Twenty-one people from Shreveport and Bossier City face federal bank fraud charges for allegedly stealing nearly seven million dollars from U-S-A-A customers. U-S Attorney Brandon Brown says several employees at the Teleperformance Call Center in Shreveport obtained account information and shared it with others..

Cut 9 (11) “…gain.” 

The Saints need offensive linemen and the Black and Gold believe they got a starter for years to come. With the 14th pick in the first round of the NFL draft, New Orleans selected Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga (Tall-ee-s-a   Foo-ah-gah). Coach Dennis Allen says it’s not every time that a team’s need matches the best player available

Cut 3 (08) “…that time.” 

Crawfish prices have dropped another 50-cents and with an average price of live mudbugs at $2.99 a pound, this could be the lowest prices of the season. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (30)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

With 38 years under their belt, Festival International is still going strong. President of the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission, Ben Berthelot says the event is a great way to draw tourists from across the globe to the city for the first time.

Cut 6  (10) “…great music.” 

Twenty-one individuals in Shreveport and Bossier City are under indictment in a federal bank fraud case. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (31)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

Dr. Wade Rousee has been chosen as the new president of McNeese State University. The two-time graduate of the UL-system has served in various roles at McNeese including dean in the College of Business and VP of university advancement.

In addition to Louisiana hosting two world-renowned festivals this weekend, crawfish prices have dropped to new lows. Crawfish App co-founder Laney King says the average price for a pound of live mudbugs in the Bayou State is $2.99.

Cut 12 (10) “…couple of weeks.” 

The average price for boiled crawfish is $5.29 a pound.

Three LSU Tigers were selected in the first round of the NFL draft and the next Tiger that could be chosen is defensive tackle Maason Smith from Houma. W-W-L radio draft expert Mike Detillier says Smith had a disappointing season last year, but he has a lot of potential…

Cut 5 (11)  “…this league.” 

In the first round, Washington selected Jayden Daniels, the Giants picked Malik Nabers and Jacksonville drafted Brian Thomas Junior.

In the House-approved state budget for the next fiscal year, Appropriations Chair Jack McFarland says they’ve earmarked 3-point-5 million so the state can receive 70-million dollars in federal aid for the summer EBT program. While DCFS is concerned it might too be late to participate in the program McFarland says otherwise…

Cut 11 (11) “…feeding program.”

There’s a world of music to be heard at Festival International this weekend. President of the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission, Ben Berthelot says the five-day event attracts more than 300,000 visitors from 42 different states and 10 different countries.

Cut 7 (12) “…our community.”  

And the free event is also the largest international music festival in the world.

Last night, the Department of Transportation hosted a construction kick-off meeting for the new 4-lane Jimmie Davis Bridge over the Red River in northwest Louisiana. Colleen Crain has more…

Cut 2 (34)  “I’m Colleen Crain.” 

Last night’s first round of the NFL Draft saw three LSU Tigers go in the first round. LSU Quarterback and Heisman winner Jayden Daniels was selected with the second overall pick to the Washington Commanders and he says that he’s all in on bringing back a winning culture to the Commanders.

Cut 13 (11) “… some fun.”

LSU Wide receiver Malik Nabers didn’t have to wait long after Daniels to hear his name called. The New York Giants selected Nabers with the 6th overall pick and LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Junior was also selected in the first round of the draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 23rd overall pick.

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The Saints had only one pick in the first round last night and selected Oregon State Offensive Tackle Taliese Fuaga (Tall-ee-s-a Foo-ah-gah). The Saints needed an offensive tackle heading into the first round and selected Fuaga with the hopes that he can develop into a starter for this upcoming season. Fuaga did not give up a sack while playing at Oregon State.

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LSU baseball will try to keep its momentum going this weekend when the Tigers take on Auburn in the Box. LSU took two out of three on the road at Missouri last weekend and LSU Head Coach Jay Johnson hopes that his team can do the same, if not better, against Auburn this weekend.

