Governor Edwards reinstates the statewide indoor mask mandate effective Wednesday for those five and older. Edwards says there is a dangerous amount of COVID spreading through the state right now and…

Cut 14 (10) “…vaccinated”

Other state leaders, including the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and the Louisiana Restaurant Association have come out in support of the mandate.

28-year-old Aaron Morgan was arrested Sunday after allegedly stabbing his grandmother to death, stabbing his mom, and then going on a shooting spree in an attempt to steal a car afterwards. East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux…

Cut 4 (12) “…the victims.”

Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder strips two Democrats of their committee chairmanships reportedly as retribution for their votes against overturning a ban on transgender athletes in girls’ sports. LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says after some indications that Schexnayder could be

removed over the veto session failure it appears he’s managed to stabilize his support.

Cut 8 (11) “…process.”

One Independent and one Democrat who voted against the ban were also removed from committees. Alford says additional removals could be on the way.

Chaos on Bourbon Street in New Orleans Sunday morning as five people were injured in a shooting incident. No fatalities thankfully resulted from the early morning attack and one person was taken into custody as a result.  

A Sunday morning rampage in Baton Rouge leaves one dead and several others including the suspect hospitalized from a domestic incident that escalated quickly. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (30) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder removes two Democrats from their chairmanships, seemingly as retaliation for their votes in the recent veto override session. Matt Doyle has more…

Cut 2 (30)…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

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A man killed his grandmother and attempted to kill his mother in East Baton Rouge Parish Sunday morning then went on a shooting spree trying to steal a getaway car. Sheriff Sid Gautreaux says the suspect is 28-year-old Aaron Morgan.

Cut 3 (11) “…condition.” 

Gautreaux says after the incident at his relatives Morgan drove to Highland Marketplace in what they believe was an attempt to get rid of his grandmother’s vehicle and hijack another getaway car. Three more people were shot as a result.

Cut 4 (12) “…the victims.” 

Gautreaux says Morgan was able to steal a vehicle that was left running in the parking lot and police later spotted the stolen vehicle on Siegen Lane.  Then a pursuit on foot ensued.

Cut 5 (09) “…hospital.”

Police say the stabbing victim is the suspect’s grandmother, 78-year-old Dianne Gafford.

__________________________

Democratic State House chairs Chad Brown and Vincent Pierre were removed from their posts, seemingly as retaliation by the Republican Speaker for votes in the recent veto override session.

LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says this move was blowback for the two Democrats’ votes against legislation banning transgender athletes from girls’ sports.

Cut 6 (10) “…accountable.” 

Independent Daryl Adams was also removed from the House Appropriations Committee and Democratic Representative Travis Johnson of Vidalia was removed from Transportation.

Alford says the most interesting question now is whether Speaker Clay Schexnayder will replace the two Democrats with conservative Republicans.

Cut 7 (10) “…speaker.” 

Schexnayder won the Speakership over the more conservative Representative Sherman Mack after creating a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans.

Immediately after the failure to override any of the Governor’s vetoes, there were suggestions the Speaker could be removed, but Alford says that now appears unlikely.

Cut 8 (11) “…process.”

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A tragic boating incident over the weekend claims three lives in Sabine Parish.  Lt Dean Aucoin, Director of Boating Education for LDWF says they were notified Saturday morning that three men went out boating on Toledo Bend Friday evening and never returned.

Cut 9 (12) “…on the water”

The bodies of Paul Murphy Jr and Joseph Sam Jr both of Opelousas, James Young of Lafayette were recovered over the weekend and the boat has yet to be recovered.

The three men reportedly launched their boat around 10:30 Friday night and Aucoin says it’s not uncommon for boaters to go fishing in the Toledo Bend at that hour.

Cut 10 (09) “…at night.”

Aucoin says the investigation is ongoing as to exactly what happened to the three men and while he always recommends wearing a life jacket on the water, he says it’s more critical at night because you can’t always see what your boat may encounter in the dark.

Cut  11 (05) “…incident.”  

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Governor Edwards reinstates the statewide indoor mask mandate effective Wednesday for everyone five and older.

Edwards says our case growth is now, by far, the fastest in the nation and we’re on track to blow past our highest ever number of COVID patients in the hospital. He says 4^th surge is the worst one yet…

Cut 12 (10) “…public” 

The state now has over 11,000 COVID-related deaths since the start of the pandemic and is now just shy of 2,000 hospitalizations. Over 11,000 cases were reported since Friday.

Edwards says it’s clear his previous statewide mask advisory is not being followed so something firmer was needed to slow down the current surge that is overwhelming hospitals.

Cut 13 (09) “…wait”

Edwards says there is a dangerous amount of COVID spreading through the state right now and the vast majority of it is the more deadly and infectious Delta variant.

Cut 14 (10) “…vaccinated”

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Democratic State House chairs Chad Brown and Vincent Pierre were removed from their posts, seemingly as retaliation by the Republican Speaker for votes in the recent veto override session. LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says this move was blowback for the two Democrats’ votes against legislation banning transgender athletes from girls’ sports.

