Twenty years ago today, Hurricane Rita flooded low-lying areas of southwest Louisiana with its storm surge and produced more power outages to a state struggling to get back on its feet from Katrina. Jeff Palermo has more…
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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NOLA.com is reporting the Superdome lease negotiations are at standstill between the Saints and the state. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is asking you to be on the lookout for the eastern spotted skunk so that biologists can determine the current distribution and conservation needs of the species. Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
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Today is the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Rita’s landfall in Cameron Parish. The storm produced widespread damage across southwest Louisiana as the state was still reeling from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Katrina. Retired Major General John Basilica was the commander of Louisiana National Guard’s storm operations in Louisiana and says it was difficult to respond to two natural disasters at the same time…
Cut 4 (12) “…Rita.”
Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29th in Plaquemines Parish, killing hundreds and leaving thousands homeless. On September 21st, Rita entered the Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane and developed into Category Five storm before eventually weakening to a Category Three storm in southwest Louisiana on September 24th. Basilica says the preparation for the storm was well done, despite the tough circumstances…
Cut 5 (09) “…listened.”
There was only one reported in death in Louisiana that was attributed to Rita, while Texas had 113. Rita produced four-billion dollars in damages across southwest Louisiana and left one-million people without power, including the thousands that were still without power because of Katrina.
Many low-lying areas of southwest Louisiana were flooded as storm surge flooding even reached Lake Charles. Many buildings and homes in Cameron Parish were washed away.
Basilica says just like with Katrina, they had to perform search and rescue operations, but they had more assistance than they did with Katrina
Cut 6 (07) “…getting it.”
Basilica says it was not until February 2006 until the National Guard restored all authority and responsibility back to civilian authorities.
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Louisiana approves its first-ever carbon storage well. The state issued Sempra Infrastructure a Class Six permit to inject an estimated two-million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year for up to 20 years underneath Black Lake in Cameron Parish. Patrick Courreges (cur-RAHJ) with the Department of Energy and Natural Resources says these permits are the most restrictive permits the department does, because something is being injected into the ground permanently.
Cut 7 (16) “…inject the carbon.”
Courreges says a company like Sempra really needs to know the geology in the area to build the storage well.
Cut 8 (14) “…the zone underground.”
Courreges says the well will need to be thoroughly monitored.
Cut 9 (11) “…CO2 is going.”
The well is expected to be drilled more than ten-thousand feet below ground level.
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NOLA.com reports that the Superdome lease negotiations have stalled because of pending deals regarding related properties such as Benson Tower, Champions Square and the Saints practice facility. Times-Picayune reporter Jeff Duncan says that state and the Saints are in the midst of a major disagreement.
Cut 10 (15) “…philosophical disagreement.”
As part of the current lease agreement, the state has rented office space in Benson Tower since 2010. The Saints have been leasing the spaces to state agencies at $32.50 per square foot compared to the New Orleans average of $20.67 per square foot. Duncan says the agreement is a way to for the state to financially support the Saints….
Cut 11 (11) “…that support”
The current lease agreement ends in 2030. Duncan says he doesn’t see a world where the Saints relocate to another city, but he says neither side is planning to back down.
Cut 12 (07) “…to be.”
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The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is asking you to be on the lookout for the eastern spotted skunk. It’s a species that hasn’t officially been documented in the state in more than three decades, and the department wants to use the data to help biologists determine the current distribution and conservation needs of the species. Jennifer Manuel, the furbearer biologist with the State of Louisiana, says the eastern spotted skunk is the smallest species of skunk, and they have a very distinctive pattern of white spots on a black coat – and they have a unique behavior.
Cut 13 (14) “…scare away predators.”
Manuel says the eastern spotted skunk is very good at pest control.
Cut 14 (08) “…sort of thing.”
Manuel says if you see an eastern spotted skunk, you can do one thing to help LDWF.
Cut 15 (05) “…might still occur.”
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LSU attacked the transfer portal heavily this offseason, specifically on defense. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin credited Brian Kelly’s aggressiveness in the portal and said that the Tigers got the best of the best at the defensive back positions by adding Mansoor Delane, AJ Haulcy and Tamarcus Cooley.
Cut 16 (20) “…playing great.”
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is coming off of his best game of the season after totaling four touchdowns against Southeastern. Kiffin says that Nussmeier has an elite pocket presence that saved the Tigers in last year’s matchup in Baton Rouge.
Cut 17 (17) “…savvy player.”
Even though the LSU offense hasn’t statistically jumped out to most, Kiffin says that the Tigers’ receivers are extremely gifted and that it will be a difficult matchup for the Rebels’ defensive backs.
Cut 18 (16) “…really challenged.”
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Louisiana Tech sophomore quarterback Blake Baker played the entire game against Southern Miss last week, completing 15 of his 21 passes for 239 yards while also rushing for 29 yards and a touchdown in the 30 to 20 win. Baker says that he was not initially a quarterback that would leave the quarterback, but understood that offensive coordinator Tony Franklin needed a QB that could both pass it and use his legs.
Cut 19 (13) “…out tremendously.”
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New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson has had an extensive history with injuries. Last season, he only played in 30 games due to a hamstring issue; but after a long year of training, Williamson says he feels the best he’s ever felt physically.
Cut 20 (23) “…feel good.”