Civil rights activists and faith leaders will come together in downtown New Orleans this evening to demand a stop to ICE raids and the release of immigrant workers who have not committed any crimes. Siti Pulcheon (SEE-tee PUHL-shin), a child of an immigrant mother, says what’s going on is inhumane.

Cut 4 (11) “…in horrible conditions.”

The rally at Lafayette Square starts at 5:30.

Governor Landry signs a series of bills yesterday in a ceremony at the Capitol to reform DOTD. Among them is one that creates a pair of offices. The Office of Project Delivery will ensure the timely completion of DOTD projects, and the Office of Transformation, led by the deputy secretary, will set performance indicators to enhance efficiency.

Cut 8 (08) “…over the horizon.”

This is the time of year that West Nile Virus starts to ramp up, and Dr. Alma Roy, the director of LSU’s Vector-Borne Disease Diagnostic Lab, says this year could be a busy one.

Cut 13 (09)  “…season this year.”

It’s a new day in collegiate athletics; as starting today, revenue sharing launches across the country. Schools can now pay up to 20.5-million dollars of athletics revenue directly to athletes. The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander says revenue sharing will leave LSU’s athletics department eight-million dollars in the hole this year; but through additional revenue streams, they hope to balance the budget by 2027.

Cut 11 (12) “…dollars a year.”

A rally will be held in downtown New Orleans this evening to call attention to immigration crackdowns that’s happening across the country, including in Louisiana. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

____________________________________________

Yesterday, Governor Jeff Landry signed a series of bills to reform the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

____________________________________________

A new era of college athletics has arrived. Schools can now pay athletes directly, thanks to revenue sharing in the NCAA. Kace Kieschnick has more.

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

____________________________________________

With immigration raids ramping up across the country, activists have been holding protests outside ICE detention facilities throughout what’s been dubbed Louisiana’s “detention alley.” And their journey culminates with a rally in New Orleans this evening. Service and care workers will be joined by civil rights activists and faith leaders in Lafayette Square to demand the release of immigrant workers who have not committed any crimes. Siti Pulcheon (SEE-tee PUHL-shin), a child of an immigrant mother, says what’s going on is inhumane.

Cut 4 (11) “…in horrible conditions.”

Yesterday, the group held demonstrations outside ICE processing centers in Basile and Jena. Pulcheon says the conditions inside those facilities are deplorable.

Cut 5 (11) “…solitary confinement.”

Pulcheon says during the rally, you could see the anguish in the faces of the people being held in the detention facilities.

Cut 6 (11) “…here or elsewhere”

The rally starts at 5:30.

________________________________________________________

Governor Jeff Landry signed a series of bills to reform Louisiana’s Department of Transportation and Development yesterday. HB 640 established the Office of Louisiana Highway Construction to manage five-thousand miles of non-federal aid roads, aiming to improve project delivery.

Cut 7 (10) “…the private sector.”

The Office of Project Delivery was created to ensure the timely completion of DOTD projects. Landry says the Office of Transformation, led by the deputy secretary, will set performance indicators to enhance efficiency.

Cut 8 (08) “…over the horizon.”

These reforms aim to make DOTD more effective and accountable. Landry emphasized restoring public trust and maximizing taxpayer value.

Cut 9 (12)  “…for the people.”

________________________________________________________

A new era of college athletics begins, as revenue sharing launches across the nation today. Schools can now pay up to 20.5-million dollars of athletics revenue directly to athletes. The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander says LSU will spend around 75-percent of that on football, 15-percent on men’s basketball and five-percent on women’s basketball. That leaves a small percentage for some of LSU’s other marquee sports like baseball, gymnastics and track and field, but Alexander says officials plan on paying every sport and finding other NIL opportunities.

Cut 10 (12) “…an athlete.”

The expense from revenue sharing will leave LSU’s typically profitable athletics department in a projected eight-million-dollar deficit this fiscal year. Wilson says the administration intends to focus less on cutting expenses and more on increasing revenue through sponsorships like corporate logos that will be coming to Tiger Stadium this season. Alexander says they hope to have a balanced budget by 2027.

