SWEPCO utility crews are working to restore power for more than 165,000 customers following extreme weather in Northwest Louisiana last Thursday. Teiko Foxx has the story…

Cut 1 (32)  “…I’m Teiko Foxx” 

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It’s no surprise that LSU is leading the College World Series Jell-O Shot Challenge Brooke Thorington has more on how the Tigers have gelled out the competition.

Cut 2 (32)  “….I’m Brooke Thorington.”  

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Efforts to restore power for tens of thousands of SWEPCO customers in northwest Louisiana continues. A confirmed EF-1 tornado as well as hurricane-strength winds, delivered a punch to both the transmission and distribution stations last Thursday night. Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell…

Cut 3 (12) “…it’s unbelievable”

Over 126,000 customers are currently without power. Most of the outages are in Caddo and Bossier Parishes. Approximately 60 Transmission and Distribution stations were impacted, and 50 transmission lines were forced out of service. Campbell says crews are working to repair lines damaged by trees.

Cut 4 (13)  “…get out” 

With the potential of additional storms this week, more customers could experience disruption of service and prolonged restoration timelines. Campbell says workers are working hard to restore power to residents and businesses who are still experiencing outages.

Cut 5 (13)  “…North Louisiana”

Natchitoches customers are scheduled to receive power by tomorrow but some Shreveport customers may not receive power until Saturday.

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Among the traditions at the College World Series in Omaha, is the Jell-O Shot Challenge, and as expected LSU is crushing it. Manager of Rocco’s Pizza Pat McEvoy says so far LSU fans have consumed more than 12 thousand Jell-O shots, followed by Wake Forest with just over five thousand

Cut 6 (09)  “…two competitors.” 

You can even follow along on Twitter for updates at 9 am, noon, 5 pm, and after the last game of the evening around 9:30. And it’s not just the $5 Jell-O shots that fans are visiting Rocco’s for, McEvoy says having your photo taken with the board is also a rite of passage.

Cut 7 (06)  “…the board.” 

It’s the first time LSU has competed in the challenge that started in 2019. The Purple and Gold Jell-O shots are by far the most popular this year. And with the Tigers playing Wake Forest tonight, McEvoy says it’s not just the box scores that fans will be watching…

Cut 8 (10)  “…broken today.” 

The current overall winner is Ole Miss with 18,777. It’s probably a safe bet that LSU will break that record and then some.

* at noon LSU 12,836, Wake Forest 5,193

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The National Hurricane Center is monitoring tropical depression three which is expected to reach hurricane status by Wednesday night way out in the Atlantic Ocean. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the system continues to show signs of organization.

Cut 9 (13) “…later today.”

The system is expected to become a tropical storm – named Bret by the end of the day. Although the Gulf of Mexico is not an immediate target, the storm is expected to impact the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands by the weekend. Keim says it’s still too early to tell if it will impact the U.S.

Cut 10 (12)  “…this thing.”

There is a second area of interest – a tropical wave located south of the Cabo Verde Islands which has been given a 40% chance of formation in the next several days. Keim says the occurrence of waves is pretty common during hurricane season.

Cut 11 (13)  “… season progresses.”

Keim encourages Louisianans to keep a watch on this tropical depression and always stay prepared.

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A native of Marksville has been crowned as Miss Louisiana 2023. Makenzie Scroggs was selected from a pool of 27 women and the Northwestern State student earns a ten-thousand dollar scholarship

Cut 12 (08) “…get started.” 

Scroggs will train to become the first Miss Louisiana to be crowned Miss America. She says confidence has been a key to her success

Cut 13 (13) “…mental health” 

First runner-up was Olivia Grace George of Texarkana. George attends Louisiana Tech University. Scroggs says it was a great competition and is excited to wear the crown…

Cut  14 (12)  “…to open”

Tropical Depression 3 has formed FAR out in the Atlantic, with a fair chance it’ll reach named storm status – perhaps – later today or tonight. State Climatologist Barry Keim says it is far too early to tell if Louisiana will be in the system’s path…:

CUT 10  (12)        “…this thing.”

The next storm name will be Bret.

There are still well over 100-thousand customers in northwestern Louisiana waiting for the power to come back on, after a severe storm, WITH a confirmed EF-1 tornado tore through last Thursday night. Foster Campbell is the Public Service Commissioner for the region. He says crews are working as hard as they can in this heat to restore power…:

CUT 05  (13)        “…North Louisiana.”

