More and more Louisiana homeowners are having their homeowners insurance policies cancelled. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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SNAP recipients in Louisiana began receiving food assistance benefits on their EBT cards this past weekend. Jeff Palermo reports on whether the state will be reimbursed for stepping up to the plate…

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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A new report shows that last year, the number of Louisiana homeowners having their insurance policies cancelled by their insurance companies increased more than fivefold compared to 2018. Real Reform Louisiana Executive Director Ben Riggs says insurance companies are cancelling policies mainly for financial reasons, mostly south of the I-10 corridor.

Cut 3 (10) “…their profit margins.”

Riggs says that’s forcing those homeowners either to the more expensive Citizens Insurance, which is the homeowners insurance of last resort, or to smaller insurance companies which are often DemoTech-rated companies that are 30-percent more likely to go insolvent following a major storm.

Cut 4 (11) “…state like Louisiana.”

Riggs says DemoTech-rated companies represent one-third of all homeowners insurance premiums written in Louisiana. He says the phased-in repeal of the so-called “three-year rule” started at the beginning of this year, and that will exacerbate the issue.

Cut 5 (12) “…than three years.”

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Fire investigators are looking into the cause of a fire at a horse stable in Slidell over the weekend. Brian Macaluso with St. Tammany Parish Fire District One says the fire broke out at around three Saturday morning at Lewis Stables.

Cut 6 (10) “…to 130 horses.”

Macaluso says firefighters weren’t able to save all the horses in the barn.

Cut 7 (09) “…in the fire.”

(Firefighters saved 28 horses, but nine horses died.) Macaluso says the cause is still under investigation, and it could be anything from an electrical issue to arson.

Cut 8 (09) “…caused this fire.”

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The federal government shutdown has entered its second month and this is the 34^th day, the second longest in U-S history. Republicans and Democrats continue to blame each other. U-S House Speaker Mike Johnson from Bossier Parish says Senate Democrats have had multiple opportunities to vote for a funding bill that would re-open the government…

Cut 9 (06)  “…this is happening.”

Democrats say they will not vote on a funding bill, unless it also contains Affordable Care Act tax credits.

Johnson has been criticized for keeping the House out of session during the month-long government shutdown. Even members of his own party have expressed concerns about that strategy. Johnson explained his reasoning during an appearance on KEEL radio…

Cut 10 (17) “…House floor.”

Johnson says the federal government shutdown is starting to affect every aspect of society…

Cut 11 (12) “…do that.”

If the shutdown lasts two more days, it will set a record for the longest in U-S history.

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State funds are being used to fund the SNAP program this month. Hundreds of thousands of low-income Louisiana residents were in jeopardy of not receiving any food assistance in November, because of the federal government shutdown. Governor Landry says Louisiana was able to fill the void, because it’s been fiscally responsible…

Cut 12 (12) “…right now.”

The Louisiana Legislature agreed to use 150 million from the state health department’s budget to pay for SNAP benefits this month. About 700-thousand Louisiana residents are receiving their cash assistance in phases, with a quarter of the recipient’s monthly amount being loaded onto their cards each week.

Landry says the state has enough money to pay for the SNAP program through November, but he’s hopeful there will be movement to end the government shutdown following the election results of gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey…

Cut 13 (15)  “…in Louisiana.”

The Trump administration said today it will make partial patients to the 42-million Americans who are eligible for food stamps. It’s in response to two federal judges who ruled that it’s unlawful to freeze funding for the anti-hungry program.

Louisiana cleans up at the JRNY (“Journey”) America Awards. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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If you miss being able to fly from Alexandria to Houston, you’ll be able to do so again this coming spring. Jeanne (“zhahn”) Burns reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Jeanne Burns.”

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One former LSU Tiger is hoping interim athletics director Verge Ausberry can provide stability to the Tigers athletic department. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Louisiana is a big winner at the JRNY (“Journey”) America Awards, taking home three awards. Louisiana won for State of the Year, and New Orleans won for Best Food City and Best New Tourism initiative – the latter being for the new Amtrak Mardi Gras service. Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser says the Mardi Gras service, which connects New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, with stops in Mississippi along the way, is something that he worked on and is something he’s very proud of.

Cut 4 (10) “…expand into Florida.”

