Yet another water main has broken in Uptown New Orleans. Just days after a water main break at Panola Street and Carrolton Avenue flooded streets, a break is reported at Audubon and Willow streets. Officials have not said what the cause was, but water is flowing into the street. Over a third of the pipes in New Orleans’ water system are over 100 years old and officials say to expect repairs and upgrades to take years.

The International Energy Agency is releasing 400 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves as gas prices for regular gasoline in Louisiana is around $3.25 a gallon and diesel has surpassed $4.50 a gallon. But LSU Center for Energy Studies director Greg Upton says opening strategic reserves will have a small impact on the global oil price…

Cut 7 (12) “…these disruptions”

Upton says motorists should be prepared for elevated gas prices through the summer driving season.

Louisiana’s Agriculture Commissioner is sounding the alarm over the lack of crawfish peelers. Andrew Greenstein has more…

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

McNeese men’s basketball is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row. This, after beating Stephen F. Austin, 76-59, to win the Southland Conference title. Senior guard Javohn Garcia, who erupted for a career-high 31 points in the win, says the Cowboys were not going to let the Lumberjacks end their 27-game winning streak at home.

Cut 4 (10) “…came out victors.”

A couple was trapped in their home overnight after a dead tree fell on their home in the Hammond area during the severe storms Wednesday night. The tree shifted the house making it impossible for the residents to get out. Fortunately, no one was injured and the next morning, neighbors and relatives were able to clear a path so the couple could get out of the house through a window. Earlier reports out of Tangipahoa Parish showed no major damage to homes.

Crude oil prices have surpassed 90-dollars a barrel and the statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline has reached $3.23, according to Triple-A. The International Energy Agency is releasing 400-million barrels of oil from strategic reserves, but LSU Center for Energy Studies director Greg Upton says that will not help with gas prices, instead it will ease short-term supply disruption…

Cut 6 (11) “…short run.”

The McNeese men’s basketball team is going dancing for a third straight year. Joe Gallinaro has the story…

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

The commissioner of agriculture and forestry is sounding the alarm over the lack of crawfish peelers in the state. Mike Strain says this is because the Department of Homeland Security has stopped processing H-2B applications for skilled guest workers, preventing them from coming back.

Cut 9 (07)  “…skilled guest workers.”

Strain says these guest workers are doing the work for upwards of 18 dollars an hour; and it’s work that Americans will not do.

Crude oil prices have surpassed 90-dollars a barrel and, as a result of the war with Iran, gas prices are up 70-cents per gallon over the last month. The International Energy Agency is releasing 400-million barrels of oil from strategic reserves, but LSU Center for Energy Studies director Greg Upton says that will ease short-term supply but will not help with gas prices.

Cut 8 (08) “..down in the fall.”

Thousands are without power across much of the Florida Parishes after last night’s storms spawned six tornados taking down trees and power lines. Some houses and businesses were damaged in Washington and East Feliciana Parish. Tangipahoa Parish customers suffered the most power outages with over six thousand still waiting for the lights to come on. Fortunately, Parish President Robby Miller says they had no major property damage or deaths in Tangipahoa.

Cut 12 (08) “…were damaged.”

The commissioner of agriculture and forestry Mike Strain says the Department of Homeland Security has stopped processing H-2B applications for skilled guest workers to peel crawfish. Strain says of the 20 major crawfish processors, 15 of them have not received any guest workers, and the federal government’s inaction is on the verge of doing irreparable financial harm.

Cut 11 (15) “…to come in.”

The McNeese Men’s basketball team is headed back to the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season after beating Stephen F Austin 76-59 in the Southland Tournament Championship game. Senior guard DJ Richards says earning their way into the big dance is an accomplishment no one can take away from them.

Cut 5 (09) “…really hard to do”

Louisiana’s Agriculture Commissioner is sounding the alarm over the lack of crawfish peelers.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Several tornadoes knocked down trees and caused power outages north of Lake Pontchartrain last night. Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller says the power situation is improving…

Cut 13 (12) “…power line”

The International Energy Agency is releasing 400 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves as gas prices for regular gasoline in Louisiana is around $3.25 a gallon and diesel has surpassed $4.50 a gallon. But LSU Center for Energy Studies director Greg Upton says opening strategic reserves will have a small impact on the global oil price…

Cut 7 (12) “…these disruptions”

Upton says motorists should be prepared for elevated gas prices through the summer driving season.

The McNeese Men’s basketball team is headed back to the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season after beating Stephen F Austin 76-59 in the Southland Tournament Championship game. Coach Bill Armstrong took over for Will Wade and keeps the streak of Big Dance invitations going, but Armstrong credits the players…

Cut 3 (12) “…work to do.”

The National Weather Service says as many as six tornadoes ripped through southeast Louisiana last night, impacting St. Helena, Tangipahoa, Washington and St. Tammany parishes. A suspected tornado knocked down trees and power lines in areas around Roseland, Fluker and Kentwood. But Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller says there are no deaths or major property damage.

Cut 12 (08) “…were damaged.”

The commissioner of agriculture and forestry is urging the federal government to allow guest workers back into the country to peel crawfish. Mike Strain says these guest workers have been doing the work for upwards of 18 dollars an hour; and it’s work that Americans will not do, to the chagrin of crawfish farmers.

Cut 10 (09) “…these workers in.”

The McNeese men’s basketball team is going dancing for a third straight year. Joe Gallinaro has the story.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

Two of the 70 birds seized in a cockfight in St. Landry Parish have been stolen from the parish’s animal control facility. This was the cockfight that was raided last weekend near Opelousas, in which more than 60 people were arrested, and guns and drugs were also seized.

