A special meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education takes place this morning to discuss a major change on how high schools are graded. BESE President James Garvey supports a proposal put forth by the department of education that would give more weight to schools who provide technical courses…
cut 14 (10) “…four year college”

Now that the elections are (for the most part) over in Louisiana, political attention will turn to the 2023 race to be Louisiana’s next governor. ULM political science professor Joshua Stockley says he is actually surprised that there hasn’t been more talk of who is and isn’t running next fall…:
Cut 10 (10) “…un-exciting midterm.”
So far only one major candidate has officially entered the race. Attorney General Jeff Landry has already picked up the endorsement of the Louisiana Republican Party Executive Committee, which has upset potential GOP candidates.

Election results for the town of Melville are in limbo after the incumbent Mayor, 84-year-old Velma Hendrix was killed in a car crash on Election Day. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

In Bogalusa, a 23-year-old has been elected as mayor. Tyrin Truong received 56-percent of the vote, beating out two others, including incumbent Wendy Perette who finished third in the three-person race. Perette was elected in 2014. Mayor-Elect Troung says the campaign was never about him, but building a better Bogalusa.

The fall midterms are over, so now we can turn our attention to the 2023 Louisiana Governor’s Race. Kevin Gallagher has more…:
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

The U-S House majority is still uncertain, but House Republican Whip Steve Scalise has announced his intentions to run for Majority Leader. If the Republican Party secures a majority in the House. current House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy would be in position to be the next Speaker of the House.

A plan to change how Louisiana high schools are rated will go before the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education this morning. BESE President James Garvey says they are trying to change the formula for how schools are graded.
Cut 13 (11) “…education courses.”
Presently Garvey says most high schools are graded an “A” or “B” and it’s not a true grade.

The state department of education has announced a voucher program to help 38-thousand kindergarten through fifth grade students who are struggling with their reading skills. Deputy Superintendent of Education Jenna Chiasson…
cut 4 (10) “…literacy crisis”
Schools are identifying students who would be eligible for the one-thousand dollar vouchers to pay for tutors.

Louisiana will be providing families with 1,000 vouchers to pay for their children’s tutoring to bridge the literacy crisis happening in the state. Whitney Thomas has more…

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Whitney Thomas.”

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Election results for the town of Melville are in limbo after the incumbent Mayor, 84-year-old Velma Hendrix was killed in a car crash Tuesday. Brooke Thorington explains.

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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The fall midterms are over, so now we can turn our attention to the 2023 Louisiana Governor’s Race. Kevin Gallagher has more…:

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

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The LDOE is addressing the state’s literacy crisis by launching the Steve Carter Literacy Program, providing families with $1,000 vouchers for tutoring. Public school students in grades k-5 will have the opportunity to advance their reading skills with high-quality tutors approved through the LDOE if eligible.

Deputy Superintendent Jenna Chiasson says the program’s investment will bridge the literacy gap…

Cut 4 (10)  “…literacy crisis.”

Student registration is not open yet, but school systems are identifying eligible students and will notify families via email. K-3 students are eligible if they scored below proficient on the screener from the beginning of the year. K-5 students are eligible if they scored below mastery in English Learning Arts on the spring 2022 LEAP assessment.

New Orleans Representative Jason Hughes says Louisiana is not where it should be, but there are encouraging signs of improvement.

Cut 5 (12) “… toolbox.”

The program is the result of Act 415 of the 2021 Legislative session, named after the late Baton Rouge Representative. Once registration opens families can access the online portal at www.LouisianaTutoringInitiative.com to register and browse through available tutors.

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says families will be able to apply the $1,000 to different vendors in the state for different sessions.

Cut 6 (12)  “…over the course the year.” 

Multi-lingo tutors will be available to accommodate students who do not speak English as a primary language. For additional information visit LouisianaLiteracy@la.gov.

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The small St. Landry Parish town of Melville remains in limbo after the election day death, of their mayor, 84-year-old Velma Hendrix, who was seeking a second term. And because Hendrix was killed in a car crash after the polls opened, one of her challengers Sam Londerno (LON-drah-no) says the election hasn’t been called.

Cut 7 (05) “…with everything.”

Secretary of State’s office spokesperson John Tobler says when a candidate dies after qualifying but before the polls close qualifying starts over. So qualifying will begin today and will close on Monday.

Cut 8 (05)  “…will be final.”

The current results, without those cast for Hendrix, indicate Londerno won 52 percent of the vote and Caretta Robertson 48 percent.

