The Louisiana Economic Activity Forecast for the second quarter of 2022 has reduced the projected number of jobs the state was expected to add by 40-percent. University of Louisiana at Lafayette economist Gary Wagner says the latest forecast now has the state adding 21-thousand jobs over the next year…
Cut 4 (11) “…the state.”
He says the Houma-Thibodaux, Lafayette, and New Orleans metro areas are expected to experience the fastest job growth in the state.

The Legislative Auditor’s Office has released an audit on attracting and retaining teachers. Auditor Chris Seyler says one way to keep experienced and certified teachers around is by raising their pay…
cut 8 (13) “….workforce”
Seyer says the state also could improve teacher retention if salaries in areas with high housing costs were higher,

Tomorrow is the start of the 2022 hurricane season and there are still thousands living in trailers as a result of Hurricane Ida. Terrebonne Planning and Zoning Director Christopher Pulaski says it’s something they have to prepare for if another storm approaches southeast Louisiana…
cut 12 (09) “….10 thousand people”
Governor Edwards has said that congregate shelters for evacuees will return this year. The state didn’t do that the last two years because of COVID.

LSU baseball is in a Regional for the 34th time in program history. It’s coach Jay Johnson’s first opportunity to lead the Tigers in postseason…
cut 14 (17) “….or six years”
LSU is in the Hattiesburg Regional as a two-seed and will play Kennesaw State on Friday night. La Tech and U-L Lafayette are in regionals in Texas, while Southeastern Louisiana is the four seed in the Auburn Regional.

The latest report from the Louisiana Economic Activity Forecast finds that Louisiana will not add as many jobs as previously thought. Brooke Thorington has more…
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

A garbage handler in Jefferson Parish lost his leg after a vehicle crashed into the garbage truck, pinning his leg between the two vehicles. State Police says the driver of the vehicle that hit the garbage truck admitted to texting while driving. Legislation to prohibit drivers from using their handheld cell phone while driving was defeated in a Senate committee last week.

Tomorrow begins another hurricane season and there are still roughly 400 households, representing about 12-hundred people, in Terrebonne Parish awaiting FEMA trailers. Parish Planning and Zoning Director Christopher Pulaski says people are frustrated…
Cut 10 (08) “…nine months out.”
Pulaski says there are about nine-thousand people living in more than three-thousand trailers from either the state or FEMA.

The bracket is out for the NCAA baseball tournament. After going 1-2 at the SEC tourney, it wasn’t a shock when Baton Rouge was left off the list of Regional host sites. Tigers coach Jay Johnson says once that happened, he could read the tea leaves on where his team was headed…
Cut 13 (12) “…a surprise.”
The Cajuns and Louisiana Tech will play in Regionals in Texas, while Southeastern Louisiana is heading to the Auburn Regional.

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office has released a report to the state legislature designed to help the state attract and retain a capable teaching workforce. State auditor Ed Seyler says they’ve found teachers with more years of experience tended to be more effective and certified teachers were more effective on average than uncertified teachers…
cut 7 (08) “…certified teachers”
Seyler says they also found that teachers in schools with more economically-disadvantaged students were less likely to be certified and had fewer years of experience.

Tomorrow is the official start of the 2022 hurricane season and in Terrebonne Parish, there are about 400 households still waiting on a FEMA trailer as they look to rebuild their home from Hurricane Ida. Terrebonne Planning and Zoning Director Christopher Pulaski says dealing with the federal government on temporary housing has been a far more complicated process than the state-run program…
cut 11 (06) “…much, much sooner”

Louisiana is well-represented in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. David Grubb has more…
Cut 3 (31) “…I’m David Grubb.”

For fans looking to drive to those regional destinations, they’ll find the statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $4.22 According to Triple-A, gas prices have been holding steady for the last week.

Louisiana’s bond rating – a main barometer of how much the state pays in interest on money borrowed – has been upgraded for the first time in nearly seven years. Moody’s Investor Service upgraded the state from an Aa2 rating, to Aa3. State Treasurer John Schroder says the upgrade will mean significant savings to the state (and taxpayers) in interest paid…:
Cut 3 (07) “…pretty big deal.”
Louisiana had been ranked among the five lowest-rated states by Moody’s.

Today we observe Memorial Day, a day to remember the men and women who died while serving in the U-S military. If you have a relative or loved one who paid the ultimate sacrifice, Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Joey Strickland says the state has partnered with the Veterans Legacy Memorial…
cut 8 (10) “….forever”
For more information or to find a veteran’s page, visit v-a-dot-gov/remember.

