AM NEWSCALL
After a suicide attempt as a teen, now an Ascension Parish woman is now trying to give others hope with her own documentary. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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As COVID vaccines for kids ages 5-11 get CDC approval, some state lawmakers warn school officials it’s best not to get in the middle of that or to mandate shots. More from Kevin Gallagher…:
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”
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More information is being released about a deadly officer-involved shooting in Houma late Monday afternoon. More from Dave Brannen.
Cut 3 (27) “…I’m Dave Brannen.”
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In 2017 by all appearance then 16-year-old Emma Benoit, a Dutchtown high school varsity cheerleader in Ascension Parish led the perfect life. But the veil soon dropped when she attempted suicide and it left her paralyzed. Now she’s sharing her story with a documentary of hope and recovery entitled My Ascension.
Cut 4 (11) “…wanted to do that.”
Now 21, Benoit says she’s always wanted to help others and feels her film is doing just that by showing others, like herself when she was at her lowest point at age 16 with a gun in her hand, that help it out there.
Cut 5 (08) “…help out there, hope out there.”
Teen suicide attempts were up 50-percent from March 2020 to February of this year compared to the previous time period. Benoit says while social media wasn’t the main reason for her suicide attempt it was a contributing factor.
Cut 6 (09) “…self-destruction.”
For more information about her documentary film visit myascension.us
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As the CDC approves COVID shot for kids 5 to 11, an Ascension Parish state lawmaker and others are urging education officials to resist mandating vaccinations for young school children. Gonzales Representative Kathy Edmonston sent a letter to state Education Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley to that effect…:
Cut 7 (13) “…terms of consent.”
Edmonston’s letter to Brumley was co-signed by 13 other state legislators. In it, she says parents should be either present while their kids are vaccinated at school locations, or given proper notice so as to provide their consent or refusal for reason. She also details that coronavirus vaccines are not something that legally may be mandated for children, despite FDA or CDC approval of using them on kids ages 5 – 11…:
Cut 8 (09) “…so we said that.”
Edmonston says she is against schools taking any active part in vaccinating kids. Research shows the vaccines only mitigate the effects of COVID, and cannot prevent getting or spreading the virus. Healthy kids have a 99-percent chance of surviving it. She hopes Brumley and school leaders will take the letter to heart, and that parents will also get involved…:
Cut 9 (12) “…terms of vaccination.”
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The numbers of insurers offering hurricane coverage in Louisiana are shifting as claims from Ida alone are expected to ballpark at 20-billion-dollars. State Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says at least two small firms have exited the state over insolvency concerns, but post-Katrina a couple of dozen more have entered the picture.
Cut 10 (08) “…small regional companies.”
Donelon issued an emergency rule prior to Ida that barred insurers from axing insurance coverage, but that expired late last month.
Donelon says a dozen more insurers may be exiting the state for financial reasons, but not on a voluntary basis.
Cut 11 (11) “…into receivership.”
And at that point, those insurers will not be writing any new business.
Donelon says he expects home insurance premiums to increase by ten to 12 percent next year following Ida’s devastation and the costs incurred by insurance companies. He says these have been trying times for all of us including the insurers.
Cut 12 (10) “…past two years.”
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The nice dry, seasonal temperatures we’ve been enjoying for a while now are coming to an abrupt end for a bit, especially in north Louisiana as we hear from National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Hemingway who says rain and colder weather are invading the area.
He says with the expected rain today, temperatures will struggle to climb above 50 degrees and temps will still be below normal as the weekend arrives.
Hemingway says the front will impact the south with some cooler temps and rain, but not to the degree Shreveport and that area of the state will see over the next few days.
Cut 14 (07) “…the Gulf waters.”
Hemingway says it’s been quite a while since north Louisiana has seen weather this cold, but no frozen precipitation is expected, given that temps will only dip to the upper 30s.
Cut 15 (08) “…spring and April.”
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Louisiana Tech is looking to end a four-game losing streak on Saturday in Birmingham when they face UAB. The Bulldogs are 2-and-6 on the year and four of those losses were by a touchdown or less. Coach Skip Holtz says not executing at critical times has resulted in some tough losses
Cut 16 (13) “…opportunistic moment”
Louisiana Tech is coming off 23-20 loss to Old Dominion last Saturday. Bulldogs quarterback Austin Kendall couldn’t finish the game because of a back injury and J-D Head finished the contest. Holtz says if Kendall can’t play this Saturday, either Head or Aaron Allen would get the start…
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LSU starting quarterback Max Johnson has nothing but good things to say about former starter Myles Brennan, who announced on Monday he’s transferring from LSU. Johnson says he learned a lot from Brennan….
The LSU-Alabama game every season is circled on the schedule. Linebacker Damone Clark says he’s not trying to make this game any bigger than it is…
Cut 19 (14) “…go out there and play.”
LSU offensive tackle Austin Deculus on what he’ll tell some of the younger guys as they get ready to play third-ranked Alabama…