Governor Landry issues an executive order that allows for the use of nontaxable, dyed diesel fuel in highway vehicles that are engaged in ag and timber harvesting operations. Kace Kieshnick has more…

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

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An LSU student alleges she was raped by a football player last October and has asked the East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s office to investigate. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Governor Jeff Landry issued an executive order to allow Louisiana farmers and timber harvesters to use dyed diesel on vehicles that use public roads and highways. The order suspends the penalty for using off-road fuel in licensed highway vehicles through October 22nd. Louisiana Farm Bureau President Richard Fontenot says this is important, because dyed diesel is nontaxable, which will help producers combat record high diesel prices.

Cut 3 (10) “…fuel prices.”

Diesel prices are at an all-time high, averaging just over six-dollars a gallon in Louisiana. Fontenot says that record cost affects expenses for farmers across the board, especially during peak harvesting time.

Cut 4 (09) “…that they produce.”

As price takers, farmers are having to eat the record energy costs. Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain says the rise in diesel costs came at a bad time.

Cut 5 (11) “…at harvest.”

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An LSU student says she was raped by an LSU football player last October on campus prompting an investigation by the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s Office. Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolino says sexual assault cases can be difficult to prosecute

Cut 6 (05) “…beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The accuser reported the incident to LSU’s Title Nine office. She says LSU found the player responsible for rape, suspended the student athlete for two semesters, but when the semester began this year that punishment was reduced to two year’s probation. Ciolino says it sounds like LSU followed Title requirements…

Cut 7 (08) “…not theres.”

East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore says Tuesday was the first time they’ve heard about the alleged sexual assault and his office has asked LSU and the university police department to turn over the information they have gathered.

LSU President Wade Rousse says LSU properly followed its Title nine policies and processes to a conclusion. Ciolino says it’s now up to the District Attorney Hillar Moore to determine if a criminal crime possibly took place…

Cut 8 (09) “…in Baton Rouge”

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The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed a case of rabies in a dog earlier this month. The infected dog was in the Acadiana region of the state. It’s the first case of canine rabies in Louisiana since 2014 and the fifth in the state in the last 20 years. Dr. Mark Mitchell, a professor of zoological medicine at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, says especially since rabies is almost 100-percent fatal, this underscores the importance of vaccinating your pets as required by law.

Cut 9 (12)  “…interact with them.”

Dr. Mitchell says while rabies is mostly associated with household pets, humans can get the disease too.

Cut 10 (14) “…through rabbits.” 

Mitchell says it’s also important to prevent your pets from roaming freely, especially in rural areas in order to keep them away from wildlife.

Cut 11 (10) “…them at risk.”

Louisiana is closing the digital divide at one of the fastest rates in the country. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office has opened an investigation into a reported rape involving an LSU student athlete. Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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The state announces it has successfully replaced the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles’ 50-year-old computer system. Kace Kieschnick has the story.

Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

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Louisiana is closing the digital divide at among the fastest rates in the country. According to the latest FCC Broadband Data Collection, Louisiana had the fourth highest proportional growth in the country. Veneeth Iyengar (EYE-in-gar), the executive director of Connect-L-A, says Louisiana more than tripled the national average in broadband access increase.

Cut 4 (12) “…100 by 20.”

Iyengar says whereas other states could take as long as six years to fully close the digital divide, Louisiana is on pace to do so in just two more years.

Cut 5 (13) “…100-percent.”

Iyengar says the best part is that this local issue is being solved by local providers.

Cut 6 (10) “…to Louisiana contractors.”

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Commodity prices are on the rise. That’s helping farmers absorb the higher costs of things like fuel and fertilizer, but economists aren’t sure how long the commodity rally will last. LSU AgCenter Economist Michael Deliberto notes that while farm commodities like corn, soybeans and rice have risen nearly 20-percent since January, fuel costs have risen a whopping 60-percent since March.

Cut 7 (10) “…four-month period.”

Deliberto says weather patterns around the globe are playing a role in low yields in Louisiana and across the country.

Cut 8 (11) “…in different hemispheres.”

Deliberto says despite the rising commodity prices, many farmers are still struggling to cover the high costs of production.

Cut 9 (10)  “…costs have gone.”

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The Caddo Parish inmate who escaped last week while being transported from a Shreveport hospital has been captured in Texas. Sheriff Henry Whitehorn says U-S Marshals Task Force members apprehended Tre’veon Jackson in Marshall, Texas.

Jackson’s capture comes after Whitehorn held a press conference to announce that prisoner transport policies were not followed properly when Jackson fled from deputy custody. During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Whitehorn highlighted some of the mistakes made.

Cut 10 (12) “…during this transport.”

Whitehorn says Jackson was a known escape risk, but yet only one deputy was present when he was transported to the hospital for a medical evaluation.

Cut 11 (10) “…transfer of custody.”

The 24-year-old Jackson fled from custody on September 14th as a deputy was moving to put him into a transport van. He’s accused of fatally shooting another man in 2019. He was convicted late last year on an armed robbery charge.

Whitehorn says new policies are in place to make sure this never happens again.

Cut 12 (11) “…no exceptions.”

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The governor’s office announces that the Office of Motor Vehicles has moved into the 21st century as Louisiana has replaced 50-year-old technology with a modern system designed to support driver licenses, ID cards, credential management and future digital government services. Governor Landry says this new AI-powered platform will reduce wait times and improve reliability.

Cut 13 (06)  “…it right here.” 

