The Alliance for Affordable Energy is urging the state and utility regulators to take steps to prevent another massive outage like the one in New Orleans saw over the weekend. The weather in the New Orleans area Sunday was considerably warmer than forecast; and MISO was forced to order the blackouts to preserve energy.  Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis blamed the inaccurate forecasts on DOGE cuts. Alliance clean grid manager, Yvonne Vickery says it’s imperative that the National Weather Service be fully staffed.

Cut 8 (13) “…such as this.”

A ban on kratom in Louisiana is now one signature from Governor Landry away from becoming law. The State House voting to ban the supplement sometimes known as “gas station heroin.” The House vote on West Monroe Senator Jay Morris’ bill was 86-to-6. Kenner Republican Debbie Villio says kratom is highly addictive and potentially fatal.

Cut 14 (11) “…bad, bad stuff.”

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The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network held Cancer Action day at the Capitol to advocate for increase cancer funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

After more than a week of sifting through rubble, the State Fire Marshall’s Office has concluded its investigation of Fire that destroyed historic Nottoway Plantation.   Evidence collected has now been transferred to the A-T-F Crime Lab in Atlanta, Georgia, for analysis to determine the origin and cause of the fire that destroyed the 166 year old, 53-thousand square foot structure May 15^th.

A statewide ban on kratom is now one signature from Governor Landry away from becoming reality. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The State Fire Marshall’s Office and ATF have wrapped up their investigation of the Fire that Destroyed historic Nottoway on May 15^th.  Evidence collected from the scene has been transferred to the A-T-F Crime Lab in Atlanta, Georgia, where it is currently undergoing analysis to determine the origin and cause of the fire.

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The Alliance for Affordable Energy is urging the state and utility regulators to take steps to prevent another massive outage like the one New Orleans experienced Sunday night. The alliance’s clean grid manager, Yvonne Cappel (cah-PELL)-Vickery, says MISO should not be the ones to blame; one factor behind the outage was poor transmission planning among the utilities.

Cut 7 (10) “…us in Louisiana.”

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network held Cancer Action Day at the Capitol. Louisiana Government Relations Director for the ACS CAN Alice Kline says advocates met with lawmakers to stress the importance of investing tobacco tax revenue in initiatives to prevent youth tobacco use and help smokers quit.

Cut 11 (10) “…long-term Medicaid costs.”

The Alliance for Affordable Energy is urging the state and utility regulators to take steps to prevent another widespread blackout. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network held Cancer Action Day at the Capitol. Louisiana Government Relations Director for the ACS CAN Alice Kline says the rally was to advocate for increased funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

Cut 10 (10) “…so heavily.”

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A ban on kratom in Louisiana is now one signature from Governor Landry from becoming law. The State House has followed the Senate’s lead in overwhelmingly voting to ban the supplement sometimes known as “gas station heroin.” The House vote on West Monroe Senator Jay Morris’ bill was 86-to-6. Kenner Republican Debbie Villio presented the bill in the House. She said kratom is cloaked in deception.

Cut 13 (08)  “…routinely do so.”

The ULM School of Education earned an A+ rating from the National Council on Teacher Quality for its elementary math teacher preparation, one of only four Louisiana universities to achieve this distinction.  School of Education Associate Director Dr. Shalanda Stanley says the NCTQ evaluated 17 programs, focusing on time dedicated to key math content and math pedagogy.

Cut 4 (11) “…very proud of it.”

More than 100,000 customers lost electricity during a series of rolling blackouts on Sunday, but as of Monday morning, power had been fully restored across New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, and the Northshore by the evening and the mandatory outages have ended. We’re told the outages were done to prevent a bigger, longer blackout and keep the grid stable.

Today is Memorial Day, the unofficial start to summer. Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Charlton Meginley says it’s an important day as our country owes a debt of gratitude to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, including more than 11-thousand Louisianans.

Cut 14 (12) “…we enjoy today.”

People are remembering Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson today as well.  Robertson, famous for founding the Duck Commander hunting company, had battled multiple health conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease.  The family made the announcement Sunday night on Instagram. Phil Robertson was 79 years old.

