Governor John Bel Edwards and state leaders rode on a passenger train from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, a concept talked about for a long time. Michelle Southern has more…
Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Michelle Southern.”
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There’s surprising new data on voter confidence in elections and media. David Grubb has the story.
Cut 2 (35)…I’m David Grubb.”
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Governor John Bel Edwards rode a passenger train from Baton Rouge to New Orleans as he continues to promote the possibility of a commuter rail line. Before boarding the train, Edwards says a rail line connecting the Red Stick with the Big Easy would do wonders for southeast Louisiana…
Cut 3 (10) “…Saints games.”
Joining Edwards on the “inspection” train ride were executives from Amtrak, Kansas City Southern, and Canadian Pacific. Canadian Pacific says it’s committed to providing a passenger rail service between B-R and NOLA. Louisiana Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson was also on the trip…
Cut 4 (11) “…action plan.”
Edwards says Louisiana needs to allocate 25-million dollars to show the federal government that it’s serious about the project, but the Legislature has yet to commit to that level of spending…
Cut 5 (11) “…that important.”
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Election security remains a hot topic around the nation, but according to the 2022 Louisiana Survey conducted by LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab, 88 percent of voters across the state, regardless of party, believe that Louisiana’s elections are conducted fairly and tallied accurately. Here’s Dr. Michael Henderson.
Cut 6 (12) “…pretty widespread.”
Henderson says there is disagreement on what voting is, and who should be voting. More than three-quarters of Republicans polled see voting as a privilege, while more than 80 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of Independent voters view it as a fundamental right.
Cut 7 (12) “…shouldn’t be restricted.”
A surprising area of consensus among all groups is a decreasing level of confidence in the media. While distrust of national outlets isn’t unusual, Henderson says just over half of respondents say they trust their local news source, a 27-percentage point drop from four years ago.
Cut 8 (11) “…and Independents drop.”
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Union Parish authorities are seeking a murder suspect, who escaped from a work release program after fatally stabbing a man this morning. Union Sheriff Dusty Gates says the alleged killer was on a prison work-release crew at Foster Farms in Farmerville…:
Cut 9 (10) “…fled the scene.”
Gates says 48-year-old Bruce Causey is from Baton Rouge. He reportedly attacked a co-worker; stabbing him several times. That victim was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital. Gates says Causey is at large and could be headed for safe haven back home…:
Cut 10 (05) “…Barton Rouge area.”
WBRZ in Baton Rouge reports Causey has a record of violent crime arrests going back 30 years.
Gates says Foster farms has hired work-release labor at their chicken processing plant for many years, and nothing like this has happened before. He says the victim was a 53-year-old Black male, but cannot divulge more until his family is notified. Gates says all that’s known at this time is an argument between the men triggered the violence…:
Cut 11 (08) “…motive behindit.”
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Once again a proposal to raise the minimum wage has been rejected at the State Capitol. The Senate Labor Committee voted against a constitutional amendment that would increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.25 an hour on January 1st. Monroe Senator Stewart Cathey says if you require businesses to raise wages, they’ll raise prices on consumers…
Cut 12 (11) “…to live”
The measure failed on a four to one vote. The only “Yes” vote came from the author of the proposal, Baton Rouge Senator Regina Barrow, who tried to increase the minimum wage in Louisiana for the first time since 2009…
Cut 13 (12) “…decent living”
Vice President of Government Relations at the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Jim Patterson made the argument a higher minimum wage could lead to higher prices for consumers and fewer jobs for low-wage earners…
Cut 14 (10) “…would be.”