State lawmakers took Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain to task for the slow pace of expanding medical marijuana products. Strain told the Medical Marijuana Commission that he’s putting public safety first, but Kenner Representative Debbie Villio accused Strain of micromanaging…

Cut 4 (10) “…pharmacy. “
Patients appeared before the commission complaining about the lack of access and the high cost of medical marijuana. The smokeable form is supposed to be available in January and that will help lower the cost.

St. Tammany Parish voters will decide on December 11^th the future of the proposed Camellia Bay Casino, Resort, and youth sports complex. Former Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw his support behind the initiative in a taped message.

Cut 14 (07)  “…St. Tammany Parish.”

The Rapides Parish Schools is the latest district to receive the “Models of Excellence” designation from the Louisiana Department of Education. State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley on why the “Models of Excellence” award was established.

Cut 8 (09) “…others to follow.”

He says students can earn dual enrollment credit, graduating high school with enough credentials and micro-credentials to immediately begin work as paraprofessionals

FEMA is reaching out to those who have registered for help from the agency but have yet to hear anything back. Nate Custer with FEMA says if you’re still waiting to get help from the agency be sure to check back on what might be holding things up.

Cut 10 (09)  “…on their situation.”

He says if you feel you’ve been forgotten somehow or need to provide new information call FEMA’s Disaster Helpline at 800-621-3362.

If you prefer celestial events to getting some shuteye, then you’re invited to jump out of bed for a near-total lunar eclipse early tomorrow morning. More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 1 (28) “…I’m Dave Brannen.”

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The state Public Service Commission is looking at ways to help prevent massive power outages after numerous weather-related events have tested the state’s power grids. Brooke Thorington has more

Cut 2 (30)…I’m Brooke Thorington.”  

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Weather permitting, folks across Louisiana and elsewhere will be entertained by a nearly total lunar eclipse early tomorrow morning. What you’ll see from Geoff Clayton, who is a professor in the LSU Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Cut 3 (11) “….moon gets darker.”

The event will last for several hours peaking at around 3:03 Friday morning.

Professor Clayton says that while the almost-total lunar eclipse will begin around midnight, it will become most noticeable around 2:45 as it turns a reddish color and darkens, reaching its peak just after 3 a.m. Friday.

Cut 4 (09) “…probably won’t notice.”

Clayton talks about why the lunar eclipse is so interesting to see.

Cut 5 (10) “..see at sunset.”

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The Public Service Commission is looking at ways to help prevent massive power outages like the ones that plagued the state in February and then again with Hurricane Ida. District 2 Commissioner Craig Greene says they want to research such options like placing power lines underground, to see if it reduces outages,

 Cut 6 (09) “…resiliency.” 

District 3 Commissioner Lambert Boissiere says weather-related events are getting more powerful and doing much more damage than in the past to the state’s power grid and they want to look at ways to mitigate damage.

Cut 7 (07) “….lot of money.”  

Boissiere says there’s a great need to increase the reliability of the power grid in the state but they want to make sure it doesn’t financially strain consumers as well.

Cut 8 (09) “…rate payers.”

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Preparations are underway for Governor Edwards’ signing of a document officially pardoning the late Homer Plessy for the then-19^th century crime of trying to sit in the white section of a segregated train headed to Covington. The governor was asked about the pardon on Wednesday’s “Ask the Governor” program.

Cut 9 (05) “…so historically significant.”

The unanimous posthumous pardon was granted Plessy who died in 1925 last week by the Louisiana Pardons and Parole Board, the pardon required under the state’s Avery C. Alexander Act.

Edwards says the signing ceremony is being carefully considered to include relatives of those involved in the U.S. Supreme Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson.

Cut 10 (08)  “…we possibly can.”

Judge John Howard Ferguson initially found Plessy guilty of the crime during the Jim Crow era.

The governor says the conviction of Plessy should have never happened, and thus the importance of a pardon signing event that matches the circumstances.

Cut  11 (08)  “…been a crime.”  

A date for the governor’s signing of the pardon has not been announced.

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Senator John Kennedy is pointing the finger of blame at the Biden administration for the dramatic rise in inflation that’s impacting the costs of just about every good and service in the nation. He said on the Senate floor Wednesday:

Cut 12 (09) “…figure that out.”  

Kennedy says the inflation is being spurred on by federal spending and says the nearly two-trillion dollar reconciliation bill still under consideration will only impact the rate of inflation more.

Senator Kennedy says it shouldn’t come as any surprise that inflation is rising at a rate that’s helping to double the price of gasoline and responsible for double-digit increases in the prices of other consumer goods and services.

Cut 13 (10) “…exploding our debt.”