Cut 19 (07) “… this place.”

The first pitch of tonight’s game is scheduled for 6:30 pm

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The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are in second place in Conference USA as they head into their matchup against the Sam Houston State Bearkats. Louisiana Tech is 8 and 3 in conference play this season while Sam Houston State is only 7 and 8. UL-Lafayette will host Southern Miss this weekend. The Ragin Cajuns are 2 and 8 over the last ten games against Southern Miss, but they hope to turn the tide after going 15 and 3 in Sun Belt play so far this season. And ULM is also in action against Old Dominion this weekend. The Warhawks are 6 and 12 in Sun Belt play and the Monarchs recently dropped out of the top 25.

The state department of transportation says it plans to begin phase one of the new Jimmie Davis Bridge project in mid to late May. The bridge connects Bossier and Caddo Parishes over the Red River and the current 60-year-old , two lane bridge needs to be replaced…
cut 26 (10) “…every day”
Phase one will feature shoulder reconstruction and drainage system improvements.

With 38 years under their belt, Festival International is still going strong. President of the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission, Ben Berthelot says the event is a great way to draw tourists from across the globe to the city for the first time.
Cut 6 (10) “…great music.”
Berthelot says that the five-day music festival is free.

As expected the Washington Commanders selected former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in last night’s NFL draft. Daniels joins a franchise that has not had a winning season since 2016 and he plans to make the Commanders a winning organization
Cut 13 (11) “…some fun.”
The New York Giants drafted former LSU receiver Malik Nabers and Jacksonville picked former LSU wide out Brian Thomas Junior.

The Saints used their 14th overall pick and took an offensive lineman. Taliese Fuaga (Tall-ee-s-a Foo-ah-gah) is expected to get an opportunity to start at right tackle, especially if Ryan Ramczyk can not play because of his deteriorating right knee. Coach Dennis Allen says Fuaga caught their eye at the NFL draft scouting combine…
cut 4 (12) “…love with him”

The House approves a $48 billion budget for the next fiscal year and according to The Louisiana Illuminator, it contains about 40-million dollars’ worth of pet projects. Appropriations Chair Jack McFarland says they are for worthy initiatives…

Cut 12 (12) “…do that.” 

$166 million is earmarked for teacher bonus pay.

A new Jimmie Davis Bridge over the Red River is coming to Bossier and Caddo Parishes. The project is slated to start this month and take about two and a half years. DOTD Spokesperson Erin Buchanan says they handed out detour maps and construction phasing information, so there won’t be any surprises.

Cut 8 (09) “…businesses too.” 

The Saints need offensive linemen and the Black and Gold believe they got a starter for years to come. With the 14th pick in the first round of the NFL draft, New Orleans selected Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga (Tall-ee-s-a   Foo-ah-gah). Coach Dennis Allen says it’s not every time that a team’s need matches the best player available.

Cut 3 (08) “…that time.” 

It’s a huge festival weekend in Louisiana with Festival International and Jazz Fest, attracting visitors from all over the world. But Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says it’s the southern hospitality shown to tourists that brings them back again and again…

Cut 6 (12) “…for more.”

It’s a big tourism weekend for the state as there are two big festivals in south Louisiana. Brooke Thorington has more…
cut 1 (32) “….I’m Brooke Thorington”

According to the folks at the crawfish app, crawfish prices have dropped to new lows as they fell another 50-cents per pound this weekend. The average live crawfish price is down to $2.99 a pound.

There’s the potential for severe weather late Saturday night and into Sunday for north Louisiana, especially for northwest Louisiana.

The state department of transportation says work will start soon on the first phase of construction to build a new Jimmie Davis Bridge over the Red River in Bossier and Caddo Parishes. Phase one is scheduled to begin in mid-to-late May 2024. The scheduled completion date for the new bridge is late 2026. DOTD spokesperson Erin Buchanan says the current Jimmie Davis Bridge will also get a makeover…
cut 9 (11) “…like that’

Three LSU Tigers were selected in the first round of the NFL draft last night. Wide receiver Malik Nabers from the Lafayette area went to the New York Giants with the sixth pick. Nabers wants to be the next great wide receiver in the NFL from LSU…
cut 14 (14) “….chip on my shoulder”
Washington selected Jayden Daniels and Jacksonville took Brian Thomas Junior.

