Forecasters are projecting the first Atlantic hurricane of the season will develop in the next 24 hours and will make landfall near Mobile, Alabama late Friday night, early Saturday morning. Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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The Department of Children and Family Services launches a new way for prospective foster parents to get certified. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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A newly released economic forecast projects the state will add 55-thousand jobs over the next couple of years. Kace Kieschnick has the story.

Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

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State Treasurer John Fleming is urging school funding to be focused on classrooms and teacher salaries. Fleming says the recently-released Legislative Auditor’s report uncovered significant discrepancies between certain budget and expenditure reports.

Cut 4 (12) “…other budget items.”

Fleming’s call also comes following a review of financial information from the K-Through-12 School Transparency Project, which he says showed some questionable expenditures.

Cut 5 (13) “…and Uber Eats.”

Fleming says eliminating unnecessary spending can get teachers the additional pay that they had been seeking for years. He says it starts with better transparency.

Cut 6 (13) “…that alongside us.”

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Tropical Storm Isaias (ee-sah-EE-ahs) has formed this morning in the southern Gulf more than 500 miles southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River.  An official forecast track from the National Hurricane Center shows a Category One Hurricane making landfall near Mobile, Alabama late Friday night or early Saturday morning. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says southeast Louisiana should pay attention, because of a portion of the state’s coast is is in the cone of uncertainty.

Cut 7 (10) “…at the cone.”

Keim says the system will bring areas of heavy rainfall to the central U.S. Gulf coast and much of the Southeast Friday and into the weekend.

Cut 8 (06) “…to ten inches.”

According to the National Hurricane Center, there is a marginal risk of flash flooding for southeast Louisiana over the next five days.

Keim says there is a risk for dangerous wind and storm surge impacts for the northern Gulf Coast.

Cut 9 (06)  “…that storm approaches.”

The official forecast track has shifted a bit to the East reducing the chances that Louisiana will see any significant impacts from the storm.

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The Department of Children and Family Services is revamping foster caregiver training and certification by launching HomeReady. Secretary Rebecca Harris says with more than seven-thousand children in foster care, the state needed an easier, more modern way for prospective foster parents to get certified.

Cut 10 (09) “…and help children.”

Harris says the biggest change with HomeReady is that everything is now done online.

Cut 11 (11) “…in one spot.”

Families can use either a computer or a mobile device to complete their forms, upload their documents and track their progress. Harris says by moving everything online, it simplifies the process and creates much less paperwork.

Cut 12 (12) “…a temporary home.”

HomeReady officially launches today. There’s a link on DCFS’ website.

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Louisiana is expected to add 55-thousand jobs over the next two years, according to an economic forecast. Dr. Loren Scott puts together this economic forecast annually, and he’s projecting more jobs than usual because of the boom in data centers in north and central Louisiana.

Cut 13 (11)  “…just about Alexandria.” 

Lake Charles is expected to have the highest percentage growth over the next two years, adding about six-thousand jobs. Scott says the big number in Lake Charles is almost exclusively due to three new LNG export facilities — two in Cameron Parish and another just south of Sulphur.

Cut 14 (05) “…of projects underway.”

Scott is projecting the Acadiana area will add 56-hundred jobs because of the Space X facility in Vermilion Parish and the drone industry. Monroe is projected to be the second-fastest growing region in the state as a result of the construction of the 50-billion-dollar Meta data center under construction in Richland Parish.

Scott is only projecting a one-percent job growth increase for New Orleans. He says a continued decline in convention post-COVID is having an impact on the city’s economy.

Cut 15 (08) “…there’s about 60.”

St. Tammany is forecasted to add 11-hundred jobs over the next two years, making it the slowest growing area in Louisiana. Scott says New Orleans slow growth is impact the Northshore.

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LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt says he will be fully healthy by the time tenth-ranked LSU heads to Kentucky  Saturday night. Leavitt has played through a hamstring injury the last two weeks and says it has given him a new perspective on staying in the pocket.

Cut 16 (16) “…even more lethal.”

The Tigers have not won in Lexington since the Bluegrass Miracle in 2002. It will be LSU’s second away game of the season, and Leavitt says the team has learned from the mistakes it made when it played at Ole Miss.

Cut 17 (17) “…great job communicating.”

