A new study shows that the benefits of bariatric surgery go beyond just massive weight loss. Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
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A difficult search is underway for the remains of a teenager who authorities believe ended up in a landfill. Jeff Palermo has the story.
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A St. Tammany Parish youth pastor is behind bars in connection with a decades-old crime. Joe Gallinaro reports.
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Meta has announced it’s expanding its Richland Parish A-I data center to five gigawatts, becoming one of the largest data centers in the world. Work on the 32-hundred-acre site is underway; and the president of Meta, Dina Powell McCormick, says they anticipate the project will be completed in 2036.
An estimated 75-hundred construction workers are needed to build the Richland Parish data center project. Meta is willing to train many of the workers needed to construct this facility and other data centers for free. McCormick says anyone interested in getting trained for electrical, plumbing and fiber optics should look into Meta’s America’s Workforce Academy.
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Once the facility is constructed, it’s expected to employ one-thousand people. Governor Jeff Landry says this is the kind of job creation he talked about when he ran for office.
Cut 6 (12) “…those opportunities elsewhere.”
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A new study from LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center shows that bariatric surgery is not only safe and effective in helping morbidly obese people lose weight, but it’s also effective in improving obesity-related health conditions. Dr. Philip Schauer (“shower”), who led the study, says the study evaluated 76 patients between the ages of 10 and 25 who underwent bariatric surgery between January 2020 and March 2025, and an average loss of 30-percent body weight wasn’t the only positive outcome.
Cut 7 (13) “…60-percent improvement.”
Dr. Schauer says chronic obesity is a disease that begins early in life; and sometimes, surgery may be the one and only viable option in ensuring a patient’s long-term health.
Cut 8 (10) “…would be surgery.”
Schauer says as evidenced by this study, bariatric surgery is becoming a more widely accepted option for younger patients.
Cut 9 (10) “…or bariatric surgery.”
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The search for the remains of a 15-year-old Baton Rouge boy is underway at the Baton Rouge North Landfill. Baton Rouge Police say 51-year-old Maurice Parms beat Je’Derrius Minnieweather to death and dumped his body in a trash can that was picked up during garbage collection. Minniweather’s grandmother, Jawanna Brooks, is looking for answers.
The FBI is helping with the search. Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp says investigators have narrowed the search area to about one acre, but there are massive amounts of debris to sift through.
Parms has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of the teen. Arrest records say Minnieweather went to see a 16-year-old friend on June 5th. Investigators say he got into an argument with Parms over the way Parms was treating the girl. East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore says finding Minnieweather’s remains is crucial for two reasons.
Cut 12 (06) “…in this matter.”
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A St. Tammany Parish youth pastor is arrested for allegedly sexually abusing several children decades ago. 72-year-old David Mercer was wanted on a warrant issued out of Bossier Parish. Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Matthew Bertrand says Mercer was wanted for crimes committed between 1989 and 1995, while he had served as youth pastor at Cypress Baptist Church in Benton.
Cut 13 (08) “…molestation of juveniles.”
Mercer was taken into custody Friday afternoon at a property owned by First Baptist Church of Folsom, where he was working as a youth pastor. Sergeant Bertrand says it’s baffling that Mercer has continued to serve as youth pastor all this time.
Cut 14 (10) “…a little concerning.”
Bertrand says while there are four alleged victims at this time, there are likely many more, and he wants them and anyone else with any information to come forward.
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Jay Johnson and LSU brought in some big-time high school signees who chose to enroll at LSU over signing with an MLB team. Aledo, Texas, left-hander Lucas Nawrocki was Perfect Game’s number-50 high school prospect and pulled his name from the draft the night before it began. Glen West with On3-dot-com says he can have an immediate impact.
Cut 16 (16) “…from the start.”
Foxworth, Mississippi, right-handed pitcher Kolby Stringer ranked 110th in MLB’s draft prospect rankings. The 6-3, 205-pounder was not selected in the Major League draft and will head to Baton Rouge. West says he shot up draft boards late.
Cut 17 (13) “…bullpen next year.”
On the position player side, Perfect Game’s 28th-ranked high schooler Malachi Washington chose to go to school after being drafted at pick 528. 45th-ranked prep prospect Dominic Santarelli was picked 550th overall and announced his enrollment at LSU. West says this class is one Tiger fans may look back on as a program-changer.
Cut 18 (20) “…they’re that talented.”