It’s Labor Day weekend and for the first time in many years there is a demand for labor in northeast Louisiana because of Meta’s 10-billion-dollar A-I data center they are building in Richland Parish. Economist Doctor Loren Scott says thousands of construction workers will be needed and the Monroe area has a chance to break employment records over the next few years…

Cut 4 (10) “…crazy good”

Scott also expects job growth in Lake Charles, Baton Rouge and parts of the New Orleans area, because the price of natural gas is cheap, which is good for the chemical industry.

LSU says law school dean Alena Allen is stepping down, but the school’s first Black law school dean says she is being targeted because of raising concerns about irregularities in the LSU law school finances. According to the Advocate, Allen is considering legal action against LSU.

Fifth year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier leads LSU into the other Death Valley tomorrow night as the ninth ranked Tigers take on fourth ranked Clemson. Coach Brian Kelly says they are counting on Nussmeier’s experience, and they are asking him to limit mistakes

Cut 12 (11) “…of  the game.”

Other games of note tonight, Louisiana Tech hosts Southeastern Louisiana, the Ragin Cajuns host Rice and Louisiana Christian is at McNeese.

Northwestern State is 1-0 for the first time since 2013 after breaking its 20-game losing streak and beating Alcorn State 20-10 on Thursday night. Second-year head coach Blaine McCorkle says the thrill of victory is much better than the agony of defeat…

Cut 15 (10) “….in the country”

Northwestern State will be at Minnesota next Saturday.

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff deputies have made another arrest in the hit and run death of a six-year boy who was riding his scooter in his driveway back on August 13^th near Slidell. Authorities originally arrested Cody Beaudette. But deputies say new information surfaced and vehicular homicide and hit and run charges against Beaudette were rescinded. Shortly after that announcement, the sheriff’s office announced the arrest of 40-year-old Connie Noel Estes and she will be charged with felony hit and run with death or serious bodily injury and felony obstruction of justice.

The EPA has confirmed toxic substances were found in nearby waters from last week’s Smitty’s Supply explosion. That’s according to FOX 8 television in New Orleans who says based on a report provided to them, arsenic, barium, chromium, lead and other hazardous materials were found in two water samples collected the day after the explosion. But the EPA continues to say there is no imminent threat to the public.

For the fifth year in a row, Louisiana will showcase itself in the Tournament of Roses Parade. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

There will be a football game at Independence Stadium tonight as Grambling will host Langston in the Shreveport kickoff classic. Grambling athletics director Traevean Scott is inviting football fans to come out and enjoy the festivities…

Cut 4 (13) “..as possible”

The new Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women opens in St. Gabriel. Warden Kristen Thomas says it has the capacity to house almost one-thousand inmates and consists of 15 buildings which go far beyond the two main housing units.

Cut 6 (11) “…an intake center.”

20 years ago, LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center was converted into a makeshift thousand-bed triage and acute care hospital for those affected by Hurricane Katrina. More than six-thousand patients ended up receiving medical care there for several weeks. Sean O’Keefe, who was LSU’s chancellor at the time, says doctors and nurses came from hospitals that were closed due to Katrina.

Cut 10 (14) “…triage this.”

Fifth year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier leads LSU into the other Death Valley Saturday night as the ninth ranked Tigers take on fourth ranked Clemson. Coach Brian Kelly says they are counting on Nussmeier’s experience, and they are asking him to limit mistakes

Cut 12 (11) “…of  the game.”

Northwestern State’s 1,022-day nightmare is over. The Demons football team snapped its 20-game losing streak Thursday night, beating Alcorn State, 20-10. Demons head coach Blaaine McCorkle said the thrill of victory is so much better than the agony of defeat.

Cut 15 (10) “…in the country.”

The Demons, however, should savor the moment while they can. Next Saturday, they go into Big Ten Country to take on Minnesota.

Twenty years ago, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center was converted into a makeshift, thousand-bed triage and acute care hospital. Sean O’Keefe was the school’s chancellor at the time and says it was in the state’s emergency preparedness plan that the PMAC would be a shelter for displaced nursing home residents, but it became much more than that.

Cut 9 (16)  “…the demand.”

