Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans is boosting its reward for information leading to the capture of the two remaining escapees from the Orleans Justice Center to 20-thousand dollars. President Darlene Cusanza says the tips have proven to be very beneficial.

Cut 4 (11) “…within 30 minutes.”

As the legislature continues considering Monroe Republican Senator Stewart Cathey’s bill to do away with the speed cameras, the House passed an amendment by a single vote to exempt Opelousas from any such rule. It then passed the overall bill 72-to-23 and now goes back to the Senate to consider the House changes. Cathey says he’s completely unsure how to proceed, especially since he says he got 99-percent of what he wanted.

Cut 8 (08) “…one little fight.”

The House Health and Welfare committee rejected a bill by Houma Sen. Mike Fesi that sought to ban fluoride in public drinking water systems. Opponents, including 9-year-old Toby Ramen from Monroe, defended fluoride as safe, effective, and essential for public health as well as helping fight chronic diseases.

Cut 11 (13) “…than asthma.”  

And apparently, two-thirds of the committee agreed with him.

LSU-Shreveport won a record-tying 57th straight game last night, leaving them two more victories away from winning an NAIA national championship. The Pilots defeated Southeastern from Florida ten to nothing. LSU-S pitcher Isaac Rohde struck out ten and he benefited from his teammates scoring five runs in the first inning…

Cut 13 (07)  “…it was awesome”

The legislative session enters the home stretch today, with the end now two weeks away. Andrew Greenstein reports the push is on to get those last-minute bills onto Governor Landry’s desk.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Several COVID patients turned to Ivermectin during the pandemic and a bill moving through the legislature would allow adults to obtain the drug at a pharmacy without a prescription.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (27) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

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State judges who are 70 and older are forced to retire once their term ends. Jeff Palermo reports the Louisiana House supports a proposal raising the mandatory retirement age to 75.

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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The legislative session ends two weeks from today, and the mad push is on to get as many bills onto Governor Landry’s desk as possible. Auto insurance reform has been the biggest issue in this session; and yesterday, Landry held a ceremony at the governor’s mansion in which he signed six bills into law. Among them is one that gives commercial trucking companies an incentive to install dashcams in their vehicles.

Cut 4 (13) “…from lawsuit abuse.” (Mandates 5% premium discount for installing dashcams in trucks)

Landry also signed a bill that requires those who sue for bodily injury to prove that they were indeed injured in the crash in question.

Cut 5 (15) “…keeping that promise.”

Landry also signed the “no pay, no play” bill into law, limiting the damages that uninsured drivers can collect for bodily injury and medical expenses.

Cut 6 (11) “…pain and suffering.”

The other bills Landry signed were the ones that gives the insurance commissioner the authority to reject rate increases regardless of market conditions, one that bars drivers who are at least 51-percent at fault for a crash from collecting damages to cover the cost of their injuries, and one barring undocumented immigrants who are injured in crashes from collecting damages.

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A Senate bill that would reclassify Ivermectin, commonly used to treat parasitic infections, as an over-the-counter medication in Louisiana passed the House Health and Welfare committee on a 10-1 vote. Louisiana Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham supports the bill. He says Ivermectin as an over-counter drug would increase access and promote medical freedom.

Cut 7 (13) “…over-the-counter.”

Some people turned to Ivermectin during the COVID pandemic as a way to prevent and treat the virus. But the FDA never authorized that type of treatment for COVID. Pharmacist Dr. Jonathan Hartman says allowing people to use Ivermectin for other reasons than to treat a parasite would put pharmacists in a difficult position.

Cut 8 (12) “…of issues there.”

Abraham says the drug is proven to be extremely safe, and currently being used off-label by the general population from veterinarian supply stores.

Cut 9 (12)  “…wont hide something.”

The Senate approved bill heads to the House floor for more debate.

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The Louisiana House has approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would give voters the opportunity to decide if the mandatory retirement of judges should be raised from 70 to 75 years old. New Orleans Democrat Jason Hughes presented the bill on the House floor.

