US News and World Report Best States has Louisiana at 40th in Pre-k through 12th Education. That is the highest the state has ever ranked. Sean Richardson has the story.

Cut 1 (31)  “…I’m Sean Richardson”

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Central and south Louisiana are seeing heavy rounds of rainfall today. LRN Meteorologist Bill Jacquemin reports there’s the potential for severe weather and several inches of rain…

Cut 2 (26)  “…I’m Bill Jacquemin” 

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Louisiana Pre-k through 12 education ranked 40th this year in US News and World Report Best States rankings. That is up from 41st in 2023 and jumped up from 46th in 2019. Louisiana State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Cade Brumley said the state is moving in the right direction.

Cut 3 (10) “…rankings improve.” 

Brumley says they are excited about the continued progress but there is room for growth.

Cut 4 (03) “…needs to be done.” 

Brumley says a “Back to the Basics” model for reading and math is key for the state to continue to improve in the years to come.

Cut 5 (03)  “…near future

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Most of the state, south of Interstate 20 is under a flash flood watch until tomorrow morning. Cameron Kowalski with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says some areas have already received two to four inches…

Cut 6  (11) “..flooding ” 

Kowalski says the heaviest rainfall is expected tonight…

Cut 7 (12) “…those hours.”  

For southeast Louisiana, the heaviest downpours will come after 8 PM tonight.

Kowalski says there’s also the possibility for severe storms as a result of this stationary front…

Cut 8 (13)  “…thundershowers.” 

Several schools in southwest Louisiana have dismissed early for the today as a severe thunderstorm watch has been posted for southwest Louisiana until 8 PM tonight. Cameron, Lake Charles, DeRidder and Leesville are inside the the watch box area.

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Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is seeking guidance from the U-S Supreme Court over the recent decision by a three-judge panel that threw out the Congressional map approved by lawmakers earlier this year. Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolino says a federal judge in Baton Rouge also dismissed a map approved in 2021

Cut 9 (07) “…U.S Supreme Court.” 

All of the parties involved have a deadline of today to turn in written briefs into the U-S Supreme Court.

The Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry has said they need an answer on what congressional map will be used for the 2024 election by Wednesday. Ciolino doesn’t expect the nation’s highest court to act that quickly…

Cut 10 (12) “…resolution.” 

The map approved in 2021 has one majority Black district and the map approved in 2023 has two majority Black districts. Ciolino says the state is caught in the middle between the Voting Rights Act and equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment…

Cut 11 (08) ” … May 15th”

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The political action committee, Protect Louisiana Values, has a television commercial running urging the Louisiana Senate to approve the Education Savings Account bill. This would allow families of all income levels to receive state dollars to pay for education expenses, including private school tuition. Governor Jeff Landry explains the situation…

Cut 12 (09) “…that’s wrong.” 

Some lawmakers are concerned about the cost of the E-S-A legislation. The Louisiana Public Affairs Research Council has put the cost at 520-million dollars a year.

Baton Rouge Senator Rick Edmonds’ version of the bill calls for a study to get a better idea on the actual cost. But Landry says in this commercial paid for by Protect Louisiana Values, it’s time for parents to have more control of their child’s education…

Cut 13 (08) “….today”

School choice was one of Governor Landry’s campaign promises.

Since a recent decision by a three-judge panel threw out the Congressional map approved by lawmakers earlier this year. The matter is going to the supreme court and Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolino says a federal judge in Baton Rouge also dismissed a map approved in 2021. The map approved in 2021 has one majority Black district and the map approved in 2023 has two majority Black districts. He says the state is caught in the middle between the Voting Rights Act and equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment…

Cut 11 (08) ” … May 15th”

The Louisiana Department of Culture Recreation and Tourism with Louisiana Economic Development and Louisiana Entertainment are heading to the Cannes Film Festival in hopes of bringing more filming projects back to Louisiana and attracting more tourist to the Bayou State. A $300,000 U S Commerce Department grant to promote Louisiana as tourism destination is covering the trip that also includes stops in Milan, Italy, and Madrid, Spain.

Most of the state, south of Interstate 20 is under a flash flood watch until tomorrow morning. Cameron Kowalski with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says there’s also the possibility for severe storms as a result of this stationary front…

Cut 8 (13)  “…Thundershowers.” 

Several schools in southwest Louisiana dismissed early today due to the severe thunderstorm. Cameron, Lake Charles, DeRidder and Leesville are inside the the watch box area.

