The Louisiana Board of Regents launched the “Louisiana Prospers” initiative in 2019 and this year achieved a record-high educational attainment level of 51-percent.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

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Due to tremendous response, the insurance commissioner has doubled the number of grants this round in the Fortified Homes program. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The negligent homicide charge against State Trooper Kory York has been dropped in the 2019 arrest and death of Ronald Greene.  Colleen Crain has more.

Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

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The state has achieved a record-high educational attainment level of 51-percent, up from 47-percent since 2021, and represents over 30-thousand Louisianians who have earned degrees or credentials. Higher Education Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed says goal is to hit 60-percent by 2030…

Cut 4 (12) “…degree or beyond.”

This progress shows ongoing efforts to expand access to higher education, improve workforce readiness, and create pathways for residents to gain valuable credentials. Reed says the plan serves as a roadmap for building a more prosperous future for Louisiana’s workforce.

Cut 5 (08) “…in Louisiana.”

With six years remaining to reach its 2030 target, Reed says “Louisiana Prospers” is on track to make a significant impact, positioning the state’s residents to better compete in the modern job market and enhance their overall quality of life.

Cut 6 (09) …it’s a destination.”

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DOTD is undertaking four infrastructure projects near the Superdome as New Orleans prepares to host the Super Bowl for the 11th time. District Engineer Administrator Scott Boyle says what’s unique about this is that DOTD is working on city-owned streets.

Cut 7 (13) “…striping in crosswalks.”

Boyle says the work will be done well before the city welcomes the world for Super Bowl Week.

Cut 8 (07) “…by December 15th.”

Boyle says the work being done will benefit the city long after the game is played and everyone returns home.

Cut 9 (10)  “…come after that.”

The Louisiana legislature has allocated just over five-million dollars for these four projects.

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The State of Louisiana now has a very good idea of how popular the fortified roofs grant program is. Last week, nearly 12-thousand registered for the lottery that was originally going to select 300 people to receive a grant of up to ten-thousand dollars for a fortified roof. Due to the overwhelming response, Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple doubled the number of grants for this period to 600. Temple says there’s plenty of funding to accommodate that number.

Cut 10 (11) “…current fiscal year.”

Temple says before they up that number even further, they want to make sure the limited number of inspectors can handle the load.

Cut 11 (13) “…the next round.”

As for feedback on the fortified roofs themselves, Temple says it’s been nothing but positive.

Cut 12 (13) “…their house faster.”

Temple says those who have been selected in this round of grants for the Fortified Homes Program are in the process of being notified.

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Louisiana prosecutors have dropped the negligent homicide charge against State Trooper Kory York, one of the last officers facing serious charges in the 2019 arrest and death of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist. Greene died after being dragged, shackled, and restrained face down following a high-speed chase. Legal Analyst Tim Meche (mesh)says the decision to dismiss the charge, just a month before York’s trial isn’t as big a deal as it may seem…

Cut 13 (12)  “…malfeasance in office.”

Kory York faces a lesser charge of felony malfeasance. Union Parish District Attorney John Belton stated that the evidence against York did not meet the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard required for conviction. Meche says Belton’s goal was to present a more focused case to the jury…

Cut 14 (04) “…matters that just don’t matter.”

While a forensic pathologist cited factors such as cocaine use, stun gun applications, and physical struggle as contributing to Greene’s death, the exact cause remains unclear, weakening the case.

Cut 15 (09) “…Ronald Greene.”

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Saints quarterback Derek Carr isn’t lamenting over the loss of center Erik McCoy.

Cut 16 (09)   “…in there playing.”

Lucas Patrick took over at center last week after McCoy went down with the groin injury that’s going to keep him out for as much as eight weeks. It’s unclear at this time who will start at center this Sunday in Atlanta. Whoever it is, Carr says he’s ready.

Cut 17 (15) “…things like that.”

The Saints will try to get back to their winning ways on Sunday; kickoff is at noon.

