LRN AM Newscall for Monday June 1

Today is the start of the 2015 Hurricane Season and even though forecasters are calling for a below average season, state officials urge you to get prepared. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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A House Committee hears a Senate-bill today that  will help the legislature reach a revenue-neutral budget. It’s called the SAVE tax credit, and it provides colleges with a tax credit for raising fees on students. Michelle Southern reports..:

Cut 2 (27) “reporting”

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Another republican presidential primary poll has Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal receiving just one percent of the vote. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 3 (30) “reporting”

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Today is the start of the 2015 Hurricane Season and even though forecasters are calling for a below average season, state officials are urging you to get prepared for a storm now. Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness spokesman Mike Steele says their message every year is “Get a Game Plan”…:

cut 4  (09)  “develop”

A list of hurricane supplies, evacuation information and other critical information can be found on the www.getagameplan.org website. Steele says in addition to hurricane preparedness items, you should also think about things like prescription medication paperwork, insurance papers and other important documents…:

Cut 5  (10)  “to evacuate”

Steele says we’ve been fortunate to have had a low level of tropical activity in recent years, but we can not let our guard down. He says they don’t want people to be complacent just because NOAA is predicting a below normal hurricane season…

Cut 6 (06)  “for Louisiana”

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State lawmakers are looking at increasing title fees by another 50-dollars when a person purchases a new or used vehicle. Senate Transportation Chairman Robert Adley supports the effort. Adley says the additional revenue will go towards State Police operations, so they can stop taking money away from a fund designed to pay for road and bridge work…

CUT 7 (07)  “trust fund”

Currently, residents pay a title fee of $18.50. Adley says it hasn’t been adjusted since the 1980s and a fee increase can keep State Police from receiving money out of the Transportation Trust Fund, which pays for road repairs

Cut 8  (10)  “that works” 

The proposed title fee increase has been amended to a bill already passed by the House that’s awaiting a vote in the Senate. Adley believes the rest of the legislature will go along with this proposal…

Cut 9 (04)  “right thing to do”

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The trial to determine whether Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson is competent to make important decisions regarding his franchises begins today in New Orleans. Benson’s heirs are asking that the 87-year-old be declared mentally unfit to manage his affairs. Legal analyst Tim Meche says the court will use reports from doctors who evaluated Benson..:

Cut 10 (08) “testify”

Benson previously announced he was going to leave ownership of the teams to his wife instead of his daughter and grandchildren. His lawyer maintains that decision was in the best interest of the sports franchises. Meche says this is a very unusual situation…:

cut 11 (05) “of case”

Last week a judge ruled that the proceedings are closed to the public, because a person’s medical records should not be known to the world. Meche believes that’s a stretch…:

cut 12 (10)   “over reaching”

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The House Ways and Means Committee hears a Senate-bill today that is needed for the legislature to reach a revenue-neutral budget. The measure is called the SAVE tax credit, and it will provide colleges with a tax credit for raising fees on students. Many democrats oppose the measure as the head of the party, Senator Karen Peterson, says all the bill does is help make it look like they are not raising taxes.:

Cut 13 (09)  “playing games”

Governor Bobby Jindal has promised he would veto any measures that weren’t “revenue neutral” which is forcing lawmakers to come up with creative ways to get bills signed. Peterson implies that all this proposal does is help the governor’s personal ambitions…:

Cut 14 (11) “and unnecessary”

A separate bill is moving through the legislature that would allow colleges to raise their own tuition and fees. Jindal calls the SAVE tax credit a way to keep education cost-effective in Louisiana…:

Cut 15  (07)  “affordable”

Jindal says the SAVE tax credit is a way to dedicate funding to higher education…:

Cut 16  (07)  “higher education”

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The New Orleans Pelicans named 60-year-old coaching veteran Alvin Gentry as their new head coach over the weekend. This will be Gentry’s fifth time as a head coach in the NBA. Jake Madison, who writes for the website Bourbon Street Shots says the hiring of Gentry is a smart move by general manager Dell Demps

Cut 17 (19) ” Golden State Warriors” 

Gentry will not assume his role as head coach of the Pelicans, until after the NBA Finals. He’ll spend the next couple of weeks trying to help Golden State win a championship. Madison says Gentry will bring an up tempo style of basketball to the Crescent City

Cut 18 (16) “next season”‘

Madison says this job had to be attractive to Gentry, because he’ll be able to coach one of the best young stars in the game, Anthony Davis

Cut 19 (19)  “all of it”

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