2:30 PM Newscast Oct 17

Early voting in the presidential election begins tomorrow. Congresswoman Julia Letlow says the right to vote is one of the most precious rights for us as Americans.

Cut 10 (05) “…on your ballot.”

Congressional districts have changed pretty dramatically but you can find all of the information at GeauxVote-dot-com — that’s G-E-A-U-X Vote Dot com. Early voting  lasts ten days, with no voting on Sundays.

DOTD is sending crews to Florida to help in the recovery following Hurricane Milton. Spokesman Rodney Mallett says crews are bracing for a massive cleanup job.

Cut 5 (09) “…there as well.”

He says after their work in in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura the crews have a great deal of experience in removing vegetative debris.

Rapper and businessman, Curtis “50 cent” Jackson met with Governor Landry about the state’s film tax credit Wednesday. Jackson opened G-Unit Studios in Shreveport last April and invested over two million dollars in the city. State law allows for 180-million dollars in film tax credits to be claimed and each project can receive up to 40-percent of their overall in-state investment. Louisiana Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson says studies show these types of programs are fiscally a net loss …

Cut 8 (12) “…changing the system.”

The largest free fair in the country is underway in Franklinton. The Washington Parish Free Fair routinely attracts some big-name entertainers, and this year is no different. Jim Stringfield, who serves on the fair’s stage committee…

Cut 12 (08) “…as well.”

The fair continues through Sunday and the weather through the weekend is expected to be perfect.

1:30 PM Newscast Oct 17

Rapper, producer, and businessman, Curtis “50 cent” Jackson who established a production studio and purchased several properties in Shreveport met with Governor Jeff Landry Wednesday to discuss the state’s film tax credit program that may be drastically changed or eliminated with the governor’s tax reform plan. Louisiana Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson says they are looking at all tax credits

Cut 7 (11) “…for the taxpayers”

Louisiana DOTD crews are ready to help Florida in their recovery following Hurricane Milton. Spokesman Rodney Mallett says this is a way for Louisiana to return the favor after crews from other states descended upon the Pelican State to help in the cleanup following Hurricane Laura.

Cut 4 (09) “…of the cleanup.”

Sean Payton returns to the Superdome tonight as the head coach of the Broncos, but for the Saints they are looking to snap a four-game losing streak. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

The largest free fair in the country is right here in Louisiana and it’s currently underway. The Washington Parish Free Fair goes through Sunday in Franklinton. Jim Stringfield, who serves on the fair’s stage committee, says when they say free, they mean free.

Cut 11 (10) “…from the area.”

12:30 PM Newscast Oct 16

A Breaux Bridge man faces dozens of counts of trafficking of children for sexual purposes. St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, Major Ginny Higgins, says their deputies have been investigating 32-year-old Javien Demouchet since July….

Cut 3 (08) “…juvenile victim.”

Higgins says Demouchet is accused of soliciting minors for sex in exchange for money and-or gifts. The investigation is ongoing

In 2023, a severe drought and heat in South Louisiana caused major setbacks for crawfish farmers, with many crawfish and hatchlings perishing. The 2024 season reflected this loss, with lower availability and higher prices. According to LSU AgCenter’s Todd Fontenot, the upcoming season looks more promising, as the crawfish are emerging to better conditions.

Cut 5 (09) “…water on these fields.”

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and every October 15th families, communities, and health care providers gather for Global Wave of Light events. Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge held their event last evening. Manager of Social Services, Whitney Craig says families had an opportunity to learn about available resources but most importantly, honor the little lives.

Cut 10 (10) “…light candles.”

Craig says events that bring people together are important because of the unimaginable pain of infant and pregnancy loss.

11:30 AM Newscast Oct 16

A Breaux Bridge man was arrested yesterday facing 59 counts of trafficking of children for sexual purposes. St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, Major Ginny Higgins, says 32-year-old Javien Demouchet is accused of soliciting minors for sex in exchange for money and-or gifts. She says right now they know of just one victim, but the investigation is ongoing regarding other juvenile victims…

Cut 4 (05) “…the case.”