A native of Marksville has been crowned as Miss Louisiana 2023. Makenzie Scroggs was selected from a pool of 27 women and the Northwestern State student earns a $10-thousand scholarship…:

CUT 12(08)      “…to get started.”

LSU is soundly leading in an Omaha College World Series tradition; the Jell-O Shot Challenge at Rocco’s Pizza pub. As of this hour, LSU fans are way ahead with over 12-thousand Jell-O shots bought. Rocco’s Pat McEvoy says Wake Forest in Number 2 with about 5-thousand…:

CUT 06(09)      “…two competitors.”

The Tigers play Wake Forest tonight

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring tropical depression three which is expected to reach hurricane status by Wednesday night way out in the Atlantic Ocean. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the system continues to show signs of organization.

Cut 9 (13) “…later today.”

It would be Tropical Storm Bret.

LSU is leading the College World Series Jell-O shot challenge in Omaha with 12,836 shots slurped down.  And it’s not just the $5 Jell-O shots that fans are visiting Rocco’s Pizza for, Manager Pat McEvoy says having your photo taken with the board is also a rite of passage.

Cut 7 (06)  “…the board.” 

You can follow along on Twitter and CWS Jell-O Shot Challenge. And on the diamond, LSU plays Wake Forest tonight at 6 PM.

SWEPCO utility crews are working to restore power for more than 165,000 customers following extreme weather in Northwest Louisiana last Thursday. Teiko Foxx has the story…

Cut 1 (32)  “…I’m Teiko Foxx” 

An excessive heat warning is in effect for most of southeast Louisiana for the fourth day in a row heat indexes will reach close to 113 degrees this afternoon. Be sure to stay hydrated and limit your time outdoors and bring pets in from the heat.

It’s a difficult situation in northwest Louisiana with thousands of people without power and the work to restore the power is labor intensive. Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell says crews are working to repair lines damaged by trees…
cut 4 (13) “…get out”
Most of the outages are in Caddo and Bossier Parish, where about 65-thousand customers are without power.

Meanwhile in Omaha, LSU fans are having a good time and they are lapping the field at Rocco’s Pizza, which is holding a Jell-O Shot challenge. Pat McEvoy says so far LSU fans have consumed over 12-thousand Jell-O shots and they are closing in on the record Ole Miss fans set last year, which was 18-thousand…
cut 8 (10) “…broken today”

The Humane Society of Louisiana laments the lack of state funding for public animal shelters…
cut 29 (33) “….I’m Brooke Thorington.

Tropical Depression Three has formed way out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The National Hurricane Center says it could form into Tropical Storm Bret by the end of the day and strengthen into a hurricane as it moves toward the Caribbean. It’s NOT an immediate threat to the Gulf of Mexico.

Efforts to restore power for tens of thousands of SWEPCO customers in northwest Louisiana continues. A confirmed EF-1 tornado as well as hurricane-strength winds, delivered a punch to both the transmission and distribution stations last Thursday night. Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell….
cut 3 (12) “…it’s unbelievable”
About 125-thousand SWEPCO customers are without power. For some in the Natchitoches area, it will take until Tuesday night to get the power restored. For some in the Shreveport area, they will have to wait until as late as Saturday. SWEPCO spokesperson Michael Corbin says the damage to their infrastructure is extensive and the restoration is tedious…
cut 29 (08) “…new wires”
Governor John Bel Edwards has issued a state of emergency.

The Humane Society of Louisiana is upset state lawmakers did not appropriate three million dollars to cover construction and repair costs of animal shelters. Director Jeff Dorson says there was even a plan to build two shelters at state prisons where the inmates would clean and interact with pets.
Cut 14 (09) “…with nothing.”
Last year a request for $2 million for repairs or renovations to animal shelters was also denied.

Among the traditions at the College World Series, is the Jell-O Shot Challenge, and as expected LSU is crushing it. Tiger fans have quite a reputation when it comes to alcohol. Manager of Rocco’s Pizza Pat McEvoy says so far LSU fans have consumed more than 12 thousand Jell-O shots, followed by Wake Forest with just over five thousand
Cut 6 (10) “…two competitors.”
LSU and Wake Forest meet on the baseball diamond tonight in a winner’s bracket contest.

In this sweltering heat, thousands are without power in northwest Louisiana from strong storms that hit the area Thursday night and again Sunday morning. Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator says there are cooling centers available.

Cut 8 (14) “…in the works.”

For some people, it’s a double whammy, no power, and damage to their home from a fallen tree.

