Jazz Fest is underway at the Fair Grounds Race Track in New Orleans. Over in Florida, authorities arrested a North Carolina man who allegedly planned to carry out a mass shooting at Jazz Fest. His family claims he was seeking to harm Black People.

State and local officials are thankful law enforcement caught Christopher Gillum of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Meanwhile spirits are high at Jazz Fest, where they are celebrating the island nation of Jamaica…

Cut 12 (11) “….arts and crafts”

That’s Jazz Fest Producer Quint Davis.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That’s what Harahan Representative John Illg is doing with legislation to ban outdoor balloon releases. Last year, his bill to create a new law to ban the intentional release of balloons sailed through the legislature, only to have Governor Landry veto it, saying it would be unenforceable. At the Love The Boot Week kickoff event, Illg says that’s no reason not to have a law on the books.

Cut 6 (07) “…against the law.”

So this time, Illg’s bill adds intentional balloon releases to the state’s existing law against intentional littering.

The LSU Board of Supervisors has approved a new contract for athletic director Verge Ausberry. Ausberry will receive one-point-five million dollars by the end of 2027 and his eight-million-dollar deal runs through 2030. The former linebacker now A-D addressed the LSU Board of Supervisors before his new contract was approved…

Cut 9 (09)  “…athletic director”

The Saints will look to make a splash in this year’s NFL Draft, much like they did last season. New Orleans has eight picks, including the number-eight overall selection in tonight’s first round. One name that has appeared in several mock drafts is LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. G-M Mickey Loomis, who attended Delane’s pro day at LSU, says the All-American is uber-talented.

Cut 16 (10) “…get taken high.”

Law enforcement foils a North Carolina man’s alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at Jazz Fest. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The Pineville Police Department says they found evidence that a Chinese restaurant on Cottingham Expressway had a dead deer in their kitchen. Officers also found deer carcass in the restaurant’s freezer that was supposed to be served to customers. The Louisiana Department of Health and Wildlife and Fisheries is investigating.

State Climatologist Jay Grymes says the latest update from the US drought monitor shows more than 90-percent of the state is in drought and better than half of the state is in extreme drought. Most of north Louisiana and much of southeast Louisiana is in extreme drought. Grymes says we need to see two to four weeks of steady wet weather, and that could start soon…

Cut 5 (12) “…drought gas pedal.”

Grymes says northern Louisiana should prepare for occasional strong-to-severe thunderstorms tomorrow night.

Tonight is the NFL draft. Former LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane is expected to be a top ten pick. Mike Detillier of WWL Radio Mike Detillier expects former LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to be drafted tomorrow night…

Cut 14 (14) “…in this draft class”

Authorities in Florida say they have arrested a man from North Carolina who was planning to carry out a mass shooting at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which starts today. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Christopher Gillum of Chapel Hill. Officials say 200 rounds of ammo was found in his hotel room in Destin, Florida. We will have more on this story as it develops.

Meanwhile, the 2026 Jazz Fest gets underway today at the Fairgrounds Race Track. Rod Stewart, the Eagles and Stevie Nicks are among this year’s headliners….

Cut 11 (10) “…special thing”

That’s Jazz Fest Producer Quint Davis Five-thousand musicians will perform on 14 stages over the course of eight days. The fest runs from Thursday to Sunday to this weekend and next.

And over in Lafayette, Festival International is underway as that five day free festival brings in musicians from around the world.

A solemn moment on the House floor yesterday as Shreveport Representative Tammy Phelps reflected on Sunday’s mass shooting in Shreveport where a gunman killed seven of his children and one of his nephews. First Lady Sharon Landry’s foundation, Love One Louisiana, will cover the funeral costs and Phelps is appreciative of the gesture…

Cut 6 (06) “….you so much”

Several former LSU football standouts are set to hear their names called as the NFL Draft begins tonight. Andre Champagne takes a look at who could come off the board early….

Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

An effort to prevent someone from serving as governor for three or more terms failed to get enough votes in the Louisiana House. Chalmette Representative Michael Bayham’s proposed constitutional amendment needed 70 votes, but it  only got 67 votes. New Orleans Representative Mandie Landry likes the proposal…

Cut 28 (05) “…thanks”

The constitution currently only allows a person to serve two consecutive terms. But if former governors Bobby Jindal or John Bel Edwards wanted to run for governor next year, they could. But Bayham says…

Cut 29 (10)
No one spoke in opposition. Bayham can bring the measure up for another vote to see if he can get the 70 votes to send the proposal to the Senate.

The Louisiana House approves legislation that would allow public universities to keep private how they spend revenue share dollars with their athletes. The measure passed 91 to 4. Revenue share dollars is public money. It includes tax dollars from sports betting. If the legislation is approved, the public will not see how much money athletes are getting directly from the university and how much a sports program is receiving. Supporters have cited safety concerns for the athlete if fans know how much the players are getting paid, and it would cause a competitive disadvantage. Opponents say this is public money and the public has a right to see how it is spent.

There was no discussion on the bill before it was passed to the Senate. But the bill’s author Tehmi Chassion says media members that have filed a lawsuit seeking to see the revenue share dollar allocations have received death threats and he says that’s not right…

Cut 26 (16) “…don’t’ deserve that”

LSU wraps up spring football this week. The Tigers’ offense struggled for most of the spring but has started to find its rhythm over the past few practices. Coach Lane Kiffin says he’s seen significant improvement from the quarterback group in the last week.

