How to reverse the rise in auto insurance rates will be a focus of the regular session that begins in April. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says a lot of the issues with the auto insurance crisis can be traced to a lack of transparency with medical billing. Temple says there is a difference in what your medical provider billed and what your insurance provider paid, resulting in a net gain for an injured person in a wreck and an increased premium for the rest of us

Cut 14 (07) “…transparency to that.”

Professional wrestling’s biggest event will return to New Orleans next year. WWE announced that WrestleMania 42 will be held at the Superdome April 11th and 12th, 2026. Jay Cicero, the president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, says it’s another event that puts New Orleans in the global spotlight.

Cut 4 (08) “…upon and manage.”

It will be the third time New Orleans has hosted Wrestlemania in the last three years.

Louisiana is seeing an increase in whooping (HOO-ping) cough, a preventable respiratory illness which is spreading among children, with two reported deaths in the last six months….

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

Shreveport police say a man in his 30s was fatally shot as he was leaving for work this morning. Authorities say the victim was shot multiple times in the chest as he was getting into his car in the Southern Hills neighborhood. It’s unknown if the shooter was on foot or in a vehicle.

Governor Jeff Landry will be in New Iberia this morning for the official announcement that Cajun Industries will employ more than 600 skilled workers at a new assembly yard at the Port of Iberia.

This afternoon, Landry will be in Natchitoches for a roundtable discussion with local leaders on ways to boost the local economy following the closure of the International Paper mill in Campti. State Representative Jack McFarland says the Louisiana Department of Economic Development is trying to land another major employer to the area…

Cut 11 (10) “…utilize wood fiber”

Wood fibre is a renewable resource produced from wood using specialized techniques.

Kerns Studios in  New Orleans which builds nearly one-thousand floats every year is expanding from its headquarters near the Mississippi River. The company plans to build two new float-building facilities in Algiers and it has also recently purchased a warehouse on Poydras Street in New Orleans.

Whooping (HOO-ping) cough, a preventable respiratory illness, is spreading among children in Louisiana, with two reported deaths in the last six months. Manning Family Children’s Hospital Physician in Chief Dr. Mark Kline says numbers are way up. He says in 2023 there were only around a dozen cases in the state.

Cut 7 (13) “…from whooping cough.”

Kline says nearly 120 cases have been reported so far in 2025 and there is a vaccine available to help prevent the respiratory illness and reduce symptoms.

Wrestlemania is returning to New Orleans. It will be held in the Superdome April 11^th and 12^th of 2026. This will be the third time that WrestleMania is coming to New Orleans; and Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation president Jay Cicero says this time, it’s a two-night event.

Cut 5 (16) “…at the stadium.”

Governor Landry will be in Natchitoches holding a roundtable with local leaders this afternoon amid the upcoming closure of the International Paper mill. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

Congressman Clay Higgins says Iraq is purchasing an additional 88-thousand metric tons of U-S long grain milled rice. That brings the total tonnage amount to 220-thousand metric tons. Higgins says a meeting with the Iraqi Ambassador led to the increased partnership between the U-S and Iraq.

Auto insurance rates will be a focus of the regular legislative session that begins in April. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says there needs to be more transparency with medical billing and making sure insurance only makes a person whole after a wreck that results in an injury…

Cut 15 (09) “….that we pay”

Temple says people need to be treated fairly by their insurance company following a wreck, but legislation will be authored in the regular session that will seek to prevent excessive gains.

Wrestlemania is coming back to New Orleans. It will be held in the Superdome on April 11^th and 12^th.  Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation president Jay Cicero says the city just hosted a Super Bowl. New Orleans will also host a national semifinal college football playoff game next January and there are a lot of other great events…

Cut 6 (09) “…on a roll”

Ticket pre-sale registration is now available.

Governor Landry will be in Natchitoches today, holding a roundtable discussion with local leaders at Northwestern State University amid the upcoming closure of the International Paper mill in Campti. State Representative Jack McFarland will be there…

Cut 10 (16) “…at other places.”

The Louisiana Workforce Commission says 481 people will be out of work in April.

Doctor Mark Kline, physician in Chief at the Manning Family Children’s Hospital in New Orleans says there have been more than 120 cases of whooping cough in Louisiana over the last year and two infants have died in the last six months. Kline says there is a vaccine to protect children from this respiratory illness…

Cut 8 (10) “…18 months of age”

Professional wrestling’s biggest event returns to New Orleans next year. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (37) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

New Orleans native and former Northwestern State baseball star Terry Joseph has been added to the Saints’ coaching staff. The Shaw graduate is leaving the University of Texas as the Longhorns’ defensive passing game coordinator to be the Saints’ new defensive backs coach.

In a budget presented to lawmakers, Governor Landry is proposing 100-million dollars for the new L-A Scholarship program, which is replacing the state’s current voucher program that’s receiving 46-million dollars in state money. But Public Affairs Research Council President Steven Procopio is also not restoring a nine-million dollar cut made to early childhood education last year…

Cut 15 (12) “…test scores”

House Insurance Committee Chairman Gabe Firment expects a push to expand the Fortified Roof Program, which offers grants of up to 10-thousand dollars to homeowners to strengthen their roofs against wind damage…

Cut 9 (10) “…insurance companies”

Firment says legislators also approved a package of property insurance reforms last year that will hopefully soon provide relief to rising property insurance premiums.

Louisiana’s oldest death row prisoner, who was set to be executed on March 17^th has passed away. 81-year-old Christopher Sepulvado died over the weekend after spending more than 30 years on death row. He was convicted in 1992 in the DeSoto Parish murder of his six-year-old stepson, Wesley Allen Mercer.

Those of you in North Louisiana should dial ten digits for all calls starting today. Andrew Greenstein explains why.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The Chairman of the Louisiana House Insurance Committee says an effort will be made in the upcoming legislative session to lower auto insurance rates. Jeanne Burns has more…

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Jeanne Burns.”

A Red River Parish Sheriff’s Deputy was involved in a wreck on Saturday morning that killed a 70-year-old woman. State Police say Ella Winn of Coushatta made a left turn into the sheriff’s deputy’s Chevy Tahoe, which had its emergency lights and sirens activated. Investigators say Winn was not wearing a seatbelt and died at the scene, while the deputy, 23-year-old Asia Pikes, suffered severe injuries.

For those living in the 3-1-8 area code, they are encouraged to start dialing all ten digits of a phone number when making a phone call. Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell says you have six months to get used to dialing ten digits for local calls in the 318 area code before it becomes mandatory August 25th.

Cut 5 (08) “…I don’t think.”

New telephone numbers in the current 318 service area will be assigned the new 457 area code starting September 25th.

State Lawmakers will start making changes to the governor’s proposed budget when the regular session begins April 14^th. Public Affairs Research Council President Steven Procopio says there are unanswered questions about state and federal financing sources which brings murkiness to this budget cycle…

Cut 14 (14) “…disrupted.”

Landry proposed a budget of nearly 45-billion dollars last week that would shrink overall spending by 430-million dollars.