The North Louisiana Criminalistic Laboratory is urging Louisianians only to take medications dispensed by a licensed pharmacy. Kace Kieschnick explains why.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”
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Volunteers from Minuteman Disaster Response are in St. Landry Parish helping flood victims get back on their feet. Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
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Governor Jeff Landry is encouraging athletes between the ages of 14 and 17 to participate in the 2026 Patriot Games. Jeff Palermo has the story.
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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The North Louisiana Criminalistic Laboratory found that nearly one in three tablets with legitimate drug imprints bought on the street were counterfeit. Kenton Leigh (“lee”), the lab’s deputy director of toxicology and chemistry, says it is impossible to tell what a pill contains just by looking at it.
Cut 4 (11) “…tell the difference.”
Leigh says the only way to be certain about the medication is by getting it from a licensed pharmacy with a valid prescription.
Leigh says the most commonly counterfeited pills were blue M-30 tablets.
Counterfeit pills have been found throughout the 29 parishes the lab services in North Louisiana. Fentanyl was the most common substance found in the fake pills. Leigh says any pill obtained outside of a pharmacy should be considered lethal.
Cut 6 (09) “…overdose and worse.”
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Flood victims in and around St. Landry Parish are getting a helping hand from the volunteers with Minuteman Disaster Response as they begin the gut-wrenching process of putting their lives back together. One of those volunteers, Eric Burkes, says the hardest part is handling their personal possessions.
Burnes says as mold starts to grow, items become more unsalvageable, so time is of the essence.
Cut 8 (12) “…really takes over.”
Burnes says the fact that it’s been raining nearly every day has made the recovery process a lot more difficult, mainly on two fronts.
Cut 9 (15) “…high-humidity environment.”
Volunteers from eight different states will be assisting as many as 12-hundred homeowners, and they will be in St. Landry Parish through July 18th.
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A new state law requires agents to register with Louisiana if they are representing college or high school athletes in negotiating NIL deals. Attorney General Liz Murrill says the Athlete Agent Registration portal went live on July 1st.
Cut 10 (09) “…through some training.”
You can get to the portal by logging on to the Attorney General’s website.
Cut 11 (11) “…require this registration.”
Universities and high schools are encouraged to share information about agent registration requirements and athlete rights as a result of Senate Bill 389 that was approved earlier this year.
Murrill says that legislation gives her office the tools to ensure those who seek to profit from athletes are held to rigorous standards of conduct.
Murrill plans to have more on this new legislation as we get closer to the college and high school football seasons.
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Those of you who drive U.S. 167 in Rapides Parish can now legally drive a little faster. That’s because DOTD has raised the speed limit along that stretch of roadway between I-49 and just north of the State Highway 28 East interchange from 50 to 60 miles an hour. Erin Buchanan with DOTD says the change is a result of a routine review.
Cut 13 (11) “…made some adjustments.”
Buchanan says the result of that review found that most drivers were comfortable driving 60 miles an hour along that stretch of the Pineville Expressway.
Cut 14 (14) “…that’s occurring already.”
Buchanan says not only will raising the speed limit along that stretch of 167 not result in more crashes; but if anything, it should result in fewer crashes.
Cut 15 (13) “…risk for crashes.”
The new speed limit is in effect right now.
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LSU welcomed its third transfer outfielder commit in Oregon freshman Angel Laya last weekend. Laya hit .296 with 14 homers this season, but LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson told Tiger Rag Radio all three of the newcomers can do more than just swing the bat.
Cut 16 (17) “…high-end hitters.”
The MLB Draft is this weekend. Johnson says up to 13 players in his incoming freshman class of 23 commits could head to professional baseball, but he hopes as few as six decide not to come to campus.
Cut 17 (17) “…high school ranks.”
LSU unexpectedly lost freshman righty pitcher Marcos Paz to the transfer portal. Paz posted a 9.20 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 17 appearances, including six starts, but Johnson believed he had the tools to be a weekend starter next year. He says he was surprised when Paz decided to leave.
Cut 18 (17) “…entitled to that.”