The potential for tornadoes hail, and flash flooding is expected for south Louisiana thru early tomorrow morning. Teiko Foxx has more…

Cut 1 (30)  “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

______________________________________

Mudbug season is questionable this year, after the heat and drought of 2023. Brooke Thorington has more…

Cut 2 (31)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

______________________________________

Severe weather is expected to impact the southern half of Louisiana for the next several hours. National Weather Service Meteorologist Christopher Bannan says flash flooding is possible this afternoon thru early tomorrow morning for southeast Louisiana…

Cut 3 (12) “…eight inches.”

Bannan says a strong line of storms could be capable of producing some tornadoes, which is why a tornado watch has been issued for southwest Louisiana..

Cut 4 (11) “…strong tornadoes.”

Once the line starts to develop, it will move to the east quickly and out of the Bayou State by early morning.

Bannan says there’s a moderate risk for flash flooding for southeast Louisiana…

Cut 5 (13) “ …potential develops.” 

________________________________________________________________

This crawfish season is among the most questionable in the Bayou State after the oppressive heat and drought of 2023. LSU AgCenter Crawfish Specialist Todd Fontenot says conditions have made it extremely difficult for the state’s favorite crustacean crop to thrive.

Cut 6 (08) “…this time.” 

Crawfish normally lay eggs in August but the drought dried out those areas where they normally retreat to reproduce.

Fontenot says many crawfish farmers made adjustments, for example, those who rotate from rice to crawfish, he says they irrigated post-harvest.

Cut 7 (11) “…as big as an effect.” 

On the bright side, Fontenot says the mild winter we’ve had so far has improved conditions for crawfish. But he’s quick to point out that for some farmers salinity issues and lack of rice stubble have devastated their mudbug crop.

Cut 8 (08) “…producers.” 

Fontenot says if you’re already craving crawfish, prepare for sticker shock due to the initial lack of supply.

__________________________________________________________________

Eunice Republican Phillip Devillier was elected today as Louisiana’s new Speaker of the House. Devillier was elected to the House in 2015 and his district includes parts of Acadia, Evangeline and St. Landry Parishes. Devillier’s acceptance speech hit on a theme Governor Jeff Landry touched on during his inauguration speech and that’s unity….

Cut 9 (09) “… are coming” 

Devillier says Louisiana faces a lot of challenges and its residents have waited long enough for real change…

Cut 10 (14) “…Louisiana succeeds” 

Senators elected Metairie Republican Cameron Henry as its President. Henry was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2008 and he’s beginning his second term as a state senator…

Cut 11 (05) “…great honor”

_________________________________________________________________

The Saints missed the playoffs despite blowing out Atlanta out 48-17 yesterday to finish with a 9-8 record. There’s a lot of talk about what happened at the end of the game when Jamaal Williams scored a touchdown from one yard out with three seconds left. Coach Dennis Allen didn’t want his team to score again

Cut 12 (10)  “…should be”  

Atlanta Coach Arthur Smith was furious after the game and refused to shake Allen’s hand. Quarterback Jameis Winston says it was a team decision to give Williams the ball so he can finish the year with one touchdown…

Cut 13 (09) “..good about that” 

What can we expect from a Jeff Landry administration? Teiko Foxx reports Lapolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford believes Landry will not wait long to put his stamp on the governor’s office

Cut 1 (27) “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

_______________________________________________

The 73rd Louisiana Legislature will be sworn in today. Jeanne Burns reports Republicans have a supermajority in both the House and Senate…

Cut 2 (35)  “…I’m Jeanne Burns”

______________________________________________

A new era of state government begins as Republican Jeff Landry officially takes over as governor at noon today. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (45) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

______________________________________________

Louisiana’s 57^th Governor Jeff Landry officially takes over at noon today. Lapolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says Landry has been preparing for this moment since his election in October and will look to get a lot accomplished over the next few months …

Cut 4 (12) “…regular session.”

Alford also expects Landry to have a lot of success with his agenda because of a Republican supermajority in the House and Senate.

Cut 5 (11) “…comfortable with.”

