Alena Noakes
Multimedia Journalist/Anchor
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Alena Noakes joined KALB in December 2020 as a part-time producer before becoming a full-time anchor and reporter, covering state politics and local court proceedings while also hosting our 6:30 p.m. CBS program, "Louisiana Latest."
Alena was born and raised in Grant Parish but opted to complete her high school education at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) in Natchitoches, graduating in 2018. She decided to pursue a degree in journalism after joining the staff of The Renaissance, LSMSA’s school newspaper, where she served as editor her senior year.
At Louisiana College, Alena was a member of the Wildcats Media news team, where she was editor of The Wildcat, the school’s online publication, and she was a producer for Wildcats Media’s various broadcast productions.
In her spare time, Alena enjoys visiting with family and friends, building her photography platform and going to the gym.
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On the steps of Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office Tuesday, faith leaders and anti-death penalty advocates once again spoke out against efforts to stall the clemency application process before Gov. John Bel Edwards leaves office.
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A group of 20 state lawmakers have called for an immediate legislative oversight hearing into the June data breach at the Office of Motor Vehicles that exposed six million records to hackers.
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A $2 billion facility is set to be constructed in Pineville
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A stray lightning strike reportedly struck and ignited an oil tank, leading to a massive, hours-long fire.
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House lawmakers added a few big amendments to a senate bill looking to address debate over materials in the children and teens sections of libraries around the state.
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The House sent the measure to raise the expenditure limit to the Appropriations Committee without objection Thursday, just the day after a majority of members voted not to do so in the absence of budget bills.
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Two issues that largely receive Republican support but have received mixed reactions from some lawmakers and even law enforcement, namely permitless conceal carry and a police buffer bill.
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The full state House passed a bill that would create a buffer for police interactions with the public, making it a crime if that buffer were violated.
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An effort to set a state minimum wage was revived Thursday morning in a Senate committee.
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State Rep. Gabe Firment and one of his district’s students presented a resolution to the House on Education Committee regarding school lunches.
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A bill to prohibit the use of the popular video-sharing app TikTok has advanced to the full House.
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Education Savings Account bills are getting another push from lawmakers on the House Education Committee, both bills being carried by Central Louisiana lawmakers.
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U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy hosted a Rural Community Funding Summit in Leesville to help rural areas learn more about the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
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A bill aiming to codify visitation policies at healthcare facilities in Louisiana in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic passed out of the House Committee on Health and Welfare.
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A Cenla lawmaker is looking to take action with a measure to make the contract between the Office of Group Benefits and CVS Caremark more transparent.
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On Thursday, 150 years after the Colfax Massacre, a new memorial was unveiled, honoring the black men who lost their lives on Easter Sunday 1873.
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On the Alario Hall veranda of the state capitol Wednesday, dozens of adopted persons and state lawmakers celebrated the enactment of Act 470, a law granting thousands of adopted Louisianans access to their original birth certificates.
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A state representative out of Avoyelles Parish wants to see TikTok banned from state-owned devices and networks.
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Even without coastal parishes under their constituency, a few Central Louisiana lawmakers are spearheading the efforts to prioritize insurance reform.
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Gabe Firment’s ‘Save Adolescents from Experimentation Act’ would ban a physician or medical healthcare professional from providing gender transitioning procedures to any person under 18 years old.
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State Rep. Lance Harris filed HB368, which would establish the pecan as the official state nut.
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Judge Bennet did not make a ruling on Friday.
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On Jan. 20, the first saplings of a new Kisatchie National Forest were nestled in the soil of Vernon Parish, an effort to reforest the area after Category 4 Hurricane Laura.
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State Sen. Sharon Hewitt hopes to be a "fresh pair of eyes" for Louisiana with a run for governor.
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Instead of voting to approve or disapprove James Morgan’s motion to approve an amendment to the RPL collection development policy, the board voted 6-3 to approve a substitute motion seeking legal advisement from the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office on the amendment.
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A local group took their protest of the change to the Rapides Parish Library's collection development policy further than December's board meeting, circulating a petition that has quickly garnered support.
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An Alexandria rape suspect has been captured in Hinds County, Mississippi.
An Alexandria man accused of raping an informant during a RADE operation once again failed to appear in court for what was supposed to be a last-minute hearing on a defense motion for suppressing video evidence.
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DCFS has responded to the concerns expressed among employees in the Alexandria office regarding a toxic workplace environment.
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During the Senate Health and Welfare Committee meeting, it became clear the ongoing issues within DCFS are not new. In Central Louisiana, two former employees reveal those issues date back at least four years.
Rapides Parish Sheriff Mark Wood is defending how RPSO handled a rape case in which the victim was a criminal informant during a RADE drug bust, after an AP report criticized the office's handling.
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Gov. John Bel Edwards joined the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) at the first-ever Broadband Solutions Summit at the Hotel Bentley on Wednesday, Aug. 31, with a major announcement about the future of high-speed internet in Louisiana.
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Commissioner Francis has been told Cleco's August billing issue was “due to a computer glitch,” but Francis says that has become a regular excuse from several utility providers, and it is just not a good enough answer.
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Brandon Francisco will face one charge of attempted second-degree murder at his trial beginning Aug. 23.
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Tina Frey and her daughter Victoria Brimer were arrested by RPSO on two counts each of aggravated cruelty to animals.
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Hundreds of items will need to be replaced with the name change of Ft. Polk, but local stakeholders are concerned the estimated price tag will not cover the actual cost.
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The Louisiana Department of Health has released an emergency declaration detailing the list of conditions deeming an unborn child “medically futile.”
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The Vernon Parish Democratic Party is looking to address the feasibility of executing the abortion trigger law, putting forward a resolution with the Vernon Parish Police Jury to push back against enforcement.
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On July 7, 2022, the family of Robert Ricks, an Alexandria man who died in police custody in 2011, rallied for change outside the Rapides Parish Courthouse.
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Many protesters equipped with signs attended the "We Won’t Go Back" protest in Alexandria.
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Louisiana delegation urges Bureau of Prisons to address staffing shortages, retention at FCC Oakdale
All members of the Louisiana Congressional Delegation signed a letter urging the Bureau of Prisons to address staffing shortages and roles at the Oakdale FCC.
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A bill that would increase criminal penalties for the sale and distribution of fentanyl received final passage in the Louisiana House.
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A bill that aims to provide access to an adopted person’s original birth certificate received final passage through the Louisiana Senate.
A proposed law to prevent Louisiana women from getting abortion-inducing drugs by mail has won final passage in the state’s legislature.
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After failing to pass twice this session by an incredibly slim margin, House Bill 649, which sought to eliminate the use of corporal punishment in Louisiana public schools, cleared the House last night in a 70-28 vote.
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Syrita Steib, a formerly incarcerated woman and policy reform advocate, is running for Louisiana’s available U.S. Senate seat in November.
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Hanna Barker, the Natchitoches woman accused in connection with the July 2018 burning death of her infant son, has accepted a plea bargain on new charges.
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The practice of corporal punishment as a means of disciplining a child is up for debate in the state legislature this session, in a repeated effort to ban its use in public schools.
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Ahead of the March 26 election, Leesville mayoral candidates, incumbent Mayor Rick Allen and Louis Hopkins, participated in their first mayoral forum.
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