Cut 10 (09) “…to weigh in.”

The bill passed on an 81-16 vote. Amite Democrat Robby Carter spoke out against the proposal. Carter says it’s important a judge has a clear mind, because they make decisions that can significantly impact a person’s life. Baton Rouge Representative Denise Marcelle questioned Carter about his logic.

Cut 11 (15) “…nursing homes already.”

Under current state law, a judge can serve on the bench beyond the age of 70 if their term does not expire until after the judge’s 70^th birthday. Kenner Republican Joe Stagni voted for the proposed constitutional amendment. He told Carter that voters can decide if an older person is not fit to be a judge.

Cut 12 (09) “…should be it.”

The proposal heads to the Senate. Earlier in the session, the upper chamber rejected a proposal to remove the mandatory retirement age for judges.

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Left lane hogs, now is the time to start changing your ways. Soon, it will be illegal to take up the left lane without passing another vehicle, regardless of the speed. The House passed Senate Bill 11 by Alexandria Democrat Jay Luneau, sending it to Governor Landry’s desk. Driving in the left lane without passing another vehicle is already against state law, but Tioga Republican Jason DeWitt says this bill makes an important change.

Cut 13 (08)  “…penalties to apply.” (Removes requirement that driver needs to be going 10 mph under posted speed limit for penalties to apply)

DeWitt says the change allows for better enforcement of the spirit of the law.

Cut 14 (08) “…the drivers create.”

The vote in the House was 78 to 15. Chalmette Republican Michael Bayham was one of the 15 who voted nay.

Cut 15 (03) “…them traffic tickets.”

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The biggest question mark heading into Friday’s NCAA Regional against Little Rock is who will LSU Coach Jay Johnson start on the mound? The Trojans enter the tournament with a losing record so LSU could hold its two best starting pitchers, Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson for games on Saturday and Sunday. But Joe Healy of D-1 Baseball dot com believes Johnson will go with Anderson, who has been the Friday night starter.

Cut 16 (08) “…line things up.”

Dallas Baptist is the two-seed in the Baton Rouge Regional. They have been good on offense, with nearly 100 home runs as a team and more than 100 stolen bases. The voice of Patriots baseball, Reagan Ragcliff, says D-B-U improved on the mound during the second half of the season.

Cut 17 (15)  “…tournament time.”

LSU did not use pitchers Zac Cowan or Casan Evans in the SEC Tournament. Tigers pitching coach Nate Yeskie both of them pitched a lot of high stress innings, so a little extra time off should help them.

Cut 18 (18)  “…breather too.”

LSU hosts Little Rock at 2 p-m. Dallas Baptist plays Rhode Island at 6:30.

With two weeks left in the legislative session, several bills dealing with the soaring cost of auto insurance in Louisiana have made their way to Governor Landry’s desk; and Wednesday morning, he signed six of them into law in a ceremony in the governor’s mansion. Among them is one that grants the insurance commissioner the authority to reject rate increases regardless of market conditions. It’s a bill that the state’s current insurance commissioner, Tim Temple, opposed.

Cut 4 (12) “…break their promises.”

Another bill that Landry signed is the one that bars drivers who are at least 51-percent at fault for a crash from collecting damages to cover the cost of their injuries. It’s something that the business community has been screaming for for years.

Cut 5 (09) “…fulfill that promise.”

A person who infects another person with an STD without their knowledge of the disease could face criminal charges under a bill approved by the House Criminal Justice Committee. It calls for felony charges for infecting someone with an incurable STD; for a curable disease, the charge would be a misdemeanor. Meghan Garvey from the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers testified against it.

Cut 11 (11) “…someone’s word.” 

A warning for all left-lane hogs – soon, it will be illegal to take up the left lane without passing another vehicle, regardless of the speed. Hogging the left lane is against the law, but Tioga Republican Jason DeWitt says Senate Bill 11 makes an important change.

Cut 13 (08)  “…penalties to apply.” 

The bill passed the House 78-to-15 and now heads to the governor’s desk.

