While Louisiana had a modest gain in population last year, it still has a long road ahead. Andre Champagne reports.
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It’s D-C Mardi Gras weekend in the nation’s capital. Jeff Palermo has more on the big social and political networking event.
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Rockin’1000 is a gathering of one-thousand musicians on the same stage, and they come from all walks of life and of all ages. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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Louisiana trails other Southern states in internships and apprenticeships for high school students. That’s why the Leaders for a Better Louisiana are alerting businesses about a new state tax credit employers can take advantage of if they hire interns or have an apprenticeship program. Better Louisiana Chief Policy Officer Barry Erwin…
Erwin says providing internships and apprenticeships to young people can help enhance the workforce and help employers identify future full-time workers. He says the credit is available to businesses that make eligible hires this year, and they can claim the credit on their tax returns beginning in 2027.
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Erwin says employers must employ the individual for at least 100 hours in the tax year to qualify.
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Louisiana had a net population gain last year. The U.S. Census Bureau says between July 1st, 2024, and June 30th, 2025, Louisiana added about 33-hundred people to its population total. Demographer Greg Rigamer says that net increase still does not get Louisiana’s population back to the level at the beginning of the decade.
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Rigamer says Louisiana’s population growth last year still pales in comparison to the gains experienced by neighboring states like Texas, Tennessee, Florida and North Carolina.
Rigamer says, however, the fact that Louisiana had a net increase is a good sign, and the state needs to maintain the momentum.
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One of Louisiana’s biggest political networking events of the year is underway in the nation’s capital, as it’s D-C Mardi Gras time. LaPolitics publisher and editor Jeremy Alford says there will be a dinner dance on Friday night and a Mardi Gras ball on Saturday, but before that there’s plenty of opportunities to rub elbows.
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Alford says there are big issues and storylines in the backdrop of this year’s D-C Mardi Gras.
Alford says with this year being an election year, the candidates running for U.S. Senate and the now-open fifth congressional district seat will use this event secure campaign donations.
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This afternoon, after months of practicing on their own, the musicians who will make up the Rockin’1000 will gather on the Superdome floor to rehearse as a group for the first time ahead of Saturday night’s show. Unlike your typical rock concert which features musicians you’ve idolized your entire lives, these musicians are your average Joes – people from all walks of life, young and old. They include 70-year-old drummer Andy Chetta of Covington. Despite first taking up the drums at the age of 13, Saturday will be his very first gig.
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Chetta admits that he may have a little stage fright – understandable, since most people’s first gigs are in venues much smaller than the Superdome – but Rockin’1000 organizers are putting him and everyone else at ease.
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On guitar either behind Chetta – or on the other end of the floor, depending on where they put him – will be 10-year-old George Schafer, also of Covington. He’s been playing guitar since he was five – literally half his life – and he says being a part of the show will be an incredible experience.
Chetta, Schafer and the 998 other musicians will be busy rehearsing together today, tomorrow and Saturday afternoon.
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The sixth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team is currently riding a five-game winning streak, and the Lady Tigers look to make it six straight tonight against Arkansas at 7 p.m. Head Coach Kim Mulkey says this is one of the closest teams she’s ever had in her time in Baton Rouge.
Sophomore guard Jada Richard (ree-SHARD) has made significant strides from her freshman to sophomore season. Through seven SEC games, Richard is averaging 13 points per game. Mulkey says Richard’s success this season stems from being more comfortable with running the offense.
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Not only has Richard been able to score the ball as of late, but she’s also dishing out 3 assists per game. Mulkey says playing the point guard in her system comes with several responsibilities.
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Saints veteran linebacker Demario Davis becomes a free agent this offseason, and it sounds like he is open to testing the market. Davis appeared on Kay Adams’ “Up & Adams’ show on FanDuel TV earlier this week, and this is what he had to say on potentially returning to New Orleans for his 15th season in the NFL.
Davis, who has played for New Orleans since 2018, led the Saints in tackles this year with 143. Davis says he’s noticed a lack of veteran leadership on defenses around the league and believes he could help fill that role.