TRANSCRIPT
You’re listening to Red River Radio News.
Good morning, I’m Jeff Ferrell.
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INTRO:
The Southeastern Conference will meet Thursday, September 10, to determine whether to expel LSU athletics from the conference.
This latest development comes after the conference sued LSU officials in an Alabama federal court last week over the school’s attempts to sign former NFL players.
Louisiana Public Radio’s Mel Bridges explains:
SOT:
“The S-E-C claimed LSU’s pursuit of NFL players harms the conference and violates its First Amendment right to enforce its own rules. This, after a Baton Rouge judge blocked the S-E-C from enforcing penalties on schools that recruited players who had signed an NFL contract.”
TAG:
The move needs a two-thirds majority to pass.
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INTRO:
LSU’s home opener against Clemson was the first test of a new state law increasing the penalties for marijuana possession within 2,000 feet of a school zone. That exclusion includes athletic facilities.
Campus Police say they are still gathering information from multiple law enforcement agencies to determine if any marijuana-related arrests were made.
Meanwhile, Governor Jeff Landry has drawn some pushback after he posted a photo of himself at the game with a $400 commemorative box of LSU cigars alongside ESPN personality Pat McAfee.
That pushback comes largely because LSU is a Tobacco-Free Campus.
Southern University political science professor Albert Samuels calls the post ironic:
SOT:
“He's just like his political idol, Donald Trump. We’ll say one thing over here, and then over here will do the opposite. When we do it, it's okay. But the law is for other people.”
TAG:
Landry, who supports tougher penalties for marijuana possession, has said he wants to make LSU games more family-friendly.
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INTRO:
There are some strong indicators that show Louisiana’s economy is heading in the right direction.
That’s the word from Daniel Erspamer.
He’s the Chief Executive Officer of the Conservative think tank known as the Pelican Institute for Public Policy.
Erspamer says Louisiana is doing better than the nation in some respects:
SOT:
“Our gross domestic product, which measures the overall economic activity in the state, grew almost three percent, 2.9%, first quarter of ’26. National rate was 2.1%.”
TAG:
Erspamer says construction, along with professional and business services, and health care sectors all helped to drive economic growth through the first quarter of the year.
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