Three anti-hazing bills are on their way to the governor’s desk following last fall’s death of LSU freshman Max Gruver. The house voted 88 to 1 in favor of final passage of house bill 78 otherwise known as the Max Gruver Act. East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore testified in favor of the measure to give the current laws more teeth. Moore says a companion bill to force mandatory education for university fraternities and sororities should help stop dangerous hazing.
Cut 9 (07) “university people.”
It’s been a record breaking week of intense heat, that’s turned the usually tolerable Louisiana spring into a hot, soupy mess. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a high pressure system is camping just off the coast, leading to a historic scorcher that’s taken down long time state records. A cool front is moving over the area starting today, which Keim says will make things just a little more pleasant this weekend than they’ve been this week.
Cut 12 (10) “take precautions”
Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the recent US Supreme Court decision to allow sports betting outside of Nevada on his monthly talk radio show. 32 states have legislation in place to allow the activities, including Mississippi, but Louisiana shot down similar legislation this session. Edwards didn’t oppose the idea. But don’t expect to see Senator Danny Martiny’s parish by parish legalization legislation to pop up again during the special session that starts next week.
Riverboat casinos were thrown a lifeline this week as legislation was passed that would allow the water based facilities to expand onto land. That has Boyd Gaming CEO Keith Smith, who owns Treasure Chest, Sam’s Town, and Amelia Belle, pretty excited.