The first two days of early voting in Louisiana broke records. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Many are remembering Charles Baglio, a longtime LSU staffer and a Hall of Fame high school football coach, who died at the age of 81. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Voters turned out in droves during the first two days of early voting. The secretary of state’s office says more than 170-thousand people showed up at the polls Friday and Saturday. John Couvillon (COO-vee-ahn) with JMC Analytics and Polling says the actual number is even higher.

Cut 3 (11) “…to 259,512 statewide.”

Normally, more Democrats turn out for early voting than Republicans, but Couvillon says that’s not the case this time around.

Cut 4 (15) “…2020 and 2024.”

And at least on Saturday, Black voters didn’t turn out in the numbers that the state saw four years ago.

Cut 5 (09) “…had in 2020.”

Couvillon says a couple reasons for the huge Republican turnout are that they’re enthusiastic about this year’s election, and the fact that since Louisiana doesn’t have a single competitive race on the ballot in terms of federal offices, people wanted to get their voting out of the way early.

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Longtime LSU football staffer Charles Baglio died Friday night when he was hit by a car on U-S Highway 51 in Tangipahoa Parish. Baglio was just involved in a wreck himself and checking on another vehicle when he was struck and killed by a passing motorist. Baglio was also a successful high school football coach at Independence. Former Independence Coach Keith Carona says Baglio made high school sports fun

Cut 6 (07) “…fun doing it.”

Baglio won 205 games as a high school football coach and took Independence to the state championship game twice. Carona says former LSU coach Nick Saban hired Baglio as a staffer in in 2002 and he was part of three national championship teams…

Cut 7 (11) “…at LSU.”

Baglio was 81-years-old and Corona says the Independence native served as a mentor for many high school football coaches…

Cut 8 (08) “…other plans.”

Baglio was inducted into the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 and part of this year’s National High School Athletics Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

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LSP Class 105 started its accelerated 14-week POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) class, designed to prepare the 56 students for careers in law enforcement. This intensive program will equip them with essential skills and knowledge, including legal principles, investigative techniques, and physical training.  LSP Lt. Jared Sandifer says cadets in the accelerated program have POST training going into the academy.

Cut 9 (11)  “…exposed to some of that.”

Throughout the course, students will engage in hands-on learning experiences and real-world scenarios, fostering critical thinking and decision-making abilities. Sandifer says the 14-week timeline is rigorous, pushing students to excel and adapt quickly.

Cut 10 (07) “…to be a Trooper.”

By the end of the program, graduates will be well-prepared to take on the challenges of law enforcement, ready to serve and protect their communities. Sandifer noted the benefits that come with becoming an LSP Trooper…

Cut 11 (12) “…if you will.”

LSP is currently taking applications for Class 107 starting in the summer of 2025.

Voters turned out in droves during the first two days of early voting. The secretary of state’s office says more than 170-thousand people showed up at the polls Friday and Saturday. John Couvillon (COO-vee-ahn) with JMC Analytics and Polling says the actual number is even higher. 

Cut 3 (11) “…to 259,512 statewide.”

Normally, more Democrats turn out for early voting than Republicans, but Couvillon says this time, it’s the other way around.

Oral arguments are taking place in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge at this hour over Louisiana’s controversial Ten Commandments law. Legal analyst Dane Ciolino says the state has almost no chance of winning this round.

Cut 9 (16)  “…establishment clause precedent.”

Some 150-thousand Swifties are set to invade New Orleans this week. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

LSU rolled past the Razorbacks on Saturday night beating Arkansas 34 to 10 in Fayetteville. The win sets up a huge game this Saturday against Texas A-and-M. LSU has won six in a row since the season-opening loss to USC and are now ranked number-seven in the nation.

The Saints of today are a far cry from the first two weeks of the season. That was evident Thursday night when the Saints got walloped by the Broncos, 33-10. Head Coach Dennis Allen says the team is much better than what last night showed.

Cut 23 (13) “…playing that way.”

LSU hopes to fare better than the Saints as they travel to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. LSU got a huge win last week against Ole Miss, and Coach Brian Kelly expects his team can avoid a let down.

Cut 15 (10) “…right direction.”

LSU is 5-and-1 on the season, while Arkansas is 4-and-2. Kickoff is at six.

The Ragin Cajuns take their 5-and-1 record on the road to play Coastal Carolina at 11 AM central time on Saturday. Coastal is coming off a 39 to 7 loss to James Madison. But Cajuns Coach Mike Desormeaux (DEZ-er-mo) says they looked good in their five previous games…

Cut 17 (15) “…being motivated.”

Elsewhere, Southern hosts Alcorn State, and Tulane hosts Rice.

