Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves teams up with one of his Democratic colleagues to force a vote on the Social Security Fairness Act. Congressman Graves says the bill removes the penalty for those who work in the public sector.

Cut 3 (13) “…in public service.”

Graves says the law as originally passed was not intended to penalize public sector workers like police officers or school teachers, and this bill, if passed, would fix that.

The National Hurricane Center is keeping an eye on an area of low pressure that’s likely to form by sometime next week over the northwestern Carribbean Sea and parts of Central America. Experts say gradual development is possible from there and a tropical depression could form as the system moves over the northwestern Carribbean sea and across the Gulf of Mexico by the end of next week.

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In about four and a half months, the Super Bowl will be coming to New Orleans. Is the city ready? According to Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, not quite.

Cut 6 (11) “…in horrible shape.”

Nungesser said specifically, the streets in the French Quarter need work and that should be the top priority.

Saints Offensive Coordinator Klint Kubiak is quickly becoming the toast of the town, with his team putting up 91 points over their first two games. The first team offense scored on 15 consecutive drives to start the season. Kubiak knows, however, that this is not a sprint – this is a marathon.

Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves and and Virginia Democrat Abigail Spanberger have teamed up to bypass Speaker Mike Johnson and force a vote on the Social Security Fairness Act.  Congressman Graves says the original law was never intended to penalize public sector workers like police officers or school teachers but that’s what it’s doing now.

Cut 4 (09) “…been the effect.”
Graves’ bill will remove that penalty.

Fall enrollment is up four percent over the last year at The University of Louisiana Monroe.  Vice President of Enrollment Management Lisa Miller says it’s the result of strong recruitment efforts resulting in a 22% jump in first time freshmen.

Cut 9 (10)  “…faculty and staff.”

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New Orleans hosts the Super Bowl in about four and a half months.  Is the city ready? Sean Richardson has the story.

Cut 2 (26) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

Today is another big day of college football in Louisiana. It starts at 11 this morning in Lafayette as the Ragin Cajuns host Tulane. It’s the first time the two schools have met on the Gridiron since 2018 and the Green Wave have won the last two matchups. U-L Lafayette Coach Michael Desormeaux (DEZ-er-mo)…

Cut 12 (13) “…we want to be.”

The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program’s lottery registration runs today through Friday.  The program offers 300 grants to Coastal residents in order to help make their homes more storm resistant.  Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says not only do homes need to be in the state’s Coastal Zone, they also must serve as a primary residence.

Cut 6 (12) …citizens as possible.”

Homeowners can register through the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program website, with recipients being notified the following week after the registration period closes.

The Bossier (BOZH-er) Parish Sheriff’s Office is warning of a new scam. Lieutenant Matt Gaydos says the scammer claims to have taken control of the victim’s computer or device,  using a virus to retrieve sensitive information.  Lieutenant Matt Gaydos.

Cut 13 (07)  “…out of them.”

Gaydos says If you get an email like this, the very best thing to do is to delete it right away.

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Nearly all Entergy Customers have had their power restored since Hurricane Francine. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

In Lafayette a second teen has been arrested in connection with a deadly shooting at a local barbershop last month.  Lafayett P-D announced 17 year old Shylon Mouon of Lafayette was taken into custody last night and booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center.  He and 17 year old Jeffery Broussard, who was arrested on Friday, are both facing two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of 19 year old Quincy Duhon Junior and 48 year old Johnny Trailer Junior.

Less than a week after Hurricane Francine, Entergy officials say power has been restored to all customers who can safely use electric service.  Vice President of Customer Service, Michelle Bourg (BERG) says storms in 2020 and 2021 led to infrastructure improvements, as Entergy’s standards have changed and so have the needs of customers…

Cut 8 (13) “…they’re taller.”

The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program is opening today and will offer 300 grants to residents living in Louisiana’s Coastal Zone to fortify their homes against future storms and hurricanes. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says is a proactive approach to reducing insurance costs.  And while only 300 residents will get the grants, more will be placed on a waiting list.

Cut 5 (06) “…various reasons.”

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Advocates from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network were on Capitol Hill urging lawmakers to go ahead and pass a bill allowing  Medicare payment for innovative multi-cancer early detection screening tests. One of them, Brenda McCain from Natchitoches (NACK-uh-tish) Parish, says whatever Congress decides will have a profound effect on people’s well-being.

Cut 11 (05) “…made in Congress.”

The Bossier (BOZH-er) Parish Sheriff’s Office is warning of a new scam involving your computer . Lieutenant Matt Gaydos says the scammer claims to have taken control of the victim’s computer or device, using a virus to allow the retrieval of sensitive information and then demand money as ransom.

Cut 14 (16) “…to that account.”

Gaydos says so far, no one has fallen victim to the scam, mainly because not everyone knows how to use Bitcoin.

The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program is opening lottery registration for grants starting today through Friday. The program offers 300 grants to residents living in Louisiana’s Coastal Zone, aimed at fortifying homes against future storms and hurricanes. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says these grants, previously available on a first-come, first-served basis should now give residents more opportunity to receive the grant.

Cut 4 (10) “…change that format.”

Entergy says they’ve restored power to virtually all customers who can safely receive electric service after Hurricane Francine. Vice President of Customer Service, Michelle Bourg (BERG) says nearly half of the more than 300,000 customers who lost power had it restored one day after the storm. She credits the upgrades and improvements to infrastructure.

Cut 7 (10) “…secret sauce”

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The Bossier (BOZH-er) Parish Sheriff’s Office is warning you of a new scam. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Advocates from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network were on Capitol Hill urging lawmakers to take the final steps in passing a bill to allow Medicare payment for innovative multi-cancer early detection screening tests. Brenda McCain from Natchitoches Parish says a simple test can go a long way.

