Legislators are attempting to work out a deal in principle for a revenue plan before the special session begins on Monday. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Small business optimism has reached its highest level in 34 years.  That’s according to the National Federation of Independent Business, who surveys its members regularly. NFIB state director Dawn Starns says they are now hoping for tax reform in Louisiana as lawmakers consider what to do with the state sales tax, which is currently at 5%. It’s set to drop to 4-percent after July 1st. Legislators are considering whether to renew a third or half a penny of a temporary one-cent sales tax.

Cut 7 (03)  “..help everybody.”

Starting in September, travelers through Baton Rouge Airport can expect more destination options with the addition of Florida based Via Airlines.  The airline, which has been in business for over a decade, will now provide direct service to Austin, Texas and Orlando, Florida.  Airport spokesperson Jim Caldwell says both cities’ service will fly on Mondays and Thursdays, and Austin will get a third flight day on Fridays, as they expect a high demand for business travel to the capital city of the lone star state.

Cut 14 (09)  “…great weekend destination.”
Via Airlines will start the new nonstop flights on September 13.

US Senator John Kennedy is calling on Governor John Bel Edwards to step down due to his handling of the state’s fiscal cliff. Kennedy sites the legislature’s inability to find a long term solution to the budget crisis come down to a lack of leadership from Edwards. The Republican called for the Lt. Governor to take over the state.  Edwards’ Spokesperson Richard Carbo says “Sen. Kennedy’s absurdity knows no limits, and Gov. Edwards isn’t going to be distracted by childish comments or letters from our junior senator.”

The Saints three-day mandatory minicamp begins today and as long as the rain holds off, they will be open to the public at the team’s training facility in Metairie starting at 11 AM. First round pick Marcus Davenport is expected to be on the field, even though he’ll reportedly undergo thumb surgery once the mini-camp concludes. Running back Mark Ingram is also expected on the field. He’s been away from the team as he enters the final year of his contract and also faces a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy against performance enhancing drugs.

Rivals-dot-com now ranks Dunham’s Derek Stingley as its top player of the 2019 recruiting class. The Baton Rouge product will announce his school of choice on June 20th. LSU is considered one of the favorites.

LSU outfielder Daniel Cabrera has been named a Freshman All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Collegiate Baseball Magazine also had Cabrera on their freshman All-American squad. The Baton Rouge product hit .315, with eight home runs and 54 RBIs.

LSU recruit Levi Kelly has signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Coach Paul Mainieri predicted the right-hander from Florida would sign after he was selected in the eighth round last week.

The field is set for the College World Series as Texas Tech, Arkansas, Texas and defending champion Florida all punched their tickets for Omaha yesterday. The Gators did it in dramatic fashion as Austin Langworthy hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning. The ball hit the glove of Auburn right fielder Steven Williams before it went over the wall. It gave the Gators a three to two victory and a SEC record fourth straight trip to the C-W-S.

Arkansas had an easier time of it yesterday as the Razorbacks routed South Carolina 14-4 as Eric Cole had three hits, including a home run and scored five times as Arkansas will visit Omaha for the first time since 2015.

Also yesterday, Texas Tech topped Duke six to two and Kody Clemens hit another home run as Texas beat Tennessee Tech five to two.

Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport will reportedly undergo thumb surgery after the team’s three-day minicamp concludes on Tuesday. A source told ESPN’s Mike Triplett that the surgery is not a big deal for the first round pick, who should be ready for the start of training camp.

The Saints minicamp begins tomorrow. Running back Mark Ingram is expected to be present as he’s been away from the team during the Saints off-season training schedule.

LSU’s 2019 football recruiting class has moved into the Top 10 after receiving a commitment from cornerback Marcus Banks. The three-star prospect from Houston visted LSU this past weekend. He becomes the second commitment of the 2019 recruiting class. The other is four-star prospect Maurice Hampton from Memphis.

And Rivals-dot-com now ranks Dunham’s Derek Stingley as its top player of the 2019 recruiting class. The Baton Rouge product is expected to announce his school of choice on June 20th.

LSU outfielder Daniel Cabrera has been named a Freshman All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Collegiate Baseball Magazine also had Cabrera on their freshman All-American squad. The Baton Rouge product hit .315 with eight home runs 54 RBIs.

LSU recruit Levi Kelly has signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Coach Paul Mainieri predicted Kelly the right-hander from Florida would sign after he was selected in the eighth round last week.

Texas became the fifth team to reach the College World Series as the Longhorns took down a very good Tennessee Tech team today in Austin. Texas hit two solo home runs today for a 5-2 win over the Golden Eagles, who finished their season with a 53-12 record.

Tonight, SEC teams will battle it out in Super Regional Action. At six o’ clock, Arkansas hosts South Carolina. And in Gainesville, Auburn faces defending national champion Florida. The Tigers defeated the Gators 3-2 on Luke Jarvis’ game-winning single in the ninth inning.

