A flood watch is in effect for nearly all of South Louisiana though Friday night for Southwest areas and Saturday morning for Southeast Louisiana. National Weather Service Meteorologist Kevin Gilmore says the prolonged rain is increasing the chances of flooding.

Cut 9 (05)  “…looking relatively wet.”

The National Hurricane Center has now labeled the Gulf low responsible for the rain Invest 90L. Some models give the system a brief chance of strengthening into a tropical storm but wind shear along the Gulf Coast decreases those chances. An expected weekend cold front will push the system south, but some areas could get 10 inches of rain before the systems moves on.

The state fire marshal’s office says the deadly house explosion in Beauregard Parish over the weekend was likely caused by a propane leak. A 16-year-old boy was killed in the explosion in Ragley. Five others, including a two-year-old boy, remain hospitalized.

If you’re interested in becoming a State Trooper, you have until September 18^th to apply to be a part of the 106^th Cadet Class. Lt. Robert Fontenot says applicants need to meet certain requirements and the State Police Training Academy is hard. Applicants need to have the physical and mental capabilities to work in law enforcement.

Cut 4 (11) “…for a reason.”

Go to LSP’s website for more information.

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says the number of highway deaths declined in 2023 by 10.5-percent.  Spokesperson Greg Fischer says the seatbelt usage rate is the highest ever recorded in Louisiana at over 88-percent, a three-percent increase from the previous year…

Cut 8 (11)  “…wearing a seatbelt.”

The 11-year-old accused of killing former interim Minden Mayor and City Councilman, Joe Cornelieus and his daughter, Keisha Miles has pleaded not guilty though his public defender. Judge Sherb Sentell accepted the plea and revoked the juvenile’s $500,000 bond meaning he will remain in custody until trial. He is currently being held in Ware Youth Center in Coushatta.

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says the number of highway deaths declined in 2023 by 10.5-percent.  Spokesperson Greg Fischer says Pedestrian fatalities that hit alarming rates during the pandemic, were also down to 147 in 2023, nearly a 20-perdent decrease. Bicycle fatalities dropped from 44 to 35 and crashes involving a driver with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher decreased to 195, a 13.3-percent drop from 2022. Fischer, however, says there was an increase in motorcycle fatalities…

Cut 7 (12) “…e-bikes.”

If you want to be a member of the next cadet class at the Louisiana State Police, time is running out. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

A flood watch is in effect for nearly all of South Louisiana. National Weather Service Meteorologist Kevin Gilmore says the area is expected to get heavy rainfall over the next couple days.

Just how much…

Cut 11 (07) “…bands set up.”

In Southwest Louisiana, including Lake Charles, the flood watch is in effect through tomorrow night; in Southeast Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, it’s in effect until Saturday morning.

An update on a horrific scene in Minden in which a former mayor and his daughter were shot dead, allegedly by a young relative. We get more from Andrew Greenstein.

Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Louisiana Illuminator is reporting that Governor Landry talked to LSU about reviving the pre-football-game tradition of bringing Mike the Tiger back into Tiger Stadium for home games. According to their report, three state officials who are also veterinarians met with LSU Vet School Dean Oliver Garden and discussed Mike VII’s participation in pre-game. LSU says Mike will not be attending games. The last time a live Tiger participated was Mike VI in 2015. He suffered adverse reactions to the stimuli.

LSU Health New Orleans announces the launch of the Louisiana 3.0+ Scholars Pledge, School of Public Health Associate Dean Kari Brisolara says any Louisiana resident who earned their undergraduate degree from a Louisiana university with a G-P-A of 3.0 or higher will automatically be accepted into LSU School of Public Health’s Master program and she emphasized the impressive track record of student employment immediately after graduation from the MPH program.

Cut 12 (11) “…the demand is there.”

Louisiana 3.0+ Scholars Pledge, students will benefit from a streamlined admissions process and immediate entry into a rigorous and supportive academic environment dedicated to advancing public health.

South Louisiana homeowners interested in up to a 10-thousand dollar grant to be used towards a new fortified roof, can register with the Department of Insurance from September 18th to the 20th.  The goal is to reduce damage during storms, lower insurance premiums, and make Louisiana stronger.  Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple

Cut 5 (12) “…South Louisiana.”

