Several property insurance reform bills expected to bring more insurers into Louisiana are headed to the governor’s desk. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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A bill to make edible items that contain THC like gummies could soon be illegal in Louisiana. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (33)  “I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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The investigation of Ware Youth Center in Red River Parish prompted by a 2022 New York Times report alleging poor conditions including abuse and 64 suicide attempts is complete. Colleen Crain has the story…

Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Colleen Crain.” 

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Several property insurance reform bills have received final legislative passage, including a measure Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says will create simple, clear timelines for the claims process

Cut 4 (12) “…quicker.”

Temple is talking about Senate Bill 323 which will give insurance companies 60 days, instead of 30 days for a qualified adjuster to the start claims process. He says the additional time will lead to a better claims process instead of a rushed one that could result in a lawsuit.

House Bill 611 has also received a final legislative passage. Insurers are prohibited from canceling a homeowners insurance policy if the company has insured the policyholder for three years or more. Temple says House Bill 611 allows insurers to drop some policies after three years

Cut 5 (06) “…for them.” 

Temple’s insurance reform legislation seeks to reduce regulations to create a more friendly insurance writing market, which he believes will drive up competition, stabilizing insurance premiums.

Another bill heading to the governor’s desk removes an end date on the popular fortified roof program. Temple says this shows insurance companies Louisiana has a long-term commitment to resiliency…

Cut 6 (06) “…toward that.”

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Edibles containing THC, like gummies, could soon be illegal in Louisiana. Shreveport Senator Thomas Pressly says his legislation does not impact the highly regulated medical marijuana industry, he’s going after the recreational hemp industry that he says misled lawmakers.

Cut 7 (10) “…of children.”

Pressly says there are more than 2,200 locations in the state selling THC products and he’s gravely concerned about the ATC’s lack of regulatory ability to inspect them.

Senate Bill 237 removes a loophole that allows hemp products to contain up to half a milligram of THC per serving or package. Pressly used the example of THC gummies.

Cut 8 (11) “…and safety.” 

Even with an age requirement to purchase hemp products in Louisiana, Pressly says they are easily getting into the hands of minors. He says there have been reported cases of psychosis in children.

Cut 9 (12)  “…the effects.”

The bill passed in the Senate on a 27 to 9 vote and was assigned to the House Criminal Justice.

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After three years and nine announced and unannounced visits to the facility, the State Inspector General’s Office has completed its investigation of conditions at Ware Youth Center in Red River Parish. Inspector General Stephen Street says the goal was to determine current conditions and whether the facility was suitable to house juveniles going forward…

Cut 10 (07) “…suitable place.”

In 2022 the New York Times reported allegations of abuse and at least 64 suicide attempts at the facility prompting then Governor Edwards to request an investigation. Street says his office was able to review unredacted files and found the same 5 of the highest offending juveniles were often involved…

Cut 11 (11) “…actually occurred.”

Street says reporting procedures were also an issue as they lacked objective criteria for labeling incidents…

Cut 12 (13) “…other categories.” 

Street says OIG staff visits every facility operated by OJJ in the State of Louisiana and Ware currently compares favorably to them.

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If you have illegally tinted windows or a cover obscuring your license plate, Louisiana State Troopers are giving you a heads-up they’ll be issuing citations the first full week of May. Trooper First Class Ross Brennan…

Cut 13 (12)  “…plates are obscured.”

Brennan says there will be a concentrated effort on window tint law in Lafourche, Terrebonne, Assumption, the West banks of St. Charles, St. John, and St. James Parishes.

Brennan says excessively dark tinted windows create a driving hazard for motorists, especially when it’s dark outside, it’s like wearing sunglasses at night and driving. He says dark tint on your front or side windows…

Cut 14 (10)  “…pulling out.”

Another concern Brennan says is the difficulty obscured license plates and dark windows present identifying motorists and vehicles.

Cut 15 (12)  “…place coverings.”

Louisiana law requires front window tint to have light transmission of at least 40-percent, side windows 25-percent and rearmost windows 12-percent.

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The Saints selected five players in the draft on Saturday and the highlight was South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler. Rattler was a five-star recruit coming out of high school in Arizona. He had ups and downs during college but finished at South Carolina throwing for 31-hundred yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions last season. Coach Dennis Allen likes the potential of Rattler…

Cut 16 (17)  “…as a quarterback.”

