A University of New Orleans survey finds President Trump has a much higher approval rating in Louisiana than he does nationwide. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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A report from WalletHub finds Louisiana is the second most stressed state. Halen Doughty has more on why we are stressed out…

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The state is one step closer to dispensing federal flood recovery dollars to families affected by the 2016 floods. Emelie Gunn has more…

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A University of New Orleans poll finds President Donald Trump approval rating in Louisiana is at 58-percent, which equals the 58-percent received from the state’s voters in November. A recent Gallup poll found President Trump’s approval rating at 38-percent nationwide. UNO pollster Ed Chervenak says Mr. Trump’s approval rating in Louisiana is much higher here

Cut 4  (08) “Republican president”

The survey also shows a majority of independents and third party members also approve of the president. Chervenak says they surveyed 740 residents and found there is a large racial divide with 71-percent of whites rating Trump positively, 70-percent of blacks rate him negatively.

Cut 5  (10)  “divide”

Mr. Trump has received criticism for failing to get legislation passed for repealing and replacing Obamacare. There have also been concerns over his relationship with Russia. Chervenak says Trump supporters in Louisiana are giving the president the benefit of the doubt. He says it’s too early for many voters to pass judgement.

Cut 6 (10) “that happens”

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Louisiana is the second most stressed state, according to a report by WalletHub. Michelle Many (Main-ee) with LSU Health New Orleans believes that’s because so many in the Bayou State are poor. Many says a lack of money can prevent people from getting the psychological help they need.

Cut 7 (11)  “of providers”

Many says it’s not surprising WalletHub ranked the Bayou State the worst state for psychologists per capita, since access is governed by income. The report finds Louisiana’s crime rate is the fourth worst in the nation and high crime rates can also take a toll on a person’s mental health.

Cut 8 (07) “more stressed”

According to WalletHub, Louisiana has the 4^th highest rate of adults in poor health. Many says when people are living in poverty, they sometimes have to make decisions that make sense financially, but not in terms of health.

Cut 9 (12)  “have to go”

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Recovery efforts are underway from the severe weather that damaged homes and killed two people. Spokesperson for the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Mike Steele says they are working with parish leaders in hard hit areas to see what kind of assistance is needed. He says preliminary damage assessment teams will survey the destruction.

Cut 10 (09) “from FEMA”

Steele says Rapides seems to be the hardest hit parish, but this was an unusual weather event that affected nearly every corner of the state.

Cut 11 (09) “the state”

The severe weather caused for road closures in many parishes, uprooted trees and left thousands without power. Steele says Governor Edwards took a trip to Alexandria and Breaux Bridge to see the damage first hand. He says a mother and her 3-year-old daughter died after their trailer flipped in Breaux Bridge early Sunday morning.

Cut 12 (09) “that family”

A GoFundMe account has been set up for funeral expenses in the name of Francine Gotch and her toddler, Neveah Alexander. An account has also been set up at Farmers Merchant Bank and donations can be made at all bank locations in St. Martin Parish.

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Victims of last year’s devastating floods will be asked to fill out a survey soon to see if they are eligible for the federally funded homeowner assistance program. Congress has appropriated 1.6 billion that will soon become available. The Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Julie Baxter Payer says the first step for every homeowner who needs assistance is to fill out the survey at restore.la.gov.

Cut 13 (08) “application process”

Payer says the survey will be available Monday, and flood victims can learn more about the homeowner assistance program online. She says homeowners will be able to choose between state managed construction, where the state would oversee rebuilding, or a homeowner managed option, where people would oversee their construction with financial assistance from the state. She says there’s also a reimbursement option.

Cut 14 (08) “their homes”

Payer says 193-thousand families were affected by the March and August floods, and they’re working to get enough federal money to help as many as they can. She says federal law requires the state to dispense the initial $438 million that was approved first, which is going to families who need it most.

