Southwest Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins isn’t happy with talks on Capitol Hill about money proposed for hurricane disaster aid to Louisiana and hiking the federal debt limit. More from Dave Brannen.
Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Dave Brannen.”

State health officials say the number of nursing home residents who have died after they were evacuated to a warehouse in Tangipahoa Parish for Hurricane Ida has risen to 12. The previous number was seven and L-D-H says over 50 people were hospitalized after they were among the 843 residents sheltered at the facility in Independence.

Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin is traveling to Ida impacted areas this week visiting polling sites, registrar offices, clerk of courts, and meeting with local officials to determine if they need to find alternative voting locations..
Cut 10 (08) “…delay the election.”
The October ninth primary has been moved to November 13th and the general election will now be held December 11th. Ardoin says there will be temporary changes for some damaged polling locations, and early voting locations will be moved.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s office has charged a 16-year-old with numerous charges after a toxicology report determined she was driving under the influence on August fourth when she drove off the roadway, striking two trees, a utility box and two signs. Two teenage passengers were killed. Captain Lance Vitter with the St. Tammany Sheriff’s office…
cut 15 (10) “…young adults”

Southwest Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins isn’t happy with talks on Capitol Hill about money proposed for hurricane disaster aid to Louisiana and hiking the federal debt limit.  More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Dave Brannen.”

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Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin is visiting Ida impacted areas of the state to see if they need to make changes to some voting locations for the fall elections. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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The 16-year old girl who was driving the night two other girls were killed in a single-car crash in Madisonville last month has been arrested. Brooke Thoringotn explains.

Cut 3 (32)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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The Louisiana Department of Education is launching what it’s calling the Reimagine School Systems Program.  Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley says it’s being funding by a 35-million-dollar grant that is targeted towards improving student access to high-quality schools.

Cut 4 (11) “…we move forward.”

Brumley says there’s no set amount for dividing up the grant money as school districts move forward with plans to create new educational opportunities.  The deadline to apply for the grant money is December 16^th.

Superintendent Brumley says those chosen for the grant money will receive technical assistance in implementing their plan and financial resources to fund it.

Cut 5 (09) “…that they deserve.”

Brumley says the 35-million-dollars in grant money will be divided up among those chosen for the Reimagine School Systems program, with no funding limit in place.

Cut 6 (o9) “…any individual idea”

He says the goal is to empower school systems in Louisiana “to challenge the status quo and think big how we can boost student performance.”

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Southwest Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins is speaking out about a proposal to raise the federal debt ceiling by about 15 trillion dollars. He tells us it’s not something he’s about to vote in favor of, even though he did vote to increase the red ink during the Trump administration.

Cut 7 (07) “…it’s insane.”

Higgins is not opposed to the short-term extension of funding, but he draws the line at increasing the nation’s debt limit.

Cut 8 (11) “…increase the debt limit.”

Representative Higgins is not impressed at all with the amount of disaster assistance funding that’s being considered, especially when hurricanes Laura and Delta victims have to share the amount with other disaster victims around the U.S.

Cut 9 (11)  “…parishes of Louisiana.”

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Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin has been traveling to Ida impacted areas this week visiting polling sites, registrar offices, clerk of courts, and meeting with local officials to determine if they need to make site changes of voting locations.

Cut 10 (08)  “…delay the election.” 

The October 9^th primary was delayed until November 13^th and the November 13^th election was moved to December 11^th. Ardoin says there will be temporary changes for some damaged polling locations, and some areas will have their early voting locations moved.

Ardoin says they made the decision to delay the fall election so those in Ida impacted areas can focus on recovery first and then the election. He says there are important decisions like local propositions, school board members, and constitutional amendments to be decided.

Cut 11 (08) “…and civic duty.”

For displaced voters who might not be in hometowns to vote, Ardoin says they can either show up for early voting or election days where they are registered and cast a ballot…

Cut 12 (11) “…that online.”

Ardoin says you can receive an absentee ballot for your home location and it will be mailed to your temporary address.

