It’s a mere formality at this point, but the LSU Board of Supervisors is moving to authorize new President Wade Rousse to fire football coach Brian Kelly. The board made that move during a special called meeting in response to a lawsuit Kelly filed against the school. Following an executive session that lasted almost an hour, John Carmouche made the motion in open session.

Cut 9 (11)  “…his employment agreement.”

The second round of the high school football playoffs begins tonight. In Division Three Non-Select, eleventh-seeded Richwood travels to seventh-seeded Oak Grove. Spencer Verrett with the LHSAA Network says Richwood will have its hands full.

Cut 15 (12) “…good numbers recently.”

The Trump administration unveils its oil and gas leasing five-year draft plan. It involves holding seven lease sales off Louisiana’s Gulf coast. Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association President Tommy Faucheux (FOE-shay) says the companies which will compete for the leases operate with the utmost of integrity.

Cut 4 (12) “…to get stronger.”

The five-year plan proposed by the Trump administration would replace the five-year plan enacted under the Biden administration which curtailed oil and gas exploration as part of Biden’s efforts to combat climate change.

The Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association is hailing the Trump administration’s draft plan to hold seven lease sales off Louisiana’s Gulf coast. President Tommy Faucheux (FOE-shay) says it’s a welcome commitment to furthering America’s energy dominance.

Cut 3 (12) “…for the future.”

The plan would open more than 1.2-billion acres to oil and gas exploration.

Students in Louisiana continue to improve in the classroom. The State Department of Education says the statewide performance score for this year is 80.9; four years ago, it was 75.3. State Superintendent Cade Brumley says this progress shows what’s possible when the state is focused on strong instruction.

Cut 8 (11) “…students in need.”

This fall has been so dry that 40-percent of the state is now in a drought. But for some – some – there is relief on the way. Parts of the northern parishes could get up to two inches of rain in the next seven days. But State Climatologist Jay Grymes says the southern parishes will have to settle for only about a quarter of an inch.

Cut 12 (09) “…much improvement there.”

Even though Ole Miss has the weekend off, the eyes of the college football world are on their head coach, Lane Kiffin. They’re awaiting his decision on whether he will remain in Oxford or whether he will go to LSU or Florida, should either school offer him their vacant coaching positions. Christopher Boan (“Bowen”) with Bookies-dot-com says as of right now, the odds favor him not needing a real estate agent.

Cut 4 (08) “…goes to Florida.”

Even though his team is on a bye week this week, the eyes of the college football world are on Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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In public education news, Louisiana’s statewide performance score has increased for a fourth consecutive year. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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The second round of the Louisiana High School football playoffs begins tonight. Andre Champagne looks at some key non-select matchups.

Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

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Even though Ole Miss has the weekend off, the eyes of the college football world are on their head coach, Lane Kiffin. They’re awaiting his decision on whether he will remain in Oxford or whether he will go to LSU or Florida, should either school offer him their vacant coaching positions. Christopher Boan (“Bowen”) with Bookies-dot-com says as of right now, the odds favor him not needing a real estate agent.

Cut 4 (08) “…goes to Florida.”

Kiffin and Ole Miss Athletic Director Keith Carter are scheduled to meet this morning, and Boan says Ole Miss will pull out all the stops to keep Kiffin in Oxford.

Cut 5 (11) “…from anybody.”

Boan says if LSU fails to land Kiffin, one name that’s been floating around in Tigerland is that of another SEC head coach, Eli Drinkwitz of Missouri.

Cut 6 (08) “…that SEC move.”

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For the fourth consecutive year, the State Department of Education is reporting an increase in public school and district performance scores. The statewide performance score for this year is 80.9 — up from 75.3 in 2021. State Superintendent Cade Brumley says it’s the highest overall score under the current 150-point system.

Cut 7 (07) “…in our state.”

Brumley says this progress shows what’s possible when the state is focused on strong instruction.

Cut 8 (11) “…students in need.”

Overall, 21 percent of schools earned a letter grade of A, 31-percent received a B, 32-percent got a C, and 16-percent received a D or F.  Next year, the percentage of A and Bs could drop as the state will move to a new accountability formula.

Brumley says schools and districts will be measured using a straightforward scorecard that raises expectations for student performance and places greater emphasis on whether students graduate ready for a career, college or military service.

Cut 9 (14)  “…A-and-B category.”

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This has been a very dry fall so far here in Louisiana – so much so that 40-percent of the state is in a drought. State Climatologist Jay Grymes says drought conditions haven’t been this bad in the state in quite a while.

Cut 10 (10) “…November of 2024.”

Grymes says in some parts of the state, relief is on the way. Parts of the northern parishes could see at least two inches of rain in the next week.

Cut 11 (11) “…of the state.”

