If you didn’t manage to get your holiday shopping done yesterday you’re in luck because today is Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday began in 2010 to help local shops and restaurants bring in more customers after the Great Recession. NFIB state director Leah Long says last year, shoppers spent an estimated 22 billion dollars at locally owned businesses nationwide and that’s great for the local economy…

Cut 7 (05) “…in the community.”

In the high school football playoffs last night…Sixth seeded Vandebilt Catholic defeated Lake Charles College Prep 31-28. The Terriers advance to face Shaw in the semifinals. The Eagles beat Loyola Prep 38 to 7.

Ruston is back in the semifinals after beating Southside 38 to 28 and they’ll host Zachary next Friday night. John Curtis defeated Teurlings Catholic 21-7.

The Patriots will face St. Aug in the Division one select semifinals, the other semi-final matchup will Catholic High versus Edna Karr.

LSU’s regular season finale at Oklahoma is at 2:30 this afternoon. The eighth ranked Sooners are on the cusp of their first College football Playoff appearance since 2019. LSU linebacker Whit Weeks says they aren’t backing down from a top ten opponent, and they hope to play spoiler

Cut 16 (10) “…worst games.”

Weeks said he plans to take the field for the second game in arow as he battles through a broken ankle.

LSU fans, though, may be paying more attention to Oxford, Mississippi than Norman, Oklahoma this afternoon. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin’s meeting with Rebels brass is scheduled later today. Kiffin said he still hadn’t made up his mind on where he’ll end up after the Egg Bowl yesterday but reports late last night say a final decision should be on the way. The weeks of tracking flights and tee times, deciphering cryptic tweets and speculating could all come to an end this afternoon.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin said he still hadn’t made a final decision on where he wants to coach next year after his 38-19 win over Mississippi state in the Egg Bowl yesterday. He says the process hasn’t been easy.

Cut 22 (18) “…would think.”

Kiffin’s options are reportedly down to LSU and Ole Miss and an announcement should come later today.

Florida has moved on from the Kiffin sweepstakes and shifted focus to other candidates like Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall. Sumrall canceled a meeting with the Gators earlier this week and is currently leading the Green Wave to a 9-and-2 season. Tulane are over 30-point favorites against Charlotte tonight with a home American Conference Championship on the line. Sumrall will announce his future decision tomorrow morning. He’s also drawn interest from Auburn and LSU.

LSU can cause some chaos in the College Football Playoff race with a win over Oklahoma this afternoon. The Sooners are eighth in the CFP rankings and are the top seeded among eight two loss teams in the top 17. LSU linebacker Whit Weeks says the Tigers aren’t without motivation.

Cut 17 (13)  “…get a victory.”

November is coming to an end so that means so is hurricane season. This year is the first time since 2015 a hurricane did not make landfall in the U.S, but there was still 13 named storms, five hurricanes and four major hurricanes. Colorado State research scientist Phil Klotzbach says atmospheric conditions protected the U.S.

Cut 13 (14)  “…the hurricanes.”

God Behind Bars, a national prison ministry, organized a Daddy Daughter Dance at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola for more than two dozen fathers who had not seen their daughters in years. The fathers stood waiting in fitted tuxedos and later presented their daughters flowers, a Bible and a handwritten letter. God Behind Bars founder Jake Bodine says Angola was transformed into something special.

Cut 4 (15) “…end of the event.”

ULM has named S.J. Tuohy as its next Athletics Director following the resignation of John Hartwell in August of this year. Tuohy has most recently served as the Deputy AD at oral Roberts and has spent time at UCF, Liberty, and Arkansas, but you may better know him from The Blind Side. He’s the son of Sean and Leigh Ann Touhy who took in former NFL lineman Michael Oher as a high schooler.

Get out and support local stores because today is Small Business Saturday. NFIB State Director Leah Long says the Big Beautiful Bill signed by President Trump this summer made the 20-percent Small Business Deduction permanent, and that was a big relief for small business owners. But she says NFIB’s latest survey shows small business optimism has slipped as owners grow more cautious about the months ahead…

Cut 9 (10)  “…small businesses.”

The LSU basketball teams both took home wins in the first round of their invitational tournaments last night. The men outlasted Drake for a 71-62 win at the Emerald Coast Classic. The Tigers will take on DePaul in the tournament championship tonight at 6:30. The Lady Tigers set an NCAA record for most consecutive 100-point games with a 113-53 domination of Marist at the Paradise Jam tournament. The seven straight century wins to open the season topples a 43-year-old record held by coach Kim Mulkey’s 1982 Louisiana Tech team.

It’s Small Business Saturday, and NFIB state director Leah Long says local support means more than ever this year as many small business owners are dealing with higher interest rates and other factors…

Cut 8 (11) “…spent this year.”

LSU closes out the regular season at 8th-ranked Oklahoma this afternoon. Despite a disappointing season, the Tigers are looking to play spoiler for a new SEC rival on the edge of the College Football Playoffs. Linebacker Whit Weeks says the first step will be dealing with experienced Sooners quarterback John Mateer.

Cut 15 (10) “…stop him.”

Mateer has thrown for over 2,00 yards with ten touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He’s also added almost 300 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin’s long-awaited decision is expected sometime this afternoon. Kiffin led the Rebels to a 38-19 Egg Bowl victory yesterday and after the game said he still had yet to make a decision.

Cut 21 (14) “…helps me.”

