A star-studded lineup will take the stages at the 2026 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Michelle Southern reports.
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Nike announces a first-of-its-kind partnership with LSU – and it’s the athletes who win. Andre Champagne reports.
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Ouachita Parish is seeking to avenge its week-four loss to Ruston in the Prep Classic tomorrow. Jeff Palermo is in the Superdome with a preview of the matchup.
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Eagles, Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart are among the headliners announced for the 2026 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Producer and Director Quint Davis says Jazz Fest will also be a homecoming for Lainey Wilson.
Cut 4 (08) “…real roots Louisiana.”
Davis says despite the name of the festival, the music goes well beyond jazz – five-thousand musicians will be performing on 14 stages during the eight-day festival, and nearly all genres of music are represented.
The 2026 Jazz Fest takes place at the Fair Grounds Race Course April 23rd through May 3rd, but not the Monday through Wednesday in between. Davis says what makes Jazz Fest unique is that it takes place during daytime hours.
Cut 6 (07) “…boogie around town.”
Tickets go on sale today; and the best part for Louisiana residents is that for the second year in a row, we get to pay less! We get special Louisiana resident discounts across all price points.
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Nike announces a new NIL venture, and it has chosen LSU as the first school to partner with. Nike, along with other equipment manufacturers, have been partnering with university athletic departments for decades. But Nike’s Blue Ribbon Elite NIL program is the first to partner with the athletes themselves. Zach Greenwell, LSU’s deputy athletic director for external affairs, says Nike is partnering with ten athletes on a very extensive campaign to promote Nike products.
Among the ten athletes in the initial class are Trey’Dez Green, Derek Curiel and gymnast Kailin Chio. Greenwell says Nike is working with them on product that they like, and they’re promoting products on the Nike store that’s specific to them and their respective sports.
Greenwell says it’s a tremendous honor for LSU to be the first school that Nike selected for its new Blue Ribbon Elite NIL program.
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The LHSAA Prep Classic in New Orleans features five teams from the Monroe area. The Jena Giants are playing for their first state championship today as they take on the defending champion Sterlington Panthers. Aaron Dietrich, the sports director at KNOE-TV, says the support in LaSalle Parish has taken off.
Sterlington, meanwhile, is looking to win its second straight state title and its fourth since 2016. The Panthers are averaging over 46 points a game thanks to an effective run game. Dietrich says Sterlington may have the best rushing offense in the entire state.
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Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Ouachita Parish is back in the state championship game for the first time since 1994. The Lions will face Ruston tomorrow at noon in a district rematch from week six, when the Bearcats beat the Lions 21-14. Dietrich says the Lion faithful will be out in full force in New Orleans.
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As Operation Catahoula Crunch expands from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser is expressing concerns about its impact. Nungesser says not only does the enhanced immigration enforcement operation have immigrant communities on edge, but it could have an adverse effect on the biggest sector of New Orleans’ economy.
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Nungesser says he would like to see something different than Operation Catahoula Crunch.
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While the Department of Homeland Security and Governor Landry have repeatedly stated that the goal of Operation Catahoula Crunch is to arrest, in their words, “the worst of the worst criminals,” records show that only a fraction of the people detained in the operation so far have any criminal records. Nungesser says lawmakers need to come together to come up with a common sense solution in dealing with people who are undocumented and have otherwise committed no other crimes.
Cut 15 (13) “…and deporting them.”
Governor Landry’s spokeswoman, Kate Kelly, says Nungesser’s words are, in her words, “disappointing,” saying that when Americans commit crimes, they are held accountable and face jail time, and the same standard should apply to everyone.
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LSU’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will be in New Orleans tomorrow to play in the Compete 4 Cause Classic doubleheader. Women’s coach Kim Mulkey is set to face Louisiana Tech for the first time since becoming the coach at LSU. Mulkey says coaching against her alma mater will bring plenty of emotions.
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Tip-off at the Smoothie King Center is at 5 p.m.
The LSU men’s basketball team will face SMU afterwards. The Tigers are coming off an ugly loss to Texas Tech, and head coach Matt McMahon says the team has to do better moving forward, starting with the offensive side of the ball.
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Tipoff between the Tigers and Mustangs is scheduled for 7:35 p.m.
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The Saints are coming off a big 24-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough threw for 124 yards and rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns. Shough says he is growing more confident with each game he plays and credits it to the preparation he’s put in.
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Shough’s 55 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Bucs may have surprised some people, but not Shough. Shough says he has always had the ability to run the ball and wants to make sure he keeps defenses on their toes.
The Saints host the Panthers Sunday. Kickoff is at 3:25.