Some of Louisiana’s favorite Easter treats are back on the shelves this year after supply chain disruptions limited the beloved confectionaries. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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BESE is requesting the state legislature to provide additional dollars to fund security on school campuses. Teiko Foxx has more…
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Big news for Central Louisiana: a huge rare metals extraction plant coming to Alexandria in the next few years. Kevin Gallagher has more…:
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After limited supplies last year, Heavenly Hash Eggs are back, and Elmer Chocolate CEO Rob Nelson says it’s just in time to mark the beloved treat’s 100th anniversary. Corn starch supply chain disruptions last year kept them from making all three versions of the angelic candy.
He says they are hoping Strawberry Heavenly Hash will return next year. They began making the Strawberry version when the company relocated to Ponchatoula in 1970, the Strawberry capital of the world.
Nelson says last year they received hundreds of phone calls daily wanting to know why all three versions of Heavenly Hash were not in stores.
It was a New Orleans Canal Street confectionary that invented Heavenly Hash in the early 1900s. And in 1923, Nelson says the Elmer family purchased the recipe and trademark.
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Nelson says they begin preparing to create Heavenly Hash, the Gold Brick and Pecan eggs as early as January for Easter.
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BESE is calling on the state legislature to appropriate funding for trained school resource officers in all public schools to increase security. District 4 Member Michael Melerine says he raised the issue last year following the Uvalde-Texas school shooting and is revisiting it after the Nashville school mass shooting hit close to home.
Melerine says officers should be certified by a nationally accredited school resource officer program or a state training program. He says providing a safe and secure environment for all students and educators is a priority.
A survey of Louisiana schools following the 2022 Louisiana School Safety Summit – a conference for system leaders, law enforcement, and other agencies to discuss school safety and emergency preparedness – indicated approximately 67 percent (of 73 percent of schools responding) currently have a school resource officer. Melerine says the Board is committed to protecting our schools.
The Board also requested that school systems annually report the total number of school resource officers to the Louisiana Department of Education.
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Rare metals giant UCore will invest $ 75 million to make North America’s first rare earth metals separation and purification facility, and it will be in Rapides Parish. UCore V.P. and Chief Operating Officer Mike Schrider says the plant will extract the key elements used in making electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, and numerous consumer goods. He says the raw ores will arrive via the port of New Orleans…:
Cut 10 (11) “…other elements eventually.”
When up and running the project should mean about 100 new direct jobs, with pay of $50-k or more annually. Nearly 300 indirect jobs will also result from the project. Schrider says UCore will make use of an existing 81-thousand-square-foot structure, located at England Airpark. He says the facility can be easily modified for optimal production capability…:
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The UCore commitment is a major economic development for Louisiana, but especially for Central Louisiana. Schrider credit the cooperation of Louisiana Economic Development’s Fast Start program and local officials for helping make the plan a reality. He says it’s a big step in moving away from internal combustion cars & trucks…:
Cut 12 (12) “…make those vehicles.”
Schrider expects operations to start in early 2025, and the plant to be fully operational by 2027.
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The biggest crawfish weekend of the season is upon us and there’s plenty to rejoice about when it comes to mudbugs this year and Easter weekend. Crawfish App co-founder Laney King says today, and Sunday are two of the busiest days of the year for crawfish sales.
You can find boiled crawfish this weekend for an average of $4.75 a pound and live will run you $2.59 a pound. And you might even be able to beat those prices by using the Crawfish App for the lowest price nearby.
And for the Super Bowl weekend of crawfish, King says prices on average are the same as last weekend.
So, if crawfish boil is on your agenda this weekend, King says to expect to pay between $60 to $75 a sack for medium to large size crawfish.
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The LSU football team is just over halfway through their spring practice schedule and Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock says his group is making strides towards becoming one of the best in the SEC. With nearly all of its starting core returning, the Tigers offense should be a strength for the team ahead of the 2023 season. In his second season in Baton Rouge, Denbrock says he’ll hope to build on the progress his offense made last year
Headlining the Tigers offense is returning quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 17 touchdowns last season and was 4th in the nation with only three interceptions, but the coaching staff has urged him to take more chances down the field. Denbrock says they’ve focused on creating a more explosive offense this spring…
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Freshman Tight End Mason Taylor will hope to improve on an impressive first year in Baton Rouge next year. Taylor led the team’s tight ends with 38 catches for over 400 yards and three touchdowns and solidified himself as a top receiving option. Denbrock says another season with the program, especially in the weight room, will help to expand his role in the offense…
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The Pelicans host the Knicks in their last home game of the season tonight. After starting 2023 at the top of the Western Conference, the Pels have struggled without Zion Williamson but made a late-season push to fight for a spot in the postseason. Things seem to be clicking again as forward Brandon Ingram is playing some of the best basketball of his career averaging nearly 30 points a game over that span. Locked on Pelicans Podcast Host Jake Madison says B.I.’s playmaking has helped to elevate the entire team…
CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, and Herb Jones all scored over thirty while Ingram tallied 13 assists in New Orleans’ last win over the Grizzlies.
With Just two games left in the season, the Pelicans are tied for 7th in the West with the Lakers and a game behind the Warriors and Clippers and an automatic playoff bid. Madison says it would take some luck to make it to the six-seed but can still improve from last year…
The worst the Pels can finish is ninth. Tip-off against New York is at 7:00