Kennedy terms the upward spiral of inflation an “economic cancer” that the Biden administration is proposing a remedy for which that Kennedy says won’t work.

Cut 14 (12) “…we have now.” 

He says he hopes his Democratic friends will give up fueling inflation with “another extremist spending…bill.”

The Public Service Commission is looking at ways to help prevent massive power outages like the ones that plagued the state in February and then again with Hurricane Ida. District 3 Commissioner Lambert Boissiere says weather-related events are getting more powerful and doing much more damage than in the past to the state’s power grid and they want to look at ways to mitigate damage.

Cut 7 (07) “….lot of money.”  

They will look at things like putting powerlines underground.

Senator John Kennedy officially pointed the finger at the Biden Administration when he made remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday. He says it shouldn’t come as any surprise that inflation is rising at a rate that’s helping to double the price of gasoline and responsible for double-digit increases in the prices of other consumer goods and services.

Cut 13 (10) “…exploding our debt.”

If you prefer celestial events to getting some shuteye, then you’re invited to jump out of bed for a near-total lunar eclipse early tomorrow morning. More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Dave Brannen.”

COVID hospitalizations in Louisiana are just under 200 today at 199.

The Public Service Commission is looking at ways to help prevent massive power outages likes the ones that plagued the state in February and then again with Hurricane Ida. District 2 Commissioner Craig Greene says they want to research preventative measures, like placing power lines underground, to see if it reduces outages,

 cut 6 (09) “…resiliency.” 

Governor Edwards discussed the constitutional amendments that were on the ballot Saturday, on his monthly radio show Ask the Governor. Under amendment Two the only one that passed, state income tax brackets will go down, but taxpayers’ deduction of federal income taxes paid will go away. Edwards says this change will eventually mean fewer revenue shortfalls for the state…:

Cut 9 (08)  “…raise and lower taxes.”

Senator John Kennedy is pointing the finger of blame at the Biden administration for the dramatic rise in inflation that’s impacting the costs of just about every good and service in the nation. He said on the Senate floor Wednesday:

Cut 12 (09) “…figure that out.”  

Kennedy says the inflation is being spurred on by federal spending

The Bayou State receives an F on the 2021 March of Dimes report card for a preterm birth rate of 13-percent. Medical Director of the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative Dr. Veronica Gillespie-Bell says while it’s always disappointing to get a poor grade…

Cut 4 (10) “…our babies. “

Gillespie-Bell says while the state received a poor grade however in some parishes the preterm birth rate has improved

The Louisiana Department of Health is recommending fully vaccinated residents 18 or older get a COVID-19 booster shot. More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Dave Brannen.” 

A West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office Sgt is asking for help in locating the suspect who killed his believed pet pig Mr. Willie. Sgt Ryan Polansky says it happened Monday when a White Nissan Maxima driven by a woman with light hair and a person in a baseball cap in the passenger seat approached his property. He’s asking anyone with information to contact authorities.

Governor John Bel Edwards reacts to the fates of two Constitutional amendments decided by voters last Saturday. Both proposals were part of significant tax reforms planned by the state legislature last spring. On his monthly radio program, “Ask the Governor”, Mr. Edwards says he strongly supported both amendments; One and Two…:

Cut 7 (09) “…that’s regrettable.”

Amendment two did pass.

Louisiana still has room to improve its rate of preterm births as the annual March of Dimes reports gives the state an F. Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell is the state medical director of the Perinatal Quality Collaborative. She says Louisiana does have programs in place to help reduce preterm birth rates…:

Cut 5 (09) “…committee”
She’s optimistic the report card for Louisiana will improve next year with new programs in place.

Drivers in Louisiana won’t be getting a break anytime soon at when it comes to cost auto ownership. Tim Waldenback, co-founder of Zutobi, an online driver’s education platform, says insurance premiums will keep the state on track to become the most expensive in the nation to operate a vehicle in 2031.

 Cut 6 (09) “…years as well.” 

Included in the newly signed infrastructure bill is $65-billion in funding to expand broadband, and that includes rural Louisiana. Senator Bill Cassidy says the expansion could lead to distribution centers being able to locate in parts of the state once not considered by companies.

Cut 12 (12) “…those businesses there.”

A now 75-year-old Louisiana man who’s spent about 58 years in prison for the shooting death of an East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputy when he was 17 is granted parole by the Louisiana Parole Board. Louisiana Parole Project Deputy Director Kerry Myers says Henry Montgomery’s parole, follows a 2012 Supreme Court ruling that a mandatory life sentence without parole for juveniles is cruel and unusual punishment since the brain isn’t fully developed until your mid 20s.

Cut 9 (08) “…of his life.”