Londerno says the loss of Hendrix has left the community in shock. She says Hendrix taught school for several years and previously served as an alderman on the town’s board before she was elected mayor in 2018.

Cut 9 (06)  “…to believe.”

Hendrix was riding in a 2008 Acura RDX on U.S. 190 when it was struck by a 2015 Ram shortly after 11 AM Tuesday. Hendrix was taken to a local hospital and where she died from her injuries.

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Now that the elections are (for the most part) over in Louisiana, political attention will turn to the 2023 race to be Louisiana’s next governor. U.L.-Monroe political science professor Joshua Stockley says he is actually surprised that there hasn’t been more talk of who is and isn’t running next fall…:

Cut 10 (10) “…un-exciting midterm.”

Stockley says the Louisiana Republican Party’s early endorsement of Attorney General Jeff Landry for Governor could possibly backfire, if a more popular and dynamic GOP candidate decides to run. He says quite a few gubernatorial hopefuls were just waiting for this election to be over, so they could make the right move…:

Cut  11 (11)   “…behind the scenes.” 

Stockley says a year is not a lot of time, when it comes to planning a campaign, staffing up and soliciting donations…:

Cut 12 (13) “…fairly quickly.” 

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, State Treasurer John Schroder, state Senator Sharon Hewitt, and even Congressman Garret Graves and Senator John Kennedy have been talked of as being interested in being governor.

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A plan to change how Louisiana high schools are rated will be go before the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education this morning. BESE President James Garvey says they are trying to change the formula for how schools are graded.

Cut 13 (11) “…education courses.”

Presently Garvey says most high schools are graded an “A” or “B” and that technical courses aren’t given the same weight as others in the rating system. He says tech courses aren’t getting the credit he believes they deserve.

Cut 14 (10)  “…four-year college.”

Garvey says tech career opportunities are a fairly well-paying field, for example, plumbers…

Cut 15 (12)  “…equally.”

Today’s board meeting begins at 9 AM.

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Following the big win over Alabama, 7th-ranked LSU is looking to avoid a letdown this Saturday at Arkansas. Running back Josh Williams says Coach Brian Kelly is telling the team to stick with their process that’s got them to this point…

Cut  16 (12)  “…except Arkansas”

Williams is a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is awarded to the nation’s most outstanding college football player who began his career as a walk-on. Williams walked on in 2019 and earned a scholarship in 2020. This year he leads the team in rushing with 359 yards…

Cut 17 (11) “…to do so.”

The junior from Houston is just five-foot-nine, but Williams says he uses that to his advantage…

Cut 18 (14) “…as a positive.” 

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The Ragin Cajuns football team has an opportunity tonight to get the bad taste out of their mouth from blowing a ten-point fourth-quarter lead last week to Troy as they host Georgia Southern tonight. U-L Lafayette Coach Michael Desormeaux says the Eagles are also desperate for a win…

Cut 19 (19) “…we don’t.”

U-L Lafayette enters the game with a 4-and-5 record and need to win at least two of their final three games in order to be eligible for a bowl game. Three of the Cajuns losses have been by a touchdown or less. Desormeaux says the losses have been frustrating…

Cut 20 (19) “…in the end.”

Voter turnout for Tuesday’s election was 43-percent and there’s still one more election to go this year….:

Cut 2 (26)  “… I’m Jeff Palermo”

The incumbent Mayor of Melville – seeking re-election – died yesterday in a car crash just hours after the polls opened. Deputies in St. Landry Parish say 84-year-old Mayor Velma Hendrix was a passenger in a vehicle that was broadsided by a pickup at an intersection on Highway 190. Another period of qualifying for the mayoral election opens tomorrow until Monday for an election on December 10^th.

And while it remains to be seen if Republicans will gain control of the Senate, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy was asked his thoughts on the tight races after he declared victory last night.

Cut 6 (11)  “…two years ago. “

Kennedy recalled polls that indicated South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would lose their races, but they won.

Five of the eight constitutional amendments on Tuesday’s ballot failed. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says voters are not interested in making changes to the current constitution….

Cut 12 (12) “….to the public” 

Three more constitutional amendments will be on the December 10^th ballot.

Future control of the U.S. Senate is yet to be determined, as three races are still too close to call or are headed to a run-off. Brooke Thorington has more from Republican Senator John Kennedy…:

CUT 01(30)      “…Thorington.”