A new Jimmie Davis Bridge over the Red River is coming to Bossier and Caddo Parishes. The project is slated to start this month and take about two and a half years. DOTD Spokesperson Erin Buchanan says they handed out detour maps and construction phasing information, so there are no surprises.

Cut 8 (09) “…businesses too.” 

In case you missed it, the Saints used their first-round draft pick on an offensive tackle, six-foot-six Taliese Fuaga (Tall-ee-s-a Foo-ah-gah) from Oregon State. The first-team All-American did not give up a sack with the Beavers and played right tackle. Fuaga says he’s played football nearly his entire life…

Cut 15 (09)  “… grit.”
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The Louisiana House approved a budget for the next fiscal year that contains 166 million dollars in bonus pay for teachers. According to House leaders that equals a stipend of about 17-hundred dollars, but that will be up to the local districts. The Louisiana Illuminator reports there are about 40-million dollars worth of pet projects in the budget proposal. approved by the House. But Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland says these dollars are going to worthy initiatives…

Cut 12 (12) “…do that.” 

A New Orleans based company has been awarded 11 million dollars in U-S military contracts, According the a release, Haptech Inc, which makes electromagnetic recoil systems for training in downtown New Orleans, will supply weapons training capabilities that feature Haptech’s ERS and data tracking technology to the U.S Army and the Marines.

The Louisiana House has sent a 47-billion dollar spending plan to the Senate. Jeff Palermo reports the budget proposal includes 166-million dollars to provide bonus pay for teachers…

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo” 
Cardell Hayes has been sentenced again to 25 years in the fatal shooting of ex Saints star Will Smith. Hayes was originally convicted of manslaughter in December of 2016 but the jury vote was 10-2. When non unanimous jury verdicts were ruled unconstitutional two years later, Hayes was granted a new trial. He was convicted again in January of this year.

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A new Jimmie Davis Bridge over the Red River is coming to Bossier and Caddo Parishes. DOTD held a Kick-off meeting for the community last night at Barksdale Baptist Church to provide information and answer questions. Public Information Officer Erin Buchanan explains what will replace the 60 year old 2-lane bridge…

Cut 7 (10) “…every day”

A couple of big Louisiana Festivals this weekend including one that has a $300 million dollar impact on New Orleans. Just for perspective, Jazz Fest has a bigger effect there than the Super Bowl does. And in Lafayette, Festival International means a $49 million dollar impact. Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser

Cut 5 (12) “…footprint.” 

The Louisiana House approved a budget for the next fiscal year that contains 166 million dollars in bonus pay for teachers. According to House leaders that equals a stipend of about 17-hundred dollars, but Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland says it will vary…

Cut 10 (09) “…districts need.”
Meanwhile lawmakers are also committed to spending 3-point-5 million dollars so the state can receive 70-million dollars in federal aid that low-income families can use to help pay for lunches when kids are out of school. Apparently, some DCFS officials are concerned it might too late to participate in the summer EBT program, but McFarland doesn’t agree.

Cut 11 (11) “…feeding program.”
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As expected the Washington Commanders selected former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in last night’s NFL draft. Daniels joins a franchise that has not had a winning season since 2016 and he plans to make the Commanders a winning organization

Cut 13 (11)  “…some fun.”
A few selections later former LSU wide Malik Nabers of Youngsville went to the New York Giants with the sixth overall pick.

It’s a huge festival weekend in Louisiana with Festival International and Jazz Fest. Both attract visitors from all over the world and Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says it’s not only Lafayette and New Orleans that feel the benefits.

Cut 4 (13) “…over Louisiana.”