Louisiana’s current congressional districts will remain in place for this year’s mid-term elections, after the Supreme Court decided against expediting a ruling on the one being challenged by the end of 2025.  State lawmakers had hoped for an earlier decision as the state’s switch to closed party primaries.  And with the Supreme Court now set to rule during its usual late-spring release period, there won’t be time to make changes.

In three months state lawmakers will head to Baton Rouge for the regular legislative session. Lawmakers will not have to worry about budget cuts. That’s because of stronger than expected tax collections could result in a nearly 300-million dollar surplus when the current fiscal year ends on June 30th. Senate President Cameron Henry says he’s not looking to go on a spending spree, instead the legislature should practice fiscal restraint…

Cut 5 (08) “…to have.”

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If the New Year has you resolved to lead a healthier lifestyle, LSU Health Shreveport Director of Institutional Wellness Dr. Marie Vasquez Morgan has some advice. She says maintaining any resolution starts with setting S.M.A.R.T goals.

Cut 7 (13) “…time-bound.”

The federal government minted its last penny about two months ago, but it will be decades before the penny becomes a rare coin. Newly confirmed U.S. Mint Director Paul Hollis from Mandeville says enough pennies have been minted to stack them to the moon and back.

Cut 13 (08)  “…I hope.”

Some stores are already price-rounding to eliminate the need for pennies

Ole Miss is one win away from the national championship game after taking down Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, but what coaches make the trip to the Fiesta Bowl is still in the air. Kace Kieschnick reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…Kace Kieschnick.”

Former LSU football head coach Brian Kelly is selling his home on East Lakeshore Drive at an asking price of 3.5 million.  That’s according to a listing from the W Group Real Estate. The gated property boasts a main house, guest home, pool and an outdoor kitchen. The home was listed for two million in 2022.  Though many say it appears renovations and and upgrades have since been made.

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A woman is behind bars after Sulphur police said she shot and killed her 1-year-old child. We’re told Kristin Bass killed the girl at a home on Quelqueshue Street on New Year’s Day, Sulphur Police spokesman Major Jason Gully said Officers responded to the home after 8 p.m. We’re told the victim’s father identified her as Acelynn Moss.

A 27-year-old Baton Rouge man was arrested in connection with the shooting of a 2-year-old girl inside a car Thursday afternoon. BRPD Lieutenant L’Jean McKneely says the incident occurred when a woman spotted what she believed was her relative’s stolen vehicle and began following it.

Cut 3 (08) “…of the vehicle.”

Landrick Ruffin Jr. is facing six counts of attempted first degree murder and illegal use of a weapon.

The U.S. has launched military strikes on Venezuela. President Trump says Venezuelan President Nicolás (Nee-Ko-Laas) Maduro (Ma-DOO-ro) and his wife were “captured and flown out of the Country” early this morning, confirming a “large scale strike” by the U.S. that drew quick condemnation and concern from across the globe.  Officials have said the U.S. Army’s Delta Force, an elite special forces unit, carried out the operation to capture Maduro.

In three months state lawmakers will head to Baton Rouge for the regular legislative session. Senate President Cameron Henry anticipates a lengthy discussion about the state’s future energy needs with construction beginning on two massive data centers and the possibility of more data centers will be built in the Bayou State…

Cut 4 (10) “…long run”

The legislative session begins March 9th and ends June 1st.

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Ole Miss is headed to the Fiesta Bowl to face Miami with a trip to the national championship on the line, but there’s been uncertainty about whether the six LSU assistant coaches on the Rebels’ staff will continue coaching. Tiger Rag Editor Glenn Guilbeau says any hesitation is on the Ole Miss side.

Cut 9 (11)  “…Charlie Weis.”

LSU basketball will face Texas A&M this afternoon in their first SEC game of the season. The 12-and-1 Tigers are off to maybe their strongest start under head coach Matt McMahon with a marquee win over SMU and their only loss coming to 12^th-ranked Texas Tech. McMahon says conference play will be another level of competition.

Cut 14 (14) “…great atmoshperes.”

