Phase One of Entergy’s one point two-billion-dollar Grid Resilience Plan gets the green light from the Public Service Commission. Colleen Crain has more.
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”
_______________________________________________
After being convicted 46-years ago for killing three gay men in New Orleans, at the age of 16, Warren Harris, Junior is granted parole. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Brooke Thorington.”
____________________________________________
Governor Jeff Landry makes his case on why the state needs to reduce some of the information available under the state’s public records law. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 3 (36) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”
____________________________________________
In addition to the emotional and psychological toll, domestic violence also has a financial cost. According to a Newcomb Institute study at Tulane University, in 2022 the price was a staggering $10.1 billion in Louisiana. Study co-author Antia Raj…
Raj says the $10 billion figure includes medical expenses, lost productivity, and criminal justice spending.
The monetary cost per survivor is more than $105,000 annually, which is 2.5 times more than the average wage earned by women in Louisiana and 87% of the $10 billion in medical costs.
Raj says because Louisiana offers very little in domestic violence services, advocates asked for a dollar figure to stress the importance of prevention and the need to help victims. Currently, the state offers no prevention services whatsoever…
More than half of residents in the state have experienced physical violence in their lifetime with one in five being threatened or harmed with a firearm. Women are three times more likely than men to experience severe and potentially fatal forms of intimate partner violence.
Raj says there’s also an emotional cost for children. The study found that 22 percent of children in Louisiana who’ve witnessed their mother or primary caregiver be a victim of domestic violence are more likely to be involved in a similar relationship in adulthood.
While the $10 billion figure is alarming Raj says realistically it’s a conservative figure because less than one-fifth of adults who experienced violence in the past year filed a police report.
_________________________________________________
The Public Service Commission has approved Entergy’s 5-year grid resilience plan that includes 21-hundred projects to fortify structures that will help avoid storm-related power outages or shorten their duration. The project is expected to cost 1.2 billion dollars but Entergy President Phillip May says the benefits far outweigh the cost…
69,000 structures will receive attention. Power poles that can resist strong storms will replace older ones and some substations in danger of flooding will be raised. May says Entergy used data from previous storms to create potential storm scenarios that helped formulate their plan.
The performance of the new power poles will be held to an unprecedented metric and May says Entergy will be monitoring construction and providing reports.
Cut 9 (08) “…financial penalties.”
________________________________________________________
After 46 years in prison for the murders of three gay men in New Orleans, at the age of 16, 63-year-old Warren Harris Junior has been granted parole. Because he committed crimes as a teen, a state law passed in 2017, allowed juvenile lifers parole eligibility after 25 years. Harris apologized for his crimes.
Harris was convicted in 1977 on three counts of first-degree murder for the stabbing deaths of Jack Savell, Alden Dean, and Ernest Pommier.
Former Caddo Parish Sheriff, and Governor Jeff Landry appointee to the parole board, Steve Prator voted against Harris’ release. Prator said what Harris did is similar to a smoker who has cancer, they might stop smoking, but they still have cancer.
Jerrie Ledoux, who was also appointed by Landry told Harris she read the 200 pages of his file several times and while some things in his write-up still concerned her, she voted in favor of his parole.
The Louisiana Parole Project argued that Harris’ drug addiction as a teen was the cause of his erratic behavior.
_____________________________________________________
A bill expected to generate a lot of debate in the final weeks of the regular session is a measure that seeks to restrict what kind of information can be released under the state’s public records law. Governor Jeff Landry is seeking to keep out of public view many emails or documents that result in public policy being formed…
Cut 13 (13) “…we’re talking about.”
During an appearance on the Moon Griffon Show, Landry says left-wing organizations are using the state’s public records law to stifle deliberative speech. He says the left is abusing the public records law by making numerous public records requests, slowing down the process of policymaking…
Landry says he wants to be fully transparent on how the state spends its money. But some of the initial communications between himself and constituents and staff should remain private.
Turkey Creek Senator Heather Cloud is the author of the legislation that attempts to make changes to the state’s public records law
Cut 15 (09) “…mislead the public”
The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana strongly opposes Senate Bill 482. They say the legislation takes a hatchet to the state’s public records law and further damages trust in government and undermines the checks and balances of democracy.
________________________________________________________________
LSU sophomore left-hander Griffin Herring has emerged as the Tigers most important pitcher. LSU has won five SEC games and he’s pitched in four of them, including Sunday’s six to two victory over Missouri. Herring entered the fifth inning and pitched five shutout innings and tied a season-high with eight strikeouts. Coach Jay Johnson appreciates Herring’s ability to take the ball in any given situation…
Herring is LSU’s best weapon out of the bullpen and Johnson has settled on Gage Jump, Luke Holman and Nate Ackenhausen as his weekend starters. Expect former Friday night starter Thatcher Hurd to pitch tonight against Nicholls. Johnson says they are working with Hurd to get him back on track…
Cut 17 (17) “…zero hesitation.”
Freshman outfielder Ashton Larson led the Tigers at the plate in the series at Missouri. He was 5-for-10 with two doubles, one homer, two RBI and four runs scored. Larson is hitting .395 in SEC games. Johnson on why Larson has become one of LSU’s top hitters…
Cut 18 (25) “…emotional control.”
________________________________________________________________________
It will be a Top 20 battle tonight in Lafayette as the 19th ranked Cajuns softball team hosts seventh ranked LSU. These two teams met last Tuesday and the Tigers won four to two. With the postseason right around the corner, coach Gerry Glasco says there is a lot at stake…
Since losing to LSU last Tuesday, UL Lafayette has won four in a row, including a sweep over Southern Miss. Glasco’s team is 33-15 and they are seven wins from a 25th consecutive 40-win season…