With the incoming ice storm, Governor Landry has declared a state of emergency, allowing additional resources in north and central Louisiana including a waiver to bring additional gas to areas seeing shortage. The governor is citizens to be prepared.

Cut 14 (14) “…without electricity.”

The last major ice storm in Louisiana was February 2021 and left some without power for two weeks.

A former St. Mary Parish high school teacher has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of attempted enticement of a minor. Court documents say Katherine Albarado used her personal email to send sexually explicit messages and video to a sixteen-year-old student. She was arrested in May of 2022. If convicted, she faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in federal prison and could face a life sentence. 

A national animal rights group is weighing on an attempt to legalize cockfighting in St. Landry Parish. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The DASH Diet, developed in part by scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, has been ranked the second-best overall diet by U.S. News and World Report. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Dr. Cathy Champagne is among the original researchers behind the diet and says the DASH Diet is largely non-restrictive.

Cut 8 (10) “…desserts in general.”

The cast of candidates vying for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Bill Cassidy is down by one. State Representative Julie Emerson has dropped out of the race following President Trump’s endorsement of U.S. Representative Julia Letlow. Emerson, who entered the race in October, said at that time she was waiting to see if Letlow would enter the race. Now that she has, in a social media post, Emerson said that the path to victory had diminished. She also said she supports the president’s decision to endorse Letlow.

The effort in St. Landry Parish to make cockfighting legal again is getting reaction. Wayne Pacelle (puh-SELL-ee), the president of Animal Wellness Action, says those advocating for that are not doing the parish or the state any favors.

Cut 4 (09) “…State of Louisiana.”

A resolution before the St. Landry Parish Council to contact State Representative Dustin Miller to introduce a bill to repeal or modify the ban failed by a vote of 7-to-6.

The ice storm of 2026 is coming. It’s not just the ice with the storm heading to north and central Louisiana, it’s also the very cold temperatures. Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Governor Landry has declared a state of emergency. Landry says while Louisiana had a historic snow event last year, snow is easier to deal with than ice.

Cut 13 (13)  “…them to fail.”

A winter storm with freezing rain could bring ice accumulations topping a half inch for the northern third of Louisiana, and some places could see an inch of ice says State Climatologist Jay Grymes .

Cut 11 (12) “…widespread power outages”

He says there is the potential for ice accumulations along parts of the I-10/I-12 corridor by Saturday night.

Road closures are likely across the northern half of the state. Rodney Mallett with DOTD says they will do what they can to keep roads open.

Cut 13 (15)  “…priority routes open.”

Governor Landry will hold a 2 p-m press conference to discuss the state’s preparedness for the storm.

Congressman Troy Carter is among the sponsors of a bipartisan bill that would require all middle school and high school student IDs and websites to include mental health and suicide prevention information. The New Orleans Democrat says the information could be a life-saver for kids at the ages who need those services the most.

Cut 4 (12) “…drugs or alcohol.”

Now that Julia Letlow will be vacating the District 5 congressional seat to challenge Bill Cassidy for one of the U.S. Senate seats, the race is on for her successor. Greg Hilburn, a Louisiana politics reporter for the USA Today Network, says a wildcard is Garret Graves who formerly represented the Sixth District until he was effectively drawn out of that district and part of that district became part of District 5. Hilburn does not expect Graves to run, but several other Republicans are expected to run.

Cut 8 (13) “…in the Senate.”

New Orleans Congressman Troy Carter is among the sponsors of a bipartisan bill that would require all middle school and high school student IDs and websites to include mental health and suicide prevention information. Carter says kids contemplating suicide will call the 988 suicide prevention hotline rather than people they know.

Cut 6 (10) “…result of this.”

The race is on for the next District 5 U.S. Representative as Julia Letlow vacates the post to run for U.S. Senate. Greg Hilburn, a Louisiana politics reporter for the USA Today Network, says with qualifying less than three weeks away, candidates will have to resort to creative ways to raise

money.

Cut 9 (08)  “…can for sure.”

Lane Kiffin has added the 13th top player to LSU’s transfer portal class yesterday. Andre Champagne has more.

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

North Louisiana could be hit with a significant ice storm this weekend with the potential for ice accumulations as far south as parts of the I-10/I-12 corridor by Saturday night and any road closures could be lengthy. Rodney Mallett with DOTD says they do have a chemical called Pavix that can help with iced over bridges, elevated highways and roads.

Cut 14 (10) “…easier to do.”

Mallett says the state also has more than ten million pounds of salt.

A bipartisan bill introduced in the House would require all middle school and high school student IDs and websites to include mental health and suicide prevention information. Congressman Troy Carter is among the sponsors and says one of the pieces of information that would be required is the 988-suicide prevention hotline.

Cut 5 (08) “…is totally anonymous.”

Carter says kids contemplating suicide will call the 988 suicide prevention hotline rather than speak to someone they know.

North Louisiana could be hit with a significant ice storm this weekend. State Climatologist Jay Grymes says rain will reach the state’s northwestern parishes on Friday, and that rain will eventually turn to freezing rain and spread across the northern half of the state.

Cut 10 (08) “…ice or more.”

He says there is the potential for ice accumulations along parts of the I-10/I-12 corridor by Saturday night into Sunday. Governor Landry will hold a 2 p-m press conference to discuss the state’s preparedness for the storm.

With Julia Letlow entering the Senate race, the race is on to replace her in the House of Representatives. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office is morning the loss of one of their own. Four-year-veteran, Deputy Tim Jordon was struck by a train yesterday morning while he was working a traffic assignment. Bossier Parish Sheriff Julian Whittington said Deputy Jordan was a dedicated public servant who took pride in protecting the citizens of Bossier Parish, and his loss is deeply felt throughout the agency and the community.

