A helicopter pilot is killed in a crash in Thibodaux this morning. Jeff Palermo reports.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

___________________________________________________

Deputies in Ouachita Parish are looking for a man who they say kidnapped a nine-year-old boy who was eventually found safe. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

___________________________________________________

A helicopter pilot is killed in a crash in Thibodaux this morning. Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Captain Brennan Matherne says it happened at around 6:30 this morning.

Cut 3 (04) “…later pronounced dead.”

The pilot has been identified as Stanley Hebert of Abbeville. Captain Matherne says the crash happened in an agricultural field.

Cut 4 (09) “…field and crashed.”

Matherne says no one on the ground was hurt, and no property on the ground was damaged.

Cut 5 (05) “…the closest residence.”

The FAA and the NTSB have been notified and will be investigating.

________________________________________________

The Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man who they say kidnapped a nine-year-old boy. Deputy Amanda Lyon says the boy was riding ATVs with 40-year-old Rickey Knotts yesterday, but Knotts kept the boy captive overnight until a family member found him safe this morning. 

Cut 6 (07) “…a nearby field.”

Deputy Lyon says Knotts is charged with simple kidnapping, cruelty to a juvenile and false imprisonment.

Cut 7 (08) “…throughout the night.”

Lyon says Knotts has several prior arrests.

Cut 8 (04) “…battery and theft.”

________________________________________________

A new poll by JMC Analytics and Polling commissioned by the John Fleming Senate campaign shows not only good news for the Fleming campaign, but also some very bad news for the incumbent he’s looking to unseat. Founder John Couvillon says in a head-to-head matchup, Fleming has a sizable lead over Senator Bill Cassidy.

Cut 9 (15)  “…a Republican primary.”

The polls show Cassidy leading in both a three way race with Senator Blake Miguez added in, as well as a four-way race with Miguez and potential candidate Julia Letlow. However, Couvillon says in all polls, Cassidy is polling very low for an incumbent.

Cut 10 (11) “…of the vote.”

As such, if the election was to be held tomorrow instead of next April, Cassidy would be extended to a runoff – and Couvillon says based on the current polling numbers, that would spell big trouble for Cassidy.

Cut 11 (08) “…a political standpoint.”

Couvillon says the fact that Cassidy has a huge lead in fundraising means nothing. He notes that when Cassidy unseated Mary Landrieu in 2014, Landrieu had boatloads more money than Cassidy had, and it did her no good in her re-election bid.

________________________________________________

Former Union Parish football star Trey Holly has enrolled at Southern University as a walk-on as he’s not allowed to play at LSU, because he faces felony charges from shooting. Holly is Louisiana’s all-time leading high school rusher and committed to the Tigers in 2022, but he has not seen the field since three games his freshman season. Jaguars head coach Terrence Graves says Holly is read to go.

Cut 12 (11) “…our program.”

Holly has been suspended from the LSU football team since a February 2024 shooting in his hometown of Farmerville. He was originally charged with attempted murder, but those charges have been dropped. Holly still faces charges charges of aggravated criminal damage and illegal use of a weapon. Since those are pending felony charges, Holly can not suit up for LSU.

Holly has maintained his innocence. He is still awaiting trial after numerous delays Graves says Southern will give him a fresh start.

Cut 13 (08)  “…that he is.”

Thanks to legislation approved by state lawmakers, regulations are now in place for Earned Wage Access, which allows workers to access a portion of their paycheck before payday. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

____________________________________________

As back-to-school shopping gets set to ramp up, Andrew Greenstein has some money-saving tips. 

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

____________________________________________

Two New Orleans Saints icons announced their retirement. Kace Kieschnick reports.

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

____________________________________________

Louisiana is the 11^th state to put regulations in place for earned wage access, which allows a worker to access wages earned prior to their pay day. Franklin Representative Vinney St. Blanc authored the Louisiana Earned Wage Access Services Act.

Cut 4 (11) “…ATM.”

St. Blanc says about 80-thousand workers in Louisiana have access to E-W-A services. It allows a worker to access the money for the hours they work and do not have to wait until pay day. He says it’s a great feature for those who encounter an emergency and need money, and there’s only a small fee.