US News and World Report Best States has Louisiana at 40th in Pre-k through 12th Education. That is the highest the state has ever ranked. up from 41st in 2023 and up from 46th in 2019. Louisiana State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Cade Brumley says they are excited about the continued progress but there is room for growth.

Cut 4 (03) “…needs to be done.” 

Brumley says a “Back to the Basics” model for reading and math is key for the state to continue to improve in the years to come.

Louisiana Pre-k through 12 education ranked 40th this year in US News and World Report Best States rankings. That is up from 41st in 2023 and jumped up from 46th in 2019. Louisiana State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Cade Brumley said the state is moving in the right direction.

Cut 3 (10) “…rankings improve.” 

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is looking to the U-S Supreme Court over the recent decision by a three-judge panel that threw out the Congressional map approved by lawmakers earlier this year. Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolino says a federal judge in Baton Rouge also dismissed a map approved in 2021.

Cut 9 (07) “…U.S Supreme Court.” 

All of the parties involved are expected to turn their written briefs into the U-S Supreme Court today.

It’s Motorcycle Awareness Month and Greg Fischer with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission has some advice for Louisiana drivers.

Cut 26 (09)  “…difficult to see.”

Central and south Louisiana are seeing heavy rounds of rainfall today. LRN Meteorologist Bill Jacquemin reports there’s the potential for severe weather and several inches of rain…

Cut 2 (26)  “…I’m Bill Jacquemin” 

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is seeking guidance from the U-S Supreme Court over the recent decision by a three-judge panel that threw out the Congressional map approved by lawmakers earlier this year. The Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry has said they need an answer on what congressional map will be used for the 2024 election by Wednesday. Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolino says doesn’t expect the nation’s highest court to act that quickly…

Cut 10 (12) “…resoluation.” 

Most of the state, south of Interstate 20 is under a flash flood watch until tomorrow morning. Cameron Kowalski with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says the heaviest rainfall is expected tonight…

Cut 7 (12) “…those hours.”  

US News and World Report Best States has Louisiana at 40th in Pre-k throught 12th Education. That is the highest the state has ever ranked. Sean Richardson has the story.

Cut 1 (31)  “…I’m Sean Richardson”

The political action committee, Protect Louisiana Values, has a television commercial running urging the Louisiana Senate to approve the Education Savings Account bill. This would allow families of all income levels to receive state dollars to pay for education expenses, including private school tuition. Some lawmakers are concerned about the cost of the E-S-A legislation. But Landry says in this commercial paid for by Protect Louisiana Values, it’s time for parents to have more control of their child’s education…

Cut 13 (08) “….today”

School choice was one of Governor Landry’s campaign promises.

Louisiana’s only Osteopathic Medical School graduates it’s first class Friday. Many of the Graduating physicians from the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Monroe will continue their residency training in rural and underserved communities across the state. Louisiana is the 50^th state to recognize the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. Edward Via’s mission is to alleviate the critical shortage of physicians in certain underserved areas.

LSU Shreveport is graduating a record number of students Friday. 1,355 graduates from 49 states and 29 countries earned their degrees. That tops the previous record of 1,344 graduates set in 2021.

Crawfish prices typically go up for Mother’s Day but Crawfish App co-founder, Laney King says while they’re about a dollar more than Mother’s Day last year, prices have gone down.

Cut 5 (12)  “…sack of crawfish.” 

Expect to pay about $5.15 a pound for boiled mudbugs and $2.92 a pound for live crawfish in Louisiana. You can download The Crawfish App for free on your smartphone.

LSU Climatologist Barry Keim says this might be the last weekend with ideal weather before the summer heat takes hold. He says the long-range forecast is calling for hotter than normal conditions and wetter than usual.

Cut  14 (11) “…right now.” 

A middle school student in Bossier City accidentally fired a gun inside of his classroom. The student brought the loaded gun to Cope Middle School Thursday to show another student. The gun went off while the child was trying to put it back into his backpack. Fortunately, it discharged into a cabinet, and no one was injured. The firearm was confiscated, and the student was taken into custody.

Mother Nature is gifting moms in Louisiana with ideal weather for the weekend. LSU Climatologist Barry Keim says the cold front moving in is probably the last one we’ll have this spring, and you’ll want to take advantage of it.

Cut 12 (13) “…lack of humidity.” 

