7:30 AM LRN Newscast

Two U.S. House races in Louisiana are headed to runoffs, including the one in District 5. Andrew Greenstein reports.

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Outgoing Senator Bill Cassidy also speaking out on the tide of support for democrats after Tuesday’s election. Cassidy calling this election  a referendum on President Trump.

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Democrat Jamie Davis’ strong showing in the U.S. Senate race could give his party momentum heading into next year’s state elections. Governor Jeff Landry and every other statewide elected official will be on the ballot, along with all seats in the state legislature. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says Davis receiving 49-percent of the vote gives Democrats reason to believe they can compete for statewide offices and pick up legislative seats.

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Louisiana voters approved seven of the ten constitutional amendments on the ballot Tuesday. Public Affairs Research Council president Steven Procopio says the amendments that were more straightforward were the ones that received approval.

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6:30 AM LRN Newscast

Louisiana voters approved seven of the ten constitutional amendments on Tuesday’s ballot. Kace Kieschnick reports the amendments that passed were generally easier for voters to understand.

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Bill Cassidy is speaking out after Tuesday’s election, calling it a referendum on President Trump as even Julia Letlow’s win over Jamie Davis fell short of republican expectations.  Cassidy says voters here made their displeasure be known loud and clear.

Cut 8 (09) “…registering their protest.”

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It’s Republican-versus-Democrat in the two U.S. House runoffs in Louisiana. In District Five, Democrat Pat Moore will face Republican Gabe Firment. Firment trailed Moore by a single percentage point,  and while he’s favored to win the runoff, he says he’s taking nothing for granted.

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Democrat Jamie Davis’ strong showing in the U.S. Senate race could give his party momentum heading into next year’s state elections. Republicans currently hold every statewide elected office and have supermajorities in both the Louisiana House and Senate. But Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says Tuesday’s results show some voters who supported President Trump in 2024 were willing to cross party lines and vote for Davis.

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8:30 AM LRN Newscast

In a race decided by 25-thousand votes, Republican Julia Letlow has been elected U.S. Senator. Jeff Palermo has the story.

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Louisiana voters approved 7 of 10 constitutional amendments on yesterday’s ballot, including Amendment 4, which places lifetime term limits on governors. The change ends the possibility of a governor returning to office after serving two terms and sitting out a term.
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In other election news, Louisiana’s four incumbent congressmen, Steve Scalise, Troy Carter, Clay Higgins and Mike Johnson – all won their open primaries outright. Districts five and six will be decided in runoffs. In District Six, Republican Blake Miguez will go up against Democrat Chauna Banks. LSU political science professor Robert Hogan says while Miguez will be heavily favored in the runoff, his showing in the primary could open the door for Banks.

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In District Five, Democrat Pat Moore will face Republican Gabe Firment in the run-off

The Louisiana Department of Health is warning about two types of serious infections reported this year, including one involving the brain that was fatal.  State Epidemiologist Theresa Sokol says these infections are rare, but proper precautions, like using the right type of water for nasal rinsing and following proper contact lense hygiene.

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7:30 AM LRN Newscast

Julia Letlow is the state’s first Republican woman to be elected to the U-S Senate as she narrowly defeated her Democratic opponent, Jamie Davis. Letlow will leave her seat in the U.S. House to replace Bill Cassidy.

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Letlow won by only 25-thousand votes. A stunning result considering Letlow was expected to win easily after the primary races concluded in May.  Davis was a political unknown, a farmer from Tensas Parish, who led a grassroots campaign that picked up momentum as President Trump’s approval ratings fell. Davis says he’s not done fighting for what every citizen in this state deserves.

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The Louisiana Department of Health advises the public not to use tap water to clean and store contact lenses to avoid getting a rare but serious eye infection. Kace Kieschnick has the story.

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Gas prices are coming down a little, averaging just under $3.70 a gallon.  That’s about 25 cents less than a month ago, but $1.10 higher than this time last year.   Don Redman with Triple-A says as the price of crude comes down, we’ll see gas prices drop even more.

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6:30 AM LRN Newscast

It was by a much smaller margin than originally anticipated; but nevertheless, Julia Letlow will be the next U.S. Senator from Louisiana. Andrew Greenstein reports.

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Louisiana voters approved 7 of 10 constitutional amendments on yesterday’s ballot, including Amendment 4, which places lifetime term limits on governors. The change ends the possibility of a governor returning to office after serving two terms and sitting out a term.

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While gas prices are starting to come down, they’re still much more expensive than they were last year. According to Triple-A Louisiana, the current statewide average is just under $3.70 a gallon. That’s about a quarter cheaper than a month ago, but about $1.10 more than the statewide average at this time last year. Don Redman with Triple-A says as has been the case all year long, Iran has a lot to do with these high gas prices.