For more information you can download the GeauxVote App, that’s G-E-A-U-X, call your registrar’s office or the Secretary of State’s Office at 225-922-2880.

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The 16-year-old driver of a fatal crash that killed two teens in Madisonville last month has been arrested after a toxicology report came back indicating she was under the influence during the crash. St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Captain Lance Vitter says the driver faces numerous charges for the August 4^th single-car crash on Guste Island Road.

Cut 13 (09) “…seriously injured.”

That teen has now been released from the hospital.

Vitter says speed was also a factor in the tragic crash that claimed the lives of Makayla Bonrua and Chloe Shartle.

Cut 14 (07)  “…an arrest.”

Vitter says investigators met with the families of all involved and informed them of the charges. Vitter says they were waiting for a toxicology report which routinely takes several weeks

Cut 15 (10)  “…young adults.”

Vitter says the driver was transported and booked into the Florida Parishes Juvenile Correctional Center in Tangipahoa Parish.

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After going two and one in nonconference action, U-L Lafayette will kick-off Sun Belt play this Saturday when they visit Georgia Southern in Statesboro. The Cajuns won by just two points over the Eagles last season and Coach Billy Napier says his team understands the challenge in front of them…

Cut  16 (15) “…the moment.”

UL Lafayette leads the overall series three games to one. The Cajuns are coming off a 49-14 win over Ohio. It’s a game where they rushed for 310 yards. Napier liked what he saw from his ground attack…

Cut 17 (23) “..up there.” 

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The Saints head to New England on Sunday to take on Bill Belichick and the Patriots. New Orleans Coach Sean Payton says taking care of the football is the number one priority…

Cut 18 (08)”…the week.”

The Patriots are 1-and-1 on the season and they’ve given up just 23 points on the year. Payton says it’s a unit that has been stingy in the red zone…

Cut 19 (24)  “…watch it.” 

Rookie quarterback Mac Jones has only thrown one touchdown pass, but he’s completing 74-percent of his passes and he’s not been intercepted. Payton says Jones processes information fast and the ball comes out quick…

Cut 20 (21)  “…smart player” 

The Louisiana Department of health confirms another child has died as a result of the fourth surge of Covid-19 in the state.  It marks the seventh pediatric death of a child between the ages of 12 and 17.  No other information was released in connection with the death.

The Department of Children and Family Services is encouraging DSNAP inter callers to call on their assigned days due to the large call volume. Visit dcfs.louisiana.gov/DSNAP to find your assigned day and you can also preregister at the site. Assistant Secretary Shavana Howard says calling in on your assigned day is not pre-registration and if you miss your interview day, they are holding makeup days.

Cut 9 (10) “…the alphabet”(x2) 

Current SNAP recipients are not eligible for DSNAP.

Congressman Garret Graves is pulling no punches in his concern for the fate of much-needed federal dollars for hurricane recovery aid in Louisiana.  He says the amount proposed is less than two billion dollars and is earmarked for disasters across the nation.

Cut 3 (10) “…not a chance.”

Congressman Troy Carter is among those who voted Tuesday to approve the Extending Government Funding and Disaster Assistance Act.  He says the bill provides crucial funding for disaster recovery in Louisiana.

Cut 5 (10) “…across this nation.”

The bill is part of a larger package dealing with funding the government and increasing the debt ceiling.

Congressman Garret Graves is angry that disaster recovery money for Louisiana is embedded in legislation to increase the national debt without limit that’s being sought by the Biden Administration. The debt is currently more than $28-trillion and recent requests would push it to $45-trillion. Graves minces no words with the move by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to intertwine disaster recovery with substantially increasing the debt limit on federal spending…:

CUT 04(10)      “…pill in there.”

A Benton woman faces animal cruelty charges after Bossier Sheriff’s deputies found three horses dead and 13 suffering from severe neglect and malnutrition. Bossier Sheriff’s Deputy Rod White says 52-year-old Sandra Blackmon Driscoll, was arrested, while the surviving horses were rescued…:

CUT 15(12)      “…taken away.”

