New data from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission shows crash injuries fell to a record low last year, but DWI fatalities increased. Joe Gallinaro has more…
Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”
____________________________________________
LSU and Ole Miss meet Saturday in a Top-10 showdown, but a new study suggests the country is overwhelmingly siding with one team. Kace Kieschnick has more…
Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”
____________________________________________
A new report shows just how much New Orleans schools have improved over the last 20 years. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
___________________________________________
The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission is crediting record-high seat belt use for a record-low number of crash injuries in 2025. LSU data shows 54-thousand people were injured in motor vehicle crashes last year — the lowest number since the state began keeping detailed records. Highway Safety Commission spokesperson Greg Fischer says seat belt use also reached a record high of 88 percent.
Cut 4 (06) “…seat belt usage”
But not all the numbers are positive.
The state recorded 766 motor vehicle fatalities in 2025, up from 753 the previous year. Fischer says that increase coincides with an 11-percent rise in DWI fatalities.
Cut 5 (12) “…as well.”
Fischer says more needs to be done to educate drivers about the dangers of drinking and driving.
Cut 6 (11) “…2026.”
Motorcycle fatalities also increased significantly — from 69 in 2024 to 96 last year. Fischer says that total includes e-bike riders who died in crashes.
__________________________________________
It’s LSU against the world, according to research done by Bet-Online Sports and Casino. The sportsbook tracked tweets, hashtags and key phrases from fans across the country on which team fans are rooting for when LSU faces Ole Miss on Saturday. Josh Barton with Bet-Online Sports and Casino says Louisiana is the only state pulling for LSU and that’s because of the Tigers’ new head coach.
Cut 7 (07) “…at the moment.”
The study collected over one million tweets searching for key phrases like “Ole Miss better upset LSU” and “We’re all rooting against Kiffin.” Barton says Kiffin has helped make LSU the villains of college football.
Cut 8 (13) “…against him.”
Barton says here are some perks to being one of the most hated teams in America, and Kiffin certainly isn’t doing anything to stop the attention, even if it’s negative.
Cut 9 (09) “…good thing.”
__________________________________________________
AAA finds it now costs more than one-thousand dollars a month to own a new car. According to the report, drivers will, on average, spend about $1,071 per month. AAA spokesman Don Redman says the big cost drivers are the depreciation of a vehicle and the finance charges…
Cut 10 (12) “…just last year.”
The estimate looks at fuel costs, maintenance, repairs, tires, insurance, licensing, registration, taxes depreciation and finance charges. Redman says electric vehicle are the most expensive to own…
Cut 11 (12) “…68-cents per mile.”
Redman says electric vehicle owners will save on gas costs, but those savings are offset by higher depreciation, fees and finance charges…
Cut 12 (08) “…immediately.”
Redman says the biggest ownership cost is not gasoline or monthly loan payments, but vehicle depreciation and it goes down faster for an electric vehicle, because of the cost to replace the battery.
__________________________________________________
Leaders for a Better Louisiana say New Orleans students are showing the fastest academic growth in the nation, according to a study out of Stanford University. That’s a dramatic turnaround from before Hurricane Katrina, when more than 60 percent of New Orleans schools were considered academically unacceptable. Nearly every school in the city is now operated as a charter. Education reform advocate Leslie Jacobs says charter schools alone don’t explain the academic gains…
Cut 13 (09) “…organizations”
Jacobs says the autonomy given to charter schools has helped attract and retain talented leaders.
Cut 14 (08) “…innovation.”
The study finds New Orleans students learned nearly 34 percent more in a school year than the national average between 2022 and 2025.
New Orleans operates primarily as an all-charter school district, and Jacobs says the schools share a common vision for student achievement…
Cut 15 (07) “…the building.”
Jacobs also says the improvement in student achievement has contributed to a decline in crime in New Orleans.
__________________________________________________
LSU’s defensive starters have yet to allow a touchdown this season, and the Tigers have allowed fewer yards than any other team in the country. Their dominant front seven has limited teams to just 18-and-a-half rushing yards per game and racked up 12 sacks. 2007 national champion LSU linebacker Darry Beckwith says this defense plays with a speed he hasn’t seen at LSU in recent years.
Cut 16 (12) “…can run.”
Former Ole Miss linebacker TJ Dottery leads the Bayou Bandits with 14 tackles, while ex-Rebels defensive end Princewill Umanmielen leads the nation with five sacks. Beckwith says the LSU defense has stars everywhere but nobody tries to make a play when they aren’t supposed to.
Cut 17 (16) “…just impressed.”
Stopping eighth-ranked Ole Miss will be a new level of challenge for the Tigers this weekend. Beckwith says LSU will need to sell out to pressure Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and contain his mobility, but he’s less worried about star running back Kewan Lacy replicating his success last year without Lane Kiffin.
Cut 18 (18) “…stopping the run.”
__________________________________________________
The Saints hit the road to face the Ravens this weekend. Baltimore running back Derrick Henry opened the year with 144 yards and three touchdowns against the Colts last week. The 32-year-oldhas rushed for over one-thousand yards in seven of the last eight seasons, and Saints head coach Kellen Moore says he isn’t slowing down.
Cut 19 (19) “…gonna take.”
The Saints could have a prolific veteran back of their own returning as Alvin Kamara made a full return to practice yesterday. Kamara returned from an MCL sprain last week, and Moore says the team played it safe against Detroit, but he feels good about Kamara playing this weekend. Quarterback Tyler Shough says that’s huge for the offense.
Cut 20 (16) “…the backfield.”