We’ve made it to the statistical peak of the hurricane season. Jeanne Burns has an update with what’s going with the tropics…

Cut 1 (31)  “….I’m Jeanne Burns”

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Gubernatorial candidates who participated in the televised debate Thursday were asked if they think the voters should decide if abortion should be legal or not in Louisiana. Brooke Thorington has more…

Cut 2 (36)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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 We’ve hit the statistical peak of the 2023 hurricane season and state climatologist Barry Keim says it’s been an active year with 13 named storms….

Cut 3 (12) ..kind of an interesting”

Early projections for the 2023 hurricane season were for a below normal season, because of an El Nino. But Keim says the warm sea surface temperatures are winning out over the shear that an El Nino can create…

Cut 4 (10) “… busy season.”

Keim says El Nino’s intensity is expected to pick up, which should help suppress tropical activity…

Cut 5 (12) “…of the season”

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The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana will host their Second Annual Rural Economic Development Summit along with Southern University Law Center in Marksville at Paragon Casino today and tomorrow. Chief of Staff Megan Guillot says the goal of the summit is to connect rural communities with local, state, and national leaders, as well as Native American Country.

Cut 6 (10) “…and resources.”

The summit started in 2019 but was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Guillot says the summit returns at a critical time for small business owners who are trying to build or rebuild their businesses. She says there will discussions on topics to improve  business relationships with tribal governments.

Cut 7 (12) “…funding resources.”

In 2023, the tribe has secured more than $70 million in grants to assist in stabilizing and propelling its citizens through workforce development training, increased access to the internet, and various small business supports. Guillot says this will be a great networking conference for small business owners.

Cut 8 (08) “…very excited.”

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In a televised debate, five of the seven major candidates for governor were asked if they believe in a ballot initiative to allow voters to decide if abortion should be legalized or not. The three Republicans and one Independent say the Legislature adequately represented the pro-life stance of Louisianans. They are against letting voters decide the issue at the polls. Republican Stephen Waguespack…

Cut 9 (14)  “…as well.”

Republican state Senator Sharon Hewitt, who sponsored legislation to make it illegal for companies to send abortion pills through the mail in Louisiana, is against a ballot initiative.

Cut 10 (10) “…the books.”

Republican Treasurer John Schroder agrees the legislature’s abortion ban is reflective of what voters in the state want and he’s against a ballot initiative.

Cut 11 (10) “…and Senate.”

Independent Hunter Lundy…

Cut 12 (15) “…agree with them.” 

Democrat Shawn Wilson is the only candidate who supports a ballot initiative on abortion…

Cut 13 (14) “…in jeopardy.”

When Roe v Wade was overturned, the state’s trigger laws banning abortion in most cases went into effect. Early voting for the October 14th primary begins Saturday, September 30th.

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LSU’s offense nearly had a perfect performance on Saturday night in a 72-10 win over Grambling State. It’s the first time they scored 70 in regulation time of a game since a 70-14 win over Arkansas State in 1991. Coach Brian Kelly is pleased with what he saw on offense.

Cut 14 (14) “…very often.”

Quarterback Jayden Daniels threw for a career-high five touchdown passes.

But the defense struggled early on. Grambling had 173 yards of offense in its first two possessions and scored ten points. For the night, Kelly’s defense gave up 320 total yards.

Cut 15 (15) “… too many tackles”

Kelly promised more playing time for receiver Chris Hilton and he caught two passes for 53 yards including a 47-yard touchdown catch where he burned the defense on a post pattern.

Cut 16 (16) “…sick this week”

Also, freshman right tackle Lance Heard got playing time in the second series and there’s a chance we could see more of Heard this Saturday in Starkville against Mississippi State.

