The revised masterplan for coastal restoration and protection in Louisiana has been released. Halen Doughty has more…
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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So what are the chances we could see snow tomorrow. Jeff Palermo has more…
Cut 2 (26) “I’m Jeff Palermo”
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The state Department of Transportation launches a “Do Not Stop on the Tracks” safety campaign. Emelie Gunn has more…
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”
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The state has released its revised coastal protection and restoration masterplan that’s designed to reduce hurricane storm surge and restore Louisiana’s vanishing coastline. Bren Haase with the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority says the plan proposes 120 projects.
cut 4 (10) “voluntary acquisitions”
Haase says public meetings are scheduled throughout the state to gather public input on the plan. The first meeting will be held on January 17th in Lake Charles. He says the worst case scenario for the coast would be about 4-thousand square miles of land loss if they did nothing.
Cut 5 (08) “have otherwise”
Haase says roughly $18 billion has been secured to implement the 50-year plan, which would take $50 billion to fully fund it. He says another important part of the plan is reducing storm surge damage along the coast.
Cut 6 (11) “year 50”
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Precipitation moves into Louisiana tonight, and it could change to snow north of I-20. But State climatologist Barry Keim says the chance for wintery precipitation is not very high.
CUT 7 (12) “central Louisiana”‘
Keim says the chance for snow in north Louisiana is about 20 to 30-percent. He says while they don’t want to get people’s hopes up about the possibility of a snow event, they do want people to be prepared.
Cut 8 (09) “this particular point”
Keim says this weather system is expected to move through the state quickly. But he says once it passes over, arctic air pushes in.
Cut 9 (10) “all season”
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Attorney General Jeff Landry is looking for a way to reduce crime in New Orleans. He says it will take a multidimensional approach, which is why his office has started a hashtag campaign “Make New Orleans Safe Again.” Landry says there’s something missing from the fight against crime in the Big Easy because New Orleans is twice as dangerous as Chicago.
Cut 10 (09) “hundred thousand people” 2x
Landry says they have a Violent Crimes Taskforce to assist patrol officers in the French Quarter during special events like football games and concerts. But he says they don’t have the necessary resources to give police extra assistance year-round, and there is crime throughout the Crescent City, not just the Quarter.
cut 11 (11) “residents safe”
In 2016, shootings in New Orleans increased by almost 25-percent, and homicides rose by 7-percent. Landry blames Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s poor leadership for the uptick in crime. He says Landrieu hasn’t been a part of the discussions about ways to reduce crime in New Orleans. He adds that NOPD is under a federal consent decree that Landrieu agreed to.
cut 12 (11) “crime fighting policy”
The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for a statement on this matter.
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The Louisiana Department of Transportation launches a railroad safety campaign. Based on the latest numbers from the Federal Railroad Administration, Louisiana was fourth in the nation for the number of highway-rail grade crossing fatalities in 2015, with 13 deaths. DOTD Spokesperson Rodney Mallett says the message of their campaign is do not stop on the tracks.
Cut 13 (08) “the crossing”
Mallett says it’s the law to always stop behind the solid white line or at least 15 feet back from the tracks because a train is more than three feet wider than the tracks on both sides. He says as part of this safety campaign, law enforcement officers are monitoring numerous railroad intersections
cut 14 (08) “write tickets”
Mallett says it can take a train more than a mile to stop, so it’s never a good idea to try to beat the train over the tracks. He says the state is also doing its part as DOTD has spent nearly 6 million dollars on 30 railroad safety projects last year.
Cut 15 (10) “do that”