Governor Edwin Edwards’ widow announces her engagement to another major Louisiana political figure. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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State Representative Jason Hughes continues to call for leadership changes at the Department of Children and Family Services, despite the state agency announcing changes in policy and a push to increase staff. Jeff Palermo has more…
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”
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State Police is investigating a fatal police shooting in Cut Off. Trooper Ross Brennan says the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to call of a domestic disturbance when a subject inside the home shot at deputies and an officer with Port Fourchon Harbor Police
Brennan says the subject has been identified as 32-year-old Geraldo Reyes.
He says further information will be released as it becomes available.
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The widow of former Governor Edwin Edwards, Trina Edwards is engaged. Former Louisiana House speaker and Senate President John Alario popped the question outside Ruth’s Chris Friday night on Edwards’ 44th birthday. On Jim Engster’s Talk Louisiana this morning she said Alario opted to propose in the car before dinner because it was raining.
Edwin Edwards, who was 51 years older than his third wife, passed away last summer at the age of 93, and the couple shared one child Eli.
Trina Edwards says she met 78- year old Alario years ago during a dedication ceremony after the death of his wife in 2006. Trina says they crossed paths several times but didn’t begin dating until after the death of Edwin.
As for when the two will get married, Trina Edwards says they haven’t set a date yet but most likely it will be next year. Even though she’d dropped several hints that she wanted to get married, she says Alario was still apprehensive.
Trina Edwards says she has a good relationship with Alario’s children and he does with her children as well.
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New Orleans Representative Jason Hughes continues to call for leadership changes with the Department of Children and Family Services after the state agency admitted they failed to follow up properly after receiving three reports of a child subjected to substance abuse. That two-year-old child died in June of a drug overdose. Hughes says he’s tired of excuses…
DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says reports of small children consuming or ingesting a controlled dangerous substance will warrant an immediate trip to the home and they are also increasing staff.
But Hughes says not only does Walters need to go, but so does the Assistant Secretary of Child Welfare and the Assistant Secretary of Family Support…
Hughes also says DCFS has failed to complete a technology upgrade to its reporting system that was approved in 2019. He says there’s also the case of a foster father arrested for allegedly sexually abusing three different children and he says morale is low in the department
Cut 10 (07) “..starts at the top”
DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says they deeply regret the death of two-year-old Mitchell Robinson and the agency is taking steps to lessen the likelihood of similar tragedies.
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Fighters in the ongoing war against opioid addiction have just received another weapon. The ULM College of Pharmacy has a 2.5 million dollar grant to train first responders on getting people suffering overdoses into treatment. Associate Professor of clinical practice Dr. Alexis Horace says the goal is to help people get long-term treatment in addition to treating the overdose on the spot.
Dr. Horace says her team will lead education programs for first responders and community members in Ouachita Parish, Orleans Parish and surrounding rural parishes
Cut 12 (09) “….that are in need.”
Dr. Horace says one important hurdle to overcome for the training to be effective is the stigma some first responders have towards those who overdose and the distrust some drug users have of first responders.
Cut 13 (09) “to first responders.”
Dr. Horace says her goal is to educate four thousand first responders in Louisiana by 2026 and to increase the program’s collaboration with local treatment and recovery centers by eighty percent.