Cut 11 (12) “…dollars a year.”

The NCAA will police revenue sharing cap limits with the new College Sports Commission. NIL deals over 600 dollars will also be reviewed by the NIL Go board to determine whether they serve a valid business purpose and fall within a reasonable range of compensation. LSU has been outspent by its competitors so far in the NIL era; but with the shift away from collective-based bargaining, Alexander says officials believe the Tigers can offer just as much as other schools.

Cut 12 (13) “…programs these days.”

LSU spent 5.5-million dollars out of its Bayou Collective on the football roster last year, compared to Ole Miss’ over 10-million-dollar investment and Ohio State’s near 20-million-dollar payout.

________________________________________________________

This is the time of year that West Nile Virus starts to ramp up, and Dr. Alma Roy, the director of LSU’s Vector-Borne Disease Diagnostic Lab, says this year could be a busy one.

Cut 13 (09)  “…season this year.”

So far this year, West Nile Virus has been detected in 14 parishes, with Livingston Parish reporting the state’s first human case last month. Dr. Roy says West Nile is not the only virus that mosquitos can transmit to humans.

Cut 14 (15) “…eastern equine encephalitis.”

Roy says while St. Louis encephalitis and eastern equine encephalitis are not as common as West Nile Virus, they are both just as dangerous.

Cut 15 (11) “…people very ill.”

One Orleans Parish Jail escapee from six weeks ago remains on the loose. 27-year-old convicted murderer Derrick Groves is the last one still at large following Friday’s capture of Antoine Massey. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has a blunt message for Groves.

Cut 3 (10) “…turn yourself in.”

A 50-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to Graves’ capture remains on the table.

Governor Jeff Landry signed several bills to address Louisiana’s insurance crisis this morning. Among them is SB 61, which forces insurance companies to tell customers if they’re raising rates based on credit scores.

Cut 6 (05) “…know about it.”

Other bills Landry signed include one that bans hand-held cell phone use while driving and one that prohibits advertising expenses in rate filings.

Recent polls show that voters are largely unhappy with Governor Landry and the legislature. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says a poll he conducted just prior to the session found that the number of people who felt that the state was going in the right direction was rather low.

Cut 10 (11) “…they just weren’t.”

Karlos Knott of Arnaudville is the new King of Louisiana Seafood. He won the title with his entry of a Roman-style pizza with butter poached Louisiana shrimp.

Cut 13 (12)  “…open-faced sandwiches.”

Knott will represent Louisiana in the 21st annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans on August 2nd.

One Orleans Parish Jail escapee from six weeks ago remains on the loose. 27-year-old convicted murderer Derrick Groves is the last one still at large following Friday’s capture of Antoine Massey. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has a blunt message for Groves.

Cut 3 (10) “…turn yourself in.”

The 50-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to Groves’ capture is still on the table.

A new king of Louisiana seafood is crowned.

Cut 12 (08) “…Arnaudville, Louisiana.”

Karlos Knott’s winning entry was a Roman-style pizza with butter poached Louisiana shrimp. As the newly anointed King of Louisiana Seafood, Knott will represent Louisiana in the 21st annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans on August 2nd.

Governor Jeff Landry signed multiple bills into law today to combat Louisiana’s ongoing insurance crisis.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

And now, a look at today’s commodities.

Nine down, one to go. The search continues for the last remaining fugitive from the Orleans Parish jailbreak. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

___________________________________________________

Governor Jeff Landry signed multiple bills into law today to combat Louisiana’s ongoing insurance crisis.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

___________________________________________________

One Orleans Parish Jail escapee from six weeks ago remains on the loose. 27-year-old convicted murderer Derrick Groves is the last one still at large following Friday’s capture of Antoine Massey. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has a blunt message for Groves.

Cut 3 (10) “…turn yourself in.”

State Police Superintendent Colonel Robert Hodges says the 50-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to Groves’ capture is still on the table.

