A survey finds travelers are making new arrangements this holiday season as prices continue to rise because of inflation. Whitney Thomas has more…

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Whitney Thomas.”

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John Deere announces plans to expand its Thibodaux plant which will result in 70 new jobs on the Bayou. Don Molino has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Don Molino” 

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The state Department of Insurance approves a big rate hike for customers of the state’s last-resort property insurer, Louisiana Citizens…:

Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

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The consumer financial company Bankrate conducted a survey and found that 25% of holiday travelers will be making less expensive accommodations for the holidays and 24% will take fewer trips due to the effect inflation has on travel prices. Senior Industry Analyst, Ted Rossman says 43% of U.S people are planning to travel this holiday season.

Cut 4 (09)  “…of flying..”

Rossman says inflation will impact lower-income households at a higher rate. He says planning ahead will help keep holiday travel costs more affordable.

Cut 5 (10) “…don’t delay.”

This is expected to be the busiest holiday travel season since 2019. Using credit cards and hotel rewards can help save money this season. Rossman says the days you travel are also crucial in helping keep costs down.

Cut 6 (13)  “…less crowded.” 

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John Deere is investing nearly 30-million dollars to expand operations at its Thibodaux facility. The expansion will result in 70 new jobs. The governor’s office says the state offered Deere an  incentive package, including a performance-based retention and modernization grant of up to one-million dollars. Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson

Cut 7 (10) “…to grow”

The 70 new jobs will have an average annual salary of 47-thousand dollars and the expansion will also retain 311 jobs. Chaisson says John Deere’s expansion is a huge win for Lafourche…

Cut 8 (11)  “…next generation.”

The expansion involves a new production line and upgraded equipment, which will allow the Thibodaux facility to produce medium-chassis cotton harvesting models that will replace existing models in China. Chaisson says these new cotton harvesters shows how competitive Lafourche can be…

Cut 9 (07)  “…with everybody.”

The company expects production of the new cotton harvesters to begin within the next two years and to reach full capacity by 2025.

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It’s been a month since the state of Louisiana has seen rain. State climatologist Berry Keim says that could change today.

Cut 10 (10) “..the state..”

Keim says although rain chances increase today not much is expected.

Cut  11 (13)  “..that promising..”

Keim says early September was the last significant rainfall.

Cut 12 (08) “..broken today..” 

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The state Department of Insurance has approved a rate increase of 63 percent for customers of the state-run insurer of last resort, Louisiana Citizens. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says it was a necessary decision, as required by state law but nevertheless he says it was…:

Cut 13 (12) “…a private company.”

The increase will take effect on January 1^st, but Donelon says he hopes to have new insurance companies arranged to offer cheaper coverage to those under Citizens’ protection…:

Cut 14 (09)  “…Citizens’ policyholders.”

Donelon says the rate hike is necessary and required by law, so that Citizens can cover the cost of potential disaster claims and the cost of re-insurance (basically insurance for insurers) which is sold on the international market. He says he and his staff will meet with state lawmakers this week about a plan to use surplus DOI money as an incentive fund to attract new companies; a plan that worked after Katrina and Rita hit…:

Cut 15 (09)  “…business at Citizens.”

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University of Louisiana Lafayette returns to play tonight after a week off. Head Coach Michael Desormeaux says the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the banged up team after a disappointing loss to South Alabama…

Cut 16 (17)  “…about them.” 

The defending Sun Belt Conference champion Ragin’ Cajuns have gotten off to a disappointing start to the season, but they look to bounce back against a Marshall team they beat in last year’s New Orleans Bowl. Coach Desormeaux says the Marshall defense is as strong as it was last year, but they’ve faced similar offensive inconsistencies as the Cajuns…

Cut 17 (15) “…an identity.” 

After a tight quarterback competition in the off-season, Coach Desormeaux decided it would be best if both Chandler Fields and Ben Wooldridge saw the field this season, but with Fields hurt coach Desormeaux is confident in Wooldridge’s ability to lead the team…

Cut 18 (18) “…the occasion.” 

