{"podcast":{"title":"Baton Rouge News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now!","slug":"baton-rouge-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7575259","podcast_index_feed_id":7575259,"rss_url":"https://feeds.fastcast.ai/the-baton-rouge-daily-news-now.xml","website_url":"https://thednn.ai/","image_url":"https://image.fastcast.ai/podcasts/the-baton-rouge-daily-news-now.jpg","author":"The Daily News Now!","episode_count":1081,"summary":"Hosted by Corey with the Story, Baton Rouge News Today delivers fast, focused daily updates on the stories shaping Baton Rouge—from local news and business to LSU sports, culture, and community developments. Designed for quick, on-the-go listening, each episode brings you up to speed in minutes. Produced by AI for speed, consistency, and global scale, the show is part of The Daily News Now network—bringing local news to every city in the world and keeping communities connected. Baton Rouge News Today is your daily snapshot of what’s happening across the city. Advertise on DNN: advertise@thednn.ai","last_synced_at":"2026-07-13T02:18:51.440460+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/baton-rouge-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7575259"},"episode":{"title":"Jacksons Face Theft Charges Over CATS Contracts | Baton Rouge News","slug":"jacksons-face-theft-charges-over-cats-contracts-baton-rouge-news","published_at":"2026-07-01T16:14:42+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/baton-rouge-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7575259/jacksons-face-theft-charges-over-cats-contracts-baton-rouge-news","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/baton-rouge-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7575259","url":"https://api.fastcast.ai/audio/a37d6a50-f6cf-43f1-ba09-3238e752dd9a.mp3","audio_url":"https://api.fastcast.ai/audio/a37d6a50-f6cf-43f1-ba09-3238e752dd9a.mp3","summary":"A Baton Rouge couple, Terral and Erica Jackson, face serious charges after allegedly diverting over $49,000 in CATS contracts meant for COVID-19 research to fund a local millage campaign. The FBI investigation uncovered that former CATS chief Pearlina Thomas approved invoices without board oversight, and both she and another contractor now face theft charges. Emails, texts, and bank records back up Jackson’s admission that flyers were campaign materials—not related to the contract’s stated purpose. The Jacksons were indicted in January, and their trial dates are looming as prosecutors dig deeper into this tangled web of public funds and political maneuvering. Listen in comfort: Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn Advertise on DNN: advertise@thednn.ai This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting. Report issues to feedback@thednn.ai. View sources & latest updates: https://sources.thednn.ai/2531eaa60f9a1a57","meta_description":"A Baton Rouge couple, Terral and Erica Jackson, face serious charges after allegedly diverting over $49,000 in CATS contracts meant for COVID-19 research…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":105,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/baton-rouge-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7575259/episodes/jacksons-face-theft-charges-over-cats-contracts-baton-rouge-news/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/baton-rouge-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7575259/jacksons-face-theft-charges-over-cats-contracts-baton-rouge-news.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}