A Lafayette man with a passion for peppers is trying to breed the hottest pepper in the world. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Did the SEC drop the ball with the Florida/LSU game? Michelle Southern reports…:

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Louisianans love their spicy food, so it’s no surprise that a Lafayette man with “a lot of passion and a little know how” is attempting to make the hottest pepper in the world. Self-professed pepper aficionado, Troy Primeaux, says his first pepper, the 7-Pot Primo, is arguably the hottest pepper in the world at 1.4 million Scoville Heat Units, but it’s technically second to the Carolina Reaper, which is 1.57 million SHU. But he says he’s working to make a pepper that’s even hotter- the Louisiana Creeper.

CUT 3 (12)  “the others”

Primeaux says the preliminary data looks good for the Louisiana Creeper to be the hottest pepper in the world at 2 million SHU or better. The pepper’s average heat will be determined by independent tests once it’s finished. But he says those that have tried it say the Louisiana Creeper will melt your face off.

CUT 4 (09)  “the fridge (laughs)”

Primeaux says he got started in pepper breeding when he gave up his life as a rock star to find a more family friendly hobby. He says he didn’t intend to make the world’s hottest pepper, it’s just something he stumbled into. But he says he’s always trying to push the envelope.

CUT 5 (09)  “why not”

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A lot of LSU fans feel the SEC completely dropped the ball for allowing the LSU/Florida game not to happen this weekend, as other games in the Sunshine State were easily moved while Hurricane Matthew approached. Stewart Mandel, college football writer for Fox Sports, says he doesn’t see why this marquee SEC matchup couldn’t have been moved…”

CUT 6 (10) “not gonna be rescheduled”

Mandel says this is particularly troubling because LSU is no stranger to being the displaced team. After Hurricane Katrina, the Tigers moved a game to Tempe to play Arizona State, and after Hurricane Rita moved a game to Monday night. He says then of course there was last year when Tiger Stadium played host to a flooded South Carolina home team…:

CUT 7 (10) “earlier in the week”

There is a feeling among the Tiger Nation that Florida  didn’t want to play the game because they’re banged up and didn’t want to risk a loss. Mandel says while Florida was being stubborn about the matter, he doesn’t think it was their hope that the game wouldn’t happen at all…:

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Federal and state agencies are combining forces to prosecute any cases of fraud as a result of the devastating flooding in August. The US Attorney’s Office along with the state Attorney General are leading the effort and have established a national center of disaster fraud hotline. AG Jeff Landry says they don’t want flood victims to fall prey to those who want to exploit the system.

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The national hotline number for victims of scams is 1 (866) 720-5721.Landry says on the AG website, there is a sample contract to use with contractors doing work on your home and gives some tips to protect yourself.

cut 10 (08)  “in writing”

With regards to the flooding in south Louisiana, they’ve already received more than 12-hundred complaints from those who say someone tried to take advantage of them. Landry says your smart phone can help prevent you from being a victim of fraud.

Cut 11 (10) “your contractor”

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Hurricane Matthew is causing destruction along the East Coast, and some of the models show it looping back around early next week in the direction of Florida. State climatologist Barry Keim says the models are all over the place on where the storm will go. He says there’s a chance Matthew could make it into the Gulf, but he doesn’t think it’s likely.

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Keim says Tropical Storm Nicole, which is south of Bermuda, could also affect Matthew’s path. He says there’s a small chance that the two storms could join forces like in 2005 with Hurricane Wilma and Tropical Storm Alpha.

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But Keim says that doesn’t seem likely at this point either. He says meteorologists are keeping an eye on the cyclones because it could go in any direction. He says for now, Louisiana looks to be in the clear.

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Three members of the Jefferson Parish Council have called for Parish President Mike Yenni’s resignation in light of his admittance to sexting a 17-year-old boy. Legal analyst Tim Meche says he doesn’t see a mechanism for the council to force him to resign because while what Yenni did was morally questionable, he didn’t break any laws.

cut 15 (10) “that test”

Council members say Yenni owes parish residents an explanation. But Meche says Yenni hasn’t been charged with any federal or state crime, and he doesn’t expect that he will be. He says a petition could be started to recall Yenni out of office, but that’s very difficult to accomplish under Louisiana law.

cut 16 (08) “to resign”

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LSU’s live mascot Mike VI’s cancer has spread throughout his body, according to his veterinarian Dr. David Baker. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Research by the Associated Press and the Center for Public Integrity finds Louisiana has more opioid prescriptions than residents. Halen Doughty has more…

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Mike the Tiger’s veterinarian announces the live mascot’s cancer has spread throughout his body. Dr. David Baker says based on a CT scan, they believe Mike has one to two months to live.

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Baker says currently, Mike VI is behaving very normally and his appetite has returned after treatment for a sinus infection due to a tumor. He says their current plan gives the LSU community time to say their goodbyes to the beloved mascot.

CUT 4 (11)  “hospice care”

LSU has already instructed Baker to begin the search for a young tiger to become Mike VII. Baker says there is no way to know when Mike VI will permanently retire to his night house and assures they will not let him suffer. He says he’s been questioned about Mike’s radiation treatment and believes it did what it was supposed to do.

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There are more opioid prescriptions in Louisiana than there are residents. That’s according to research by the Associated Press and the Center for Public Integrity. Medical Director with the state Office of Public Health, Dr. David Holcombe, says it’s a problem in the Deep South, as Louisiana is one of 8 states with a high rate of prescriptions per resident. He says part of the problem is that it’s easier for doctors to write a prescription.

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Louisiana’s opioid prescription rate was 1.03 per capita in 2015, and Tennessee, West Virginia, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Kentucky also had rates higher than 1. Holcombe says pharmaceutical companies push these pills as being safer than they really are. He says there’s also a problem with patient demand.

CUT 7 (09) “be tolerated”

Holcombe says when they crackdown on over prescribing these pills, many people who have become addicted will switch to heroin because it’s cheaper and more readily available. He says a simple solution would be for doctors to check their patients’ prescription history.

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Holcombe doesn’t expect doctors to be eager to do these checks because it would be another hassle on their to-do list.

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Angry Jefferson Parish residents spoke out at a council meeting today urging Parish President Mike Yenni to resign. There are multiple allegations claiming while Yenni was the mayor of Kenner, he sent a 17-year-old boy sexually explicit texts and kissed the teen in a public bathroom then gave him designer underwear. Resident Richard Brown maintains Yenni offered that teen a job.

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A spokesperson for Yenni said he would have something to say soon, but not today. Kenner resident and a mother of two boys, Stacy Alessandro, says she’s disappointed Yenni wasn’t at the meeting to refute these allegations. She says his silence speaks volumes.

cut 10 (07)  “in hiding”

Another Jefferson Parish resident says this is humiliating for the entire parish. She urges the council to take whatever action is need and hopes Yenni will speak out about these claims.

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An unrestrained 19-year-old was killed in a single vehicle crash after her vehicle was split in half in Catahoula Parish. State Police Trooper Scott Moreau says police responded to a crash in Harrisonburg, yesterday morning involving, Reagan Rainey of Jonesville, who lost control of her vehicle and hit a tree.

cut 12 (11) “in half”

Moreau says State Police doesn’t see too many crashes were a vehicle is split in half, but when they do, speed is typically a factor.

Cut 13 (10)  “as well”

Moreau says police are out enforcing speed and seat belt laws because it can be a recipe for disaster like this.

cut 14 (07)  “correct way”

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