The House Ways and Means Committee approves legislation designed to make Louisiana more attractive to companies which are building and launching rockets. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (36) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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The crew of the Artemis Two is en route back to Earth, with splashdown happening Friday evening. Andre Champagne reports we will learn a lot through this mission.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

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A new LendingTree study shows that Louisiana has the third lowest rate of small business failures within the first year. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Legislation to attract the aerospace industry to Louisiana has been approved by the House Ways and Means Committee. Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois says other states are currently providing better tax incentives to lure aerospace companies.

Cut 4 (13) “…in this space.”

The measure would give sales tax rebates to aerospace businesses that create 200 permanent jobs and make a one-billion-dollar investment.  The legislation has the support of the Landry administration. The governor’s chief of staff, Julie Emerson, testified in favor of the bill.

Cut 5 (10) “…here in Louisiana.”

Louisiana has a history in the aerospace industry. The Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans has been building rockets for NASA in the 1960s, and Bollinger Shipyards has built barges to transport rockets.

While it was not mentioned during the discussion in House Ways and Means, this legislation is likely designed to attract Elon Musk’s Space X and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. The bill’s author is Ways and Means Chairman Tony Bacala from Prairieville.

Cut 6 (13) “…away from it.”

Industry experts say SpaceX and Blue Orgin are looking for additional launchpads. There’s also controversy with this industry, as concerns have been raised about the damage done to local wildlife and environment as a result of the rocket launches.

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The Artemis Two crew has circled the moon and is en route back to Earth. Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch (“cook”), as well as Canadian Jeremy Hansen, have traveled farther from Earth than anyone else ever has. Eric Burns, a professor of physics and astronomy at LSU, says we’re going to learn a lot from this mission.

Cut 7 (09) “…astronauts’ own cells.”

Burns says this mission is also a way for America to get reacquainted with an old friend it has not seen up close and personal since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

Cut 8 (12) “…go to Mars.”

Burns says while this mission has been smooth for the most part, there are a few kinks that will need to be worked out in future Artemis missions.

Cut 9 (08)  “…routinely and safely.”

Splashdown of the Orion capsule is scheduled for just after seven Central time Friday evening off the coast of San Diego.

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When it comes to the initial resiliency of small businesses, Louisiana actually does quite well. That’s the finding of a new study by LendingTree. Chief Consumer Financial Analyst Matt Schulz:

Cut 10 (11) “…about 20-percent.”

Schulz says while that’s the third lowest rate for first-year small business failure in the country, the five-year failure rate paints a very different picture.

Cut 11 (12) “…for Louisiana businesses.”

Schulz says while times are challenging for people everywhere across the country, entrepreneurs in Louisiana especially face significant headwinds when it comes to starting a business.

Cut 12 (10) “…take advantage of.”

Schulz also notes that Louisiana is traditionally a low credit score state, making it more difficult for entrepreneurs to secure the funding needed to start their own businesses. But he says with that relatively low number comes lack of competition, which means a better chance of survival in that first year.

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There are 455-thousand people on the state’s inactive voter list, but Secretary of State Nancy Landry says they are still able to vote in the upcoming primaries.

Cut 13 (07)  “…the active list.”

Landry says a registered voter gets put on the inactive list if he or she has not cast a ballot in the last ten years and did not respond to an address confirmation card sent by the Secretary of State’s Office.

Cut 14 (06) “…have passed away.”

Landry says there has been an increase in the number of inactive voters this year because of a law approved in 2024 that allows the Secretary of State to move voters to the inactive list if they can’t verify their address and they haven’t voted in more than a decade.

Cut 15 (08) “…voter rolls clean.”

She says a person can be completely taken off the voter rolls if one who is already on the inactive voter rolls does not vote in two consecutive federal election cycles.

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The LSU football team is now two and a half weeks into spring practice, and one name starting to turn heads is early enrollee freshman Richard Anderson. Head coach Lane Kiffin says the top-rated defensive lineman in the 2026 class has been impressive so far.

Cut 16 (14) “…excited about him.”

Last season, LSU struggled to run the ball, ranking 124th nationally with an average of just 104 rushing yards per game. Kiffin says that to be successful this season, the Tigers must establish a consistent running game.

Cut 17 (21)  “…whole team up.”

Kiffin says that throughout his coaching career, he has won with a variety of team styles. So far this spring, Kiffin says the defense has had the upper hand over the offense.

Cut 18 (18)  “…playing right now.” 

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Louisiana Tech football is still looking to fill a hole at running back after the departure of Clay Thevenin. Head coach Sonny Cumbie says he still wants to see more from his backs and believes the starting role is still up for grabs.