The LSU offense has not missed a beat with star tight end Trey’Dez Green sidelined. The Tigers are still looking for answers at tight end, but Leavitt says wide receivers have stepped up to replace his production.

Cut 18 (13)  “…comes their way.” 

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UL Lafayette is 4-and-1 and first in the Sun Belt West after a last-second 23-20 win over Arkansas State. The Cajuns will have another big division game against rival Louisiana Tech this weekend. It’s the Bulldogs’ first Sun Belt game, but UL coach Michael Desormeaux says he’s been following their defense for years.

Cut 19 (14) “…they play physical.”

Cajuns star wide receiver Shelton Sampson Jr. returned in the win over the Red Wolves. The  redshirt junior did not have any catches as he came back from a string of injuries, but Desormeaux says his message to him was to just go play.

Cut 20 (14) “…played really well.”

The Superdome crowd was silenced last night as the Saints fell to the Falcons 45-24 on the 20th anniversary of the team’s return to the stadium after Katrina. Kace Kieschnick has more.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

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So far, there has yet to be a hurricane in the Atlantic in 2026. Could that streak come to an end this week? Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The Department of Energy awards Entergy almost 14-million dollars in federal grants to strengthen its power grid in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. Kristen Granier (GRAHN-yay), the director of federal infrastructure policy at Entergy, says part of that money will be used to deploy a dynamic line rating sensor.

Cut 3 (11) “…as it’s flowing.”

Granier says information obtained from this sensor can help it manage its energy infrastructure.

Cut 4 (10) “…capacity as needed.”

Granier says the goal is to reduce congestion and to use existing assets more efficiently.

Cut 5 (14) “…about 50-percent.”

In all, this is a four-year project aimed at improving congestion management so that Entergy can defer capital investments and reduce costs – ultimately translating into savings for customers.

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A night of celebration in the Superdome went sour quickly as the Falcons spoiled the 20th anniversary of the Domecoming with a 45-24 thrashing of the Saints. New Orleans trailed by two scores for much of the game, and quarterback Tyler Shough says there’s no way to sugarcoat it.

Cut 6 (13) “…eyes forward.”

The Falcons got whatever they wanted offensively, scoring on their last six complete drives. The Saints fell to 1-and-3 after a promising start to the season, and head coach Kellen Moore says the team was especially frustrated after the divisional loss.

Cut 7 (09) “..this one.”

The Saints will return to the Dome on Sunday to host the undefeated Vikings. Moore says the team needs to move past the disappointing loss but can’t forget it.

Cut 8 (12) “…from this game.”

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President Trump has signed an executive order that waives the off-road requirement to use tax-free red-dye diesel. This means truckers, farmers and timber harvesters can use red-dye diesel, which is cheaper, because it is exempt from state and federal highway excise taxes. Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain on the cost savings

Cut 9 (11)  “…federal tax.”

The White House says the executive order immediately cuts diesel costs by authorizing highway use of tax-free dyed diesel and deferring the federal diesel excise tax through the end of the year. Strain says the action puts money back in the pockets of farmers, ranchers, truckers and loggers

Cut 10 (06) “…right direction.” 

Diesel fuel prices have spiked since the Iran war started. According to Triple-A, the price of diesel was more than six-dollars a gallon last month in Louisiana. It has come down to a statewide average of $5.84 a gallon. But Strain says he’s hearing that diesel prices will remain high for many months…

Cut 11 (11) “…today.”

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Today is October 6th; and we are still waiting for our first Atlantic hurricane of 2026. There’s a chance a disturbance brewing in the Bay of Campeche in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico could be it. National Weather Service Meteorologist Jacob Zeringue says conditions are favorable for development over the next couple of days.

Cut 12 (14) “…increase after that.” 

Zeringue says that means it’s possible that after eight Atlantic tropical storms, we could see Hurricane Isaias (eee-sah-EE-ahs).

Cut 13 (11) “…of the season.”

The National Hurricane Center says there’s almost a 100-percent chance of a cyclone forming within the next 48 hours. Zeringue says two big questions remain – Will the storm be hurricane strength when it makes landfall, and where along the U.S. coast will it make landfall?

Cut 14 (11) “…Friday and Saturday.”

In the satellite era, there has never been a year without a hurricane in the Atlantic. We have never gone this late into the year without one; the previous record for the latest date for the first hurricane to form in the Atlantic was September 11th, accomplished in 2002 and 2014.