Cut 16 (16) “…progression’s really good.”

LSU football received a verbal commitment Monday night from four-star athlete Braylon Calais (COL-ay) out of Cecilia High School. Calais, who grew up as a huge LSU fan, says he is excited to join what he believes is a special program being built by the new coaching staff.

Cut 19 (10) “…part of it.”

The LSU baseball team earned a ten-to-seven victory over UNO last night to get back in the win column after three straight losses. Freshman William Patrick from Monroe will have an opportunity to play in right field now that Jake Brown is out for the season with a broken hamate bone in his wrist. Patrick started for Brown in right field in last night’s win and had an RBI double. Patrick on the advice he got from Brown…

Cut 12 (16) “…up to him.”

ULM picked up a much-needed win last night after defeating Northwestern State 4-1. The Demons have now dropped six straight. The Warhawks will host James Madison this weekend.

Louisiana Tech dropped a 4-3 midweek contest to McNeese State last night. The Bulldogs left 15 runners on in the loss. Tech will host Missouri State this weekend.

A recent poll on the 5^th district Congressional Republican Primary finds that more than half of the likely voters surveyed had not heard of any of the four candidates. New Orleans-based pollster Greg Rigamer surveyed 600 likely voters. Blake Miguez lead the poll with 20 percent, followed by Rick Edmonds with 13-percent, Michael Echols 10-percent and Misti Cordell with three-percent. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says the winner of this election may come down to who has the most money.

Cut 11 (13) “…just don’t know”

Rigamer conducted the survey that was paid for by business lobbyist Alton Ashy.

proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to limit a governor to just two terms fails to get enough votes to pass in the Louisiana House. Belle Chasse Representative Mike Bayham’s measure needed 70 votes to pass, it got 67. He can bring the measure up for a vote again.

It’s Love the Boot week and the Louisiana Department of Transportation is using the opportunity to get the word out about the Sponsor A Highway program. DOTD Secretary Glenn Ledet says companies can pay a third party to keep clean a section of highway and the sponsors get road signs with their logos on them…

Cut 5 (13) “….congested areas”

LSU freshman baseball player William Patrick from Monroe will have an opportunity to play in right field now that Jake Brown is out for the season with a broken hamate bone in his wrist. Patrick started for Brown in last night’s 10-7 win over UNO and had an RBI double — but not before he got some valuable advice from Brown.

Cut 12 (15) “…up to him.”

LSU begins a series versus Mississippi State Friday night.

DOTD is using the occasion of Love The Boot Week to launch a new program aimed at cleaning litter from busy highways.  Secretary Glenn Ledet (luh-DAY) says it’s called Sponsor-A-Highway.

Cut 3 (05) “…segments of highways.”

Sponsor-A-Highway calls for companies to pay a monthly fee to have a third party vendor clean the sponsored section of highway.

The Louisiana House rejects a bill that would have required some TOPS recipients to pay back their scholarships if they lost them due to poor grades or not taking the required number of courses. Baton Rouge Representative Edmond Jordan could not figure how they would pay the money back, since the scholarship money goes directly to the schools.

Cut 6 (13) “…garnished.”

The measure failed on a 38-62 vote.

We are ten days away from the start of early voting for the May 16^th primary. voters in 20 parishes will also be electing a new person to represent the 5th Congressional district. In a poll of 600 likely voters, State Senator Blake Miguez leads the field in the 5th District Republican Party Primary as 20-percent of the respondents said they prefer Miguez. ULM Political Science professor Pearson Cross says it remains to be seen if Miguez ends up replacing Julia Letlow.

Cut 10 (10) “…in the race?”

Rick Edmonds received 13-percent of the vote in the survey, followed by Michael Echols at 10-percent and Misti Cordell received three-percent.

Monroe’s William Patrick will likely see more playing time now that LSU right fielder Jake Brown will miss the rest of the season with a broken hamate bone. Coach Jay Johnson likes Patrick’s athleticism…

Cut 13 (07) “…a great competitor”

The mayor of Winnsboro is arrested on a Medicaid fraud charge. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (28) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

We are ten days away from the start of the early voting period for the May 16th election. Pearson Cross teaches political science at ULM, and he’s expecting a low turnout for the state’s first closed primary election since 2010.

Cut 9 (12)  “…more like 25.”

The gun used by Shamar Elkins to fatally shoot eight children on Sunday in Shreveport was stolen from a man’s truck last month. That’s according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court. The court papers say Charles Ford was in possession of the gun and suspected Elkins stole it and when he confronted Elkins, he became offensive, so he let it go. Ford is facing charges for being a felon in possession of a firearm and making a false statement to federal agents. Authorities say Ford originally denied having the gun but changed his story later that day when he met with ATF agents.

It’s Love the Boot week and the Louisiana Department of Transportation is using the opportunity to get the word out about the Sponsor A Highway program. DOTD Secretary Glenn Ledet says companies can pay a third party to keep clean a section of highway and the sponsors get road signs with their logos on them…

Cut 5 (13) “….congested areas”