The LSU Lady Tigers will find out Sunday night who they will play in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. LSU will host the first two rounds of the tournament and their first game will be either Friday or Saturday. The Lady Tigers are 28-and-5 and two of their losses came against top ranked South Carolina. ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme says a third meeting would have to wait until the Final Four.

Cut 13 (11) “…Final Four”  

The McNeese men’s basketball team is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 and the Lake Charles community is crazy about the Bayou Bandits.  Jim Gazzolo covers the team for the American Press and says first year head coach Will Wade won over the fans there pretty quickly.

Cut  14 (11) “..amazing thing”

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Louisiana National Guardsmen participating in Operation Lone Star have arrived in Texas. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (32)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

A month after his arrest on a second degree murder charge, LSU running back Trey Holly has retained Attorney Michael Small.  It all stems from an incident in Union Parish last month that resulted in two victims being treated for gunshot wounds. According to Small, Holly plans to plead not guilty if formal charges are filed against him.

50 Louisiana National Guardsmen have arrived in Texas to help with border security. Governor Jeff Landry signed off on sending Louisiana guardsmen at the request of Texas Governor Greg Abbott. LANG spokesperson Lt. Col Noel (No-elle) Collins says the soldiers begin their first of three 30-day rotations today at the southern border.

Cut 7 (12) “…Texas border.”  

A litter study by Keep Louisiana Beautiful found nearly 10 percent of all litter on Louisiana’s roadways consists of car accident debris.

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser says the cleanup of debris from car accidents falls on wrecker services. And he’s working with law enforcement to make sure tow trucks do the job.

Cut 4 (12) “…job properly” 
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The LSU Lady Tigers will find out Sunday night who they will play in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The defending national champs won ten in a row before losing to South Carolina last Sunday. ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme predicts LSU will be a two seed…

Cut 12 (12)  “…Mississippi State.”
Former LSU basketball player and Ukrainian, Roman Rubchenko, is in Louisiana to raise awareness of the humanitarian aid needed due to the Russian invasion. Rubchenko says before coming to Louisiana, he tried to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson…

Cut 9 (12) “…come through.” 

Legislation to add exceptions for rape and incest to the state’s abortion ban has been filed for the regular session, the same bill that failed to make it out of committee last year. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (30)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington”
The body of a driver missing after a crash in Assumption Parish has been found near Bayou Lafourche. 64-year-old Gilbert Bunch Jr. and a passenger were driving down Highway 398 on March 2 when they crashed into Bayou Lafourche. The passenger was able to swim to the bank. Bunch’s body was found about six miles south of the crash location on Friday.

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Streamlining the state’s constitution will be another topic up for debate during the regular session. Louisiana’s constitution was adopted in 1974 but has been amended more than 200 times. Governor Jeff Landry has discussed with Republican lawmakers about taking some items out of the state’s constitution and putting them into state law. Pinsonat says a bill to condense the constitution has yet to be filed…

Cut 6 (12) “…overhauling Louisiana.”

You might have heard about the phenomenon of two broods of periodical cicadas, one that appears every 17 years and the other every 13 years, could coincide this year. But LSU AgCenter Entomologist Aaron Ashbrook says it doesn’t look like that will happen here in the Bayou State but elsewhere…

You might have heard about the phenomenon of two broods of periodical cicadas, one that appears every 17 years and the other every 13 years, could coincide this year. But LSU AgCenter Entomologist Aaron Ashbrook says it doesn’t look like that will happen here in the Bayou State…

Cut 13 (11)  “…specifically.”

From Cicadas to circadian ryhthms, you may be feeling a little more tired this week

after Springing forward over the weekend. Studies show that humans are most vulnterable to circadian misalignment this time of year after losing an our of sleep with the transition to Daylight Saving time. Experts say 25 percent of us may have trouble falling asleep due to the time change, but the good news is your body should re-adjust within a week.