Rattler says he felt the Saints would draft him after spending a couple of days with the team during a pre-draft visit…

Cut 17 (17) “…got me.”

Rattler started his college career at Oklahoma but was benched his sophomore season. He transferred to South Carolina. In 2022, he led the Gamecocks to huge victories over Tennessee and Clemson. Last year, Carolina struggled to a 5-7 record because of several injuries to guys on the offensive line…

Cut 18 (20)  “…I’m prepared.”

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The LSU Tigers missed out on sweeping the Auburn Tigers this past weekend, losing the series finale seven to five on Sunday. Coach Jay Johnson’s team is 7-14 in the SEC and will need to finish strong to make the NCAA Tournament…

Cut 19 (16) “…last eight.” 

LSU fell behind five to nothing after the first inning on Sunday. Kade Anderson got the start and couldn’t get out of the first inning. Johnson didn’t go to his best reliever, Griffin Herring, until the second inning. He says Herring was on a pitch count and didn’t want to bring him in the middle of an inning…

Cut 20 (20) “…..constraints.”

Twenty-one individuals in Shreveport and Bossier City are under indictment in a federal bank fraud case. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (31)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Crawfish prices have dropped another 50-cents and with an average  price of live mudbugs at $2.99 a pound, this could be the lowest prices of the season. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (30)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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The Saints need offensive linemen and the Black and Gold believe they got a starter for years to come. With the 14th pick in the first round of the NFL draft, New Orleans selected Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga (Tall-ee-s-a   Foo-ah-gah). Coach Dennis Allen says it’s not every time that a team’s need matches the best player available

Cut 3 (08) “…that time.” 

Fuaga (Foo-ah-gah) is expected to get an opportunity to start at right tackle, especially if Ryan Ramczyk is not able to play because of right knee. Allen says Fuaga caught their eye at the NFL draft scouting combine…

Cut 4 (10) “..love with him.” 

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Three LSU Tigers were selected in the first round of the NFL draft and the next Tiger that could be chosen is defensive tackle Maason Smith from Houma. W-W-L radio draft expert Mike Detillier says Smith had a disappointing season last year, but he has a lot of potential…

Cut 5 (11)  “…this league.” 

In the first round, Washington selected Jayden Daniels, the Giants picked Malik Nabers and Jacksonville drafted Brian Thomas Junior.

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With 38 years under their belt, Festival International is still going strong. President of the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission, Ben Berthelot says the event is a great way to draw tourists from across the globe to the city for the first time.

Cut 6  (10) “…great music.” 

Berthelot says that the five-day event is not only the largest international music festival in the world but it’s also free.

The event attracts more than 300,000 visitors from 42 different states and 10 different countries to Acadiana.

Cut 7 (12) “…our community.”  

Berthelot says Festival International is a great way to celebrate the state’s French heritage and it was created in 1986 when the oil and gas industry was suffering.

Cut 8 (13) “…support it.” 

Berthelot says the festival is a great opportunity to hear music from all over in downtown Lafayette.

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Twenty-one people from Shreveport and Bossier City face federal bank fraud charges for allegedly stealing nearly seven million dollars from U-S-A-A customers. U-S Attorney Brandon Brown says several employees at the Teleperformance Call Center in Shreveport obtained account information and shared it with others..

Cut 9 (11) “…gain.” 

Brown says many military service members and elderly residents who did banking with U-S-A-A and did not check their accounts regularly had money taken from their account in 2021 and 2022…

Cut 10 (08) “…bank account balances.” 

Brown says the stolen bank information was used to issue counterfeit checks and others were recruited to deposit checks into their bank accounts in exchange for money…

Cut 11 (12) ” …individuals.”

Most of the people indicted in this case are in their 20s.

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In addition to Louisiana hosting two world-renowned festivals this weekend, crawfish prices have dropped to new lows. Crawfish App co-founder Laney King says the average price for a pound of live mudbugs in the Bayou State is $2.99.

Cut 12 (10) “…couple of weeks.” 

The average price for boiled crawfish is $5.29 a pound.

Since the Crawfish App was created eight years ago, King says this season, by far, has been the most unusual due to the severe drought last August.