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Louisiana Tech begins Conference USA play on Saturday as they visit F-I-U. The Bulldogs have scored just eight offensive touchdowns in three games. Coach Sonny Cumbie admits players on offense are pressing to make big plays happen…

Cut 18 (18)  “…good players.”

Tech is coming off an overtime loss at home to Tulsa. They are 1-and-2 on the season, with the only win coming against an F-C-S team. Cumbie still feels really good about his team…

Cut 19 (19) “….put it together.”  

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The LSU Tigers will face a South Alabama team on Saturday night that’s scored 135 points in its last two games. Coach Brian Kelly says quarterback Gio Lopez can run it and throw it and the Jaguars leading rusher Fluff Bothwell is averaging nearly ten yards a carry…

Cut 20 (18) “…extremely efficient” 

Southwest Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins is under fire for a post he made on X calling Haitians thugs and slapstick gangsters. It was in response to an article about a Haitian nonprofit suing former President Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance over claims of them eating pets. Democrats, including the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, have called on the House to censure Higgins. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says it’s unlikely, however, that Higgins’ fellow Republicans will hold him accountable.

Cut 7 (13) “…dogs and cats.”

Higgins has since deleted his post; and in talking with reporters at the Capitol, he seemed to walk back those comments. Higgins said it was never meant to be a dig against Haitian people as a whole.

Cut 12 (09) “…not a color.”

Higgins said he realized his words hurt several people, and that’s why he took the post down.

A man arrested more than 40 times in St. John the Baptist Parish was arrested again this week. Sheriff Mike Tregre (treg) says this arrest stemmed from an investigation that began in June, targeting Casey Spies for suspected involvement in distributing methamphetamine.

Cut 3 (08) “…keep arresting him.”

Judge Vercell Fiffie (fee-fee) set Spies’ bond at $10,500, which he posted after paying a 10-percent cash bond of $1,050.

The Louisiana Department of Health launches a new pilot program aimed at increasing opportunities for pregnant women to get tested for syphilis. Dr. Stephanie Taylor, the medical director of the STD/HIV program for LDH, says the state has had significant challenges with congenital syphilis which cause severe complications, including fetal death and miscarriage. Dr. Taylor says it’s a rapid test.

Cut 9 (07)  “…treatment that day.”

Lafayette Congressman Clay Higgins is under fire for a strongly worded post on X he made about Haitians calling them thugs and repeating Former President Donald Trump’s claims that they eat pets. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says Higgins didn’t hold back in front of the cameras when was with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office before he was ever elected to congress.

Cut 8 (09) “…of a camera.”

Higgins told reporters he deleted the post after praying and considering a colleague’s thoughts. He said he realized his words hurt several people but he told CNN his social media record is, for the most part, a good one.

Cut 14 (04) “…record around here.”

A Laplace man arrested over 40 times in St. John the Baptist Parish, was apprehended again this week, and was out on bond less than three hours later.  Sean Richardson has the story.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

A 58-year-old man is dead after authorities say he aggressively pointed a gun in the direction of deputies prompting them to discharge their weapons. The incident started when St. Charles parish Sheriff’s Deputies responded to reports of a man walking down street in Hahnville pointing a gun at two people. They found Charles Verdin who was known to them sitting in a van facing Nicholas Street. Deputies said before Verdin pointed what appeared to be an AR15-style rifle at them, they tried for several minutes to convince him to put the gun down and exit his vehicle. Verdin died at the scene, and it was later discovered that the gun was a realistic looking airsoft type gun.

Lafayette Congressman Clay Higgins is coming under fire for a social media post about Haitians…

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

A man arrested over 40 times in St. John the Baptist Parish, was apprehended again this week. This arrest stemmed from a St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office investigation targeting Casey Spies for suspected involvement in distributing methamphetamine. Sheriff Mike Tregre (treg)…

Cut 3 (08) “…keep arresting him.”

Spies’ criminal record dates to 2008

Survivors of Hurricane Francine in nine parishes can now apply for low interest federal loans to help with their damages and expenses related to the storm. The U.S. Small Business Administration offers disaster loans to businesses, homeowners and renters in declared major disaster areas. Homeowners and renters who still have needs after FEMA assistance may be eligible for loans up to $500,000 for structural repairs or $100,000 to replace essential person property. Businesses of all sizes may be eligible for loans of up to $2 million.

