Former DeRidder Mayor Misty Roberts has been found guilty on felony charges for having sex with a 16-year-old boy during a party at her home when she was mayor in 2024. It took a six-person jury less than an hour to convict the 42-year-old Roberts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior. Reporter Pamela Sleezer covered the trial for the American Press and says the evidence was stacked against Roberts…

Cut 4 (16) “….for her”

Roberts will be sentenced April 17^th.

A statewide poll of Louisiana voters shows approval ratings for Governor Landry have fallen. The Pelican Institute for Public Policy surveyed 762 Louisiana voters, and 43-percent approve of Landry’s job performance. Last year Landry’s approval rating was 58-percent.

Another jump in gas prices. Greg Upton, the executive director of LSU’s Center for Energy Studies, says while you were sleeping, gas prices increased another 12 cents.

Cut 6 (11) “…gallon so far.”

Gas prices typically increase this time of year with the transition to summer blend; but this year, there’s the added factor of the war in Iran, leading to a spike in oil prices. AAA has the statewide price for a regular gallon of gasoline at $2.83.

State officials call it a game-changer for how Louisiana competes for major economic development projects. Louisiana Economic Development launches the FastSites program. Governor Landry says it’s a program in which the state invests money to make sites shovel-ready for economic development projects.

Cut 10 (10) “…those particular sites.”

Landry says the state is providing 140-million dollars for 19 sites in 16 parishes.

Former DeRidder mayor Misty Roberts has been found guilty on felony charges for having sex with a 16-year-old boy in 2024 while she was the mayor. Pamela Sleezer covered the trial for the American Press and says the victim’s mother had to remove herself from the courtroom because she was overcome with emotion when the verdict was read….

Cut 3 (08) “…her table.”

The incident happened at a party at her house and she will be sentenced April 17^th.

A statewide poll shows President Trump’s approval rating among Louisiana voters has fallen from 60-percent to 49 percent. The survey was conducted last month by the Pelican Institute for Public Policy. Erin Bendily is the vice president of that organization…

Cut 15 (09) “….is still hight”

47-percent of Louisiana respondents disapprove of the President’s job performance.

The director of Invest in Louisiana, Jan Moeller, says information has been provided to the joint legislative budget committee that the state could see budget deficits in future years, because revenues have plateaued, but  state spending continues to grow. One example is the proposed 82-million -dollar increase in funding for the Department of Corrections. Meanwhile, the state must make up for a loss in federal dollars because of the budget bill approved by Congress in 2025.

Cut 8 (06) “…the coming years.”

Legislative leaders believe they make wise budget decisions for next fiscal year, they can stave off major cuts in the future.

Big baseball game tonight in Lafayette as second ranked LSU visits the Ragin Cajuns. Catcher Cade Arrambide says despite their struggles they are sticking together…

Cut 19 (16) “…fail”

The Ragin Cajuns are 9-and-3 and their pitching staff has struck out 133 hitters in 118 innings.

A new poll of Louisiana voters shows Governor Landry’s and President Trump’s approval ratings have dropped since last year. Andre Champagne has the story.

Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

That same poll also found two-thirds of Louisiana voters report that electric and gas utility bills have increased over the past year.

Gas prices jumped another 12-cents overnight. According to AAA, the statewide average for regular gasoline is up to $2.84. That’s up nearly 30-cents from a week ago.

A 43-year-old Tickfaw woman faces child cruelty and abandonment charges after she allegedly left her eight-year-old son at a Ponchatoula laundry mat. A witness called police and Ponchatoula Police Chief Bry (bree) Layrisson says she was eventually arrested in Jefferson Parish. Layrisson says the boy’s father drove down from Ruston to pick the child up…

Cut 6 (06) “….cartoons for him”

Layrisson says the boy is doing well.

A sold-out crowd is expected tonight at Tigue Moore Field in Lafayette as second ranked LSU visits the Ragin Cajuns. The Tigers are coming off a loss to Northeastern. Coach Jay Johnson…

Cut 18 (13) “…want to be”

First pitch is at 6 PM.

Louisiana has been enjoying budget surpluses for the last several years, but a report from the Legislative Fiscal Office says that may change soon. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

It took a six-person jury less than an hour to convict former DeRidder mayor Misty Roberts on two felony charges…carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior. Roberts will be sentenced on April 17^th for having sex with a 16-year-old boy at a party at her home in 2024 while she was the mayor.

