2026 is going to be a big year for elections in Louisiana, including the U.S. Senate race and several special elections to fill vacancies in the legislature. Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
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While the number of line of duty deaths ticked up slightly in Louisiana in 2025, they dipped to historic lows nationwide. Joe Gallinaro reports.
Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”
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2026 was already shaping up to be a big year for elections in Louisiana; and Secretary of State Nancy Landry says with several vacancies in the legislature, it will be even more so.
Cut 3 (11) “…May and June.”
Of course, the biggest race is that for U.S. Senate, where a handful of candidates are challenging incumbent Bill Cassidy for the Republican nomination in the newly-closed party primary. Landry says what the state really needs for all these elections is elections commissioners, who are paid to help run the polling places.
Cut 4 (11) “…do our elections.”
Landry says the state goes to great lengths to secure its elections, including greatly limiting who can and cannot handle the voting equipment.
Cut 5 (10) “…touch our machines.”
And the machines are never connected to the internet.
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While the number of line-of-duty deaths across the country greatly decreased in 2025, they ticked up in Louisiana. Last year, five law enforcement officers in Louisiana were killed in the line of duty, compared to three in 2024. The number of officers killed in Louisiana is the fifth highest in the country overall and the second highest per capita, ranking behind only Kansas. Bill Alexander, the CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, says nationwide, 111 were killed in the line of duty last year.
Cut 6 (06) “…148 such deaths.”
Alexander says the number of line of duty deaths reached a historic low in 2025.
Cut 7 (07) “…or six decades.”
Alexander says you’d have to go back to 1943 to find a time when line of duty deaths were at a comparable level; that year, 94 officers were killed in the line of duty.
Cut 8 (09) “…to be going.”
Across the country, 44 officers were killed in firearm-related incidents, which is down from 52 in 2024. 34 officers were killed in traffic-related incidents last year; down from 44 from the year before.
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Louisiana is experiencing a heat wave during the first full week of January. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says high temperatures will be touching the 80s for the rest of this work week
Cut 9 (10) “…state of Louisiana.”
Keim says temperatures are running about 15-degrees above normal. He says it is typical for above-normal temperatures when a La Nina climate pattern is active as it is this winter…
Cut 10 (10) “..La Nina year.”
Keim says when we have warm temperatures in the winter, expect foggy conditions in the morning….
Cut 11 (11) “…lots of fog.”
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Today marks the start of the Mardi Gras season and it also officially okay to consume King Cakes. Dave Haydel of Haydel Bakery says they had a line of people outside their store this morning and business has been steady all day. Haydel says the goal is to sell just as many king cakes as they did last year
Cut 12 (11) “…hard to say.”
Haydel of course is referring to the great south Louisiana snowstorm that blanketed the state in late January last year. He says prices are the same as last year…
Cut 13 (02) “…for everybody.”