AM Newscall, April 24th, 2015

The 2015 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival gets underway today. Michelle Southern reports…:

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The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission’s “Buckle Up in Your Truck” campaign runs through April 30. Jeff Palermo has more…

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A bill by Gonzales state Representative Eddie Lambert would set a limit on the size of live crawfish that would be sold to people or restaurants. Scott Carwile reports…

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The 2015 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival gets underway today. The lineup this first weekend includes headliners Keith Urban tonight, The Who tomorrow and Sunday it’s Jimmy Buffett on the Acura Stage. Festival producer Quint Davis says he’s excited about the music as usual, but he knows festers can’t get enough of the delicious Louisiana food…:

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Other huge artists performing this weekend are Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Pitbull, Irma Thomas, Ryan Adams, John Legend, Wilco, Jimmy Cliff, Wayne Toups and more. Davis says festival also offers gourmet food in a field on a paper plate for $10 and under…:

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There are chances for rain in the forecast for New Orleans mostly today and tomorrow, but Davis says that doesn’t stop the good times from rolling. He says last year’s Jazzfest was attend by over 400,000 people…:

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The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission begins their “Buckle Up in Your Truck” campaign today in an effort to get more pickup drivers to use their seat belts. Executive Director Lt. Col. John LeBlanc says even though Louisiana’s seat belt compliance rate rose to a record 84-percent in 2014, pickup truck drivers lag behind…

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LeBlanc says less than 79-percent of pickup truck drivers are using seat belts, which is the lowest rate for all vehicles. He says because of a pickup’s tendency to roll over, it’s especially important for people to be restrained inside a truck…

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The campaign runs through April 30. LeBlanc says you can expect to see increased patrols to make sure you are buckled up, no matter what kind of vehicle you’re in. He says buckling up in a front seat passenger car is the best way to reduce your risk to fatal injury…

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A bill by Gonzales state Representative Eddie Lambert would set a limit on the size of live crawfish that would be sold to people or restaurants. The measure would make it illegal for vendors, farmers, and harvesters to sell crawfish that are smaller than three and a half inches for people to eat. Lambert says he’s heard complaints about small crawfish from both wholesalers and consumers…

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There would be an allowance of up to five percent of undersized crawfish in each sack. He says crawfish is a multi-million dollar industry that basically has no standards. Lambert says for the crawfish meat industry, these undersized crawfish are just not economically viable…

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He says this would damage the crawfish meat industry. First offense punishment would be a fine of up to $350 with possible jail time of up to 60 days. The bill will be heard in the House Natural Resources Committee. Lambert says one problem with crawfish is that they are difficult to grade…

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The Department of Health and Hospitals is issuing early reminders about the importance of taking the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your family from West Nile. They believe this will be a big mosquito season because of all the rain we’ve gotten in April. DHH State Epidemiologist Raoult Ratard says get rid of all standing water…:

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Ratard says standing water serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes that may be infected with West Nile. He says the virus typically doesn’t pop up in humans until July, but it’s good to start preparing your home now…:

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In 2014, Louisiana reported 61 cases of West Nile and Ratard says residents who are at least 65 years old are at higher risk for complications but everyone is at risk for infection. He says when you’re outside, make sure you wear mosquito repellent containing DEET…:

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