The Advocate newspaper reports Saints first round pick Marcus Davenport will need surgery on this thumb, but should be back in time for training camp. Davenport will also hold off on getting the surgery until after this week’s minicamp, which is open to the public Tuesday through Thursday at the team’s training facility in Metairie.

LSU has received a verbal pledge from a cornerback out of Houston. Marcus Banks chose the Tigers during his visit to Baton Rouge this past weekend. He also has scholarship offers from Alabama, Texas A-and-M and Texas. He’s rated as the 37th best cornerback in the nation by 24-7 sports. Banks gives LSU two cornerbacks in its 2019 recruiting class. The other is four-star prospect Maurice Hampton from Memphis. LSU is also hoping to land the nation’s number one cornerback, Derek Stingley from Dunham High School in Baton Rouge. He’s will announce his college choice on June 20th.

College football insider Brett McMurphy reports we can see three more bowl games added to the schedule for the 2020 season. One in Chicago that would be played at historic Wrigley Field and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina looks like they are getting a bowl game too. Conference USA and the Sun Belt could be tie-ins for the bowl game at Myrtle Beach. The third bowl game destination has not been decided.

The Ragin Cajuns have agreed to a home-and-home series with Rice for 2022 and 2025. The two schools haven’t played each other in football since 1989. UL Lafayette will play in Houston in 2022, and the Owls return the trip in 2025.

Four college baseball teams have reserved their spot in the College World Series, four others can punch their ticket today. Oregon State, North Carolina, Washington and Mississippi State is in after a wild 10-6 victory over Vanderbilt in 11 innings last night.

LSU did not sign a cornerback in its 2018 recruiting class, but for the 2019 class, they now have two commitments. Three-star prospect Marcus Banks from Texas gave his verbal pledge to the Tigers during an official visit this past weekend. Banks joins four-star Memphis corner Maurice Hampton as one of 12 commitments for the 2019 class, which is ranked ninth nationally, according to 24-7 sports. LSU is also hoping to get a verbal pledge from the nation’s top cornerback, Derek Stingley. The Baton Rouge native will announce his decision June 20th.

The LSU women’s track and field team finished sixth at the 2018 national championships in Eugene, Oregon. Aleia Hobbs won the 100-meter dash and the Lady Tigers four-by-100 meter relay team was a national champion as well.

LSU track and field signee Armand Duplantis won the pole vault in a Diamond League meet in Sweeden as the Lafayette native cleared 19-feet and two and three-quarters of an inch.

There were a couple of wild Super Regional Baseball games last night. In Nashville, Mississippi State outlasted Vanderbilt 10-6 in 11 innings. The Bulldogs scored three runs in the ninth inning to take a 6-3 lead, but Vandy came back with three runs on two home runs in the 9th inning to tie the game. Mississippi State put the game away with a four run tenth inning and they are heading to Omaha.

Out in California, Washington is also heading to the College World Series after beating Cal State Fullerton six to five in 10 innings. The Huskies tied the game at four in the ninth with an RBI single. The Titans hit a home run in the tenth inning to take a five four lead, but the Huskies won the game with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

After just two seasons, the Saints Michael Thomas has become one of the top receivers in the NFL by setting a league record for most catches in a player’s first two seasons. The former Ohio State Buckeye says he’s not complacent with what he’s done…
cut 30 (25) “…sky’s the limit”
Thomas has looked good in O-T-A’s and fans can see him in action next week during an open to the public mini-camp at the team’s training facility from Tuesday to Thursday, beginning at 11 AM each day.

Saints defensive end Alex Okafor will not be ready for O-T-A’s, after tearing his Achilles tendon last November. But Okafor says he’ll be ready for training camp after signing a two-year, 10-million dollar deal this offseason.

NBA free agents know Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry is staying in the Big Easy after agreeing to a two-year contract extension. Publisher of Locked on Pelicans podcast, Jake Madison, says the Birds will seek a specific kind of free agent…
cut 18 (20) “…draw here”
The NBA free agency period begins July 1st.

LSU Coach Paul Mainieri believes his incoming recruiting class could be the best in the country….
cut 20 (15) “….that are here”
The class features power arms in Destrehan’s Landon Marceaux, Cole Henry and Jaden Hill. The Tigers also signed three potential catchers, C-J Willis, Brock Mathis and Saul Garza.

Pelicans Coach Alvin Gentry has agreed to a two-year contract extension that keeps him on the Pelicans sidelines through the 2020-21 season. Locked on Pelicans podcast publisher Jake Madison says the extension is warranted after Gentry kept the team together after the season-ending injury to DeMarcus Cousins…
cut 17 (16) “…franchise”
Now we wait to see if the Pelicans are able to re-sign Cousins and point guard Rajon Rondo. Both players have expressed interest in returning.

Saints defensive end Alex Okafor believes he’ll be healthy enough to participate in training camp after tearing his Achilles tendon last November. Okafor had four and half sacks and then the injury came. But New Orleans still re-signed him to a two-year, 10-million dollar deal in this offseason.

