Lafayette Sheriff Mark Garber’s daughter and babysitter were found safe this morning following an all-night search for the missing girls. Don Molino has more…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Don Molino”

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State Officials got together today to discuss Louisiana’s response plan should another storm hit us, while our neighbors are recovering. Michelle Southern reports…:

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The daughter and babysitter of Lafayette Sheriff Mark Garber have been found safe after the two went missing in a canoe overnight. John Mowell with the sheriff’s office says the 21-year-old Juliana Brooks took 7-year-old Cora Garber canoeing in the sheriff’s pond, which is adjacent to a swamp.

Cut 3 (10) “right now”

Mowell says when the sheriff saw the babysitter’s phone and car at his home and no sight of the girls, he immediately deployed search and rescue teams. He says local law enforcement agencies joined in the effort, along with volunteers in canoes who searched throughout the night before finding the girls in the Lake Martin area near an oil well.

Cut 4  (11) “precautionary measure”

Mowell says the girls used mud from the swamp to protect themselves from mosquitos. He says the babysitter is a skilled kayaker with survival skills, which came in handy during the long night in the swamp.

Cut 5  (11)  “good judgement”

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State Officials got together today to discuss Louisiana’s response plan should another storm hit us while portions of the Gulf Coast region are still recovering from prior events. Mike Steele with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says we are still in the heart of hurricane season, and resources in Louisiana could be strained:

Cut 6 (09) “Houston and in Texas”

Steele says Texas has historically been one of our strongest allies during an emergency, but much of that support may not be available now while their Hurricane Harvey recovery begins…:

Cut 7 (08)  “things in place”

Steele says not only is the state dealing with it’s own recovery from Harvey impacts, there are many Louisiana residents still living in temporary housing from the 2016 floods. He says even if Irma doesn’t hit Louisiana, there are other storms already starting to stack up…:

Cut 8 (11) “headed your way”

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Hurricane Irma is a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm heading toward the Leeward Islands. National Hurricane Center Forecaster Chris Landsea says Irma will reach the Lesser Antilles today…

Cut 9 (12)  “south Florida”

The models show Irma turning north once it reaches south Florida and not impacting Louisiana, but Landsea says Louisiana should not let it’s guard down….

Cut 10 (08) “premature”

Landsea says Irma is the strongest Atlantic Ocean hurricane on record with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour….

Cut 11 (09) “gonna produce”

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CEOWORLD magazine ranks UL-Lafayette’s petroleum engineering department the seventh best in the nation and thirteenth in the world. Department Head Dr. Fathi Boukadi (Fah-tee Boo-kah-dee) says this is the result of years of hard work by students, faculty, and staff. He says it’s an honor for the program to be ranked among the best in the world, and he hopes to continue to improve the department.

Cut 12 (09) “our students”

Job placement rate and recruiter feedback were key factors in the report. Boukadi says his students aren’t having much trouble finding work. He notes even in the face of a struggling oil and gas industry, UL-Lafayette students are holding down jobs in the field.

Cut 13 (08) “during the downturn”

Boukadi says students in his department get lots of hands on experience from the local oil and gas sector, which makes UL-Lafayette students even more competitive in the sector. He hopes this ranking and a rebounding oil market helps attract more students to the program.

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It’s Labor Day, so what is the state of employment in Louisiana? Jeff Palermo spoke with LSU economist Loren Scott…

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West Monroe-based Johnny’s Pizza House is celebrating 50 years in business this month. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Elmer’s Island will get a face lift this month, as a team of volunteers is set to clean up the 2.5 mile stretch of beach on September 16th. The event is hosted in-part by the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary or BTNEP. Spokeswoman Alma Robichaux says the event is in coordination with the international coastal cleanup that happens every year in September…:

Cut 3 (10) “Saturday the 16”

Volunteers will keep track of the kinds of trash that is collected. Robichaux says they’ll record what they find to sue for education awareness, which can hopefully put an end to the littering problem on the island. She says the idea is to find the source of the pollution…:

Cut 4  (12) “marine debris”

The event, which is also hosted by the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and Nicholls State, takes place from 10am-1pm. Robichaux says people who wish to volunteer can visit btnep.org and they’re hopeful for a great turnout…:

Cut 5  (11)  “waste drain”

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One of the most popular things do to on Labor Day is gather with family and friends for an outdoor Barbecue. CEO of the Cattle Producers of Louisiana Dave Foster says consumers can expect to see sales here and there on meat products, but the beef industry views this holiday as the last big high-demand time for their commodity until at least Christmas…:

Cut 6 (09) “we get to December”

Foster says when it comes to the impact on the beef industry from Hurricane Harvey, they’re seeing many restaurants and grocery stores placing orders for meat way ahead of the time they normally do….:

Cut 7 (08)  “that stuff”

Foster says if there does become any shortage in beef but they already know stores have prepared for that by stocking up in advance, he hopes the marketplace doesn’t take advantage of that…:

Cut 8 (09) “what happens”

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Based on the latest data from the Louisiana Workforce Commission, one-point-nine million people are holding down a job in this state. That’s an increase of 12-thousand from this time last year. LSU economist Doctor Loren Scott says because of an industrial boom in Lake Charles and Baton Rouge, the construction sector continues to do well…

Cut 9 (10)  “right now”

The state workforce commission says 155-thousand people work in construction, which is an all-time high for Louisiana. But Scott anticipates a lag in employment next year…

Cut 10 (09) “coming back again”

Scott says the employment situation has improved in the oil and gas industry areas like Lafayette and Houma, but job losses are still continuing. But he says employment gains continue in two other areas….

Cut 11 (11) “of the state”

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Johnny’s Pizza House celebrates 50 years in business this month. President and CEO Melvin DeLacerda says the company is in great shape, and he’s looking forward to another 50 years. He says Johnny Huntsman founded the company in Monroe after discovering his love for pizza while attending college in Iowa.

Cut 12 (10) “in this area”

DeLacerda says when Johnny opened his first store across from what was then Northeast Louisiana University, he had to sell other food too because people were not familiar with pizza. He says Johnny served hamburgers and spaghetti to keep the doors open, and he had other gimmicks as well.

Cut 13 (09) “popular spot”

DeLacerda says today Johnny’s has 44 locations spanning multiple states. He says not only did Johnny start a pizza restaurant, he also gave back to the community. He says it’s a tradition he plans to continue in the company.

Cut 14 (12) “continue to operate”

Johnny passed away in June after a battle with Alzheimer’s.

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The 2017 season is off to a good start for the LSU Tigers. The Bayou Bengals blanked BYU 27-0 as the Tigers outgained the Cougars 479-to-97. Derrius Guice rushed for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. Quarterback Danny Etling was 14-of-17 for 173 yards. Head Coach Ed Orgeron says offensive coordinator Matt Canada did a fantastic job calling plays…

Cut 15 (17) “offensive staff”

On the defensive side of the football, LSU held BYU to 97 total yards, negative five rushing yards. It’s the first time the Tigers have shutout an opponent since 2014 and first opening game shutout since the 2007 national championship team. Orgeron says it was a great performance…

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Not much defense was played last Saturday in Lafayette as the Ragin Cajuns outlasted Southeastern Louisiana 51-48. The Lions rushed for 343 yards. UL Lafayette Coach Mark Hudspeth says they were over pursuing on defense…

Cut 17 (17)  “next week”

Cajuns QB Jordan Davis was 12-of-23 for 162 yards and a touchdown in his first career start. Hudspeth says Davis had an effective performance…

Cut 18 (20) “week two”