The oldest chartered harvest festival in the Bayou State kicks off tonight in St. Mary Parish.

Cut 1 (32) “..I’m Connor Ferrill”

Louisiana is not out of the woods when it comes to Hurricane Dorian. Currently, the storm is expected to make landfall as a Cat 4 on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. While the chances are low for an impact on Louisiana, State Climatologist Barry Keim says history indicates it is a possibility.

Cut 9 (10) “…Gulf of Mexico.”

Labor Day Weekend gas prices are down 40 cents a gallon from where they were this time last year, and down 16 cents in just the last month alone. AAA Fuel Analyst Don Redman predicts prices will continue to slip in the long term, but the huge dip we’ve seen recently may freeze in place while the industry keeps tabs on a storm that could enter the Gulf.

Cut 14 (10) “…passes”

Louisiana’s current statewide average is 2.19, while the national average is 2.58 a gallon.

ULM sells out its new Grove tailgating area ahead of their hugely anticipated season opener against Grambling State on Saturday. ULM Athletic Director Scott McDonald says the changes come due to ongoing construction on the campus taking place where people used to set up for tailgating.

Cut 4 (10) “…whole tailgating experience..”

The game marks only the 4^th time the two north Louisiana powers have gone at it.

The sixth ranked LSU Tigers are expected to show off a new offense on Saturday night when they kick off the 2019 season by hosting Georgia Southern. The Bayou Bengals have installed a spread offense during the offseason and quarterback Joe Burrow says they’l spread the ball around to a variety of wide receivers and some passes are expected to go to the running backs too. 

On the other side of the fooball Sterlin Gilbert will make his coaching debut for the Cowboys. Kick-off in Lake Charles is at 6:00 as the game is expected to draw the lawrgest crowd in Cowboy Stadium in nearly 20 years. 

Last year this time Labor Day Weekend gas was sitting at 2.60 a gallon, but now it’s down to 2.19 a gallon following a 16 cent drop from last month. There’s already gas stations in Louisiana, particularly in the Capital City Region seeing prices under two dollars a gallon. AAA Fuel Analyst Don Redman says it may not be long before that’s the norm.

Cut 13 (08) “a gallon.”

But Hurricane Dorian could temporarily push prices up and all eyes in the south are on the storm as it barrels towards the Atlantic coast of south Florida. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the storm is predicted to be a cat 4 when it makes landfall, and there’s some major uncertainty as to what direction it heads once it moves inland.

Cut 11 (11) “…to happen next.

The majority of models show the storm moving northward.

The Shrimp and Petroleum Festival ramps up this weekend in Morgan City. The oldest chartered harvest festival in the Bayou State offers carnival rides, live music, and a ton of food but Executive Director Darby Radcliffe says make sure you catch the Sunday parade honoring a historic catch…

Cut 6 (09) “…first catch.”

The festival began with a ribbon-cutting last night and offers some live music and food for attendees who roll in tonight ahead of the weekend crowds.

Major crowds are expected in Monroe Saturday as ULM takes on Grambling state for only the fourth time. ULM Athletic Director Scott McDonald says the anticipation is high as two major north Louisiana football powers prepare to take the field.

Cut 5 (11) “…university here Saturday.”

ULM’s new tailgating section The Grove is sold out ahead of the game.

The oldest chartered harvest festival in the Bayou State kicks off tonight in St. Mary Parish. Connor Ferrill has the story.

Cut 1 (32) “..I’m Connor Ferrill”

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Hurricane Dorian is forecast to make landfall as a Category 4 storm on the Atlantic coast of South Florida late Monday or early Tuesday, but it’s not a storm to dismiss in Louisiana just yet.

cut  2 (30) I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

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ULM sells out its new Grove tailgating area ahead of their season opener against Grambling State on Saturday.  ULM Athletic Director Scott McDonald says the new area on the east end of Malone Stadium will have electricity, water, and room for RVs on game day.

Cut 3 (11) “…and hook up.”

McDonald says the changes come due to ongoing construction on the campus taking place where people used to set up for tailgating.

Cut 4 (10) “…whole tailgating experience..”

McDonald says there is plenty of excitement in the air when it comes to the school’s clash with Grambling, as it is only the fourth time the schools have played each other on the gridiron.

Cut 5 (11) “…university here Saturday.”

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The Shrimp and Petroleum Festival ramps up this weekend in Morgan City. The oldest chartered harvest festival in the Bayou State offers carnival rides, live music, and a ton of food but Executive Director Darby Radcliffe says make sure you catch the Sunday parade honoring a historic catch…

Cut 6 (09) “…first catch.”

The festival began with a ribbon-cutting last night and offers some live music and food for attendees who roll in tonight ahead of the weekend crowds.

Radcliffe says the festival is in its 84th year and has something for everyone over the Labor Day weekend. Visitors will be treated to a number of fun rides, good eats, and some unexpected events…

Cut 7 (11) “…wrestling match going on.”

