cofounder and CEO Erin Hanson says the caps were not designed for aesthetics, and she was surprised when players started wearing them in games; but the more they are worn, the better.

Cut 14 (11) “…helmet every season.”

Diesel prices across the globe are still skyrocketing with no clear end in sight. Kace Kieschnick has more…

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The three men who were killed in a crash in Tangipahoa Parish early yesterday morning were all students at Southeastern Louisiana University. The three victims are Carmelo Riley, Brian Smith and Tyrell Yates. Yates briefly played on the school’s basketball team during his freshman year, appearing in four games.

The Senate has passed the Protect College Sports Act. Among other things, it codifies an athlete’s right to earn NIL money, establishes a five-year eligibility window with one transfer allowed without needing to sit out a season, requires agent registration with states and caps conference sizes to 20 schools. Senator John Kennedy says the legislation, if approved by the House will also hopefully put an end to lawsuits over player eligibility…

Cut 26 (10) “…anti-trust laws”

Kennedy authored an amendment that would have limited ticket price increases to no more than four-percent a year. It was voted down. Fellow Lousiana Senator Bill Cassidy was one of the lawmakers who opposed it…

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The Protect College Sports Act now heads to the House, where its future is uncertain.

Numerous children riding a school bus in Shreveport were transported to the hospital today after the school bus was involved in an accident with another vehicle at an intersection…

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That’s Shreveport Fire Chief Clarence Reese, who says none of the injuries are considered serious.

There could be some heavy rainfall in the forecast later this week thanks to a cold front’s potential interaction with a moist air mass remaining from Hurricane Polo. National Weather Service Meteorologist Donald Jones says rain chances return tomorrow and beginning Thursday, outdoor activities could be impacted by the rain.

Cut 12 (11) “…across the area.”

Rainfall totals of two to four inches are expected this weekend, but some areas could see higher.

Scary situation in Shreveport, as a school bus crash results in Caddo Parish 9-1-1 receiving a mass-casualty call, but it turns out none of the injuries sustained are considered serious or life-threatening. Shreveport Fire Department Chief Clarence Reese Junior says they still had to take several children to the hospital with minor injuries…

Cut 5 (09) “….in our area”

Reese says 20 people were injured, including 18 kids on the bus. The bus driver and the other driver of the other vehicle were also injured.

Prices at the pump continue to put a dent in the family budget. Gas-Buddy-dot-com has the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline at about three-dollars-and-98-cents, that’s actually down nearly four cents from last week. GasBuddy-dot-com Chief Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan says diesel prices are still at record highs.

Cut 9 (11)  “…a gallon.”

On a 77-22 vote, the Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act. Although he voted in favor of it, Senator John Kennedy expressed concerns, saying it includes an antitrust exemption for schools that puts undue limitations on student athletes’ potential earning ability.

Cut 8 (10) “…athletes can make.”

Senator Bill Cassidy also voted for the legislation. Cassidy says if the legislation is approved by the House, it will limit student-athletes to just one transfer without having to sit out a year. Cassidy said he had a conversation with former LSU and Alabama head football coach Nick Saban about a student-athlete 30 credit hours shy of graduation transferring to another school.

Cut 6 (13) “…get his degree.”