A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association says orders for abortion pills in Louisiana have increased 170 percent since abortion clinics closed. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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LSU fans will be talking about the two-point conversion that beat Alabama for decades to come. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Passenger rail service could be coming to Northeast Louisiana as soon as 2025. More from Kevin Gallagher…:

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

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According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, since abortion clinics closed permanently in Louisiana the number of online purchases of abortion pills from addresses in the state have increased by 170 percent. New Orleans Democrat State Representative Aimee Freeman says she’s not surprised.

Cut 4 (09)  “…online.”

During the 2022 legislative session, a bill was passed making it illegal to order such medications in Louisiana, but Freeman says she voted against it because there’s no way to enforce it.

Cut 5 (10) “…be enforced.”

Freeman fears the Louisiana legislature will pass even more laws negatively impacting women’s healthcare and she doesn’t see the trend of ordering abortion medications online decreasing anytime soon.

Cut 6 (11)  “…only option.” 

According to the JAMA article, Louisiana leads every other state in online abortion pill orders, followed by Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, and Oklahoma.

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68 out of approximately 400 United Methodist churches in the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church  say they are leaving over same sex marriage and  LGBTQ clergy.  A new bishop is being brought in to try to heal divisions. Bishop Delores “Dee” Williamston told us she is in favor of inclusion at the church’s table

Cut 7 (06) “…God’s children”

Williamston will be the first African American bishop to lead the Louisiana Conference. She served 22 years in the Kansas Army National Guard. She said the training was tough.

Cut 8 (07)  “…for the children.”

Williamston was elected last Wednesday in Houston, as delegates from churches in nine states met to choose new leadership as the rift worsens.

Cut 9 (12)  “…better than that”

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Passenger rail service could be coming to Northeast Louisiana as soon as 2025. A conference held last week in Monroe discussed launching a study of implementing the service. Southern Rail Commission chairman Knox Ross says it’s an idea people have asked for and been working toward for 25 years. He says the proposal is to split the existing New Orleans-to-Washington DC route at Meridian, Mississippi…:

Cut 10 (11) “…to Dallas/Fort Worth.” 

Ross says the study should get underway soon, and should not take long to complete. He says Senator Bill Cassidy and state officials are fully behind the idea of rail service across North Louisiana…:

Cut  11 (09)  “…begin that process.”

Ross says once the study is complete, the rail line could be running by late 2025. He says there are also plans in the works for a passenger rail station in Ouachita Parish…:

Cut 12 (11) “…in downtown Monroe.” 

Ross says Canadian Pacific – who owns the rail lines – is “on board” with the plan. A passenger rail line between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is also in the works.

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Saturday night’s game in Death Valley will go down as one of the greatest games ever played in Tiger Stadium as LSU defeated Alabama in overtime 32-31. Every time the Crimson Tide scored, LSU had an answer, and it happened in front of 102-thousand fans. Tigers Coach Brian Kelly says offense, defense and special teams all played well and Tiger Nation was a factor

Cut 13 (12) “…for us”

LSU won the game on a two-point conversion, a gusty call by the first-year coach as he elected to go for two, and the win in the first overtime period. Kelly liked the idea of rolling quarterback Jayden Daniels out and setting up a play for his freshman tight end Mason Taylor, who caught the ball in the end zone…

Cut 14 (10)  “.100 times out of 100″

The victory improves LSU’s record 7-2, 5-1 in the SEC and a win on Saturday in Arkansas could put them in the SEC Championship game. Kelly says this is why he came to LSU…

Cut 15 (10)  “…Arkansas next”

After LSU lost to Florida State in the season opener, many thought this would be a tough transitional season for the Tigers. But Daniels kept the faith that the 2022 season would be a special one

Cut  16 (16)  “…every week.”

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The Ragin Cajuns suffered a gut-punching defeat at the hands of the Troy Trojans on Saturday as Troy scored 16 points in the fourth quarter to beat U-L Lafayette 23-17. Coach Michael Desomeaux’s team falls to 4-and-5 on the season…

Cut 17 (17) “…finish games.”

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After suffering back-to-back overtime losses, Louisiana Tech trounced Middle Tennessee 40-24 on Saturday in Ruston. Junior defensive back Myles Brooks had two interceptions and says the team was determined to win this one…

Cut 18 (13) “…finished tonight” 

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The Saints will host the Ravens tonight in the Superdome looking for their second win in a row. Baltimore is 5-3 and they have one of the most dynamic players in the NFL in quarterback Lamar Jackson. New Orleans Coach Dennis Allen says it’s hard to contain him…

Cut 19 (19) “….their team”

Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore will miss his fourth consecutive game with an abdomen injury. Running back Mark Ingram has also been ruled out with a knee injury. Fellow running back Alvin Kamara says the Saints have other guys ready to fill the void…

Cut 20 (19) “…every year”

Kick off is at 7:15.

