A new report from the Data Center out of New Orleans says Louisiana’s job growth has been almost flat since the 2014 oil price crash. Jeff Palermo has the story.
Cut 1 (36) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
____________________________________________
DEI policies have become a big issue in the Senate Republican primary. Andre Champagne has the story.
Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”
____________________________________________
Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser outlines his tourism initiatives for 2026. Andrew Greenstein reports among them is continuing to drive visitors to the state parks.
Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
______________________________________________
The Data Center, which is in New Orleans, says job growth in Louisiana since 2015 has increased by less than one-percent, well below the U.S. average of 11.5-percent. Dr. Alex Kolker helped put the report together and says Louisiana’s economy has not been the same since the oil price crash of 2014.
Cut 4 (09) “…oil price crash.”
Kolker says Louisiana is down about 15-thousand jobs in the drilling sector of the economy. He says Louisiana is also down about five-thousand jobs in water transportation, which involve taking people to offshore rigs.
Kolker says the state’s energy employment profile has moved away from offshore drilling jobs to short-term construction booms tied to liquefied natural gas and petrochemical projects.
Cut 5 (09) “…then employment drops.”
Kolker says oil and gas still provide comparatively high-paying, middle-skill jobs, but it’s not an industry that Louisiana can rely on to grow its employment numbers.
Cut 6 (09) “…price crashes come?”
Oil prices dropped nearly 50-percent in the second half of 2014.
_________________________________________________________
UL Lafayette baseball coach Matt Deggs has been suspended for two games after he confronted the James Madison dugout during Saturday’s 5–1 loss. The incident was sparked when Cajuns outfielder Maddox Mandino lowered his shoulder while running to first base after hitting a tapper in the infield. Following the play, Deggs says he heard a James Madison player direct a disrespectful comment toward him, and he decided to let the Dukes dugout know he was not having any of it.
Cut 7 (09) “…of our dugout.”
Deggs’ suspension will begin tomorrow, when the Cajuns take on Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond.
Deggs says he doesn’t take disrespect lightly – especially from younger players – which is why he was so fired up about the situation near the James Madison dugout.
Cut 8 (13) “…most certainly.”
Deggs says he takes full responsibility for his actions and knows he needs to do better moving forward.
Cut 9 (13) “…and I apologize.”
Mandino will also serve a one-game suspension tomorrow.
____________________________________________________________
Senator Bill Cassidy continues to hammer Congresswoman Julia Letlow in the Republican Senate primary for previously supporting DEI policies. In videos from 2020 when Letlow was seeking to be the president at ULM, she told the search committee she was committed to a more diverse faculty. Cassidy also claims Letlow wanted to open the school’s first DEI division.
Cut 10 (12) “…decision was made ”
Letlow also described herself as a strong and progressive leader. In a press conference call with reporters on Monday, Cassidy explained why he opposes DEI policies.
Cut 11 (11) “…totally against that.”
In a statement released by her campaign, Letlow says DEI was presented in higher education as a way to encourage people to achieve the American dream, but now she sees it as a tool for the radical left to divide people, push indoctrination and hold people down instead of lifting them up.
Letlow also claims Cassidy has also supported DEI bureaucracy. She points out that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that Cassidy supported contained several equity-related provisions. Cassidy says he was more interested in the money that the legislation brought to Louisiana.
Cut 12 (11) “…embarrassed by that.”
_____________________________________________________________
Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser is looking forward to 2026 being a big year of tourism for Louisiana. He says Louisiana has several events planned to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
Cut 13 (11) “…old state capitol.”
Nungesser says the state has pushed sports tourism very hard, and one thing that he’s working hard to attract in many cities throughout the state is Olympic trials.
Cut 14 (12) “…all over Louisiana.”
Some previous Olympic trials held in Louisiana include volleyball in Shreveport and table tennis in Monroe.
Nungesser says through public-private partnerships, he has been able to keep all state parks open, even as some were on the verge of closing before he took office. He’s looking for the public-private partnerships to continue to attract visitors from all over the country.
Cut 15 (11) “…in north Louisiana.”
Nungesser says within a matter of years, the state will not need any tax dollars to manage its state parks; they can generate millions of dollars that the state can use for culture and tourism.
_______________________________________________________________
The ULM baseball team dropped its second Sun Belt series of the season this past weekend, losing two games to Georgia State. Head coach Ford Pemberton was ejected during Game 1 of Friday night’s doubleheader after arguing with an umpire. Pemberton says he was defending one of his players following an exchange in which the umpire yelled at him.
Cut 16 (16) “…stuff moving forward.”
The Warhawks will host Mississippi Valley State tonight at six before traveling to Boone, North Carolina, for a weekend series against Appalachian State.
Senior third baseman Jake Haggard, who leads the team in RBI’s with 41, missed game three of the series after being scratched with a back injury. Pemberton provided an update on his status and expects him to return to the lineup tonight.
Cut 17 (11) “…should be back.”