The Louisiana Department of Health announces nine human cases of West Nile Virus, the first reported cases of the year. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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The trade war with China drags on as Louisiana soybean farmers are preparing to enter the second season in a row under pressure from Chinese tariffs. Matt Doyle has more.
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LSU students and faculty are breathing a sigh of relief after a report of an armed intruder turns out not to be a threat. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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The state’s first human cases of West Nile Virus of the year have been reported by the Department of Health. While the West Nile season may be off to a later start than usual, Assistant State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter says this time last year, there were 53 cases, but he is hesitant to call it an optimistic trend.
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Kanter says the virus has three levels of seriousness and cases have been discovered in East Baton Rouge, Washington, Livingston, St. Tammany, and Caddo parishes.
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The department recommends people mitigate the risk of contracting the virus by wearing more clothes and use bug repellants that contains DEET. Kanter says look for standing water, because that is where mosquitos tend to breed.
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A record 8,084 students earned college credit while in high school in the last school year according to the Louisiana Department of Education.
Assistant Superintendent Ken Bradford says it’s an incredibly valuable program that can save students and their families a lot of money.
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He adds the 89 dollar fee is often paid for by the school system.
Before a student can take a CLEP exam, they must take a special high school course that meets criteria set out by national accrediting organizations. Bradford says they’ve made a point to have those more available locally.
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The CLEP tests are graded on a 20 to 80 scale, with 50 being a passing grade. Bradford says for the students who pass, doors can start opening across the country.
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18,102 students total took CLEP exams, with 45 percent of them passing the 50 score needed to receive the college credits. The lowest pass rate for any class taken by more than a thousand students was US History II at 29 percent.
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Louisiana soybean farmers continue to take a beating as the trade war with China drags on with no apparent long term deal on the horizon.
Soybeans were going for 10 bucks a bushel before the trade war began, and have dipped noticeably since then. Kyle McCann assistant to Louisiana Farm Bureau President says that’s a significant problem for the state’s largest crop by acre.
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Many farmers would be out of business by now if not for the Market Facilitation payments that are covering an estimated 80 percent of lost profits. McCann says it’s a temporary fix, but not a long-term solution.
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Another round of MFP payments are reportedly on the way to embattled farmers.
A deal with China broke down earlier this year, and farmers are now settling in for another season of tariffs from their top export target. McCann says a reported Canada-Mexico trade deal won’t help Louisiana soybean farmers.
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While there turned out to be no threat, it was an intense scene at LSU’s campus yesterday after police received a report of an armed intruder at Coates Hall. Just before 3pm the school sent out an alert telling students in the area to Run, Hide, or Fight. Professor Barry Keim was in front of Coates Hall and saw the cops rapidly responding.
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Keim says it was clear something serious was going on and people in his building near Coates Hall did not take the situation lightly.
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Just before 5pm, another alert was sent, giving the all-clear. Keim says during the time of the investigation, everyone was on heightened alert for gunfire.
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Director of Media Relations Ernie Ballard says they believe one possibility was that a plainclothes officer with a gun on his belt was walking around the building just before the call came in, but that has yet to be confirmed as the reason for the call.