Cut 10 (05) “…can be treated.”

Entergy Louisiana crews are working around the clock to restore power as quickly as possible. VP of Customer Service Michelle Bourg (BORG) says with manpower quadrupled, crews should have power restored to most people by Monday, even in the coastal areas that were hit hardest.

Cut 5 (08) “…two to three days.”

Cleanup and recovery continues in the coastal parishes. In St. Mary Parish, President Sam Jones says things are almost back to normal. He says the progress is incredible given the fact that the parish was among those which took the brunt of the storm

Cut 9 (07)  “…cleaned out already.”

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Second Harvest Food Bank is mobilizing to address the immediate needs of communities in parishes impacted by Hurricane Francine.  President and CEO Natalie Second Harvest has supplied more than 200-thousand pounds of food and nearly three thousand meals so far.

Cut 11 (12) “…provide snacks there.”

The Saints looked great in beating Carolina in the season opener, but Dallas is a much a better team. New Orleans visits the Cowboys on Sunday. The Cowboys top playmaker is receiver CeeDee Lamb. Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu says Lamb is one of the top receivers in the NFL…

Cut 15 (12) “…coverages.”

Kick off is at noon.

Entergy Louisiana crews are working around the clock to restore power as quickly as possible. VP of Customer Service Michelle Bourg says with manpower quadrupled, crews are making great progress. And while power will be restored to most Entergy customers by September 16^th, full restoration to those in New Orleans and Baton Rouge will happen even sooner.

Cut 4 (12) “…restored before then.”

Cleanup and recovery continues in the coastal parishes. In Terrebonne Parish, President Jason Bergeron says one of the biggest challenges is that power poles are in hard to reach areas such as marshes and swamps and says they’re documenting the damage so the parish can be reimbursed as soon as possible.

Cut 7 (10) “…as we go.”

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Second Harvest Food Bank is working to address the immediate needs of communities in parishes impacted by Hurricane Francine, providing food, water, and essential supplies to those affected by the storm. President and CEO Natalie Jayroe says Second Harvest is also working to stock food pantries and coordinate long-term relief efforts saying volunteers and donations are crucial…

Cut 12 (08) “…for a family.”

For more information on how you can donate or volunteer visit no-dash-hunger-dot-org.

Former Saints player Steve Gleason is reportedly stable and recovering this morning after a medical event during Hurricane Francine.  Gleason was taken to Ochsner Hospital during Wednesday night’s hurricane, and and tweeted praise for NOLA fire and EMS workers who got him there during the unsafe conditions.

Cleanup and recovery continues in the Louisiana’s coastal parishes. In Terrebonne Parish, President Jason Bergeron says one of the biggest challenges is that power poles are in hard to reach areas such as marshes and swamps.

Cut 6 (09) “…and those lines.”

In St. Mary Parish, President Sam Jones says things are almost all the way back to normal.

Cut 8 (09)  “…we’re cleaning up.”

Second Harvest Food Bank is working to address the immediate needs of communities in those parishes impacted by Hurricane Francine, providing  food, water, and essential supplies to those affected by the storm. President and CEO Natalie Jayroe

Cut 10 (09) “…lives back together.”

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Entergy crews are working around the clock to restore power to everyone left in the dark by Francine. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The 16th ranked LSU football Tigers kick off SEC play this morning in facing South Carolina.Tigers Coach Brian Kelly expects the Gamecocks to use their run game to move the ball down the field…

Cut 13 (12) “…early on.” 

Kick off in Columbia is this morning at 11.

As of this morning there are some 38-thousand people without power in Louisiana as a result of Francine. That’s down though from 400-thousand.   For its part, Entergy Louisiana has had crews working around the clock to restore power as quickly as possible. VP of Customer Service Michelle Bourg (BORG) says with manpower quadrupled, crews are making great progress.

Cut 3 (09) “…to the storm.”

Second Harvest Food Bank is mobilizing to address the immediate needs of communities in parishes impacted by Hurricane Francine.  President and CEO Natalie Second Harvest has supplied more than 200-thousand pounds of food and nearly three thousand meals so far.

Cut 11 (12) “…provide snacks there.”

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Coastal parishes hit hard by Wednesday night’s hurricane are working diligently to get life back to normal as quickly as possible. Jeff Palermo reports.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

A deadly night in Alexandria leaves two dead and two people hospitalized after a man reportedly shot three people at a local business then turned the gun on himself.  Alexandria Police say the unidentified man entered the business on Jackson around 7:30, opened fire and then killed himself. We’re told one of the victims was killed.  The other two are hospitalized in critical condition.

Entergy Louisiana is gearing up for possible widespread power outages as a result of Francine.  Vice President of Customer Service Michelle Bourg (berg) is urging customers to prepare for the storm by updating their contact information with for text updates on power at Entergy-dot-com.

Cut 13 (10)  “…stay wide open.”

Cleco Power has also added personnel as well as 17-hundred additional contractor resources in preparation for Francine.

Meanwhile Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple is urging people to be insurance ready and to prepare their properties for Francine’s arrival.

Cut 6 (12) …damage your neighbors’.”

State officials are urging you to visit GetAGamePlan-dot-org for information on preparing yourself and your property for Francine’s arrival.

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As the Louisiana Gulf Coast braces for the arrival of what is expected to be Hurricane Francine, all eyes will be glued to the TV for the debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump. Louisiana-based political analyst Ron Faucheux (foe-SHAY) says with the race being a dead heat, this debate could make it or break it for either candidate and says one thing that Harris can do to score points is to use humor against Trump.

Cut 15 (12) “…effectively against him (2x).”

As for Trump’s key to victory, Faucheux says it’s important that he stay on message.

Cut 16 (13)   “…to get out.”

The debate will take place in Philadelphia and gets underway at eight p-m Central time