A proposed law sitting on the governor’s desk for his signature would make noodling legal in Louisiana. Noodling is fishing for catfish using bare hands. The bill’s author, Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland,says noodling has become popular in Louisiana thanks to a series of YouTube videos…
cut 11 (06) “….quite popular now”
Governor Edwards could sign McFarland’s measure this week.

The bracket is out for the NCAA baseball tournament. After going 1-2 at the SEC tourney this weekend, it wasn’t a shock when Baton Rouge was left off the list of Regional host sites. Tigers coach Jay Johnson says once that happened, he could read the tea leaves on where his team was headed…
Cut 13 (12) “…a surprise.”
LSU will play Kennesaw State on Friday night at 6 PM. The Cajuns are headed to the College Station Regional. La Tech is in the Austin Regional and Southeastern Louisiana is in the Auburn Regional.

On this Memorial Day, we remember the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the U-S military. Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Colonel Joey Strickland says there’s now a digital platform dedicated to the memory of millions of veterans interred in V-A national cemeteries and state-run veteran cemeteries…
cut 7 (08) “…never dies”
For more information go to va-dot-gov-slash-remember.

If you are firing up the grill this Memorial Day, Dave Foster, CEO of the Cattle Producers of Louisiana says there are a couple of things you should keep in mind before buying your beef…
Cut 12 (09) “…limited as well.”

Moody’s has raised Louisiana’s bond rating up a notch which will save the state 750-thousand dollars a year in interest for every 300-million dollars in bonds issued. That’s according to state Treasurer John Schroder who says the state over the last five years has significantly increased reserves…
cut 4 (07) “….the bottom five”
Louisiana had been ranked among the five lowest-rated states by Moody’s.

A bill making it legal for Louisiana sportsmen (and women) to catch catfish with their hands has been sent to Governor Edwards’ desk. The bill is authored by Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland, who says the sport – called “noodling” – is catching on in Louisiana, and his legislation assures folks can do it without running afoul of Wildlife & Fisheries agents…:
Cut 9 (08) “…and noodle a catfish.”
McFarland’s bill was passed with little objection in both the House and Senate, and there is little reason to think the Governor will veto it.

The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs announces a new way to honor a fallen loved one online. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

LSU is not hosting an NCAA Baseball Regional but they will not have to travel far as they are one of four teams in the Hattiesburg Regional. Southern Miss is the host school, while the second-seeded Tigers will play Kennesaw State. La Tech is at the Austin Regional, the Cajuns are at the College Station Regional and Southeastern Louisiana is at Auburn.

Moody’s has raised Louisiana’s bond credit rating to A-a-2 after it was A–a-3 for six years. It’s because Louisiana has made significant progress towards “restoring its financial reserves and liquidity in recent years by structurally aligning revenue and spending. State Treasurer John Schroder says the new rating will save the state about 750-thousand dollars a year in interest for every 300-million in bonds issued….
cut 5 (12) “….uhh for the state”

Noodling is just a Governor John Bel Edwards’ signature away from becoming legal in Louisiana. Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland says noodling is fishing for catfish with your bare hands…
cut 10 (08) “…pull it out”
McFarland says noodling has become more popular thanks to YouTube videos.

Today is Memorial Day, a day to remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. There are Memorial Day events across the state and Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary, Colonel Joey Strickland says the Bayou State has played a major role in the fight for our freedom…
cut 6 (07) “….our state”
Over 7,500 veterans are interred at LDVA cemeteries.

Louisiana’s bond rating – a main barometer of how much the state pays in interest on money borrowed – has been upgraded for the first time in nearly seven years. Moody’s Investor Service upgraded the state from an Aa2 rating, to Aa3. State Treasurer John Schroder says the upgrade will mean significant savings to the state (and taxpayers) in interest paid…:
Cut 3 (07) “…pretty big deal.”
Louisiana had been ranked among the five lowest-rated states by Moody’s.

For this Memorial Day weekend, you’ve probably noticed the price of beef is up from last year. CEO of the Cattle Producers of Louisiana, Dave Foster, says the reason for the spike isn’t a lack of product, but a distribution issue only heightened by soaring gas prices…
cut 14 (07) “….retail market”
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, prices for meat between March and April increased by 0.7%.

A proposed law sitting on the governor’s desk for his signature would make noodling legal in Louisiana. Noodling is fishing for catfish using one’s bare hands. The bill’s author, Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland,s ays noodling has become popular in Louisiana thanks to a series of YouTube videos…
cut 11 (06) “….quite popular now”
Governor Edwards could sign McFarland’s measure this week.