Now that the giant burn chamber has arrived at Camp Minden, the process of disposing of the millions of pounds of M6 propellant can begin. Jeff Palermo reports…:
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In a special televised address Governor John Bel Edwards said that unless the legislature approves tax increases, colleges and hospitals will close. Halen Doughty reports…..
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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The state’s flu bug expert says Louisiana is in the middle of one of its slowest flu seasons ever. Emelie Gunn has the story…
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Now that the giant burn chamber has arrived at Camp Minden, the process of disposing of the millions of pounds of M6 propellant can begin. Louisiana National Guard spokesman Col Pete Schneider says it will take about 4 days to get the massive structure installed…:
The 400,000 pound tank made the journey by road from the Port of Natchitoches to Minden this week, and Schneider says they’ve had fantastic cooperation from communities, law enforcement and utility companies affected by the move. He says they expect it will take about 30-35 days to make sure everything is working properly…:
Explosive Service International is in charge of the contained burn and Schneider says their intent is to burn non-stop once they check then double check that everything is in order…:
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Governor John Bel Edwards says colleges and hospitals will close and critical healthcare services will be eliminated if the state legislature does not approve higher taxes to help close a $940 million budget deficit this fiscal year. Edwards made the comments during a special address that was aired on TV and radio stations.
Edwards even suggested there would be no college football next fall because the players would not be able to complete their spring semester if colleges are forced to close before May. The governor says he is proposing significant cuts to the budget, but it will also take from the legislature to raise revenue in order to stabilize the budget.
After Edwards spoke, State Treasurer John Kennedy provided the Republican Party’s response. Kennedy says raising revenue is not the answer to the state’s budget problems.
Kennedy says there are plenty of areas the state can reduce spending and he has provide the legislature with ample suggestions.
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Louisiana is experiencing one of its slowest flu seasons in several years. That’s according to Dr. Frank Welch, an influenza expert with the state department of health and hospitals. Welch says doctors are seeing very few flu cases…
cut 11 (09) “flu-like illness”
This slow season comes in stark contrast to last year’s terrible flu season, which exerts said was one of the worst. Welch says that the flu virus can be unpredictable, but this season is off to a slow start. He credits this year’s warmer weather for the low number of flu cases.
Welch says that more people were vaccinated for the flu this year, which may be another contributing factor for this year’s slow flu season. He advises people to get flu vaccines to keep the number of flu cases at a minimum.
The peak of the Flu season in Louisiana typically peaks in late February or early March. Welch says we will not be out of the woods until early April.
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The Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance has notified colleges and universities that due to uncertainty over potential budget cuts they are holding off on making any TOPS payments. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says it would be a huge disaster for Louisiana if it’s unable to pay a TOPS recipients full tuition for this semester…
Cut 14 (08) “being taken away”
A spokesperson for the office of student financial assistance says the suspension of TOPS payments to public colleges is just a precautionary measure. Pinsonat says the state’s taxpayer funded scholarship program is very popular and this development will have TOPS recipients alarmed…
Cut 15 (10) “almost outrageous.”
Pinsonat says he can’t see how the state doesn’t fufill it’s promise that they would pay a student’s full tuition if they reached certain academic achievements…