The Louisiana Senate approves a new Congressional map that does NOT contain a second Black-majority Congressional district. Jeff Palermo has the story…:

CUT 02(33)      “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

The House Governmental Affairs Committee approves a new state House map that keeps the number of majority-minority districts at 29. Opponents say the map is gerrymandered to prevent more blacks from being elected. Approved by a 13-to-4 vote, the map moves next to the House floor for debate and vote.

U.S. Senate candidate Gary Chambers knows how to get attention and online views. In his most recent campaign ad message, Chambers sets a rebel flag on fire while decrying inequities in voting rights, criminal justice and more. UL-M Political Science professor Joshua Stockley doesn’t see it improving Chambers’ chances at winning. Stockley says he’ll have to really pull out the stops…:

CUT 07(12)      “…in his case, incendiary.”

Doesn’t get much more incendiary than setting a flag on fire.

LSU poli-sci major Steven Privat wowed audiences watching the College Jeopardy quarter-finals. On Talk 107.3 in Baton Rouge Tuesday, Privat said being a contestant is a long process before you get behind the buzzer…:

CUT 10(12)      “…that long ago.”

The Jeopardy College Championship continues tonight at 7, on ABC TV.

The Louisiana Senate approves a new Congressional district map that doesn’t create a second majority-minority district. Republican Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt says even a law firm hired by the Legislature says it’s legal. But New Orleans Senator Karen Carter Peterson questioned her…

Cut 14 (15)  “…it matter.” 

In his latest ad, U-S Senate candidate Gary Chambers sets a Confederate flag on fire, while talking about systemic inequalities in criminal justice, economics, and voting rights. It’s getting attention, but UL-M Political Science professor Joshua Stockley doesn’t see it improving Chambers’ chances.

 Cut 6 (13) “…needle too much.” 

The National Federation of Independent Business says one out of every five small businesses continue to report inflation is their business problem. NFIB State Director Dawn McVea says many mom and pops remain pessimistic about future economic conditions, but there is some hope…

Cut 15 (11)  “…begin to improve.”

LSU student and Lafayette native Steven Privat (Pre-vot) advances to the semifinals in Jeopardy’s College Champions. And he’s not the only one with Louisiana ties on the collegiate game show special.

Cut  11 (10)   “….who’s competing.”  

Liz Feltner representing Northeastern will compete in episode four and Tulane’s Fiona Hellerman will appear in episode six.

The state Senate has approved a new Congressional district map that maintains the status quo and that’s just one majority-minority district. Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields authored an amendment that created a second-majority Black voting district by taking voters from Representative Julia Letlow’s 5th district…

Cut 12 (11) “…with the law”.

Fields amendment failed on a party-line vote.

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A record 31 million Americans are expected to place a bet on Sunday’s Super Bowl according to the American Gaming Association. The Association says part of the increase is that 30 states and the District of Columbia now offer legal sports betting. Senior Director of Research, David Forman says ever since Louisiana sports wagering went live at casinos in November and now with online gaming, it’s more accessible to legally bet on the big game.

Cut 8 (11) “….pretty big numbers.”

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22-percent of small businesses nationwide report inflation remains their single most important business problem. Brooke Thorington has more…

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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The state Senate has approved a Congressional district map that has a single majority-Black district. Black lawmakers believe the state should have two in order to comply with the Voting Rights Act. Republican Senator Sharon Hewitt received tough questioning from New Orleans Senator Karen Carter Peterson…
cut 14 (15) “…does it matter”
Hewitt’s proposal needs House approval and the House is expected to pass its own version that will be similar to Hewitt’s.

Dennis Allen is the Saints new head coach. The former defensive coordinator promises his teams will be tough, smart, and highly competitive…
cut 5 (07) “…fanbase has”
Allen admits the biggest decision he’ll make is….who will be the starting quarterback next season.

He’s a Lafayette native, a political science major at LSU, and advanced to the semifinals of Jeopardy’s National College Champions for 2022. Who is Seven Privat. (Pre-vot). Privat was a guest on Talk 107.3 in Baton Rouge this morning, and says the Jeopardy experience is exciting.
Cut 9 (11) “…some questions.”
Privat beat contestants from Rice and Princeton.

A record 31 million Americans are expected to place a bet on Sunday’s Super Bowl according to the American Gaming Association. Senior Director of Research, David Forman says after an exciting postseason more folks than ever plan to wager thanks in part to legalized sports betting.
Cut 7 (06) “…all-time records.”
That’s an increase of more than $3-billion from last year.

The state Senate has approved a new Congressional district map which maintains one majority-minority district. Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields authored an amendment to create a second-majority Black district which failed on a party-line vote. Republican Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt says his proposal would dilute the black vote in the two majority-minority districts he’s trying to create.

Cut 20 (10) “…whatsoever.”

Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy shares good news for college students in that his bill the College Transparency Act, also known as the CTA, cleared the House of Representatives, as part of a larger package in DC.

Cut 10 (11) “…be the same.”

Information like the potential of debt they could incur and the likelihood to graduate.

The National Federation of Independent Business says one out of every five small businesses nationwide continue to report that inflation is their single most important business problem. NFIB State Director Dawn McVea says mom and pops are having to raise prices to mitigate supply chain issues and offset increases in higher labor costs.

Cut 13 (12) “…labor costs.”

A record 31 million Americans are expected to place bets on Sunday’s Super Bowl according to the American Gaming Association. Senior Director of Research, David Forman says ever since Louisiana sports wagering went live at casinos in November and now with online gaming, it’s more accessible to legally bet on the big game.

Cut 8 (11)  “….pretty big numbers.”

More than $7 is expected to be wagered in the US.