When it comes to professional sports in Louisiana, it’s hockey 2, baseball 0. The Monroe Moccasins join the Baton Rouge Zydeco (ZYE-de-koh) in the Federal Prospects Hockey League, taking the ice following a 23-year absence. Moccasins Owner Nic Perkin says there’s excitement in the air.

Cut 9 (08)  “…it’s just incredible.”

People are not procrastinating when it comes to voting in the presidential election. People showed up in droves on the first day of early voting. These people cast their ballots at the Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge.

Cut 6 (08) “…got it done.”

If your parish has multiple early voting locations, you can vote at any one of them. On Election Day, you will need to vote at your specific precinct. Early voting runs until October 29th; the polls are closed on Sundays.

A continuing burn ban in Louisiana is a response to ongoing dry conditions, low humidity, and high winds. Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain says if you’re doing prescribed burning, monitor wind speeds and follow all the guidelines…

Cut 13 (09) “…agricultural burn.” 

The dry weather is expected to persist for the foreseeable future.

The Louisiana National Guard held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new readiness center at Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Sean Richardson.

A second professional hockey team in Louisiana takes the ice as the Monroe Moccasins return following a 23-year absence. Owner Nic Perkin is aiming to use his team as a way of increasing youth participation in hockey through his Power Play Promises youth program.

Cut 11 (09) “…equipment for free.”

People are not procrastinating when it comes to voting in the presidential election. People showed up in droves on the first day of early voting. These people cast their ballots at the Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge.

Cut 6 (08) “…got it done.”

If your parish has multiple early voting locations, you can vote at any one of them. On Election Day, you will need to vote at your specific precinct. Early voting runs until October 29th; the polls are closed on Sundays.

A continuing burn ban in Louisiana is a response to ongoing dry conditions, low humidity, and high winds. Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain says if you’re doing prescribed burning, monitor wind speeds and follow all the guidelines…

Cut 13 (09) “…agricultural burn.” 

The dry weather is expected to persist for the foreseeable future.

The Louisiana National Guard held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new readiness center at Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Sean Richardson.

A second professional hockey team in Louisiana takes the ice as the Monroe Moccasins return following a 23-year absence. Owner Nic Perkin is aiming to use his team as a way of increasing youth participation in hockey through his Power Play Promises youth program.

Cut 11 (09) “…equipment for free.”

The Saints of today are a far cry from the first two weeks of the season. That was evident Thursday night when the Saints got walloped by the Broncos, 33-10. Head Coach Dennis Allen says the team is much better than what last night showed.

Cut 23 (13) “…playing that way.”

LSU hopes to fare better than the Saints as they travel to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. LSU got a huge win last week against Ole Miss, and Coach Brian Kelly expects his team can avoid a let down.

Cut 15 (10) “…right direction.”

LSU is 5-and-1 on the season, while Arkansas is 4-and-2. Kickoff is at six.

The Ragin Cajuns take their 5-and-1 record on the road to play Coastal Carolina at 11 AM central time on Saturday. Coastal is coming off a 39 to 7 loss to James Madison. But Cajuns Coach Mike Desormeaux (DEZ-er-mo) says they looked good in their five previous games…

Cut 17 (15) “…being motivated.”

Elsewhere, Southern hosts Alcorn State, and Tulane hosts Rice.

When it comes to professional sports in Louisiana, it’s hockey 2, baseball 0. The Monroe Moccasins join the Baton Rouge Zydeco (ZYE-de-koh) in the Federal Prospects Hockey League, taking the ice following a 23-year absence. Moccasins Owner Nic Perkin says there’s excitement in the air.

Cut 9 (08)  “…it’s just incredible.”

People are not procrastinating when it comes to voting in the presidential election. People are showing up in droves on this, the first day of early voting. These people cast their ballots at the Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge.

Cut 6 (08) “…got it done.”

If your parish has multiple early voting locations, you can vote at any one of them. On Election Day, you will need to vote at your specific precinct. Early voting runs until October 29th; the polls are closed on Sundays.

The Louisiana National Guard held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new readiness center at Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles. Colonel Scott Slaven says the original facility has been around since the 1950s…

Cut 3 (12) “…train our soldiers.”

As teams take the field for Friday night high school football tonight, the LHSAA issues a warning for players and coaches – be on your best behavior, or else. Executive Director Eddie Bonine (BO-nine) says if anyone gets out of hand, there will be consequences.

Cut 7 (14) “…for a game.”

Bonine’s warning comes after players from Comeaux and North Vermillion got into a fight on the field following the conclusion of their game last week. Both teams are forfeiting their games this week, costing Teurlings Catholic High School its homecoming game.