Cut 5 (06) “…working people.”

E-W-A has been around for the last decade, but St. Blanc’s legislation puts in place guarantees that Louisiana workers have protections in place to access their earned wages. St. Blanc says if your employer doesn’t offer this service, there are third party providers who do.

Cut 6 (09) “…requirements are.”

St. Blanc says now that there are guardrails in place for EWA, he hopes more employers will offer it and workers will take advantage of it. He says some companies use EWA as a retention tool, especially in the health care field, because many workers like getting a portion of their paycheck early.

________________________________________________________

The new school year is right around the corner; and as such, back-to-school shopping will soon be in full swing. A survey from Bankrate shows almost half of back-to-school shoppers say they are looking for ways to save money. Bankrate analyst Ted Rossman says one way you can do so is to stack discounts.

Cut 7 (09) “…online shopping portal.”

Rossman also suggests that if you already have it, don’t buy it.

Cut 8 (10) “…already have it.”

Rossman says families can also use the occasion of back-to-school shopping to teach their kids about financial literacy – specifically, teaching them how to budget their money.

Cut 9 (11)  “…back in another.”

Rossman also suggests not to buy everything all at once if it’s not necessary. He notes that a lot of items go on sale after Labor Day.

________________________________________________________

Saints training camp begins today. With new head coach Kellen Moore and the retirement of quarterback Derek Carr, it will be a fresh start in New Orleans, but GM Mickey Loomis says there’s always an opportunity to be successful.

Cut 10 (12) “…excited about that.”

The talk of the preseason will be the battle for the starting quarterback spot which Loomis emphasized will be a three-way fight between returners Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler and second-round pick Tyler Shough (“shuck”). Moore says he’ll try to give each an equal opportunity to compete.

Cut 11 (12) “…the consistency.”

Moore and Loomis were both excited to see revamped offensive and defensive line units put on the pads for the first time. The Saints selected left tackle Kelvin Banks ninth overall and moved former first-round picks Taliese Fuaga to right tackle and Trevor Penning to left guard. Loomis is eager to see how the group shakes out.

Cut 12 (11) “…we’ll see.”

________________________________________________________

A New Orleans non-profit is doing its part to help restore Louisiana’s coastline. Ricky Ostry with Glass Half Full says the organization is collecting glass and recycling it into sand to rebuild parts of the Louisiana coast.

Cut 13 (10)  “…sort of thing”

Ostry says believe it or not, glass can be crushed so fine that it’s softer and more comfortable to walk on than beach sand in Pensacola.

Cut 14 (07) “…than native sediment.”

Ostry says Glass Half Full is working with many businesses to collect all types of glass.

Cut 15 (15) “…amounts of glass.”

They can collect everything from beer and wine bottles to old stemware, glass jars and framing glass. While stained glass is okay, coated glass like auto glass is not.

________________________________________________________

Sun Belt Media Days began with the West Division in New Orleans yesterday. UL-Lafayette was picked to win the West in the conference preseason poll. Head Coach Michael Desormeaux (DEZ-er-mo) is looking to return to the Sun Belt championship after falling short last year.

Cut 16 (15) “…really want.”

The Cajuns went 10-and-4 in Desormeaux’s third season as head coach, his best mark by far. He says this year’s roster has the most depth of any team during his time as head coach.

Cut 17 (18)  “…gonna be.”

The Cajuns open the season August 30 against Rice.

Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill said when Louisiana Tech officially makes the move is still an open question as the Bulldogs negotiate their departure with Conference USA. ULM head coach Bryant Vincent says he heard about the ULM-Louisiana Tech rivalry as soon as he stepped on campus.

Cut 18 (20) “…everybody wants.”

______________________________________________

Louisiana Tech Head Coach Sonny Cumbie spoke at Conference USA Media Day yesterday. The Bulldogs are coming off a 5-and-8 season, in which they were able to back their way into a bowl game. Cumbie says it was most of the players’ first bowl experience.

Cut 19 (16) “…to another one.”

The Bulldogs are welcoming new defensive coordinator Luke Olson after Jeremiah Johnson left for Coastal Carolina after one season in Ruston. Louisiana Tech ranked 12th in the nation in total defense last season and has a strong linebacker corps and secondary returning. Cumbie says eight of their 13 defensive lineman, though, are new.