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The Louisiana Department of Health is responding to an overdose crisis in pregnant women with Project M.O.M, which stands for Maternal Overdose Mortality. According to LDH, accidental opioid overdose has been the leading cause of pregnancy-associated death in Louisiana since 2018.

Cut 6 (10) “…but it is.”

MOM Program Director, Carrie Templeton says the goal of the program is to reduce pregnancy-associated overdose deaths by 80% within the next three years.

This is the time of year when termites rear their ugly heads. LSU entomology professor Aaron Ashbrook says even though you should leave termite treatment to the professionals, there are things you can do to protect your home from termites.

Cut 5 (10) “…survive and thrive.”

Louisiana has an overdose crisis in pregnant women and the Louisiana Department of Health is responding. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

“Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson has died after a battle with Alzheimers. The family made the announcement on Instagram Sunday night.  Years before becoming famous on television, Robertson played football at Louisana Tech. He was a starting quarterback whose backup was NFL legend Terry Bradshaw.  Robertson founded Duck Commander in 1972. “Duck Dynasty”  premiered 40 years later.  Phil Robertson was 79.

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Today is Memorial Day, the day that many people consider to be the start of summer – although the solstice is still a few weeks away. Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Charlton Meginley says in his view, this is the most important holiday of the year.

Cut 13 (09)  “…throughout the world.” (4,000 Louisianans died in WWII)

Meginley says there will be several events throughout the state paying tribute to America’s fallen heroes.

State tourism officials say you can stay cool and enjoy the outdoors this summer by visiting one of Louisiana’s 21 state parks. Director of State Parks, Brandon Burris, says there are pools, water play grounds and beach swimming available to visitors at no additional charge. Burris says water playgrounds are located at several state parks

Cut 9 (11)  “…we have.”

More than 100,000 customers lost electricity during a series of rolling blackouts on Sunday, but as of Monday morning, power had been fully restored across New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, and the Northshore by the evening and the mandatory outages have ended. We’re told the outages were done to prevent a bigger, longer blackout and keep the grid stable.

Today is Memorial Day, the unofficial start to summer. Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Charlton Meginley says it’s an important day as our country owes a debt of gratitude to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, including more than 11-thousand Louisianans.

Cut 14 (12) “…we enjoy today.”

People are remembering Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson today as well.  Robertson, famous for founding the Duck Commander hunting company, had battled multiple health conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease.  The family made the announcement Sunday night on Instagram. Phil Robertson was 79 years old.

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The Louisiana Department of Health is responding to an overdose crisis in pregnant women with Project M.O.M, which stands for Maternal Overdose Mortality. According to LDH, accidental opioid overdose has been the leading cause of pregnancy-associated death in Louisiana since 2018.

Cut 6 (10) “…but it is.”

MOM Program Director, Carrie Templeton says the goal of the program is to reduce pregnancy-associated overdose deaths by 80% within the next three years.

This is the time of year when termites rear their ugly heads. LSU entomology professor Aaron Ashbrook says even though you should leave termite treatment to the professionals, there are things you can do to protect your home from termites.

Cut 5 (10) “…survive and thrive.”

Louisiana has an overdose crisis in pregnant women and the Louisiana Department of Health is responding. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

“Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson has died after a battle with Alzheimers. The family made the announcement on Instagram Sunday night.  Years before becoming famous on television, Robertson played football at Louisana Tech. He was a starting quarterback whose backup was NFL legend Terry Bradshaw.  Robertson founded Duck Commander in 1972. “Duck Dynasty”  premiered 40 years later.  Phil Robertson was 79.

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Today is Memorial Day, the day that many people consider to be the start of summer – although the solstice is still a few weeks away. Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Charlton Meginley says in his view, this is the most important holiday of the year.

Cut 13 (09)  “…throughout the world.” (4,000 Louisianans died in WWII)

Meginley says there will be several events throughout the state paying tribute to America’s fallen heroes.

State tourism officials say you can stay cool and enjoy the outdoors this summer by visiting one of Louisiana’s 21 state parks. Director of State Parks, Brandon Burris, says there are pools, water play grounds and beach swimming available to visitors at no additional charge. Burris says water playgrounds are located at several state parks

Cut 9 (11)  “…we have.”

