Cleco says 24,000 customers remain without power after tornadoes and strong winds ripped through the state Wednesday. The utility company says it has brought in 400 additional line mechanics to help in power restoration efforts. Spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says they also have specialized equipment to move debris.
Cut 3 (08) “…make repairs.”
There are about four-thousand customers in St. Landry Parish without power. Most of Cleco’s outages are in Slidell where initial surveys indicate an area near Old Spanish Trail was hit by at least an EF-1 tornado.

An EF 2 tornado hit Lake Charles yesterday morning and Entergy’s spokesperson David Freese says some of their customers could be without power in Calcasieu Parish until tomorrow….
cut 6 (09) “…back on”

Public school teachers would be required to use pronouns and names that align with a child’s biological sex under a bill approved by the House Education Committee. Bossier City Representative Raymond Crews says if a parent wants a teacher to identify a student by pronoun that does not align with their biological sex, they can contact the school.

St. Tammany Parish resident Jamie Segura testified in opposition and questioned how this legislation will improve education in public schools…
Cut 8 (12) “…real education issues”
Crews calls his legislation a parental rights bill, but Laplace Representative Sylvia Taylor told Crews the legislation is not needed…
Cut 9 (13) “…to the home.”
The bill was approved on a nine-to-three vote.