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Landry’s plan to send Louisiana National Guard to Texas border brings cost questions

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NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Gov. Jeff Landry’s stated desire to deploy Louisiana National Guard troops to Texas to assist with border security brings with it questions of cost.

Landry, along with a dozen other Republican state governors, visited the Texas-Mexico border on Saturday (Feb. 3), appearing with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for a summit and press conference centered on illegal immigration.

Texas has been preventing federal border patrol agents from using an area in Eagle Pass to process migrants crossing into the state.

“We’re going to be coming back and asking our legislative leadership to find the money necessary to send our National Guard troops here to support Texas,” Landry said.

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During a Monday appearance on the Fox News channel’s Fox & Friends, Landry was asked more about his plans.

Gov. Landry says he wants to send Louisiana National Guard troops to southern border of Texas

“Texas has always been a great big brother to the state of Louisiana,” he said. “They’ve always helped us in our time of need. And now, it’s time for Louisiana to reciprocate. To send National Guard troops down there to help Gov. Abbott and the Texas National Guard to seal the border.”

Retired Army Lt. General Russel Honoré told Fox 8 that Landry has the authority to order such a deployment.

“The governor has command of the Louisiana National Guard,” Honoré said. “It comes to a question that he has proposed to discuss with the legislature, because that deployment would have to come out of the budget of the state of Louisiana.

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Honoré, whose two sons are in the Louisiana National Guard, says members of the service have previously assisted at the border.

“Our National Guard has been to the border before and served honorably there,” he said. “But they were under something we called Title 32, which is reimbursed under the federal government. This would be a state-to-state event.”

Honoré said if Louisiana sends Guard members to Texas, their personal incomes could be affected.

“Many of them work, so they’ll be losing,” Honoré said. “They’d be away from their jobs. Many of them will take pay cuts, because the federal government pays them for housing and what we call ‘separation pay.’ The states don’t pay that.”

Honoré said Abbott would set the rules of engagement for Louisiana guardsmen tasked to his state.

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“Once they go into Texas, they go into a mission that is determined by the governor of Texas. The rules of engagement, as far as what are they to do at the border, that would come out in something they call ‘standard operating procedures,’” Honoré said.

Dillard University political analyst Dr. Robert Collins said National Guard members tend to be deployed for extreme weather or disaster events.

“There are rare occasions when national guardsmen have been deployed from one state to a different state,” Collins said. “But in just about every situation where we can see in the past, it has been specifically to respond to a natural disaster or a mass casualty event — a hurricane, a tornado.”

The National Guard was deployed for Hurricane Katrina in 2005. And Honoré was in charge after the storm and subsequent levee failures and flood swamped New Orleans.

“When Hurricane Katrina hit, our National Guard was in Baghdad (Iraq), and we brought them back home a little earlier to take care the people of Louisiana, because that’s their No. 1 mission,” Honoré said.

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Collins said he thinks Landry will face pushback from some state lawmakers.

“I can’t imagine that’s going to be a popular request, at a time when we’re expecting next fiscal year to have a deficit, and so the state legislature is going to have to deal with that,” Collins said.

On Capitol Hill, the U.S. Senate is working to pass a bipartisan bill to deal with border immigration. But leaders of the Republican-led House of Representatives say the legislation will be “dead on arrival” in the lower chamber.

Honoré is conscious of the political dynamics surrounding border protection.

“The underpinning of all this is the political argument at the national level on securing the border, and all that’s got to be sorted out,” he said.

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Louisiana

First Alert Forecast: Coldest Night of Season in Southwest Louisiana — Here’s What You Need to Know

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First Alert Forecast: Coldest Night of Season in Southwest Louisiana — Here’s What You Need to Know


LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – After enjoying mild weather in the 70s just yesterday, southwest Louisiana is bracing for the coldest night of the season so far, with temperatures expected to plunge well below freezing overnight and wind chills dipping into the teens.

First Alert Forecast(Kplc)

What to Expect Tonight

Temperatures will vary depending on where you live in southwest Louisiana:

First Alert Forecast
First Alert Forecast(Kplc)

Inland areas north of I-10: Temperatures will drop below 32 degrees for 8 to 12 hours, with wind chills potentially reaching the upper teens.

Along I-10: Freezing conditions expected for 5 to 8 hours.

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Coastal areas: Temperatures will dip below freezing for 1 to 2 hours, with the least severe impacts.

Monday morning will be brutally cold to start, but temperatures will gradually warm into the low 50s by afternoon as the sun rises.

First Alert Forecast
First Alert Forecast(Kplc)

Protect Your Pipes

The most immediate concern for homeowners is frozen water pipes. Here’s what you need to know:

If you’ve never had pipe problems before: You likely won’t experience issues tonight. Pipes typically only freeze when temperatures stay below 25 degrees for several hours.

If you’ve had problems in the past: Take precautions now. Cover exposed pipes or leave a faucet dripping slowly. Once temperatures rise above freezing, stop dripping the faucet to avoid wasting water.

Use common sense and assess your home’s vulnerable areas. Every situation is different.