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The Louisiana Department of Health is urging the public not to use tap water for nasal rinsing or to clean or store contact lenses to prevent a rare but serious amoeba infection. State Epidemiologist Theresa Sokol says there have been ten cases of Acanthamoeba (uh-kan-thuh-MEE-buh) infections since 2024.

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8:30 AM LRN Newscast

One political pollster says national trends are impacting Louisiana’s U.S. Senate race between Jamie Davis and Julia Letlow. Jeff Palermo has the story.

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Kitchens says, President Trump’s endorsement of Letlow helped her defeat incumbent Bill Cassidy and State Treasurer John Fleming in the Republican primary. But that endorsement isn’t helping this time around.

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There are ten constitutional amendments on the ballot in Louisiana today. And Jeremy Alford with LaPolitics-dot-com says voters have rejected every single proposed amendment in the last two elections…a sign that voters may be getting tired of seeing so many amendments, especially the ones near the bottom of the ballot.

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With so much to be decided in this election, Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry says it’s important to be prepared and make sure you bring your government-issued photo ID with you. Landry points out there is a dress code of sorts that you will need to abide by in order to cast a ballot.

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7:30 AM LRN Newscast

With Democrats outnumbering Republicans in early voting, that could shake things up this Election Day. Andrew Greenstein reports.

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Polls are open until eight p-m; and if you’re already in line at eight o’clock, you will be able to cast a ballot and have your voice be heard, but be sure to have your government-issued photo ID with you.

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As we head into this election day, Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry says it’s important to be prepared when you head to the polls as there are more than 45-hundred candidates competing in more than 25-hundred contests across our state. And there are ten constitutional amendments on the ballot.  Landry says you can check out your sample ballot on Geauxvote-dot-com or on the GeauxVote app.

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There’s a chance of rain and the potential for a strong thunderstorm on this Election Day. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says rain chances are high because of a cold front.

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6:30 AM LRN Newscast

Today is the big day – your last chance to head to the polls. Kace Kieschnick reports.

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There’s a chance of rain on this Election Day. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says rainfall totals are expected to be higher for north Louisiana than south Louisiana, s opposed to south Louisiana, and…

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A Shreveport-based polling firm calls today’s Louisiana U.S. Senate election a toss-up. Bishop George, the co-founder and CEO of Vantage Data House, says in June, he had Republican Julia Letlow leading Democrat Jamie Davis by eight percentage points. However, their research has found Black voters, who are likely voting for Davis, are more energized to have their voices heard.

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Even though early voting statistics and a pair of polls showing Julia Letlow and Jamie Davis tied in that race, Jeremy Alford with LaPolitics-dot-com says Letlow still goes into Election Day today as the clear favorite.

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8:30 AM LRN Newscast

An advocacy group is calling for more standard vehicle safety features after a three-year-old girl is killed in a Carencro restaurant parking lot. Kace Kieschnick reports.

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Authorities in Natchitoches Parish are investigating after human skeletal remains were discovered yesterday near a dry creek bed in a remote wooded area near Ashland.  We’re told the remains are headed to the LSU Faces lab for forensic testing as investigators look at possible ties to an Ashland man missing since 2023.

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Democrats outnumbered Republicans in early voting in Louisiana by 16-thousand.  But there were also more than 93-thousand no-party voters casting early and absentee ballots and between now and next Tuesday, there will be additional absentee ballots coming in to round out the tally. LSU Shreveport Political Science Professor Jeffrey Sadow says how those ballots are marked is anyone’s guess.

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The Louisiana Book Festival will be open in Baton Rouge tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Robert Wilson, the executive director of the Louisiana Center for the Book, says there will be more than 200 authors and presenters there for dozens of panels, programs and book signings. Wilson says writers have told him they enjoy the personal feeling of the Louisiana Book Festival.

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7:30 AM LRN Newscast

Are early voting numbers a harbinger of things to come on Tuesday? Andrew Greenstein has some insight.

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A woman is dead in New Orleans East and police there are working to piece together what happened. The body of the victim was found last night just before 8:30 on Shindler Drive near Dwyer Road. We’re told the death is being investigated as a homicide.

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The death of a three-year-old girl in Carencro, has safety advocates calling for more vehicle safety features.  The little girl died when as she ran in front of a car in the parking lot of a restaurant.  Chloe Burke with the group Kids and Car Safety says vehicles need more camera views. And while many of them come equipped with braking that will automatically stop a vehicle when something’s in front of it, Burke says it’s not always effective.

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Four-billion dollars’ in repairs and maintenance is needed on Louisiana’s college campuses.  That’s according to a study conducted by a facility management consulting firm. Gordian has spent the last two years assessing the physical shape of Louisiana’s campus buildings. Higher Education Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed says it’s a significant backlog.

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