The Louisiana Senate has approved a Congressional district map that’s similar to the one currently in place, maintaining just one majority Black Congressional district. The Louisiana House is expected to do the same today. Governor John Bel Edwards could veto the proposals as he believes there should be two majority-minority districts.

22-percent of small businesses nationwide report inflation remains their single most important business problem. Brooke Thorington has more…
Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Deciding on a college is a difficult decision for many high schoolers, but Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy says Congress is close to approving the College Transparency Act. Cassidy says the C-T-A will provide students with important facts as they decide between different schools…
cut 11 (11) “…to graduate”
Cassidy says the College Transparency Act is in a conference committee and should get House and Senate approval soon.

Dennis Allen is the new head coach of the Saints. Allen has served as the team’s defensive coordinator since 2015 but knows what kind of offense he wants to see….
cut 6 (14) “…situationally”
Allen says finding a starting quarterback will be the most important decision they make.

The Louisiana Senate has approved a new Congressional district map that maintains the status quo and that’s just one majority-minority district. Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields authored an amendment that created a second-majority Black voting district by taking voters from Representative Julia Letlow’s 5th district…
cut 12 (11) “…with the law”
But Fields amendment failed on a party-line vote. Republican Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt says Fields’s proposal would actually reduce the likelihood of Black candidates being elected in either of the districts.

The latest survey of small businesses by the NFIB finds that 22-percent of owners report inflation is their single most important business problem. NFIB state director Dawn McVea says average selling prices are at their highest reading since 1974…
cut 14 (11) “…2022”

Dennis Allen has big shoes to fill as he succeeds Sean Payton as head coach of the Saints. If his welcome press conference is any indication, Allen is ready to step into them. David Grubb has more…
Cut 1 (31) “…I’m David Grubb.”

A record 31 million Americans are expected to place a bet on Sunday’s Super Bowl according to the American Gaming Association. Senior Director of Research, David Forman says after an exciting postseason more folks than ever plan to wager thanks in part to legalized sports betting.
Cut 7 (06) “…all-time records.”
That’s an increase of more than $3-billion from last year.

The Louisiana Senate has approved a Congressional district map that features one majority-Black district. But civil rights groups and black lawmakers say Louisiana should have two majority-Black districts because the state’s population is 33-percent black. The Louisiana House is expected to pass its own Congressional District map also featuring just one majority-Black district.

Millions will place wagers on the Super Bowl. Here’s Brooke Thorington with more…
Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

The latest survey from NFIB finds that inflation continues to impact small businesses. NFIB state director Dawn McVea says small businesses everywhere are having to raise prices to offset increases of higher labor costs and mititgate supply chain issues. McVea says many small business owners remain pessimistic about future economic conditions, but there is some hope…
Cut 15 (11) “…begin to improve.”
The state surpassed another COVID milestone yesterday as the number of COVID deaths since the pandemic started surpassed 16-thousand in Louisiana.

Senator Bill Cassidy says his College Transparency Act is close to final legislative passage. Cassidy says the bipartisan bill modernizes the college reporting system providing students and families with understandable information about colleges as they determine which school is best for them. He says over 150 organizations have endorsed the legislation…
cut 12 (08) “….youth alliance”
A conference committee is working on the final details of the legislation.

The state health department reports Louisiana has surpassed 16-hundred COVID deaths since the pandemic started as the state reported 64 new COVID-19 deaths today. The number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital declined by 30 to 1,538.

A term-limited lawmaker laments the loss of his House district as part of the redistricting process. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

This morning on WRKF’s Talk Louisiana with Jim Engster. Baton Rouge area senator Bodi White was a guest and the Republican talked about why the Legislature and the governor have clashed on so many issues…
cut 7 (07) “…opinion’s right”
Edwards has called his relationship with House Speaker Clay Schexnayder as strained.

The Saints are introducing Dennis Allen as the franchise’s new head coach today. Allen gets the promotion from defensive coordinator, a job he’s held since 2015. So who replaces Allen at D-C. Ross Jackson is the publisher of the Locked on Sports podcast and he says there are a couple of in-house candidates…
cut 11 (14) “…at DC”
Allen says he plans to remain heavily involved in the defensive play calling.

The LSU Tigers men’s hoops squad will try to end a three-game losing streak tonight when they face Texas A&M in college station. Injuries have certainly impacted LSU, with several key players either at less than 100 percent or having to take on unfamiliar roles. Will Wade says being banged up is a factor, but the ultimate responsibility for the Tigers’ troubles is on him.

Cut 17 (17) “…of the program.”

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Meanwhile, LSU’s women took care of business on the road last night, beating Ole Miss 68-64. The 14^th-ranked Tigers were led by Khayla Pointer’s second career triple-double. Pointer had 16 points, 11 boards, and 10 assists. LSU hosts number 17 Georgia on Thursday.

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UL-Monroe’s Andre Jones has been named Sun Belt Conference player of the week after averaging 25.5 points, four rebounds, and 3.5 assists in leading the WarHawks to road wins over Arkansas State and Little Rock.

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Dennis Allen was introduced as head coach of the New Orleans Saints this afternoon. Allen served two separate stints under Sean Payton, as an assistant from 2006-2012, and as defensive coordinator since 2015. That defense has thrived under Allen over the past two seasons. As he looks for his replacement, Ross Jackson, managing editor of Canal Street Chronicles says there are a couple of in-house candidates to consider.

Cut 11 (14) “…at DC.”

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Across the halls on Airline Highway, the New Orleans Pelicans are making moves. Multiple reports indicate the Pels are finalizing a blockbuster deal with the Portland Trail Blazers that would send Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky, Didi Louzada and picks to Portland for guard CJ McCollum along with forwards Larry Nance Jr., and Tony Snell. There are indications that New Orleans isn’t done yet. The Pels host the Rockets tonight looking for their fourth straight win.

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