Boise Cascade, a leading manufacturer of building materials, announces plans to invest $75 million dollars to expand and modernize its Oakdale facility in Allen Parish. Vice President Mike Brown says the company expects to create 30 new direct jobs and…

Cut 7 (08) “…the other.” 

Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 77 indirect new jobs, for a total of 107 potential new jobs.

Governor Landry has named Susan Bonnett Bourgeois of Covington as the new Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Economic Development saying she is exactly what the department needs to move Louisiana’s economy forward to compete with our Southern neighbors. Bourgeois isn’t new to state government having held multiple roles in the late Governor Mike Foster’s administration. Bourgeois currently serves as President of SBB Consulting and President Emeritus of Northshore Community Foundation.

The LSU Lady Tigers lost to top ranked South Carolina on Thursday night and a king cake was murdered on national TV before the game. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (33)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo.” 

Former Orleans Parish District Attorney Harry Connick Senior passed away Thursday. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says the DA’s office is much different today compared to when Connick was at the helm.

Cut 12 (10)  “…Jason Williams.”  

He was 97.

A proposed 10 billion dollar Liquefied natural gas export terminal project in Cameron Parish is in jeopardy as a result of a decision by the President.

Cut 1 (33)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

A King Cake was violated on national TV last night. The crime scene was the Maravich Center. It happened during ESPN’s College Gameday pregame coverage of the LSU Lady Tigers – South Carolina game. Sadly, the Lady Tigers also lost last night. The EPSN anchors are reportedly still looking for the baby.

Boise Cascade, a leading manufacturer of building materials, announces plans to invest $75 million dollars to expand and modernize its Oakdale facility in Allen Parish. Vice President Mike Brown says the facility will be able to produce up to 400 million square feet of dry veneer every year. He says the construction process will be split into stages and expects it to start later this year.

Cut 9 (13) “…new equipment.”

Former Orleans Parish District Attorney Harry Connick Senior passed away Thursday. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says Connick had some ups and downs in his legal career and even faced federal charges himself and his office faced violations of not turning over favorable evidence to the defense.

Cut 11 (08) “…handled.”

He was 97.

President Biden is pausing the approval process for new liquefied Natural Gas terminals to examine its impact on energy costs, energy security and the environment. Economist Loren Scott says the U-S ships LNG to Europe so they don’t have to count on Russia for natural gas. He says if U-S limits what they supply to Europe, they’ll be forced to use coal plants for heating, which is bad for the environment.

Cut 5 (12) “…of state government.” 

Louisiana Bucket Brigade director Anne Rolfes says gas export terminals are also bad for the seafood industry…

Cut 6  (11) “…oysters.” 

Scott disagrees that LNG plants are harmful to the seafood industry.

Former Orleans Parish District Attorney Harry Connick Senior passed away Thursday. He was the longest-serving DA in New Orleans from 1973 to 2003.  But Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says Connick had some ups and downs in his legal career and even faced federal charges himself.

Cut 10 (12) “…evidence.”

Connick was also the father of crooner Harry Connick, Junior. He was 97.

Boise Cascade Wood Products plans to expand and modernize its Oakdale facility in Allen Parish. Vice President Mike Brown says the $75 million dollar expansion of the Oakdale facility will increase veneer production by 30 percent. He says upgrading machines and technology will also increase efficiency.

Cut 8 (11) “…new dryer.” 

The LSU Lady Tigers lost a thrilling game in the PMAC yesterday to No. 1 ranked South Carolina. The Gamecocks dominated the 4th quarter when All-American Angel Reese got into foul trouble and eventually fouled out. LSU Head Coach Kim Mulkey says that her team battled til the final buzzer no matter who was on the court, but South Carolina was just tougher.

Cut 21 (12) “… just toughness.”

LSU will visit Mississippi State on Monday.

—

Former LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte has been arrested on charges of conducting thousands of illegal bets through FanDuel when he was only 20 years old. The legal age is 21 and Boutte was able to make these bets under an alias name and birthday and placed bets while he was still at LSU.

—

And due to a power outage at the Cajundome, the Ragin Cajuns men’s basketball team will battle the Arkansas State Red Wolves today at 4 pm and their game against Texas State has been moved to Sunday at noon.

—

The LA Tech Bulldogs are on a four game win streak after defeating UTEP yesterday 68 to 54. The game featured an elite defensive performance by the Bulldogs who held the miners scoreless for a 6 minute span in the first half. ULM is now on a two game win streak as the Warhawks defeated the South Alabama Jaguars 80 to 66 yesterday and ULM Forward Makai Willis had 21 points.

—

LSU baseball’s opening day at the Box is just three weeks away from today. The Tigers will look to start the journey to repeat as national champions against VMI and Senior Catcher Hayden Travinski says that LSU’s projected Friday Night starter, Thatcher Hurd, is primed to have an exciting season this year, after some growing pains last year.

Cut 19 (12) “… to get to work.”

The Tigers will host VMI in the Box at 2 pm on February 16th.

The Biden Administration is placing a pause on pending liquefied natural gas export terminals, which puts in jeopardy the construction of the 10-billion dollar Calcasieu Pass 2 terminal project in Cameron Parish. President Biden says they want to examine the impact LNG exports have on energy costs, energy security and the environment. Louisiana Bucket Brigade director Anne Rolfes applauds the decision.

