The Louisiana Public Service Commission votes on if Cleco will be sold to an investment group for close to 5 billion dollars today. Emelie Gunn has more…
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Over a third of Louisiana adults do not get the recommended 7 or more hours of sleep, according to a new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Halen Doughty reports…
Cut 2 (32) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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It’s higher education day at the state capitol, and students are expected to rally on the steps of the capitol. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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Today the Louisiana Public Service Commission votes on whether or not Cleco will be sold to the investment group Macquaire Infrastructure and Real Assets for almost 5 billion dollars. Cleco spokesperson Robbyn Cooper says approval of the sale would be the best outcome for their customers. Cooper says despite rumors, it won’t lead to higher rates for customers…
The proposed sale is opposed by PSC member Clyde Holloway who says its not worth the long-term risk to Cleco ratepayers. But Cooper says the sale will result in 143 million dollars in credits and savings over the next 15 years to its customers…
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St. James Sheriff Wily Martin says two people were killed and 30 people were injured after a tornado ripped through an RV park in Convent. The governor’s office of homeland security and emergency prepardeness spokesperson, Mike Steele, says the twister caused extensive damage
Sheriff Martin says search dogs were used to find possible victims that might have been buried under piles of debris. Steele says the RV park served as a temporary home for those living there…
CUT 7 (11) “construction sites”
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A new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that over a third of Louisiana adults do not get the recommended 7 hours of sleep. LSU Health Shreveport Sleep Medicine and Neurology professor Oleg Chernyshev (ah-Leg CHER-nuh-shev) says reasons vary on why people don’t get enough sleep. He says many people that only get a few hours of sleep also suffer from high blood pressure and obesity, plus they…
Chernyshev says if you notice issues sleeping such as snoring, difficulty staying asleep, or a decrease in breathing while asleep, you should contact a sleep medicine physician He says the study shows only 64% of Louisiana residents are getting the recommended hours of sleep each night…
Chernyshev says individuals who do not get enough sleep sometimes have trouble functioning in the daytime and that could lead to significant consequences.
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The public feud between Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards and Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy continues to ramp up. The Governor released a statement claiming Kennedy is misleading the public when talking about the state’s current budget crisis. UL-Lafayette Police Science Professor Pearson Cross says polls show a majority of Louisianans agree with Kennedy that we can cut our way out of the deficit.
Kennedy has pushed for the legislature not to raise taxes as a way to solve a 900 million dollar deficit for this fiscal year. While Edwards has maintained some new revenues are needed to balance the budget. Cross says this kind of fighting between political leaders isn’t helping the situation…
The governor and the legislature are still trying to agree on a plan to close the budget deficit and avoid major cuts to higher education and health care. Cross says it’s not clear that Kennedy’s comments are helping them get their work done.
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Today is higher education day at the state capitol. Hundreds of students are expected to rally on the steps of the capitol at noon to protest proposed cuts to public colleges and universities. Higher Education Commissioner Joseph Rallo is glad that college students are voicing their concerns.
Several public colleges are also facing the threat of a credit rating downgrade. A lower credit rating will make it more difficult for schools to borrow money. Rallo says that is due in large part to the current budget crisis.
Under a best case scenario, public colleges and universities are facing a 70-million dollar cut this fiscal year. Rallo says budget issues have plagued higher ed for years and is hopeful lawmakers and the governor’s office can agree on a plan that doesn’t lead to a further reduction in state funding…
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