Governor Jeff Landry says the state has redefined how Louisiana will compete for high-impact-nationally sought-after projects…..

Cut 11 (07) “…Fastsite”

These 19 sites will share 140-million dollars in state funding to get their land ready to attract a major project. Landry says previously the state would wait for companies to approach Louisiana before preparing a site, now the state will have land that is shovel ready.

A Tickfaw woman is facing multiple charges after witnesses saw her abandon her eight-year-old son at a Ponchatoula laundry mat. Police Chief Bry Layrisson says 43-year-old Jeannete Edmonds was arrested in Jefferson Parish and during their investigation they learned Edmonds tried to abandon her son two other times during that day…

Cut 5 (09) “…same thing occurred”

Layrisson says all things considered, the boy is doing well.

A statewide poll of Louisiana voters shows approval ratings for Governor Landry have fallen. The Pelican Institute for Public Policy surveyed 762 Louisiana voters, and 43-percent approve of Landry’s job performance. Pelican Institute Vice President Erin Bendily says Landry’s approval rating last year was 58-percent, but she believes rising costs are hurting Landry’s approval numbers.

Cut 13 (09)  “…come to fruition.”

A spokesperson for the governor’s re-election campaign says if liberal activists want to take comfort in approval numbers from polls like this. That’s fine because Landry will be re-elected next year.

Invest in Louisiana director Jan Moeller says the Legislative Fiscal Office has told the Joint Legislative Budget Committee that budget deficits are possible in the coming years as revenue has plateaued and state expenses are on the rise and that’s a concern for those who count on state funding…

Cut 9 (12) “….for healthcare coverage”

Legislative leaders say if the state budgets smartly this year, they can avoid revenue shortfalls in future years.

Louisiana has identified 19 sites around the state that will collectively receive 140 million dollars to develop their land and infrastructure to attract manufacturing, logistics, and next-generation industries. Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois says it’s important to have land that is shovel ready when trying to compete for major economic development projects…

Cut 12 (11) “…can even begin”

Each site will receive between one million and 25 million dollars and the goal is to make that money back and then some in tax revenue from the jobs that the business creates.

A Tickfaw woman is behind bars for allegedly abandoning her eight-year-old son inside a Ponchatoula laundromat. Pontchatoula Police Chief Bry (“bree”) Layrisson says people saw 43-year-old Jeanette Edmonds drive away without her son, and she was quickly located in Harvey and taken into custody by Jefferson Parish deputies. Layrisson says Edmonds showed no regard for the well-being of her son.

Cut 4 (09) “…son was okay.”

Layrisson says Edmonds also tried to abandon her son earlier in the day at a cemetery and a local farm.

A new statewide poll on Governor Landry’s job performance shows his approval numbers have dropped from 58-percent in 2025 to 43-percent in a survey of 762 voters last month. The Pelican Institute for Public Policy conducted the poll and vice president Erin Bendily says the percentage of voters who are unsure have jumped from six-percent to 22-percent…

Cut 14 (07) “….sense of”

A spokesperson for the governor’s re-election campaign says the poll does not reflect what they are seeing and hearing.

Louisiana is in good shape financially as work is underway to craft a state spending plan for next fiscal year, but Jan (“yahn”) Moeller with Invest in Louisiana warns the state could see budget deficits in future years.

Cut 7 (09) “…starting to increase.”

One example is the proposed 82-million -dollar increase in funding for the Department of Corrections.

Former DeRidder Mayor Misty Roberts has been found guilty on felony charges for having sex with a 16-year-old boy during a party at her home when she was mayor in 2024. It took a six-person jury less than an hour to convict the 42-year-old Roberts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior. She will be sentenced April 17^th

A Tickfaw woman is behind bars after allegedly abandoning her child inside a Ponchatoula laundromat.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

A Tickfaw woman is behind bars after allegedly abandoning her eight-year-old son inside a Ponchatoula laundromat. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

____________________________________________

Louisiana has been enjoying budget surpluses for the last several years, but a report from the Legislative Fiscal Office says that may change soon. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

____________________________________________

A new poll of Louisiana voters shows Governor Landry’s and President Trump’s approval ratings have dropped since last year. Andre Champagne has the story.

Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

______________________________________________

A Tickfaw woman is behind bars for allegedly abandoning her eight-year-old son inside a Ponchatoula laundromat this past Sunday. Polchatoula Police Chief Bry (“bree”) Layrisson says people saw 43-year-old Jeanette Edmonds drive away without her son, and she was quickly located in Harvey and taken into custody by Jefferson Parish deputies. Layrisson says Edmonds showed no regard for the well-being of her son.

Cut 4 (09) “…son was okay.”

Layrisson says that was not the first time Edmonds tried abandoning her son that day.

Cut 5 (09) “…same thing occurred.”

The boy’s father drove down from Ruston to pick him up. Layrisson says in the more than four hours it takes to drive from Ruston to Ponchatoula, officers took care of the boy.

Cut 6 (06) “…cartoons for him.”

Layrisson says all things considered, the boy is doing well. Edmonds, meanwhile, is behind bars on three charges.

____________________________________________________

Louisiana is in good shape financially as work is underway to craft a state spending plan for next fiscal year, but Jan (“yahn”) Moeller with Invest in Louisiana warns the state could see budget deficits in future years. Moeller says the reason is simple.

Cut 7 (09) “…starting to increase.”

Moeller says state revenues peaked in 2024 and are slowly going down, and projected costs of running state government are going up.

One example is the proposed 82-million -dollar increase in funding for the Department of Corrections. Meanwhile, the state must make up for a loss in federal dollars because of the budget bill approved by Congress in 2025.

Cut 8 (06) “…the coming years.”

Moeller says there’s an extra 42-million dollars in this year’s budget proposal to pay for extra administrative costs for SNAP, and that figure is expected to grow in future years.

Moeller says the projections of future budget deficits is just not his analysis, it’s also the conclusion of the Legislative Fiscal Office, which is concerning for those who count on state funding.

Cut 9 (12)  “…for healthcare coverage.”

________________________________________________________

It’s a game-changer for how Louisiana competes for major economic development projects. Louisiana Economic Development launches the FastSites program. Governor Landry says it’s a program in which the state invests money to make sites shovel-ready for economic development projects.

Cut 10 (10) “…those particular sites.”

Landry says the state chose from a pool of 50 applicants for FastSites funding, and those chosen span 16 parishes throughout the state. (19 sites were chosen.)

Cut 11 (07) “…round of FastSites.”

Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois says getting these sites ready is essential for the state to be able to compete with neighboring states for major economic development projects in advanced manufacturing, logistics and next-generation industries.

Cut 12 (11) “…can even begin.”

The FastSites program is backed by the 150-million-dollar Site Investment and Infrastructure Fund created in the last legislative session.

___________________________________________________________

A statewide poll of Louisiana voters shows approval ratings for Governor Landry and President Trump have fallen. The Pelican Institute for Public Policy surveyed 762 Louisiana voters, and 43-percent approve of Landry’s job performance. Pelican Institute Vice President Erin Bendily says Landry’s approval rating last year was 58-percent, but she believes rising costs are hurting Landry’s approval numbers.

Cut 13 (09)  “…come to fruition.”

Bendily says Landry’s disapproval rating held steady from last year at 36-percent. But the percentage of voters who said they are unsure of Governor Landry’s job performance jumped from six-percent to 22-percent.

Cut 14 (07) “…make sense of.”

Bendily says in their poll last year, President Trump’s approval rating among Louisiana voters was 60-percent, but this year it’s down to 49-percent.

Cut 15 (07) “…is still high.”

_____________________________________________________________

The UL-Lafayette baseball team is set to host second-ranked LSU tonight in front of a sold-out Tigue Moore Field. The Cajuns enter tonight’s game with the number-14 RPI in the nation, and head coach Matt Deggs says it’s always fun when the Tigers come to Lafayette.

Cut 16 (16) “…part of that.”

The Cajuns used only eight pitchers in their series win over UC San Diego last weekend. Deggs says the team is prepared to do whatever it takes to secure a marquee win and boost their RPI.

Cut 17 (10)  “…club over there.”

LSU, meanwhile, is looking to rebound from Monday’s 13-10 loss to Northeastern. Coach Jay Johnson says the loss is a perfect learning opportunity for his team moving forward.