Cut 20 (17) “…that as well.”

If you’re working outside this week, you’ll want to take extra precautions given the hot conditions. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

___________________________________________________

It was a banner year for the State Treasury in its campaign to reunite unclaimed cash with its rightful owners. Jeff Palermo reports.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

___________________________________________________

In case you haven’t already noticed, it’s a scorcher outside, and it’s going to remain that way for the rest of the week. If you have to work outside, make sure you’re taking the necessary precautions to protect yourself. Evan Canzoneri, a safety service consultant with LWCC, says you should begin the day by drinking two glasses of water – and make sure it’s water.

Cut 3 (08) “…in your body.”

Canzoneri says there are things you should avoid eating when working outside in brutally hot conditions.

Cut 4 (11) “…up digesting that.”

When working outside in these conditions, Canzoneri says dress accordingly.

Cut 5 (12) “…head is vital.”

________________________________________________

Hood Container announced a nearly 120-million-dollar modernization project at its historic St. Francisville paper mill. The project will center around upgrading the mill’s primary paper machine to increase production capacity by 80-thousand tons per year. West Feliciana Parish President Kenny Havard says Hood’s success is the community’s success.

Cut 6 (13) “…come with it.”

The mill was first opened in the late 1950s, and since taking ownership in 2015, Hood Container has invested more than 160-million-dollars in the facility. Havard says the project will help retain 295 jobs in the parish.

Cut 7 (12) “…community partner.”

Upgrades will begin in late 2026, and phase two of the project will be completed during the mill’s annual outage in May of 2027. The state offered the company an incentive package including an 8-hundred-thousand-dollar tax credit to secure the project. Havard hopes this won’t be the last investment that comes to the area.

Cut 8 (13) “…open for business.”

________________________________________________

The Louisiana Department of Treasury paid out almost 70-million dollars in unclaimed property funds to both current and former residents in the 2025 fiscal year. That’s the second highest annual amount in the program’s history, just a tad less than the amount paid four years ago. State Treasurer John Fleming says it’s surprising how many people are owed money.

Cut 9 (08)  “…1.2-billion dollars.”

Fleming says claiming money that’s owed to you is very easy.

Cut 10 (10) “…it right there.” (Website: LaCashClaim.org)

Fleming says many people who claimed money owed to them had no idea that they had that money that rightfully belonged to them. He says they found out about it through the department’s outreach efforts.

Cut 11 (09) “…were owed money.”

The unclaimed property is in the form of payroll checks, old bank accounts, utility deposits and interest payments. Money that continues to go unclaimed does not go into the state’s general fund; it is socked away until it’s claimed by the rightful owner.

________________________________________________

Coca-Cola announced today it will release a new version of its classic soda sweetened with U-S sugar, which could benefit Louisiana’s sugarcane industry. Louisiana ranks second in the country in sugar cane produced, nearly 14-million tons of sugarcane each year. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain is excited about the news…

Cut 12 (07) “…cane sugar.”

President Trump said last week he spoke with Coca-Cola about using real cane sugar in Coke in the United States. Coke products sold in the U-K and Mexico already use cane sugar. U-S Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Junior says cane sugar is healthier than corn syrup. Strain says Coca-Cola’s decision to use cane syrup could have a big impact on Louisiana…

Cut 13 (08)  “…few days.”

__________________________________________________________

Sun Belt Football Media Days kicked off in New Orleans today. ULM started 5-and-1 under first-year head coach Bryant Vincent last season before dropping their last six straight and failing to reach a bowl game. Vincent says phase one of rebuilding the Warhawks was establishing culture. Phase two was holding on to players despite the growing pains.

Cut 14 (12) “…role in that.”

The Warhawks are led by quarterback Aidan Armenta. The redshirt sophomore followed Vincent from New Mexico to Monroe and took over the starting role midway through the season. Vincent says it’s a big deal to have a returning starting quarterback.

Cut 15 (14) “…about him.”

Armenta passed for nearly 13-hundred yards, 9 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in eight starts last season. ULM will start the season hosting St. Francis in a Thursday night game August 28.