Cut 4 (10) “…for that reward.”

Groves was among ten inmates who escaped from the Orleans Parish Jail during the early morning hours of May 16th. Sheriff Susan Hutson says work is ongoing to harden and modernize the jail so that something like this does not happen again.

Cut 5 (10) “…the entire community.”

________________________________________________

Governor Jeff Landry sat at his desk today and signed a number of bills to address Louisiana’s insurance crisis. Landry signed SB 61 that forces insurance companies to tell customers if they are raising rates based on credit scores.

Cut 6 (05) “…know about it.”

Landry says, finally, Louisiana was able to pass a distracted driver bill, saying that it’s one of the biggest things that it could do to lower premiums.

Cut 7 (09) “…less lawsuits.”

Landry vetoed a medical transparency bill last year that he says even though it was worked on by both sides, it was ultimately a bad bill and says they can do better.

Cut 8 (08) “…amounts paid.”

Landry says all these bills are for the people of Louisiana that should drive down insurance rates.

________________________________________________

Recent polls show that voters are largely unhappy with Governor Landry and the legislature. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says voters are particularly turned off by the bickering between Landry and Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple, especially since they’re both from the same political party.

Cut 9 (07)  “…the insurance commissioner.”

Pinsonat says he conducted a poll just prior to the start of this year’s legislative session, and he found that the number of people who felt that the state was going in the right direction was rather low.

Cut 10 (11) “…they just weren’t.”

Pinsonat says what’s especially telling is that the discontent with Republican legislators is coming from within their own party.

Cut 11 (14) “…unhappy with Republicans.”

_____________________________________________

A new king of Louisiana seafood is crowned.

Cut 12 (08) “…Arnaudville, Louisiana.”

Karlos Knott’s winning entry was a Roman-style pizza with butter poached Louisiana shrimp.

Cut 13 (12)  “…open-faced sandwiches.”

After being crowned the winner, Knott said seafood has been a big part of his life.

Cut 14 (11) “…was always seafood.”

As the newly anointed King of Louisiana Seafood, Knott will serve as a Louisiana ambassador for seafood for the next year, and he will represent Louisiana in the 21st annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans on August 2nd.

With people hitting the road for their Fourth of July vacations all week long, the roadways are going to be quite busy. In fact, Triple-A is expecting 12-million people to hit the road in the Gulf region alone. As such, Don Redman with Triple-A says one thing you will not want to do when traveling over the next two weeks is procrastinate.

Cut 6 (11) “…smooth for you.”

The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled Kelly Orgeron, the ex-wife of former LSU football coach Ed Orgeron, is entitled to more than eight-million of the coach’s 17-million-dollar buyout. Legal analyst Franz Borghardt says the couple filed for divorce just 43 days after Coach O signed what proved to be his final LSU contract.

Cut 7 (07) “…is income.”

The search continues for the last remaining fugitive who escaped from the Orleans Parish Jail back in May. A 50-thousand-dollar reward is still on the table for information leading to the capture of Derrick Groves. Friday afternoon, the ninth escapee, Antoine Massey, was captured in New Orleans.

Hurricane season is a month old; and so far, we’ve had two short-lived tropical storms – including Tropical Storm Barry, which made landfall south of Tampico, Mexico, last night. LSU Climatologist Dr. Jill Trepanier (tre-PAN-yer) explains why.

Cut 10 (15) “…of the Atlantic.”

If you’re hoping that it stays this way for the rest of hurricane season, Trepanier says don’t hold your breath. Activity in the tropics will certainly ramp up in September.

Triple-A says it expects more than 72-million people to head out of town for the Fourth of July holiday. Don Redman with Triple-A says you can expect heavy traffic – not just this week, but next week as well.

Cut 5 (12) “…on the roadway.”

With hurricane season now a month old, we’ve now had two short-lived tropical storms and no hurricanes. LSU Climatologist Dr. Jill Trepanier (tre-PAN-yer) notes that at this time last year, a major hurricane was taking aim at the Texas coast, and it was more than a month before we had another named storm.