The Alliance for Affordable Energy is urging the state and utility regulators to take steps to prevent another widespread blackout. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

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The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network held Cancer Action day at the Capitol to advocate for increase cancer funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

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A statewide ban on kratom is now one signature from Governor Landry away from becoming reality. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The ULM School of Education earned an A+ rating from the National Council on Teacher Quality for its elementary math teacher preparation, one of only four Louisiana universities to achieve this distinction.  School of Education Associate Director Dr. Shalanda Stanley says the NCTQ evaluated 17 programs, focusing on time dedicated to key math content and math pedagogy.

Cut 4 (11) “…very proud of it.”

This follows ULM’s prior A+ rating in Reading Foundations. With 25-percent of Louisiana’s 4th graders lacking basic math skills, per the National Assessment of Education Progress, ULM’s rigorous, CAEP-accredited programs, led by Stanley, prepare teachers to address critical educational needs.

Cut 5 (10) “…student performance.”

Stanley says the difference is shortening the gap between learning how to do it and actually practicing implementation with students getting hundreds of hours of field experience prior to full-time teaching.

Cut 6 (12) “…are the students.”

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The Alliance for Affordable Energy is urging the state and utility regulators to take steps to prevent another massive outage like the one New Orleans experienced Sunday night. The alliance’s clean grid manager, Yvonne Cappel (cah-PELL)-Vickery, says MISO should not be the ones to blame; one factor behind the outage was poor transmission planning among the utilities.

Cut 7 (10) “…us in Louisiana.”

The weather in the New Orleans area Sunday was considerably warmer than forecast; and as such, MISO was forced to order the blackouts to preserve energy. Earlier, Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis blamed the DOGE cuts on the inaccurate forecasts. Cappel-Vickery says it’s imperative that the National Weather Service be fully staffed to prevent blackouts like this.

Cut 8 (13) “…such as this.”

Cappel-Vickery says accurate weather forecasting is essential for utility companies to determine how much load is necessary to meet the demand.

Cut 9 (09)  “…we have available.”

Cappel-Vickery is also urging regulators to continue to ask the hard questions in order to fully understand how this happened so that they can enact measures to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.

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The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network held Cancer Action Day at the Capitol. Louisiana Government Relations Director for the ACS CAN Alice Kline says the rally was to advocate for increased funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

Cut 10 (10) “…so heavily.”

Kline says advocates met with lawmakers to stress the importance of investing tobacco tax revenue in initiatives to prevent youth tobacco use and help smokers quit.

Cut 11 (10) “…long-term Medicaid costs.”

Kline urged for sustained funding for the Louisiana Breast and Cervical Cancer Program and the Louisiana Tumor Registry to enhance early detection and reduce cancer burdens.

Cut 12 (10) “…each year.”

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A ban on kratom in Louisiana is now one signature from Governor Landry from becoming law. The State House has followed the Senate’s lead in overwhelmingly voting to ban the supplement sometimes known as “gas station heroin.” The House vote on West Monroe Senator Jay Morris’ bill was 86-to-6. Kenner Republican Debbie Villio presented the bill in the House. She said kratom is cloaked in deception.

Cut 13 (08)  “…routinely do so.”

Villio says kratom is highly addictive and potentially fatal.

Cut 14 (11) “…bad, bad stuff.”

Covington Republican Peter Egan offered up an amendment that would have allowed the sale and use of only naturally-occurring kratom. That, along with another amendment, were voted down. Egan argued that more than six-percent of Louisiana’s population uses kratom.

Cut 15 (13) “…that consumes it.”

Egan says when used properly, naturally occurring kratom has its benefits.

Cut 16 (14) “…an addicted need.”

The Senate vote earlier this month was 26 to 11. Again, it now heads to Governor Landry’s desk for his signature.

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LSU Baseball is hosting its 28^th Regional this weekend and its first since 2023. Designated Hitter Ethan Frey from Rosepine was a freshman on that team and is excited to experience postseason baseball at the Box once again….

Cut 17 (12)  “…every game.”