Louisiana contracted with CHAMP titles to replace OMV’s outdated, 50-year-old legacy computer systems. Landry says CHAMP gives the public a faster, simpler way to get the services they need. In a video announcement, Landry spoke with a 13-year employee at an OMV office in Baton Rouge.

Cut 14 (13) “…is an upgrade.”

The governor says the CHAMP system will save taxpayers 30-million dollars and will make for an easier experience at the OMV.

Cut 15 (10) “…vehicle registration system.”

OMV offices were closed for two days last week to complete the implementation of the CHAMP driver services platform.

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LSU will need to bounce back from its SEC opener loss to Ole Miss against number-23 Texas A-and-M on Saturday. The Aggies also dropped their first game of conference play, so both teams will have a lot at stake if they want to achieve their College Football Playoff aspirations. Tigers wide receiver Winnie Watkins says it’s a long season.

Cut 16 (15) “…it ain’t nothing.”

Watkins has racked up 15 catches for 207 yards and two of quarterback Sam Leavitt’s three touchdowns. He is the only offensive starter who played under Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis last season, so he says he needs to step up as a leader.

Cut 17 (14) “…being a leader.”

After a sluggish first half for the offense and missed opportunities late against the Rebels, Watkins says leaders have to step up on that side of the ball. He says Leavitt already has.

Cut 18 (15) “…believe in Sam.”

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ULM will host FAU for homecoming on Saturday. Head Coach Bryant Vincent says some things will have to change after the Warhawks lost to Southeastern Louisiana. He says quarterback Aiden Armenta will have the opportunity to compete with Austin Carlisle to win the starting job back.

Cut 19 (16) “…conference schedule.”

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Southern kicks off SWAC play this weekend at Jackson State. The Jags put up 50 points against Louisiana Christian after senior advisor Fred McNair took over playcalling duties from offensive coordinator Ken Merchant. Head coach Marshall Faulk says it is still the same offense, just simplified.

Cut 20 (12) “…more of it.”

Kickoff in Jackson is set for 6 p-m. The Tigers have won the last seven meetings, including two conference championship games.

The Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association says Governor Landry’s plan to rein in diesel prices is counterproductive. Joe Gallinaro reports.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

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An LSU student alleges she was raped by a football player and the East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office is investigating her allegation. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Not everyone believes Governor Landry’s idea of halting diesel exports for 90 days is the answer to get prices under control. In fact, the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association says that will only have the opposite effect. President Tommy Faucheux says diesel pipelines are already operating at capacity.

Cut 3 (08) “…to export them.”

Faucheux says if refineries have nowhere to put their surplus diesel, it will cause a chain reaction series of events which will ultimately raise not only diesel prices, but also gasoline prices which are also sky-high.

Cut 4 (10) “…that they produce.”

Faucheux says the ultimate solution to lowering diesel prices is an end to the military conflicts in Iran and between Russia and Ukraine

Cut 5 (08) “…here at home.”

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State Police say they arrested 32 people over the weekend in response to increase criminal activity in Ouachita and Morehouse parishes. State Trooper Ryan Davis says this two-day enforcement detail resulted in 188 traffic stops that led to the arrests…

Cut 6 (12) “…32 individuals.”

Davis says most of the people they arrested were fugitives…

Cut 7 (06) “…court system.”

Davis says this initiative is designed to enhance community safety through proactive policing strategies targeting violent  crime and drug trafficking…

Cut 8 (08) “…street level sellers”

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East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore is investigating an alleged rape involving an LSU football player. LSU student, Kendall Danielle, has detailed her allegations on TikTok. She says the alleged rape happened last October and claims the player admitted to the assault during an LSU Title Nine investigation. The player was suspended by LSU for one year following that investigation, but has since been allowed to return to campus

Cut 9 (08)  “…similar to this.”

Moore’s office is now investigating the allegations. In a statement, he said his office became aware of the allegation today.

Moore says he’s requested all reports, interviews, evidence and other relevant records from LSU, LSU Police Department, the Baton Rouge Police Department, the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office and any other agency possessing information related to this matter.

The player’s name has not been made public. Danielle believes the university went out of its way to protect him…

Cut 10 (06) “…more than anything.” 

Danielle says she first reported the assault to the Baton Rouge Police Department, but what was told the LSU Police Department has jurisdiction because the alleged incident happened on campus. The woman says the LSU Police investigators were not interested in conducting an extensive investigation…

Cut 11 (14) “…what I did today.”

LSU president Wade Rousse says this incident has been handled professionally and that LSU has strictly followed their policies, procedures and best practices. Rousse says LSU is cooperating with its law enforcement partners as they work through investigatory process.

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A Kenner business owner is accused of recording people inside the bathroom of his business. According to his LinkedIn profile, 57-year-old Henry Rios owns a sign and banner shop called ETC NOLA. Kenner Deputy Police Chief Mark McCormick says a woman used the bathroom at his business earlier this month and discovered a camera mounted underneath the sink.

Cut 12 (09) “…using the bathroom.” 

McCormick says detectives executed a search warrant at Rios’ business and home last week and recovered three additional concealed surveillance cameras, and a search of those cameras uncovered some startling findings.

Cut 13 (07) “…videos or images.”

And McCormick says that’s likely just the tip of the iceberg, as detectives have also recovered 13 thumb drives, five memory cards and a hidden camera disguised as an LED alarm clock. Right now, Rios is charged with three counts of video voyeurism, which is a felony under Louisiana law, but he says many more charges are likely to follow. So far, detectives have identified three victims, but there could be many more.

McCormick is urging businesses which have done work with Rios to thoroughly inspect their workplaces.

Cut 14 (07) “…in our community.”