It’s Mother’s Day this Sunday and for Louisiana working moms, it will hopefully be a well-deserved break. Sean Richardson Has the story.

Cut 2 (31)  “…I’m Sean Richardson.” 

High school baseball championship games are happening! The Quitman Wolverines just won the school’s first-ever state title beating Hicks 1-0 in the Non-Select Division V championship game. And Avoyelles Public Charter School won their 2^nd State Championship in the Divsion V Select Championship game beating Family Community 4 to 1

Wallet Hub’s 2024 Best and Worst States for Working Moms is out, and Louisiana didn’t fare very well.  Several factors were considered including the gender pay gap. WalletHub analyst, Cassandra Happe says the Bayou State ranked 48^th.

Cut 10 (08) “…for working moms.” 

His goal is to spread resources and help the fishing population grow so Tournament Fisherman, Cliff Crochet is giving away fish at Veterans Park in Pierre Part Saturday. He says it’s a family friend event.

Cut 7 (09) “…spreads conservation.”  

You will be able to release your fish in your favorite fishing spots and later catch them.

Crawfish App co-founder, Laney King says this is the app’s seventh year and this season has been the most unpredictable.

Cut 4 (07) “…crawfish season.” 

The Crawfish App tracks more than 800 crawfish retailers in Louisiana and can direct you to the best in your area. King says, expect to pay about $5.15 a pound for boiled mudbugs and $2.92 a pound for live crawfish in Louisiana.

Louisiana Moms will be getting lovely weather for Mother’s Day. LSU Climatologist Barry Keim says the dewpoint temperatures will be in the 50s to low 60s as opposed to the 70s, which he says is a huge difference in how it feels on your skin.

Cut 13 (08) “…outside.”

With Mother’s Day fast approaching this Sunday, Louisiana has some work to do for working moms. Cassandra Happe, WalletHub analyst with the 2024 Best and Worst States for Working Moms.

Cut 9 (11) “…professional opportunities.” 

One area the survey looked at for working moms is the gender pay gap in Louisiana. Happe says the Bayou State ranked 48th overall.

LSU Climatologist Barry Keim says this might be the last weekend with ideal weather before the summer heat takes hold. He says the long-range forecast is calling for hotter than normal conditions and wetter than usual.

Cut  14 (11) “…right now.” 

This crawfish season has been one of the most unpredictable ones on record and Crawfish App co-founder, Laney King says typically prices go up for Mother’s Day.

Cut 3 (14) “…retail level.” 

Expect to pay about $5.15 a pound for boiled mudbugs and $2.92 a pound for live crawfish in Louisiana.

Tournament Fisherman, Cliff Crochet is giving away fish in Veterans Park in Pierre Part Saturday.

Cut 6  (04) “…80,000 fish. ” 

His goal is to spread out resources and help the fishing population grow, you will be able to release your fish in your favorite fishing spots and down the road catch some fish. The event is from 6 am to noon.

Funeral arrangements for former Rosepine Senator James David Cain have been announced. Cain who served in the House from 1972 to 92 and the Senate from 92 to 2008 passed away Wednesday. His funeral will be held next Friday May 17^th at Grace Church in DeRidder.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday and for Louisiana working moms, it will hopefully be a well-deserved break. Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (32)  “…I’m Sean Richardson.” 

Mother Nature is gifting moms in Louisiana with ideal weather for the weekend. LSU Climatologist Barry Keim says the cold front moving in is probably the last one we’ll have this spring, and you’ll want to take advantage of it.

Cut 12 (13) “…lack of humidity.” 

A middle school student in Bossier City accidentally fired a gun inside of his classroom. The student brought the loaded gun to Cope Middle School Thursday to show another student. The gun went off while the child was trying to put it back into his backpack. Fortunately, it discharged into a cabinet, and no one was injured. The firearm was confiscated, and the student was taken into custody.

Crawfish prices typically go up for Mother’s Day but Crawfish App co-founder, Laney King says while they’re about a dollar more than Mother’s Day last year, prices have gone down.

Cut 5 (12)  “…sack of crawfish.” 

Expect to pay about $5.15 a pound for boiled mudbugs and $2.92 a pound for live crawfish in Louisiana. You can download The Crawfish App for free on your smartphone.

Heads up Fishing enthusiasts “Every Fish Matters” 2nd annual release is Saturday. Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 1 (31)  “…I’m Sean Richardson”