NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A Louisiana State University student is spending his summer vacation unlike most college students, he’s currently on tour with country music star Tim McGraw.

The 21-year-old music sensation Timothy Wayne shares a special connection to McGraw.

God made this country boy to go on tour this summer with country superstar and Louisiana native McGraw.

“Tim McGraw’s my uncle, and he’s been one of my heroes and idols,” said Wayne.

Wayne is an LSU history major in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He’s signed to a major record label, UMG Nashville, and just happens to be McGraw’s nephew. His mom and manager, Sandy, is McGraw’s sister.

Wayne grew up in Franklin, Tennessee, but chose to go to LSU.

“When I went down and saw all the oak trees and met all the people, I fell in love. I made my decision while I was in Baton Rouge that I was going to LSU. Another reason I chose LSU is because the history there is extremely rich and I’m a huge history buff,” he said.

He said that he didn’t ask if he could go on tour with his famous uncle.

“I didn’t really ask. I started singing junior year of high school well into college and it blossomed from there. After I signed my record deal and made a name for myself, is what like I had what it takes to go on tour,” he said.

McGraw said on social media that his nephew is the “real deal.” Speaking of deals, how did Wayne get his record deal with UMG Nashville? It all started after he performed at the famous Nashville bar Bluebird Cafe.

“I went there to do a song and someone from the crowd videotaped it, and it made its way to UMG,” he said.

He hasn’t slowed down since. His debut song, “God Made A Country Boy,” is proof that this country boy’s got the goods.

“‘God Made A Country Boy’ is a lesson on how to be a good person. There’s a line in the song, my favorite line in the song, ‘We need someone who just believes and doesn’t hate you if you don’t agree,’” he said.

Something he soon won’t forget is his summer tour with enough material to write a paper at LSU as to how he spent his summer vacation.

“I got a lot of hard work and a lot of miles to go. Going to be an awesome journey,” he said.

Next, McGraw’s “Standing Room Only” Tour heads to Phoenix, then California. In the fall, Wayne will head back to start his junior year at LSU.

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(KLFY) — If you feel especially unsafe in the Pelican State lately, there is some data that confirms that notion.

A study by a California law firm ranks Louisiana as the second most dangerous state in the country.

Louisiana trails only New Mexico in the ranking, with Arkansas placing third, followed by Alaska and Missouri.

Research by the firm of Caputo and Van Der Walde injury and accident attorneys has revealed the states in which you are more likely to find yourself a victim of crime, injury, or death from over 10 different metrics. These include traffic fatalities, workplace injuries, firearm mortality, railway injuries, and crimes against persons and property, which include physical and sexual assault, homicide, burglary, and larceny. Each factor was used to produce a final score out of 100 used to determine the ranking. 

Louisiana has the most cases of traffic accidents with at least one fatality per billion miles (10.44). The state also has the second most assault offences per 100,000 of the population (502.31). The average across all states is 260.19, so Louisiana ranks much higher on average. Louisiana also has some of the most fatal injuries at work, with 2.62 per 100,000 of the population.

New Mexico topped the rankings despite not being the worst in any single category in the study.

Most dangerous states to live in (Rankings) 

Sources 

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Louisiana saw handle and revenue rise year-on-year during May. New Hampshire, however, reported lower revenue despite an increase in player spending.

Overall spend on sports betting in the state in May hit $256.7m (£203.1m/€240.1m), 31.6% higher than the same month last year. Of this total, $238.3m was bet online, with the other $18.4m wagered at retail sportsbooks.

Former Louisiana State University (LSU) national basketball champion Angel Reese signed to the WNBA team Chicago Sky in May at the start of the league’s four month season, this likely encouraged increased betting activity in the state during the month.

Revenue growth in Louisiana 

As for gross gaming revenue from sports betting, this totalled $33.5m. The figure is 18.8% up on the previous year and marginally ahead of $33.0m in April.

Online betting accounted for $31.2m of all sports wagering revenue in May. Revenue from the retail market amounted to $2.3m.

Parlay betting drew the most revenue across both channels, with online at $21.3m and retail $1.4m. For a single sport, basketball was the biggest money-maker for online at $2.2m, whereas baseball took top spot in the retail sector with revenue of $479,857.

In terms of tax, online betting generated $5.5m in May, with retail at $244,950.

For the year to date, total wagered in Louisiana hit $3.12bn during the 10 months to the end of May. This includes $2.85bn in online bets and $275.6m in retail wagers.

Revenue-wise, for the whole market, this hit $361.8m for the same period. Some $333.4m is from online betting and $28.5m retail wagering.

Handle down again in New Hampshire

Turning now to New Hampshire, total spend in May hit $58.0m. This is 11.3% higher than last year but down 3.2% from April. It is also the second consecutive month of decline in the state.

Players spent $51.7m betting online in April compared to the $6.3m wagered at retail books.

As for revenue, this topped $6.5m in May. This is 7.1% lower than last year, despite higher spending, but 22.6% more than April and its higher handle.

Of all revenue generated in May, $5.9m came from online betting and $652,270 the retail sector.

New Hampshire generated $2.8m in tax from sports betting during the month. This includes $2.5m from online wagers and $293,521 retail bets.

For the year to date, total spend in New Hampshire during the 10 months to the end of May was $703.7m. This comprises $616.9m in online wagers and $86.8m in retail bets.

In terms of revenue, the total generated in the same period hit $71.5m. This includes some $64.5m from the online sector and $7.0m retail.