The new Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women opens in St. Gabriel. Warden Kristen Thomas says being that this will be the only prison of its kind in Louisiana, it will house inmates of all types.

Cut 7 (09) “…maximum custody inmates.”

For the first time in 1,022 days, the Northwestern State football team is in the win column! In front of their win-starved fans at Turpin Stadium, the Demons beat Alcorn State, 20-10, to snap a 20-game losing streak. After the game, Demons coach Blaine McCorkle said it feels good to finally get a win in Natchitoches.

Cut 14 (17) “…be a-okay.”

Saturday night, it’s Grambling against Langston in the Shreveport Kickoff Classic. Grambling Athletic Director Traevean Scott says Langston, which is an NAIA school out of Oklahoma, has a rich history with several Louisiana ties.

Cut 3 (11) “…to North Louisiana.”

20 years ago, as Hurricane Katrina was ravaging South Louisiana, the number of people living in and around the LSU campus grew exponentially. Sean O’Keefe, who was the school’s chancellor at the time, says students from New Orleans had to take in family members.

Cut 11 (11) “…everything else.”

The new Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women opens in St. Gabriel. One unique feature is that it offers degree programs and training programs so that inmates can get certified in several trades while they serve their sentences. Warden Kristen Thomas says this way, it will be easier for them to find jobs once they complete their sentences.

Cut 8 (08) “…many different positions.”

The new LCIW is expected to welcome its first inmates sometime in the next few weeks.

The talking is almost over, LSU and Clemson are set to finally play tomorrow night in a top ten matchup to kick off the season for both teams. Jeff Palermo has a preview…

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office withdraws its request to pursue three out of six charges against a Slidell man in connection with a crash that killed a six-year-old boy. The sheriff’s office says this is in light of new information that suggests a second vehicle may have been involved. Cody Beaudette is currently free on bond.

Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm in Plaquemines Parish at 6:10 am on this date 20 years ago. She brought widespread flooding and devastation. Saint Bernard Parish President Louis Pomes (Louie POE-mez) was an employee of the parish at the time. He was amazed at how fast the water rose because of breaches in the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.

Cut 28 (12) “…as it was pushing.”

One of the more remarkable stories that came out of Hurricane Katrina was how the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on the LSU campus became the world’s largest field hospital at that time in U-S history. Sean O’ Keefe was the chancellor of LSU at the time and says the doctors and nurses came from hospitals that were closed because of Katrina.

Cut 10 (14) “…triage this.”

LSU football kicks off the season tomorrow night at Clemson in a top ten matchup. The Fighting Tigers will welcome back to the field linebacker Harold Perkins, who missed most of last season with a torn ACL. Perkins will play the STAR position and he says it will allow him to showcase his pass rush abilities as well as his pass coverage skills.

Cut 16 (13) “…my versatility.”

There’s a college football game in Shreveport tomorrow night. Andrew Greenstein has more…

Cut 1 (34) “….I’m Andrew Greenstein”

This is the lowest gas prices have been for a Labor Day weekend in five years. Triple-A says the statewide average for regular unleaded is $2.79 a gallon, which is 20 cents lower than a year ago. Triple A’s Don Redman says this is despite a slight increase over the last week.

Cut 10 (08) “…Labor Day weekend.”

Twenty years ago, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center was converted into a makeshift, thousand-bed triage and acute care hospital. Sean O’Keefe was the school’s chancellor at the time and says it was in the state’s emergency preparedness plan that the PMAC would be a shelter for displaced nursing home residents, but it became much more than that.

Cut 9 (16)  “…the demand.”

Just hours to go before LSU faces Clemson in the other Death Valley. With a Heisman candidate at quarterback, LSU attacked the transfer portal to upgrade its defense. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says his offense faces a big challenge tomorrow night.

Cut 13 (13)  “…heck of a matchup.”

Keeping with the Tigers theme, the Grambling Tigers get their football season underway tomorrow night against Langston in the Shreveport Kickoff Classic. Grambling President Dr. Martin Lemelle says if you go to the game and need to grab some refreshments, your best bet is to do so BEFORE halftime.

Cut 5 (13) “…post the game.”