The Powerball Jackpot skyrockets to its highest ever at $1.6 billion for Saturday’s drawing. And while Jeff Palermo might not have the winning numbers he does have the details.

Cut 1 (30)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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10th ranked LSU is a twelve-and-a-half point underdog on Saturday night against sixth ranked Alabama. Jeff Palermo reports the Fighting Tiger players are confident…

Cut 2 (31)  “… I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The drawing for Saturday’s Powerball Jackpot hits an all-time high at $1.6 billion, with a cash value of $782-million. Louisiana Lottery Spokesperson Dustin Annison says the current multi-state Powerball Jackpot has been growing since August 6^th

Cut 3 (06) “…in history.” 

Lotto fever has definitely afflicted players in Louisiana, Annison says since the beginning of August Powerball ticket sales in the Bayou State through Thursday night are over $25-point-five million.

Cut 4 (08) “…in Louisiana.” 

And if you’re among those who’ve purchased a ticket this jackpot run or any ticket for that matter, Annison says even if your numbers don’t hit, know that your contribution does go to a good cause.

Cut 5 (11) “…education.” 

Since the state joined Powerball in 1995, there have been 17 jackpot-winning tickets purchased in Louisiana and the last one was in 2018.

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Today, Louisiana State Police graduated its first accelerated cadet class, which includes only former law enforcement officers. Sgt. Monroe Dillon says it’s a big day for State Police.

Cut 6 (08)  “…be awesome”

Dillon says this class of 23 will bring LSP up to approximately 950 troopers. He says each regional troop will get two or three new troopers from this class.

Cut 7 (07)  “…they’re going.”

Dillon says the agency is still about 250 troopers below full strength. But he says having more troopers who have experience will help ease the shortage.

Cut 8 (08)  “..the police “

He says 65 cadets have enrolled in the next class in February, and it will be a traditional class of cadets without law enforcement experience.

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Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour Saturday night as daylight-saving time ends. And while it takes a few days to adjust to the time change Dr. Michelle Moore, Chief of Psychology at LSU Health New Orleans says gaining daylight in the morning can improve your mood and…

Cut 9 (07)  “…during the morning.”

On the downside, if you’re used to having extra daylight at the end of the day the time change is a disappointment. Moore says the return to standard time can throw off your circadian rhythm because most of us are dependent on an alarm to get going in the morning…

Cut 10 (06) “…comes in.” 

While some welcome extra daylight in the morning, Moore says there are others who equally prefer daylight for the commute home and after-work activities.

Cut 11 (08)  “…wake up.”

Daylight saving time ends at 2 AM Sunday morning and local time instantly changes to 1 AM.

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Northwest and north central Louisiana are under an enhanced risk for severe weather tonight and into the overnight hours. Matt Hemingway with the National Weather Service in Shreveport says a strong cold front will collide with warm air to create severe thunderstorms…

Cut 12 (06) “….also tornadoes” 

Hemingway says there’s a medium-high chance for tornadoes tonight for the Shreveport, Natchitoches, and Ruston areas. He says straight-line winds of up to 80 miles per hour and hail as large as golf balls are possible…

Cut 13 (11) “… springtime.”  

Northeast, central and southwest Louisiana are under a slight risk for severe weather starting late tonight and into Saturday morning. The main concern will be damaging wind gusts and hail and an isolated risk of tornadoes.

There are six college football games in Louisiana on Saturday, with the big one taking place at 6 PM in Tiger Stadium between LSU and Bama. State Climatologist Barry Keim says most of the severe stuff should be done early afternoon…

Cut 14 (07)  “..with rain” 

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A Louisiana legend will be laid to rest on Saturday as funeral services will be held for rock n roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis. The funeral will take place at Young’s Funeral Home at 11 A-M in Ferriday. Owner of Mid South Broadcasting Jim Bob Allgood says one of the three cousins of Ferriday is one of the speakers

Cut 15 (12) “…Clyde Ray Webber”

The funeral services will be streamed on mid-south-dot-tv.

Allgood says there are legendary stories of Lewis sneaking into speakeasies and lounges in Ferriday and Natchez as a 13-year-old and he wowed audiences with his singing and piano playing ability…

Cut  16 (16)  “…on Saturday”

The celebration of life will take place 1 PM at the Arcade Theater in Ferriday. Lewis has several hits including “Great Balls of Fire.” He died last week at the age of 87.