Today is the 80^th anniversary of D-Day. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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Legislation awaiting the governor’s signature would lift the requirement every high school student has to take the A-C-T test. Jeff Palermo has the story…

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The Kenny Wayne Shepard band is performing at the Raising Canes River Center on July 13^th, and they are looking for a local band to open their show. Sean Richardson has more.

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It was 80 years ago today when more than 156,000 Allied ground troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, a turning point in WWII, what’s referred to as D-Day. Of the 2,500 Americans who were killed, 33 were from Louisiana. Colonel Jerome Butler with the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs says this anniversary is notable because…

Cut 4 (10) “…operation.”

Of the Louisianans killed in action 12 are buried in state, 17 in American cemeteries in France, one in England, and three were never found.

Buller says while D-Day was a successful operation, it’s also a somber day because of the 4,500 Allied forces who died…

Cut 5 (10) “…be remembered.” 

In the regular legislative session, Buller says a House Concurrent Resolution 127 was submitted paying honor to the 33 Louisianans who died on D-Day.

Cut 6 (06) “…their sacrifice.”

To learn more about Louisianas or other Americans who fought on D-Day you can visit dday.org/learn/necrology-project/

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Taking the A-C-T would no longer be a requirement for some high school students under legislation awaiting the governor’s signature. On the final day of the legislative session, state lawmakers gave approval to Bossier City Representative Dennis Bamburg’s bill that says if a student is seeking a career-path diploma they could take a job skills test or a military readiness test. Bamburg says it’s about giving parents options…

Cut 7 (07) “…daily basis.”

The vote for this bill in the House was close, 55 in favor, 46 opposed. New Orleans Representative Jason Hughes voted against it. He says there’s a purpose for the ACT and he believes requiring every student to take the ACT has improved the state’s rankings in public education…

Cut 8 (08) “…move backward.” 

Since 2013 Louisiana has required every high school student to take the ACT. Supporters of this legislation say Louisiana’s average ACT score has been dragged down, because there are students not taking the A-C-T seriously, if they are going to a four-year college. Bamburg made that point on the House floor…

Cut 9 (09)  “…the ACT.”

Louisiana’s ACT score has been trending downward. Last year the state average was 18, while the national average is 19.5.

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The Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner will open its doors today for its new land-based casino in Kenner. David Strow (rhymes with how) with Boyd Gaming Corporation says it will be quite a change from their riverboat casino and he’s betting visitors will be impressed.

Cut 10 (12) “…before.”

The new facility has a gambling hall that’s 47,000 square feet, twice the size of the previous casino, and 8,000 square of convention space.

Strow says in addition to gambling they’ll have four dining options, including a high-end steak house and a state-of-the-art sports bar next to a Fan Duel Sportsbook.

Cut 11 (11) “…expand the appeal.”

At the riverboat property, visitors had to park off-site and take a shuttle to the casino. Strow believes guests will appreciate the parking lot at the new land-based casino.

Cut 12 (12) “…before.” 

Strow says of all their properties the one in Kenner is among their most successful ones and believes that will continue to grow with the new facility.

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The Kenny Wayne Shepard band is performing at the Raising Canes River Center on July 13^th in Baton Rouge, and they want a band from Louisiana to open up for them. They plan to hold a Battle of the Bands competition at the Texas Club in Baton Rouge on June 21 and they are taking submissions now. Kenny Wayne Shepard says this is a great opportunity for an aspiring Louisiana band.

Cut 13 (10)  “…touring act.”

Shepard says just about any band that does a great show will fit the bill and they are not limiting the search to blues and rock bands.

Cut 14 (07)  “…our crowd.”

Opening for an international touring act is a huge opportunity for a local band to be able to use this platform and b grow their audience base, says Shepard.

Cut 15 (11)  “…illegally.”

The band’s original opener, Blues legend, Jimmie Vaugh had to step down due to a cancer diagnosis.

Eagle 98.1 is taking submissions through the 12^th.

Go to Eagle981.com and click on “Battle of the Louisiana Bands” for more info.

