State Senator Fred Mills is sponsoring legislation that attempts to change the way public school teachers are evaluated. Currently educator performance is determined by students’ standardized test results. He says this measure would take things back to the way they used to be when it comes to checking out how a teacher is doing…:

cut 14 (07) “set for the student”

Mills says his bill seeks to make a teacher’s job performance more accurately measured.

Sentencing is scheduled today for 31-year-old Brandon Eirick of Baton Rouge, who allegedly shot up his girlfriend, 31-year old Leah Hutchinson, with a fatal injection of heroin in 2013. Eirick was originally charged with second degree murder in this case, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of negligent homicide in October. Meche says this case is clearly a homicide case and not a murder…

cut 5 (03) “present, here”

Meche says Eirick faces up to 10 years in prison on the charge.

Shreveport Democratic Representative Patrick Williams feels the state legislature should look at different options in trying to shrink the state’s tremendous budget deficit. Williams says the state not only needs to generate additional revenue, but lawmakers should also take a look at tax incentives. He says some of these are not paying dividends back to the state…

cut 8 (07) “from them”

He says a hike on cigarette and alcohol taxes can raise funds for the state quickly.

This week is National Work Zone Awareness Week. State Department of Transportation and Development spokesman Rodney Mallett says since 2013 in Louisiana there’s been about 580 people who have lost their lives in work zones…

cut 11 (08) “lose their lives”

Mallett says this is about bringing attention to the fact that safety should be a top priority through road construction areas.