Montgomery had originally been sentenced to death for the murder of Deputy Charles Hurt.

Senator Bill Cassidy is boasting of the 65-billion dollars contained in the just signed trillion-dollar infrastructure bill to address improving broadband service, especially in rural areas of Louisiana.

Cut 10 (06)  “…have broadband.”

He says expanding broadband service in the state will have a positive impact in a wide number of areas, including education, all for the betterment of Louisiana.

Houma police are still searching for a woman that was involved in an altercation at Joni B’s Bar shortly after midnight Friday. Lt. Travis Theriot says police were called to the scene to break up a fight among a group of women and for one officer it’s a call he won’t soon forget.

Cut 13 (09) “…portion of his ear.”

If you have any information on Williams whereabouts you are asked to call Houma PD or Crimestoppers.

Louisiana’s Fort Polk, in Vernon Parish, could have a new name soon. Fort Polk spokesman Kavanaugh Breazeale (bruh-ZELL) says this comes after Congress agreed to rename military installations and vessels named for members of the Confederacy. He says they are inviting community leaders to engage in the discussion at an event Thursday on base…:

Cut 4 (07) “…for Fort Polk. “

In recognition of Apprenticeship Appreciation and Awareness Week. Louisiana Workforce Commission spokesperson Chris Fiore says they are holding events, even virtual ones to teach students and all Louisianans about the benefits of apprenticeship today and one at the end of the month dedicated to healthcare.

Cut 9 (08)  “…those jobs.”

Visit LWC’s Facebook page for more info and to register.

The state Department of Health is launching what it’s calling “Just Check”, a campaign targeting the rising number of syphilis cases in north and central Louisiana. More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Dave Brannen.” 

Police in Abbeville has arrested a teen in connection with the shooting of another teen as he was getting off a school bus Tuesday afternoon. Police are not releasing any other information at this time on the arrest. The shooting victim reportedly spent hours in surgery as a result of the shooting that happened near Schlesinger and Maude Streets.

Louisiana’s Fort Polk, in Vernon Parish, could have a new name in the next year or sooner. Fort Polk spokesman Kavanaugh Breazeale (bruh-ZELL) says this comes after Congress agreed to rename military installations and vessels named for members of the Confederacy. A Thursday meeting at the Army base will have state and civic leaders in attendance to talk it over.

Cut 6 (09) “..for Fort Polk.”

It’s Apprenticeship Appreciation and Awareness Week and Louisiana Workforce Commission spokesperson Chris Fiore says the program not only helps students but it’s also a perfect opportunity for Louisianans who are interested in transitioning from one career to another.

Cut 8 (11) “…State of Louisiana.”

Visit LWC’s Facebook page for more info.

Attorney General Jeff Landry has filed another suit against the Biden Administration, concerning vaccine mandates. Now he’s challenging the legality of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, mandating all employees be vaccinated at facilities that receive CMS funding.

Cut 9 (09) “…CMS bucket.”

The mandate requires full-time and part-time employees, along with volunteers and contract employees at healthcare facilities that receive CMS funding otherwise that funding could be withheld.

Facility and students at LSU campuses are no longer required to wear face masks indoors. LSU President William Tate issued the notice this morning that they are lifting the mandate based on the recommendation of the university’s Health and Medical Advisory Committee due to declining case numbers. The Governor ended the statewide mask mandate in October.

The leader of the Louisiana House is expressing disappointment at the failure of Constitutional Amendment 1 on Saturday.  More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Dave Brannen.”

COVID hospitalizations in Louisiana have increased to 209, they fell below 200 on Monday after a steady decline the last few weeks.

When lawmakers approved legislation last year changing how the courts would handle car accident lawsuits, supporters said it would lead to lower insurance rates. But Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said during a task force meeting on Affordable Automobile Insurance that rates are actually going up two percent. River Ridge Senator Kirk Talbot says the law went into effect this year and has yet to have an impact on rates

Cut 7 (08) “….later on.”  

Voters statewide approved Constitutional Amendment Two which lowers the income tax brackets to 1.85-percent for the lowest income earners, 3.5-percent for middle incomes and 4.25-percent for the highest. State Revenue Secretary Kimberly Lewis says will mean a great number of taxpayers will find they owe the state less when they file their 2021 state taxes…:

Cut 11 (10) “…to the rate change.”

Louisiana is being sued by an out-of-state retailer because of the state’s burdensome tax collection system that’s costing it more than double what it cost to collect a dollar in sales taxes for the state. More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Dave Brannen.”

Broderick Fobbs has been fired as head football coach of Grambling State. The Tigers are three and seven this season and didn’t win a game in the spring. The three-time SWAC Coach of the Year led Grambling to two conference titles.