Authorities first began investigating Demouchet in July.

Senator Bill Cassidy is hosting his Louisiana Energy Security Summit today in Baton Rouge. Senator Cassidy says among the purposes of the summit is devising strategies for advancing energy security in a changing global landscape.

Cut 7 (15) “…from us.”

Cassidy says the summit will also focus on ways to keep energy jobs in Louisiana to ensure a prosperous future for the state.

Former LSU defensive back Greg Brooks Jr, who is now severely disabled, has filed a lawsuit against LSU and Our Lady of the Lake hospital.

Cut 1 (28) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

The town of Brusly (BROO-lee) in West Baton Rouge parish will soon have an app to notify drivers of oncoming police pursuits. The City Council accepted a donation to launch the technology with the prompting of the father of one of the teens killed in a New Year’s Eve 2022 crash that killed two Brusly High cheerleaders, Caroline Gill and Maggie Dunn, who were hit by a police officer who ran a red light during a pursuit. Caroline’s father, Jason Gill…

Cut 14 (04) “…off you’ll be.”

4:30 PM Newscast Oct 15

Detectives with St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Major Crime Unit are investigating a shooting that occurred Monday afternoon outside a Slidell-area business.  STPSO Lt. Suzanne Carboni…

Cut 12 (09) “…outside a store.”

Deputies found 67-year0old Dennis Knecht was pronounced dead at the scene.  64-year-old Cynthia Knecht was transported by emergency medical personnel to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.

A Lafayette roofing company is accused of defrauding insurance companies. Nathan Strebeck with the state office of insurance fraud says Zac Moore and Roofing Guys LLC have allegedly been going to people’s homes telling them that they needed a new roof, when they didn’t. Inspectors found  that the damage to these roofs was man-made and led to a roof replacement costing 27-thousand dollars. Strebeck says one big takeaway from all this is for homeowners to tell roofing companies, “don’t call us, we’ll call you.”

Cut 7 (11) “…on their roof.”

Furthermore, Strebeck stresses that roofing companies are not insurance experts.

The good news: layoffs appear to be subsiding. The bad news: so has hiring. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The 2024 flu season is off to a slower-than-usual start, with early data suggesting similar flu activity levels than previous years. Ochsner Medical Family Medicine Physician Dr. Whitney Hardy says this is due to various factors, including widespread vaccination campaigns

Cut 9 (13) “…too late.”

3:30 PM Newscast Oct 15

A Lafayette roofing company accused of defrauding insurance companies is ordered to stop acting as a public adjuster. Nathan Strebeck with the state office of insurance fraud says Zac Moore and Roofing Guys LLC would allegedly go to people’s homes uninvited and tell them that they needed a new roof, when in fact they didn’t.

Cut 6 (13) “…in fact man-made.”

A forensic engineering company confirmed the inspector’s findings that the damage was man-made

Today is the last day to register to vote online using the GeauxVote Online Registration system.  This deadline is for residents who have never registered to vote or voters who would like to make changes to their registration.  Early voting for the Nov. 5 Presidential Election will take place Oct. 18 through Oct 29, from 8:30 am to 6 pm excluding Sundays.

Layoffs are at their lowest level since the pandemic, but the hiring are also at their lowest rate in more than a decade. U-N-O professor of business economics Mark Rosa says the financial sector has undergone much consolidation.

Cut 5 (12) “…this feels worse.”

The 2024 flu season is off to a slower-than-usual start. Ochsner Medical Family Medicine Physician Dr. Whitney Hardy says this is due to various factors, including widespread vaccination campaigns

Cut 11 (09) “…healthy holiday season.”

The CDC continues to monitor flu trends closely as the season progresses.

2:30 PM Newscast Oct 15

Authorities are investigating a shooting that occurred Monday afternoon outside a Slidell-area business.  Deputies with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office found two individuals with apparent gunshot wounds.  67-year0old Dennis Knecht was pronounced dead at the scene.  64-year-old Cynthia Knecht was transported to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.  Lt. Suzanne Carbon assures there is no danger to the public…

Cut 13 (08) “…populated area.” 

