The US Army Corp. of Engineers has decided not to open the Morganza spillway at this time. Emelie Gunn has more on the rising Mississippi River levels….
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We will get more details today on how Governor John Bel Edwards plans to expand Medicaid. Jeff Palermo has the story….
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Republican Billy Nungesser is now the Lt. Governor of Louisiana and has plans to increase tourism revenue. Michelle Southern has more…
Cut 3 (27) “I’m Michelle Southern”
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The US Army Corp. of Engineers has decided not to open the Morganza spillway to divert water from the Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya Basin. Spokesperson Ricky Boyett says the current forecast doesn’t show them meeting the triggers required to open up the Morganza…
Boyett says the actual flow that’s in the Mississippi River can be safely passed through the main stem of the river. He says this is good news for the people who live along the Morganza and Atchafalaya River, but they still expect some flooding….
Boyett says the Corp. has not opened all the bays in the Bonnet Carre spillway yet. He says 20 were opened on Sunday and 18 on Monday, but they will continue to monitor to see if more need to be opened.
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It didn’t take long for Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards to have his first political defeat. Conservatives in the House mustered enough votes to elect New Iberia Republican Taylor Barras as the Speaker of the House over Edwards choice of Democrat Walt Leger. Lapolitics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says this could be a bad sign for Edwards
Edwards said he wants to invest more money into education, lower the state’s poverty rate and stabilize the budget. Alford says it remains to be seen if the Republican controlled House will go with Edwards plan or come up with their own
Edwards has called a 1:30 press conference this afternoon to discuss his plans to expand Medicaid. Alford says it will take money to do this and Louisiana already has big financial troubles
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Governor John Bel Edwards’ Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says Louisiana has monumental financial problems to overcome, but they plan to lay out options and govern responsibly. He says there will be some tough budget decisions that have to be made, but there are many things on the table…:
Edwards is expected to call a special legislative session in mid-February to address these issues. Dardenne estimates the deficit in this year’s budget, which ends July 30th, is between $700-$750 million dollars. Edwards says he is going to start today accepting federal funding to expand Medicaid in Louisiana. Dardenne says they’ll be working on how to implement this in an efficient way…:
Dardenne says the shortfall for next fiscal year, when taking into account falling oil prices, could be close to $2 billion dollars if permanent changes to the budget aren’t made. He says despite the tough task at hand, the new administration remains optimistic…:
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As Louisiana has sworn in a new governor, John Bel Edwards, we also have a new Lt. Governor. Republican Billy Nungesser also has budget issues to face. He says it will take creativity and working with the legislature to change laws to create more money within tourism.
Nungesser says we need to create a plan to put our best foot forward in Louisiana so when people come to visit they see what a great state we really are. He says it’s hard to ask for money for tourism when we’re facing cuts to education and other critical needs are being cut.
Nungesser says as Lt. Governor, he will promote horse shows and the state’s vast hunting and fishing opportunities. He says focusing on these areas will help smaller towns bring in more tourists.
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When Amite and Bogalusa High School play each other in football this October, their fans will not be allowed to attend. That’s the result of the penalties handed down by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. LHSAA Assistant Director Keith Alexander says the two schools were involved in a bench clearing brawl towards the end of their playoff game last November.
Alexander says both schools were fined 500-dollars and two-thousand dollars for not reporting the incident to the L-H-S-A-A. He says the 2016 Amite-Bogalusa game will be considered a closed competition.
Alexander says both schools will be placed on administrative probation on all sports for the 2016-2017 season. He says they want to send the message that behavior like this will not be tolerated.