After a weekend of parades, some carnival goers are taking a break on this Lundi Gras, so they can be ready for Fat Tuesday. Visit Lake Charles spokesperson Matt Young says there’s a traditional Mardi Gras celebration in Iowa that begins at 8 AM with a chicken run parade. He says revelers on horseback are essentially gathering ingredients to cook gumbo…
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Over in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou marketing manager Ian Wallis says their carnival parades are family-friendly, and you never meet a stranger…
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The weather looks great for Fat Tuesday, sunny skies and high temperatures in the low to mid 60s.

Super Bowl 58 ended last night with Kansas City beating San Francisco in overtime in Las Vegas. Today Vegas officials handed off the football to New Orleans who will host Super Bowl 59 on February 9, 2025. Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation CEO Jay Cicero says they are raising money and moving into phase two of their preparation…
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Cicero expects an economic impact over 500-million dollars.

LSU Alexandria says it’s the fastest growing public university in Louisiana. Chancellor Paul Coreil says LSUA’s enrollment has reached an all-time high 5,405 students, nearly a six-percent increase since the fall semester…
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On-campus enrollment is up nearly 18-percent since Spring 2023, totaling 26-hundred students.

It was a big weekend of Mardi Gras parades, especially in south Louisiana where the weather held up. Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou Marketing Manager Ian Wallis says parking was not easy for the parades in Lafourche Parish…
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There’s another parade tomorrow in Golden Meadow, plus Chackbay and Thibodaux have parades.

Outside of New Orleans one of the busiest spots on the globe Mardi Gras-wise is Calcasieu Parish. Visit Lake Charles spokesperson Matt Young says their season got off to a big start Friday with the Merchants parade and on Sunday they celebrated with a children’s parade.
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Tomorrow in southwest Louisiana, you have the Iowa Chicken run and the Mardi Gras Southwest Krewe of Krewes parade.

Federal Judge Shelly Dick has ordered the state’s legislative district maps to be redrawn on the grounds that the map drawn in 2022 violates the Voting Rights Act because it dilutes the black vote. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

It was a big weekend of parades and there are more to come. Tonight there are Lundi Gras festivities and tomorrow there’s a full slate of parades across South Louisiana. Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou Sales and Marketing Manager Ian Wallis says they’ll have parades rolling in Thibodaux, Chackbay and Golden Meadow.
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Beginning in August, look for more information on The National Hurricane Center’s cone graphic. The familiar Cone of Uncertainty will still be available, but Department Director Jamie Rhone says
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Rhone says the goal is to give areas away from the coast a better idea of potential wind destruction.

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services has announced the the state will not participate in the summer E-B-T program. The program uses federal money to help low income families pay for summer food expenses when their children are not in school. DCFS Secretary David Matlock says families deserve a pathway to self-sufficiency and summer EBT is a piecemeal program that does not offer long-term solutions.

The restaurant chain Walk-Ons is moving its corporate headquarters from Baton Rouge to Atlanta….
cut 2 (32) “…I’m Teiko Foxx”

Federal judge Shelly Dick ordered the state legislature had to redraw a new Congressional district map now she’s ruled the state must redo the legislative maps approved in 2022, because there are not enough Black majority House and Senate districts. ULM political science professor Pearson Cross says it’s unclear when Governor Landry will ask legislators to redistrict their own political boundaries…
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The next round of statewide legislative races is in 2027.

Next week a special session will begin to address crime in Louisiana. Monroe Senator Stewart Cathey says he’s advocating for legislation that will result in more 17-year-olds being charged as adults, instead of juveniles, especially if they are repeat offenders…
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Beginning in August, The National Hurricane Center will have a new experimental cone graphic that will provide more information especially for at-risk inland communities. .
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Colleen Crain”

It was a warm weekend in south Louisiana for the Mardi Gras parades, but it turns colder and breezy today. We also had some severe storms yesterday, golf ball sized hail fell in Caddo and Bossier Parishes. We’re looking at sunny skies for Fat Tuesday with temperatures in the low to mid 60s.

A federal judge has ordered the state’s legislative maps to be redrawn because it violates the Voting Rights Act by diluting the black vote. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says it’s a momentous ruling from Judge Shelly Dick.
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It’s unclear when legislators will redraw the legislative map.

Beginning in August, look for more information on The National Hurricane Center’s cone graphic. The familiar Cone of Uncertainty will still be available, but Department Director Jamie Rhone says
Cut 13 (12) “…particular forecast.”
Rhone says the goal is to give areas away from the coast a better idea of potential wind destruction.

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services has announced the the state will not participate in the summer E-B-T program. The program uses federal money to help low income families pay for summer food expenses when their children are not in school. DCFS Secretary David Matlock says families deserve a pathway to self-sufficiency and summer EBT is a piecemeal program that does not offer long-term solutions.

The restaurant chain Walk-Ons is moving its corporate headquarters from Baton Rouge to Atlanta….
cut 2 (32) “…I’m Teiko Foxx”

Governor Jeff Landry’s special session to address crime in Louisiana will begin next Monday and wrap on March 6th. Monroe Senator Stewart athey believes the legislation Landry is calling for will make a difference in deterring crime.
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The ACLU of Louisiana says the governor’s policy proposals are not evidenced based and lack data to approve sound crriminal justice policy.

The National Hurricane Center says its forecast maps for tropical storms and hurricanes starting in August will be more colorful to contain information on potential impacts inland from strong winds…
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That’s Jamie Rhone with the National Hurricane Center.

Federal Judge Shelly Dick has ordered the state’s legislative district maps to be redrawn on the grounds that the map drawn in 2022 violates the Voting Rights Act because it dilutes the black vote. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”