Mary Bird Perkins is expanding into Central and North Louisiana in a partnership with MD Clinics. Colleen Crain has more…

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

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Daybreak Health, the leading provider of school based mental health services, has partnered with Livingston Parish Schools to give students free mental health classes. Teiko Foxx explains…

Cut 2 (34)  “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

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Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields says he’s planning to run for congress in the newly drawn map that creates a majority-Black 6^th congressional district. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center announces their expansion into Central and North Louisiana in a partnership with MD Clinics which serves a large diverse population in cities and rural communities. Mary Bird Perkins Chief Operating Officer, Jodi Conachen (Con uh kin) says they found a like- minded partner to bring quality cancer care close to home in the region…

Cut 4 (08) “…across the state.”

In Baton Rouge, Mary Bird Perkins recently launched First Phase Cancer Research Trials. Conachen says until recently you had to leave the state to find that level of research and availability of clinical trial and they plan to bring the trial to the expanded clinics….

Cut 5 (11) “…of research.” 

Conachen expects the expansion across Louisiana’s diverse culture and population to attract more cancer research and services to the area…

Cut 6 (12) “…to our area.”

Beginning April 2024 MD Clinics will become Mary Bird Perkins locations.

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New data released by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Louisiana added 33-hundred non-farm jobs from November to December. Louisiana Workforce Commission Chief Economist Emily DiPalma says the number of non-farm jobs was just under two-million….

Cut 7 (10) “…over the year gain.”

Dipalma says the state’s unemployment rate for December was 3.7 percent…

Cut 8 (09) “…overall.” 

Over the year, private education and health services gained 11-thousand jobs, 82-hundred construction jobs were added and the government added 71-hundred jobs.

Dipalma says New Orleans added 800 jobs from November to December, while the Shreveport metro area added 700. She thought it was significant that Shreveport added that many jobs…

Cut 9 (09)  “…700.”

Baton Rouge added 400 jobs from November to December, Monroe added 300, while Alexandria lost 300.

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The Livingston Parish School system is offering its high school students struggling with anxiety, depression or any mental illness 12 weeks of free teletherapy through a program called Daybreak. Federal Program Coordinator at Livingston Schools, Charlene Lilly, says they are the first school district in the state to offer free mental health support for students.

Cut 10 (12) “…perfect storm.”

Students can enroll by scanning a QR code or reaching out to their school counselors. Parental consent is required before Daybreak can connect students with a licensed counselor.

Lilly says the program gives the students what they need at their leisure at no cost.

Cut 11 (11) “…on Saturday.” 

Lilly says 62 percent of students in Louisiana who had mental depression didn’t receive any care over the last two years. She believes Daybreak will have a positive impact on the students and help to fill a gap.

Cut 12 (12) “…all digital.” 

Lilly says instead of being placed on a waiting list for six months to see a private doctor, through the Daybreak program, students will begin their first session in one to two weeks.

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Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields says he will run for the newly created 6^th congressional seat currently held by Congressman Garret Graves. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says he’s not surprised considering the new map perfectly caters to the Black Democrat.

Cut 13 (08) “…wouldn’t he run?”

And it wouldn’t be Fields first congressional campaign. From 1993 to 1997 Fields represented the state’s then 4^th district which was then redrawn after the courts ruled it was gerrymandered. Pinsonat says with the map redrawn again, Fields’ congressional career could come full circle.

Cut 14 (09) “…the apple.” 

District 6 now spans from East Baton Rouge Parish north to Caddo Parish and Pinsonat says it’s around 54 percent majority-Black. He says Fields running for the seat is a no-brainer.

Cut 15 (06) …strongest candidate.“

Fields released a statement on Tuesday that he will formally announce his candidacy in the next few weeks.

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LSU is expected to announce the promotion of Joe Sloan and Cortez Hankton as co-offensive coordinators for the 2024 season. Both have been assistants at LSU since Brian Kelly arrived. Hankton has coached the receivers and has been the passing game coordinator, while Sloan has been the quarterbacks coach and reports say Sloan will be the play caller. Tiger Rag Editor Todd Horne the move makes sense…

Cut 16 (17) “…in public’s eyes.” 