The deadly shooting of a former mayor of Minden and his daughter by a young family member Sunday is still under investigation. 82-year-old Joe Cornelius and his 31-year-old daughter, Keisha Miles, were shot to death inside their home. Police Chief Jared McIver says when questioned, the story of one of the juveniles in the home at the time didn’t add up. Due to juvenile justice laws, they are only saying that the 11-year-old boy is a family member. As for a motive, that is still unknown.

Cut 14 (06) “…know that yet.”

The boy is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is being held on 500-thousand dollars.

The 4-year-old child who died after he shot and killed himself with a gun found in the console of a pick-up truck Sunday morning has been identified as Hudson Tassin, son of Brusly City Council Member, Blake Tassin. According to the West Baton Rouge parish Sheriff’s office the child found the gun when an adult stepped out of the truck to adjust a trailer. Authorities have turned over the results of their investigation to the district attorney.

If you’re a hunter, the Louisiana Second Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday is back again this Friday through Sunday.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (30)  “…I’m Sean Richardson.” 

For the second time in as many weeks, a raccoon knocked out power in Terrebonne Parish. Six-thousand customers went in the dark Sunday after a raccoon ended up in the Eddison power substation in Houma. Parish President Jason Bergeron (BAA-zher-on) says he drove to the substation to check things out for himself.

Cut 10 (06) “…community, you know.”

Bergeron says unfortunately, there’s little if anything that can be done about animals getting into the substation.

The investigation continues into the deadly shooting of a former mayor of Minden and his daughter by a young family member. 82-year-old Joe Cornelius and his 31-year-old daughter, Keisha Miles, were shot to death inside their home Sunday morning. Police Chief Jared McIver says investigators quickly zeroed in on one of two juveniles who were home at the time.

Cut 13 (14)  “…11 years of age.”

Chief McIver says due to juvenile justice laws, they are only saying that the 11-year-old boy is a family member without getting more specific. McIver says it will take a long time to determine what led the boy to shoot the two victims dead. He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and his bond is set at 500-thousand dollars.

A teenage girl is dead in a crash in Lafayette. Andrew Greenstein reports the driver should never have been driving the vehicle in the first place.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

If you’re a hunter, the Louisiana Second Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday is back again this Friday through Sunday.  Department of Revenue Spokesperson Bryon Henderson says consumer purchases of a wide range of hunting supplies are exempt from state and local sales tax…

Cut 6 (04) “…hunting season.”

The exemption only applies to individual consumer purchases, not business or commercial purchases.

A teenage girl is dead in a crash in Lafayette. Police Sergeant Matthew Benoit (BEN-wah) says this happened early yesterday morning.

Cut 3 (07) “…14-year-old male.” 

Benoit notes that while investigators have established that the vehicle was stolen, it’s unclear whether that 14-year-old driver was the one who stole it. The girl who died is identified as 17-year-old Terry Mitchell of Lafayette. She was riding in the back seat.

Tragic news out of Brusly, the 4-year-old son of Brusly City Council Member, Blake Tassin was killed when the young child shot and killed himself with a gun found in the console of a pick-up truck Sunday morning. Young Hudson Tassin found the found the gun, according to the West Baton Rouge parish Sheriff’s office when an adult stepped out of the truck to adjust a trailer. Authorities have turned over the results of their investigation to the district attorney.

In Terrebonne Parish a raccoon knocked out power. It’s the second time in as many weeks and this Sunday, six-thousand customers lost power after a raccoon ended up in the Eddison power substation in Houma. Parish President Jason Bergeron (BAA-zher-on) says unfortunately, there’s little if anything that can be done about animals getting into the substation.

Cut 11 (08) “…system in 2019.”

Bergeron says this comes as the parish continues repairing powerlines damaged by Hurricane Ida.

The Louisiana Second Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday begins Friday. Department of Revenue Spokesperson Bryon Henderson says it’s a good time to stock up for hunting season. The sales tax exemptions apply to all consumer purchases of…

Cut 7 (09) “…in the state.”

The exemption only applies to individual consumer purchases, not business or commercial purchases. The limited Sales Tax Holiday runs through Sunday.

Holiday weekends are times for beefed-up drunk driving enforcement — this weekend is no exception. Andrew Greenstein has more.

Cut 1 (30) …I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

South Louisiana is in for some rain this weekend. Chanele Stigger, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, says given the weather we’ve had recently, the rain is something that we can all use.

Cut 11 (09) ” ….weather is welcomed.”

