Louisiana education superintendent John White tells lawmakers he needs more money so the state can provide standardized tests next school year. White says the budget as it currently exists will prevent students from taking the A-C-T or an assessment test like PARCC…

cut 16 (10) “of chaos”

White and Governor Jindal have battled over the tests tied to Common Core.

Five major health advocacy groups are joining forces in support of a bill to raise the state’s tax on cigarettes by $1.18 a pack. Bogalusa Representative Harold Ritchie is sponsoring a bill to raise the state’s cigarette tax to the national average. Ritchie says he’s not the only lawmaker to file legislation to raise tobacco taxes, which gives him hope something will get done

cut 8 (07) “this session”

Ritchie says a higher cigarette tax can reduce the number of deaths associated with smoking and help generate millions of dollars.

The 2015 Louisiana Survey shows a majority of residents still support the legalization of marijuana for medical use, but support declined from 79- to 60-percent since last year. LSU Public Policy Research Lab Director Michael Henderson says last year’s Senate race may have been a factor in the drop of support…

cut 5 (08) “for sure”

The survey shows 52-percent of residents oppose legalizing marijuana for personal use.

The Department of Health and Hospitals has cut the ribbon on a new public health laboratory. DHH Secretary Kathy Kliebert says the new lab site allows the state to better identify food outbreaks, test infectious disease samples and any number of other public health concerns. She says every single child that is born in Louisiana will have blood sent to the lab…

cut 11 (09) “before it affects them”

She says this is a ultra modern lab with all of the latest technology.