Nungesser says the award for State of the Year is testament that while New Orleans is certainly a world class tourist attraction, there’s a lot more for visitors to see throughout the whole state.

Cut 5 (09) “…the oldest city.”

Nungesser says Louisiana has some of the best outdoor recreation opportunities in the country, if not the world.

Cut 6 (12) “…in the world.”

New Orleans’ award for Best Food City needs no explanation.

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Starting in May, you’ll once again be able to fly from Alexandria to Houston and back. United is restarting service between Alexandria International Airport and Bush Intercontinental Airport. Airport Executive Director Ralph Hennessy says service had been discontinued in 2022, and not because the route wasn’t profitable.

Cut 7 (08) “…30-plus other markets.”

Hennessy says AEX had worked to restore service to Houston since the day service was discontinued. The airport got its big breakthrough when SkyWest Airlines came into the picture.

Cut 8 (07) “…United Airlines flag.”

Hennessy says the airport made SkyWest a guarantee to secure the resumption of the service to Houston.

Cut 9 (12)  “…revenue guarantee.”

The first million comes from a DOT grant, and the remaining 200-thousand dollars is pledged by the Alexandria-based Louisiana Central Community Foundation. When service resumes in May, there will be two daily non-stop flights, with each flight about 45 minutes.

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There may officially be one month to go in the 2025 hurricane season, but State Climatologist Jay Grymes says for all intents and purposes, Louisiana will make it through this year unscathed.

Cut 10 (05) “…threat is over.”

Grymes says that’s because history has shown that this time of year, the threat of tropical weather in the Gulf of Mexico is nonexistent.

Cut 11 (10) “…with a landfall.”

Grymes says not only is Louisiana out of danger for this year, but our neighbors to the east can breathe a sigh of relief as well.

Cut 12 (08) “…terms of history.”

This year, no storm of at least tropical storm strength made landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast. The closest was Tropical Storm Barry, which made landfall in central Mexico in late June.

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LSU fans, alumni, and supporters are hoping for a quieter week after a topsy-turvy few days last week that saw major changes to the athletic department. Football coach Brian Kelly and athletics director Scott Woodward are both gone, and some say Governor Landry’s fingerprints are all over Woodward’s departure. Former LSU linebacker Darry Beckwith is concerned about what is going on at his alma mater…

Cut 13 (11)  “…thing together.”

There’s a lot of uncertainty at LSU right now as the school does not have a permanent athletics director and the school is set to hire a new president tomorrow. But Beckwith still believes the head football coaching job at LSU is one of the best in the country…

Cut 14 (10) “…to have.”

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16th-ranked Southeastern Louisiana improved to 7-2 on the season, 7-0 versus F-C-S opponents, with a dominant 59-14 win over East Texas A-and-M. Lions quarterback Carson Camp threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions on Saturday night…

Cut 15 (10) “…to do.”

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Louisiana Tech is one win away from bowl eligibility following its 55-14 homecoming win over Sam Houston. The Bulldogs had 646 total yards of offense and Jacob Fields returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown…

Cut 16 (16) “…these dudes”

Tech is at Delaware this Saturday.

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ULM fell behind 24-0 in the first half and lost to Old Dominion 31-6 at Malone Stadium on Saturday. Coach Bryant Vincent’s team has now lost five in a row…

Cut 17 (16) “…played the game.”

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Nicholls beat Houston Christian 31-7 for a homecoming victory in Thibodaux. The Colonels defense had four interceptions in the first half and Ean Rodrigue threw two touchdown passes. Coach Tommy Rybacki’s team has won two in a row after six straight…

Cut 18 (10)  “…   really good”

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For the second time this season, the Saints traveled to the West Coast and played an uncompetitive game, losing 34-10 to the Los Angeles Rams. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough made his first NFL start and threw for 176 yards, one touchdown, and was intercepted once. The Saints’ lone touchdown came in the second quarter, and New Orleans was already down 20-3. Shough says they wanted to start quickly on the road…

Cut 19 (19) “…back to it.”

This is the Saints’ worst start to a season since 1980 when the Aints went 0-14. Coach Kellen Moore is trying to keep the team together…

Cut 20 (21) “…be successful.”

The Saints are at Carolina this Sunday. The Panthers went up to Green Bay yesterday and beat the Packers.