The National Hurricane Center says this weather has about a 20-percent chance of development over the next seven days.

A new report from the Public Affairs Research Council shows around 60% of Louisiana high school seniors are applying for college financial aid this year, a 10% drop from last year. Louisiana still ranks second nationally for FAFSA completions, but Steven Procopio with PAR says he’s worried that rank could slip.
Cut 4 (11) “…overall nation.”
PAR expects completed FAFSA applications in Louisiana are to decline even further after BESE repealed a policy that made students apply for federal student aid to graduate.

LSU is looking for its first win in a season opener since 2019. Brian Kelly’s Tigers have lost the last two seasons to Florida State. He says the team’s preparation for this opener has been superb…

Cut  14 (12) “..outstanding.”

Kick off is Sunday night at 6:30.

A new report from the Public Affairs Research Council shows around 60% of Louisiana high school seniors are applying for college financial aid this year, a 10% drop from last year. Steven Procopio with PAR…
Cut 3 (11) “…a lot of it.”
The report goes on to say around 92% of parish public school districts saw fewer seniors completing FAFSA by June 28 compared to last year.

Mother Nature could be putting a damper on the holiday weekend in South Louisiana. Chanele Stigger is a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles.
Cut 9 (09) “…skies and showers.”
The flip side of the coin is, when rain is not falling, it will actually be quite pleasant to be outside, with highs in the mid-80s to the low 90s.

Law enforcement is out in full force cracking down on drunk driving this Labor Day weekend. Greg Fischer with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is a federally funded program that allows departments to use the money as they wish to combat drunk driving.
Cut 7 (12) “…the road longer.”
Other departments could use the money for additional patrols or other needs.

LSU is looking for its first win in a season opener since 2019. The Tigers take on USC on Sunday night. LSU head coach Brian Kelly says Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley runs an air-raid offense, which usually means a lot of passing. Riley says running the football is also important to their success…

Cut 13 (11) “…point of emphasis.” 

Kelly says the team’s preparation for this opener has been superb. Kickoff is Sunday night at 6:30.

Mother Nature could be putting a damper on the holiday weekend in South Louisiana. Chanele Stigger is a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles.

Cut 9 (09) “…skies and showers .”

A tropical disturbance off the coast of Texas is helping to fuel the rain Louisiana will experience this weekend. The National Hurricane Center is giving the disturbance a low chance of developing over the next seven days.

Another holiday weekend is upon us and law enforcement will be out in full force cracking down on drunk driving. Greg Fischer with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission…

Cut 6 (13) “…notice of that.”

The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is in effect through Monday.

After a confusing FAFSA rollout, a new report from PAR finds less Louisiana seniors are applying for college financial aid this year. Mel Bridges has the details.

Cut 2 (32)  “…I’m Mel Bridges.” 

LSU coaches and players have said the defense is better over last year, we’ll get an idea of how improved when the Tigers take on USC on Sunday night. Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley is considered one of the best play callers in college football and LSU coach Brian Kelly says Riley will keep you on your toes….

Cut 12 (08) “…non-traditional.”

Kelly says USC runs an air-raid offense, which usually means a lot of passing.

A new PAR report shows around 60% of Louisiana high school seniors are applying for college financial aid this year, a 10% drop from last year. Steven Procopio with PAR expects completed FAFSA applications in Louisiana will decline further since BESE repealed a policy that made FAFSA completion a high school graduation requirement. Procopio says he hopes this year’s decline shows lawmakers that students need help getting financial aid.

Cut 5 (08)  “…on the table.”

For more information on the FAFSA, you can visit the Federal Student Aid Office’s website at studentaid.gov.

The LSU-USC game is a hot ticket on the secondary ticket market. Stubhub spokesperson Joseph Bocanegra (Bo-cuh-nay-gruh)….

Cut 10 (12) “….played Arizona”

Boanegra says residents from Louisiana are buying more tickets than those from southern California.

Holiday weekends are times for beefed-up drunk driving enforcement — this weekend is no exception. Andrew Greenstein has more.

Cut 1 (30) …I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

South Louisiana is in for some rain this weekend. Chanele Stigger, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, says given the weather we’ve had recently, the rain is something that we can all use.

Cut 11 (09) ” ….weather is welcomed.”

The National Hurricane Center says this weather has about a 20-percent chance of development over the next seven days.