After touring the damaged Sunshine Bridge in St. James Parish, Governor John Bel Edwards announced plans for it to re-open in January 2019. Edwards saw drone footage and photos prior to today’s visit, and says after seeing the damage first hand, it’s much more severe than what he initially anticipated.
The estimated cost to repair the damage is five-million dollars.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released the results of its latest analysis on national and state-by-state obesity rates among youth and it ranks Louisiana as the fourth worst in the nation. Senior Program Officer for the foundation, Jamie Bussel says the data indicates that around 1 in 6 kids age 10 to 17 are obese.
Up to ten additional parents have come forward with information suggesting Benton Elementary School teacher “Perry” Norcross of Bossier City behaved inappropriately with their child. Norcross is facing rape and video voyeurism charges related to two other students. Bossier Parish Sherriff Spokesperson Lt. Bill Davis says if you were a victim of Mr. Norcross, they hope you’ll report the incident to police.
The 47-year-old Norcross has been employed at the school since 2004 as a teacher.
Alongside the announcement that John Kennedy will announce his gubernatorial intentions by December 1st, the U.S. Senator released a poll showing he leads Governor Edwards 48 percent to 39 percent in a theoretical race, along with data that he has the highest approval rating in the state, but UL Lafayette Political Sci Professor Pearson Cross says take it with a grain of salt.