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State lawmakers get back to business today as the regular session kicks off at noon. Insurance reform will be tops on the agenda as Homeowners in Louisiana pay about two thousand dollars a year for insurance and Louisiana ranks second only to Florida when it comes to highest car insurance rates.

Cut 5 (11) “…as automobiles.” 

A bill requiring automated enforcement devices to take a photo of the speeding driver not just the license plate of the vehicle is on the agenda this legislative session. Marksville Representative Daryl Deshotel says Deshotel says he’s not a fan of enforcement cameras, but the bill would provide a better chance to get the ticket to the right person. He believes an officer should be the ones writing tickets because cameras can’t do what they do to keep the community safe.

Cut 11 (11) “…for speeding.” 

The regular session begins at noon today and insurance reform will be a major topic. Teiko Foxx has more…

Cut 1 (28) “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”
“Oppenheimer” won big at the 2024 Oscars, last night earning awards in three major categories. The film walked away with the best picture title, Cillian Murphy won the award for best actor, and Christopher Nolan walked away with the title of best director. In all “Oppenheimer had 13 nominations at last night’s Academy Awards.
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New Orleans Democrat Representative Delisha Boyd is trying again to add exceptions for rape and incest to the state’s near-total abortion ban. Even though Boyd’s mother, who was raped in her teens and gave birth to her at age 15, she still advocates for exceptions.

Cut 7 (10) “…to term.”

House Bill 164 would allow physicians to terminate a pregnancy if it’s a result of rape or incest.

A bill requiring automated enforcement devices to take a photo of the speeding driver not just the license plate of the vehicle has been filed for the session. Marksville Representative Daryl Deshotel says the current procedure that snaps a photo of the license plate and automatically sends a ticket to the vehicle’s registered owner isn’t fair because the driver may not be the registered owner.

Cut 10 (08) “…vehicle owner.”

The 2024 legislative session begins at noon today. Insurance reform is a hot-button issue up for debate. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says lawmakers want to do something to lower insurance rates.

Cut 4 (12) “…lower insurance.”

New Orleans Democrat Representative Delisha Boyd is trying again to add exceptions for rape and incest to the state’s near-total abortion ban.

House Bill 164 would allow physicians to terminate a pregnancy if it’s a result of rape or incest.  In last year’s regular session, Boyd’s bill never made it out of committee.

Cut 8 (12) “…is born.” 

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Automated enforcement devices that measure speed and automatically send citations to vehicle owners may have to change if a bill gets through this legislative session. Colleen Crain has the details…

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Colleen Crain”

Be extra careful as you hit the roads today especially if you feel a little less rested than usual after Springing forward over the weekend. Studies show that humans are most vulnterable to circadian misalignment this time of year after losing an our of sleep with the transition to Daylight Saving time. Experts say 25 percent of us may have trouble falling asleep due to the time change, but the good news is your body should re-adjust within a week.

Soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard are among the those from more than a dozen states participating in Operation Lone Star at the Texas border. Officials say 50 soldiers will be deployed for three rotations that will last through about mid-June. LANG spokesperson, Lt. Col. Noel (No-elle)Collins says among they will likely assist with patrols and enhancing obstacle placements along the border.

Cut 5 (08) “…Texas National Guard.”
The legislature approved and Governor Landry has signed off on LANG’s request for $3 million to cover their expenses and pay allowances for Operation Lone Star.

33 new troopers graduated from the Louisiana State Police 103^rd cadet training academy yesterday. The state now has nearly 900 troopers working in patrol, criminal investigation, and public safety services. But Captain Nick Minale says they’re always looking for qualified applicants to join the ranks.
Cut 8 (06) “…process started.” 
Anyone interested can apply at www.lsp.org.
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In case you missed it, Louisiana has some new state champions in boys basketball. Avoyelles Charter won its second straight as the Vikings defeated J-S Clark 40-38. Zwolle won its second in a row as the Hawks took down Anaccoco again. Franklin won its first state title in 66 years with a 50-45 win over Lakeview. . Wossman defeated Iowa 70-65…after that game, Head Coach Rob Melanson announced his retirement. In his 30 plus year career, he took three schools to the state tournament.

