Bone-chilling cold — Jeff Palermo reports that is how you can sum up this weekend’s forecast.
Cut 1 (27) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
____________________________________________
The Rockin’1000 musicians are getting ready for tomorrow night’s big show – emphasis on the word “big.” Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 2 (36) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
____________________________________________
Flying will get even more expensive starting on Sunday for those who do not have a REAL ID, a passport, a military ID or one of the other acceptable forms of identification. Andre Champagne has more.
Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”
______________________________________________
Get ready for more frigid temperatures. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says another arctic air mass moves into the state, and temperatures will drop like a rock later today.
Cut 4 (11) “…in coastal parishes.”
Keim says it will also be very windy on Saturday.
Cut 5 (13) “…in some locations.”
Keim says low temperatures on Sunday will also be in the 20s, but at least it will be less windy on Sunday.
Cut 6 (08) “…and Baton Rouge.”
Keim says we’ll see below freezing temperatures for most of the state Monday morning too. But there will be no winter precipitation, so travel will not be impacted.
______________________________________________________
The one-thousand musicians that comprise the Rockin’1000 started the process of coming together as one yesterday, as rehearsals for tomorrow night’s show got underway. As anyone who has played in a band would tell you, getting even the smallest group of musicians in sync with one another is a tall task; the task of getting one-thousand of them to play in sync is gargantuan. That’s a task bestowed on Music Director Daniel Plentz; he says first of all, the songs are specially arranged.
Cut 7 (09) “…endings and dynamics.”
As the first rehearsal got underway yesterday, each section – drums, guitar, bass, keyboard – rehearsed their parts individually so that they could get the tempo down. Plentz, who will also be one of the two conductors during tomorrow night’s show, says that’s also accomplished with a special track piped into each musician’s headphones.
Cut 8 (12) “…when to start.”
Plentz says the click track is far more advanced and much easier for the musicians than what organizers resorted to when they did their first video back in 2015.
Cut 9 (10) “…of those lights.”
______________________________________________________________
While flu cases in Louisiana have decreased considerably since the holiday season, Louisiana remains one of the hardest-hit states for the virus. Dr. Sandra Kemmerly, an infectious disease specialist at Ochsner Health, says while a major cause of spreading the virus is being indoors, hunkering down during this past winter storm shouldn’t cause a spike.
Cut 10 (13) “…really realizing it.”
Of course, we’re in the middle of Carnival season, and that also means large crowds. Dr. Kemmerly says the weather will be a major indicator of whether that will yield a spike in flu cases.
Cut 11 (12) “…could be sick.”
Kemmerly says the flu is nothing to be taken lightly, and people need to protect themselves by practicing basic hygiene and getting their annual flu shots.
Cut 12 (09) “…which is preventable.”
So far this flu season in Louisiana, 26 people, including one child, have died from the flu.
______________________________________________________________
Starting Sunday, if you do not have proper identification it will cost you a little more to fly. Travelers that do not present an acceptable form of identification at the security checkpoint will have to pay a new 45-dollar “Identity Verification Fee.” TSA spokesman Gervais Joubert says there are certain acceptable forms of ID to fly.
Cut 13 (11) “…on TSA.gov.”
If you do not have a valid ID to get through the security checkpoint at the airport, travelers can visit TSA’s website to fill out a mandatory identity verification form. Joubert says the processing fee costs 45 dollars.
Cut 14 (14) “…identity verification process.”
The verification is valid for 10 days starting from the date of the initial flight. According to the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles, nearly 1.6-million people in Louisiana have a REAL ID-compliant drivers license or ID card. Joubert says there are still a few Americans who do not have any credentials needed in order to board a flight.
Cut 15 (10) “…over the years.”
______________________________________________________
In 2025, LSU baseball had one of the best pitching staffs in the entire country. Not only did the Tigers have great starters in Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson, but they also had several reliable relievers. LSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie says junior left-handed pitcher Santiago Garcia, a transfer from Oregon, is going to be a key arm out of the bullpen this year.
Cut 16 (15) “…above average pitches.”
Yeskie says one of the best pitchers in the fall has been left-handed sophomore Ethan Plog, a junior college transfer from Iowa Western Community College. Yeskie says Plog’s unique delivery to the plate makes it tough on hitters.
Cut 17 (15) “…comes into play.”
LSU is getting one of its season veterans back in 2026 with redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Gavin Guidry. Guidry missed last season due to a back injury, but Yeskie says the Lake Charles native is ready to contribute this season.
Cut 18 (12) “…any given day.”
______________________________________________________
Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis is in Mobile this week, along with other coaches and personnel, to evaluate players at the Senior Bowl. Loomis says this year’s draft class has an abundance of quality players.
Cut 19 (16) “…really good thing.”
One of the players at the Senior Bowl is LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, the son of Saints’ offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier. Loomis says evaluating Nussmeier presents a unique situation.
Cut 20 (15) “…can’t remember it.”