LSU SOFTBALL PREVIEW Veteran leaders still present after retooling 1C LANE KIFFIN REVIEWS LSU’S RECORD PORTAL CLASS 1C
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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
T h u r s d ay, F e b r u a ry 5, 2026
Higher utility bills likely for Louisiana
Delta Utilities says soaring gas prices to blame
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EBR homicide rate spikes in January
BR police chief says killings show ‘no real clear pattern’ BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer
While the U.S. is enjoying a historic low in national homicide rates, East Baton Rouge Parish saw a rash of homicides in the first month of 2026, with teenagers taking the brunt of the violence. The last quarter of 2025 was relatively quiet for the parish, with monthly homicide totals not reaching higher than five for any month from September to December. But the Baton Rouge Police Department and East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office have collectively responded to 11 homicides since Jan. 1. Six of them were teenagers. “Definitely, we don’t want to have that many homicides, period, especially in one month,” said Police Chief Thomas Morse. “But for whatever reason, January does seem to be a little bit of a spike with no real clear pattern.” Morse said this spike is consistent with past years. In 2025, the parish saw 10 homicides in January; in 2024, it recorded 11. In the parish’s deadliest year, 2021, January’s homicide total was 17. If this January’s murder rate were projected across the whole year, the parish would have its second deadliest year on record. “I don’t really buy into that, like, ‘Hey, how we did these couple weeks is going to project out to the rest of the year.’ I think it’s more just of a microcosm (of the year), and definitely something
ä See HOMICIDE, page 8A STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Power lines hang from a downed pole along U.S. 65 on Sunday in Transylvania after a winter storm hit north Louisiana, leaving many without power for several days.
Natural gas prices spike
BY SAM KARLIN
Staff writer
Prices of natural gas at Louisiana's Henry Hub have soared in recent days amid a blast of cold weather that has tightened The blast of winter weather that brought ice and freezing temperatures to Louisiana will likely cause supplies and sent demand soaring.
prolonged spikes in utility bills, a result of the state’s dominant gas and electric supplier facing soaring prices in recent weeks for natural gas. The state’s largest gas supplier, Delta Utilities, warned that bills will rise in the coming months after prices on the spot market — where the company goes to supplement its existing contracts during times of high usage — soared to all-time highs in late January. Meanwhile, consumer advocates say Entergy electric bills are likely to follow suit. Entergy relies heavily on natural gas to fuel its power plants, getting nearly two-thirds of its energy that way. The company passes on all fuel costs to customers, making it likely residents will pay for the higher gas prices. Natural gas prices have steadily ticked upward in recent months, but their latest surge came at the same time Louisiana customers were using more gas to stay warm while bitter winter weather blasted
ä See BILLS, page 7A
12
Rolling 7-day price, in millions 10
Four more state prison workers arrested Gambling, contraband smuggling probes expand
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BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer
6 4 2 0
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration via FRED
2026
An assistant principal of a Baton Rouge magnet school is accused of helping her formerly jailed brother run a $3 million illegal sports gambling operation from behind bars, a scheme investigators say reached into jails and prisons around the state. This week, authorities have also arrested three Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections guards and a prison nurse, but haven’t said if they are connected to the gambling ring, a
Staff graphic
ä See PRISONS, page 7A
The Hall of Fame case for legendary Saint Drew Brees When I asked Luke Kuechly about Drew Brees’ Pro Football Hall of Fame credentials, he didn’t mince words. “He’s a no-brainer,” said Kuechly, the great Carolina Panthers linebacker, who battled Brees twice annually during his stellar career. “If Drew Brees doesn’t get in on first ballot, we should be asking, ‘What are we doing here?’” Brees, who is one of 15 finalists for the Hall’s Class of 2026, de-
WEATHER HIGH 55 LOW 38 PAGE 6B
Jeff Duncan serves to be the first Saint to earn his gold jacket on the first ballot. As the representative for New Orleans on the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee, it’s my duty to make the presentation
for Brees to the rest of the group. I didn’t need 5 minutes to make the case for his Hall of Fame candidacy. Brees’ resume speaks for itself. It stands out, even when compared to the game’s legends. His career was one of the most significant in NFL history. When Brees arrived in 2006, the Saints were a moribund franchise. He took a team that had gone 3-13 the year before and led it to a division title and its first
NFC Championship Game appearance, authoring one of the greatest turnarounds the league has ever seen. And he did it only months removed from a careerthreatening shoulder injury. He finished second in the voting for the league’s Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year awards.
ä See BREES, page 7A
Business ......................6A Commentary ................5B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................6D Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....3D-5D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
Drew Brees led the Saints to victory in the Super Bowl in 2010. STAFF FILE PHOTO
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