Cut 19 (12) “…at that position.”

Cumbie says senior quarterback Trey Kukuk (CUE-kuck) has already shown tremendous improvement in just seven practices.

Cut 20 (15) “…a football player.”

Legislation to attract the aerospace industry to Louisiana has been approved by the House Ways and Means Committee. Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois says other states are currently providing better tax incentives to lure aerospace companies.

Cut 4 (13) “…in this space.”

The measure would give sales tax rebates to aerospace businesses that create 200 permanent jobs and would make a one-billion dollar investment. Governor Landry’s chief of staff, Julie Emerson, testified in favor of the bill.

Cut 5 (10) “…in Louisiana.”

Louisiana has a history in the aerospace industry. The Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans has been building rockets for NASA since the 1960s.

There are 455-thousand people on the state’s inactive voter list, but they are still able to vote in the May 16th closed party primaries.

Cut 13 (07)  “..active list.”

Secretary of State Nancy Landry says a registered voter gets put on the inactive list if he or she has not cast a ballot in the last ten years and did not respond to an address confirmation card sent by the office.

If it was up to Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, we wouldn’t be having these closed primaries at all. Nungesser says along with resulting in a far less representative government, next month’s primary will cost the state a lot of money.

Cut 28 (08) “…where or what.”

On top of that, races that do not produce a majority, which will in all likelihood include the U.S. Senate Republican race, will move on to a runoff on June 27th, costing the state even more money.

We’re just 39 days away from the closed party primary; but if it was up to Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, we wouldn’t be having them at all. Nungesser strongly prefers the open primaries that have traditionally been used in Louisiana, and he says the vast majority of voters agree with him.

Cut 11 (07) “…want open primary.”

Nungesser says after this year’s closed primaries, he will work to return Louisiana to the open primary system.

It’s a new day in Melville as the St. Landry Parish community is overhauling its 60-year-old water system. The city’s outgoing water system was built on deteriorating pipes and a single overworked well, and Mayor Caretta Robertson says it was costing the town lots of money to keep it suitable for consumption.

Cut 6 (10) “…a long time.”

Oak Grove basketball star Caroline Bradley has committed to play for Kim Mulkey and the LSU Lady Tigers. Colleen Crain has the story.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

Will Wade is not the only former LSU head men’s basketball coach returning to the program. Wade has tapped his immediate predecessor from his first stint, Johnny Jones, as one of his assistants. Wade has also named former Mississippi State and Western Kentucky Head Coach Rick Stansbury as his associate head coach.

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser is once again advocating for the return of open primaries for all races in Louisiana. Nungesser says closed primaries do not yield a representative government.

Cut 9 (12)  “…the general election.”

Nungesser says general election voters are usually left with a choice of two extremists.

It’s a new day in Melville as the St. Landry Parish community is overhauling its 60-year-old water system. The project is being supported by a grant of more than four-million dollars from the USDA’s Rural Development Program. Mayor Caretta Robertson says she’s excited that the city will finally be getting a modern, safe water system.

Cut 8 (10) “…my words out.” (laughs)

Oak Grove basketball star Caroline Bradley has committed to play for Kim Mulkey and the LSU Lady Tigers. Colleen Crain has the story.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

Will Wade is not the only former LSU head men’s basketball coach returning to the program. Wade has tapped his immediate predecessor from his first stint, Johnny Jones, as one of his assistants. Wade has also named former Mississippi State and Western Kentucky Head Coach Rick Stansbury as his associate head coach.

A new report from the Data Center out of New Orleans says Louisiana’s job growth has been almost flat since the 2014 oil price crash. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (36) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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DEI policies have become a big issue in the Senate Republican primary. Andre Champagne has the story.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

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Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser outlines his tourism initiatives for 2026. Andrew Greenstein reports among them is continuing to drive visitors to the state parks.

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The Data Center, which is in New Orleans, says job growth in Louisiana since 2015 has increased by less than one-percent, well below the U.S. average of 11.5-percent. Dr. Alex Kolker helped put the report together and says Louisiana’s economy has not been the same since the oil price crash of 2014.

Cut 4 (09) “…oil price crash.”

Kolker says Louisiana is down about 15-thousand jobs in the drilling sector of the economy. He says Louisiana is also down about five-thousand jobs in water transportation, which involve taking people to offshore rigs.

Kolker says the state’s energy employment profile has moved away from offshore drilling jobs to short-term construction booms tied to liquefied natural gas and petrochemical projects.

Cut 5 (09) “…then employment drops.”

Kolker says oil and gas still provide comparatively high-paying, middle-skill jobs, but it’s not an industry that Louisiana can rely on to grow its employment numbers.

