Good budget news for the state has been hard to find, but we found some. Governor John Bel Edwards says the state ended up with a 143-million dollar surplus for the fiscal year that ended June 30th. Edwards says it’s a sign Louisiana’s economy is improving….
cut 6 (08) “….forecasts”
The Edwards administration says the higher than anticipated increase in personal income and sales tax collections created the surplus.

A Fordham Institute Study says public school teachers miss more than 10 days of work much more than charter school teachers. Louisiana Federation of Teachers spokesperson Les Landon says teachers in charter schools tend to be younger and come from the Teach for America Program…
cut 8 (10) “…spouses”

If you’re in Ouachita Parish, you can use Uber today. Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo thanks the city council and the city’s attorney office for helping to make Uber a reality….
cut 12 (08) “…our citizens”
Mayo says he’s also hoping to work out a deal with Lyft.

A new report from the USDA finds there are over 41 million Americans, including 13 million children, who lived at risk of hunger in 2016. Bread for the World, a movement in the US to end hunger, broke the numbers down by state, and found that Louisiana is the second hungriest in the nation. President David Beckmann says this should be a wake-up call…:
Cut 3 (11) “or eating at all”
Beckmann said the hunger problem in the state is concentrated among African Americans.

Governor John Bel Edwards confirmed on his monthly call in radio show that Amazon is set to build a distribution center at a yet-to-be-determined location in Louisiana. He says once it comes online, it will be great, not only for the state, but for brick and mortar retailers as well…:
Cut 5 (10) “sales tax”
He says negotiations are still underway as to which site will be selected.

The Governor and First Lady Donna Edwards this morning announced the No Kid Hungry Louisiana initiative and School Breakfast Challenge to help reduce childhood hunger in the state. They say this will raise awareness of a serious hunger problem in the state, and engage the public and lawmakers. The USDA reported in 2014 that over 200,000 children continue to suffer from childhood hunger in Louisiana.

Louisiana Tech University has set an enrollment record for this fall as nearly 13-thousand students are taking classes. Jim King is the Vice President for Student Advancement says when you are listed on U.S. News and World Report’s 2018 Best Colleges list, it helps attracts students to your school..:
Cut 15 (06) “come up here”
Enrollment at Tech is up 17-percent from fall of 2013.

Northeast Louisiana residents are thrilled that Uber is finally available in areas governed by Ouachita Parish. Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo says ride-sharing services are needed because they have many visitors coming into the city, because of CenturyLink, Chase, Advantage and Gardner Denver Thomas…:
Cut 11 (07) “accommodate them”
He says Uber has already signed up a lot of enthusiastic drivers.

Governor John Bel Edwards confirmed on his monthly call in radio show that Amazon is set to build a distribution center in Louisiana. Michael Farrar reports…:
Cut 1 (29) “I’m Michael Farrar reporting”

Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says Louisiana ended last year with a $100 million dollar surplus, but that is not going to alleviate the next budget gap. He said the state collected more money that projected from taxes in the budget year that ended June 30th. But he said it’s not going to help with the $1 billion dollar gap next year, when temporary taxes expire.

Louisiana is among about a dozen states where chronic teacher absenteeism in traditional public schools is at least twice as high as it is in charter schools, according to the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. But Louisiana Federation of Teachers spokesperson Les Landon says the report also claims collective bargaining agreements lead to an increase in teacher absences..:
Cut 7 (11) “argument”
He says Fordham also skews data to show public education isn’t doing well.

Louisiana Tech University has set an enrollment record for this fall as nearly 13-thousand students are taking classes this fall, which is 17-percent increase since the fall of 2013. Jim King is the Vice President for Student Advancement. He says the average ACT score of 24.71 for first-time freshmen is also a university record…:
Cut 14 (09) “have em”

A report by the Fordham Institute finds public school teachers are absent much more than charter school educators. Emelie Gunn gets reaction from a teacher’s union…:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Governor John Bel Edwards said on his monthly radio show that the online retail giant Amazon plans to open a distribution center in Louisiana. He says the state is still working with Amazon in order to finalize the site selection…:
Cut 6 (07) “to select”

After a long wait, the car-sharing service, Uber, is finally available in Monroe, West Monroe and areas governed by Ouachita Parish. Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo says his office has spent the last six months working on a contract with Uber and he knows the city is excited it’s finally official…:
Cut 10 (08) “with em”
Mayo says he’s also hoping to work out a deal with Lyft.

