We are hours away from LSU playing Clemson in the other Death Valley. With a Heisman candidate at quarterback, LSU attacked the transfer portal to upgrade its defense. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says his offense faces a big challenge…

Cut 13 (13)  “…heck of a matchup.”

Kick off is at 6:30.

The Ragin Cajuns will play in the newly renovated Our Lady of Loudes Stadium as U-L Lafayette will host Rice. Cajuns Coach Michael Desormeaux says Rice’s triple option offensive attack will be a good test…

Cut 20 (18) “….are at”

The ribbon has been cut on a new prison in Louisiana that will house female inmates. It’s located in the Iberville Parish town of St. Gabriel and it’s the called The Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women.

Cut 7 (09) “…,maximum custody inmates”

That’s Warden Kristen Thomas who says the 160-million dollar facility enhances the state’s focus on providing rehabilitative, education, medical and mental health services.

The Louisiana Department of Health is offering a new program to help mothers suffering from Perinatal Depression. It’s called T-L-C Moms and it’s designed to offer support and resources for moms, families and caregivers facing pregnancy or postpartum depression and anxiety. Louisiana Surgeon General Doctor Ralph Abraham says there are several reasons why new mothers may experience postpartum depression.

Cut 10 (08) “…a new life.”

More information can be found at L-D-H’s website on the TLC Moms’ page

It’s Labor Day weekend and for the first time in many years there is a demand for labor in northeast Louisiana because of Meta’s 10-billion-dollar A-I data center they are building in Richland Parish. Economist Doctor Loren Scott says thousands of construction workers will be needed and the Monroe area has a chance to break employment records over the next few years…

Cut 4 (10) “…crazy good”

Scott also expects job growth in Lake Charles, Baton Rouge and parts of the New Orleans area, because the price of natural gas is cheap, which is good for the chemical industry.

LSU says law school dean Alena Allen is stepping down, but the school’s first Black law school dean says she is being targeted because of raising concerns about irregularities in the LSU law school finances. According to the Advocate, Allen is considering legal action against LSU.

Fifth year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier leads LSU into the other Death Valley tomorrow night as the ninth ranked Tigers take on fourth ranked Clemson. Coach Brian Kelly says they are counting on Nussmeier’s experience, and they are asking him to limit mistakes

Cut 12 (11) “…of  the game.”

Other games of note tonight, Louisiana Tech hosts Southeastern Louisiana, the Ragin Cajuns host Rice and Louisiana Christian is at McNeese.

Northwestern State is 1-0 for the first time since 2013 after breaking its 20-game losing streak and beating Alcorn State 20-10 on Thursday night. Second-year head coach Blaine McCorkle says the thrill of victory is much better than the agony of defeat…

Cut 15 (10) “….in the country”

Northwestern State will be at Minnesota next Saturday.

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff deputies have made another arrest in the hit and run death of a six-year boy who was riding his scooter in his driveway back on August 13^th near Slidell. Authorities originally arrested Cody Beaudette. But deputies say new information surfaced and vehicular homicide and hit and run charges against Beaudette were rescinded. Shortly after that announcement, the sheriff’s office announced the arrest of 40-year-old Connie Noel Estes and she will be charged with felony hit and run with death or serious bodily injury and felony obstruction of justice.

The EPA has confirmed toxic substances were found in nearby waters from last week’s Smitty’s Supply explosion. That’s according to FOX 8 television in New Orleans who says based on a report provided to them, arsenic, barium, chromium, lead and other hazardous materials were found in two water samples collected the day after the explosion. But the EPA continues to say there is no imminent threat to the public.

For the fifth year in a row, Louisiana will showcase itself in the Tournament of Roses Parade. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

There will be a football game at Independence Stadium tonight as Grambling will host Langston in the Shreveport kickoff classic. Grambling athletics director Traevean Scott is inviting football fans to come out and enjoy the festivities…

Cut 4 (13) “..as possible”

Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm in Plaquemines Parish at 6:10 am on this date 20 years ago. She brought widespread flooding and devastation. Saint Bernard Parish President Louis Pomes (Louie POE-mez) was an employee of the parish at the time. He was amazed at how fast the water rose because of breaches in the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.

Cut 28 (12) “…as it was pushing.”

One of the more remarkable stories that came out of Hurricane Katrina was how the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on the LSU campus became the world’s largest field hospital at that time in U-S history. Sean O’ Keefe was the chancellor of LSU at the time and says the doctors and nurses came from hospitals that were closed because of Katrina.

Cut 10 (14) “…triage this.”