Cut 6 (09) “…price crashes come?”

Oil prices dropped nearly 50-percent in the second half of 2014.

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UL Lafayette baseball coach Matt Deggs has been suspended for two games after he confronted the James Madison dugout during Saturday’s 5–1 loss. The incident was sparked when Cajuns outfielder Maddox Mandino lowered his shoulder while running to first base after hitting a tapper in the infield. Following the play, Deggs says he heard a James Madison player direct a disrespectful comment toward him, and he decided to let the Dukes dugout know he was not having any of it.

Cut 7 (09) “…of our dugout.”

Deggs’ suspension will begin tomorrow, when the Cajuns take on Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond.

Deggs says he doesn’t take disrespect lightly – especially from younger players – which is why he was so fired up about the situation near the James Madison dugout.

Cut 8 (13) “…most certainly.”

Deggs says he takes full responsibility for his actions and knows he needs to do better moving forward.

Cut 9 (13)  “…and I apologize.”

Mandino will also serve a one-game suspension tomorrow.

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Senator Bill Cassidy continues to hammer Congresswoman Julia Letlow in the Republican Senate primary for previously supporting DEI policies. In videos from 2020 when Letlow was seeking to be the president at ULM, she told the search committee she was committed to a more diverse faculty. Cassidy also claims Letlow wanted to open the school’s first DEI division.

Cut 10 (12) “…decision was made ”

Letlow also described herself as a strong and progressive leader. In a press conference call with reporters on Monday, Cassidy explained why he opposes DEI policies.

Cut 11 (11) “…totally against that.”

In a statement released by her campaign, Letlow says DEI was presented in higher education as a way to encourage people to achieve the American dream, but now she sees it as a tool for the radical left to divide people, push indoctrination and hold people down instead of lifting them up.

Letlow also claims Cassidy has also supported DEI bureaucracy. She points out that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that Cassidy supported contained several equity-related provisions. Cassidy says he was more interested in the money that the legislation brought to Louisiana.

Cut 12 (11) “…embarrassed by that.”

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Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser is looking forward to 2026 being a big year of tourism for Louisiana. He says Louisiana has several events planned to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

Cut 13 (11)  “…old state capitol.”

Nungesser says the state has pushed sports tourism very hard, and one thing that he’s working hard to attract in many cities throughout the state is Olympic trials.

Cut 14 (12) “…all over Louisiana.”

Some previous Olympic trials held in Louisiana include volleyball in Shreveport and table tennis in Monroe.

Nungesser says through public-private partnerships, he has been able to keep all state parks open, even as some were on the verge of closing before he took office. He’s looking for the public-private partnerships to continue to attract visitors from all over the country.

Cut 15 (11) “…in north Louisiana.”

Nungesser says within a matter of years, the state will not need any tax dollars to manage its state parks; they can generate millions of dollars that the state can use for culture and tourism.

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The ULM baseball team dropped its second Sun Belt series of the season this past weekend, losing two games to Georgia State. Head coach Ford Pemberton was ejected during Game 1 of Friday night’s doubleheader after arguing with an umpire. Pemberton says he was defending one of his players following an exchange in which the umpire yelled at him.

Cut 16 (16) “…stuff moving forward.”

The Warhawks will host Mississippi Valley State tonight at six before traveling to Boone, North Carolina, for a weekend series against Appalachian State.

Senior third baseman Jake Haggard, who leads the team in RBI’s with 41, missed game three of the series after being scratched with a back injury. Pemberton provided an update on his status and expects him to return to the lineup tonight.

Cut 17 (11)  “…should be back.”

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser outlined his tourism initiatives for 2026. Nungesser says the state has pushed sports tourism very hard, and one thing that he’s working hard to attract in many cities throughout the state is Olympic trials.

Cut 14 (12) “…all over Louisiana.”

Nungesser says the state is also pushing tourism through the Louisiana Public Broadcasting travel series LA64, which rolls out eight new episodes over the next eight weeks. As the name of the series suggests, LA64 will spotlight all 64 parishes over the course of five seasons, focusing on places less traveled. Executive Producer Linda Midgett says every parish has its own personality.

Cut 7 (10) “…personalities come out.”

A 17-year-old lost his life swimming in waters near Grand Isle beach. Jeff Palermo has the story

Cut 2 (29) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

A confidence booster for LSU, as the Tigers score a huge comeback win over Tennessee, 16-to-6 in 12 innings. LSU has won five of its last six; and in four of those wins, the Tigers had to come back from huge deficits. Baseball Sports Information Director Bill Franques says it’s been exciting to watch this LSU team never give up.

Cut 5 (06) “…okay too.”