Former Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy will be the city’s mayor again. Roy challenged incumbent Mayor Jeff Hall’s bid for another term, and won outright last night, with 51-percent of the vote.

Right on the heels of his decisive re-election last night, District 1 congressman Steve Scalise has begun his bid to be named the U.S. House Majority Leader in the next Congress.

Five of the eight constitutional amendments on Tuesday’s ballot failed. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says voters are getting weary and mistrustful of amendments. He says voters rejected amendments in 2020 and again in 2021. He says lawmakers are being sent a message here…:

CUT 14(06)      “…the legislature.”

Two amendments approved dealt with homestead exemptions and property taxes for persons with disabilities.

No matter where you are in Louisiana, I can safely say your congressman (or woman) has been re-elected to another two year term. Five of our six U.S. House members won Tuesday by wide and comfortable margins. The sixth is District 4 Congressman Mike Johnson, who was re-elected by default many weeks ago, when no one qualified to run against him.

Louisiana’s U.S.House members were all re-elected last night winning by big margins. The lone Democrat of the state’s Congressional delegation, Congressman Troy Carter of New Orleans, says he’s not daunted by going into a GOP-led House, and he’ll keep doing what he’s always done…:

CUT 05(10)      “…not against party.”

Carter represent District 2, the state’s majority-minority district.

And while it remains to be seen if Republicans will gain control of the Senate, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy says he has hopes for getting inflation under control with real action. He says that’s what worries Louisianans. That and crime, what their children are being taught in school, and whether are they going to have to eventually leave the state for a better job…:

CUT 08(07)      “…help with that.”

A big upset in the Bogalusa Mayoral race Tuesday; incumbent Mayor Wendy Pirette – seen as the strong front-runner – was unseated by 23-year-old Tyrin Truong, who took 56-percent of the vote. Last night the new mayor-elect said he was at a loss for words. Pirette – who finished third of three candidates – has been Mayor of Bogalusa since 2014.

Shreveport mayor Adrian Perkins has been ousted after just one term. Perkins did not make the runoff election. LSU-Shreveport political science professor Jeff Sadow says Perkins committed misstep after misstep…:

CUT 09(09)      “…disinterest in the job.”

Republican Tom Arceneaux and Democrat state Senator Greg Tarver will face each other in the December 10^th runoff.

Voter turnout for Tuesday’s election was 43-percent and there’s still one more election to go this year….:

CUT 02(26)      “…Palermo.”

The incumbent Mayor of Melville – seeking re-election – died yesterday in a car crash just hours before the polls closed. Deputies in St. Landry Parish say 84-year-old Mayor Velma Hendrix was a passenger in a sedan that was broadsided by a pickup at an intersection on Highway 190. Another period of qualifying for election is now open for an election on December 10^th.

Five of the eight constitutional amendments on Tuesday’s ballot failed. Two of the amendments approved dealt with property taxes that were beneficial to certain homeowners like veterans with disabilities. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says that’s the type of constitutional amendment the public can support…:

CUT 13(10)      “…interested in it.”

There are three more amendments coming in December.

Incumbent Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins was rejected by voters yesterday, after just one term in office. Republican Tom Arceneaux and Democrat state Senator Greg Tarver will face each other in the December 10^th runoff election. LSU-Shreveport political science professor Jeff Sadow says it will be an uphill battle for Arceneaux…:

CUT 10(11)      “…the vote.”

Future control of the U-S Senate is unknown as three races are still too close to call or headed to a run-off. Brooke Thorington has more from Republican Senator John Kennedy…

cut 1 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

A mayor in south Louisiana up for re-election was killed in a crash on Election Day. State Police says 84-year-old Velma Hendrix, the mayor of Melville, was a passenger in an SUV involved in a two-vehicle wreck near Port Barre. L-S-P says Hendrix was not restrained. She was first elected as mayor in 2018.

Five of the eight constitutional amendments on Tuesday’s ballot failed. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says voters are not interesting in making changes in the current constitution….
cut 12 (12) “…to the public”
Two of the amendments approved dealth with property taxes that were beneficial to certain homeowners like veterans with disabilities. Pinsonat says that’s the type of constitutional amendment the public can support.

And there will be a new mayor in Shreveport. Current mayor Adrian Perkins failed to make the run-off and LSU-Shreveport political science professor Jeff Sadow says that sets up a December run-off between Republican Tom Arcenaux and state senator Greg Tarver, a Democrat…
cut 11 (11) “….boost”