LSU football kicks off the season tomorrow night at Clemson in a top ten matchup. The Fighting Tigers will welcome back to the field linebacker Harold Perkins, who missed most of last season with a torn ACL. Perkins will play the STAR position and he says it will allow him to showcase his pass rush abilities as well as his pass coverage skills.

Cut 16 (13) “…my versatility.”

There’s a college football game in Shreveport tomorrow night. Andrew Greenstein has more…

Cut 1 (34) “….I’m Andrew Greenstein”

Today is the 20^th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the darkest days in Louisiana history. Bob Mann was the communications director for Governor Kathleen Blanco; and at first, they thought Katrina only produced wind damage. But then, reports came in of rising water.

Cut 22 (12) “…somewhere.”

Katrina produced catastrophic flooding, not only in New Orleans, but also in Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes.

The federal response was slow to get here as desperate people began looting stores. One of the lasting images of the Katrina response, Lieutenant General Russel Honore telling police officers to put their weapons down. Honoré says those officers were acting on orders from Governor Kathleen Blanco to shoot anyone they found looting. Honoré said he told Blanco to rescind that order.

Cut 15 (09) “…can’t do that.”

A three-star general, Honoré retired from the Army in 2008 and continues to serve as a consultant on disaster preparedness.

The new Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women opens in St. Gabriel. Warden Kristen Thomas says it has the capacity to house almost one-thousand inmates and consists of 15 buildings which go far beyond the two main housing units.

Cut 6 (11) “…an intake center.”

One unique feature of this prison is the academic and career technical educational center. The prison has partnered with Ashland University and Tulane University to offer degree programs.

Fifth year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier leads LSU into the other Death Valley tomorrow night as the ninth ranked Tigers take on fourth ranked Clemson. Coach Brian Kelly says they are counting on Nussmeier’s experience, and they are asking him to limit mistakes…

Cut 12 (11) “…of the game”

Kick off is at 6:30.

It’s a solemn day across southeast Louisiana as many people remember and reflect on Hurricane Katrina making landfall on this day 20 years ago. Governor Kathleen Blanco took a lot of criticism for the state’s response to Katrina. Her communications director, Bob Mann says there were failures at all levels of government, but FEMA’s role was to provide federal resources to states dealing with a disaster, and that didn’t happen.

Cut 6 (13) “…sent in.”

St. Benard Parish was hit very hard. Current Parish president Louis Pomes (Louie POE-mez) says St. Bernard wouldn’t be where it is today without the spirit of the parish’s residents and federal money.

Cut 9 (15)  “…billion dollars recovery.”

Pomes credits local leaders for using the federal recovery dollars wisely. Not only rebuilding schools, hospitals and the sewer system, but also providing new amenities for its residents , like a skate park, dog park and bike paths.

Gas prices for this Labor Day weekend are the lowest they’ve been for this holiday in five years. AAA fuel analyst Don Redman says the price of crude oil is why the price at the pump is well below three dollars.

Cut 12 (08) “…64 dollars.”

According to AAA, the statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.79. That’s about 20-cents cheaper than last year.

Grambling football fans will be heading to Shreveport this weekend to watch the Tigers kick-off the season by playing Langston in the Shreveport Kickoff Classic on Saturday night at Independence Stadium. Grambling Athletic Director Traeveon Scott says Langston University, which is an NAIA school out of Oklahoma, has a rich history with several Louisiana ties.

Cut 3 (11) “…to North Louisiana.”

Scott says he’s looking forward to kicking off the season in style in Shreveport, and he’s inviting all football fans to come out and enjoy the festivities.

Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm in Plaquemines Parish at 6:10 in the morning on this date. Saint Bernard Parish had widespread flooding and devastation, and current Parish President Louis Pomes (Louie POE-mez) was an employee of the parish at the time.

Cut 7 (09) “…of tears.”

It was chaos in New Orleans in the days after Katrina. Lieutenant General Russell Honoré was the face of the federal response and says he would have liked to have been in New Orleans earlier, but the city had flooded so badly that he and other members of the National Guard had no way of getting into the city – and, in effect, they had no way of getting people out.

Cut 14 (15) “…bus people out.”

It’s reported the U-S Coastal Guard saved over 17-thousand people from flooded areas in the greater New Orleans area.

Gas prices for this Labor Day weekend are the lowest they’ve been since 2020. Andre Champagne has the story.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

For the first time since November 5, 2022, Northwestern State won a football game last night. The Demons ended their 20-game losing streak by beating Alcorn State 20 to 10. ULM shutout St. Francis 29 to 0. And the ninth ranked LSU Tigers leave today for their big matchup against fourth ranked Clemson tomorrow night.