Louisiana Tech University has set an enrollment record for this fall as nearly 13-thousand students are taking classes this fall, which is 17-percent increase since the fall of 2013. Jim King is the Vice President for Student Advancement…:
Cut 13 (09) “academically prepared”
He says when you are listed on U.S. News and World Report’s 2018 Best Colleges list, it helps attracts students to your school.

Governor John Bel Edwards confirmed on his monthly call in radio show that Amazon is set to build a distribution center somewhere in Louisiana, but details are limited at the time. He says either way, it’s great news that the online retail giant is bringing a part of its operation to the state…:
Cut 4 (08) “from Amazon”
Edwards says he doesn’t know where the distribution center will be located, because there is still more than one site under consideration.

A Fordham Institute study finds 28-percent of public school teachers missed more than 10 days of work compared to charter school teachers at 10-percent. But Louisiana Federation of Teachers spokesperson Les Landon says traditional public school educators and charter schools teachers are not comparable…:
Cut 9 (08) “situation”
He also says teachers in charter schools are often much younger than traditional public school teachers.

LSU’s star running back will not play on Saturday night against Syracuse. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Kenneth Gleason accused of shooting and killing two black men in Baton Rouge, and shooting up the home of a black family, presumably because of their race, was not granted bond when he appeared before a judge on Wednesday.

State Police is investigating an officer involved in a shooting in Bernice. The L-S-P says yesterday at about 5 PM, the Union Parish Sheriff’s office was sent to a home in response to a disturbance and made contact with a male subject. They say at some point during the incident, the suspect was shot and died at the scene.

New Orleans attorney Scott Sternberg has concerns with parts of LSU’s suspension of Greek activities in the wake of the death of a fraternity pledge. Sternberg says the students’ first amendment rights are being taken away when not allowed to gather in groups of 10 or more to tailgate and he also questions the prohibition of wearing Greek attire. He fails to see how this will educate students about making good decisions….
cut 4 (07) “….with your group”

The state department of children and family services says the number of babies born in Louisiana who are exposed to alcohol and drugs in the womb has tripled from 2008 to 2016. Assistant Secretary for Child Welfare Rhenda Hodnett says they can provide counseling for mothers with substance abuse problems…
cut 11 (10) “…general public”

The Louisiana Workforce Commission is hosting job fairs at 25 locations across the state for young adults. Executive Director Ava Dejoie says Walmart is one of the companies participating and the national retail giant plans to hire 12-hundred workers in Louisiana for the holiday season. Dejoie says this is a great opportunity for those 18 to 24….

        Cut 14 (10) “…work experience”

The State Department of Children and Family Services reports that the number of babies born in Louisiana who are exposed to alcohol and drugs in the womb has tripled from 2008 to 2016. Assistant Secretary for Child Welfare Rhenda Hodnett says last year, that number reached nearly 17-hundred..:

Cut 9 (10) “newborns”

Hodnett says DCFS works to promote prevention, awareness, and intervention for children born addicted to drugs.

 A former BREC Commissioner was found shot dead outside of his home in Pride at around 5:45 Tuesday night.  East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Casey Rayborn Hicks says when police arrived they attempted to resuscitate 66-year-old Carroll (BREE-DON) Breeden, but he died at the scene:

Cut 15 (08) “shots fired”
Anyone who may have seen something of this incident should contact authorities.

LSU’s suspension of Greek activities after of the death of fraternity pledge Max Gruver, has constitutional concerns, according to attorney Scott Sternberg. Michelle Southern reports…:

Voicer 1 (30) “…I’m Michelle Southern”

U.S Senator Bill Cassidy told CNN he is sorry that talk show host Jimmy Kimmel does not understand his health care legislation.  Kimmel said on his show last night that Cassidy lied to his face when it comes to passing a health care bill that protects people with pre-exisiting conditions and lowers premiums for middle class families. Cassidy says his bill does cover pre-existing conditions and it will lead to more Americans covered by health insurance.