Louisiana
Louisiana State University student spends summer performing on tour with Tim McGraw
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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It’s report card day for Louisiana schools and many have reason to celebrate.
Statewide, 44% of elementary and middle schools and 70% of high schools earned an A or B based on academic results from the 2024-2025 school year, according to state data released Thursday. Collectively, Louisiana’s public schools earned a B, and the statewide performance score grew by nearly one point to 80.9 — the highest it’s been since the current rating system launched over a decade ago.
But for many schools, the good grades won’t last.
Next year, a tougher rating system will kick in. To help prepare schools and the public for the shift, the Louisiana Department of Education released simulated grades this year alongside schools’ official grades. The simulated grades, which carry no weight, show how schools would have fared this year had the new system been in effect. It’s the first public preview of how grades will likely change when the revamped rating system launches in 2026.
For elementary and middle schools, the results would look similar to today: Most would earn the same or better grades, with just 16% getting lower ratings. But for high schools, the difference would be dramatic: 76% would get lower grades under the revised rating system.
The searchable table below shows the actual grade each school and district earned this year, as well as simulated grades based on the revised system.
The next table shows school and district performance scores. The 2024 and 2025 scores are on a 150-point scale, while the simulated scores are on a 100-point scale.
Louisiana
LDWF Announces $5.2 Million for Conservation Projects through the Louisiana Outdoors Forever Program
Today, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced that the Louisiana Outdoor Forever (LOF) Project Selection Board voted to fund 5 conservation projects in Louisiana based on the review, evaluation, and scoring received from LOF’s Technical Advisory Board. The LOF program will allocate $921,350 and leverage $4.29 million for a total conservation investment of $5.21 million to these projects. The LOF program is administered by the LDWF and helps Louisiana become more competitive in securing grant opportunities.
Projects selected for funding:
Project Name
Project Location
Organization
Funding Amount Requested
Match Funds
Total Project Amount
Bayou L’Ours Phase V Terraces
Golden Meadow, Lafourche Parish, LA; 29°24’44.71″N, 90°8’52.90″W
Ducks Unlimited / Partner with Lafourche Parish
$213,500.00
$3,485,641.00
$3,699,141.00
Enhancing Wood Duck Habitat in Pearl River WMA through Duck Box Installation and Community Ed.
Pearl River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) below Indian Village Road on West and Middle Pearl River
Southern Quacker Wildlife Conservation (SQWC) / Partner with LDWF
$8,000.00
$6,000.00
$14,000.00
Enhancing Mottled Duck Breeding Habitat in Southwest Louisiana
Multiple parishes in Southwest Louisiana
Ducks Unlimited / Partner with LDWF
$100,000.00
$200,000.00
$300,000.00
Napoleonville Bayou Access and Emergency Boat Launch Project
Bayou Lafourche – right descending bank; Assumption Parish
Bayou Lafourche Fresh Water District
$500,000.00
$500,000.00
$1,000,000.00
Beechwood-Bayou Sara Tunica Hills Protection
Beechwood Tract and Sleepy Hollow Tract in West Feliciana Parish
The Nature Conservancy / partner with LDWF
$99,850.00
$99,850.00
$199,700.00
Total
$921,350.00
$4,291,491.00
$5,212,841.00
The Louisiana Outdoors Forever (LOF) Program was created during the 2022 legislative session with House Bill 762 to provide funding for outdoor conservation projects across the state.
You can also sign up for meeting and Louisiana Outdoors Forever press releases by visiting here and selecting an interest of “Conservation.”
ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) – Economic development is on the rise in Cenla and across the Pelican State, and leaders hope to capitalize on it.
Adam Knapp was the keynote speaker at a meeting for the Rotary Club of Alexandria this week. He leads the organization “Leaders for a Better Louisiana” as its CEO.
Knapp said the biggest concern they’ve seen is that some regions of the state do really well with development and some have had a tougher time of it.
What Knapp said he’s been impressed by is the state writing a brand new economic development strategy plan, which he said hasn’t been done in almost 20 years.
“They did that where they kind of quilted together a plan from Louisiana Central, a plan from Southwest Louisiana, from Northeast, Northwest Louisiana, and they said, ‘We need a statewide plan that is a combination of all the things all our metro areas need in order to drive successful economic development visions forward,’” he explained.
Knapp said it’s up to citizens and community leaders to ask for a focus on jobs from state leaders.
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