Today is the 20^th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the darkest days in Louisiana history. Bob Mann was the communications director for Governor Kathleen Blanco; and at first, they thought Katrina only produced wind damage. But then, reports came in of rising water.

Cut 22 (12) “…somewhere.”

Katrina produced catastrophic flooding, not only in New Orleans, but also in Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes.

The federal response was slow to get here as desperate people began looting stores. One of the lasting images of the Katrina response, Lieutenant General Russel Honore telling police officers to put their weapons down. Honoré says those officers were acting on orders from Governor Kathleen Blanco to shoot anyone they found looting. Honoré said he told Blanco to rescind that order.

Cut 15 (09) “…can’t do that.”

A three-star general, Honoré retired from the Army in 2008 and continues to serve as a consultant on disaster preparedness.

The new Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women opens in St. Gabriel. Warden Kristen Thomas says it has the capacity to house almost one-thousand inmates and consists of 15 buildings which go far beyond the two main housing units.

Cut 6 (11) “…an intake center.”

One unique feature of this prison is the academic and career technical educational center. The prison has partnered with Ashland University and Tulane University to offer degree programs.

Fifth year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier leads LSU into the other Death Valley tomorrow night as the ninth ranked Tigers take on fourth ranked Clemson. Coach Brian Kelly says they are counting on Nussmeier’s experience, and they are asking him to limit mistakes…

Cut 12 (11) “…of the game”

Kick off is at 6:30.

It’s a solemn day across southeast Louisiana as many people remember and reflect on Hurricane Katrina making landfall on this day 20 years ago. Governor Kathleen Blanco took a lot of criticism for the state’s response to Katrina. Her communications director, Bob Mann says there were failures at all levels of government, but FEMA’s role was to provide federal resources to states dealing with a disaster, and that didn’t happen.

Cut 6 (13) “…sent in.”

St. Benard Parish was hit very hard. Current Parish president Louis Pomes (Louie POE-mez) says St. Bernard wouldn’t be where it is today without the spirit of the parish’s residents and federal money.

Cut 9 (15)  “…billion dollars recovery.”

Pomes credits local leaders for using the federal recovery dollars wisely. Not only rebuilding schools, hospitals and the sewer system, but also providing new amenities for its residents , like a skate park, dog park and bike paths.

Gas prices for this Labor Day weekend are the lowest they’ve been for this holiday in five years. AAA fuel analyst Don Redman says the price of crude oil is why the price at the pump is well below three dollars.

Cut 12 (08) “…64 dollars.”

According to AAA, the statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.79. That’s about 20-cents cheaper than last year.

Grambling football fans will be heading to Shreveport this weekend to watch the Tigers kick-off the season by playing Langston in the Shreveport Kickoff Classic on Saturday night at Independence Stadium. Grambling Athletic Director Traeveon Scott says Langston University, which is an NAIA school out of Oklahoma, has a rich history with several Louisiana ties.

Cut 3 (11) “…to North Louisiana.”

Scott says he’s looking forward to kicking off the season in style in Shreveport, and he’s inviting all football fans to come out and enjoy the festivities.

Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm in Plaquemines Parish at 6:10 in the morning on this date. Saint Bernard Parish had widespread flooding and devastation, and current Parish President Louis Pomes (Louie POE-mez) was an employee of the parish at the time.

Cut 7 (09) “…of tears.”

It was chaos in New Orleans in the days after Katrina. Lieutenant General Russell Honoré was the face of the federal response and says he would have liked to have been in New Orleans earlier, but the city had flooded so badly that he and other members of the National Guard had no way of getting into the city – and, in effect, they had no way of getting people out.

Cut 14 (15) “…bus people out.”

It’s reported the U-S Coastal Guard saved over 17-thousand people from flooded areas in the greater New Orleans area.

Gas prices for this Labor Day weekend are the lowest they’ve been since 2020. Andre Champagne has the story.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

For the first time since November 5, 2022, Northwestern State won a football game last night. The Demons ended their 20-game losing streak by beating Alcorn State 20 to 10. ULM shutout St. Francis 29 to 0. And the ninth ranked LSU Tigers leave today for their big matchup against fourth ranked Clemson tomorrow night.