Today, lawmakers in the lower chamber will present a proposed budget plan for next fiscal year that’s expected to fully fund TOPS. Leaders say the scholarship program is a top priority, but Governor John Bel Edwards says if the state covers 100% of tuition for eligible students, it will mean less state funding for hospitals, public education and state prisons…:
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He says of legislators fully fund TOPS it would mean 183-million dollars in cuts across other areas of the budget.

A bill that would prohibit open burning of explosives could be withdrawn from the regular session. There’s opposition from Clean Harbors Colfax which burns about 540,000 pounds of toxic waste annually. Minden Rep. Gene Reynolds says they’re in talks with Clean Harbors the state DEQ.
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He says he’s glad they are nearing a compromise, because the measure only passed 9-8 out of a House committee and they likely wouldn’t have had enough votes on the floor.

The Tensas Parish town of St. Joseph may finally get their water problems resolved. Members of the governor’s staff are there today to address the issue…:
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A man from Slidell drowned in Lake Pontchartrain Saturday while drinking with friends, according to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. Witnesses told authorities 28-year-old Joshua Entrekin had been drinking when he went into the water and never came back up. An autopsy is scheduled for today. St. Tammany Coroner Dr. Charles Preston said Louisiana has the third-highest drowning rate in the nation, and it’s vital we all take precautions when on the water.