On the eve of 2nd anniversary of legal mobile sports betting in Louisiana, former LSU football star Kayshon Boutte turns himself in on charges he allegedly made illegal sports bets while underage and at LSU. Colleen Crain has more…
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”
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The 2024 crawfish season remains murky despite a couple of days of heavy rainfall. Teiko Foxx explains…
Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”
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Congressman Garret Graves says what fellow Republicans did to his district when they revised the map to have a second majority -Black district won’t hold up in court. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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The arrest of former LSU football star Kayshon Boutte for allegedly making illegal sports bets when he was a minor and at LSU comes the day before the 2nd anniversary of legal mobile sports betting in Louisiana. Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns says protecting the integrity of gaming is something the state takes seriously…
Cut 4 (08) “…who it is.”
Boutte’s arrest warrant says more than $637,000 in wagers were allegedly made from a fraudulent FanDuel Sportsbook account he allegedly made. An alert was triggered and sent to the State Police when seven different bets were made on one game. Johns says when it comes to enforcing the rules, the board is on top of their game…
Cut 5 (07) “…things like this.”
Investigators were following Boutte’s activities from April 2022 to May 2023 and say he placed more than 89-hundred wagers including 17 on NCAA football games. Boutte was playing football for LSU in 2022 but Johns confirms evidence shows Boutte was not throwing games…
Cut 6 (06) “…in any way.”
Boutte face charges of computer fraud and gaming prohibited and placing sports bets under the age of 21. Anyone who needs help can reach out to Gamblers Anonymous by calling 855- CALL GA
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Despite several inches of rainfall, LSU AgCenter Crawfish Specialist Mark Shirley says Louisianans will not see a boost in what’s expected to be a dismal crawfish season. He says the rain will help flush ponds but will not increase crawfish harvest.
Cut 7 (13) “…normal year.”
Last summer’s historic drought impacted this year’s crawfish harvest. Eighty-eight percent of the Bayou State is still experiencing some level of drought, according to today’s U-S drought monitor.
Shirley says some farmers produced zero crawfish, while others did not have quite an average production. He says prices have sky-rocketed for buyers who are purchasing less this year.
Cut 8 (09) “…of year.”
Louisiana farmers on average produce 100 to 120 million pounds of crawfish per year, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Shirley says he’s hopeful for an increase in harvest this year, but it’s still a waiting game.
Cut 9 (13) “…and see.”
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Republican Congressman Garret Graves, whose district was redrawn says he still intends to run for office despite that his district is now more likely to elect a Democrat. Graves criticizes lawmakers for passing a map he believes was haphazardly drawn to satisfy only a demographic versus communities of interests.
Cut 10 (12) “…of Louisiana.”
Graves says the map is almost a carbon copy of the one the courts rejected in the 90s and he’s confident it will happen again. While some lawmakers say they had no choice but to pass a map with two majority-Black districts Graves says otherwise, that the map had yet to make its way to a merits trial.
Cut 11 (10) “…ridiculous.”
In the meantime, he says he’ll see how it plays out in the courts and because he’s in line to become the new chair of House Transportation, which oversees funding for roads and bridges, coastal restoration, and FEMA, to name a few. Graves says he might look at running in another one of the four congressional districts that include Baton Rouge.
Cut 12 (09) “…Transportation Committee.”
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On a 3-to-2 vote, the Louisiana Public Service Commission votes to create a statewide energy efficiency program. Opponents say it will lead to higher bills, but PSC member Davante Lewis says Entergy, Cleco, SWEPCO, and other utility companies regulated by the commission can tap into federal dollars to make their homes more energy efficient.
Cut 13 (10) “…is low.”
Commissioners Craig Greene and Foster Campbell also voted for the energy efficiency plan. Campbell believes it will lead to less energy usage for many, helping to lower customers’ bills…
Cut 14 (08) “…unnecessary energy.”
The P-S-C will hire a third-party administrator to design and implement the program and monitor utilities for compliance and progress. PSC member Eric Skrmetta this is why he voted against this plan…
Cut 15 (08) …waste of money.“
Skrmetta says utility companies already have energy efficiency programs that customers can use, so there’s no need for a third-party administration. He believes in the long run this deal will end up costing customers…
Cut 16 (11) “…the state.”
Mike Francis of Crowley also voted no.
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We are three weeks away from opening day and the defending LSU baseball champions are once again contenders to win another national title. Shreveport’s Hayden Travinski is one of the stars who is returning from last year’s team and he’ll wear jersey number eight this year, which goes to an upperclassman for their leadership and dedication to the LSU program. Travinski on learning to be a leader…
Cut 17 (13) “…the favor.”
Travinski could have decided to pursue a professional baseball career after last season, but the former Airline star wanted one more year in purple and gold…
Cut 18 (16) “…our job.”
LSU’s top two starting pitchers from last year, Paul Skenes and Ty Floyd, have moved on. Thatcher Hurd is expected to be the Tigers Friday night starter. After some early season troubles, Hurd finished the season strong and was the winning pitcher in the championship game. Travinksi expects a big season from Hurd…
Cut 19 (12) “…get to work.”
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The 9th-ranked LSU Lady Tigers led for most of the game, but South Carolina played with poise down the stretch and left Baton Rouge with a 76-70 victory. The Gamecocks outscored LSU 24-14 in the fourth quarter and LSU star player Angel Reese fouled out with about four minutes left. Coach Kim Mulkey says it’s a tough loss, but there’s still plenty of season left…
Cut 20 (14) “…just one game.”
Mulkey says South Carolina was the tougher team.