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The Saints started  the 2023 season with a 16-15 victory over the Tennessee Titans yesterday. The two teams traded field goals in the first half, but New Orleans finally got in the end zone in the third quarter as Rashid Shaheed caught a TD pass. The Saints turned it over twice, but New Orleans defense intercepted Ryan Tannehill three times and only allowed them to convert on third down twice. Coach Dennis Allen is pleased with the win…

Cut 17 (16) “…divisional opponent”

In his first game as a starter for the Saints, quarterback Derek Carr threw for 305 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted once and sacked four times. The ten-year vet says this was one of the most physical games he’s ever played in…

Cut 18 (11) “…the way.”

Carr says it was a solid win against a good opponent…

Cut 19 (13) “…the win”

A federal judge has told the state it must remove the 15 juvenile offenders that are housed at the State Penitentiary in Angola by September 15th .Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (30)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo” 

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Grambling will battle LSU for the first time ever on the football field Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.  Teiko Foxx spoke with the University’s President about what this means.

Cut 2 (30)  “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”  

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A federal judge has ordered that the dozen or so violent juvenile offenders housed at the State Penitentiary at Angola must be removed by September 15th. In her ruling, Judge Shelly Dick said the facility screams prison and the youth are not getting rehabilitation they need. The lead attorney for the plaintiffs is David Utter…

Cut 3 (09) “…for a kid”

The state created the Bridge City Center for Youth at Angola last summer after several violent episodes at other youth facilities. This is only a temporary set up, until a new facility opens at Monroe this fall. Utter says Judge Dick agreed with them that housing youths at Angola will only hardened them…

Cut 4 (11) “…harmed.”

Utter says at last report the state was housing 15 juvenile offenders at the former Death Row facility at Angola. Utter says the state broke several promises when it came to how they would be treated. He says they have evidence that some kids were in solitary confinement for 23 hours….

Cut 5 (12) “ … happen” 

The Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice says it disagrees with the ruling and will appeal. They also plan to explore other options that ensures the safety of staff, the public and youth in their care.

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It’s going to be the battle of the tigers this weekend in Baton Rouge. Grambling State will face LSU on the football field for the first time tomorrow night. GSU President Rick Gallot says this is a great opportunity for the school and football team.

Cut 6 (11) “…football too.”

The historic Grambling Tigers have won 15 national titles and 26 SWAC Conference Championships. Gallot says the football team is used to playing in big venues across the country.

Cut 7 (12) “…college football.” 

Kick-off is set for 6:30 p.m. Gallot says GramFam will make their presence known.

Cut 8 (12) “…death valley.”

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Among the topics in the first statewide televised debate with five of the seven major gubernatorial candidates, was the state’s property insurance crisis. Four of the candidates say they would call for a special session immediately after taking oath. Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt says how the state regulates the industry needs to be changed.

Cut 9 (14) “…portfolio.” 

Former Louisiana Business and Industry president, Stephen Waguespack…

Cut 10 (14) “…should be.”

The sole Independent candidate Hunter Lundy says multiple hurricanes and the court system being shut down due to COVID only exacerbated the problem and there was little legal recourse.

Cut 11 (11) “…homeowner’s program.”

Democrat Shawn Wilson says he’s for legislation that requires insurers to make payments in a certain time period, so policyholders receive the coverage they paid for.

Cut 12 (12) “…things done”

Treasurer John Schroder says he would call for a summit with several entities to discuss the best way to address the crisis.

Cut 13 (14) “…the other”

Frontrunner Republican Jeff Landry did not participate in the debate. Representative Richard Nelson’s polling numbers kept him from being invited to debate.

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The LSU Board of Supervisors has approved a new ten-year, 36-million dollar contract for Lady Tigers basketball coach Kim Mulkey. It’s richest contract in women’s college basketball and board member Remy Starns was happy to vote for it…

Cut  14 (04) “…basketball coach”

Only one board member voted against it and that was Jay Blossman, who would rather see coaches get huge bonuses for winning championships

Cut 15 (13) “…compensation”

Blossman says if a coach has a bad season, you can’t go back and ask for the money back.

Mulkey will make 3.15 million dollars in the upcoming season, slightly higher than fellow national championship coaches Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma. Starns believes LSU has the best women’s college basketball coach in the country…

Cut  16 (09)   “…program”