Cut 18 (13)  “…want to be.”

LSU’s starters only tallied four hits in Monday’s loss. Sophomore catcher Cade Arrambide says the team has to do a better job of picking each other up throughout the game.

Cut 19 (16) “…when we fail.”

First pitch is six p.m.

Gas prices shot up overnight. According to GasBuddy, the average for a gallon of regular unleaded in the state is now $2.65. GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan says the spike is due to both the conflict with Iran and the seasonal change from winter grade to summer. He’s optimistic, though, that prices will peak soon.

Cut 8 (11) “..in Iran.”

We’re learning some of the findings of the task force on energy created last year by Senate President Cameron Henry. He says among them is that when power companies upgrade their plants for things like data centers, customers foot part of the bill, while the utility companies reap the benefits.

Cut 4 (13) “…on that investment.”

A citywide boil advisory remains in effect for Shreveport after a water main ruptured over the weekend. The water main was installed in 1979, and the break is under water in Cross Lake. Mayor Tom Arceneaux says he remains optimistic the repairs will be completed by Friday…

Cut 10 (10) “…to fix.”

Governor Landry’s re-election campaign says in a filing with the Louisiana Board of Ethics that it ended 2025 with almost 11-million dollars in cash-on-hand. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says he’s not surprised.

Cut 11 (14) “…he’ll raise it.”

Pinsonat says he does not expect anyone to mount a serious challenge to Landry next year.

Second-ranked LSU dropped its second game of the season last night in a 13- 10 loss to Northeastern. Senior right-hander Zac Cowan and sophomore left-hander Cooper Williams combined to give up eight runs on eight hits. Coach Jay Johnson says both pitchers have to do a better job of filling up the strike zone.

Cut 29 (14): “a year ago.”

The Tigers will play their sixth game in eight days tomorrow against UL-Lafayette.

The Louisiana Tech baseball team looks to bounce back against Arkansas State tonight after being swept by Southern Miss last weekend. Tech was without junior catcher Hayden Gustavson this weekend, but head coach Lane Burroughs believes the Bulldogs will be dangerous when at full strength.

Cut 19 (08) “…we’ll be fine.”

First pitch is at six p-m.

Former Saints offensive lineman Will Clapp is joining the team’s coaching staff as an offensive assistant. Clapp announced his retirement last week after an eight-year NFL career.

The Southeastern Conference honored four LSU women’s basketball players in its annual postseason awards on Tuesday morning. Junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley was named SEC Sixth Woman of the Year, becoming just the third player in program history to earn the honor, joining Sylvia Fowles and Allison Hightower. Senior guard Flau’jae Johnson and junior guard Mikaylah Williams were both selected to the All-SEC First Team, while freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnson earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team.

The LSU men’s basketball team will take on Auburn tonight at 9 p.m.

The UL-Lafayette men’s basketball team faces Georgia State in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament tonight at 5 p.m. ULM will play Old Dominion immediately afterward.

UL-Lafayette graduate student left-handed pitcher Andrew Hermann was named as the Sun Belt pitcher of the week after his complete-game, one-hit shutout against UC San Diego.

A citywide boil advisory remains in effect for Shreveport after a water main ruptured last weekend. Mayor Tom Arceneaux tells residents they are working around the clock to restore the water pressure.

Cut 9 (08)  “…simply.”

We’re learning some findings from a task force on energy created last year by Senate President Cameron Henry. It comes amid a string of data centers, including Meta and Amazon, coming to Louisiana. Henry says while those data centers certainly create jobs and economic impact, they can also drain resources. 

Cut 3 (11) “…businesses as well.”

Henry says the task force found that utility companies pass the costs of upgrading their systems onto their customers while getting a ten-percent return on their investment from that money.

LSU was held to a touchdown and a field goal as they lost to Northeastern last night 13-to-10 – oh, this is baseball. I’m sorry. Well, the Tigers still lost, 13-to-10.

Cut 2 (29) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

A big spike in gas prices overnight. According to Gasbuddy.com, the average price of regular unleaded in Louisiana jumped by a dime to $2.65. Gasbuddy petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan, though, does not expect the trend to continue.

Cut 6 (07) “…everyday.”