Radcliffe says people come from all over for the food and shrimp lovers will have a hard time running out of options…

Cut 8 (09) “…you can think of.”

Visit www.shrimpandpetroleum.org for a schedule of this weekend’s fun.

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Louisiana is not out of the woods when it comes to Hurricane Dorian. Currently, the storm is expected to make landfall as a Cat 4 on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. While the chances are low for an impact on Louisiana, State Climatologist Barry Keim says history indicates it is a possibility.

Cut 9 (10) “…Gulf of Mexico.”

forecasts predict the storm will make landfall, and then take a northward turn up through inland Florida, but Keim says a change could push the system into the Gulf, and beyond…

Cut 10 (10) “…actually tracking northward”

Keim says the biggest uncertainty comes in what happens with Dorian after its likely landfall in Florida.

Cut 11 (11) “…to happen next.” 

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Labor Day Weekend gas prices are down 40 cents a gallon from where they were this time last year, and down 16 cents in just the last month alone.

AAA Fuel Analyst Don Redman says this time last year we were paying about 2.60 a gallon during one of the busier times for road traffic. He notes for Gulf South states those low numbers aren’t necessarily comforting.

Cut 12 (11) “…companies”

Louisiana’s current statewide average is 2.19, while the national average is 2.58 a gallon.

There’s already gas stations in Louisiana, particularly in the Capital City Region seeing prices under two dollars a gallon. Redman says it may not be long before that’s the norm.

Cut 13 (08) “a gallon.”

Redman predicts prices will continue to slip in the long term, but the huge dip we’ve seen recently may freeze in place while the industry keeps tabs on a storm that could enter the Gulf.

Cut 14 (10) “…passes”
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Cut 15 (11) “…dystrophy.”

Cut 16 (08) “…pharmacy.”
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Labor Day Weekend gas prices are down 40 cents a gallon from where they were last year, and down 16 cents in just the last month alone. AAA Fuel Analyst Don Redman says this time last year we were paying about 2.60 a gallon during one of the busier times for road traffic. He notes for Gulf South states those low numbers aren’t necessarily comforting though.

Cut 12, 11 seconds, companies

Louisiana’s current statewide average is 2.19, while the national average is 2.58 a gallon.

Morgan City’s Shrimp and Petroleum Festival ramps up this weekend with a packed schedule full of fun rides, live music, live wrestling, and all the jumbo shrimp you could ever want…

Cut 8 (09) “…you can think of.”

That’s Executive Director of the festival Darby Radcliffe who says the festival is entering it’s 84^th year.

All eyes are Hurricane Dorian as the storm grows into a category three, with predictions calling it a category four before it makes landfall in southeast Florida. State Climatologist Barry Keim says all bets are off if it crosses the tip of Florida Monday night/Tuesday morning and enters the Gulf of Mexico instead of heading north.

Cut 11 (11) “…to happen next.” 

Hurricane Katrina followed a similar path on it’s way to devastating the north-central Gulf Coast.

ULM sells out its new Grove tailgating area ahead of their season opener against Grambling State on Saturday.  ULM Athletic Director Scott McDonald says the new area on the east end of Malone Stadium will have electricity, water, and room for RVs on game day.

Cut 3 (11) “…and hook up.”

Louisiana is not out of the woods when it comes to Hurricane Dorian. Currently, the storm is expected to make landfall as a Cat 4 on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. While the chances are low for an impact on Louisiana, State Climatologist Barry Keim says history indicates it is a possibility.
Cut 9 (10) “…Gulf of Mexico.”
Conditions are expected to develop to see the storm travel up the state of Florida.

The oldest chartered harvest festival in the Bayou State kicks off tonight in St. Mary Parish. Morgan City’s Shrimp and Petroleum Festival is filled with carnival rides and live music but festival Executive Director Darby Radcliffe says the 84th Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Fest has something for everyone throughout the five day affair and visitors can see a variety of fun events in between rides and bountiful food…

Cut 7 (11) “…wrestling match going on.”

Former St. Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain is facing federal charges in a 16-count indictment accusing him of using his authority while in office to get kickbacks after awarding a public contract worth over a million dollars to run a prison work-release program.  U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser announced the charges at a news conference.

Cut 4 (09) “…of the taxpayer.”

Strasser says Strain gave the contract to the son and daughter of two of his deputies.

A new AAA study shows fatalities from running red lights have hit a 10-year-high. AAA spokesperson Don Redman says it is important to keep your head on a swivel when sitting at a red light.

Cut 15 (10) “…before you enter that intersection.”

Nationally, 939 deaths were recorded in 2017, the last full year the numbers were available. A third of respondents admitted to running a red in the last month.

Louisiana is not out of the woods when it comes to Hurricane Dorian. Currently, the storm is expected to make landfall as a Cat 4 on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. While the chances are low for an impact on Louisiana, State Climatologist Barry Keim says history indicates it is a possibility.
Cut 9 (10) “…Gulf of Mexico.”
Conditions are expected to develop to see the storm travel up the state of Florida.