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First Alert Forecast
First Alert Forecast(Kplc)

Other Safety Reminders

  • Outdoor pets: Bring them inside if possible, or ensure they have adequate shelter and unfrozen water.
  • Check on neighbors and friends: Make sure elderly relatives and those living alone are staying warm and safe.
  • Test your smoke detector: Cold weather increases the use of heating sources — make sure your smoke detector is working properly.
  • Dress in layers: If you’ll be outside, bundle up. Wind chills will make it feel significantly colder than the actual temperature.
First Alert Forecast
First Alert Forecast(Kplc)

Looking Ahead

The good news? This cold snap won’t last long. Southerly winds should return as early as Tuesday afternoon, gradually warming temperatures back toward normal.

However, Monday night into Tuesday morning will bring widespread frost with calm winds and temperatures in the 30s.

First Alert Forecast
First Alert Forecast(Kplc)

Another cold front is expected to move through Wednesday night into Thursday, bringing scattered showers. This system won’t be as severe as today’s front, but temperatures will drop slightly by week’s end.

A third cold front may arrive Sunday with scattered showers and possibly a few thunderstorms, though impacts appear minimal.

First Alert Forecast
First Alert Forecast(Kplc)

By Thursday and Friday, temperatures will rebound into the 70s before cooling slightly over the weekend.



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Three takeaways from LSU women’s basketball’s win over Louisiana Tech

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Three takeaways from LSU women’s basketball’s win over Louisiana Tech


LSU women’s basketball started slow but recovered Saturday against Louisiana Tech, head coach Kim Mulkey’s alma mater. Inside New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center, the No. 5 Tigers won 87-61 to improve to 11-0.

Mikaylah Williams led the team with 19 points while Flau’Jae Johnson notched her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Kate Koval and MiLaysia Fulwiley finished with 19 and 10 points, respectively. Jada Richard dished out a game-high eight assists.

Grace Knox, in the first start of her college career, scored four points as part of a 6-0 opening run for LSU, but three three-pointers put Louisiana Tech up with 7:19 on the clock. Back-and-forth play ensued, but the Lady Techsters led by two at the end of the first quarter. They hung around on the glass as well, limiting the Tigers to one and done most times.

LSU woke up in the second quarter and began imposing its physicality. Louisiana Tech didn’t score until the 5:34 mark and racked up fouls, including two on sharp-shooter Paris Bradley. The Tigers were in the bonus for over half of the second quarter but experienced a near-three-minute scoring drought, letting the Lady Techsters hang around. LSU led by nine points heading into the locker room. Both teams shot under 40% in the opening 20 minutes.

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Louisiana Tech kept the game within reach for much of the third quarter but it eventually got away. LSU ended the frame on a 9-0 run and built a 20-point lead for good a minute into the fourth. Turnovers and mental mistakes piled up for the Lady Techsters, which gave the Tigers more chances to push the pace of play. The Tigers went on a 14-2 run over four minutes when substitutes started rolling in. They shot 58.6% in the second half.

LSU lacked success in transition

LSU relies on getting into track meets with opponents quickly to build a comfortable cushion. That didn’t happen Saturday as Louisiana Tech hit its shots to open the game. Even when the Lady Techsters missed, they were comfortable going one-and-done most times as they prioritized getting numbers back to defend. That’s how they kept the score close in the early goings.

In the first half, LSU scored just six points in transition and 11 points off turnovers. The Tigers stepped up on the defensive end in the second half. Even though they didn’t produce the fast break opportunities they’re used to, they were more patient on the offensive end and knocked down their open shots.

Koval, Joyner didn’t get enough touches

As in most of its nonconference games, LSU possesses a substantial size advantage inside. That was the case Saturday but the purple and gold struggled to get the ball inside to Koval and Joyner. When the pair had touches, they often either finished, kicked out for an open shot, or drew a foul. They combined for 21 points on 21 shots from the field and 10 free-throw attempts. LSU scored just 36 points in the paint over the entire game.

Likely driven by Mulkey’s comments at the break. LSU made a concerted effort to pounce on the ball inside. Koval scored over half of her points in the final two quarters. She easily worked with passes over the top of Louisiana Tech’s Averi Aaron and in the high-low when the Lady Techsters went to a zone. The Tigers need to learn from their lack of post play and use their advantage inside, especially as they prepare to play in the SEC.

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Williams led LSU throughout the game

LSU struggled to find rhythm on both ends of the court in the early goings but Williams put the team on her back in the middle two frames. She scored 13 points, including two triples, on four of seven shots from the field. She added five rebounds and three assists over the same span.

Williams played a team-high 32 minutes on Saturday and she played all but two minutes in the first half. The junior displayed much-needed poise to an LSU team that couldn’t settle into the way it wanted to play initially. She also locked in on the defensive end, switching onto Bradley and locking her down for the back half of the contest. Her play in all facets gave the Tigers the confidence that they needed to pull ahead in the second half.



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Photos: LSU women defeats Louisiana Tech in the Smoothie King Center, 87-61

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Photos: LSU women defeats Louisiana Tech in the Smoothie King Center, 87-61


Kramer Robertson, son of Kim Mulkey, New Orleans Pelicans and Saints owner Gayle Benson and Mayor-Elect Helena Moreno sit on the sidelines during the first half of a Compete 4 Cause Classic basketball game between the Louisiana State Tigers and the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)



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