Former Governor and Congressman Bobby Jindal was a major figure in the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Jeff Palermo spoke with Jindal as he reflected on the 20th anniversary of the costliest national disaster in U-S history.
Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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A recent audit shows that nearly all independent restaurants in Slidell who say they serve Gulf shrimp are telling the truth. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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Saints head coach Kellen Moore has named second-year player Spencer Rattler as the team’s starting quarterback. Andre Champagne has the story.
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As an East New Orleans community continues to grieve the death of 12-year-old Bryan Vasquez, the investigation into his death continues. Bryan was a nonverbal autistic boy who disappeared from his home August 14th when he climbed out of a bedroom window. The United Cajun Navy found his body in a lagoon near his home yesterday. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick says while investigators are not implicating foul play, they’re not ruling it out either.
Cut 4 (10) “…we’ve been told.”
When Bryan was discovered missing, there was no Amber Alert issued. Superintendent Kirkpatrick says his disappearance did not rise to the level that justified an Amber Alert.
Kirkpatrick says investigators are being very thorough in their investigation into how Vasquez disappeared and how he died.
Cut 6 (08) “…for Ring cameras.”
Kirkpatrick says they’re also investigating why it took police five hours to respond to the initial call that Bryan was missing. She says people have every right to be angry about that, and NOPD needs to regain the public’s trust.
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We continue to reflect on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Bobby Jindal represented Louisiana’s first Congressional district when Katrina came ashore leaving much of southeast Louisiana destroyed. Jindal remembers the outpouring of support from regular citizens, but the federal government was slow to react.
Jindal was sworn in as governor in 2008 and he remembers the battles with the federal government over recovery dollars. He says one example is the 474-million dollars owed to the state to replace the closed Charity Hospital in New Orleans. The former governor says that money was used to build a new academic medical center in New Orleans.
Cut 8 (08) “…even before Katrina.”
There are reports that 600-million dollars in federal aid appropriated for Katrina remains unspent. Jindal blames government red tape.
He says the immediate aftermath of Katrina was a dark time for the state and the recovery was hard, but gives a lot of credit to the people of Louisiana for making the Bayou State what it is today.
Cut 9 (12) “…come back stronger.”
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A recent audit of independent seafood restaurants in Slidell shows that nearly all of them which advertise that their shrimp comes from the Gulf of Mexico are telling the truth. SeaD (“seed”) Consulting conducted genetic testing on shrimp from 24 restaurants that claimed that their shrimp was locally sourced, and it found that 21 of them were telling the truth. Co-founder David Williams says he’s not surprised that restaurants in Slidell – and New Orleans – have high rates of locally-caught shrimp.
Williams says when they conduct the genetic test, they look for a certain species of shrimp that is not found in waters off the Louisiana coast.
Cut 11 (12) “…the Gulf Coast.”
Williams says especially in light of the massive recall of shrimp imported from Indonesia that investigators say could be radioactive, it’s more important than ever that people who eat and enjoy shrimp know where their shrimp comes from.
Cut 12 (15) “…job triply important.”
Under Louisiana law that took effect at the start of this year, restaurants and food suppliers are now required to clearly state whether the seafood they serve is imported or not.
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Saints head coach Kellen Moore announced that second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler will be the team’s starting quarterback for week one against the Arizona Cardinals. Rattler won a tight competition over rookie Tyler Shough. Moore says Rattler was more consistent during training camp and in preseason games.
Moore says the Saints will benefit from Rattler in his second season in the league as he has improved his decision-making while still finding a way to do what the coaching staff asks of him.
Moore says Rattler solidified the starting role after his performances in practice and against the Denver Broncos.
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Louisiana Tech football will start its season Saturday night as it hosts Southeastern Louisiana. Head coach Sonny Cumbie is holding off on naming a starting quarterback until later this week. The battle is down to Evan Bullock, Trey Kukuk (Q-kuhk) and Blake Baker. Cumbie says there are a few things he is taking into account before making the decision.
Cumbie says facing Southeastern Louisiana will not be an easy task. He says his team has to play physical and smart in order to start the season in the win column.
Senior linebacker Kolbe Fields says opposing teams will have trouble when they play in Ruston.
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Southeastern Louisiana has also not named a starting quarterback for Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech. Coach Frank Scelfo (CELL-foe) says it will be either Carson Camp or Kyle Lowe, and both are expected to play against the Bulldogs. Scelfo is eager to see how they perform.
Southeastern Louisiana barely missed out on the FCS playoffs last season after going 6-1 in Southland play. The Lions finished second to Incarnate Word. Scelfo says the goal this year is to win the Southland and earn an automatic bid to the playoffs.