Grymes says the southern parishes, on the other hand, may have to settle for only about a quarter of an inch of rain over the next seven days.

Cut 12 (09) “…much improvement there.”

Grymes says this could be a sign of things to come in the months ahead, as given the current weather pattern, we could be in for a dry winter this winter.

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The second round of the Louisiana high school football playoffs kicks off tonight. One of the marquee matchups is Barbe at West Monroe. Spencer Verrett of the LHSAA Network says the Buccaneers have one of the best offenses in Louisiana, led by running back Jordan Griffin and says they will test the Rebels defense.

Cut 13 (08)  “…business against Barbe.”

In Division Two, the Franklin Parish Patriots host the Lutcher Bulldogs. Verrett says he could see either team making a run, but he expects the Patriots to come out on top.

Cut 14 (11) “…last year ended.”

Last year the Patriots’ season ended in the quarterfinals, losing 42-28 to Iowa.

In Division Three, eleventh-seeded Richwood travels to seventh-seeded Oak Grove. After being winless in 2024, the Rams have a chance to continue to build on their impressive season, but Verrett says it won’t come easy against a hot Tigers team.

Cut 15 (12) “…good numbers recently.”

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LSU sophomore quarterback Michael Van Buren is expected to make his second straight start this week against Western Kentucky. Last week in his first win with the Tigers, Van Buren threw for 221 yards and a touchdown against Arkansas. Van Buren says that he’s been soaking everything up from the coaching staff this season, which has allowed him to stay ready.

Cut 16 (15) “…get the victory.”

Van Buren came into Baton Rouge to serve as the backup to senior Garrett Nussmeier in hopes to eventually become the starter. Even with all the coaching changes, Van Buren is glad he ended up at LSU.

Cut 17 (16)  “…me do that.”

Van Buren said that he will stay with the program through the coaching changes.

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Louisiana Tech is down to two quarterbacks after sophomore Evan Bullock exited last week’s game with an upper-body injury in the 28-3 loss to Washington State. Bullock and Blake Baker are both out for the year. Junior Trey Kukuk (Q-kuhk) will be the starter for this week’s game against Liberty, and head coach Sonny Cumbie says the entire offense will have to elevate its play.

Cut 18 (16)  “…continue to elevate.”

Louisiana Tech leads the Conference USA and is number-16 in the nation in most penalties with 76 through ten games. Cumbie said that the Bulldogs have to do better of being disciplines, but said the team may be getting called for more penalties since they are leaving Conference USA for the Sun Belt next year.

Cut 19 (09) “…sometimes you wonder.”

The Bulldogs kick off against Liberty in Ruston tomorrow afternoon at two.

A Baton Rouge immigration lawyer is reminding you of your rights should you be approached by a Border Patrol officer during the immigration crackdown operation that will be getting underway soon in and around New Orleans. David Rozas says the right to remain silent extends to everyone in the country, whether they’re citizens or immigrants.

Cut 6 (11) “…to remain silent.”

The LSU Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting tomorrow to discuss former football coach Brian Kelly’s lawsuit against the school as he seeks his full 54-million-dollar buyout. Piper Hutchinson with the Louisiana Illuminator says the board will spend nearly the whole meeting in executive session; and it will announce the next steps in open session afterwards.

Cut 11 (11) “…of that meeting.”

Two Vermillion Parish men are arrested in connection with an attack on a man walking home from a festival in Lafayette last month. Surveillance video led investigators to 23-year-olds Tristan Frederick and Tynes Chaney in connection with the assault of Dustyn Cope. Lafayette Police Sergeant Robyn Green says attacks like this one cast a very dark shadow on the city.

Cut 5 (10) “…we have here.”

Plastipak Manufacturing announces a major expansion of its Pineville manufacturing facility. It will create 15 direct jobs and 25 indirect jobs while retaining 340 current positions. Louisiana Central President and CEO Chris Masingill says this is a huge economic win for the entire Central Louisiana region.

Cut 14 (12) “…and business climate.”

New Orleans is bracing for a two-month immigration enforcement operation. While President Trump and Governor Landry maintain that federal agents will be going after the most violent criminals, immigration attorney David Rozas says the people they’ll really be going after are other people entirely, and they’ll be targeting them solely based on the color of their skin.

Cut 8 (11) “…last 20 years.”

The LSU Board of Supervisors has called for a special meeting tomorrow to discuss the lawsuit filed by Brian Kelly as the former Tigers football coach is seeking his entire 54-million-dollar buyout. Piper Hutchinson with the Louisiana Illuminator says most of the meeting will take place behind closed doors

Cut 9 (10)  “.of the meeting.”