The Saints have re-signed veteran and former LSU safety Tyrann Mathieu to a two year contract that will keep him in his hometown of New Orleans through 2025. Mathieu was selected by the Saints as their nominee for the 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for his  community service work. He’s also playing well…but says he’d still like to lead the Black and Gold to the playoffs

Cut  14 (12) “..opportunity”

A select of group of men and women graduated from Louisiana State Police Training Academy yesterday.  Here’s Teiko Fox.

Cut 2 (30)  “…I’m Teiko Foxx.” 

At the boys basketball state championships…Avoyelles Charter won its second straight as the Vikings defeated J-S Clark 40-38. Zwolle won its second in a row as the Hawks took down Anaccoco again this year.Wossman defeated Iowa 70-65 and Franklin won its first state title in 66 years with a 50-45 win over Lakeview.

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Early voting for the March 23rd presidential preference primary begins today. President Joe Biden has already locked up the Democratic Party’s nomination and former President Donald Trump has secured the Republican Party’s nomination. Secretary of State Nancy Landry still expects Republicans and Democrats to have their voices heard.

Cut 11 (09) “…should be.”

Meanwhile, soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard are among those from more than a dozen states participating in Operation Lone Star at the Texas border. LANG spokesperson, Lt. Col. Noel (No-elle) Collins says 50 soldiers will be deployed for three rotations beginning March 15^th.

Cut 4 (09) “…to Texas.” 

Soldiers from the 2-108^th Cavalry Squadron in Shreveport will participate in the first rotation and soldiers from the 61^st Troop Command, based in Carville will round out the two remaining rotations.

The Louisiana National Guard is preparing to assist in Operation Lone Star. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (31)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Louisiana State Police graduated 33 new troopers graduated from its 103^rd cadet class yesterday . Captain Nick Manale says the cadets of diverse new troopers began their training six months ago and will now continue their training with veteran troopers

Cut 7 (08) “…state troopers.”  

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Early voting for the March 23rd presidential preference primary starts today. But there will be more on the ballot that day, with local elections in 24 parishes. Secretary of State Nancy Landry says she expects  a 20 – 25 percent of voter turnout for this election.  A higher turnout is expected for the hotly contested Caddo Parish Sheriff race.

Cut 10 (13) “…that turnout.”
The Saints have re-signed veteran and former LSU safety Tyrann Mathieu to a two year contract that will keep him in his hometown of New Orleans through the 2025 season. The 31-year-old will reportedly make 13-million dollars over the next two seasons. He signed with the Saints as a free agent prior to the 2022 season and says retiring as a Saint is appealing.

Cut 13 (13) “…part of it”  

Early voting for the March 23rd presidential preference primary begins today. Secretary of State Nancy Landry says Democrats and Republicans will only be allowed to vote for presidential candidates in their respective party.

Cut 9 (10) “…remind everybody.” 

Soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard are among the more than a dozen states participating in Operation Lone Star at the Texas border. LANG spokesperson, Lt. Col. Noel (No-elle) Collins says 50 soldiers will be deployed for three rotations.

Cut 3 (09) “…requiring.”  

Collins says Texas has asked for Louisiana guardsmen to arrive no later than March 15^th.

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It’s a big week for the Louisiana State Police as 33 new troopers graduated from their 103^rd cadet class. Captain Nick Manale says the cadets began their journey nearly six months ago.

Cut 6  (12) “…leadership skills.” 

The Saints have re-signed veteran and former LSU safety Tyrann Mathieu to a two year contract that will keep him in his hometown of New Orleans through the 2025 season. The Honeybadger is happy he’s staying with the Black and Gold…

Cut 12 (12)  “…to me”