10:30 LRN Newscast March 17

Governor Edwards’s proposal to allocate 500-million dollars towards building a new Mississippi River Bridge is facing some pushback. Senate President Page Cortez says that’s a lot of money to set aside when environmental impact studies have not been done or a corridor for a new bridge has yet to be selected

Cut 3 (08) “…it gets spent.”

DOTD is accepting bids for construction of a new Jimmie Davis Bridge, in Shreveport-Bossier. Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson says while the new, four-lane bridge will be the connection between Bossier and Caddo parishes, he believes the old bridge could be repurposed into a park linking existing bike and pedestrian trails.

Cut 9 (10)  “…local community.”

Construction is set to begin in early 2023.

A Baton Rouge infant was found safe in a church parking lot Wednesday after most likely spending the night outdoors alone. Baton Rouge Fire Department Spokesperson Curt Monte says the mother visited a firehouse in the area Tuesday night and from there was taken to the hospital. They narrowed a search area from the firehouse to the child’s home.

Cut 15 (11)  “…original area.”

A report from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs recommends the closure of the Alexandria VA hospital. Senator Bill Cassidy says the report is – at this time – just a report. And while it has fairly low occupancy, Cassidy finds the sudden desire to close it (quote) “infuriating”…:

Cut 5 (08) “…he or she lives.”