Louisiana

OUInsider – Early offense propels Sooners past Louisiana, Liberty

Published

2 years ago

March 2, 2024

OUInsider – Early offense propels Sooners past Louisiana, Liberty

NORMAN â Patty Gasso and the players acknowledged that Friday’s opening day at Love’s Field was an emotional and sometimes challenging one.

But on Saturday â their second day at their new stadium â the Sooners were more settled in. They opened their doubleheader with an 8-0 win over Louisiana before closing it with a 15-3 win over Liberty.

Two games, two run-rule victories.

While they’re still getting adjusted to their new surroundings, Saturday was clearly a step forward.

“I was kind of mesmerized by just how many people were watching and just being in the best stadium in the country is hard to wrap my brain around while I was playing,” Jayda Coleman said on Saturday. “But today was definitely more settled in.”

Gasso saw a difference in her team, too.

“I think we got comfortable in our new house a little more,” Gasso said. “Definitely felt a difference. They were confident. Just still feeling out a little bit. Like the wind flow is different. I mean thereâs some things weâre trying to learn about the stadium. But definitely the jitters were out and they played the way theyâre capable of.”

Here’s some takeaways and notes from the second round of games at Love’s Field:

Oklahoma 8, Louisiana 0 (five innings)

â True sophomore Kierston Deal made her first circle appearance at Love’s Field and delivered a solid performance, allowing three hits and no runs with two strikeouts in 4.0 innings. Paytn Monticelli allowed two hits and no runs in relief.

Deal has played significantly better since the early struggles during opening weekend. In her last 16 innings, Deal has allowed just seven hits and no runs with 18 strikeouts.

“There was a lot of confidence there,” Gasso said. “It’s been really fun to watch her â well it wasn’t fun to watch her first appearance. But to see her response to it has been really incredible. It’s a good testimony to just believing in yourself. She got that back and she didn’t let it lay it all out on that first weekend. So I’ve been really happy with her performance. We need that right now. Our pitching staff got a little roughed up this weekend and we’ve got some work to do.”

â Alyssa Brito was sensational: three hits (all doubles), three runs and two RBIs.

â Gasso did a lot of tinkering with the lineup. The highlights? Riley Ludlam started at first base instead of Cydney Sanders, Rylie Boone batted first while usual leadoff hitter Jayda Coleman was in the nine spot.

“Weâre really into analytics,” Gasso said. “And it does make a difference. And they know that. Itâs not, âOh, Jayda all of a sudden youâre in the nine.â Itâs strategic. We set them up for success by what pitcher is on the mound and who â maybe I like balls that are up and itâs a down-ball pitcher. Maybe I should be lower in the lineup or maybe I make a switch. I mean itâs all about that. Or sometimes Iâm just trying to get some of these guys off their feet a little bit. Booneâs been hot. Booneâs been really hot.

“The nine-one is really a nice combo whether itâs these two or even Avery in the nine with Jayda. Sometimes Boone is one, Jayda two or Boone two, Jayda one. I mean we can do a lot of things but it does have a lot to do with lefty-righty matches versus who we think weâre gonna face. So Iâm really writing out three different lineups.”

â The Sooners’ lone home run came from Ludlam.

Oklahoma 15, Liberty 3 (five innings)

â Sanders returned to her usual place at first base and also got things started with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the second inning. She finished the game with two hits, a run, a walk and a team-high four RBIs.

Sanders has now been walked nine times this season, the most on the team.

“She’s feeling a little bit of press from other people that are working out over at first and again, you can either say, ‘No, I have to, I have to, I’ve got to,’ or you say, ‘This is my spot. Give me the bat, let me show you,’” Gasso said. “That’s kind of what I felt from her today. She’s going to fight for that. We know how capable she is. She has shown it since her freshman year at Arizona State. She’s fighting and that’s good.”

â Friday’s game Miami (OH) was a bit of a struggle for Nicole May, who surrendered back-to-back home runs in the top of the first. There were no such issues against Liberty, as May surrendered one hit and no runs in three innings.

Karlie Keeney pitched one inning in relief against her former team. Kelly Maxwell closed it out in the fifth inning but did surrender back-to-back home runs.

â Ludlam snagged another start, this time as the designated player. Freshman Ella Parker, who has made 12 starts as the designated player, didn’t start either game but saw two at-bats.

â Tiare Jennings hit her sixth home run of the season in the second inning. That briefly tied Brito for the team lead in home runs, before Brito hit a two-run bomb in the fourth inning to reclaim the top spot.

â The Sooners recorded 17 hits, their most in a game this season. Of their 12 runs, eight of them came with two outs on the board.

â The Sooners are now 18-0 on the season and nine run-rule victories. They’ve won 71 games in a row dating back to last season.

â Up next: The Sooners conclude the OU Tournament against Louisiana at 12:30 p.m. Sunday (ESPN+).

