The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame gets a little bigger this weekend. Becca Dill has more.
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Republicans are split on how they view the budget battle that ended with a renewal of a portion of the one point four billion dollars in expiring taxes that threatened to wreck state finances. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Louisiana is no longer leading the nation for incarcerations. That distinction is now locked up by Oklahoma. Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the latest research. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (27) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”
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Eleven bayou legends will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches this weekend. CEO and President of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, Ronnie Rantz, says its a strong year, with two wide receivers who were Super Bowl champions, Reggie Wayne of New Orleans and Brandon Stokley of Lafayette.
Russ Springer began his career at LSU then spent 18 years pitching in the Major League and is also being inducted. Rantz says Springer’s talent is undeniable.
Cut 5 (13) “in the big leagues”
Louie Cook, another inductee, served eight seasons as an offensive coordinator for the Ragin’ Cajuns and 32 years as a head coach for three different high school football teams. Rantz says he’s got an impressive resume.
Cut 6 (09) “doesn’t complain about it”
The ceremony is set to begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Natchitoches.
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Republicans are taking stock of a contentious series of special sessions that took three attempts this year to come to a resolution. The final deal was a 4.45 percent sales tax, set to start July 1st, that received support from a majority of House Republicans. House GOP Chairman Lance Harris says they didn’t not what he wanted at the session’s start, but they were able to score a few other wins.
Cut 7 (08) “unnecessary taxes”
Harris pushed a series of budget transparency bills and spending reform packages that either did not clear the legislature, or were vetoed by the governor. One of his main focuses, Medicaid, saw no major changes this year.
Despite support from the leadership, not every Republican supported sales tax plan. 24 House members and 6 Senators, mostly conservative Republicans, rejected the final compromise deal that was cut. Haughton Representative Doddie Horton, who rejected attempts to renew any portion of the one point four billion in expiring taxes, says the state had plenty enough money as is.
Horton zeroed in on one area of frustration for many fiscal hawks in the lower chamber, Medicaid. She says she’s disappointed that further cuts were not implemented into the program that has grown significantly since Governor Edwards accepted the Medicaid expansion.
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Louisiana is no longer leading the nation for incarcerations. That distinction is now locked up by Oklahoma. Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the latest research that showed the numbers indicating prison populations are going down in the state.
Cut 11 (13) “…going to work better.”
The governor goes on to say, 7% more of the prison beds are filled with violent criminals. Reducing incarceration rates was a marked as a priority for the governor during his campaign. Edwards says there is satisfaction with the direction of the change, but there is still more progress to be made.
The governor says the change has also produced financial savings.
Cut 13 (08) “…this fiscal year.”
The governor says a report outlining the savings will be available sometime next month.
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A conservation coalition led by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is filing a lawsuit to protect the Louisiana Black Bear. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted black bears from the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife in March of 2016, but PEER General Counsel Paula Dinerstein says the decision was premature.
Dinerstein says the black bear’s habitat is at risk now that federal restrictions have been lifted.
Cut 15 (07) “…vulnerable to development”
Dinerstein says the Louisiana Black Bear plays an important role in our state culture and iconography and she emphasizes the importance of its preservation.