The Tigers offense has looked better at the Box than on the road and Frey says that’s not a coincidence….

Cut 18 (18)  “…looks like so.”

Frey was a two-time state champion at Rosepine High and was on the 2023 LSU national championship team. The junior says losing in the Regional last year helped motivate him this year…

Cut 19 (15) “…season again.”

A ban on kratom in Louisiana is now one signature from Governor Landry away from becoming law. The House has followed the Senate’s lead in overwhelmingly voting to ban the supplement sometimes known as “gas station heroin.” The House vote on West Monroe Senator Jay Morris’ bill was 86-to-6. Kenner Republican Debbie Villio presented the bill in the House. She said kratom is cloaked in deception.

Cut 13 (08)  “…routinely do so.”

Covington Republican Peter Egan offered up an amendment that would have allowed the sale and use of only naturally-occurring kratom. That, along with another amendment, were voted down. Egan says when used properly, naturally occurring kratom has its benefits.

Cut 16 (14) “…an addicted need.”

The Senate vote earlier this month was 26 to 11. Once again, it now heads to Governor Landry’s desk for his signature.

One bill that’s not going to Governor Landry’s desk – not yet, at least – is one by Senator Blake Miguez that would ban ultra-processed foods from being served and sold in public schools. Lafayette Republican John Carlson presented the bill in the House and agreed to return it to the calendar for further discussion. On the House floor, Carlson said scientific research shows that these additives are harmful.

Cut 25 (17) “…in our schools.”

Once again, Carlson has returned the bill to the calendar for further discussion.

The warning from Louisiana State Police was swift and direct – if you help any of the ten escaped Orleans Parish Jail inmates in any way, you will be held accountable. Well, LSP was not messing around. So far, they have arrested 14 accomplices, including five people for helping Lenton Vanburen, who was captured in Baton Rouge yesterday. Currently, two of the ten escapees remain on the loose.

The Public Service Commission is looking for answers following Sunday’s massive blackout in southeast Louisiana, including New Orleans, which were ordered by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator. The outages were triggered when an Entergy nuclear plant unexpectedly went offline. Commissioner Eric Skrmetta says MISO would not go into further detail.

Cut 9 (10)  “…that you can’t tell me.”

Cleco says it will investigate the outage, and Entergy says they want to understand the directive from MISO.

Monroe tourism officials are remembering “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson, who passed away Sunday at the age of 79. “Duck Dynasty” aired on A-and-E for 11 years, but Sheila Snow with Discover Monroe-West Monroe says the show’s impact on the community has lasted a lot longer.

Cut 7 (09) “…their offerings there.”

The Speaker of the House gets high praise from one of his predecessors. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was on Mornings with Brian Haldane on LRN affiliate WBRP in Baton Rouge, and he said Speaker Mike Johnson has been a steady hand in a deeply divided Congress. Gingrich says Johnson did a magnificent job in getting President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” approved in the House.

Cut 4 (09) “…and doing this.”

The bill, however, faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

The Public Service Commission is looking for answers following Sunday’s massive blackout in southeast Louisiana, including New Orleans, which were ordered by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator. The outages were triggered when an Entergy nuclear plant unexpectedly went offline. Commissioner Eric Skrmetta says MISO would not go into further detail.

Cut 9 (10)  “…that you can’t tell me.”

Cleco says it will investigate the outage, and Entergy says they want to understand the directive from MISO.

Eight down, two to go. Three more escapees from the Orleans Justice Center were captured yesterday. Lenton Vanburen was arrested in Baton Rouge, and Leo Tate and Jermaine Donald were arrested in Houston. That leaves Derrick Groves and Antoine Massey as the last two escapees still on the run. 20-thousand dollars in reward money for each inmate is still on the table.

Monroe tourism officials are remembering “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson, who passed away Sunday at the age of 79. “Duck Dynasty” aired on A-and-E for 11 years, but Sheila Snow with Discover Monroe-West Monroe says the show’s impact on the community has lasted a lot longer.

Cut 7 (09) “…their offerings there.”