Lafayette Police arrest two Vermillion Parish men for allegedly assaulting a man who was walking home from Festivals Acadiens et Creoles last month. Tristan Frederick and Tynes Chaney, who are both 23, are charged with second-degree battery in the October 12th attack on Dustyn Cope. Sergeant Robin Green says important evidence led investigators to the two men.

Cut 3 (09) “…after the festival.”

Even though Cope, who’s half Filipino, says the attack was racially motivated, Green says investigators have not established that as of yet.

Plastipak Manufacturing announces a major expansion of its Pineville manufacturing facility. The nearly 54-million-dollar plan will create 15 direct jobs and 25 indirect jobs. Louisiana Central President and CEO Chris Masingill says Plastipak is one of the global leaders in plastic packaging.

Cut 12 (12) “…supply chain synergy.”

The LSU Board of Supervisors calls for a special meeting tomorrow to discuss the lawsuit filed by former head football coach Brian Kelly. He’s seeking his entire 54-million-dollar buyout, while the school is seeking to fire him for cause, thus owing him nothing. Piper Hutchinson with the Louisiana Illuminator says we’ll find out tomorrow on how LSU plans to respond to Kelly’s lawsuit.

Cut 10 (09) “…meeting is over.”

New Orleans is the next stop on President Trump’s immigration crackdown, and a Baton Rouge immigration lawyer has some useful advice during the operation. David Rozas says immigrants who are in the country legally need to make an extra effort to have their required identification with them at all times.

Cut 7 (11) “…search and seizure.”

The Rapides Parish facility where plastic containers are manufactured for companies around the world announces a major expansion. Andre Champagne reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

Walmart apparently doesn’t like it when people horse around in its stores. As many as eight horseback riders decided to end their trail ride Sunday by riding into the Abbeville store. In an effort to rein in this behavior, Walmart officials are pursuing criminal charges. I just checked Walmart’s website, and indeed hay is not available in stores.

New Orleans is bracing for a two-month immigration enforcement operation. Some 250 Border Patrol agents will be fanning out in commercial areas and neighborhoods in the city and surrounding areas, with the goal of arresting five-thousand people on immigration violations. Congressman Troy Carter is not happy about it – he says those agents do not bring a sense of security; they only strike fear.

Cut 5 (07) “…than a neighborhood.”

Graduating seniors from Louisiana high schools will have something special on their diplomas. Governor Landry announced that in honor of the country’s 250th birthday, those graduates will have a commemorative America 250 seal on their diplomas.

Cut 8 (09) “…our country’s success.”

The Class of 2026 will also be the first one eligible for Louisiana’s Freedom Seal endorsement, recognizing students who excel in civics education.

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission continues to make sure younger children are properly restrained in a child safety seat. That requires a car seat that’s properly installed and is the right type for the child’s age and size. LHSC Director Lisa Freeman says many caretakers do not know how to properly install a child seat.

Cut 11 (08) “…share that information.”

The Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force is providing child seat safety information cards to the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association.

Round two of the high school football playoffs begin tomorrow night. Spencer Verrett with the LHSAA Network says one matchup he’s looking forward to is the eight-nine matchup in Division Three Select between defending champion Catholic New Iberia and Bunkie.

Cut 14 (11) “…in this one.”

The next stop on President Trump’s immigration crackdown is New Orleans. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The percentage of drivers in Louisiana who are not buckled up is down to 11-percent. Jeff Palermo has more from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.

Cut 2 (26) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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The second round of the high school football playoffs is tomorrow night. Andre Champagne looks at who is on upset alert on the select side.

Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

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The next stop on President Trump’s immigration crackdown will be New Orleans, and it’s expected to start as early as December 1st. As many as 250 Border Patrol agents will be in the region for up to two months, fanning out into commercial areas and neighborhoods. Congressman Troy Carter calls it a political stunt wrapped in badges and guns.

Cut 4 (11) “…or our people.”

Carter says Border Patrol agents do not bring a sense of security; instead, they strike fear in communities.

Cut 5 (07) “…than a neighborhood.”

In prior operations, Border Patrol agents have been recorded on video detaining U.S. citizens. Former New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas says those may have been instances where someone was interfering with a law enforcement operation.

Cut 6 (09) “…or a warrant.”

Serpas says the reason that Border Patrol agents wear masks to conceal their identities is for their own safety and the safety of their families.

Cut 7 (10) “…feds are doing.”

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Graduating seniors from Louisiana high schools will have something special on their diplomas. Governor Landry announced that in honor of the country’s 250th birthday, those graduates will have a commemorative America 250 seal on their diplomas.

Cut 8 (09) “…our country’s success.”

Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley says as part of the occasion, the Class of 2026 will be the first eligible for a new recognition as part of the state’s Freedom Framework initiative adopted in 2022.

Cut 9 (14)  “…honor cords.”

