State Treasurer John Fleming says the K-12 School Transparency Project has identified questionable spending by Louisiana public and charter schools. The online portal which launched last year allows citizens to see how public and charter schools spend taxpayer dollars, and Fleming says it has uncovered potential misuse of public funds.

Cut 7 (09) “…stores and restaurants.”

The Louisiana Department of Health says youth vaping remains a critical public health crisis in the state, and it’s urging parents and teachers to talk to kids about the dangers of vaping. Taylor Reine (“renn”) with LDH says if your kid is trying to quit vaping, there are resources available.

Cut 14 (09) “…counseling quit support.” 

Teens can enroll in Live Vape Free by texting “VAPEFREE” to 873373.

Now more than ever, be on the lookout for stalled vehicles on the shoulder of the roadway. That’s because the state’s long-standing “move over” law has now expanded. State Police Master Trooper Casey Wallace says whereas the old law applied to emergency vehicles, the new law now includes all types of vehicles.

Cut 6 (10) “…broken down, stranded.”

Saints running back Alvin Kamara will miss the start of the regular season with an MCL Sprain suffered during a joint practice with the Cowboys yesterday. The 31-year-old took a pay cut to stay in New Orleans alongside free agent back Travis Etienne this offseason. Locked On Saints podcast host Ross Jackson says his availability was one of the reasons he took that cut.

Cut 9 (11)  “…state level.”

Burn bans are now in effect in around two dozen parishes across Louisiana. Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain says conditions outside are not conducive to burning anything.

Cut 3 (09) “…firefighters to control.”

Saints running back Alvin Kamara will miss the start of the regular season with an MCL sprain. Locked On Saints podcast host Ross Jackson says with Kamara out for the next month and an injury to running back Audric Estime in the first preseason game, there will be more opportunities for others in the room. He says 2023 third-round pick Kendre Miller and 2025 sixth-rounder Devin Neal both returned from injury yesterday.

Cut 10 (12) “…stay on the field.”

Saints head coach Kellen Moore said cornerback Quincy Riley could also miss a couple of weeks with a groin injury.

The Louisiana Department of Health is urging parents and teachers to talk to kids about the dangers of vaping. Jeff Palermo reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

The Louisiana Department of Health reported that a Claiborne Parish resident has been infected by a brain-eating amoeba after swimming in Lake Claiborne. The amoeba is found in freshwater throughout the U.S. and can cause a deadly brain infection when water it is in  rushes up the nose and reaches the brain.

The U-S Fifth Circuit of Court of Appeals has rejected an Angola death row inmate’s attempt to avoid execution for killing two people at a Baton Rouge restaurant in 1995. Todd Wessinger is arguing that his court-appointed attorneys did not provide him effective counsel during his trial. But cicruit court judge Don Willett described Wessinger’s argument as a clever attempt, moving him closer to a possible execution date. 

Burn bans are now in effect in 22 parishes throughout the state. Joe Gallinaro reports.

Cut 1 (28) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

The Louisiana Department of Health says teen vaping continues to be a crisis. According to the 2023 Louisiana Youth Tobacco Survey, 30-percent of high school students and 18-percent of middle school students vape. Taylor Reine with LDH says two factors which contribute to those high numbers are the marketing of vape products to teens and their ease of availability.

Cut 13 (08) “…and retail stores.”

The state has expanded its long-standing “move over” law. Previously, you only had to change lanes when approaching an emergency vehicle on the shoulder. Now, that applies to ANY vehicle. State Police Master Trooper Casey Wallace says there is an allowance if that’s impossible given traffic conditions.

Cut 7 (15) “…with extreme caution.”

The Louisiana Department of Health is urging parents and teachers to talk to kids about the dangers of vaping. Jeff Palermo reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office detained a Ferriday man who made threats against the Departments of Child and Family Services. Reginald McCoy was arrested after calling DCFS and telling them he had shot multiple employees and planned to shoot more in different parishes. No employees were actually harmed.

Nineteen parishes throughout Louisiana have burn bans in effect, mostly in North Louisiana. Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain says more bans could be on the way, and if you live in a parish where there’s not currently a burn ban in effect, still use extreme caution, and never leave a fire unattended.

