The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission approved a Declaration of Emergency and Notice of Intent to expand the Chronic Wasting Disease Control Area in northeast Louisiana, effective May 1st. Sean Richardson reports.
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A big name is added to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame class of 2025. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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A pair of Republican lawmakers file a bill taking aim at frivolous lawsuits. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission approved a Declaration of Emergency and Notice of Intent to expand the Chronic Wasting Disease Control Area in northeast Louisiana, effective May 1st. LDWF Deer Program Manager Jonathan Bordelon says this follows the detection of a CWD-positive wild deer in Catahoula Parish.
Cut 4 (07) “…Catahoula positive.”
The Declaration of Emergency extends the control area to include a 25-mile radius around the detection site, adding parts of Caldwell, Richland, La Salle, and expanding areas in Franklin and Concordia parishes. Bordelon says the DE prohibits baiting, supplemental feeding…
Cut 5 (08) “…spread of the disease.”
The Notice Of Intent proposes a 15-mile core area within the control zone where baiting and supplemental feeding are banned, with limited allowances beyond it. Bordelon says the NOI is subject to public comment and possible changes before final adoption, expected by August.
CWD is a fatal, untreatable disease affecting deer, and hunters are urged to have harvested deer tested. LDWF offers free testing services.
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Another name is added to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame class of 2025 – Nick Saban. Before he became LSU’s nemesis while coaching Alabama, Saban led the Tigers to the national championship in 2003. Saban was originally a part of the class of 2020, but that ceremony was postponed to 2021 and Saban could not attend. Chairman Doug Ireland says a schedule change with the NCAA recruiting schedule prevented Saban from taking part in any subsequent inductions until now.
Cut 7 (11) “…have our inductions.”
Ireland says the real Nick Saban is a very different person than what people who may only know him through his intense nature on the sidelines may be led to believe.
Cut 8 (12) “…the induction festivities.”
Ireland says Saban is one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and his induction elevates the brand of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
Saban has close connections with four other members of the class of 2025 – Andrew Whitworth, Herb Vincent, Glenn Guilbeau and the late Ed Daniels. Whitworth played for Saban on the 2003 championship team, Vincent oversaw communications for the LSU athletic department while Saban coached there, and Guilbeau and Daniels covered his tenure intensely. The class of 2025 will be inducted in a ceremony in Natchitoches on June 28th.
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Governor Jeff Landry announced a key development regarding ongoing issues at the state’s Office of Motor Vehicles. A technical change was implemented last Thursday night to strengthen the office’s aging mainframe, which has prevented some residents from renewing or obtaining driver’s licenses for weeks because constant computer crashes..
Cut 10 (07) “…handle this situation.”
Landry reported that since the update on Thursday, the system has run smoothly. He praised interim OMV Commissioner Bryan Adams for identifying temporary solutions and researching new technology to modernize the outdated system.
Landry also noted that the system had not been purged since 2008, potentially contributing to the widespread issues. The governor says he’s glad they have come up with a temporary fix.
While improvements are underway, no specific timeline was provided for when the OMV’s system will be fully replaced.
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A pair of Republicans are proposing legislation that would make the plaintiff pay the defendant’s attorney fees and court costs if the lawsuit is deemed to be frivolous. Along with Pineville Representative Mike Johnson, New Iberia Senator Blake Miguez is proposing the legislation as a way to help rein in insurance rates.
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Miguez says if his bill becomes law, perhaps that will get rogue attorneys to think twice about the cases they take up.
Cut 14 (06) “…frivolous in nature.”
Miguez says his bill is not intended to dissuade people from filing lawsuits for legitimate claims, since the bar would be set high for this provision to kick in.
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LSU men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon told Tiger Rag Radio he’s thrilled with his transfer class haul. Thanks to a substantial increase in NIL dollars to build a better roster, McMahon signed five players out of the portal. The coach says he loves all of the new additions but he’s really excited former UNLV point guard Dedan Thomas Junior chose the Tigers over Kentucky and Florida…
Cut 16 (16) “…him into the fold.”
Thomas is ranked as the fifth best point guard in the portal and 12th best player overall according to 247sports.com. He averaged 15 points and four assists a game last season at UNLV.
LSU currently has 11 players on its roster and five of them are six-foot-nine or bigger. McMahon says that was the goal, get bigger, which is why they signed out of the portal six-foot-nine Marquel Sutton from Omaha and former Mississippi State starting center Michael Nwoko…
LSU’s NIL budget was reportedly increased from two million dollars last season to eight million dollars, which puts the Tigers more in line with other SEC schools. McMahon says they still might add one more player.
LSU is reportedly interested in adding Kansas State shooting guard Brendan Hausen. He led the Wildcats in three point shooting last season at 38-percent and averaged 11 points a game in 33 starts.