Metairie Republican Cameron Henry is expected to be elected as Senate President today. Eunice Republican Phillip DeVillier is expected to be elected as House Speaker.

A special session looking at how to reduce crime in Louisiana will be held in February and the regular legislative session starts in March. But Alford says Landry can begin signing executive orders this afternoon to put his stamp on the governor’s office…

Cut 6 (12) “…things with.”

The inauguration Ball is still set for tonight.

____________________________________________________________________

A new Louisiana Legislature gets sworn in today. Republicans continue to have a supermajority in the House and Senate, so where does that leave Democrats with a Republican taking over the governor’s office? Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields believes Governor-elect Jeff Landry will listen to the concerns of Democrats…

Cut 7 (12) “…with both parties”

In 2024, state lawmakers will look to address multiple issues. A special session is expected in February to pass laws that attempt to reduce crime. In the three-month-long regular session that begins in March, legislators will address the state’s property insurance crisis and what could be done to lower premiums. Pineville Representative Mike Johnson expects a robust discussion on insurance issues…

Cut 8 (11) “…fix that problem.” 

After electing their legislative leaders this morning, the next order of business for lawmakers will be a special session to redraw the Congressional district map. The courts have ruled that the map should contain two majority-minority districts. Republicans were committed in 2022 to having a map with only one black voting district. Fields believes the GOP-led Legislature will do the right thing this time…

Cut 9 (07)  “…next time.”

Thanks to term limits, several new legislators will be sworn in today. Johnson is impressed with the new crop of state legislators…

Cut 10 (11) “…regular people.”

____________________________________________________________________

Republican Jeff Landry expressed his pride for Louisiana and gave his vision for a better Louisiana during a 32-minute long speech after he was sworn in as the state’s 57th governor. Landry says Louisiana residents seek a government that reflects their values and the public believes the most important voice in a child’s education should be the parents…

Cut 11 (11) “…mothers back.” 

Making Louisiana a safer place to live was a major part of Landry’s campaign. He plans to address it with a special session in February. He says too many families are being ripped apart by outrageous violence…

Cut 12 (10) “…for good.” 

Louisiana’s new governor has a great opportunity to get most of his agenda approved with a Republican controlled legislature and every statewide office is occupied by a Republican. He believes now is the time to make a real difference

Cut 13 (11) “…anymore.”

Landry officially takes office at noon.

____________________________________________________________________

The Saints dominated their biggest rival the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, but they didn’t get the help needed from other teams to make the playoffs. New Orleans defeated the Dirty Birds 48 to 17 to finish the season winning four of its last five. But the 9-and-8 overall record was not good enough. Head Coach Dennis Allen…

Cut 14 (18) “..finish the season.” 

Tampa Bay’s 9-0 win over Carolina prevented the Saints from winning the NFC South. But New Orleans could have still earned a wildcard berth if the Bears beat Packers and the Cardinals defeated the Seahawks. Chicago and Arizona both lost. Safety Tyrann Mathieu says at least they ended the season with a blow out victory…

Cut 15 (15) “…still playing.”

________________________________________________________________

LSU has a new defensive coordinator. The Tigers announced Blake Baker will take over defensive play-calling duties after two successful seasons as the defensive coordinator at Missouri. Tiger Rag Editor Todd Horne says Baker quickly emerged as the top candidate after the firing of Matt House….

Cut 16 (15) “…and Louisiana” 

Baker was LSU’s linebackers coach in 2021. He was the defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech from 2015 to 2018. The Houston native is also a former Tulane linebacker. This past season, Baker played a major role in Missouri’s 11-2 season. Mizzou was fourth in the SEC in scoring defense and fifth in total defense. Horne says Baker has a good resume and head coach Brian Kelly needs this hire to work out…

Cut 17 (10) “…banking on” 

Baker replaces House, who was LSU’s defensive coordinator for two seasons. The 2023 Tigers’ defense ranked among the worst in the country. Horne says Baker gets credit for turning around a bad Missouri defense and he’ll try to do the same at LSU…

Cut 18 (21)  “…banking on.”