He said yesterday was spent enjoying his team’s win and watching his son Knox’s Oxford High School team. Oxford fell 21-20 to Tupelo in the North Half Mississippi State championship despite three touchdown passes from Kiffin.

In Louisiana high school playoff scores, chaos In the Division one non-select bracket continued with Zachary upsetting Central 31-27 and Ouachita Parish taking down Parkway 28-22. They’ll have matchups with the top two seeds Ruston and Neville who dominated Cinderella Barbe 42-0.

Black Friday may not have the same look this year, but it will still be the busiest shopping day of the year. Jeff Palermo has what you need to know.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday. NFIB state director Leah Long says last year, shoppers spent an estimated 22 billion dollars at locally owned businesses nationwide and that’s great for the local economy…

Cut 7 (05) “…in the community.”

LSU travels Oklahoma to face the 8^th-ranked Sooners tomorrow. The regular season finale will give the Tigers a chance to reach eight wins this season, the lowest mark for LSU since 2021. Linebacker Whit Weeks, though, says a bad record won’t stop the Tigers from giving their best each and every week.

Cut 17 (13)  “…get a victory.”

Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin will take the podium to reveal his future landing spot tomorrow. Kiffin has been the obvious number one candidate for the Tigers since firing head coach Brian Kelly. Last week Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported LSU offered him a 7-year $90 million contract. ESPN Baton Rouge’s Matt Moscona says there’s no such thing as a sure thing in coaching searches.

Cut 13 (12)  “…over the years.”

Thanksgiving has come and gone. The Lions have lost and leftovers are in the fridge, so that can only mean one thing. Stores will be packed with Christmas shoppers, but the chaos of Black Friday is certainly not for everyone.

Cut 10 (07) “…Fortnite.”

Black Friday deals this year may not have been the door busters you’re used to seeing. LSU marketing professor Dan Rice just because something is on sale doesn’t make it a good deal.

Cut 5 (07) “…years past.”

He says the increased prices, though, will result in more overall Black Friday spending this year, and it certainly won’t stop today from being the busiest shopping day of the year. The national Retail Federation reports that a record 186.9 million people are planning to shop from Thanksgiving day through Cyber Monday, a number up more than 3 million total shoppers from the previous record last year.

LSU will finish their regular season at 8^th-ranked Oklahoma tomorrow. Junior linebacker Whit Weeks has been sidelined for much of the second half of the season with what he just revealed was a broken ankle suffered week 5 against Ole Miss, not the bone bruise initially reported. Weeks returned in a limited capacity last week and says the pain won’t stop him from taking the field against a top ten team.

Cut 16 (10) “…worst games.”

Kickoff is at 2:30, but just as many tiger fans will be watching the news to see where Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin lands. He’ll announce his decision sometime tomorrow.

Southeastern Louisiana is hosting an FCS playoff game against Illinois State at noon tomorrow.

Louisiana Tech will try to reach seven wins against Missouri State at 1:00.

UL-Lafayette and ULM face off for a rivalry week showdown at 2 p.m.

And Tulane can punch their ticket to hosting an American Conference championship with a win over 1-and-10 Charlotte at 6:30.

Black Friday may not have the same chaos or luster that it used to as prices increase and discounts decrease. Consumer sentiment is shifting away from in-person shopping, and only 11-percent of shoppers are more interested in Black Friday shopping this year than years passed. Despite all the negative trends LSU marketing professor Dan Rice says today will still easily be the busiest shopping day of the year.

Cut 6 (11) “…people shopping.”

Rice Says Black Friday spending is expected to be up 4-percent this year.

Not all consumers plan to join the hordes of shoppers today, though. For some, Christmas shopping can be a real hassle, especially on the busiest shopping day of the year.

Cut 11 (07) “..because she’s crazy.”

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin will finally announce where he plans to coach next year tomorrow. Many college football analysts think he’ll end up at LSU, but if Kiffin decides against coming to Baton Rouge, ESPN Baton Rouge’s Matt Moscona says things get a little hazier.

Cut 14 (11) “…Blake Baker.”

Southeastern head coach Frank Scelfo spoke to WWL’s Mike Detillier about the Lions’ outstanding season and FCS playoff matchup with Illinois State tomorrow. The 9-and-3 lions are led by a dominant defense featuring lineman and Southland Conference Player of the Year Kaleb Proctor and Southland Defensive Player of the Year linebacker KK Reno. Scelfo says this is a special team.

Cut 20 (14) “…part of this.”

A national college football reporter is reporting it’s looking more likely that Lane Kiffin ends up at LSU. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Tulane is ranked 24^th in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings and just two wins away from a playoff berth as the top ranked group of five school. A win at home over 1-and-10 Charlotte Saturday means the Green Wave will host an American Conference Championship game. Their most likely opponent is one-loss North Texas.

The busiest travel week of the year is here, and State Police are reminding drivers to stay safe. Trooper Ryan Davis says always, never take the wheel after you’ve had too much to drink. If you plan on having a good time – perhaps TOO good of a time – have a plan beforehand.

Cut 8 (08) “…a great option.”

Louisiana Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham has been selected as the new principal deputy director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. During his time as the state’s first surgeon general, Abraham worked to end the promotion of vaccination clinics in the state. The Advocate’s D.C. correspondent Mark Ballard says Abraham will use his new role to take that mission national.

Cut 13 (12)  “…a national level.”