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The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission continues to make the push to get everyone in a vehicle to buckle up and to make sure younger children are properly restrained in a child safety seat. Only 11-percent of drivers in Louisiana do not wear seat belts, and Highway Safety Commission Director Lisa Freeman says it will take intense messaging to get that percentage down to zero.

Cut 10 (07) “…so the deterrent.”

Keeping children safe in a vehicle requires a car seat that is properly installed and is the right type for the child’s age and size. Freeman what they are finding out is that many caretakers do not know how to properly install a child seat.

Cut 11 (08) “…share that information.”

The Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force is providing child seat safety information cards to the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association, which will distribute the cards to its dealers and their customers. Freeman hopes this will result in more children being properly restrained.

Cut 12 (07) “…we’re seeing here.”

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The second round of the Louisiana High School football playoffs begins tomorrow night. Today, we are looking at the Select matchups. Spencer Verrett with the LHSAA Network says the eight-nine matchup between Evangel and St. Paul’s in Division One is one of the better games.

Cut 13 (13)  “…already explosive offense.”

In Division Three, Verrett is looking forward to the eight versus nine matchup between the defending champion Catholic New Iberia Panthers and the Bunkie Panthers.

Cut 14 (11) “…in this one.”

In Division Four, Verrett says two historically storied programs meet in Monroe as Southern Lab visits Ouachita Christian, and he says this game could go either way.

Cut 15 (12) “…to Oak Grove.”

Tomorrow, we will preview some of the best non-select matchups.

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Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin is LSU and Florida’s top targets in their head coaching searches. Rebels fans are on edge, but Kiffin says being pursued by other programs speaks volumes for what’s happening at Ole Miss.

Cut 16 (19) “…from that perspective.”

On Wednesday’s SEC weekly media teleconference call, Kiffin refused to speak on rumored trips members of his family took to Gainesville and Baton Rouge.

Cut 17 (13)  “…with other jobs.”

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UL-Lafayette faces Arkansas State tonight, as the Cajuns look to win their third straight game. The Cajuns are 1-and-4 on the road this season, and head coach Michael Desormeaux (DEZ-er-moe) says his team has to find a way to win on the road as they are just two wins away from becoming bowl eligible.

Cut 18 (18)  “…ready to play.”

UL-Lafayette will be without seven players this week, including six defensive players, after the Cajuns’ postgame scuffle with Texas State two weeks ago. Desormeaux says the defensive line must get to the quarterback tonight as the Cajuns have a depleted secondary.

Cut 19 (10) “…quite a bit.”

Kickoff in Jonesboro is at 6:30.

Three former employees at a Lake Charles Christian school are arrested for allegedly covering up sexual assaults at the school from earlier this year. Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Stitch Guillory says there was a culture on the Hamilton Christian School football team in which older players would haze the younger players.

Cut 3 (07) “…a sexual assault.”

Lincoln Parish is mourning the death of Ruston Fire Chief Chris Womack. He died at the age of 54 after a brief battle with cancer. Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker says Chief Womack started with the Ruston Fire Department in the early 1990s.

Cut 10 (10) “…he did.”

Walker says during Womack’s time as Fire Chief, the Ruston Fire Department achieved a Class 1 rating for the first time in the city’s history. He says Womack also played a critical role in the construction of a new fire station and fire tower for training.

College football reporters had a chance today to ask Lane Kiffin about his coaching future. Jeff Palermo has more on what the Ole Miss coach had to say and didn’t say….

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

As for Louisiana’s professional football team, when the Saints schedule comes out for next season, it will likely include a game in Paris. In the more immediate future, fans going to the Superdome Sunday will see the Saints in black from head to toe – black helmet, black jersey, black pants, black socks and black shoes.

Lincoln Parish is mourning the death of Ruston Fire Chief Chris Womack. He died at the age of 54 after a brief battle with cancer. Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker says Chief Womack started with the Ruston Fire Department in the early 1990s.

Cut 10 (10) “…he did.”

Louisiana is the first state to secure 1.36-billion dollars in federal funding to boost broadband infrastructure in rural areas. The announcement comes on the heels of Connect-L-A completing a major broadband expansion project in Vernon Parish. Executive Director Veneeth Iyengar says despite the scope of that project, it still left out three-thousand locations in the parish, and this federal funding will allow it to finish the job.

Cut 8 (10) “…1.36-billion-dollar announcement.”

College football reporters had a chance today to ask Lane Kiffin about his coaching future. Jeff Palermo has more on what the Ole Miss coach had to say and didn’t say.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Plastipak Manufacturing announces a major expansion of its Rapides Parish manufacturing facility. The nearly 54-million-dollar plan will add 200-thousand square feet to its facility, and it will create 15 direct jobs and 25 indirect jobs while retaining 340 current positions. The project is expected to be completed by the end of next year.