The LHSAA has halted the regular season for the sport of wrestling but still plans on holding the state championship wrestling meet. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 1 (30) “ …I’m Jeff Palermo”
_______________________________________
The Department of Education is pushing to diversify the teacher population, and address longstanding retention issues. Matt Doyle has the story.
_____________________________
A COVID-19 vaccination event scheduled for tomorrow at the Rapides Parish Coliseum is already fully booked. L-D-H Region Six Medical Doctor David Holcombe says the Rapides Regional Medical Center donated 420 doses to inoculate members of the public who are eligible, those 70 and older and healthcare workers
Holcombe says the drive-thru method is something they’ve perfected over the last 9 months with COVID testing, now they will use the same procedure to issue vaccines at the east end of the Rapides Parish Coliseum.
The event will be Thursday from 8:30 until 3 pm and you must be preregistered. Holcombe says when they announced the event to the public Monday night they were overwhelmed with interest.
Holcombe says if you are not 70 and older or an eligible healthcare worker and have registered and attend, you will not be vaccinated. They also plan to hold more max vaccination events in the future as soon as more supply is made available.
___________________________________________________
An outbreak of COVID-19 cases connected to a high school wrestling tournament in Gonzales has led to the LHSAA canceling the remainder of the wrestling regular season. But LHSAA director Eddie Bonine says they still plan on holding the state wrestling championships in Baton Rouge February 25th and 26th
The state health department reported over 20 COVID-19 cases linked to the Louisiana Classic Wrestling Tournament at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center that took place nearly two weeks ago. LHSAA president David Frederico says they still wanted to hold the state championships, but the best way to get there was to end the regular season
Bonine says strict measures will be in place for the state wrestling championships at the Raising Canes Center in downtown Baton Rouge in an effort to avoid another outbreak
Cut 8 (08) “…social distancing.”
_____________________
State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says one of the department’s goals moving forward is increasing K-12 teacher retention, and fostering a more diverse workforce. Brumley says right now the teacher workforce does not look like the student population.
Only about a quarter of all teachers are black compared to roughly a third of the state’s population.
Brumley says twelve percent of all teachers leave after their first year on the job, and they’ve got to start cutting that number back.
About a quarter of all teachers in the K-12 workforce are also uncertified. Brumley says they’re clustered in the STEM fields…
_______________________________________________
Former Baton Rouge state representative and mayoral candidate Steve Carter died of COVID-19 complications Tuesday, three weeks after he was first hospitalized with the virus. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat has known Carter since the late 1970s and says Carter was not only a good friend, he was a good legislator.
Carter, a former tennis coach at LSU, served 12 years in the legislature. Pinsonat says Carter was a well-respected lawmaker and acted as a mentor for incoming members.
Carter is the third Lousiana political figure to die of COVID, Representative Reggie Bagala of Lockport died last April, Congressman-elect Luke Letlow in December, and now Carter. Pinsonat says these are all great losses to the state.
Governor Edwards has order flags to be flown at half-staff for Carter’s funeral. He was 77.
________________________