The Speaker of the House gets high praise from one of his predecessors. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was on Mornings with Brian Haldane on LRN affiliate WBRP in Baton Rouge, and he said Speaker Mike Johnson has been a steady hand in a deeply divided Congress. Gingrich says Johnson did a magnificent job in getting President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” approved in the House.

Cut 4 (09) “…and doing this.”

The bill, however, faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gave high praise to current Speaker Mike Johnson during an appearance on a Baton Rouge radio morning show. The 81-year-old Gingrich told Brian Haldane on LRN affiliate WBRP that Johnson is the most remarkable Speaker of the House in his lifetime for how he has led a 435-member body with a slim Republican majority…

Cut 3 (12) “…people complain.” 

Monroe tourism officials say Phil Robertson and his family provided a huge boost in visitorship to the area. Sheila Snow with Discover Monroe-West Monroe says that was spurred in large part to “Duck Dynasty.”

Cut 6 (11) “…family called home.”

Phil Robertson passed away Sunday at the age of 79 following a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

One public service commissioner says one big culprit of the New Orleans blackout could be massive cuts in federal staffing. Commissioner Davante Lewis says power companies anticipate how much electrical load they need based on that day’s weather forecast; and lately, forecasts from the National Weather Service have been well off.

Cut 13 (08)  “…what it was.”

Lewis is blaming the inaccurate forecasting on the DOGE cuts that President Trump and Elon Musk carried out this year.

Today, the Senate takes up Representative Troy Hebert’s bill that would codify a rule put in place last year that allows employers to report a job applicant collecting unemployment who fails to show up for a job interview. Hebert says in the current pilot program, only a very small number of people reported to the Louisiana Workforce Commission were deemed to have violated the conditions of their unemployment benefits.

Cut 10 (08) “…they were given.”

One public service commissioner says there could be more blackouts like the one in New Orleans Sunday, and he says one culprit could be massive cuts in federal staffing. Commissioner Davante Lewis says this was not the first time this year that a part of Louisiana was subject to rolling blackouts.

Cut 12 (07) “…second day in April.”

The patriarch of “Duck Dynasty” has died. Phil Robertson passed away Sunday at the age of 79 following a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Greg Hilburn is a reporter with USA Today who has gotten to know the Robertson family very well. He says Robertson was the starting quarterback at Louisiana Tech until he quit the sport before his senior season, forcing the Bulldogs to turn to their backup quarterback – a kid from Shreveport by the name of Terry Bradshaw.

Cut 16 (06) “…see that connection.”

Plans for a public memorial are underway. That will be followed by a private funeral and burial.

The legislative session ends in 16 days, and lawmakers are close to passing auto insurance reform bills that they hope can bring down rates. Jeanne (“zhahn”) Burns reports.

Cut 1 (43) “…I’m Jeanne Burns.”

The LSU Tigers are a six national seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament, which means they’ll not only host the regionals, but also the  Super Regionals, should they get that far.

More than 100-thousand people in and around New Orleans were thrust into darkness in a series of rolling blackouts Sunday. This was not the first such blackout in the state this year, and Commissioner Davante Lewis says he doubts this will be the last, and he’s pointing the finger at President Trump and Elon Musk.

Cut 14 (11) “…forecasting as well.”

Today, the Senate will take up Representative Troy Hebert’s bill that would codify a rule put in place last year that allows employers to report a job applicant collecting unemployment who fails to show up for a job interview.  Another component would increase the number of required weekly work searches from three to five. Hebert says, however, that he would like to see the rules better defined.

Cut 11 (08) “…us for approval.”

Eight down, two to go. Three more escapees from the Orleans Justice Center were captured yesterday. Lenton Vanburen was arrested in Baton Rouge, and Leo Tate and Jermaine Donald were arrested in Houston. That leaves Derrick Groves and Antoine Massey as the last two escapees still on the run. 20-thousand dollars in reward money for each inmate is still on the table.

LSU has received a coveted Top 8 national seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. Jeff Palermo has more on the Tigers’ road to Omaha…

Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”