The Louisiana legislature is mourning the passing of one of its own. Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 1 (37) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
____________________________________________
Legendary Louisiana high school football coach Dale Weiner passed away at the age of 74 yesterday. Kace Kieschnick has more.
Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick”
____________________________________________
A Lincoln Parish third grade teacher got quite the surprise this morning – learning that she’s 25-thousand dollars richer.
Cut 3 (11/after 8 fade under) “…Allison Smith!” (cheers)
Allison Smith teaches English language arts and social studies at A.E. Phillips Laboratory School in Ruston. Because there’s no application process, Smith was taken completely by surprise by the announcement that she had won a Milken Educator Award in front of the entire student body.
Cut 4 (10) “…when this happened.”
Smith earned her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana Tech in 2019 and her master’s degree from ULM in 2023. She says she was inspired to become a teacher by the teachers she had when she was a kid.
Smith is one of 30 Milken Educator Award recipients nationwide this year, and she’s Louisiana’s 55th recipient since the state joined the program in 2001. She can use the 25-thousand dollars for whatever she wants.
____________________________________________
Hearts are heavy in the State Capitol amid news that Chalmette Representative Mike Bayham has passed away at the age of 52. Bayham was in the midst of his first term as a state legislator when he passed away this morning. Political consultant Jason Redmond was a longtime friend of Bayham’s, dating back to their time at LSU.
Despite being on opposite ends of the political spectrum, Bayham and Redmond eventually became roommates; and when Bayham became president of the student senate, Bayham hired him to be his administrative assistant in the senate office.
Monroe Representative Michael Echols says Bayham was a hard worker right up until the very end, working to pass his constitutional amendment limiting governors to two lifetime terms – an effort that was ultimately successful.
Echols says Bayham was a walking encyclopedia when it came to world events, and that played a role in one of his proudest moments as a Louisiana legislator.
Cut 8 (10) “…a Louisiana resolution.”
Redmond says Bayham’s passing was not exactly unexpected; he had apparently been battling health issues for quite some time.
House members will be meeting late this evening to honor Bayham and to exchange stories about a man who honorably served his constituents and the State of Louisiana.
____________________________________________
Former Baton Rouge Catholic High School football coach Dale Weiner passed away at the age of 74 last night after a battle with Parkinson’s. The Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer won 317 games and a 2015 state title over 30 years with the Bears. Longtime high school sports writer for The Advocate in Baton Rouge, Robin Fambrough, says when Weiner arrived at Catholic High, they were the school other teams scheduled for homecoming.
Cut 10 (12) “…but also statewide.”
Weiner was named LSWA coach of the year three times and led the Bears to 18 district titles. He spent 42 years in coaching, and his 317 wins rank seventh in state history all-time. Fambrough says titles and wins are one side of coaching, but Weiner molded his players’ lives for the better.
Weiner’s 2015 Division I state championship over Archbishop Rummel came on a last-second field goal to win Catholic’s first state title. Weiner retried a year later. His son, Neil Weiner, now coaches at Dunham and won his first state championship last year. Fambrough says the father and son were able to share a special moment before taking the field in the Superdome.