ALS advocate and Former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason will receive the Congressional Gold Medal this afternoon at the US Capitol. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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It may be unlawful to smoke in a state-owned building, but social media posts from the locker room show that didn’t stop Joe Burrow and several other plays from partaking in a post-game cigar on Monday night. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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Clay Schexnayder’s surprising Speakership election has elicited very different reactions from Democrats and Republicans. Matt Doyle has more.
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Former New Orleans Saints player and ALS advocate Steve Gleason will receive the Congressional Gold Medal this afternoon at the US Capitol. Gleason was diagnosed with ALS in January 2011 and in the time since has helped over 15,000 people also dealing with the crippling disease with Team Gleason. Senator Bill Cassidy…
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Cassidy worked on the honor on the Senate side will Cedric Richmond and Steve Scalise made the push on the House side. The distinction is the highest honor Congress can bestow on a civilian and fewer than 200 have been a recipient.
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Gleason’s efforts have helped establish a database for thousands of ALS patients worldwide for researchers to access in an effort to combat the disease. Cassidy says Gleason has also worked with Microsoft to create communication tools.
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The image of Joe Burrow’s victory stogie in the locker room is one that will forever be attached to LSU’s championship celebration. Baton Rouge defense attorney and cigar enthusiast Franz Borghardt says he couldn’t help but wonder how many of the guys who were partaking were under 21, which is a violation of federal law.
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Smoking is also prohibited in the Superdome as it is a state-owned building.
Borghardt believes the imagery will likely result in a spike for cigar sales in Louisiana. Borghardt says the moment was emblematic of everything he loves about cigars and says they are a wonderful means of celebrating life’s triumphs.
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Despite the unlawful behavior, Borghardt does not believe any law enforcement officer or prosecutor in their right mind would actually try to pursue any real ramifications against the players.
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Speaker of the House Clay Schexnayder’s election has Democrats celebrating, and conservative Republicans lamenting what it might mean for Legislation over the next four years.
Schexnayder won 60-45, with over half of his votes coming from Democrats. House GOP Caucus Chairman Blake Miguez says it’s disappointing to see a Republican court Democrats for power.
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The Republicans who broke rank are considered to be more moderate than the rest of the caucus.
The election is thought to give Governor Edwards a surprising amount of Legislative influence despite a recent election where Republicans cleared out many former Democratic strongholds.
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Miguez says we will get a preview of the Governor’s influence on the new Speaker today when the Revenue Estimating Conference meets to vote on adopting this year’s forecast.
Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Randall Gaines celebrated the coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats who voted in Schexnayder. He says the other option, Sherman Mack, was too extreme.
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And Gaines says Schexnayder agreed to give Democrats access to certain Legislative positions that Mack would have likely frozen them out of.
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Saints QB Drew Brees turns 41 today, and coming off a disappointing end to the season there’s questions as to what his age means for the team going forward.
Locked on Saints podcast host Ross Jackson says he fully expects Brees will be back in Black and Gold, but it’s obvious that his physical ability has deteriorated quickly over the past few years.
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With that in mind, Jackson says it’s highly likely you will see Sean Payton’s offense build even more around a run game, ball control offense that takes fewer big shots than it used to…
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Coach Payton says he expects Drew will be back, which likely means backup Teddy Bridgewater will leave in free agency. Jackson says if a good, long term offer to start shows up, Teddy will take it.
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Bridgewater was a perfect 5-0 last season when he filled in for an injured Brees. He threw for 1,384 yards with nine TDS and two picks.