A tropical depression number three has developed in the Atlantic, it’s expected to become Tropical Storm Bret possibly later today. It’s located roughly midway between the Lesser Antilles and the African coast. It’s moving west at 20 miles per hour. And there’s another system right behind it with the 30% chance of developing into a cyclone in the next 48 hours.

Another casualty of the state budget fighting is the Humane Society of Louisiana. HSLA Director Jeff Dorson says half of the state’s 64 parishes lack parish-wide facilities to provide essential services, and because there was a budget surplus again this year, Dorson says they asked for a small portion of the $1.6 billion.

Cut 13 (08) “…existing ones.”  

HSLA asked for $3 million of the state’s surplus to cover construction and repair costs of shelters across the state.

Optimism among small businesses continues to slide. The National Federation of Independent Business survey shows a 17^th straight month of declining optimism among members. NFIB state director Dawn McVea says labor shortages and inflation woes have small locally owned & operated businesses “on the ropes”…:

Cut 10 (08) “…negative 50-percent.”

It’s been a difficult weekend for thousands in northwest Louisiana who have been without power since Thursday night as a result of severe storms. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (30)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

State Police are investigating an officer-involved fatal shooting in Pineville Sunday early morning. Troopers say police had an encounter with a male subject, who reportedly begin firing at them. The male subject died on the scene. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Another casualty of the state budget fighting is the Humane Society of Louisiana. HSLA asked for $3 million of the state’s surplus to cover construction and repair costs of shelters across the state.  H-S-L-A Director Jeff Dorson says there was even a plan to build two shelters at state prisons where the inmates would clean and interact with pets.

Cut 14 (09)  “…with nothing.”

Last year a request for $2 million to give shelters grants for repairs or renovations was also denied.

The state Department of Health reports nearly 3,000 Louisianans were hospitalized or treated every year from 2010-2020 due to heat-related illness. Parishes with the highest rates of heat-related hospitalizations were clustered around the Central and Northwest regions of the state. Dr. Alicia Van Doren says hospitalization and ED rates for workers are distributed around the northern part of the state.

Cut 5 (13)   “…Bossier, Webster.”

The report is part of a CDC program through 2026.

In north Louisiana this morning, SWEPCO reports over 130-thousand of its customers are without power as a result of last Thursday night’s severe weather. Entergy Louisiana has additional five-thousand customers experiencing an outage. No electricity, means no air conditioning. Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator says there are cooling centers available…
cut 8 (14) “…the works”
There are also a couple of cooling stations in Bossier Parish, one in DeSoto and one in Webster Parish at the town hall in Doyline.

A new report from the Louisiana Department of Health finds three-thousand people every year are hospitalized or treated in an emergency room due to heat-related illness. Doctor Alicia Van Doren says a good number of those individuals are young people…
cut 6 (04) “…ED visits”

The latest survey of small business owners finds that many are deeply concerned about the direction of the economy. Twenty-five percent listed inflation as their single most important problem, followed by labor quality at 24-percent. N-F-I-B state director Dawn Mcvea…
cut 12 (07) “….lot of frustration”
McVea says several small businesses say they need to increase prices, but are reluctant to do so for fear of losing business.

The Humane Society of Louisiana is upset three-million dollars in state funding was not included in the budget bills approved by state lawmakers in the final hour of the recently completed legislative session. H-S-L-A Director Jeff Dorson says the funds would have gone toward the construction of new animal shelters…
cut 15 (13) “…have helped”
Dorson says half of the state’s 64 parishes lack pariswide facilities.

Governor Edwards has issued a state of emergency for north and central Louisiana as a result of widespread power outages and water advisories caused by severe weather and strong winds. Thousands in the Shreveport-Bossier area are without power and some have damage to their homes as a result of fallen trees. Shreveport Mayor Tom Arcenaux says unfortunately the property damage is not extensive enough for federal assistance…
cut 9 (13) “….insurance company”
The governor’s office says anyone who has sustained damage should document it and fill out the damage survey at damage-dot-la-dot-gov.

A great game is expected tonight at the College World Series as LSU faces Wake Forest in a winner’s bracket contest. LSU leads the nation in runs scored, while the Demon Deacons have best team in ERA in college baseball.

Nearly 3,000 people in Louisiana every year are hospitalized or treated in the emergency room for heat related illness according to a new report by the Louisiana Department of Health….
cut 1 (29) “….I’m Teiko Foxx”

According to the NFIB, 25-percent of small business owners nationwide list inflation as their single most important problem, followed by labor quality at 24-percent. NFIB state director Dawn Mcvewa….
cut 11 (11) “…and perform”