Republican Bossier City Representative Mike Johnson says he plans to amend the religious freedom bill he has filed amid public concerns but gay rights advocacy groups want the legislation pulled altogether. Eric Gill reports…
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The Colorado State University forecast team is predicting a below-average 2015 Atlantic hurricane season. Michelle Southern reports…:
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Republican Bossier City Representative Mike Johnson says he plans to amend the religious freedom bill he has filed amid public concerns but gay rights advocacy groups want the legislation pulled altogether. Johnson told the Jim Engster Show he’ll remove a paragraph in the bill that some believed gave businesses the right to deny benefits to same-sex couples as other married couples based on religious beliefs…
CUT 3 (09) “has been alleviated”
Gay rights groups feel this bill legalizes discrimination and are banding together in opposition to Johnson’s legislation. Bruce Parker, Executive Director of Louisiana Progress Action, says a campaign is underway to defeat this piece of legislation…
Johnson says HB 707 would prevent adverse treatment from the state of any person or entity on the basis of their views on marriage and it applies equally…
Parker says there is a lack of clarity about what Johnson’s bill is intended to do and what it does and it is alarming. He hopes people will contact Johnson and ask him to pull the legislation…
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Higher Education Commissioner Joe Rallo is very concerned about how some universities will be able to operate if lawmakers are not able to come up with a funding solution to the state’s one-point-six billion dollar budget deficit. Rallo says higher ed is facing a potential cut of about 600-million dollars in state funds…
CUT 7 (10) “would not be viable”
LSU president and chancellor F King Alexander says every parish will feel the impact if these deep cuts go through. He says it will force them to eliminate the parish-based Ag Center programs, which concerns Crowley representative Jack Montoucet….
Over the next several weeks lawmakers will discuss ways to generate revenue so that the cuts to higher ed are mitigated. Baton Rouge Representative Patricia Smith questions why the governor is proposing to increase the funding for TOPS scholarships, but dramatically cutting funds for colleges
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The Colorado State University forecast team is predicting a below-average 2015 Atlantic hurricane season. The lead author of the report is Dr. Phil Klotzbach who says a typical hurricane season has 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes and two major hurricanes…:
cut 10 (07) “hurricane season”
The CSU team will issue forecast updates on June 1st, July 1st and August 3rd. Klotzbach says the tropical Atlantic has cooled over the past several months and the chance of an El Nino forming is high. He says historical data indicates fewer storms form in these conditions…:
The team predicts that 2015 tropical cyclone activity will be about 45 percent of the average season. By comparison, 2014′s tropical cyclone acticity was about 75 percent average. He says if the forecast holds true, it would be the third quiet Gulf hurricane season in a row…:
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The 32-year-old Destrehan teacher accused of having sex with a 16-year-old student has reached a plea deal with the St. Charles Parish District Attorney’s office. Under the terms of the deal, Shelley Dufrense avoids jail time, but she’ll have to complete 90 days of treatment at a mental health facility. Legal analyst Tim Meche says most people will think Dufrense got a good deal…
Dufrense will also have to forfeit her teaching certificate and while on three years of active probation, she’s not allowed to have contact with the victim or his family. Meche says based on the conditions of the deal, she avoids having to register as a sex offender for now…
cut 14 (08) “sporting activities”
Meche says if it was a male teacher involved with a female student, the punishment would likely be more severe..
Dufrense also faces charges out of Jefferson Parish, along with another former teacher, where an alleged threesome took place with the same 16-year-old student.
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