The American Lung Association gave Louisiana 3 F’s, a D, and a C in the state’s 2023 “State of Tobacco Control” report card. Senior Director of Advocacy Ashley Lyerly explained Louisiana’s poor showing. Kace Kieschnick has the story.
Cut 1 (26) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”
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Bond has been set for three of the four men accused of raping an LSU student after a night of heavy drinking. Madison Brooks was hit by a car the same night and killed. Brooke Thorington has more from a legal analyst
Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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A study by the Public Affairs Research Council shows a very small number of Louisianans actually use buses or other public transit. More from Kevin Gallagher…:
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”
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Louisiana received three Fs, one D and one C on the American Lung Association of Tobacco Control 2023 report card. ALA senior director of Advocacy Ashley Lyerly says Louisiana is not investing nearly enough in tobacco prevention…
Cut 4 (12) “…across the state.”
Louisiana received an F-grade for not having a state law against flavored tobacco products, tobacco prevention and control program funding and tobacco taxes. Lyerly says Louisiana has the 38th lowest tax on tobacco in the nation.
Louisiana received a C grade for smokefree area, and Lyerly says the state could do better…
Cut 5 (12) “… the state of Louisiana.”
Lyerly says is spending just over five million dollars on tobacco programs this fiscal year……
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S. and accounts for almost two billion dollars in health care costs for the state.
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The arrest of four men accused of raping 19-year-old LSU student Madison Brooks after drinking at a Tigerland Bar and then her death after being hit by a car has multiple layers. Baton Rouge legal analyst Franz Borghardt says there’s going to be lots of finger-pointing among the accused and at Reggie’s Bar.
Borghardt says it’s possible the four men and even the bar could be charged with negligence in her death. As a former prosecutor and now a defense attorney Borghardt says the defense is most likely going to point the finger at Brooks and her own accountability.
As for what happens next, Borghardt says the public needs to let the system do its job and he believes the District Attorney will ultimately take to case to a grand jury.
Cut 9 (11) “…may think this is.”
Bond for 18-year-old Kaivon Washington, who’s charged with third-degree rape, is set at $150,000 that includes drug testing, house arrest, no firearm, and no contact with the victim’s family.
18-year-old Casen Carver is charged with principle to third-degree rape, a $50,000 bond including house arrest, drug testing, and no contact with the victim’s family.
27-year-old Everett Lee is charged with principle to third-degree rape, a $75,000 bond including house arrest, drug testing, and no contact with the victim’s family.
The 17-year-old’s bond hearing will be held next month.
The Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control has issued an emergency suspension of Reggie’s alcohol license.
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The Louisiana Workforce Commission reports continued job growth for the state. Data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics shows seasonally adjusted non-farm employment for December 2022 was at 1.9 million jobs. LWC spokesman Mark Jones says that’s an increase of over 4000 jobs in one month…:
Cut 10 (09) “…22 consecutive months.”
Jones says Louisiana has seen 22 straight months of growth in jobs and is closing in on being back at per-pandemic levels of employment. Industries that had the biggest were Manufacturing (1200 jobs from November ’22) and Construction (3300 jobs added)…:
Cut 11 (12) “…seeing right there.”
Leisure and hospitality jobs increased by over 200 from November to December of ’22. Jones says the Lafayette area gained the most over a year; well over 4000 jobs were added between December 2021 and November ’22…:
Cut 12 (11) “…of different things.”
Jones says the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December 2022 was 3.5 percent; the lowest December jobless number yet recorded.
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A new study from the Public Affairs Research Council (PAR) shows few Louisianans actually use public transportation, despite federal grant money flowing in to support it. Our state trails the U.S. in the use of buses and trains but actually leads many other southern states. PAR President Steven Procopio says less than 1 percent of Louisiana residents ever use public transit at all…:
Cut 13 (10) “…transportation system though.”
Bus systems and other public transit usually operate solely on local funding, and some cities struggle to keep their systems afloat. Procopio says public transit is primarily for those who cannot afford a vehicle of their own, but it also serves an important need…:
Cut 14 (07) “…the workforce as well.”
Louisiana received $20-million in federal Infrastructure grants to build a rail system connecting Baton Rouge to New Orleans. That is not enough to complete the project. Detractors say the train will never have enough riders to turn a profit. Procopio says there are a lot of lingering questions about that rail project still…:
Cut 15 (06) “…going to be successful.”
PAR doesn’t take a position on public transit; good or bad. They simply provide information for taxpayers to make informed decisions.
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LSU picked up another top overall ranking as Baseball America ranked the Tigers No. 1 in their top 25 heading into the 2023 season. The Tigers feature one of the most talented rosters in the country and had both the top-ranked recruiting and transfer classes this offseason and made a big splash over the summer by hiring former Twins Pitching Coach Wes Johnson to the staff. Baseball America writer Teddy Cahill says LSU won the offseason…
Cut 16 (19) “…into this year.”
The Tigers also boast a strong group of returning players to go alongside new additions. LSU went 40-22 a season ago and 5 of the team’s returning juniors were featured in the Perfect Game top 150 ranking alongside transfers Paul Skenes and Christian Little. Cahill says the Tigers would have been in good shape even without offseason improvements…
The most notable return for the tigers is one of the top-ranked prospects in college baseball Dylan Crews. Crews was co-SEC player of the year and an All-American as a sophomore last year. Cahill says Crews has to be the preseason favorite to be the top pick in the MLB draft…