AT&T faces heavy criticism for its response to Hurricane Ida, and today a member of the PSC tried to get some answers. Jeff Palermo has that…:

CUT 02(32)      “…Palermo.”

Lake Charles Police arrest four men for their roles in a shooting September 6^th near McNeese State University and three of them are McNeese football players. Lathan Adams, Edward Gild and Travis Walker are all freshman defensive backs. Officers say the shooting was related to any armed robbery.

District 6 Congressman Garret Graves pulls no punches when talking about the fate of federal disaster recovery dollars for Louisiana. He says the current amount proposed is under $2-Billion and would be distributed across the nation…:

CUT 03  (10)        “…not a chance.”

District 2 Congressman Troy Carter voted to approve the Extending Government Funding and Disaster Assistance Act. He says there is funding in the continuing resolution to help with South Louisiana’s long-term recovery efforts…:

CUT 06(08)      “…in the past.”

State health officials report another child has died due to COVID-19. The child’s identity is being withheld and we’re only told he (or she) was between 12 and 17. So far, 16 kids have fallen victim to coronavirus in our state.

More than 26-thousand calls were taken during the first two days for DSNAP interviews. 25 parishes are eligible for disaster food stamps however interviews for the parishes are not held on the same weeks. DCFS Assistant Secretary Shavana Howard urges callers to visit their webpage and only call on their designated day. She says, besides their webpage, there is another way to find out your day…:

CUT 08(11)      “…using.”

Current SNAP recipients are NOT eligible for the disaster food assistance.

AT&T had to answer some tough questions from the state Public Service Commission, after customers complained of poor or non-existent service in the wake of Hurricane Ida. PSC member Eric Skrmetta says his office was flooded with complaint calls…:

CUT 12(12)      “…your customers”

An AT&T rep says the company did the best it could under the circumstances.

Overrun with calls, the state Department of Children & Family Services is asking those calling for Disaster food stamp interviews to do so on their assigned day. More from Brooke Thorington…:

CUT 01  (31)        “…Thorington”

A Haughton man is under arrest for alleged sex crimes against juveniles. Bossier Sheriff’s deputies say 38-year-old David McCart was taken into custody after a search warrant of his home turned up child pornography and evidence of molestation. McCart faces 18 separate counts; his bond set at nearly a million dollars.

An AT&T representative went before the state Public Service Commission to answer complaints of spotty and poor service in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. AT&T maintains it did the best it could under the circumstances. PSC member Eric Skrmetta says he’s disappointed the phone company couldn’t tell them how many contractors they brought in-state to restore service…:

CUT 11  (11)        “…unacceptable answer”

Skrmetta believes AT&T should have a published outage map, like the power companies do.

A Benton woman faces 16 counts of aggravated animal cruelty after Bossier Deputies found horses dead and many starving and barely able to walk at her horse training center. 52-year-old Sandra Driscoll had bond set at $100-thousand. Deputy Rod White says the animals were living in deplorable conditions…:

CUT 14  (05)        “…stalls were unkept”

The horses have been taken to another facility for rescue and rehabilitation.

AT&T has faced heavy criticism for its response to Hurricane Ida and today a PSC member tried to get answers. Jeff Palermo has the story

Cut 2 (32)…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

Louisiana’s health department is confirming that another child has died as a result of the fourth surge of Covid-19 in the state.  It marks the seventh pediatric death of a child between the ages of 12 and 17.  No other information was released in connection with the death.

More than 26-thousand calls were taken during the first two days for DSNAP interviews. 25 parishes are eligible for disaster food stamps however interviews for the parishes are not held on the same weeks. In an effort to reduce hold times DCFS Assistant Secretary Shavana Howard urges callers to visit their webpage and only call on their designated day.

Cut 7 (10) “…the help.”  

To receive DSNAP the first step is to pre-register online, then call in on your specified day.

Congressman Troy Carter is among those who voted Monday to approve the Extending Government Funding and Disaster Assistance Act.  He says the bill provides crucial funding for disaster recovery in Louisiana.

Cut 5 (10) “…across this nation.”

The bill is part of a larger package dealing with funding the government and increasing the debt ceiling.