A new pilot program being launched by the Louisiana Department of Health aims to increase opportunities for pregnant women to get tested for syphilis. Dr. Stephanie Taylor, medical director of the STD/HIV program at LDH, says currently, only 50-percent of pregnant women get adequately screened and there’s no scheduled end date for the program.

Cut 11 (14) “…have an impact.”

Lafayette Congressman Clay Higgins is under fire for a strongly worded post on X he made about Haitians calling them thugs and repeating Former President Donald Trump’s claims that they eat pets. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says that’s basically Higgins being Higgins.

Cut 6 (13) “…quite wide margins.”

Higgins said it was never meant to be a dig against Haitian people as a whole. Reporters caught up with Higgins at the Capitol

Cut 13 (22) “…the post down.” 

A man arrested over 40 times in St. John the Baptist Parish, was apprehended again this week booked at the Sherman Walker Correctional Center on charges of resisting an officer, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Sheriff Mike Tregre (treg) says he doesn’t know how Casey Spies keeps getting released and arrested over and over. Judge Vercell Fiffie (fee-fee) set Spies’ bond for this arrest at $10,500, which he posted after paying a 10-percent cash bond of $1,050, resulting in his release two and a half hours later.

Cut 5 (07) “…leave it at that.”

The Louisiana Department of Health launches a new pilot program to increase opportunities for pregnant women to get tested for syphilis. LDH STD/HIV program director, Dr. Stephanie Taylor says currently, only 50-percent of pregnant women get adequately screened.

Cut 10 (10) “…test was available.”

Southwest Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins is under fire for a post he made on X calling Haitians thugs and slapstick gangsters. It was in response to an article about a Haitian nonprofit suing former President Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance over claims of them eating pets.  ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says Higgins displayed this kind of behavior even before he was elected to Congress.

Cut 8 (09) “…of a camera.”

Democrats, including the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, have called on the House to censure Higgins, but Cross says that’s likely not going to happen.

The Louisiana Department of Health launches a new pilot program aimed at increasing opportunities for pregnant women to get tested for syphilis. Dr. Stephanie Taylor, the medical director of the STD/HIV program for LDH, says it’s a rapid test.

Cut 9 (07)  “…treatment that day.”

A Laplace man arrested over 40 times in St. John the Baptist Parish, was arrested again this week and was out on bond less than three hours later.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

A Lake Charles man arrested this month for allegedly sexually abusing a girl under 13 now has more charges. Further investigation revealed that 32-year-old Andrew Taraba offered to pay the girl during two of the incidents, so he is now charged with trafficking of children for sexual purposes.

Lafayette Congressman Clay Higgins is coming under fire for a social media post about Haitians, with Democrats demanding that he be censured. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Offices confirmed that a person was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy Thursday morning in Hahnville.  The person shot is a male, but authorities have not given an age or name.  Sheriff’s Office says the deputy was not injured, The shooting occurred at about 745 am on Nicholas Street near River Road.  Investigators were still on the scene just before 10 am.  NO other details were available at this time.

A Laplace man arrested over 40 times in St. John the Baptist Parish, was apprehended again this week. Casey Spies’ criminal record dates to 2008 with some charges such as aggravated and simple burglary, possession of methamphetamine and heroin, battery of law enforcement officers, and false imprisonment. Sheriff Mike Tregre says the hardest part is keeping morale up for himself and his deputies…

Cut 4 (12) “…keep happening.”

Kenner Police took down a scam website that mimicked the Geaux Pass website. Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley says people, including some of his officers, were alerted to the website after getting a text message from an unknown number with an image demanding the payment of a $3.75 toll.

Cut 13 (12)  “…out of Russia.”

Southwest Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins is receiving criticism for a post he made on X calling Haitians thugs and slapstick gangster. It was in response to an article about a Haitian nonprofit suing former President Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance over claims of them eating pets. Democrats, including the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, have called on the House to censure Higgins. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says it’s unlikely, however, that Higgins’ fellow Republicans will hold him accountable.

