Genetic testing found that all shrimp sold at the Louisiana Shrimp Festival in New Orleans came from Gulf Waters. Andrew Greenstein reports it’s the latest in a venture started a year ago by a Texas man whose goal is to keep restaurants honest.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The LSU Board of Supervisors has named a new president and the Baton Rouge campus will have a new chancellor as well. Jeff Palermo has the story,…

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Genetic testing from SeaD (“seed”) consulting has shown that for the second year in a row, all shrimp served at the Louisiana Shrimp Festival in New Orleans was indeed authentic, wild-caught Gulf shrimp. David Williams founded the company a year ago and began using what’s called the RIGHTTest to determine the species of the shrimp – specifically whether it’s Pacific white shrimp, which is not native to U.S. waters. Williams says through his efforts, several restaurants which had been serving imported shrimp have changed to domestic shrimp.

Cut 3 (13) “…lot higher now.”

Williams says with more restaurants switching to domestic shrimp, that’s also helping the local shrimping industry, which has been struggling in recent years.

Cut 4 (08) “…to respect themselves.”

A law that went into effect this year requires restaurants and food vendors to specify whether the seafood they serve is imported or not. While the labeling is usually applied to shrimp, the law actually applies to all seafood. As such, Williams says his company will be testing other seafood in all parts of the country in the years to come.

Cut 5 (08) “…lot of protection.”

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A Jefferson Parish English teacher received the surprise of a lifetime today as she received a 25-thousand dollar Milken Educator Award. Sarah Watkins is an eighth grade English language arts teacher at Stella Worley Middle School in Westwego and was overcome with emotion when she learned that she was a recipient of this prestigious national accolade…

Cut 6 (11) “…everything.”

The 2009 graduate from Dillard University has been teaching for 16 years. The Milken Educator Award winner is known for having lively academic discussions in her classroom where students are participating in civil debate…

Cut 7 (08) “…key to it.”

Watkins says her classes are discussion based…

Cut 8 (12) “…its fun.”

Watkins is Louisiana’s 54^th recipient since the Pelican State joined the Milken Educator Awards program in 2001.

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The LSU Board of Supervisors has named McNeese State University President Wade Rousse as the next president of LSU. One of the other finalists, Alabama provost Jim Dalton has been named LSU’s Executive Vice President. Rousse made it clear during the interview process, he felt for LSU to become a better academic and research institution, there needed to be a president overseeing the system and the Baton Rouge campus needed a chancellor…

Cut 9 (09)  “…educate Louisiana.”

The vote to hire Rousse was 12 to 1. LSU Board of Supervisors member Laurie Lispey Aronson casted the lone no vote.

LSU Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott Ballard announced Rousse as the next president after the board spent  about three hours in executive session…

Cut 10 (10) “…its history.”

In 2012, the roles of the LSU System President and Baton Rouge campus chancellor were combined. They’ve been separated again. Dalton has been Alabama’s provost since 2020 and has a background in pharmacy and developing prescription drugs. He’s excited about his move from Tuscaloosa to Baton Rouge…

Cut 11 (14) “…Biomedical Research Center.”

More and more Louisiana homeowners are having their homeowners insurance policies cancelled. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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SNAP recipients in Louisiana began receiving food assistance benefits on their EBT cards this past weekend. Jeff Palermo reports on whether the state will be reimbursed for stepping up to the plate…

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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A new report shows that last year, the number of Louisiana homeowners having their insurance policies cancelled by their insurance companies increased more than fivefold compared to 2018. Real Reform Louisiana Executive Director Ben Riggs says insurance companies are cancelling policies mainly for financial reasons, mostly south of the I-10 corridor.

Cut 3 (10) “…their profit margins.”

Riggs says that’s forcing those homeowners either to the more expensive Citizens Insurance, which is the homeowners insurance of last resort, or to smaller insurance companies which are often DemoTech-rated companies that are 30-percent more likely to go insolvent following a major storm.

Cut 4 (11) “…state like Louisiana.”

Riggs says DemoTech-rated companies represent one-third of all homeowners insurance premiums written in Louisiana. He says the phased-in repeal of the so-called “three-year rule” started at the beginning of this year, and that will exacerbate the issue.

Cut 5 (12) “…than three years.”

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Fire investigators are looking into the cause of a fire at a horse stable in Slidell over the weekend. Brian Macaluso with St. Tammany Parish Fire District One says the fire broke out at around three Saturday morning at Lewis Stables.

Cut 6 (10) “…to 130 horses.”

Macaluso says firefighters weren’t able to save all the horses in the barn.

Cut 7 (09) “…in the fire.”

(Firefighters saved 28 horses, but nine horses died.) Macaluso says the cause is still under investigation, and it could be anything from an electrical issue to arson.

Cut 8 (09) “…caused this fire.”

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The federal government shutdown has entered its second month and this is the 34^th day, the second longest in U-S history. Republicans and Democrats continue to blame each other. U-S House Speaker Mike Johnson from Bossier Parish says Senate Democrats have had multiple opportunities to vote for a funding bill that would re-open the government…

Cut 9 (06)  “…this is happening.”

Democrats say they will not vote on a funding bill, unless it also contains Affordable Care Act tax credits.

Johnson has been criticized for keeping the House out of session during the month-long government shutdown. Even members of his own party have expressed concerns about that strategy. Johnson explained his reasoning during an appearance on KEEL radio…

Cut 10 (17) “…House floor.”

Johnson says the federal government shutdown is starting to affect every aspect of society…

Cut 11 (12) “…do that.”

If the shutdown lasts two more days, it will set a record for the longest in U-S history.

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State funds are being used to fund the SNAP program this month. Hundreds of thousands of low-income Louisiana residents were in jeopardy of not receiving any food assistance in November, because of the federal government shutdown. Governor Landry says Louisiana was able to fill the void, because it’s been fiscally responsible…

Cut 12 (12) “…right now.”

The Louisiana Legislature agreed to use 150 million from the state health department’s budget to pay for SNAP benefits this month. About 700-thousand Louisiana residents are receiving their cash assistance in phases, with a quarter of the recipient’s monthly amount being loaded onto their cards each week.

Landry says the state has enough money to pay for the SNAP program through November, but he’s hopeful there will be movement to end the government shutdown following the election results of gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey…

Cut 13 (15)  “…in Louisiana.”

The Trump administration said today it will make partial patients to the 42-million Americans who are eligible for food stamps. It’s in response to two federal judges who ruled that it’s unlawful to freeze funding for the anti-hungry program.