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Louisiana

AI regulation clashing with business lobby in Louisiana

Published

6 hours ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

AI regulation clashing with business lobby in Louisiana

Nolan Mckendry
| The Center Square

(The Center Square) − Louisiana lawmakers have filed more than 20 bills this session touching on artificial intelligence, but only a narrow slice of them has moved so far.

The clearest momentum has come on bills dealing with child exploitation. Senate Bill 42 by Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, which prohibits using artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse materials, passed the Senate 36-0 and was sent to the House the next day.

Senate Bill 110 by Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, bars using a child’s image to train an artificial intelligence model to produce child sexual abuse materials, also advanced out of the Senate and is now pending in the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee. But the broader regulatory push has moved far more slowly.

Rep. Josh Carlson, R-Lafayette, told The Center Square the efforts have run into familiar resistance from business groups wary of state-by-state regulation.

“Anything that effects business they say is bad for business,” Carlson told The Center Square.

Carlson has a bill that would create a Louisiana AI Bill of Rights, restrict certain chatbot uses involving minors, create disclosure rules for bots and AI-generated advertising, and bar the state from contracting for AI products tied to foreign countries of concern. Carlson is still working to get his bill added to the Commerce committee’s agenda.Another bill that has managed to make progress is HB190 by Rep. Laurie Schlege, R-Metarie. It passed the House 98-0. Two days after, an op-ed submitted to The Center Square from Citizens for a New Louisiana charged the law as “one that threatens to stifle innovation, burden small businesses and startups.” The op-ed suggested amending the bill, but Schlegel hasn’t budged so far.

Senate Bill 246 by Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, was scheduled for Senate floor debate Monday but was postponed twice, first to Tuesday and then to Wednesday. The delay followed Luneau’s promise to the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry that he would amend the bill after the group sent a memo warning it could create “unnecessary compliance burdens for businesses operating across the state.”

“AI systems are inherently interstate and global, making them better suited for a consistent federal framework rather than fragemented state oversight,” the memo continued. “SB246 risks placing Louisiana at a competitive disadvantage while duplicating efforts more appropriately handled by Congress.” The memo mentioned a December executive order from the Trump administration which instructed federal officials to identify “onerous” state AI laws and said states with such laws could be barred from receiving certain remaining BEAD broadband funds, to the maximum extent allowed by federal law.

Louisiana has $800 million in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program funding that could be revoked. Responding to questions about concerns that his bill might violate that order, Edmonds told The Center Square, “I don’t see this as over regulation.” He said that, so far, he has heard no concerns with his bill.

Edmonds acknowledged concerns that overregulation could inhibit the use and development of AI, but said that his bill was specific and would not.

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Louisiana

Venture Global CP2 construction site in Cameron cleared after no threat found

Published

19 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Venture Global CP2 construction site in Cameron cleared after no threat found

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – The Venture Global CP2 construction site in Cameron has been cleared after a bomb threat was made Sunday, according to a spokesperson from Venture Global.

The bomb threat came in around noon on Sunday, according to officials. Louisiana State Police hazmat and bomb squads were called to investigate.

No shelter in place was deemed necessary and no roads were closed, according to the Cameron Parish Sheriff’s Office.

A Venture Global spokesperson released the following statement:

“Venture Global was made aware of a bomb threat at our CP2 site and immediately activated our established emergency response protocols. We are coordinating closely with state and local authorities as they investigate. The safety and security of our employees and the surrounding community remain our highest priority.”

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Louisiana

Louisiana Children’s Museum hosts fifth annual Mud Fest

Published

2 days ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana Children’s Museum hosts fifth annual Mud Fest

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — For the fifth consecutive year, the Louisiana Children’s Museum hosted its annual environmental festival, Mud Fest, on Saturday, March 28.

From 10 a.m.-4 p.m., parents and their little ones had the opportunity to have fun in the sun and enjoy the “highlight” of the museum’s spring season.

This event was inspired by the iconic New Orleans festival culture which includes good food, live music and a nice, high-energy atmosphere. Mud Fest is tailored for the “youngest environmental stewards” to have fun and make all the mess they want with mud.

Due to the Crescent City being surrounded by wetland habitats, we interact with water daily in both our rural and urban communities.

The festival generates positive associations with our region and also builds critical thinking skills for future educators, engineers, fishermen and farmers. According to LCM, engaging with nature, water and plants “builds a child’s confidence and fosters a lifelong connection to the Earth.”

“As the Louisiana Children’s Museum celebrates its 40th anniversary, events like Mud Fest reflect our long-standing commitment to hands-on learning that sparks curiosity and connects children to the world around them,” LCM CEO Tifferney White said.

This year, Mud Fest had performances from young musicians of the School of Rock, the Louisiana Sunspots and more. There were also a storytelling stage and various family-friendly activities for visitors to engage in.

Mud Fest partnered with Pontchartrain Conservancy, STEM NOL, Whimscapes and Sugar Roots to put on the event.

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