Tip off against the Aggies is set for three this afternoon in College Station.

New Orleans saw an overall drop in violent crime in 2025.  That’s the third year in a row…according to figures from the Real-Time Crime Index and the Metropolitan Crime Commission.  Jeff Asher, who analyzed the numbers for the Real-Time Crime Index, says murders were way down and all other violent crime categories saw reductions of between 60 and 80-percent from their 2022 levels.

Cut 7 (10) “…of the pandemic.”

Keeping our state clean is a top priority for Louisiana in 2026.  Keep Louisiana Beautiful and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser have suggested some resolutions aimed at doing that.  There’s a littering hotline too at 855-LA-LITTER, and Nungesser says tickets issued as a result of hotline tips are a good deterrent.
Cut 5 (05) “…to litter again.”

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The college football transfer portal is set to open for two weeks beginning tomorrow. LSU has 17 players planning to enter it, including six offensive linemen, two of whom were starters this season.  Geaux 247 senior writer Glen West says the LSU staff has to be able to find some quality starters.

Cut 10 (12) “…some depth pieces.”

After averaging 55 points a game in their first 14 non-conference games this season, the fifth-ranked LSU women’s basketball Tigers open conference play tonight.  LSU enters SEC play against Kentucky with the number one scoring offense in the country, averaging 108 points per game. But  head coach Kim Mulkey says the team has some specific things to do in order to continue its success.

Cut 13 (14)  “…the defensive end.”

New Orleans is looking to extend a three-year winning streak. Andrew Greenstein explains.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

FEMA has granted the Crescent city a six-month extension on its long-delayed, federally funded street reconstruction program.  The extension, approved yesterday, allows the city to continue JIRR construction through July 1, 2026, and allows for the orderly completion of clearly defined remaining work.
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The college football transfer portal opens up tomorrow and will run through January 16th. Currently, LSU has 17 players planning to enter the transfer portal. Geaux 247 senior writer Glen West says head coach Lane Kiffin could sign nearly 30 players this portal period.

Cut 9 (12)  “…way for LSU.”

Keep Louisiana Beautiful and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser have suggested ten New Year’s resolutions aimed at helping keep Louisiana clean. Nungesser a couple of them are aimed at business owners.  You can report littering to the litter hotline at 855-LA-LITTER, and those who are confirmed to be littering will be ticketed.

Cut 4 (07) “…and empty them.”

New Orleans is looking to continue a winning streak of sorts in 2026, when it comes to reducing violent crime in the city. According to figures from the Real-Time Crime Index and the Metropolitan Crime Commission, overall violent crime fell in 2025, marking the third year in a row that overall crime numbers decreased in the city. Jeff Asher, who analyzed the numbers for the Real-Time Crime Index, says murders were way down.

Cut 6 (11) “…had in 2022.”

If you’d like to make a new year’s resolution that’s actually easy to stick to, how about making a pledge to keep Louisiana free of litter? Keep Louisiana Beautiful and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser have suggested ten resolutions aimed at helping keep Louisiana clean. Nungesser says a few should be pretty simple.

Cut 3 (10) “…tarps and straps.”

You can report littering to the litter hotline at 855-LA-LITTER.

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The college football transfer portal window opens up tomorrow and runs through the 16th, and LSU will be shopping for its next starting quarterback. Andre Champagne has more.

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

The fifth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team opens conference play tonight against 11th-ranked Kentucky. In their 14 non-conference games, the Tigers’ average margin of victory was more than 55 points. LSU enters SEC play with the number-one scoring offense in the country, as the Tigers average 108 points per game. Tip-off is tonight at seven.

New Orleans saw an overall drop in violent crime in 2025.  That’s the third year in a row…according to figures from the Real-Time Crime Index and the Metropolitan Crime Commission.  Jeff Asher, who analyzed the numbers for the Real-Time Crime Index, says murders were way down and all other violent crime categories saw reductions of between 60 and 80-percent from their 2022 levels.

Cut 7 (10) “…of the pandemic.”