LSU Coach Paul Mainieri believes his incoming recruiting class could be ranked number one….
cut 20 (15) “….that are here”
The class features power arms in Landon Marceaux from Destrehan, Cole Henry and Jaden Hill. The Tigers also signed three players who can catch, C-J Willis, Brock Mathis and Saul Garza.

Conference USA has a new deal with ESPN which means the sports network will broadcast at least 175 more events on ESPN 3 and E-S-P-N-plus. Tech will have four of its football games on E-S-P-N-plus, which requires a monthly or annual subscription to watch.

LSU Baseball Coach Paul Mainieri is confident pitcher Zack Hess and outfielders and Zach Watson and Antoine Duplantis will return to the Tigers program, after they were drafted in the lower rounds. Mainieri is bullish on the 2019 season, because the Major League Baseball draft could not have gone better for the Tigers….
cut 19 (20) “…on our program”
Mainieri says the incoming recruiting class is also largely intact as he only expects a couple of his signees to decide on a professional career, instead of coming to college.

Super Regionals begin today. In Nashville, Mississippi State will face Vanderbilt at seven PM tonight.

Pelicans Head Coach Alvin Gentry has agreed to a two-year contract that keeps him in New Orleans through the 2020-2021 season. The Pels are coming off an appearance in the Western Conference semifinals. Locked on Pelicans Podcast Publisher Jake Madison says Gentry piloted the team through a rollercoaster season, starting with a first half that included a radically different roster.
Cut 16 (14) “Houston Rockets”
And the Pelicans went 20-8 in their final 28 games of the regular season, despite the season-ending injury to DeMarcus Cousins.

Conference USA announced a new multi-year deal with ESPN which will triple ESPN’s inventory of Conference USA events from the previous deal. ESPN-plus will televise five Bulldog games this fall including the season opener at South Alabama.

The Pelicans announce they’ve reached an agreement on a contract extension with Head Coach Alvin Gentry. The new deal will keep Gentry under contract through the 2020-21 season. General Manager Dell Demps says Gentry did a tremendous job last season. He says when the team faced adversity his coaching staff continually discovered ways to place the team in situations where they could be successful.

Former LSU basketball star Glen Davis was set to be arraigned today after he was indicted on a felony assault charge for a fight that occurred outside a West Hollywood nightclub last April. Davis could face up to seven years in prison if found guilty. The victim reportedly suffered multiple broken bones and was on a ventilator for the day.

Four-star quarterback Grant Gunnell from Houston has committed to Coach Kevin Sumlin and the Arizona Wildcats. LSU is one of several schools who offered a scholarship to the nation’s number three pro-style quarterback for the Class of 2019. .

The Saints wrapped up their third week of O-T-As today and Coach Sean Payton was asked about former LSU wide receiver and Breaux Bridge native Travin Dural, who spent last season on the team’s practice squad. Payton says Dural is in better shape this season…
cut 30 (19) “…I’m encouraged”

Conference USA announced a new multi-year deal with ESPN which will triple ESPN’s inventory of Conference USA events from the perious deal. ESPN-plus will televise five Bulldog games this fall including the season opener at South Alabama and the home opener against Southern. Both games will kick-off at 6 PM.

ESPN is reporting the Pelicans and Head Coach Alvin Gentry have agreed to a two-year contract extension that will keep Gentry in New Orleans through the 2020-21 season. In his third season in the Big Easy, Gentry led the Pels to a 48-34 record this past season and a semifinal appearance in the Western Conference playoffs.

Former LSU star and NBA player, Glen “Big Baby” Davis faces a prison sentence of up to seven years. after he was indicted in Los Angeles on a felony assault charge. Davis will be arraigned today for his role in a fight outside of a West Hollywood nightclub in April. The victim reportedly suffered multiple broken bones and was on a ventilator for the day.

The LSU baseball program was not hurt too bad in the Major League Baseball Draft. The Tigers top hitter this past season, Antoine Duplantis, was drafted in the 19th round and since he was drafted so low, it increases the possibility he’ll return for his senior season. Jake Slaughter and Cam Sanders were both drafted by the Chicago Cubs and it’s expected they will both sign.

Jeff Duncan from the Times-Picayune reports that former Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief has emerged as a strong and viable candidate to succeed Jim Henderson as the Voice of the Saints. Strief has limited broadcasting experience, but served as an analyst on WWL’s coverage of this year’s NFL draft.

Southeastern Louisiana men’s basketball coach Jay Ladner has a new contract that runs through the 2020-21 season. This past season Ladner guided the Lions to a share of the Southland Conference regular season title and a berth in the N-I-T Tournament.

The State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries seeks to get more people outdoors with a free fishing weekend. So Saturday and Sunday residents and visitors can fish Louisiana waters without an otherwise required fishing license. LDWF Spokesperson Rene LeBreton says they hope to attract new anglers…
Cut 7 (4) “them hooked”
LeBreton says the LDWF website provides more information on Free Fishing Weekend and information on places to drop a line this weekend.