Cut 6 (10) “…accountable.” 

Two other Democrats were also removed from key committee assignments.

A tragic boating incident over the weekend claims three lives in Sabine Parish.  Lt Dean Aucoin, Director of Boating Education for LDWF says they don’t know what caused the incident yet, and unfortunately in cases like this sometimes you just never find out. That being said…

Cut  11 (05) “…incident.”  

A Sunday morning rampage in Baton Rouge leaves one dead and several others including the suspect hospitalized from a domestic incident that escalated quickly. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (30) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

In this hour Governor Edwards is expected to announce whether or not he will reimplement a statewide mask mandate amidst surging COVID cases. Louisiana now has nearly 2,000 COVID related hospitalizations, up from roughly 250 this time last month and is being noted nationwide as the state with the fastest per capita case growth. 

A man killed his grandmother and attempted to kill his mother in East Baton Rouge Parish Sunday morning then went on a shooting spree trying to steal a getaway car. Sheriff Sid Gautreaux says the suspect is 28-year-old Aaron Morgan.

Cut 3 (11) “…condition.” 

The fatality was identified as 78-year-old Dianne Gafford.

Congresswoman Julia Letlow is urging nonvaccinated individuals to make the life-saving decision to roll up their sleeve and get vaccinated. Letlow lost her husband, Luke Letlow last December to COVID, just days before he was to be sworn into congress…

Cut 4 (13) “…on anybody.”

Over 11,000 Louisianans are confirmed to have died of COVID since the start of the pandemic.

Governor Edwards is set to hold a 2:30 press conference today where he could call for a return to the statewide mask mandate due to the recent explosion in COVID cases fueled by the new, hyper contagious Delta variant. Brooke Thorington has more on this story.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

Five people were wounded in an early Sunday morning shooting on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. No fatalities were linked to that shooting incident but one person has been detained.

Governor Edwards says he is “seriously” considering reimplementing the statewide mask mandate as the Delta COVID surge begins to spiral out of control.

Edwards says about 11 percent of ER visits are now for COVID-like symptoms, which healthcare providers say is the highest rate of the pandemic.

Cut 15 (10) “mandate”

The state reported over 30 deaths in one day Friday for the first time since March.

After completing a study, the USDA confirmed 33-percent of the deer were carrying the virus.  Lousiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain says the study was completed in several northern states.

Cut 10 (10) “Covid-2”

The high temperatures will continue for Louisiana this weekend.  State Climatologist Barry Keim says we can expect to see weekend temperatures in the mid to upper 90 throughout the weekend across the Pelican state and some areas might even see triple digits.

Cut 13 (09) “and 115”

President Joe Biden has signed Senator Kennedy’s DUMP Opioids act into law.  The Senate unanimously passed this bill in April and the House unanimously passed the bill early this week. Kennedy says Opioid deaths have increased in Louisiana over the past 18 months and his bill is set to help prevent further deaths…

Cut 7 (10) “opioid addiction”

Governor Edwards says Louisiana residents could see another statewide mask mandate due to the rising Covid cases across the state.  Louisiana added over 20,000 new COVID cases this week and statewide positivity on COVID tests jumped back over ten percent for the first time in months.

Cut 16 (11) “(x2) concern”

All but two parishes are now in the red zone for community spread.

The hot and humid temperatures continue for the Bayou State this weekend due to high pressure from the Gulf limiting cloud coverage and thunderstorm activity.  On the upside, State Climatologist Barry Keim says if you can hold out until Monday it looks there’s an increased chance for thunderstorms which might keep the temperatures down and…

Cut 14 (12) “period”

President Joe Biden has signed Senator Kennedy’s DUMP Opioids act into law which allows individuals to dispose of opioids safely.  Kennedy says he’s thankful that the President and Congress came together to pass the bill adding a new tool in the fight against addiction…

Cut 8 (08) “hopefully healthier”

Both Texas and Oklahoma were unanimously invited to join the SEC after a vote from university presidents.  This will make the SEC a 16-team league.  There have been talks of a possible four-team, four-pod system when the two schools are added instead of a traditional east and west format. SEC Netowrk’s Tony Barnhart that’s just one of the possibilities.

Cut 4 (10) “other five”

Governor Edwards says he is “seriously” considering reimplementing the statewide mask mandate as the Delta COVID surge begins to spiral out of control.

Edwards says about 11 percent of ER visits are now for COVID-like symptoms, which healthcare providers say is the highest rate of the pandemic.

Cut 15 (10) “mandate”

The state reported over 30 deaths in one day Friday for the first time since March.

After completing a study, the USDA confirmed 33-percent of the deer were carrying the virus.  Lousiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain says the study was completed in several northern states.

