Charges have been upgraded for an accused accomplice in the February death of Adan Manzano, the reporter in town covering the Super Bowl who was found unresponsive in his Kenner hotel. Rickey White who has been in police custody originally facing fraud and theft related charges is now facing second degree murder charges for his alleged involvement along with Danette Colbert who was first arrested in February after she was seen on surveillance leaving Manzano’s hotel room. Upon her arrest, she was found to be in possession of his phone and credit cards.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for most of the state starting tomorrow through Thursday night. LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry Keim says slow moving thunderstorms will produce three to eight inches of rain and some areas could get 12-inches potentially causing flash flooding in rivers, creeks, streams, urban areas, and other flood-prone spots.

Cut 10 (11) “…prepared for this.”

Stay alert to weather updates and potential warnings.

The Coast Guard says they’ve gained the upper hand on a oil spill off Plaquemines Parish but Environmentalists fear the oil could threaten marine wildlife and further erode Louisiana’s coastline. Lieutenant Phillip VanderWeit says Coast Guard crews are working to protect as much marine wildlife as they can.

Cut 8 (13) “…to capture it.”

The Coast Guard has 20 skimmers, 220 responders, and more than 20-thousand feet of containment boom on site. While Well 59 has not been abandoned, it has not had any measurable oil pressure since the 1990s.

Vandebilt Catholic won a Louisiana record 16^th state championship in softball on Sunday in Sulphur with a seven to five win over St. Charles Catholic. Terriers Coach James Spearman says his girls have been resilient all year and it was on display after falling behind two to nothing in the first inning…

Cut 12 (12) “…good job”

As of noon Sunday, the Coast Guard says it has gained the upper hand on the oil spill off Plaquemines Parish. Coast Guard Lieutenant Phillip VanderWeit says Well 59 near Garden Island Bay began leaking more than a week ago, spewing tens of thousands of gallons of oil into gulf waters. He says so far, crews have collected almost 80-thousand gallons of oily water.

Cut 7 (12) “…safely as possible.”

Environmentalists fear the oil that seeped into the water could threaten marine wildlife and further erode Louisiana’s coastline. So far only one oiled bird has been observed.

Funds from the Lottery slipped in the third quarter of fiscal 2025. The Louisiana Lottery transferred close to $45.1 million to the state treasury but that’s down $1.4 million from last quarter and down $35.8 million when compared to the first three quarters of last fiscal year. Lottery President, Rose Hudson said, “Strong inflationary pressures and jackpot fatigue continue to have an adverse effect on sales this quarter.”   The Lottery Corporation is looking to add value with second-chance promotions and partnerships with popular brands like NASCAR.

A flood watch will be in effect for the majority of the state by the National Weather Service starting tomorrow.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Greg Fischer with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says there’s been 13% increase in motorcycle deaths from 2021 to 2023. He says it’s up to all drivers to make every effort to watch for motorcycles, and Fischer says motorcyclists also need to do their part: obey the same traffic laws as motorists, and always wear a helmet and always opt for a full-face helmet.

Cut 5 (09) “…my tooth out.”

One child is dead after being found locked in car seats inside a Webster Parish home with no adult supervision. Minden Police were called to the house Thursday morning after someone found two children alone, one of them unresponsive.  Minden Police Chief Jared McIver says investigators also want to know who was supposed to be home supervising the children.

Cut 4 (10) “…that’s just negligence.”

We’re told the other child, a ten month old, was uninjured.

Advocates gathered outside the State Capitol this week to draw attention to food insecurity. Pat VanBurkleo, the executive director of Feeding Louisiana, says they especially wanted to let state lawmakers know that many things affect hunger like wages and cuts to Medicaid. He says one thing that doesn’t nearly get enough attention is hunger on college campuses.

Cut 10 (07) “…having more food.”

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The Coast Guard has been brought in to help control an oil spill off Plaquemines Parish. Tens of thousands of gallons of oil have uncontrollably gushed out of an old well off the coast. Coast Guard Lieutenant Phillip VanderWeit says crews are working non-stop to get the leak under control, acknowledging this is a serious spill.

Cut 15 (16) “…from the environment.”

And don’t forget it’s election day for about half of Louisiana. Joel Watson with the Secretary of State’s office says several areas will hold runoff elections from earlier primaries, while others will vote on sales taxes, millages, bonds, and charter amendments.

Cut 6 (13) “…in your area.”