Cut 13 (12) “…little bit more.”

With prices down another 50-cents this week, King says it’s all about supply and demand, so you don’t want to miss the opportunity for what appears to be the lowest prices of the 2024 mudbug season.

Cut  14 (11) “…from consumers.” 

In addition to Louisiana, The Crawfish App also surveys the average prices in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle.

Two of the state’s biggest festivals are this weekend and the tourism impact on the state is far and wide. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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Last night, the Department of Transportation hosted a construction kick-off meeting for the new 4-lane Jimmie Davis Bridge over the Red River in northwest Louisiana. Colleen Crain has more…

Cut 2 (34)  “I’m Colleen Crain.” 

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The Louisiana House has sent a 47-billion dollar spending plan to the Senate. Jeff Palermo reports the budget proposal includes 166-million dollars to provide bonus pay for teachers…

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo” 

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It’s a huge festival weekend in Louisiana with Festival International and Jazz Fest. Both attract visitors from all over the world and Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says it’s not only Lafayette and New Orleans that see a boost in tourists.

Cut 4 (13) “…over Louisiana.”

Nungesser says Jazz Fest has a $300 million impact on New Orleans, which is more than the Super Bowl, and Festival International has a $49 million impact on Lafayette.  He says state parks and hotels are booked with visitors for both events.

Cut 5 (12) “…footprint.” 

And while the two festivals are huge tourist draws for the state, Nungesser says it’s the locals’ southern hospitality that’s responsible for return visits.

Cut 6 (12) “…for more.”

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A new Jimmie Davis Bridge over the Red River is coming to Bossier and Caddo Parishes. DOTD held a Kick-off meeting for the community last night at Barksdale Baptist Church to provide information and answer questions. Public Information Officer Erin Buchanan says the existing 60-year-old 2-lane bridge is being replaced with a …

Cut 7 (10) “…every day”

The project is slated to start Mid to Late May and take about two and a half years. Buchanan says DOTD handed out detour maps and construction phasing information, so the community knows what to expect and isn’t surprised.

Cut 8 (09) “…businesses too.” 

When the new bridge is completed, Buchanan says the bridge currently being used is getting an exciting makeover…

Cut 9 (11)  “…like that.”

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The Louisiana House approved a budget for the next fiscal year that contains 166 million dollars in bonus pay for teachers. According to House leaders that equals a stipend of about 17-hundred dollars, but Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland says it will vary…

Cut 10 (09) “…districts need.”

The spending bill heads to the Senate and there’s still time to provide more money for teacher pay. Teachers received a two-thousand dollar stipend this year, so they are set to receive a little less this year.

McFarland says lawmakers are also committed to spending 3-point-5 million dollars so the state can receive 70-million dollars in federal aid that low-income families can use to help pay for lunches when kids are out of school. DCFS is concerned it might to late to participate in the summer EBT program, McFarland doesn’t see how that can be…

Cut 11 (11) “…feeding program.”

The summer EBT program is in jeopardy because Governor Landry refused not to allocate funding for it, because it was a program established during the pandemic and there are other programs available to help feed kids when they are out of school for the summer.

The Louisiana Illuminator reports there are about 40-million dollars worth of pet projects in the budget proposal. approved by the House. But McFarland says these dollars are going to worthy initiatives…

Cut 12 (12) “…do that.” 

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As expected the Washington Commanders selected former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in last night’s NFL draft. Daniels joins a franchise that has not had a winning season since 2016 and he plans to make the Commanders a winning organization

Cut 13 (11)  “…some fun.”

A few selections later former LSU wide Malik Nabers of Youngsville went to the New York Giants with the sixth overall pick. Nabers wants to be the next great wide receiver from LSU…

Cut 14 (14)  “….chip on my shoulder .”

Another former LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Junior went to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 23rd pick.

The Saints used their first-round draft pick on an offensive tackle, six-foot-six Taliese Fuaga (Tall-ee-s-a Foo-ah-gah) from Oregon State. The first-team All-American did not give up a sack with the Beavers and played right tackle. Fuaga says he’s played football nearly his entire life…

Cut 15 (09)  “… grit.”

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Louisiana Tech is in second place in Conference USA heading into this weekend’s series against Sam Houston. The Bulldogs are 8-3 in league play, while the Bearkats are 7-and-8. Coach Lane Burroughs says the Diamond Dogs must play well to take the series…

Cut 16 (09)  “…south Texas.”

