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.”

A death row inmate is granted bail, but he won’t be walking out a free man anytime soon. Andrew Greenstein explains.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The Saints signed former LSU and Browns kicker Cade York to the practice squad after releasing former starter Blake Grupe today, Grupe ranked 38^th in the league in field goal percentage and missed two kicks in Sunday’s loss to the Falcons. York joins second-year placekicker Chalie Smyth on the practice squad and seemingly landed the spot over form Ravens kicker Justin tucker who also worked out with the team yesterday.

Death Valley is set to host multi-platinum artist Zach Bryan March 28 next year. It will be the first show in Tiger stadium since Garth Brook’s 2022 performance. Opened by Caamp and J.R. Carroll, the concert will be the fourth stop on his With Heaven On Tour which LSU Deputy Athletics Director Clay Harris says features multiple college football stadiums.

Cut 6 (08) “…the community.”

Willis Knighton Health’s Progressive Care Center in Shreveport earned a Best Nursing Home Award for 2026 by the U.S. News and World Report. Administrator Debra Crump says all glory goes to her staff.

Cut 12 (09) “…that we do.”

U.S. News evaluated nearly 15=thousand centers on their patient and resident outcomes, staffing ratio, and inspection results. Of the nearly 15-thousand, Progressive Care Center was near the top.