The McNeese State men’s basketball team is going back to the NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys secured their third consecutive Southland Tournament Championship with a dominant 76-59 win over Stephen F. Austin yesterday. Senior guard Javohn Garcia erupted for a career-high 31 points in the win. Garcia says the Cowboys were not going to let the Lumberjacks end their 27-game winning streak at home.

Cut 4 (10): “came out victors.”

The McNeese State women’s basketball team will try to clinch its bid to the NCAA Tournament today when it takes on Stephen F. Austin at 4 p.m. in the Southland Tournament Championship game.

The Lady Techsters are now just two wins away from earning their first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2011 after defeating Delaware 72-43 yesterday.

Louisiana Tech men’s basketball opens Conference USA Tournament play against Middle Tennessee today at 5:30 p.m.

The number-13 LSU baseball team ended its two-game losing streak Tuesday with an 8-4 win over Creighton. After missing the last 15 games with a hand injury, LSU senior outfielder Chris Stanfield made his return to the lineup. Coach Jay Johnson says having Stanfield in the lineup makes the Tigers better.

Cut 18 (15)  “…to be made.”

Johnson says whether or not Stanfield will start this weekend is still up in the air.

In high school basketball, twelfth-seeded Northside pulled off the biggest of the day yesterday with a 65-61 win over top-seeded Madison Prep in Division II select.

In Division I select, top-seeded John Curtis defeated Catholic High 47-39 yesterday to advance to the state title game.

Tonight in Division I Non-select, top-seeded Zachary and fourth-seeded Denham Springs square off against each other while sixth-seeded Central will take on second-seeded Ruston.

Crude oil prices have surpassed 90-dollars a barrel, and Triple-A says the statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline has reached $3.23. The International Energy Agency is releasing 400-million barrels of oil from strategic reserves, but LSU Center for Energy Studies director Greg Upton says that will not help with gas prices, instead it will ease short-term supply disruption…

Cut 6 (11) “…short run.”

The commissioner of agriculture and forestry is sounding the alarm over the lack of crawfish peelers in the state. Mike Strain says this is because the Department of Homeland Security has stopped processing H-2B applications for skilled guest workers, preventing them from coming back. 

Cut 9 (07)  “…skilled guest workers.”

McNeese men’s basketball is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row. This, after beating Stephen F. Austin, 76-59, to win the Southland Conference title. Senior guard Javohn Garcia, who erupted for a career-high 31 points in the win, says the Cowboys were not going to let the Lumberjacks end their 27-game winning streak at home.

Cut 4 (10) “…came out victors.”

Cut 25 (04) “…Alligator!”

Obviously, “alligator” has more than three letters, but there are now more than three-million alligators in Louisiana. As such, the Senate Natural Resources Committee approved a bill to create a recreational alligator hunting season. Wildlife and Fisheries General Counsel Garrett Cole says if there is one, interested recreational hunters would be chosen through a lottery.

Cut 11 (10) “…the secretary said.”

Small business owners have a laundry list of issues they’d like to see lawmakers tackle this session. Leah Long, the state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, says navigating Louisiana’s complex taxation system continues to be a minefield for small business owners, and she says that can be alleviated by the legislature implementing a centralized sales tax.

Cut 9 (09)  “…remit sales tax.”

A lawmaker wants to give voters the final say on a minimum wage increase. Baton Rouge Senator Regina Barrow’s proposed constitutional amendment would set Louisiana’s minimum wage to $10.25 an hour, and it would task a state agency to adjust it annually based on the consumer price index. Barrow says too many people in Louisiana still make minimum wage.

Cut 14 (07) “…$7.25 an hour.”

Two men are cited for allegedly shooting and killing a whooping crane in Evangeline Parish last month. Wildlife and Fisheries Corporal Tib Guillory says 36-year-old Logan Thrasher of St. Landry and 33-year-old Manuel Luis of Mexico face up to 120 days in jail and a 950-dollar fine, along with restitution.

Cut 6 (03) “…15-thousand dollars.”

Guillory says Thrasher and Luis were working on a farm where agents located the dead crane. Whooping cranes are an endangered species and, thus, are federally protected.

For the third year in a row, the McNeese Cowboys are going dancing. McNeese beat Stephen F. Austin yesterday, 76-59, to win their third straight Southland Conference title. Senior guard DJ Richards says earning their way back into the NCAA Tournament is an accomplishment no one can take away from them.

Cut 5 (09) “…hard to do.”

A lawmaker wants to give voters the final say on a minimum wage increase. Louisiana is one of 20 states in which the minimum wage aligns with the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, which has not changed since July of 2009. Baton Rouge Senator Regina Barrow says that’s just untenable.

Cut 13 (07)  “…a decent life.”

Barrow’s proposed constitutional amendment would raise the minimum wage to $10.25 an hour, with annual increases in line with the consumer price index.

Small businesses in Louisiana are keeping a keen eye on Baton Rouge as the legislative session gets underway. Leah Long, the state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, says one issue facing many small business owners is the quality of labor, and that’s something that she’d like the legislature to address.

Cut 7 (10) “…go to work.”

Legislation that would allow the Louisiana Wildlife Commission to establish a recreational alligator season has received approval from the Senate Natural Resources Committee. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

A National Guard member is arrested for accidentally shooting and injuring a fellow guardsman. New Orleans Police say 18-year-old Lindz Nagin was handling a gun when it accidentally went off, hitting the victim in the chest. The victim is in stable condition. Nagin is free on five-thousand dollars bond.