Cut 5 (13) “…that it causes.”

Saints running back Alvin Kamara will be sidelined for at least a month with an MCL sprain. Cornerback Quincy Riley also left yesterday’s practice early with a groin injury, the severity of which is unknown. Locked On Saints podcast host Ross Jackson says it could be a big loss for the Saints if the second-year starter is unable to return.

Cut 11 (09) “…for New Orleans.”

The Saints hold their final joint practice of the preseason against the Rams tomorrow.

The Louisiana Department of Health has reported a brain-eating amoeba infection in a resident. The department says the resident likely became infected while swimming in Lake Claiborne in Cameron Parish. LDH says the infection may result when freshwater containing the amoeba rushes up one’s nose and reaches the brain. It says while the infection is extremely rare, it’s almost always fatal.

Staying with LDH, it says youth vaping remains a critical public health crisis in the state, and it’s urging parents and teachers to talk to kids about the dangers of vaping. Taylor Reine (“renn”), who oversees the division of chronic disease prevention at LDH, says kids need to know that vaping is no safer than smoking cigarettes.

Cut 12 (13) “…for lifelong addiction.” 

Reine says there are resources available for teens who want to quit vaping, including free text-based counseling support.

Amid hot, dry conditions, burn bans are now in effect in 19 parishes – mainly in north Louisiana, with five parishes being in south Louisiana. Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain says more burn bans could be forthcoming, and they’re always issued at the local level.

Cut 4 (13) “…a burn ban.”

Saints running back Alvin Kamara will miss the start of the regular season with an MCL Sprain suffered during a joint practice with the Cowboys yesterday. The 31-year-old took a pay cut to stay in New Orleans alongside free agent back Travis Etienne this offseason. Locked On Saints podcast host Ross Jackson says his availability was one of the reasons he took that cut.

Cut 9 (11)  “…state level.”

The Louisiana Department of Health says a Claiborne Parish resident has been infected with a brain-eating amoeba after swimming in Lake Claiborne. The brain eating amoeba lives in warm lakes and it can cause a deadly brain infection when water containing amoeba rushes up the nose and reaches the brain. State health officials urge the public that if you go swimming in  warm freshwater, limit the amount of water that goes up your nose.

Burn bans are now in effect in 19 parishes…

Cut 1 (28) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

Louisiana Mid Continent Oil and Gas Association President Tommy Faucheux is hailing the latest offshore lease sale a success as 12 companies submitted 69 bids totaling almost 100-million dollars….

Cut 9 (13) “….to see return”

Faucheux says they will continue advocating for federal policies that encourage increased domestic energy production and capital investment in the Gulf of America.

Louisiana’s long-standing “Move Over Law” has been expanded. The Move Over Law requires motorists to merge into the left lane on four-lane roads when there is an emergency vehicle stopped on the shoulder. The law has been expanded to include all types of vehicles, including passenger vehicles. State Police Master Trooper Casey Wallace….

Cut 8 (10) “…out there”

Burn bans are now in effect in 19 parishes throughout the state. Most are in north Louisiana, along with Jefferson Davis, East Feliciana, St. Helena (hu-LEE-nah), Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes in south Louisiana. Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain says conditions outside are not conducive to burning anything.

Cut 3 (09) “…firefighters to control.”

Now more than ever, be on the lookout for stalled vehicles on the shoulder of the roadway. That’s because the state’s long-standing “move over” law has now expanded. State Police Master Trooper Casey Wallace says whereas the old law applied to emergency vehicles such as police units, fire trucks and ambulances, the new law now includes all types of vehicles, including private passenger vehicles and even motorcycles.

Cut 6 (10) “…broken down, stranded.”

Amazon Web Services says it’s adding a third data center in Northwest Louisiana. This one’s going up at Resilient Technology Park in west Shreveport. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois says Amazon has promised to protect natural resources and invest in infrastructure as it constructs these three data centers.

Cut 14 (05) “…hardening the grid.”

Louisiana nonprofit The Boot has helped 255 service members transition into post-military careers during the previous fiscal year. CEO Benjamin Armstrong says the careers that the servicemembers pursue usually relate in some way to the training they received while serving their country.

Cut 5 (15) “…is another one.”