Tech went on the road last weekend and won a series over a nationally-ranked Dallas Baptist team. Burroughs says it was a big confidence builder…

Cut 17 (11) “…RPI goes.”

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The LSU Tigers will look to win its second consecutive SEC series as they host Auburn this weekend. Coach Jay Johnson believes his team is playing better after taking two of three from Missouri last weekend. Johnson is hoping some of his veteran hitters find a hot streak

Cut 18 (08)  “…be afraid of.”

The Tigers are 5-13 in the SEC and could use a sweep to put themselves back in the conversation of making the NCAA Tournament. Auburn has struggled as they are 2-16 in SEC play. But Johnson says Auburn has played a tough schedule too and he has a lot of respect for them

Cut 19 (07) “…this place.” 

Tonight is game two of a nine-game homestand for the Tigers.

Governor Jeff Landry says there are several reasons why his administration and Republican lawmakers are committed to a constitutional convention this year. Jeff Palermo has the story….

Cut 1 (37)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Anthony Holland of West Monroe has been arrested in connection to the death of Sheryl Tuner of New Iberia, whose torso was found floating in the Ouachita River. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (37)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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Governor Jeff Landry held a press conference today to explain the need for a constitutional convention. Landry is pushing for a convention to be held in May and any changes would need voter approval in November. Landry says a presidential election is a perfect time for voters to weigh in on a reorganized constitution

Cut 3 (11) “…have a say” 

The goal of the constitutional convention is move certain sections of the constitution into state law. Landry says these changes will hopefully result in more budget flexibility when the state is facing a deficit. He says right now the Legislature’s hands are tied during tough budget times, resulting in big cuts to health care and education…

Cut 4 (10) “…those things ” 

Democrats say they are uncomfortable rushing into a constitutional convention without more details on what could be possible moved into state statue. There’s  a concern the state’s popular 75-thousand dollars homestead exemption will be removed from the constitution. Landry that’s not his intent…

Cut 5 (13)  “…statue.” 

A bill calling for a constitutional convention to begin May 20th is awaiting debate on the House floor.

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The full House has approved a bill that removes the requirement that businesses must provide minor workers a 20-minute break if they work for five consecutive hours. Denham Springs Representative Roger Wilder says the policy prevents teens from landing work with some businesses

Cut 6  (09) “…hire the kids.” 

Opponents are concerned about over working 16 and 17-year-olds. Denham Springs Representative Roger Wilder says Mississippi does not have a mandatory break for minors and there no major problems,,,

Cut 7 (12) “…responsible for.”  

Wilder says there are minors who are eager to work and the state should not hold them back or prevent businesses from working them more than five consecutive hours…

Cut 8 (11) “…wanting to work.” 

The House approved Wilder’s bill 61-37 and the measure heads to the Senate for more discussion.

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An arrest has been made in the case where the torso of 19-year-old Sheryl Turner of New Iberia was found floating the Ouachita River, on January 24^th. Catahoula Parish Sheriff Detective Dewain Littleton says 29-year-old Anthony Holland, Junior of West Monroe confessed that he dismembered and disposed of her body.

Cut 9 (13) “…not why.” 

Multiple law enforcement agencies collaborated in the investigation including the FBI. Littleton says Holland was unemployed but had been a cross-country truck driver, and there could possibly be more arrests.

Cut 10 (08) “…how to do.” 

Holland has no previous criminal record and Littleton says that due to the nature of the crime, agencies are investigating to see if others could be linked to the suspect.

Cut 11 (11) ” …for sure.”

Investigators say Holland met Turner on social media and the two planned to live together in West Monroe.

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LSU honored its women’s gymnastics team with a parade and a celebration inside the PMAC last night. Coach Jay Clark led the program to its first ever title and the team’s success resulted in Georgia offering him and his assistants a chance to coach the Gym Dogs. But Clark says he’s staying at LSU

Cut 12 (06) “…(cheers)” 

The LSU gymnastics program has been around for 50 years and they became the 8th school in NCAA history to win a national championship in gymnastics. Clark believes more championships are in their future…

Cut 13 (10) “…Geaux Tigers. (cheers fade)”