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Saints defensive end Isaiah Foskey did not make an impact in his rookie season last year after he was drafted in the second round out of Notre Dame. Foskey appeared in ten games last year and had nine tackles. The 23-year-old says he feels much more comfortable this year…

Cut 16 (16) “…helps a lot.” 

Wide receiver Chris Olave is entering his third season. He caught 87 passes for 1,123 yards and had five touchdowns last year. Olave averaged 13 yards a reception last year. He hopes to produce more big plays this year in new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s system…

Cut 17 (17) “…the system.”

Saints defensive end Carl Granderson had a career-high 8.5 sacks last season. Granderson believes the defensive line will be really good with the addition of Chase Young…

Cut 18 (18)  “…get after it.”

The founder and president of Acadian Ambulance Richard Zuschlag has passed away at 76. Jeff Palermo has the story…

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Professional hockey is coming back to the Monroe Civic Center this October. Sean Richardson has more.

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The founder and President of Acadian Ambulance Richard Zuschlag has passed away at 76 after a battle with cancer. The Pennsylvania native moved to Lafayette in 1970 and a year later started Acadian Ambulance with two ambulances. Zuschlag appeared on WRKF’s Talk Louisiana in 2022 and talked about growing Acadian Ambulance into one of the country’s largest privately held medical transportation companies

Cut 3 (13) “..successful” 

Acadian Ambulance is based in Lafayette and has 52-hundred employees, operating in four states. Zuschlag said he could not have grown this company without the help of Acadiana…

Cut 4 (14) “…working people.” 

Acadian Ambulance started out by providing private ambulance service to funeral homes in Lafayette. Zuschlag said it began to grow when they hired several Vietnam War veterans as medics to cover Lafayette Parish…

Cut 5 (14)  “… save lives.”

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Louisiana started sending a rotation of 50 Louisiana Army National Guardsmen to the Texas border last March to help secure the border against illegal crossings. The three-month deployment is coming to an end and Landry says he is in talks with Texas Governor Greg Abbott about keeping Louisiana soldiers at the border.

Cut 6  (11) “…around this time. ” 

Landry says it is important to have a presence of National Guard troops from Louisiana and they are helping to secure the border

Cut 7 (07) “…state of Texas.”  

Louisiana’s deployment due to wrap up this month has cost around $3 million.

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Secretary of State Nancy Landry says she’s extremely pleased with the 11 bills passed in the session to improve Louisiana’s election system. Even though the Bayou State is in the ranked in top ten for election integrity by the Heritage Foundation and number one in the south by the Electoral Integrity Project

Cut 8 (11)  “…(x2) number one.” 

Landry says even the Louisiana Legislative State Auditor gives the state’s election high marks.

Governor Jeff Landry is expected to sign all of the bills, including one that passed three times before, but former Governor John Bel Edwards vetoed them each time. She says the legislation allows them to further clean up the voter rolls when someone has been inactive for 10 years. It’s estimated that 160,000 people fall into that category.

Cut 9 (13) “…inactive voter list.” 

Inactive voters will still be able to vote and when they do they’ll return to active status unless they fail to vote in two consecutive federal elections, then they are removed and will have to register to vote again.

When asked if the 11 bills would make it more difficult to vote, Landry believes the changes won’t create any burdens for voters.

Cut 10 (12) “…our elections.”

Landry says one of the bills allows them to check for citizenship when individuals register to vote in Louisiana.

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Its official, professional hockey is back in Monroe, Louisiana. The managing partner and president, Parker Moskal announced the newest team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League.

Cut 11 (10) ” …Monroe Moccasin’s.”

Moccasin’s Owner Nick Perkins says he knows Louisiana is passionate about their sports teams.

Cut 12 (11) “…the first year.” 

It’s been over two decades since Monroe had a professional hockey team and some say history will repeat itself and the new Monroe Moccasin’s won’t last, but Perkins has a message for the doubters saying, “That will not happen.” And are in talks with the Governors office to bring an NHL team to New Orleans.

Cut 13 (09) “…pretty notable.” 

The Moccasins return to the Monroe Civic Center October 11^th