Keeping our state clean is a top priority for Louisiana in 2026.  Keep Louisiana Beautiful and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser have suggested some resolutions aimed at doing that.  There’s a littering hotline too at 855-LA-LITTER, and Nungesser says tickets issued as a result of hotline tips are a good deterrent.
Cut 5 (05) “…to litter again.”

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The college football transfer portal is set to open for two weeks beginning tomorrow. LSU has 17 players planning to enter it, including six offensive linemen, two of whom were starters this season.  Geaux 247 senior writer Glen West says the LSU staff has to be able to find some quality starters.

Cut 10 (12) “…some depth pieces.”

After averaging 55 points a game in their first 14 non-conference games this season, the fifth-ranked LSU women’s basketball Tigers open conference play tonight.  LSU enters SEC play against Kentucky with the number one scoring offense in the country, averaging 108 points per game. But  head coach Kim Mulkey says the team has some specific things to do in order to continue its success.

Cut 13 (14)  “…the defensive end.”

New Orleans is looking to extend a three-year winning streak. Andrew Greenstein explains.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

FEMA has granted the Crescent city a six-month extension on its long-delayed, federally funded street reconstruction program.  The extension, approved yesterday, allows the city to continue JIRR construction through July 1, 2026, and allows for the orderly completion of clearly defined remaining work.
—————————

The college football transfer portal opens up tomorrow and will run through January 16th. Currently, LSU has 17 players planning to enter the transfer portal. Geaux 247 senior writer Glen West says head coach Lane Kiffin could sign nearly 30 players this portal period.

Cut 9 (12)  “…way for LSU.”

Keep Louisiana Beautiful and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser have suggested ten New Year’s resolutions aimed at helping keep Louisiana clean. Nungesser a couple of them are aimed at business owners.  You can report littering to the litter hotline at 855-LA-LITTER, and those who are confirmed to be littering will be ticketed.

Cut 4 (07) “…and empty them.”

New Orleans is looking to continue a winning streak of sorts in 2026, when it comes to reducing violent crime in the city. According to figures from the Real-Time Crime Index and the Metropolitan Crime Commission, overall violent crime fell in 2025, marking the third year in a row that overall crime numbers decreased in the city. Jeff Asher, who analyzed the numbers for the Real-Time Crime Index, says murders were way down.

Cut 6 (11) “…had in 2022.”

If you’d like to make a new year’s resolution that’s actually easy to stick to, how about making a pledge to keep Louisiana free of litter? Keep Louisiana Beautiful and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser have suggested ten resolutions aimed at helping keep Louisiana clean. Nungesser says a few should be pretty simple.

Cut 3 (10) “…tarps and straps.”

You can report littering to the litter hotline at 855-LA-LITTER.

—————————–

The college football transfer portal window opens up tomorrow and runs through the 16th, and LSU will be shopping for its next starting quarterback. Andre Champagne has more.

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

The fifth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team opens conference play tonight against 11th-ranked Kentucky. In their 14 non-conference games, the Tigers’ average margin of victory was more than 55 points. LSU enters SEC play with the number-one scoring offense in the country, as the Tigers average 108 points per game. Tip-off is tonight at seven.

New LSU offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. talked to the press ahead of Ole Miss’ Sugar Bowl matchup with Georgia. Andre Champagne has more.

Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

Law enforcement agencies across the state will be enforcing Louisiana’s new, hands-free driving law beginning tomorrow.  Under the new law, drivers will face fines for using handheld devices while operating a vehicle. A first offense is $100, but officials say the goal of the law is not to issue citations, but to prevent crashes caused by distracted driving.

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It was a deadly Christmas holiday on Louisiana roadways, as 13 people were killed in crashes from Christmas Day through Monday morning. State Police Trooper Shelby Mayfield says all 13 deaths were preventable.

Cut 4 (09) “…was a factor.”

Mayfield says when you make your way around the state for your New Year’s celebrations, you can expect a beefed-up State Police presence.

Cut 6 (09) “…around certain areas.”

Officials remind us all to buckle up, avoid impaired driving, eliminate distractions behind the wheel, and be sure to obey the speed limit.