This is an ongoing investigation.

Early data suggests the 2024 flu season is off to a slower-than-usual start but Ochsner Medical Family Medicine Physician Dr. Whitney Hardy cautions that flu activity can pick up later in the season.

Cut 10 (12 “…your protection.”

The state is ordering a Lafayette-based roofing company to stop acting as public adjusters.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

Fewer employees are being laid off as layoffs are at their lowest level since the pandemic but fewer people are being hired. U-N-O professor of business economics Mark Rosa says there are troubling signs ahead for the retail sector.

Cut 4 (10) “…yet to happen.”

Rosa says the financial sector has undergone a lot of consolidation.

4:30 PM Newscast Oct 14

So far, the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has produced 13 named storms, including four tropical storms and nine hurricanes. Among these, four were major hurricanes: Beryl, Helen, Kirk, and Milton. LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry Keim says there have been 300 deaths due to storms this season…

Cut 3 (08) “…from these storms.”

A new national report card shows that kids in Louisiana and across the nation are achieving nearly a failing grade when it comes to physical activity. Dr. Katie Spring at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at LSU says kids are getting way too much screen time and not nearly enough physical activity.

Cut 12 (11) “…time a day.”

 

There are 11 presidential candidates on the Louisiana ballot, but time is running out to register to vote in the November election. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

 

Bradyn Swinson was named SEC Defensive Line Player of the Week. Swinson had a career-high eight tackles and two sacks. Q-B Garrett Nussmeier is the league’s offensive player of the week as he threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns. But Nuss also completed less than 50-percent of his passes and threw two interceptions…

Cut 11 (06) “…got a win.”

3:30 PM Newscast Oct 14

The big race in next month’s election is the presidential race. But there are many other items on the November 5th ballot, and Secretary of State Nancy Landry says the state has a one-stop shop for all essential election information.

Cut 8 (11) “…your sample ballot.”

If you still need to register to vote, at this point, the only way to register in time to vote in the November 5th election is online. The deadline to register in person has already expired.

The Physical Activity Alliance gives kids nationwide a D- when it comes to meeting the goal of one hour of physical activity each day. Dr. Katie Spring at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at LSU says kids are getting way too much screen time and not nearly enough physical activity and she has a recommendation for parents.

Cut 14 (06) “…get them involved..”

This hurricane season has produced 13 named storms, four tropical storms, and nine hurricanes, but it looks like the worst is over.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

Three LSU players have been named as SEC Players of the Week for their performances in the Tigers thrilling overtime victory over Ole Miss. Bradyn Swinson was named Defensive Line player of the week. Q-B Garrett Nussmeier — offensive player of the week and Sophomore linebacker Whit Weeks was named overall Defensive Player of the Week. Weeks says the entire defense played great…

Cut 9 (13)  “…keep fighting.”

2:30 PM Newscast Oct 14

There have been 13 named storms so far this hurricane season. Typically most storms are seen between mid-August and mid-October, and then the season usually winds down after October. LSU Public Health Climatologist, Barry Keim says once we get into November Louisiana should be able to breathe a sigh of relief…

Cut 5 (10) “…not very likely.”

Three LSU players have been named as SEC Players of the Week for their performances in the Tigers thrilling overtime victory over Ole Miss. Sophomore linebacker Whit Weeks had a career-best 18 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week. Weeks says the entire defense played great but this is a game he’ll never forget it….

Cut 10 (10) “…pretty cool.”

There are 11 presidential candidates on the Louisiana ballot, but time is running out to register to vote in the November election. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

School age kids in Louisiana and across the country are failing at physical activity says a new national report card. Dr. Katie Spring at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center says kids need one hour of physical activity a day, and it doesn’t have to be hard-core activity.

Cut 13 (07) “…hit those recommendations.”