Louisiana is bracing for the arrival of Tropical Storm Bertha. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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U.S. Census Bureau data shows Louisiana’s population grew by 24-thousand residents in 2024, the state’s first increase since 2017. Kace Kieschnick has more.
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The man referred to as the “Father of the Superdome” is leaving his job on September 4th. Jeff Palermo has more on Doug Thornton’s decision to step down.
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The 2026 fiscal year was a record-breaker for the Louisiana Department of Treasury, as it returned more unclaimed funds than ever before. State Treasurer John Fleming says he and his staff returned 70.9-million dollars to their rightful owners in the last fiscal year.
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Fleming says the biggest check he returned this past fiscal year was one for more than 400-thousand dollars. He says in many instances, people don’t need to do anything to claim the money that’s theirs – the department uses data matches to find the people the money belongs to.
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Fleming reminds you if you get a check in the mail from the Treasury Department and you didn’t ask for it, it’s real and not a scam – go ahead and cash it. And if you’re concerned, you can always call the department for clarification.
Fleming says there’s a lot more money yet to be claimed, and that money will never be placed in the state’s general fund.
Cut 6 (07) “…claimed their property.”
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The far southeastern Louisiana coast is bracing for the arrival of Tropical Storm Bertha. As of yesterday evening, when the storm was leaving Florida’s longitude, Bertha was packing maximum sustained winds of 60 miles an hour. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says that’s where it will likely top out at.
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Keim says the latest forecast track has it making landfall near Buras, in Plaquemines Parish, either late this afternoon or early this evening.
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The New Orleans area will feel the worst of it tomorrow evening, with sustained winds of between 15 and 20 miles an hour, with gusts of between 30 and 35 miles an hour. Keim says while coastal areas will get a good amount of rainfall, those readings will drop off considerably once you move inland.
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Advocacy group Leaders for a Better Louisiana says there are encouraging signs the state is making strides in ending years of out-migration. Better Louisiana CEO Adam Knapp says the most positive sign is that in 2024, the state grew by 24-thousand people. Knapp says Louisiana’s population grew for the first time since 2017 because fewer people moved away.
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Knapp says their research found 84-thousand people left the state in 2024, the lowest number since 2010. Knapp says a deeper dive into the number finds that younger families are moving into the state.
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Knapp says Louisiana will unfortunately lose residents to Texas, but they’re seeing a trend where people are moving to Louisiana from states where the cost of living is much higher.
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A heavy hitter in the New Orleans sports scene is leaving his post. Doug Thornton, who has managed Caesars Superdome since 1997, is leaving his job on September 4th. The Dome hosted its first Saints game in 1975; and to this day, it still hosts Super Bowls, major college football games and other big events.
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Thornton oversaw the massive renovation of the Dome following Hurricane Katrina. Another four-year, 560-million-dollar renovation was completed in 2024.
The Superdome is set to host a college football semifinal game in January and a CFP National Championship game in 2028. Thornton has played a critical role in New Orleans hosting big sporting events.
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Thornton says one of his biggest career highlights is the reopening of the Superdome in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina. That includes the 2007 Essence Festival, the first major music concert in the Dome post-Katrina.
Thornton also played a role in bringing an NBA franchise to New Orleans in 2002. His job with Legends Global also had him involved in the largest stadium project in the world, the Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong.
Thornton says he’s not retiring and plans to remain active in New Orleans, but he says he’s thoroughly enjoyed his time as the so-called father of the Louisiana Superdome.
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Thornton was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 for spearheading the rebuilding and reopening of the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina.
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Southland Conference Media Day was held in Houston yesterday. Southeastern Louisiana made the FCS playoffs with a 9-and-3 record last season. Quarterback Kyle Lowe returns to a team that ninth-year coach Frank Scelfo says has conference championship aspirations.
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Tommy Rybacki enters his second year as Nicholls’ head coach after ten seasons as the defensive coordinator. The Colonels went 4-and-4 in the conference and 4-and-8 overall, and he expects improvement in year two. He says big-picture success comes from daily effort.
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Blaine McCorkle has won just one game since taking over as the Northwestern State head coach in 2024. He says year one, they cleared the rubble; year two, they laid the foundation, and now year three is the time to start changing the scoreboard.
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McNeese coach Matt Viator (VEE-uh-tore) enters year two of his second stint in Lake Charles. The Cowboys were 5-and-7 and 4-and-4 in Southland play last season. Starting quarterback Jake Strong is back, and Viator says he loves this year’s team.
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LSU visits Auburn on October 24th. Former South Florida head coach Alex Golesh now leads the Tigers. At SEC Media Days yesterday, he said a successful year one would establish a foundation and identity. His goal is not just to win games.
Cut 20 (19) “…every single game.”