Today Governor John Bel Edwards will travel to Alexandria for continued meetings with local elected officials and business leaders to address the budget challenges facing Louisiana. While there, he will take part in a statewide blood drive his office has organized. Tina Martinez with LifeShare Blood Centers says, due to Hurricane Harvey, there is a major need for blood:
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Harvey victims will no doubt need help navigating the red tape of getting federal aid, and CSRA in Bossier City is setting up a call center to help. . Spokesperson Mimi Hedgcock says they  held a job fair for full and part-time positions..:
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Both of Louisiana’s US Senators voted to appropriate 15-billion dollars in disaster aid for victims of Harvey. Junior Senator John Kennedy says although it hasn’t always been the case, FEMA is doing a good job lately, especially with Administrator Brock Long at the helm. Kennedy says the rest will be up to them, since his job ends with providing the funds…:
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The vote was 80-17 in the Senate and now heads to the House for their approval.

Hurricane Irma is now a Category 4 storm, as it moves towards Cuba. Maximum sustained winds were 150 miles per hour, and it was moving west-northwest. A further turn toward the northwest is expected by late Saturday, and on the track — Irma should move near the Florida Keys and southern Florida Peninsula Sunday morning.

No. 10 Florida State has canceled its home game Saturday against ULM because of impending Hurricane Irma. Florida Governor Rick Scott ordered all colleges in the state closed through Monday.

Both of Louisiana’s US Senators are on board with getting victims of Hurricane Harvey federal disaster aid as soon as possible. Junior Senator John Kennedy has a message for those struggling to find hope…:
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The vote to appropriate 15-billion dollars was 80-17 and now heads to the House.

The Governor’s Office is holding a statewide blood drive today amid a supply shortage following Hurricane Harvey. Tina Martinez with LifeShare Blood Centers says this is a great way for people to help those affected by the storm, and it doesn’t cost a thing…:
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CSRA in Bossier City is setting up a call center to connect Harvey victims to recovery resources. Don Molino has more…:
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12th ranked LSU is coming off a dominating performance over BYU and will host Chattanooga in the home opener for the Tigers tomorrow night. LSU is a heavy favorite to beat the FCS School, but Head Coach Ed Orgeron says they have a great deal of respect for the Mocs..:
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Kickoff is at 6:30.

The Governor’s Office is holding a statewide blood drive today amid a supply shortage following Hurricane Harvey. Tina Martinez with LifeShare Blood Centers says because of the hurricane’s destruction, many communities have not been able to donate blood to support the medical needs of local patients:
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Blood drive locations have been set up in all the major Louisiana cities, and donors can also go by any LifeShare location to contribute.

As of the latest update, now-Cat 4 Hurricane Irma is forecast to move between the Central Bahamas and the North Coast of Cuba today. A turn toward the northwest is expected by late Saturday, and on the track — Irma should move near the Florida Keys and southern Florida Peninsula Sunday morning. Maximum sustained winds are near 150 mph.

Meanwhile, the forecast in Louisiana looks absolutely perfect through much of next week. Humidity is down and morning lows are in the mid-upper 50s, while afternoon highs will only reach the low to mid 80s.

Louisiana’s two US senators were among the 80 who voted to support federal funding for Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts. Halen Doughty has more…:
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No. 10 Florida State has canceled its home game Saturday against ULM because of impending Hurricane Irma. Florida Governor Rick Scott ordered all colleges in the state closed through Monday.

For the first time since Hurricane Harvey, gas prices did not go up overnight. The current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $2.40, which is 13 cents higher than the prior week.

Both of Louisiana’s US Senators voted to appropriate 15-billion dollars in disaster aid for victims of Harvey, which nearly doubles what President Donald Trump requested. Junior Senator John Kennedy says this federal funding will help our neighbors grapple with the destruction Harvey left behind..:
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The vote was 80-17 in the Senate and now heads to the House for their approval.

In the coming weeks and months, Harvey victims will need help navigating the red tape to getting federal aid, and Louisianans are coming to the rescue. CSRA was enlisted by the feds to establish a call center for helping disaster victims. Spokesperson Mimi Hedgcock says 500 of those call agents will be based in Bossier City…:
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A $95 million grant will fund the temporary call center.

A statewide blood drive is being held today in the hopes of replenishing a short supply following Hurricane Harvey. Jeff Palermo has more…:
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Louisiana has been pretty lucky this hurricane season, even after two tropical storms made landfall in the Bayou State. State climatologist Barry Keim says fortunately neither Cindy nor Harvey did much damage in Louisiana.

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But Keim says we aren’t out of the woods yet, as three storms are currently churning in the Atlantic.

LSU grads earn higher starting salaries than graduates of other Louisiana universities, according to a new report. President F. King Alexander hopes this will encourage more students, both in and out of state, to choose LSU.

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LSU grads have early career earnings or move than $52-thousand.

Entergy is teaming up with Cleco to build a new transmission line in southeast Louisiana that can withstand winds up to 150 miles per hour. Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says this is an important project because customers want their power restored immediately after a storm.

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The project should be complete by fall of next year.

Groundbreaking took place on a project to widen Arkansas Road in West Monroe. State transportation secretary Shawn Wilson says this widening will increase the traffic capacity in the growing residential area.

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The $33-million project should be finished by the spring of 2020.

There’s three hurricanes churning in the Atlantic Basin, and hurricane season is far from over. State climatologist Barry Keim says we’re not even halfway through the season, and we’re already off to a roaring start with 11 named storms so far.

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Cleco and Entergy are teaming up to build a new transmission line that can withstand hurricane force winds. Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says the companies are splitting the cost. She says Entergy expects to spend $65 million on 24 miles of the project in southeast Louisiana.

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The project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2018.

LSU graduates have higher early- and mid-career earnings than other grads, according to a new report. Jeff Palermo has more…

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High school students in Louisiana did not perform as well on the ACT compared to students in other states. The national average composite score was 21, while Louisiana averaged a 19.5. The Bayou State reportedly ranks 43^rd in the country for ACT test scores.

Governor John Bel Edwards had another roundtable meeting today, this time with business leaders and local officials in the Houma area to gather input on how the state can stabilize the budget for the long-term. Louisiana is facing a looming fiscal cliff, as a over a billion dollars in temporary taxes expire July 1st. Edwards says his meetings with stakeholders have been extremely productive.

A recent report finds LSU graduates have higher early- and mid-career earnings than graduates of other Louisiana universities. President F. King Alexander notes many of the universities below LSU on the list charge higher tuition and have more student debt…:
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LSU grads have early career earnings of more than $52,000 and mid-career earnings of over $100,000.

Three hurricanes are churning in the Atlantic Basin. Hurricane Irma is heading towards south Florida, Jose is in the central Atlantic, and Katia is a hurricane in the southwestern Gulf. State climatologist Barry Keim says having three hurricanes simultaneously is unusual, but not unprecedented.
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He says we’ve already seen 11 named storms, and we haven’t reached the peak of the season.

Cleco and Entergy are teaming up to increase reliability to customers in southeast Louisiana. Cleco Spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says construction is already underway for a new storm-hardened transmission line from Gray to Patterson that can withstand winds of 150 miles per hour…:
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It’s expected the project will be completed by the fall of 2018.