The LSU Ag Center is participating in a trial to show the effectiveness of a new form of insect repellant, Brooke Thorington has more
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Opposition from the Conservative Caucus and a lack of outright support from Governor Edwards may end up dooming an effort to dedicate a portion of the state sales tax to infrastructure. Matt Doyle has more.
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Severely obese state employees will soon be eligible for bariatric surgery after legislation that has been in the works for almost 20 years passes this session. Brooke Thorington has more.
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Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser is in Juneau, Alaska this week as part of a partnership between our two states to jointly promote domestic seafood.
Nungesser says Louisiana and Alaska are the two biggest producers of domestic seafood in the US and the partnership is a natural fit.
Alaska and Louisiana combine to produce about 6.5 million pounds of seafood annually.
Nungesser says the partnership will certainly boost the profile of Louisiana seafood and help promote tourism into the Bayou State, but it will also spread another important message.
Nungesser says after visiting Alaska he’ll be hosting their Lt. Governor on a trip to New Orleans later on.
The plan is to have 2017 King of American Seafood Chef Lionel Uppida of Alaska cook alongside 2015 King of Louisiana Seafood Chef Mike Brewer.
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LSU’s AgCenter is seeking volunteers to participate in a study of an insect repellant. Medical Entomologist Kristen Healey says they are helping a company rate the effectiveness of an existing product but not available yet in the forms of a wipe and lotion.
Healey says participants will be outfitted in scrubs, like those in healthcare wear, and enter a mosquito area to test the repellant.
But Healey says before mosquitoes land on a participants’ leg to leave their mark, they will be thwarted by a device called an aspirator to minimize and bites.
Before insect repellants are available to the general public, Health says they are thoroughly tested so what you read on the EPA label is backed by proper research and that’s what they are doing with these forms of the product.
Healey says the manufacturer picked the right state to test their product because Louisiana has more than 60 individual species of mosquitos.
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The legislative session ends Thursday so legislation that would dedicate .45 percent of the state sales tax that will expire in 2025 to infrastructure has only four days left to get over the finish line. Conservative lawmakers oppose it and Governor Edwards says he likes the idea, but the devil is in the details.
The legislation by Port Allen Senator Rick Ward would begin shifting that sales tax money into an infrastructure sub-fund starting in 2022. The bill is waiting to be heard on the Senate floor and it needs a two-thirds vote to pass.
Edwards says he understands the idea behind the bill and admits something must be done to generate more infrastructure funds.
The proposal would generate nearly 400 million dollars a year starting in 2025 for infrastructure projects.
Governor Edwards reiterated his commitment to vetoing a bill that’s been sent to him by the Legislature that would remove the requirement for those over 21 to have a permit to concealed carry.
Edwards says the current requirement that anyone concealed carrying be trained on marksmanship, carrying laws, safety, and law enforcement interactions is not burdensome.
The bill cleared both the House and Senate with enough votes that should Edwards veto it, and there are no lawmakers who change their mind, the veto could be overridden.
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A bill to cover bariatric surgeries for state employees passes overwhelmingly in the legislature after a long-fought battle. Bill author Baton Rouge Senator Regina Barrow says this is welcome news for state employees in an effort to extend their life and reduce the costs spent on morbidly obese-related illnesses.
Despite Louisiana having the highest in the nation obesity rate, it was one of a few states that didn’t cover bariatric surgery for severely obese state employees. An effort to have Louisiana cover the surgery began almost 20 years ago. Barrow hopes this is just the beginning.
A fiscal note attached to the bill estimates that covering the surgeries will cost more than $5 million in the first year but decrease to half that by 2026 due to savings on prescription drug benefits and other medical costs like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
The bill cleared the House last week on a 93-0 vote and takes effect in August.
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The LSU Tigers are still alive in the Eugene Regional after winning two games yesterday, nine to four over Gonzaga and four to one over Oregon to set up a winner take all game tonight against the Ducks. After a terrific pitching performance against the Zags by A-J Labas, freshman Javen Coleman followed that up with six sensational innings against Oregon. Head Coach Paul Mainieri…
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Devin Fontenot pitched two shutout innings for his fifth save. Gavin Dugas led the Tigers offensively with a home run and a triple that could have been ruled as an inside the park home run. Mainieri was glad to see Dugas have a big game after a quiet start to the regional
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If LSU can beat Oregon tonight, they will advance to the super regionals to play Tennessee in Knoxville. Mainieri says he’s not ready to retire yet…
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Louisiana Tech’s historic baseball season ended last night with a 14-7 loss to North Carolina State in the championship round of the Ruston Regional. The Bulldogs jumped out to a four to nothing lead but they couldn’t keep the Wolfpack down who beat Tech twice over the weekend. La Tech Coach Lane Burroughs says he’s proud of this team
Louisiana Tech finished with a record of 42-20, won the Conference USA West, beat three teams from the SEC including a 10-8 win over Alabama yesterday and hosted the first Regional in school history. Burroughs says they are just getting started