Kickoff is tonight at 6:30

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The Tigers head to Gainesville this weekend to face 4-2 Florida. The Gators are led by former Louisiana Lafayette Head Coach Billy Napier who was a candidate for the LSU vacancy this off-season. The Gators two leading backs Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne are also transplants from the bayou state, and Coach Napier says all his Louisiana talents are looking forward to playing the Tigers this Saturday…

Cut 19 (19) “…the country.”

The Gators offense features dual threat quarterback Anthony Richardson, but Coach Napier says that stopping the versatility of Jayden Daniels and the Tigers offense is a unique challenge that will be a top priority…

Cut 20 (19) “ …his feet.” 

Coach Napier says the team is excited for a tough rivalry match up at night in the Swamp this Saturday.

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Gasoline prices are rising again. The cost of a gallon of regular gasoline is up 26 cents from a week ago to a statewide average of $3.36. Marsanne Golsby has  more.

Cut 1 (30)  “…I’m Marsanne Golsby.”

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Tangipahoa Parish deputies arrest seven in connection with the fatal shooting a 16-year-old last weekend. More from Jeff Palermo…:

Cut 2 (30)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

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In an attempt to solve an acute nursing shortage, LSU Health New Orleans will teach nurses to teach nurses.

Leanne Fowler teaches nursing at LSU Health New Orleans. She says the school has received a $3 million federal grant to create a new program to help ease the nursing shortage in four states, including Louisiana.

Cut 3 (08) “…new nurses.” 

She says the new nursing academy will focus on the recruitment, education, and retention of licensed nurses to train to become teachers. They will receive 40 hours of training. Experts say the nursing shortage is bad everywhere, but especially in rural areas.

Cut 4 (07) “.. underserved areas.” 

In addition to Louisiana, the other states included in the program are Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Experts say the increasing number of aging baby boomers plus the COVID pandemic made the nursing shortage worse, especially in rural areas.

Cut 5 (10) “..mental health underserved.” 

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The cost of gasoline in Louisiana jumped up five cents since yesterday. Today’s statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.36 a gallon, up from $3.31 overnight. And it’s up 26 cents from a week ago.

Cut 6 (05)  “…for gasoline.” 

That’s AAA’s Don Redman. He says the war between Russia and Ukraine plus OPEC’s decision to cut production is hurting drivers worldwide—and yet, people are still driving more.

Cut 7 (05) “..of year”

Redman says demand for gasoline usually tapers off in the fall after the summer travel season. But he says when prices dropped near the end of the summer, demand surged. He’s not expecting relief anytime soon.

Cut 8 (08)  “..wait and see”

Redman adds that soaring diesel prices will hurt the cost of consumer goods.

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Tangipahoa Parish deputies have arrested seven people in connection with the shooting death of 16-year-old Leonard “LJ” Williams last weekend. TPSO Chief Deputy Jimmy Travis says a teen party erupted into gunfire after a jealous boyfriend saw his girlfriend dancing at the party on Facebook Live…:

Cut 9 (09)  “…body-slammed her.”

Travis says the victim was not apparently directly involved in the conflict. He was in one of the cars, but decided he didn’t want to be involved in what was about to happen, so he got out and was walking away when the shooting started…but was hit by bullets and killed. Travis says it wasn’t just a shooting incident; it was a gun battle…:

Cut 10 (06) “…in front of the house.” 

Most of those arrested are 18 or younger, except for one: 64-year-old Ella Bickham – charged with obstructing justice and evidence tampering. She allegedly withheld key evidence from deputies for over 16 hours. Travis says it’s disturbing that so many local youths were apparently so well-armed, based on to 30 odd shell casings recovered…:

Cut 11 (09)  “..tactical rifle round.”

He says the fact they were so well-armed is frightening, and he says more arrests are likely.

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Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley told the Senate Education Committee the number of teacher vacancies in the classroom statewide has been cut in half in one year from 25-hundred to 12-hundred. Brumley says legislation approved by lawmakers this year helped…

Cut 12 (15) “…the classroom”

But Brumley says a backlog of teacher certification applications has grown past seven-thousand as there are not enough state workers to process them.

Cut 13 (12) “…as an agency” 

Brumley says they’ve brought in some part-time help to reduce the backlog, but another major issue is that laws concerning teacher ceritification are complex…

Cut 14 (09)  “…a year”