LSU and a news organization have created a website which would let the public give an opinion on how Louisiana’s budget woes could be repaired. Jeff Palermo reports…:

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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A first of its kind study finds childcare issues costs the state over a billion dollars a year in the economy. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser announces an initiative to get Louisianans to vacation right here in the Bayou State. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 3 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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LSU and a news organization have created a website which would let the public give an opinion on how Louisiana’s budget woes could be repaired. LSU’s Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs and The Advocate, together developed “solve-the-budget-dot-org.” LSU Mass Communications Professor Len Apcar says the poll has two sections

Cut 4  (10) “and spending cuts”

Lawmakers are faced with the task of deciding how to deal with a projected $440 million dollar budget deficit. Apcar says poll participants can select “Yes” or “No” to a number of different options related to revenue and spending, with the dollar amounts included for each….:

Cut 5  (10)  “close the gap”

Apcar says the website aims to teach Louisianians about the complexities of the state’s finances, and hopes a number of people respond between now and the end of the session. He also says that once developers look at the results, it could shed some light on what the masses would really like to see happen at the Capitol…:

Cut 6 (10) “we’ll find out”

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Congressman Clay Higgins has sent a letter to Governor John Bel Edwards urging him to take action to keep Louisiana’s confederate monuments in place, after the Liberty Place monument in New Orleans was taken down under the cover of night. Higgins says this is something that has to be done at the state level.

Cut 7 (07)  “there is none”

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser recently sent a letter to President Trump making the same plea, but Higgins says there’s nothing the feds can do. He says these monuments are a part of Louisiana’s history, and they deserve to be protected.

Cut 8 (12) “that we are”

The New Orleans City Council voted to remove four confederate-era monuments, with statues of Robert E. Lee, P.G.T. Beauregard, and Jefferson Davis still awaiting removal. But Higgins doesn’t think it will stop there. He says the decision to surgically remove this part of our history reflects weakness and fear.

Cut 9 (10)  “be known for”

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A study by the LSU Public Policy Research Lab and the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children finds a lack of quality childcare costs employers and employees over a billion dollars a year. LPIC Executive Director Melanie Bronfin says Louisiana has cut funding to early child care programs 70-percent since 2008.

Cut 10 (09) “their employer”

The report finds one in six workers in Louisiana quit their jobs because of trouble with child care. Dr. Belinda Davis with the Public Policy Research Lab says this results in added costs for employers as the cost of temporary workers and training new employees is expensive. She says this creates large impacts on the state’s economy.

Cut 11 (08) “tax revenue”

Bronfin says a way to solve these problems is to stop cutting money to pay for the Louisiana School Readiness Tax Credits. She says early child care programs are critical to working parents and employers

Cut 12 (09) “childcare”

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Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser unveils a new initiative called Destination Louisiana to encourage Louisianans to vacation in their home state. Nungesser hopes residents will staycation in the Bayou State rather than jumping on a plane. He says there is so much beauty to see right here.

Cut 13 (08) “in Louisiana”

Over the next six months, six different parishes will receive multi-platform coverage from the Louisiana Office of Tourism, starting with Iberia and ending in Sabine. Nungesser says this initiative is an opportunity to showcase all the great reasons to enjoy what Louisiana has to offer.

Cut 14 (11) “Washington Parish”

Nungesser says radio commercials and digital billboards will promote the Louisiana parish of the month. He says for more information on the Destination of the Month, visit Louisiana-travel-dot-com (louisianatravel.com).

Cut 15 (10) “to offer”

A rape victim finally gets justice 30 years later. Halen Doughty has the story…

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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TOPS is fully funded under the budget proposal that’s been approved by the House Appropriations Committee. Michelle Southern has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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Two people are dead after a private plane went down in Morehouse Parish. Sheriff Mike Tubbs says his deputies received a call yesterday afternoon in reference to a plane that went down in Collinston near the Morehouse Detention Center.

Cut 3 (07) “we arrived”

Tubbs says the identities of the victims have not been released. He says the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will conduct an investigation into what caused the crash.

Cut 4  (06) “on the scene”

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It’s a sad day in Ouachita Parish, as the community mourns the loss of 26-year-old Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Beard. State Trooper Michael Reichardt says Beard was responding to a burglar alarm early Sunday morning on Highway 34 when he was involved in a crash.

Cut 5  (08)  “this crash”

Reichardt says the roads were wet from rain, and Beard was not wearing his seatbelt. Beard was a deputy at OPSO for over three years and leaves behind a wife and three young children.

Cut 6 (08) “to anybody”

Glenn Springfield with OPSO says it’s been a tough day for everyone at the department.

Cut 7 (10)  “Deputy Beard”

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Rising waters are a concern today in Evangeline Parish, as flooding from that weekend storm system hit  at least two towns hard. Director of the Evangeline Office of Emergency Preparedness, Liz Hill says the city of Mamou sustained extensive damage.

Cut 8 (10) “that were affected”

Hill says the town of Basille on the Acadia Parish line was also affected. She says they’re still waiting on a count, but the flood damage could be as bad or worse as it was in Mamou.

Cut 9 (08)  “right now”

Hill says many residents are just getting power restored in their homes. She says although the water wasn’t as high as it was in the August flood, some people had to be rescued from their flooded homes.

Cut 10 (07) “higher ground”

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An 83-year-old Larose man has been found guilty of sexual battery of a 7-year-old that occurred over 30 years ago. Lafourche Assistant District Attorney Kristine Russell says a victim came forward to report the incidents with Warren Danos that occurred between 1984 and 1986.

Cut 11 (09) “he raped her”

Russell says Danos is set to be sentenced June 20th on a count of sexual battery. He faces a minimum of 25 years behind bars. She says two other victims came forward, but those cases had reached the statute of limitations, because the victims were not raped. She says this is a huge victory for the victim because they didn’t expect a guilty verdict.

Cut 12 (11) “years ago”

Russell says the victim said on the stand that’d she’d been a victim for 30 years, and she wanted her life back. She encourages any victim of sexual assault to come forward and report it to police, no matter how much time has passed.

Cut 13 (08) “have justice now”

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The House Appropriations Committee has voted to fully fund the TOPS scholarship program for the next fiscal year. Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil amended the state’s spending plan to take 82-million dollars from the Department of Health’s budget so TOPS students would have their tuition fully paid for.

Cut 14 (11) “percent”

TOPS was only funded at 70 percent under the governor’s budget proposal, leaving lawmakers to find more than $81 million needed to fully fund the program. Foil says he will leave it up to LDH to decide where to allocate those cuts.

Cut 15 (09) “a priority”

The Appropriations committee’s version of the budget funds the Department of Health 235-million dollars below what Governor John Bel Edwards proposed. New Orleans Representative Walt Leger raised concerns in committee about how these cuts would impact LDH. He says the only areas of the health budget that can be cut are optional Medicaid programs, like behavioral health services. He says this cut will greatly impact Louisiana residents.

Cut 16  (12)  “on the streets”

The amendment was approved on a 19-5 vote and the entire budget was approved on a 17-5 vote, along party lines. The full House could take up the spending plan later this week.

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