Sloan has previous play-calling experience at Louisiana Tech. He’ll have big shoes to fill as former offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock helped guide one of the most explosive offenses in LSU football history. Horne believes Sloan is up to the challenge…

Cut 17 (10) “…himself with.” 

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ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper has the Washington Commanders with the second over pick taking Jayden Daniels in the 2024 NFL draft. Daniels says he’s not paying attention to the mock drafts…

Cut 18 (20)  “…get better.” 

Some football analysts compare Daniels’ quarterback style to Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, who has won one MVP and has Baltimore in this Sunday’s AFC Championship game. Daniels says he’s just trying to be me…

Cut 19 (16) “…came before me.” 

Daniels was a dynamic quarterback last season. He believes his speed will be a big asset…

Cut 20 (15) “…over to the NFL.”

The congressional map with a second majority-Black district is getting pushback and some Republicans plan to challenge it in court.  Brooke Thorington has more…

Cut 1 (32)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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Most of the state north of Interstate 10 is under a flood watch, with the heaviest rains expected to come tomorrow. LRN Meteorologist Bill Jacquemin has the latest…

Cut 2 (32)  “…I’m Bill Jacquemin” 

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Governor Jeff Landry has signed his first bills into law. They come from last week’s special session and they include a new Congressional district map and a measure that will bring party primaries to federal elections in 2026. Lapolitics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says the governor wanted closed party primaries for nearly all elections, but didn’t push the issue…

Cut 3 (10) “…he’s known for.”

The new Congressional District map drastically changes the 6th district currently represented by Republican Garret Graves. If Graves runs for re-election in the 6th district, he’s expected to face strong opposition from a Democrat, possibly state senator Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge. Alford says if Graves’ is not re-elected, his days in politics are not over…

Cut 4 (13) “..somewhere.”

Up next for Governor Landry and the state legislature is a special session addressing crime. It’s expected to begin a month from now. Alford says the governor has not laid out his exact plans for the special session, but lawmakers are already proposing ideas…

Cut 5 (15) “..mental health issues.” 

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The congressional map with a second majority-Black district passed in the special session is getting pushback from some Republicans. St. Bernard Parish Representative Mike Bayham says the map that stretches the 6^th congressional district from parts of East Baton Rouge Parish to parts of Caddo Parish resembles one the courts struck down in the 90s.

Cut 6 (12) “…demographics” 

Bayham is among a group that plans to challenge the map in court. He says this map also separates a neighborhood in his own legislative district of St. Bernard Parish.

Cut 7 (11) “…absurb.” 

He says the other side of the street is in the 2^nd Congressional District.

Bayham says the map is ducking in and out of neighborhoods in St. Bernard Parish and it’s more like an abstract painting versus a map that represents a community of interest.

Cut 8 (10) “…Federal map.” 

This is also the map favored and signed by Governor Jeff Landry.

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Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who was the lone Republican in the state’s congressional district who voted in favor of The Biden Administration’s Infrastructure bill says the state will benefit immensely from investments in broadband. For example, in northwest Louisiana…

Cut 9 (05) “…investment there.” 

And part of that investment Cassidy says is teaching and preparing students as young as elementary school for a career in computer science.

Infrastructure funds will also go towards an I-20 corridor Amtrak line connecting Atlanta and Dallas. Cassidy says it also includes the cities of Shreveport, Ruston, and Monroe.

Cut 10 (11) “…to live.”

Cassidy says his congressional-directed spending is also benefiting Barksdale Airforce Base and the vision for northwest Louisiana to become a cyber hub. Another project he mentions is one to help the Department of Defense better train pilots in conducting rescue missions.

Cut 11 (08) “…even more.”

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LSU Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jayden Daniels was named today as the winner of the 2023 Manning Award, which goes to the top quarterback in the nation. Daniels led the nation with nearly five-thousand yards of total offense

Cut 12 (12)  “…being here”  

This is the 20th year of the Manning award and Daniels is the third LSU honoree. Joe Burrow and Jamarcus Russell are the other two winners from LSU. Saints legend Archie Manning says Daniels 2023 campaign will go down as one of the greatest ever…

Cut 13 (10) “…football team”