This Memorial Day, take a second to remember those who fought for our country. Mel Bridges has more.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Mel Bridges.”

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If you’re in Thibodaux or Shreveport on Friday, you might experience a 70s flashback when hundreds of Mrs. Ropers invade downtown. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (35)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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The NCAA and the five biggest conferences, including the SEC, have reached a settlement that will result in all college athletes being paid. Jeanne Burns has more.

Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Jeanne Burns.” 

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Today is Memorial Day, a day to honor those who fought for our country, and, according to Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Col. Charlton Meginley (mah-ghen-lee), one of the most significant.

Cut 4 (13) “…reflect upon that.”

Meginley says it is important every day, but especially today, to honor the 11 thousand Louisiana veterans who have died in combat.

Cut 5 (12) “…every day.” 

Though Meginley thinks there’s nothing wrong with going to the beach or having a barbeque, he says there are other ways to celebrate veterans.

Cut 6 (13) “…really means.”

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Large jackpots have proved to be profitable with the Louisiana Lottery transferring almost $48 million to the state treasury. Lottery spokesperson Dustin Annison says they also moved close to $16 million to the state coffers in April.

Cut 7 (12) “…2023.”

The Louisiana Lottery transfers profits to the state quarterly. In addition to uptick in ticket sales thanks to five-billion-dollar jackpots Powerball and Mega Millions produced this year…

Cut 8 (12) “…for players.” 

Lottery retailers in Louisiana also earn a five-percent commission, plus incentives for cashing winning tickets and bonuses for selling big winning tickets. Annison says it was a good quarter for them as well.

Cut 9 (12)  “…as well.”

To date, the Louisiana Lottery has transferred more than $4.7 billion to the state for K-12 public education.

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It was eleven years ago when the first Mrs. Roper Romp took place as a parade theme at Decadence in New Orleans. Ever since it’s turned into the reason for millions to gather all over the globe to impersonate the beloved “Three’s Company” character Helen Roper. Jessica Cassel (Castle) is one of the organizers for Friday’s Romp in downtown Thibodaux.

Cut 10 (10) “…get together.”

And there’s also a Mrs. Roper Romp Pub Crawl in downtown Shreveport this Friday. Both begin at 6 pm.

Cassel says now is the time to get your curly red wig and kaftan ready to romp.

Cut 11 (12) “…fun and free.”

Last year Cassel held her own Mrs. Roper Romp with friends and played Bingo. Then Amplify Events asked her to help organize Friday’s Pub Crawl. She’s hoping in the future they can combine annual Romps with fundraisers for charity.

Cut 12 (07) “…momentum.” 

In January a Krewe of Mrs. Ropers paraded in Lafayette and in April there was a romp in Lake Charles.

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An antitrust settlement has been finalized that will result in all college athletes being paid directly by the school. Outkick college reporter Trey Wallace says schools will have a hard time deciding how to divvy up the money.

Cut 13 (11)  “…spread this out.”

Wallace estimates that the settlement will result in each school paying about 20-million to athletes in every sport. Though some of the money will come from traditional means such as ticket and food sales, Wallace says most of the money won’t be generated from inside stadiums.

Cut 14 (13)  “…media rights deal.”

The settlement, which involves the NCAA and the five biggest conferences — including the SEC — might also result in some changes in athletic departments.

Cut 15 (10)  “…revenue sharing.”

Revenue sharing is set to start for the 2025-26 season.

Over 40 Louisiana National Guardsmen leave this weekend for about a one year long deployment to Asia where they’ll assist with the construction of buildings through Operation Spartan Shield. Sean Richardson has the story.

Cut 1 (30)  “…I’m Sean Richardson .”

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Thirty-eight-year-old Aaron Moreau of Pollock was arrested after he allegedly placed 2.59 pounds of led weights into a fish a the Big Bass Splash tournament at Toledo Bend. Jeff Palermo with the story.

Cut 2 (32)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo.” 

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The Louisiana National Guard’s 1021st Vertical Engineer Company will deploy to Asia with more than 40 guardsmen who will assist with construction operations. Captain Emily Anthony says for most of the unit this is their first overseas deployment and their occupations range from crane operator, correctional officer to electricians.

Cut 3 (10) “…construction projects.” 

This is the 1021st Vertical Engineer Company’s second deployment since 9/11 and the last time they were deployed overseas was to Kuwait in 2013. But Anthony says they’ve had several missions in Louisiana following hurricanes and other weather events…

Cut 4 (12) “…very busy.” 

The deployment is set for almost a year and the platoon will have  pre-deployment training at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Cut 5 (09)  “…represent Louisiana well.”

The primary objection while overseas will be to provide construction engineering expertise to work on critical infrastructure.

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The Click it or Ticket campaign is underway to encourage motorists to buckle up, for Memorial Day weekend. Greg Fischer with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says 15% of drivers, mainly in rural areas do not wear seatbelts.

Cut 6  (13) “…car crash. ” 

Click it or Ticket is a national campaign so if your travels take you across stateliness you’ll want to stay buckled up. Fischer says a first-offense ticket for not using your seat belt in Louisiana is $50.

Cut 7 (11) “…Commission.”  

In Louisiana, the driver and all passengers are required to wear seat restraints.

Fischer says surveys show if you drive a truck and live in rural Louisiana, you’re least likely to wear your seatbelt. Campaigns like Click It and Ticket hope to change that statistic. He says if you get into a crash on a rural  road…

Cut 8 (11)  “…of danger.” 

During the Memorial Day holiday period from 2018 to 2022, 52 people were killed on Louisiana roads.

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This Memorial Day weekend many people will gather around the grill with family and friends. Luckly, it doesn’t look like the meat is going to break the bank this year. Chairman of Louisiana Beef Industry Council John Thompson says going into Memorial Day weekend beef prices are looking good for grillers.

Cut 9 (06) “…holding pretty steady.” 

A big reason for a solid beef market can be contributed to what the grain market is doing and when grain prices are cheaper the beef is cheaper too.

Along with favorable grain price, Thompson says that cattle on average are larger than they have been in the past coming through the feed yard.

Cut 10 (04) “…American rancher.” 

Thompson also gave a recommendation for what you should throw on the grill this weekend…

Cut 11 (14) ” …tender piece of meat.”

Beef…its what’s for dinner.

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38 year old, Aaron Moreau of Pollock was arrested for alleged fishing contest fraud by placing over 2.5 lbs of led weights into a fish and used for weighing in at the Big Bass Splash tournament in Toledo Bend. Wildlife and Fishery agent Dustin Nash.

Cut 12 (05) “…in the tournament.” 

Tournament officials held the fish and notified Wildlife and Fishery. Once they arrived, Moreau fled the scene and shortly after an arrest warrant was issued.

Moreau turned himself in with no incidents.

The tournament was an hourly weigh in with the top 15 getting paid out.

Cut 13 (07) “..certain amount of money” 

Fishing contest fraud brings up to a $3,000 fine and up to one year in jail.

Cut  14 (14) “…this country.”