Cut 10 (10) “Covid-2”

The high temperatures will continue for Louisiana this weekend.  State Climatologist Barry Keim says we can expect to see weekend temperatures in the mid to upper 90 throughout the weekend across the Pelican state and some areas might even see triple digits.

Cut 13 (09) “and 115”

President Joe Biden has signed Senator Kennedy’s DUMP Opioids act into law.  The Senate unanimously passed this bill in April and the House unanimously passed the bill early this week. Kennedy says Opioid deaths have increased in Louisiana over the past 18 months and his bill is set to help prevent further deaths…

Cut 7 (10) “opioid addiction”

The state could be headed back to a mask mandate due to the explosive surge in COVID cases caused by the Delta variant. Brooke Thorington has the story.

Cut 18 (31) “I’m Brooke Thorington”

President Joe Biden has signed Senator Kennedy’s DUMP Opioids act into law. Kennedy says the bill provides individuals who are in possession of Opioids a safe and effective way of eliminating them…

Cut 6 (10)

The hot and humid temperatures continue for the Bayou State this weekend. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a weak high pressure across the northern Gulf of Mexico continues to pump warm air into the state but the high pressure is also limiting cloud coverage and thunderstorm activity.

Cut 12 (07) “the roof”

The fourteen SEC presidents voted unanimously to invite both Texas and Oklahoma into the Southeastern Conference after the two schools announced that they would not renew their contracts with the Big 12.  While it could take some time to shuffle certain games within the league once the teams join, Barnhart says re-adjusting scheduling in the SEC is long overdue.

Cut 5 (11) “not enough”

The Pelicans used the 17th pick in this year’s NBA draft to select Virginia’s Trey Murphy. He averaged 11 points a game for the Cavaliers last season and shot a team-high 43-percent from three-point territory. Before his lone season at Virginia, he played two years at Rice, where he averaged 14 points a game as a sophomore.

They also selected Alabama’s Herb Jones with the 35^th pick.  Jones was named SEC Player of the Year last season.

Former LSU guard Cam Thomas was selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 27^th overall pick in the first round of last night’s NBA draft.  In his only season in Baton Rouge, Thomas averaged 23 points per game and shot over 40 percent from the field for the Tigers.  Thomas was considered a possible candidate for the Pelicans in the first round.

LSU stars Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart did not hear their names called in the draft.  Watford has signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers and Javonte Smart has inked a contract with the Miami Heat.  Watford averaged 16.3 points per game while Smart averaged 16 points a game.  Smart led the SEC in three-point percentage with 40.2 percent.

The fourteen SEC presidents voted unanimously to invite both Texas and Oklahoma into the Southeastern Conference after the two schools announced that they would not renew their contracts with the Big 12.  Tony Barnhart with the SEC Network and TMG Sports says these two schools leaving their conference is unique due to their high-profile programs.

Cut 3 (11) “with Oklahoma”

The Longhorns and Sooners will officially join the SEC in July of 2025.

The LSU football program received both good and bad news in the last few days.  Tigers received a commitment from three-star tight end Mason Taylor out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Mason is the son of former NFL star Jason Taylor.  But, LSU also lost a commitment from five-star has announced that he is decommiting from the Tigers and re-opening his recruitment.  The Ponchatoula native had been committed to LSU since November 2020.

The Pelicans used the 17th pick in this year’s NBA draft to select Virginia’s Trey Murphy. He averaged 11 points a game for the Cavaliers last season and shot a team-high 43-percent from three-point territory. Before his lone season at Virginia, he played two years at Rice, where he averaged 14 points a game as a sophomore.

They also selected Alabama’s Herb Jones with the 35^th pick.  Jones was named SEC Player of the Year last season.

Former LSU guard Cam Thomas was selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 27^th overall pick in the first round of last night’s NBA draft.  In his only season in Baton Rouge, Thomas averaged 23 points per game and shot over 40 percent from the field for the Tigers.  Thomas was considered a possible candidate for the Pelicans in the first round.

LSU stars Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart did not hear their names called in the draft.  Watford has signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers and Javonte Smart has inked a contract with the Miami Heat.  Watford averaged 16.3 points per game while Smart averaged 16 points a game.  Smart led the SEC in three-point percentage with 40.2 percent.

The fourteen SEC presidents voted unanimously to invite both Texas and Oklahoma into the Southeastern Conference after the two schools announced that they would not renew their contracts with the Big 12.  Tony Barnhart with the SEC Network and TMG Sports says these two schools leaving their conference is unique due to their high-profile programs.

Cut 3 (11) “with Oklahoma”

The Longhorns and Sooners will officially join the SEC in July of 2025.

The LSU football program received both good and bad news in the last few days.  Tigers received a commitment from three-star tight end Mason Taylor out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Mason is the son of former NFL star Jason Taylor.  But, LSU also lost a commitment from five-star safety Jacoby Matthews as he has announced that he is decommitting from the Tigers and re-opening his recruitment.  The Ponchatoula native had been committed to LSU since November 2020.