LRN PM Newscall

According to the United States Public Interest Research Group, federal data from 2014 indicates that over 1,800 bridges in Louisiana need repairs. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

==================

Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne officially kicked off his campaign for Governor today. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

===================

Governor Bobby Jindal made an appearance on NBC’s Meet The Press to talk about the religious freedom debate that’s created a national controversy. Bossier City Representative Mike Johnson has filed a religious freedom bill in Louisiana. Jindal says this issue is about business owners that don’t want to have to choose between their religious beliefs and being able to operate their businesses…

CUT 3 (09)  “those ceremonies”

Johnson’s proposed bill would permit private businesses to deny the same benefits to same-sex couples as other married couples based on a religious objection. Jindal says there used to be a bi-partisan consensus in the US about religious liberty…

CUT 4 (11)  “held beliefs”

The governor said that he has not read Johnson’s bill but supports the defense of religious liberty. Jindal says forcing businesses to participate in a same-sex wedding ceremony, when they have a religious objection, is a Constitutional issue…

CUT 5 (06)  “their religious beliefs”

============================

According to the United States Public Interest Research Group, federal data from 2014 indicates that over 1,800 bridges in Louisiana need repairs. The Federal Highway Administration lists 1,837 bridges in Louisiana as “structurally deficient”. Louisiana Department of Transportation spokesman Rodney Mallett says motorists should not be frightened by this designation…

CUT 6 (07)  “for repairs”

A “structurally deficient” designation doesn’t mean a bridge is unsafe. It means the bridge has at least one component that needs repair or replacement. Mallet admits that DOTD has prioritized interstate improvements in recent years, but that doesn’t mean bridges across the state have been neglected…

CUT 7 (10)  “replacement projects”

The state faces a $12 billion backlog in delayed road and bridge maintenance projects. Mallett says, with the current financial problems facing the state, it all comes down to money…

CUT 8 (09)  “address those”

============================

State police say one of their troopers was injured in a crash involving a drunk driver Sunday morning while investigating another DWI related accident in East Baton Rouge Parish. Trooper Dustin Dwight says the unidentified trooper had the first DWI suspect inside his vehicle parked on the side of I-12 and was finishing up the paperwork for that accident report…:

CUT 9 (06)  “back of him”

Dwight says both the trooper and the first DWI offender were inside the fully marked Tahoe when it was hit and suffered minor to moderate injuries. He says the vehicle which slammed into the back of the cop car was driven by 24-year-old Magen Hall of Zachary…:

cut 10 (09) “minor injuries”

Dwight says it’s a shame that the trooper was taking care of one drunk driving crash then he was hit by another drunk driver. He says they investigated several DWI crashes over the Easter weekend which is unacceptable…:

cut 11 (10)  “for Megen”

============================

Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne officially kicked off his campaign for Governor today. In his announcement, Dardenne said he’s traveled thousands of miles across Louisiana in his current job which is what he plans to do if he’s elected to be the next leader of the state…:

cut 12 (08)  “and Shreveport”

Dardenne says he’d work out of an existing state office in each location so it wouldn’t cost any more money. He says Louisiana is in horrible financial shape right now and he plans to go to work on budget matters from day one…:

cut 13 (09)  “to celebrate”

Dardenne says his office will work to create stability in the state’s budget and end the practice of using one-time money to pay for ongoing expenses. He says higher education will be a top priority and it will be funded as such. Dardenne says it’s okay that he doesn’t have the most cash to run his campaign…:

cut 14 (08) “the best idea”

============================