Cut 3 (12) “….took action”  

But Economist Loren Scott says this decision jeopardizes the state’s economic growth…

Cut 4 (12) “..pulled the trigger”

Scott says the U-S ships LNG to Europe so they don’t have to count on Russia for natural gas.

State Police have charged former LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte for placing sports bets as a 20-year-old. You must be at least 21 to gamble in Louisiana. Investigators say Boutte created a fake account at FanDuel and made thousands of bets, including on LSU football and himself in 2022. Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns…

cut 5 (07) ….like this”
Boutte face charges of computer fraud and gaming prohibited and placing sports bets under the age of 21.

Boise Cascade, a leading manufacturer of building materials, announce its plans to invest $75 million dollars to expand and modernize its Oakdale facility in Allen Parish. Vice President Mike Brown says the company expects to create 30 new direct jobs and…

Cut 7 (08) “…the other.” 

Former LSU football wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was arrested for allegedly making illegal sports bets while he was still with the Tigers, including wagers placed on his own team’s games. Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns…

Cut 4 (08) “…who it is.”

Boutte made more than $637 thousand in wagers from a fraudulent FanDuel Sportsbook account.

Rainfall in the Bayou State continues through Saturday, but crawfish lovers will still experience a limited supply of the tasty mudbug this season. LSU AgCenter Crawfish Specialist Mark Shirley says production has been below average and prices have sky-rocketed for buyers who are purchasing less this year.

Cut 8 (09) “…of year.” 

Louisiana farmers on average produce 100 to 120 million pounds of crawfish per year, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

The Louisiana Public Service Commission has voted to design an energy efficiency program. Commissioners Craig Greene and Foster Campbell also voted for the energy efficiency plan. Campbell believes it will lead to less energy usage for many, helping to lower customers’ bills.

Cut 14 (08) “…unnecessary energy.” 

PSC member Eric Skrmetta says utility companies already have energy efficiency programs that customers can use, so there’s no need for a third-party administration. He believes in the long run this deal will end up costing customers…

Cut 16 (11) “…the state.” 

The P-S-C will hire a third-party administrator to design and implement the program and monitor utilities for compliance and progress.

The 9th-ranked LSU Lady Tigers led for most of the game, but South Carolina played with poise down the stretch and left Baton Rouge with a 76-70 victory. The Gamecocks outscored LSU 24-14 in the fourth quarter and LSU star player Angel Reese fouled out with about four minutes left. Coach Kim Mulkey says it’s a tough loss, but there’s still plenty of season left…

Cut 20 (14) “…just one game.”

Mulkey says South Carolina was the tougher team.

LSU AgCenter Crawfish Specialist Mark Shirley says rainfall this week in the Bayou State will help flush ponds but it will not increase the 2024 crawfish harvest.

Cut 7 (13) “…normal year.”

Crawfish farmers produced a below average harvest due to last summers historic drought.

On a 3-to-2 vote, the Louisiana Public Service Commission votes to create a statewide energy efficiency program. Opponents say it will lead to higher bills, but PSC member Davante Lewis says Entergy, Cleco, SWEPCO, and other utility companies regulated by the commission can tap into federal dollars to make their homes more energy efficient.

Cut 13 (10)  “…is low.”

The P-S-C will hire a third-party administrator to design and implement the program and monitor utilities for compliance and progress. PSC member Eric Skrmetta this is why he voted against this plan…

Cut 15 (08) …waste of money.“

Mike Francis of Crowley also voted no.

State Police have charged former LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte for placing sports bets as a 20-year-old. You must be at least 21 to gamble in Louisiana. Investigators say Boutte created a fake account at FanDuel and made thousands of bets, including on LSU football and himself in 2022. Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns…
cut 5 (07) ….like this”
Boutte face charges of computer fraud and gaming prohibited and placing sports bets under the age of 21.

Looking for crawfish this weekend, it might be difficult, because of the lack mudbugs as a result of last summer’s historic drought. LSU AgCenter crawfish expert Mark Shirley has been ringing the bell that this could be one of the worst seasons ever…
cut 9 (13) “…and see”

Congressman Garret Graves says what fellow Republicans did to his district when they revised the map to have a second majority -Black district won’t hold up in court. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Harry Connick Senior has passed away at the age of 97. He’s the father of three-time Grammy award winner Harry Connick Junior and he was also the district attorney in New Orleans for 30 years before retiring in 2003.

The ninth ranked LSU Lady Tigers lost to top ranked South Carolina last night 76-70.

Former LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte is facing charges after he allegedly created an account on FanDuel as a 20-year-old so that he can place sports bets on games, including LSU games and himself. You must be at least 21 to participate in legal sports betting. Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns says evidence collected by State Police found Boutte made nearly nine-thousand wagers totaling more than 600-thousand dollars under the alias account…
cut 6 (06) “…in any way”

Republican Congressman Garret Graves, whose district was redrawn says he still intends to run for office despite that his district is now more likely to elect a Democrat. Graves criticizes state lawmakers for passing a map he believes was haphazardly drawn to satisfy only a demographic versus communities of interests.
Cut 10 (12) “…of Louisiana.”

The 2024 crawfish season remains murky despite a couple of days of heavy rainfall. Teiko Foxx explains…
Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

The Ninth ranked LSU women’s basketball team lost last night to top ranked South Carolina 76-70. The game turned when Lady Tigers All-American Angel Reese fouled out with four minutes left.

The Ragin Cajuns men’s team could not play last night, because of a power outage at the Cajundome. They’ll try again today at 4 PM.