The oldest chartered harvest festival in the Bayou State kicks off tonight in St. Mary Parish. Morgan City’s Shrimp and Petroleum Festival is filled with carnival rides and live music but festival Executive Director Darby Radcliffe says the 84th Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Fest has something for everyone throughout the five day affair and visitors can see a variety of fun events in between rides and bountiful food…

Cut 7 (11) “…wrestling match going on.”

Former St. Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain is facing federal charges in a 16-count indictment accusing him of using his authority while in office to get kickbacks after awarding a public contract worth over a million dollars to run a prison work-release program.  U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser announced the charges at a news conference.

Cut 4 (09) “…of the taxpayer.”

Strasser says Strain gave the contract to the son and daughter of two of his deputies.

A new AAA study shows fatalities from running red lights have hit a 10-year-high. AAA spokesperson Don Redman says it is important to keep your head on a swivel when sitting at a red light.

Cut 15 (10) “…before you enter that intersection.”

Nationally, 939 deaths were recorded in 2017, the last full year the numbers were available. A third of respondents admitted to running a red in the last month.

AAA says 939 people died as a result of a driver running a red light last in 2017, the most recent year those numbers were available. AAA spokesperson Don Redman says that’s a ten year high, and it’s not just restricted to the more densely packed states.

Cut 13 (11) “…the previous year.”

One-third of respondents in an AAA survey admitted to running a red light in the last 30 days, even though 85 percent said they thought it was a dangerous activity.

Looking for something fun to do this Labor Day weekend? Check out the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival in Morgan City. The oldest chartered harvest festival in the Bayou State kicks off tonight, and is filled with carnival rides and live music but Executive Director Darby Radcliffe says make sure you check out Sunday’s parade that honors one of the great catches in Louisiana history.

Cut 6 (09) “…first catch.”

Hurricane Dorian is forecast to make landfall as a Category 4 storm on the Atlantic coast of South Florida late Monday or early Tuesday, but it’s not a storm to dismiss in Louisiana just yet.

cut  2 (30) I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

Even though the sixth ranked LSU Tigers have a potential top ten matchup next week with Texas, Coach Ed Orgeron says they will not hold anything back when they host Georgia Southern tomorrow night in the season opener. Orgeron has said the Tigers will line up in three, four and five wide receiver sets, but they also plan to run the ball 50-percent of the time. The voice of the Tigers, Chris Blair, says it will be interesting to see how the coaches utilize the talent on offense…

cut 17 (13) “….they will”

Kick-off is at 6:30.

Last night, Southeastern Louisiana upset the defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Jacksonville State 35-14. Tulane also had a successful opening to the season, beating F-I-U, 42-14. Northwestern State played poorly in the 2nd half and lost to U-T Martin 42-20.

Should be a great atmosphere on the ULM campus tomorrow as the Warhawks welcome in-state rival Grambling. It’s only the fourth meeting between the two teams on the gridiron. Tigers Coach Broderick Fobbs says his team is coming off an excellent preseason camp…

cut 19 (13) “…a unit”

The Warhawks were in position to play in a bowl game last season, but lost its final two regular season games.

Other action on Saturday, Louisiana Tech is at 10th ranked Texas. Levi Lewis will start at quarterback for the Ragin Cajuns when they face Mississippi State in the Superdome on Saturday. Defending Southland champs Nicholls is at Kansas State. The Colonels upset Kansas last year and the Sterlin Gilbert era begins tomorrow for McNeese who host the Southern Jaguars. Kick-off is at 6:07 and you can see the game on C-S-T.

11:30 AM newscast
Former St. Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain is facing federal charges in a 16-count indictment accusing him of using his authority while in office to get kickbacks after awarding a public contract worth over a million dollars to run a prison work release program.  U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser says Strain gave the contract to the son and daughter of two of his deputies, who worked as accomplices in the scheme.

Cut 5 (07) “…in this case.”

Baton Rouge-based Epic Piping is coming to Lake Providence, investing in a two-million-dollar fabrication facility that will bring decent-paying jobs to one of the nation’s most impoverished towns. According to the census, the median town income is 18,713 dollars, and 53 percent of the town lives in poverty. Secretary Don Pierson says these kinds of jobs can have a big impact on the local economy.

Cut 12 (08) “…families”

A new AAA study shows fatalities from running red lights has hit a 10-year-high.  Nationally, 939 deaths were recorded in 2017, the last full year the numbers were available.  AAA spokesperson Don Redman says although 85% of those polled said running red lights is dangerous, many admit to being guilty of doing so.

Cut 14 (08) “…past 30 days.” 

The state is rolling out a new school safety app that will give administrators and teachers easy access to the authorities in the event of an emergency. When you open RAVE Mobile Safety you’re presented with five options; active shooter, fire, medical, police, and other. State Police Colonel Kevin Reeves says outside of major emergencies, the app will also offer staff the ability to communicate school-wide in the event of a less threatening situation.

Cut 9 (09) “…services”