Now that Julia Letlow will be vacating her District 5 seat to challenge Bill Cassidy for the U.S. Senate seat, the race is on for her successor. Greg Hilburn, a Louisiana politics reporter for the USA Today Network, says this will be a wide open race – at least in one of the primaries.

Cut 7 (10) “…that’s Garret Graves.”

Congressman Troy Carter is among the sponsors of a bipartisan bill that would require all middle school and high school student IDs and websites to include mental health and suicide prevention information. The New Orleans Democrat says the information could be a life-saver for kids at the ages who need those services the most.

Cut 4 (12) “…drugs or alcohol.”

A large ice storm could produce power outages and close numerous roads across the northern half of the state this weekend. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (37) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

The mother of a 10-month-old child who died after being left in a hot car in August of 2024 has been sentenced to five years in prison. Hannah Faith Cormier of Jennings pleaded no contest to negligent homicide last summer. Her daughter died at a hospital after Cormier forgot her daughter was in the car while she worked for two hours and the temperature in the car rose to 140 to 150 degrees. Jeff Davis Parish DA Lauren Heinen said it was a difficult case with tragic circumstances, but every child deserves to be protected.

President Trump encouraged her to run for U.S. Senate and Representative Julia Letlow made her intention clear this morning announcing her candidacy for U.S. Senate at the Baton Rouge Business Report’s Power Breakfast event. Her announcement comes days after the president posted on social media that she had his “complete and total endorsement” calling her a “great star” and “total winner”

A new constitution is a topic that is seeing renewed interest. In 2024, Governor Landry pushed for a constitutional convention, but the State Senate showed no interest. Now, Baton Rouge Republican Dixon McMakin is proposing a constitutional convention that would start on December 29th. He says the current state constitution includes things that don’t belong there, such as the finances and intricacies of the local parishes.

Cut 15 (09) “…and local government.”

A new Pelican Institute report shows the state’s economy improving with Louisiana’s gross domestic product growing by four-percent in the second quarter of 2025, and Louisiana leading the region in personal income growth, but the the report’s author, Vance Ginn, says outmigration remains a problem, and the state’s job growth over the past year has remained sluggish.

Cut 9 (07)  “…here to Louisiana.”

Confidence is building for a winter storm to hit the state this weekend. National Weather Service Meteorologist Dayvon Hill says freezing rain and a wintry mix could move in beginning Friday and the potential impact on the upper half of the state will need to be monitored throughout the week.

Cut 12 (10) “…a sleet event.”

Today, all 17 judges of the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals will hear arguments in Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law that requires posters of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom. Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino says In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled an identical Kentucky law unconstitutional. He says Louisiana may know that it has no case in the Fifth Circuit – and that could be part of its strategy.

Cut 6 (10) “…its own precedent.”

The State Fire Marshal is investigating a weekend house fire that claimed the lives of three people in Livingston Parish. They have not been able to rule out the possibility of electrical-related contributing factors, and they are reminding the public of the importance of electrical safety including the dangers of overloading power strips. The fire marshal says, do not connect multiple extension cords together and that extension cords are only for temporary or short-term purposes.

After Governor Landry unsuccessfully called for a constitutional convention in 2024, there’s new interest.  Jeanne Burns reports.

Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Jeanne Burns.”

A new Pelican Institute report shows positive signs for the state’s economy. Author of the report Vance Ginn says gross domestic product grew by four-percent in the second quarter of 2025 and Louisiana led the region in personal income growth. He credits Louisiana’s 2024 tax reforms and says the Tax Foundation moved Louisiana’s ranking up to 31st in the country in overall competitiveness.

Cut 8 (08) “…competitive in Louisiana.”

The entire Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals is hearing oral arguments this afternoon in Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law. The law requires posters of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom throughout the state. Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino says unlike the previous hearing before the Fifth Circuit, all 17 judges will hear these arguments.

Cut 4 (08) “…of such laws.”

The Louisiana case is being combined with a nearly identical case out of Texas.

Louisiana’s constitution is 51 years old and Baton Rouge Republican Dixon McMakin is proposing a constitutional convention to change it. He points out that Louisiana’s constitution is more than 100-thousand words long compared to the U.S.’ 236-year-old constitution which is less than nine-thousand words long, including the 27 amendments.

Cut 14 (09) “…back to basics.”

The latest economic report from the Pelican Institute highlights a couple of success stories regarding Louisiana’s economy. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Arctic air and a wintery mix are expected by the weekend. National Weather Service Meteorologist Dayvon Hill says rain will move into northwest Louisiana on Friday and will eventually turn into freezing rain, a wintry mix and possibly snow. He says there’s a 60-percent chance that north Louisiana will be impacted by the winter weather and about a 50-percent chance for central Louisiana.

Cut 11 (08) “…of the state.”

In 2024, Governor Landry unsuccessfully pushed for a constitutional convention. In the first House bill filed for the 2026 legislative session, Baton Rouge Republican Dixon McMakin is proposing a constitutional convention that would start on December 29^th but McMakin says unlike Landry’s plan, this process would not be accelerated.

Cut 13 (13)  “…of the people.”

A new report from the Pelican Institute highlights positive signs for the state’s economy, but the institute says tax policies still need to be revised to foster job creation and encourage business growth. The report’s author, Vance Ginn, says Louisiana’s gross domestic product grew by four percent in the second quarter of 2025, and Louisiana led the region in personal income growth during that time.

Cut 7 (10) “…save and invest.”

The entire Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing the case of Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law this afternoon. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Looks like a winter storm is coming this weekend. National Weather Service Meteorologist Dayvon Hill says arctic air is expected to surge south by the weekend, and it will meet up with Gulf and Pacific moisture.

Cut 10 (10) “…of wintry precipitation.”