Cut 7 (13) “…dogs and cats.”

Higher Education Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed heard from the Landry Administration that the state’s public universities and colleges could be facing a 250-million dollar cut in state funding because of a temporary state sales tax expires in July. Reed says this type of cut would have negative impacts…

Cut 27 (07) “…be untouched”

Kenner Police has seized a fraudulent website operating on a Russian server. The website is responsible for a phishing scam that sent out fraudulent text messages claiming the recipient of the text message has an unpaid toll fee of $3.75. Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley says Detective Brad Ricky worked hard on this case…

Cut 15 (11) “…of that nature”

Conley says people need to know that no government agency will ever ask for money through any electronic means.

The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested a man for the first 41^st time this week. Casey Spies was booked for suspected involvement of distributing methamphetamine. Spies criminal record dates back to 2008 and Sheriff Mike Tregre admits its frustrating for his deputing to keep arresting this man, only to see him back on the streets a few days or weeks later…

Cut 4 (12) “…keep happening”

Lafayette Congressman Clay Higgins is coming under fire for a post on X he made about Haitians. After a Haitian nonprofit sued Former President Donald Trump and running mate J.D. Vance over their claims of them eating pets, Higgins repeated that claim in his post, and referred to the Haitians as thugs and slapstick gangsters who needed to get out of the country. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says that’s basically Higgins being Higgins.

Cut 6 (13) “…quite wide margins.”

The chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus says the House should censure Higgins over his comments. Higgins has since deleted the post.

A man who has been arrested over 40 times in St. John the Baptist Parish, was apprehended again this week. Sheriff Mike Tregre (treg) says this arrest stemmed from a St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division investigation that began in June, targeting Casey Spies for suspected involvement in distributing methamphetamine.

Cut 3 (08) “…keep arresting him.”

Following Spies latest arrest, he bonded out again.

The Kenner Police Department has received permission from a state judge to seize a fraudulent website that is operating from a Russian server. It’s all related to scam where Louisiana residents were receiving a text message claiming they had unpaid toll fees of $3.75 or face a 30-dollar fine if the amount is not paid. Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley says the scammers were using that small amount to gain access to other valuable information.

Cut 14 (09) “…lick at it.”

It’s unknown how many people may have fallen victim to this scam.

Louisiana Tech’s freshman enrollment is the largest in the school’s hstory and total enrollment is as high as it’s been since 2018. University president Jim Henderson says a student at Tech has more than 135 degree programs to choose from., which is one of many reasons why a student wants to be a Bulldog..

Cut 12 (08) “…the city.”

Kenner Police seize a scam website that mimicked the Geaux Pass website. Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley says people, including some of his officers, got a text message with an image demanding the payment of a $3.75 toll. 

Cut 13 (12)  “…out of Russia.”

Chief Conley says the scammers were using that small amount to gain access to other valuable information.

Louisiana Tech says this year’s freshman class is the largest in the school’s 130-year history. There are more than 12-thousand students enrolled in the 2024 Fall Quarter and 24-hundred are freshman.

Cut 10 (06) “…competitive advantage.”

University President Jim Henderson says Louisiana Tech’s investment in modern facilities, leading-edge research, and personalized student service also contributes to its rising enrollment.

The Louisiana Board of Regents is asked to develop plans to accommodate a potential 250-million-dollar systemwide budget cut for the 2025-26 fiscal year. This, as a point-four-five-percent sales tax would be scheduled to sunset then. Higher Education Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed says such a budget cut would be devastating.

Cut 7 (14) “…would be applied.”

Hunter Reed says those cuts would have a disastrous ripple effect.

Lafayette Congressman Clay Higgins is coming under fire for a post on X he made about Haitians. After a Haitian nonprofit sued Former President Donald Trump and running mate J.D. Vance over their claims of them eating pets, Higgins repeated that claim in his post, telling them they’d better get out of the country on January 20th. Higgins has deleted the post.