There has been growing opposition to license plate-reading Flock Safety cameras, but Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse says they are nothing new. Kace Kieschnick reports.
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A new school year is underway, and State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley is optimistic the recent gains in student achievement will continue. Jeff Palermo has the story
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The state is in for another brutally hot weekend. State Climatologist Jay Grymes says the humidity is going to make it unbearable to be outside.
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Grymes says while parts of the state have seen some rain this week, today will likely be the last day we’ll see any rain for quite some time.
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As for the tropics, Tropical Storm Christobal has formed way out in the central Atlantic but will be no threat to the U.S. coast since, just like Jim Marshall in 1964, it’s going the wrong way. And there’s a disturbance that has a good chance of becoming Tropical Storm Dolly, but Grymes says don’t count on being able to say, “Hello, Dolly.”
Cut 5 (15) “…it could dissipate.”
Another disturbance is right behind it, but Grymes does not expect that one to be a threat to Louisiana either.
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State representative Danny McCormick has proposed a ban on all AI-powered Flock cameras in Louisiana. He says their recording of vehicle details and license plates violates citizens’ privacy, but Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse says that is not true.
Cut 6 (13) “…public roadways.”
Morse says the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that there is no expectation of privacy in a public space.
Flock Safety cameras have been used in millions of cases across the country. Morse says the images are invaluable when looking for missing persons and tracking down criminals.
Despite their utility to law enforcement, there has been growing opposition to Flock cameras nationwide. But Morse says any abuse of the technology has been due to misuse by law enforcement, not the cameras themselves.
Morse says anyone with access to the Flock database must go through a certification process.
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A new school year is underway, and State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley wants to keep the momentum going in student achievement. According to the latest Education Scorecard, Louisiana public school students rank first in the nation in reading growth and second in math growth. Brumley says one reason for the improvement is teachers getting back to the basics of education…
Brumley says classroom discipline will also be a major focus this school year. He’s urging local school leaders not to tolerate disruptive behavior that interferes with other students’ ability to learn…
Brumley says nearly 90 percent of the teachers who taught last year have returned for the new school year. He says teacher vacancies have also dropped, from about 2,500 a few years ago to roughly 1,000 today.
Brumley says teacher morale appears to be improving as well…
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The LSU women’s basketball schedule is out. The Lady Tigers tip off the season against Southeastern Louisiana on November 2nd. SEC play begins December 31st at Auburn, and The Advocate’s Reed Darcy says Kim Mulkey’s squad could go undefeated in January.
Cut 12 (12) “…postseason after that.”
LSU ends the regular season with South Carolina, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
Darcy says the Lady Tigers have a difficult non-conference slate, a rarity under Mulkey. LSU plays powerhouse UConn in Nashville December 20th and also has matchups with UNC, NC State and Villanova.
Darcy says Mulkey has had to rebuild her squad after their heartbreaking loss to Duke in the Sweet 16, but this year’s team is poised to compete for a deep tournament run again.