The Saints didn’t wait until Sunday to ruin your weekend; they did so last night, getting blown out by Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos, 33-10. The Saints were without nearly all of their top players due to injury, including all-pro receiver Rashid Shaheed, who will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Voter turnout for this presidential election is expected to be heavy so you may want to participate in early voting which begins today. Colleen Crain has more.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

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A warning as you make your way to your high school football game tonight – be on your best behavior, or else. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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With increased popularity in whole home generators comes increased strain on natural gas infrastructure. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Early Voting begins today, and you may want to consider it since presidential elections typically have the highest participation in Louisiana. Secretary of State Nancy Landry expects a 68 to 71% turnout, and she says the state’s award-winning app, GeauxVote, can help with many important election related topics…

Cut 4 (11) “…vote dot com.”

The app and website will list all the early voting locations. If your parish has more than one site, you can early vote at any site in your parish. Election day voters must vote at their precinct. Either way, Landry says you can be sure your vote will be secure.

Cut 5 (11) “…will be counted.”

Landry says Louisiana’s high ranking is due to the 4 Ps of election security – the people of the state agencies involved are the only ones who can touch the machines, the policies and procedures including Voter ID laws and anti-ballot-harvesting, and physical security which says voting machines are never connected to the internet and…

Cut 6 (08) “…every election.”

Early voting continues through October 29 every day except Sundays.

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As teams take to the field for Friday night high school football tonight, the LHSAA issues a warning for players and coaches – be on your best behavior, or else. Executive Director Eddie Bonine (BO-nine) says if anyone gets out of hand, there will be consequences.

Cut 7 (14) “…for a game.”

Bonine’s warning comes after players from Comeaux and North Vermillion got into a fight on the field following the conclusion of their game last week. Both teams are forfeiting their games this week, and Bonine says that unfortunately comes with some collateral damage.

Cut 8 (09) “…anybody playing homecoming?”

Bonine says his same warning goes for the fans in the stands.

Cut 9 (11)  “…do with it.”

Bonine says on a positive note, the number of fights at sporting events has gone down the last two years. Still, he says even one is too many.

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Whole home generators are all the rage here in Louisiana, especially when the power goes out. Unfortunately, they’re taking a toll on natural gas supplies. Public Service Commissioner Mike Francis says during Hurricane Francine, people in a subdivision in Thibodaux overloaded the city’s natural gas infrastructure.

Cut 10 (08) “…the generators going.”

Francis says improving the natural gas infrastructure is going to take money – money that gas customers will need to help out with.

Cut 11 (10) …a reliable system.”

Francis says other utilities have strengthened their infrastructures – now it’s time for natural gas to do the same thing.

Cut 12 (07) “…with natural gas.”

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The eighth ranked LSU Tigers will be Fayetteville tomorrow night to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. This game always means more for the fans of Arkansas and running back Josh Williams is expecting a hostile crowd inside Razorback Stadium…

Cut 13 (12)  “..pretty chippy.”

It’s the annual Battle for the Boot. The winner of the game gets to possess a 200-pound trophy molded to resemble the states of Louisiana and Arkansas. Williams says it’s important for LSU to keep the Golden Boot

Cut 14 (13) “…want it.”

Arkansas is another test for LSU’s defense. The Razorbacks are third in the SEC in total offense and they’ll play up tempo. Tigers Safety Jardin Gilbert…

Cut 15 (10) “…physical team.”

Kick-off is at 6 PM.

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The Ragin Cajuns take their 5-and-1 record on the road to play Coastal Carolina at 11 AM central time on Saturday. It’s been a good first half of the season for Coach Michael Desormeaux’s team, but he says they haven’t done anything yet…

Cut 16 (19)   “…perform.”

Coastal Carolina is coming off a 39 to 7 loss to James Madison. But Desormeaux says they looked good in their five previous games…

Cut 17 (15) “…being motivated.”

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Missing nearly all their top players, the Saints were no match for the Broncos, losing last night at the Superdome 33-10. After the game, Saints coach Dennis Allen didn’t mince words.

Cut 18 (16)  “…game went along.”

The game was even more lopsided than the final score indicates – the Saints scored their lone touchdown with 1:22 left in the game on a Jake Haener 12-yard pass to Cedrick Wilson Jr., well after the game was out of hand. Before being pulled late in the game, Spencer Rattler completed 25 passes out of 35 attempts for 172 yards. While he didn’t throw any interceptions, he was sacked six times and lost two fumbles, one of which was run back for a touchdown. Alvin Kamara gained only 10 yards rushing and 14 yards receiving. Coach Allen said nothing is going right for the team right now.

Cut 19 (14) “…job of tackling.”  

The Saints welcomed back a pair of old friends to the Superdome – Drew Brees, who was inducted into the team’s hall of fame, and Sean Payton, who’s now coaching the Broncos. Coach Payton says it was a special return to the Superdome.

