The condition of Louisiana’s highways rank 40th in the nation in a report released today. The Reason Foundation, a think tank out of Los Angeles, says Louisiana has fallen 16 spots from its previous report. Author of the study, David Hartgen, says Louisiana’s highways rank 44th in fatality rate and it also gets poor marks for the percentage of deficient bridges….

cut 11 (07) “21-percent“

He says the pavement condition of the state’s rural and urban interstates also contributed to the poor ranking.

According to new census data, Louisiana women make about two thirds of what men in The Bayou State are paid. Tulane Business Professor Dr. Mark Rosa says high paying fields of study are dominated by men in Louisiana…

cut 12 (08) “that’s for sure”

The figures show that Louisiana’s gender pay gap is the largest in the nation.

Officials in Lafourche Parish are alerting residents that a North Larose resident was found deceased last week and the Department of Health and Hospitals confirmed he had the West Nile Virus. Parish Administrator Archie Chaisson says says the public should avoid mosquito bites as much as possible by using spray that contains DEET and not leaving standing water in the yard. He says this is prime time bite season…

cut 5 (08) “vigilant”

He says they’ve started an aggressive spraying campaign.

The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s office says a United States Postal worker is under arrest for allegedly stealing marijuana from packages he was supposed to be delivering. CPSO spokesman Bobby Herring says narcotics agents moved in on 31-year-old Russell Leon Ellis of Shreveport as he was removing the drugs from the postal packages…

cut 7 (09) “street value”

He says initially Ellis was charged with possession of schedule I marijuana.