Two children were found locked in car seats inside a house in Webster Parish with no adult supervision, and one of them has died. Minden Police were called to the house mid-morning Thursday on a report of a two-year-old child being found unresponsive inside the house. The girl could not be resuscitated. Minden Police Chief Jared McIver…

Cut 3 (12) “…off the airway.” 

The second child who’s ten months old was uninjured.

Advocates gathered outside the State Capitol this week to draw attention to food insecurity. Pat VanBurkleo, the executive director of Feeding Louisiana, says they especially wanted to let state lawmakers know that many things affect hunger

Cut 9 (10)  “…their hunger issues.”

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Voters in about half of Louisiana’s parishes will head to the polls today to elect local officials and decide on various ballot proposals. Joel Watson with the Secretary of State’s office says several areas will hold runoff elections from earlier primaries, while others will vote on sales taxes, millages, bonds, and charter amendments.

Cut 8 (08) “…gonna be on there.”

Polls close tonight at eight.

Crawfish prices are at their lowest level of the season. That’s according to the Crawfish-App. Co-founder Laney King. She says prices dropped 50-cents per pound after Easter and they’ve held steady entering the first weekend of May. She says consumers can purchase a sack of crawfish for under 100-dollars…

Cut 13 (09)  “…$4.89 a pound” 

Police in Minden are investigating the death of a toddler inside a home. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Voters in about half of Louisiana’s parishes will head to the polls today to cast their ballots. In Lake Charles and DeRidder, there are mayoral races today. And Joel Watson with the Secretary of State’s office says New Orleans area voters also have items on their ballot..

Cut 7 (09) “…all over the state.”

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The Coast Guard has been brought in to help control an oil spill off Plaquemines Parish. Tens of thousands of gallons of oil have uncontrollably gushed out of an old well off the coast. Coast Guard Lieutenant Phillip VanderWeit says crews are working non-stop to get the leak under control.

Cut 14 (09) “…to the environment.”

Crawfish prices are at their lowest level of the season, according to the Crawfish-App. Co-founder of the Crawfish App, Laney King, says May is usually when we see the lowest prices…

Cut 12 (10) “…Mother’s Day.”

King says in the days following Easter, crawfish prices dropped 50-cents per pound and they’ve held steady entering the first weekend of May.

Voters in about half of Louisiana’s parishes will head to the polls Saturday to elect local officials and decide on various ballot proposals. Joel Watson with the Secretary of State’s office says several areas will hold runoff elections from earlier primaries, while others will vote on sales taxes, millages, bonds, and charter amendments.

Cut 6 (13) “…in your area.”

The Coast Guard is helping to control an oil spill off Plaquemines Parish. Tens of thousands of gallons of oil have gushed out of an old well off the coast. Coast Guard Lieutenant Phillip VanderWeit acknowledges that this is a serious spill and says crews have collected 50,000 gallons of an oily water mixture

Cut 16 (07) “…feet on standby.”

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Crawfish prices are the lowest they’ve been all season. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Advocates gathered outside the State Capitol this week to draw attention to food insecurity. Pat VanBurkleo, the executive director of Feeding Louisiana, says they wanted to let state lawmakers know that many things affect hunger and federal budget cuts are not helping matters.

Cut 11 (10) “…a regular basis.”

The Coast Guard is helping to control an oil spill off Plaquemines Parish. Tens of thousands of gallons of oil have gushed out of an old well off the coast. Coast Guard Lieutenant Phillip VanderWeit acknowledges that this is a serious spill and says crews have collected 50,000 gallons of an oily water mixture

Cut 16 (07) “…feet on standby.”

VanderWeit says the two main jobs are to get the source of the spill under control and to mitigate the impacts to the environment.

Advocates gathered outside the State Capitol this week to draw attention to food insecurity. Pat VanBurkleo, the executive director of Feeding Louisiana, says they wanted to let state lawmakers know that many things affect hunger and federal budget cuts are not helping matters.

Cut 11 (10) “…a regular basis.”

Crawfish prices are the lowest they’ve been all season. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

One lucky Mandeville man made a quick stop to pick up lottery tickets and when he woke up found himself the winner of a $2,445,468 Lotto jackpot. Ronald Myers said to his wife of 35 years, “you’re not going to be believe this”, and she jokingly asked “Did we win the lottery?” The two picked up a their winnings on April 25^th. After state and federal tax withholdings, they went home with $1,785,196.02 with which they plan to pay it forward, upgrade a Disney Trip and invest back into the business, ChillCo.

