The Louisiana Department of Education announces that 22,972 recent public high school graduates enrolled in college in 2014, an all-time high for the state. Eric Gill reports…
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Pounchatoula-based Elmer’s Chocolates are a must-have for many Louisiana Easter baskets this Sunday. Michelle Southern reports…:
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New Orleans Senator JP Morrell files a package of bills that seeks to reform the state’s film tax credit program. Scott Carwile has the story…
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The Louisiana Department of Education announces that 22,972 recent public high school graduates enrolled in college in 2014, an all-time high for the state. That’s a six-percent increase from 2013. Education Superintendent John White says the numbers in this report are very exciting…
He says this year’s gains are fueled by an increase in low-income and minority students attending college. Those two groups account for over half of the overall growth. White says recently implemented programs like Advanced Placement, dual enrollment classes, and Jump Start are creating chances for students…
He says the number of graduates enrolling in college directly after high school has increased 16-percent since 2011. Statewide, 59-percent of the class of 2014 enrolled in college for the fall semester. White says this is not the time for education in Louisiana to take a step backwards…
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A must-have for many Louisiana Easter baskets this Sunday is a candy manufactured in Ponchatoula. Elmer’s chocolates have been around over 160 years and President Rob Nelson says the Easter Sunday tradition is highlighted by their top sellers — Heavenly Hash and Gold Brick…:
CUT 7 (08) “turn of the century”
The company started in The Big Easy in 1855 as a pastry business but eventually became Elmer Candy Corporation. Nelson says even Easter is falling a little early this year, sales this Holiday have been great…:
Nelson says Heavenly Hash is their second most popular Easter candy, but the Gold Brick Eggs and their different flavors top the charts every year. He says they attribute a large part of their success to being in one of the best Easter candy markets in the country — from Houston, Texas to Pensacola, Florida…:
Cut 9 (08) “family traditions”
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Legislation to reform the state’s film tax credit program has been filed for the upcoming session. The program has made Louisiana a major player in the motion picture industry, but the department of economic development says it costs $4.48 for every dollar of state revenue it creates. New Orleans Senator JP Morrell says one of the goals with his legislation is to make the tax credit more predictable…
Morrell says the most the state has paid out in a given year is 250-million dollars and one of his bills would cap the amount of tax credits paid in a fiscal year to 300-million dollars. The state senator says he also has three different bills that attempt to control fraudulent behavior
cut 11 (12) “itself is truthful”
Morrell says the legislation he’s filed is not designed to ruin Louisiana’s reputation as “Hollywood South.” He says the goal is to make it better and that includes legislation to help college graduates get involved in the movie and TV industry…
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The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s office is investigating an officer involved shooting which left one man dead in Pineville. Lt. Tommy Carnline says deputies responded to reports of a disturbance in which a person was threatening another person in the residence and also threatening to do harm to himself…:
Carnline says they tried to calm the subject down for over an hour until he suddently left the room then began pointing a gun at deputies…:
Carnline says the subject did not listen to orders to drop the weapon which is when he was shot and killed by cops. He says the deputy involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave as standard procedure…:
Cut 15 (09) “choice that we’re given”
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