People who need food assistance are turning to food banks amid the federal government shutdown. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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The LSU Board of Supervisors selects a new president today. Jeff Palermo has more from the perceived front-runner, McNeese president Wade Rousse.
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The number-five ranked LSU women’s basketball team begins their season tonight as the Tigers host Houston Christian at 7 p.m. Andre Champagne has more.
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Food Banks throughout Louisiana are feeling the burden of the federal government shutdown. Pat Van Burkleo, the executive director of Feeding Louisiana, says food banks already came under financial hardship earlier this year, with the change in presidential administrations.
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Van Burkleo says amid those funding cuts, other entities are stepping up to help.
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Van Burkleo says you can help too – and while the thought of a food donation is certainly appreciated, leave the food at home and simply donate cash.
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Van Burkleo says it’s important to note that food banks were never intended to replace federal programs like SNAP during government shutdowns, and that the federal government needs to take the lead in handling this.
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With Sunday’s time change, that means it is now getting dark much earlier. If you get off work at six p-m, you will be driving home in total darkness. Governor Landry has used the occasion of the end of Daylight Saving Time to proclaim this week as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, which is a national campaign led by the National Sleep Foundation. Greg Fischer with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says sleep deprivation is on par with intoxication.
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Fischer says when it comes to driving, doing so after depriving yourself of sleep is the same as doing so after drinking to the point of exceeding the legal blood-alcohol limit.
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Fischer says drowsy driving has had deadly consequences in Louisiana.
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The LSU Board of Supervisors meets this morning to select a new president. The three finalists are University of Alabama provost James Dalton, former University of Arizona president and Mississippi native Robert Robbins and McNeese State president Wade Rousse, who is the favorite. Currently, the LSU president oversees the entire system and the Baton Rouge campus. Rousse believes they should be separated.
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Rousse believes there should be an LSU system president and a chancellor for the flagship campus. That’s how it was for many years before those roles were combined in 2012.
Rousse has been serving as McNeese’s president in 2024. Before becoming president, Rousse served in several administrative positions at the Lake Charles school since 2019.
McNeese is a non-research regional university and LSU’s goal is to become one of the top 50 public research universities in the country. But Rousse says he understands how the research process works.
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Rousse says if named the next president, he wants to tackle the deferred maintenance issues at the LSU campuses.
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The LSU Board of Supervisors’ meeting will begin at 9 a.m.
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Pelicans’ coach Willie Green is officially on the hot seat after the team’s 0-and-6 start to the season, with half of those losses by lopsided scores. Green says he understands the criticism and takes responsibility for the poor start.
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Green’s discussions with the Pelicans front office, including executive vice president Joe Dumars, remain focused on finding a quick solution to improve the season.
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New Orleans most recently extended Green’s contract in the 2023 offseason.
Green acknowledges the outside noise about his job security but says he is focused on blocking it out and turning the season around.
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In Green’s four season with the Pelicans, New Orleans has made the playoffs twice.
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LSU will play its first game since Brian Kelly was fired this weekend against fourth-ranked Alabama. Interim head coach Frank Wilson believes that the Tigers are a much better team than they were when they played Texas A&M.
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Wilson says LSU will go through a more physical Tuesday practice, which will feature more game-like simulations for both the offensive and defensive units.
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LSU’s rushing offense ranks 15th in the SEC, averaging just 106 yards on the ground a game. In Alabama’s lone loss of the season, Florida State rushed for 230 yards. Wilson says running the ball effectively will be a key to beating the Crimson Tide this Saturday.
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