Gubernatorial candidate Congressman Ralph Abraham announces over 100 endorsements from local elected officials in 36 parishes. Matt Doyle spoke to the two state reps on the list…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”
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LSU says the 2018 freshman class’s record setting performance levels are proof that the decision to allow more students into the school that did not meet GPA and ACT requirements was justified. Matt Doyle has the story…
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”
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A study prepared for the Louisiana Department of Economic Development recommends that two riverboat casinos in Bossier City relocate after the market has been hurt in recent years. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (32) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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Republican Congressman Ralph Abraham is touting over 100 endorsements from elected officials in 26 parishes in his run to unseat Governor Edwards in fall. The list features five district attorneys, two state reps, and a number of mayors, sheriffs, and others.
Monroe Representative Jay Morris says he’s proud to endorse his northeast Louisiana neighbor.
Cut 4 (09) “…Louisiana.”
Covington Representative Paul Hollis is the other legislator on the list. He says he’s especially impressed by Abraham’s background as both a doctor, and a pilot.
Cut 5 (08) “…Louisianian.”
Abraham is one of two Republicans, the other being Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone, hoping to eliminate the Gulf Coast’s only Democratic governor. Hollis says Abraham has the best shot of any candidate to knock out the incumbent.
Cut 6 (11) “…freedoms.”
Abraham Campaign spokesperson David Weinman says the endorsements show the breadth of the Congressman’s support as “the only candidate who can defeat John Bel Edwards.”
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The Louisiana Department of Transportation is observing Work Zone Awareness Week. The week is meant to bring attention to the need for drivers to be extra careful when traveling through work zones. DOTD spokesperson Rodney Mallett says the when drivers speed through work zones with excessive speeds, it can be unnerving for workers.
Cut 7 (09) “…that’s their office.”
Mallett says in the most recent numbers, eleven people were killed in 2017 in Louisiana, while about 800 were killed on the national level. Mallett adds in most cases, the deaths were preventable.
Cut 8 (09) “…be very dangerous.”
In addition to the deaths, others were injured on the job.
Mallett says before taking a trip, drivers can plan ahead for the work zones along their route on their website 5-1-1-L-A dot org.
Cut 9 (10) “…ahead of time.″
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LSU President F. King Alexander is touting the performance of the 2018 freshman class, a portion of whom were admitted under the new “holistic admissions” policy where some applicants are admitted despite not meeting the GPA or ACT requirements.
King says opening up the admissions process has not sacrificed performance or achievement.
Cut 10 (09) “…we’ve had”
The average GPA was the same as 2017, at 2.8.
Shifting to holistic admissions sparked some controversy from opponents who argued it would weaken the flagship university’s sterling reputation. Alexander says this move just puts LSU in line with 48 of the nation’s top 50 schools.
Cut 11 (11) “…senior year.”
The 2018 class set a record with 92 percent of students maintaining their TOPS eligibility.
King noted that as a whole the retention rate stayed steady at 92 despite adding 900 more freshman, and there was only a slight difference in retention between those who had the traditional scores to get in, and those who did not.
Cut 12 (07) “…90 percent″
The freshman class brought in 5,812 freshman, topping a record set in 2012.
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A study prepared for the Louisiana Department of Economic Development recommends that two riverboat casinos in Bossier City relocate. The study found if the two casinos moved, both revenue and taxes paid to the state would increase. Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Jones says with increased competition from Oklahoma, the findings are not surprising.
Cut 13 (10) “…nearly a quarter.”
The study recommended that Boomtown Bossier City move to the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain while Diamond Jacks should relocate to northeast Louisiana.
Jones says the reason for the drop in activity in the Shreveport-Bossier area can be attributed to the rise of big tribal casinos that lure visitors from the Dallas-Fort Worth area to Oklahoma.
Cut 14 (09) “…about to expand.”
Jones says he anticipates that if the casinos do decide to relocate, they will likely take advantage of the recently passed law that gives gaming establishments the ability to be built on dry land. The difficulty in moving a casino to north Louisiana would likely be political, as the area is very conservative in its support for gambling.
Cut 15 (10) “…something like that.”