Cut 15 (09) “or disabled”

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The LSU baseball team returns to the diamond tonight for the first time since Saturday’s stunning loss to Texas A&M. The Tigers led that game 3-0 in the 9th inning, but ended up losing 4-to-3. LSU has lost five of its last seven, but Coach Paul Mainieri still has a lot of faith in his team, but they need to be more consistent in certain areas…

Cut 16 (17) “bullpen too”

LSU has fallen out of the top ten in the major college baseball polls and they are in fourth place in the SEC with a 5-4 league record. But Mainieri says he’s not giving up on the season…

Cut 17 (12)  “around here”

LSU hosts Grambling State tonight and then travel to Arkansas this weekend. Mainieri expects the players will bounce back from a rough couple of weeks…

Cut 18 (16)    my  livelihood“

Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency after severe weather caused two deaths and left a wake of destruction. Halen Doughty has more…

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The bids to produce medical marijuana are in with the LSU Ag Center, but how much longer do patients have to wait? Michelle Southern reports…:

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Severe weather across the state resulted in two deaths and multiple injuries, as well as road closures and downed power lines in all corners of Louisiana. Maj. Ginny Higgins with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office says two people were killed when an EF1 tornado touched down in a rural area of the parish.

Cut 3 (09) “flipped over”

The victims have been identified at 38-year-old Francine Gotch and 3-year-old Neveah Alexander. Higgins says the woman’s other child, a little boy, left the trailer home to go next door just moments before the tragedy.

Cut 4  (09) “a home”

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Franklin Parish Sheriff Kevin Cobb says his parish sustained major damage, resulting in one injury. He says trees were uprooted or snapped in half, roofs were blown off buildings, and some structures even shifted in the heavy winds. He says limbs ripped from trees and flying debris downed power lines and injured one person.

Cut 5  (10)  “hospital there”

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Vernon Parish wasn’t spared from the storm’s destruction. Office of Emergency Preparedness Director Kenneth Moore says more than 30 parish roads were closed, and several homes took on water. He says three people had to be rescued by sheriff’s deputies.

Cut 6 (10) “life jackets”

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LaSalle Sheriff Scott Franklin says there was extensive damage throughout the parish as the storm moved from Rapides to Catahoula Parish, leaving a wake of destruction. He says volunteers and parish officials are working to open roads and restore power.

Cut 7 (09)  “work effort”

A suspected tornado caused of much of the wreckage. Franklin says the area of Fellowship, south of Jena, saw extensive damage from the storm.

Cut 8 (08) “houses and cars”

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Rapides Parish was also hit by a suspected tornado along the Highway 165 corridor. Capt. Tommy Carnline with the Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported, but they worked 30 weather related calls between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.

Cut 9 (10)  “high water”

Carnline says deputies are working to clear roadways, and Cleco has people on the ground repairing power lines. He says everyone is thankful no one was hurt.

Cut 10 (08) “that’s for sure”

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There are two bills filed for the upcoming legislative regular session that seek to raise the minimum GPA for high school students to receieve the TOPS scholarship. A cumulative GPA of 2.5 is currently required and the proposed legislation raises the requirement to 3.0. Minden Representative Gene Reynolds is the author of the one of the bills

Cut 11 (04) “3.0″

There are currently 50-thousand students who receive the TOPS scholarship. But this year for the first time, the state was able to fully fund the program. So legislators are looking at ways to make TOPS more cost effective. Reynolds says raising the standards on receiving the scholarship is a good place to start…

Cut 12 (04) “more dedication”

Reynolds bill also would give TOPS students the opportunity to leave college or postpone entering college for a year or two, possibly for a job, and then receive the scholarship once that person makes the decision to go back to college. He’s hopeful his legislation will pass…

Cut 13 (04) “how it goes”

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Now that the bids are in with the LSU Ag Center to produce medical marijuana in Louisiana that would one day be used for patients who suffer from specific diseases, many are wondering how much longer they’ll have to wait. New Iberia Senator Fred Mills, who was instrumental in creating the medical marijuana law, gives his best guess on a timeline…:

Cut 14 (09) “that’s done”

LSU is expected to select a contractor by June, who will pay for the production costs. The facility will be located off campus and the first crop should be ready by the end of 2017. Mills says patients have to know that they are working to make a pharmaceutical grade product that’s consistently delivered. He says they can’t get this wrong…:

Cut 15 (10) “we’re being cautious”

The estimated cost to cultivate the drug it its raw form is 10-million dollars. Mills says he knows this process is going a little slower than some people had hoped, but it could be much worse…:

Cut 16  (08)  “quickly done”