A state park in Calcasieu Parish will undergo a multi-year restoration. Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
____________________________________________
The U.S. Senate nominations will be decided Saturday night. Jeff Palermo has a look at the two candidates on the Republican side.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
____________________________________________
Jefferson Parish officials and Loop Linen Service broke ground on a 25-million-dollar project to keep the family-owned company in the parish. Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission Executive Director Jerry Bologna says Loop Linen had outgrown their previous facilities and was looking to move. He says retaining these businesses is key to economic development.
Cut 3 (11) “…support them.”
Loop Linen serves nearly 17-hundred customers across Louisiana and Mississippi. Bologna says the new 16-million-dollar, 62-thousand-square-foot facility will retain 125 jobs from its current operation.
Cut 4 (11) “…supported them.”
The location near the intersection of U.S. 90 and Louisiana Highway 18 had lots of green space but lacked required infrastructure. Bologna says the project also includes a half-million dollars from the state and 350-thousand-dollas from the parish council.
Cut 5 (07) “…future development.”
________________________________________
Sam Houston Jones State Park in Calcasieu Parish will be undergoing a major restoration after sustaining significant damage from Hurricane Laura and other storms. Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser says the project will cover more than 800 acres of forest habitat over the course of six years.
Cut 6 (12) “…help that park.”
Lieutenant Governor Nungesser says the planting of the native trees will help the park withstand future natural disasters.
Cut 7 (06) “…support to wildlife.”
Nungesser says Woodside Energy is exclusively funding the project, committing five-million dollars for the restoration.
Cut 8 (13) “…State of Louisiana.”
_____________________________________________________________
The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame 2026 induction ceremony is Saturday night in Natchitoches. Former LSU second baseman Warren Morris is one of the inductees. Morris, of course, blasted the iconic walk-off homer to win the 1996 College World Series. He says he spent most of the season injured in the dugout supporting his teammates.
Cut 9 (07) “…that championship.”
Former Northwestern State and Bossier Parish Community College coach Mike McConathy is the winningest college basketball coach in state history. He was also a standout point guard at Louisiana Tech. In 2006, he led the Demons to an NCAA tournament upset win over 15th-ranked Iowa. He says that team was built on the ones that came before it.
Cut 10 (10) “…how to win.”
Former Florien coach Dewain Strother is the second-winningest high school girls basketball coach in the nation. He led the Lady Black Cats to six state championships and 21 Final Fours. Strother says he was blessed by talented players.
Cut 11 (13) “…that I love.”
______________________________________________________
The race to represent the Republican Party in the 2026 U.S. Senate election comes to an end Saturday night, as the primary runoff between Julia Letlow and John Fleming will be decided. Negative ads have been prominent in this campaign as the two sides try to distinguish themselves as the more conservative candidate. Letlow has continuously pointed out that she has the endorsement of President Trump.
Cut 12 (12) “…desperate ads.”
The Fleming campaign has portrayed Letlow as a liberal. Fleming accused Letlow of supporting a liberal environmental agenda when it comes to carbon capture and sequestration, and he says Letlow supported DEI initiatives when she interviewed to be the president at ULM. Letlow says she’s anti-DEI, and that’s why she authored the Parents Bill of Rights Act.
Cut 13 (12) “…DEI.”
Fleming says Letlow’s Parents Bill of Rights Act did not pass, and there’s very little she can point to as far as accomplishments since she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2021.
Cut 14 (10) “..into law.”
Fleming says his resume is much more robust. Fleming has previously served in the U.S. House, and he was part of the Trump Administration during the President’s first term. The 74-year-old Minden native also says voters value his experience in the military, as a doctor and a business owner.
Cut 15 (07) “…no comparison”
Polls are open Saturday from 7 a-m to 8 p-m.