Breaking news coming into the Louisiana Radio Network newsroom – 911 phone lines are down throughout the state. It’s unclear what’s causing the 911 outage at this time. Individual police departments, fire departments and ambulance companies are putting out advisories on alternative ways to reach them in the event of an emergency. You can also be proactive – go online right now and take down the number of your local police department, fire department or ambulance company’s dispatch center.
Saint Bernard Parish State Representative Mike Bayham recently met Pope Leo the 14th at the Vatican. Along with a copy of a state resolution congratulating him on becoming the first American to be elected head of the Catholic church, Bayham gifted Pope Leo a glass oyster shell, a symbol of St Bernard’s rich commercial fishing heritage.
Louisiana’s truancy rate – defined as five or more unexcused absences in a single semester – stands at more than 40-percent. Steven Procopio, the president of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, says while that’s down from 2018’s peak, it’s still unacceptably high. When considering the national standard of chronic absenteeism, Procopio says Louisiana actually doesn’t rank too badly nationally.
Cut 11 (06) “…about 22.5-percent.”
After months of delays, construction at the new Buc-ee’s in Ruston is finally underway. Equipment moved in last Friday, and construction workers started turning dirt on Monday. Mayor Ronny Walker says the delays will prevent the massive road trip staple from opening in 2026.
Mayor Walker says when the new Buc-ee’s does open, it will create hundreds of jobs with starting hourly wages of 18 to 20 dollars an hour.