The Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy is working with the U.S. Geological Survey to try to find a cause for all the earthquakes in northwest Louisiana. Joe Gallinaro reports.

Cut 1 (26) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

Another water main break flooding streets yesterday in Uptown New Orleans, this time near Tulane University.  Officials say a 30-inch water main ruptured around one yesterday afternoon.  It’s the second major break in the Sewerage and Water Board’s tap water pipes this week and fourth since Jan. 31. Police closed the intersection while crews responded to the flooding, as officials said repairs could take up to 24 hours.

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Tiger Rag magazine executive editor Todd Horne is among a trio of Baton Rouge reporters who are suing LSU for refusing to disclose records of public money it’s paying to student athletes. Piper Hutchinson of Louisiana Illuminator and Chris Nakamoto of WAFB-TV are the other two. They’re being represented by Scott Sternberg, who says while the game may have changed, the law has stayed the same.

Cut 10 (13) “…are being spent.”

More good news about auto insurance rates — since the start of last year, nearly 40 companies have filed rate decreases for private passenger auto policies. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says the latest company to do so is Imperial Fire and Casualty Insurance Company, which filed a six-percent decrease on its Value Product.

Cut 4 (05) “…that’s a positive”

The Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy is working with the U.S. Geological Survey to try to find a cause for all the earthquakes in northwest Louisiana. Joe Gallinaro reports.

Cut 1 (26) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

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***NOTE: The owner of Tiger Rag magazine also owns Louisiana Radio Network.***

Three reporters, including the executive editor for Tiger Rag magazine, the owner of which also owns Louisiana Radio Network, are suing LSU for withholding records of payments to athletes. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The Savannah Bananas are bringing their special brand of baseball to the Caesars Superdome this weekend. Colleen Crain has more.

Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

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More good news about auto insurance rates — since the start of last year, nearly 40 companies have filed rate decreases for private passenger auto policies. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says the latest company to do so is Imperial Fire and Casualty Insurance Company, which filed a six-percent decrease on its Value Product.

Cut 4 (05) “…that’s a positive”

IFAC also filed for a three-percent decrease on its Mid-Market Product.

Temple says Allstate North American Insurance Company is also decreasing rates by seven and a half percent on average, which affects more than 17-thousand policies.

The commissioner says customers of the companies that have filed for rate decreases will see the savings when their policy comes up for renewal, and if your rates don’t drop…

Cut 5 (07) “…my auto insurance”

Temple says a fewer number of accidents, which means fewer claims, is driving the decrease in auto insurance rates. He says the reforms approved last year that change how auto crashes are handled in civil court have yet to have an impact on rates.

Cut 6 (12) “…them to do.”

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The Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy is working with the U.S. Geological Survey to get to the bottom of why there’s been a sudden spike in earthquake activity in northwest Louisiana. It was spurred by a magnitude 4.9 quake last week; and since then, there have been a series of other quakes, including four within a ten-minute span early Monday morning. Department spokesman Patrick Courreges (kuh-RAHZH) says one potential cause is what’s called induced seismicity.

Cut 7 (11) “…or faults underground.”

Courreges says as such, C-and-E teams are looking at operations in the area, and they’ve actually been there since December, when the quakes began.

Cut 8 (09) “…supposed to be.”

Courreges says while nothing has turned up yet, seismic staff and field agents are still looking.

Cut 9 (11)  “…find a cause.”

________________________________________________________

***NOTE: The owner of Tiger Rag magazine also owns Louisiana Radio Network.***

Tiger Rag magazine executive editor Todd Horne is among a trio of Baton Rouge reporters who are suing LSU for refusing to disclose records of public money it’s paying to student athletes. Piper Hutchinson of Louisiana Illuminator and Chris Nakamoto of WAFB-TV are the other two. They’re being represented by Scott Sternberg, who says while the game may have changed, the law has stayed the same.

Cut 10 (13) “…are being spent.”

The owner of Tiger Rag magazine also owns Louisiana Radio Network.

Sternberg says Horne, Hutchinson and Nakamoto want to know how much public money is going to the student athletes – and, specifically, how much to which ones.

Cut 11 (10) “…do they get?”

Sternberg says other schools in Louisiana are being just as evasive with this information as LSU, and this is likely happening at other schools across the country. He makes it clear that this lawsuit is only about public money.

Cut 12 (05) “…to see that (2x).”

LSU claims those records are exempt from public disclosure due to federal student privacy law and a state law that exempts NIL agreements from disclosure. In a statement saying it has yet to be served, the university says disclosing the information would put it at a competitive disadvantage.

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The Savannah Bananas are bringing their special brand of baseball to the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans this weekend. Jay Cicero, the CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, says it’s more of a fan focused event for fun — and there’s a game.

Cut 13 (11)  “…it’s pretty special.”

There will be a two-hour game with the fan-focused event tomorrow and Sunday. Cicero says tickets are by lottery, and New Orleans locals who have found it impossible to get tickets in other cities are happy to find them here.

Cut 14 (13) “…to watch them.”

Over 60-thousand fans are expected for each event.

The Superdome is not exactly set up for baseball. But the interest in the Savannah Bananas, both by the organization and the fans, is there; so when the Bananas started playing in football stadiums, beginning with Clemson’s, the idea to bring them to the Superdome was born, and the plans were made to make the dome work as a venue.

Cut 15 (09) “…right field porch.”

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The Saints feel really good about the additions they’ve made to their team this week. The headliner is former Jacksonville Jaguars running back and Jennings native Travis Etienne. Coach Kellen Moore says the 27-year-old is coming off his third one-thousand-yard rushing season, and he also caught a career-high six touchdown passes.

Cut 16 (16) “…him back here.”

The Saints also signed veteran left guard David Edwards. Edwards spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Rams and his last three seasons with the Bills. He watched some film on New Orleans while scouting another team late last season, and what he saw caught his eye.

Cut 17 (19)  “…feel really good.”

The Saints have also brought back 30-year-old linebacker Kaden Elliss on a three-year deal. Elliss has led the Falcons in tackles the last two seasons, and he was a team captain. In 2022 with the Saints, Elliss had a career-high seven sacks. Coach Kellen Moore says it’s hard for offensive coaches to game-plan against Elliss.

Cut 18 (20)  “…really good situation.”

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LSU baseball begins SEC play tonight against Vanderbilt. The Tigers are ranked 13th in the SEC in hitting with a team .291 batting average. Former LSU star and SEC Network college baseball analyst Todd Walker believes the Tigers are a better hitting team then they’ve shown.

Cut 19 (15) “…start falling around.”

Vanderbilt is 10-and-7, and their team ERA is 3.94, which is third worst in the SEC. Walker says their best pitcher is Connor Fennell.

Cut 20 (09) “…type of thing.”

The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office’s legislative package for 2026 focuses on election security. House Bill 691 by Beau Beaullieu would check the state’s voter rolls against the SAVE program to identify potential non-citizens. Secretary Nancy Landry says a recent check of the state’s voter rolls turned up non-citizens who had cast ballots.

Cut 10 (10) “…an eligible voter.”

House Bill 547 by Polly Thomas would prohibit taking pictures of voter registration information in precinct registers. Landry says this is to protect those who haven’t voted yet from intimidation.

Cut 11 (11) “…who had voted.”

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.”

More good news about auto insurance rates. Since the start of last year, nearly 40 companies have filed rate decreases for private passenger auto policies. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says the latest company to do so is Imperial Fire and Casualty Insurance Company, who filed a six-percent decrease on its Value Product.

Cut 4 (06) “…that’s a positive.”

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.”