The Coast Guard has been brought in to help control an oil spill off Plaquemines Parish. Tens of thousands of gallons of oil have uncontrollably gushed out of an old well off the coast. Coast Guard Lieutenant Phillip VanderWeit says crews are working non-stop to get the leak under control.

Cut 14 (09) “…to the environment.”

The cause of the break is unclear, and it’s also unknown how long it will take to plug the well and clean up the contamination.

The Department of Environmental Quality will have a new leader as Secretary Aurelia Giacometto (Jock-ah-metto) accepts a position with the Washington DC  Earth and Water Law Firm. Her tenure at DEQ wasn’t without controversy with several of her own appointees leaving their positions and many staffers expressing displeasure with her management style. Governor Landry thanked Giacometto for her service Friday and named 10-year DEQ Veteran, Courtney Burdette as the new Secretary.

Police in Minden are investigating the death of a toddler inside a home. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

A Jefferson Parish woman is convicted of first-degree murder in the highly publicized brutal murder of  6-year-old Bella Fonenelle of Harahan. After a 4 day trial, it took a jury less than an hour to find Bunnak Landun for the murder. Landun left the little girl in a bucket on her mother’s front lawn. She will be sentenced May 6^th and receive a mandatory life in prison sentence.

A two-year-old was found dead inside a home in Webster Parish Thursday. Minden Police responded to reports of an unresponsive child and found the little girl buckled in a car seat along with a 10-month-old child also in a car seat. Both had been left without supervision. Minden Police Chief Jared McIver says this case is gut-wrenching to the entire community.

Cut 5 (09) “…that’s even tougher”

Investigators are trying to determine exactly how the little girl died. The 10-month-old child was uninjured.

Whooping Cough cases are on the rise across the country including Louisiana. The Louisiana Department of Health says we may reach record high numbers with 164 cases already reported this year. Whooping Cough is highly contagious and especially dangerous for children under a year old. There were 40 hospitalizations last year and there have been two infant deaths. It’s especially important to protect infants. Vaccinations are available but not until a baby is 2 months old. Children and adults are encouraged to keep current with their pertussis vaccinations.

Polls will be open in about half of Louisiana’s parishes Saturday. Various proposals and candidates will be on their ballots. Joel Watson with the Secretary of State’s office says several areas will hold runoff elections from earlier primaries, while others will vote on sales taxes, millages, bonds, and charter amendments and he recommends an easy way to learn about the items on the ballots.

Cut 8 (09) “…gonna be on there.”

Crawfish prices are at their lowest level of the season, according to the Crawfish-App. Co-founder of the Crawfish App, Laney King, says May is usually when we see the lowest prices…

Cut 12 (10) “…Mother’s Day.”

Louisiana State Police are investigating the death of a New Iberia man, shot and killed when authorities in the New Iberia area were attempting to take him into Protective Custody. It happened Wednesday when the Iberia Sheriff’s Office assisted by New Iberia Police officers made contact with 30-year-old Justine Rhine and authorities say he produced a firearm. NIPD officers then discharged their service weapons striking Rhine. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A Louisiana program designed for mothers wanting an alternative to abortion is getting underway. The program, called Thrive: The Baby and Parent Network, is administered by the Department of Children and Family Services and operated by Texas-based Human Coalition. Senator Rick Edmonds, whose act in the 2022 legislative session established the program, says it gives pregnant women full access to Human Coalition’s team of nurses and social workers through a chat line or toll free number.

Cut 4 (08) “…kind of format.”

The Louisiana House has approved legislation giving the Insurance Commissioner the authority to reject rate increases deemed excessive. This proposal is backed by Governor Jeff Landry but several Republican legislators are skeptical. Mandeville Representative Jay Galle says the legislation does not make it clear when the Insurance Commissioner can use their authority to block excessive rate increases…

Cut 11 (07) “…is that determined?”

Glorioso says a process will be in place to make sure any rate increase rejected would be done in an arbitrary manner.

Louisiana’s two Democratic congressmen send a letter to President Trump urging him to reconsider cuts to the AmeriCorps program. Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE have reduced staff by 85-percent and eliminated more than one-thousand grants nationwide. Baton Rouge Congressman Cleo Fields says those grants go towards essential services.

Cut 6 (09) “…after-school funding.”