Cut 12 (14) “…that it works.”

The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled former LSU football coach Ed Orgeron’s ex-wife is entitled to half of his 17-million-dollar buyout. Kace Kieschnick has more.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

LSU, meanwhile, is seeing a record freshman enrollment; and as such, it needs to find places to house those students. The school, therefore, is moving forward with plans to build a 215-million-dollar dorm complex that will house an additional 12-hundred students. The dorms are expected to open in the fall of 2027.

Nine down, one to go. After six weeks on the run, Orleans Parish Jail escapee Antoine Massey was captured Friday afternoon in New Orleans. With his capture, that leaves Derrick Groves as the last remaining escapee still on the loose. A 50-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to Groves’   capture is still on the table.

Another holiday weekend is approaching – in fact, some are saying it’s already here. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

The Louisiana Supreme Court rules that the ex-wife of former LSU football coach Ed Orgeron is entitled to more than eight-million of his 17-million-dollar buyout. Legal analyst Franz Borghardt says barring any unexpected loopholes or reasoning, this ruling in favor of Kelly Orgeron will likely be final.

Cut 9 (08)  “…family law.”

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 was inducted in a ceremony in Natchitoches Saturday night. Among the inductees was former LSU offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth, who played in the NFL for 16 seasons, culminating his career with a win in Super Bowl 56. Whitworth says he shared the support he grew up with in Louisiana in his career.

Cut 15 (14) “…be successful.”

Another holiday weekend is approaching – in fact, some are saying it’s already here. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

____________________________________________

The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled former LSU football coach Ed Orgeron’s ex-wife is entitled to half of his 17-million-dollar buyout. Kace Kieschnick has more.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

____________________________________________

Hurricane season is off to a slow start this year. Will it stay that way? Andrew Greenstein says don’t count on it.

Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

____________________________________________

We’re coming up on yet another holiday weekend. In fact, Triple-A Louisiana says it’s already here. The Fourth of July is this Friday, and Triple-A says it expects more than 72-million people to head out of town for the holiday, the vast majority by car. Don Redman with Triple-A Louisiana says the calendar this year makes for a prolonged 4th of July holiday.

Cut 4 (12) “…we speak now.”

Redman says with some 12-million people hitting the road throughout the Gulf South region, you can expect heavy traffic – not just this week, but next week as well.

Cut 5 (12) “…on the roadway.”

Just like anything else in life, there are “dos” and “don’ts.” And Redman says one big “don’t” when traveling over the next two weeks is don’t procrastinate.

Cut 6 (11) “…smooth for you.”

________________________________________________________

The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled Kelly Orgeron, the ex-wife of former LSU football coach Ed Orgeron, is entitled to more than eight-million of the coach’s 17-million-dollar buyout. Legal analyst Franz Borghardt says the couple filed for divorce just 43 days after Coach O signed his LSU contract.

Cut 7 (07) “…is income.”

The Supreme Court reversed the lower courts’ former decisions with a 5-to-2 majority. Borghardt says he’d certainly understand an attempted appeal from Orgeron, but he’s not sure how successful that would be.

Cut 8 (07) “…taking this.”

Borghardt says, barring any unexpected loopholes or reasoning, this ruling will likely be final.

Cut 9 (08)  “…family law.”

________________________________________________________

Hurricane season is nearly a month old; and so far, we’ve had two short-lived tropical storms – including Tropical Storm Barry, which made landfall south of Tampico, Mexico, last night. LSU Climatologist Dr. Jill Trepanier (tre-PAN-yer) says we haven’t had any hurricanes yet, because we haven’t gotten to the stage where we have that high sea surface temperature, low shear environment just yet.

Cut 10 (15) “…of the Atlantic.”

Trepanier says if you’re hoping that it stays this way for the remaining five months of hurricane season, forget about it.

Cut 11 (12) “…late into August.”