Cut 20 (17) “…miss making memories.” 

Before the game, the Saints got some bad news when they learned that all-pro punt returner Rashid Shaheed would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. During the game, cornerback Paulson Adebo broke his femur, and Marshon Lattimore exited with a hamstring injury. The Saints lost their fifth straight to fall to 2-5 on the season. They’ll try to right the ship a week from Sunday in Los Angeles against the Chargers.

DOTD is sending crews to Florida to help in the recovery following Hurricane Milton. Spokesman Rodney Mallett says this is a way for Louisiana to return the favor after crews from other states descended upon the Pelican State to help in the cleanup following Hurricane Laura.

Cut 4 (11) “…in and assist.”

Mallett says the crews have a great deal of experience in removing vegetative debris, just like in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura.

The largest free fair in the country is underway. The Washington Parish Free Fair goes through Sunday in Franklinton. Jim Stringfield, who serves on the fair’s stage committee, says the fair routinely attracts some big name entertainers, and this year is no different.

Cut 12 (08) “…as well.”

People from all over flock to the small town of about 35-hundred.

50 Cent met with Governor Landry yesterday to talk about the film industry’s tax credits that may be going away with Landry’s proposed tax reform plan. State law allows for 180-million dollars in film tax credits to be claimed and each project can receive up to 40-percent of their overall in-state investment. Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson says studies show these types of programs are fiscally a net loss.

Cut 8 (12) “…changing the system.”

Early voting in the presidential election begins tomorrow. Congresswoman Julia Letlow says the right to vote is one of the most precious rights for us as Americans.

Cut 10 (05) “…on your ballot.”

Early voting in Louisiana lasts ten days, with no voting taking place on Sunday. Election Day is November 5th.

DOTD is sending crews to Florida to help with the cleanup following Hurricane Milton. Andrew Greenstein has more.

Cut 1 (28) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Sean Payton returns to the Superdome tonight as the head coach of the Broncos, but for the Saints they are looking to snap a four-game losing streak. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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DOTD is sending crews to Florida to help in the recovery following Hurricane Milton. Spokesman Rodney Mallett says crews will be sent from across the whole state.

Cut 3 (11) “…them remove debris.”

Mallett says this is a way for Louisiana to return the favor after crews from other states descended upon the Pelican State to help in the cleanup following Hurricane Laura.

Cut 4 (11) “…in and assist.”

Mallett says crews are bracing for a massive cleanup job.

Cut 5 (09) “…there as well.”

Mallett says the crews have a great deal of experience in removing vegetative debris, just like in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura.

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Rapper, TV producer, and businessman, Curtis “50 cent” Jackson met with Governor Jeff Landry on Wednesday. Jackson established a 985-thousand-square-foot-production studio in Shreveport and he’s also purchased several properties in downtown Shreveport. Louisiana Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson…

Cut 6 (09) “…come from it.”

In a social media post, Landry said Louisiana is lucky to have someone like Jackson investing in the state’s economy. 50-cent may have traveled to Baton Rouge to talk to Landry about the state’s film tax credit program that could be drastically changed or possibly eliminated because of the governor’s tax reform plan. Nelson says they are looking at all tax credits

Cut 7 (11) “…for the taxpayers”

Jackson opened G-Unit Studios in Shreveport last April and he’s invested over two million dollars in the city. State law allows for 180-million dollars in film tax credits to be claimed and each project can receive up to 40-percent of their overall in-state investment. But Nelson says studies show these types of programs are fiscally a net loss …

Cut 8 (12) “…changing the system.”

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Early voting in the presidential election begins tomorrow. Congresswoman Julia Letlow is urging you to do your civic duty.

Cut 9 (10)  “…exercise that right.”

Letlow says the right to vote is one of the most precious rights for us as Americans.

Cut 10 (05) “…on your ballot.”

Congressional districts have changed, so go to GeauxVote-dot-com to find out who’s on your ballot. Early voting in Louisiana lasts ten days, with no voting taking place on Sunday. Election Day is November 5th.

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The largest free fair in the country is underway. The Washington Parish Free Fair goes through Sunday in Franklinton. Jim Stringfield, who serves on the fair’s stage committee, says when they say free, they mean free.

Cut 11 (10) “…from the area.”

The fair routinely attracts some big name entertainers, and this year is no different.

Cut 12 (08) “…as well.”

And with absolutely no admission cost, people from all over flock to the small town of about 35-hundred in the northeast corner of South Louisiana.

Cut 13 (08) “…four-day gap.” 

And the weather this weekend is expected to be perfect; so you can expect the fair grounds to be bustling.