LSU baseball has advanced to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament after holding off Texas A&M four to three. Ethan Frey homered and drove in three runs as the Tigers built a four to nothing lead. The Aggies nearly tied it in the seventh inning, but Anthony Eyanson got out of jam, stranding a runner at third base. Coach Jay Johnson…

Cut 17 (12)  “…he’s the mane”

The Tigers will play Ole Miss today at around 1:30. The other semifinal game is Tennessee versus Vanderbilt, starting at 10 AM.

In St. Martin Parish, sheriff’s investigators are looking for an LSU SEC championship ring that was stolen earlier this month. Major Ginny Higgins says the ring was among many items stolen from a home on May 13th.

Cut 9 (06)  “…of this ring.”

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The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission is holding another Click It or Ticket it campaign.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

The House has passed a resolution asking the SEC not to schedule LSU home football games before six p-m in the month of September. Harahan Republican John Illg drafted the resolution after ESPN scheduled LSU’s September 21st home game against UCLA for 2:30 in the afternoon.

Cut 3 (05) “…factor into it.”

The “Click It or Ticket” campaign ramps up seat belt law enforcement, increasing the likelihood of tickets for unbuckled drivers and passengers. The initiative stresses buckling up to avoid a 50-dollar fine and reminds driver’s seat belt safety to reduce crash fatalities. LHSC spokesperson Mark Lambert Lambert says data shows more than 88-percent of Louisiana drivers wear a seat belt, and nearly half of passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes were unbelted.

Cut 7 (12) “…getting seriously injured”

Monday is Memorial Day, the day many consider the unofficial start of Summer. Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Charlton Meginley says in his view, this is the most important holiday of the year as this country owes a debt of gratitude to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Cut 14 (12) “…we enjoy today.”

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In St. Martin Parish, sheriff’s investigators are looking for an LSU SEC championship ring that was stolen earlier this month. Major Ginny Higgins says the ring was among many items stolen from a home on May 13th. Higgins says investigators have made arrests in this case.

Cut 11 (06) “…with anything else.” (suspects are juveniles)

The season is over for the Ragin Cajuns and Louisiana Tech. U-L Lafayette lost in a slugfest, 17-13 to Marshall. The Bulldogs left 14 runners on base in a seven to six defeat to Jacksonville State.  Houston Christian outscored UNO 16-11 to win the Southland Conference Tournament Championship game. Tulane will take on UTSA in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.  Grambling beat Southern and Florida A&M the two teams play again today in the SWAC Tournament. The LSU Tigers are set to play Ole Miss in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament.

LSU baseball has advanced to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament after holding off Texas A&M four to three.  Kade Anderson started last night’s game and struck out 12 over six innings for the win. Anthony Eyanson threw three shutout innings for the save. Coach Jay Johnson says the plan was to pitch their two best starting pitchers on Friday night and now others will have to step up today against Ole Miss…

Cut 19 (11) “…move forward”

The House has passed a resolution asking the SEC not to schedule LSU home football games before six p-m in the month of September. Harahan Republican John Illg drafted the resolution after ESPN scheduled LSU’s September 21st home game against UCLA for 2:30 in the afternoon. The temperature at kickoff was 94 degrees with a heat index of 100, and Illg says that was too much for many fans to overcome.

Cut 4 (11) “…here in Louisiana.”

___________________________

Memorial Day is the day many people consider to be the start of summer – although the solstice is still a few weeks away. Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Charlton Meginley says in his view, this is the most important holiday of the year.

Cut 13 (09)  “…throughout the world.”

Meginley says there will be several events throughout the state paying tribute to America’s fallen heroes.

The “Click It or Ticket” campaign ramps up seat belt law enforcement, increasing the likelihood of tickets for unbuckled drivers and passengers. LHSC spokesperson Mark Lambert says this high-visibility initiative stresses buckling up to avoid a 50-dollar fine and reminds driver’s seat belt safety to reduce crash fatalities.

Cut 6 (06) “…event of a crash.”