The bond for the alleged drunk driver who plowed into a crowd at a Lao New Year’s Festival in Iberia Parish Saturday has been set at nearly a quarter-million dollars. 57-year-old Todd Landry of Jeanerette is facing several charges. Nineteen people were hurt, with three remaining in the ICU. All are expected to survive. The sheriff’s office said over the weekend that it appears to be unintentional, but the investigation is still ongoing.

History was made in LSU’s wild come from behind win over Tennessee yesterday. Sophomore Cade Arrambide became the first player in school history to hit four home runs in one game as the Tigers defeated the Volunteers 16 to 6 in 12 innings – you heard that right, LSU scored ten runs in the top of the 12th inning. LSU Baseball Sports Information Director Bill Franques says it’s a rare accomplishment.

Cut 3 (10) “…in a game.”

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser is looking forward to 2026 being a big year of tourism for Louisiana. He says Louisiana has several events planned to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

Cut 13 (11)  “…old state capitol.”

Another initiative Nungesser spoke of was the Louisiana Public Broadcasting tourism series, LA64, which is premiering the first of eight new episodes tonight to round out the season. Executive Producer Linda Midgett says tonight’s episode takes us to St. Martin Parish, where viewers will be in for a musical treat.

Cut 6 (12) “…viewers will recognize.”

Over the next seven weeks, LA64 will visit Lafourche, Rapides, Franklin, Caddo, St. Mary, Beauregard and DeSoto parishes.

The manhunt continues for a man who St. Bernard Parish investigators say shot and killed his mother and grandmother during an argument last night. 22-year-old Lee Collins the Third allegedly shot 75-year-old Mary Major and 55-year-old Trenelle Collins inside a home, and Sheriff James Pohlmann says he also shot at someone else.

Cut 10 (08) “…but he missed.”

Pohlmann says Collins drove off in a flatbed truck and likely fled into Mississippi last night.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting premieres eight new episodes of its travel series LA64 tonight. The show goes to St. Martin Parish tonight, and Executive Producer Linda Midgett says the show will go to seven additional parishes between now and the end of May, when the current season wraps up.

Cut 8 (07) “…Beauregard and DeSoto.”

LSU’s Cade Arrambide makes history, becoming the first player in school history to hit four home runs in a game. Joe Gallinaro has the story.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

A man is arrested for allegedly smuggling contraband into the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center. The Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office says 31-year-old Treyondrick Williams told deputies he smokes weed and thought he cleaned out his car before arriving at the prison but didn’t clean it well enough. Williams is charged with taking contraband into a penal institution.

An alleged drunk driver crashed into more than a dozen people watching a parade in Iberia Parish on Saturday. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 21 (34) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Two women are shot to death in St. Bernard Parish last night. The sheriff’s office there says 22-year-old Lee Collins the Third got into an argument with the two women, who were his mother and his grandmother, and he shot both of them. They say Collins also shot at his father but did not hit him. Collins is still on the loose.

Three weeks into the legislative session and it’s quiet when it comes to debate on significant legislation and that might be design. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the Landry administration is not pushing any significant legislation after doing a lot of heavy lifting in his first two years in office.

Cut 10 (12) “…reform legislation.”

New episodes of the travel series LA 64 premiere on Louisiana Public Broadcasting tonight at eight. Executive Producer Linda Midgett says tonight’s episode takes us to St. Martin Parish, where viewers will be in for a musical treat.

Cut 6 (12) “…viewers will recognize.”

The injury toll in Iberia Parish is up to 19 after a suspected drunk driver plowed into a crowd at the Lao New Year’s Festival. We’re hearing that all victims are expected to survive. The suspect is 57-year-old Todd Landry of Jeanerette. While the Sheriff’s Office has said it did not appear to be intentional, the investigation is still ongoing.

Three weeks into the legislative session, and there have not been any substantive pieces of legislation making its way through the capitol. Jeanne Burns has an explanation…

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Jeanne Burns.”

A major preservation project gets underway today along I-49 between I-10 and the St. Landry Parish line. Deidra Druilhet (drool-YET) with DOTD says most of the work will be done during the overnight hours, with the parts presenting the biggest disruptions reserved for the weekends.

Cut 6 (13) “…the entire weekend.”

History was made in LSU’s wild come from behind win over Tennessee yesterday. Sophomore Cade Arrambide became the first player in school history to hit four home runs in one game as the Tigers defeated the Volunteers 16 to 6 in 12 innings – you heard that right, LSU scored ten runs in the top of the 12th inning. LSU Baseball Sports Information Director Bill Franques says it’s a rare accomplishment.

Cut 3 (10) “…in a game.”