A report from the national Mental Health Association shows Louisiana as a state with among the highest occurrences of mental illness and the lowest rates to access to care. Eric Gill reports…
______________________________________
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has unveiled new rules for catfish. Michelle Southern reports…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”
______________________________________
Governor-elect John Bel Edwards spoke at the Council for a Better Louisiana’s annual luncheon and discussed future plans for his administration. Emelie Gunn has more…..
______________________________________
A report from the national Mental Health Association shows Louisiana as a state with among the highest occurrences of mental illness and the lowest rates to access to care. The Bayou State ranks 47th on their 2015 list. Brittany Howard, Director of Mental Health America of Louisiana, says Governor-elect John Bel Edwards’ plan for Medicaid expansion gives them hope that these numbers improve…
She says Medicaid expansion will improve access to the needy across the state who require care. But Howard says Medicaid expansion is just one part of the puzzle. She says lawmakers need to be educated more on the importance of access to health care…
She says mental illness has developed a stigma due to it being associated to several mass shooting that have occurred around the country. Howard says they need to change that mindset because mental illness rarely turns violent and there is really nothing to be afraid of…
______________________________________
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has unveiled new rules for catfish. The mandate requires stricter inspection standards for the product before it can be sold as food. Chad Causey with The Catfish Institute says they applaud the implementation of the program by the USDA because it’s another step in making food safer…:
Causey says the rule will require both US farmers and countries exporting catfish to the US to meet safety standards set by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service in a similar fashion to meat and poultry producers. He says catfish at grocery stores will have the stamp to let consumers know that the product has been inspected and passed by the USDA…:
The rules go into effect in 90 days. Critics of the inspection standards say the rules will place a burden on the seafood industry and are designed to protect US catfish farmers from overseas competition. But Causey says the rules are the same across the board and if catfish imports are safe and free of contaminants, it will be allowed to come in…:
Cut 9 (09) “restaurant tables”
______________________________________
The US House is expected to vote today on a transportation bill that would provide Louisiana an additional 100-million dollars a year in federal highway dollars. Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves helped craft the legislation and he says the bill also provides states with grant opportunities to help pay for major transportation improvements in south Louisiana
Graves says the legislation also has a language in it that would help state and local governments interface traffic management with cell phones, Google and Waze maps…
cut 11 (11) “existing roadways”
Graves was a conferee during negotiations between the House and Senate over the final details of this five-year highway funding bill. He says there are some provisions in this legislation that are biased towards to Louisiana to help improve traffic flow…
_____________________________________
Governor-elect John Bel Edwards previews what his administration will seek to do over the next four years. He spoke at the Council for a Better Louisiana’s annual luncheon. Edwards says he will continue to act on his promises made during his campaign and be as bi-partisan as possible to solve the state’s problems.
Cut 13 (11) “political spectrum”
During the 17 minute speech, Edwards hinted at making changes to the state’s accountability system for public education. He wonders if our students are taking too many standardized tests.
Even though Edwards spoke before a group of business leaders, he expressed his wish for equal pay between men and women and a higher wage for the state’s poorest workers.
______________________________________________________
A very frustrating season for the ULM Warhawks comes to a close this Saturday when they host New Mexico State in the regular season finale. ULM has lost ten in a row and interim head coach John Mumford says getting a win for the seniors on Saturday is important…
ULM’s last win was on September 12th against Nicholls State. The latest defeat came this past Saturday as they fell to Hawaii 28-26. Mumford admits the losing has taken its toll
_______________________________________________________
The Ragin Cajuns regular season finale is Saturday as they host Troy. At 4-7, UL Lafayette still has an outside shot of getting a bowl bid, because there’s not enough bowl eligible teams and the NCAA will alow teams with a 5-7 record to go to a bowl. Coach Hudspeth says a team with a losing record doesn’t deserve to go to a bowl, but they would still accept an invite
__________________________________________________________
The Saints welcome the 11-0 Carolina Panthers to the Mercedes Benz Superdome for a 3:25 kickoff this Sunday. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is having an MVP type season as he’s thrown for 24-hundred yards and 20 touchdowns. Coach Sean Payton says Newton is generating a lot of big plays…
Cut 19 (18) “poised and confident”
The Saints are 4-and-7 and the playoffs look like a longshot. Payton dismisses the idea that handing Carolina its first loss of the season would make their season