At this time last year, Hurricane Beryl was gaining strength in becoming a Category Five hurricane – the highest on the scale – as it took aim on the Texas coast. It eventually weakened to a Category One storm the time it made landfall in Matagorda Bay. Trepanier notes that after Tropical Storm Chris briefly formed during that time, the next named storm, Hurricane Debby, didn’t form until more than a month later.

Cut 12 (14) “…that it works.”

________________________________________________________

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inducted the class of 2025 Saturday night. Headlining the class was former LSU coach Nick Saban. Saban says when he arrived in Baton Rouge, he knew there would be work to do, but his new school, players and fans bought in to something great.

Cut 13 (14)  “…state proud.”

Saban arrived in Baton Rouge in 2000 and took a Tigers program that had gone 3-and-8 the year before to a national championship three years later. LSU, of course, would go on to be a perennial competitor in the SEC.

Cut 14 (12) “…ever since (applause).”

One of the leaders of Saban’s 2003 national championship team was offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth, who was also inducted Saturday. The West Monroe product was drafted by the Bengals in 2006 and, after 15 years in the NFL, won a Super Bowl with the Rams in his final career game — ironically, against the Bengals. Whitworth says he shared the support he grew up with in Louisiana in his career.

Cut 15 (14) “…be successful.”

_____________________________________________________________

LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson is already hard at work building next year’s roster. He, like many fans, will be anxiously awaiting the July 13 MLB draft and the decisions from some LSU veterans who could be selected. Johnson says he expects center fielder Chris Stanfield to take the step to pro ball but is hoping pitcher Zac Cowan and D-H Ethan Frey consider staying in Baton Rouge.

Cut 16 (18) “…came back.”

LSU has already made some additions in the transfer portal, including two lefty relief pitchers who committed last week. Danny Lachenmayer was elite as a freshman for North Dakota State while Ryler Smart redshirted his freshman year with Tennessee. Johnson says they’ll join a talented bullpen with arms like Casan Evans, Cooper Williams and more.

Cut 17 (12)  “…pitching staff”

The Tigers defensively will only return shortstop Steven Milam in the infield. Johnson has already added High Point infielder Brayden Simpson and Kansas State infielder Seth Darder in the portal. He says he feels good about his returning core roster.

Cut 18 (09)  “…those three.”

________________________________________________________

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier spoke about the upcoming season at the Manning Passing Academy this weekend. Tigers coach Brian Kelly has said this year’s team is his most talented since he’s been in Baton Rouge. Nussmeier says he agrees.

Cut 19 (18) “…from within.”

Nussmeier went 9-and-4 with over four-thousand yards and 29 touchdowns his first season as a starter. The last two LSU quarterbacks — Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels — made a leap in year two and put together historic Heisman seasons. Nussmeier says he’s ignoring any early speculation.

Cut 20 (07) “…LSU Tigers.”

And then, there was one. One of the two remaining New Orleans jail escapees has been captured. Detectives from several agencies caught 33-year-old Antoine Massey at a home in New Orleans. He will be taken to a jail facility outside the area. With Massey’s capture, that leaves 27-year-old Derrick Groves as the lone remaining escapee still on the run. A total of 50-thousand dollars in reward money is being offered for information leading to his capture. 

The Supreme Court postponed ruling on Louisiana’s congressional redistricting plan until next term.  The court will decide whether or not the state’s two majority-Black congressional districts violate the Voting Rights Act. Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino says it’s strange a matter like this would be prolonged.

Cut 6 (14) “…expedited basis.”

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was on hand as Governor Landry signed Louisiana’s Make America Healthy Again bill. During the session, Landry also signed an executive order banning SNAP recipients from using their benefits to buy junk food like soda and candy. Kennedy said it’s a bold move by the governor.

Cut 11 (15) “…in this state.”

LSU running back Trey Holly is facing another delay after his July 7th court date was cancelled due to a broken air conditioning system in the courtroom. Holly is facing charges stemming from a Union Parish shooting in February of last year. His attorney, Mike Small, says Holly was understandably upset by the unforeseen delay.

Cut 14 (13) “…degrees farenheit.”