LRN AM Newscall, April 1, 2016

Legislation to allow drivers to park on the wrong side of the road in residential areas passed in the Senate Transportation Committee. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (26) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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A proposed bill that seeks equal pay for men and women was approved by the Senate Labor Committee. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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According to AAA, quarterly gas prices are lower than they’ve been in over a decade, as the average price for a gallon of gas in the state is $1.88. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Three weeks into the regular legislative session and things are still moving slow. The biggest piece of legislation so far has been the minimum wage bill clearing the Senate Labor Committee. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says legislators were burnt out after a tough special session.

cut 4  (08)  “school reform”

Pinsonat expects the voucher program along with teacher reforms to be big issues discussed during this session. He says the TOPS program is also another topic that will be heard.

Cut 5  (08)  “have TOPS”

Pinsonat says legislators have raised various taxes like on alcohol and cigarettes but still haven’t raised enough revenue for the next fiscal year. He says anything that has to do with the budget will be a hot topic in the coming weeks before the session ends on June 6th.

Cut 6 (10)  “next year” 

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A bill to make it legal to park on the wrong side of the road in residential areas has passed in the Senate Transportation Committee. Metairie Senator Danny Martiny says currently it’s illegal to park in the opposite direction, but he believes the law was intended for highways only. He says it doesn’t pose a public safety hazard in residential areas.

CUT 7 (10)  “an hour”

Martiny says parking the wrong way on a residential street is not a safety problem. He says ticketing drivers parked like this is subject to abuse by local officials for economic gain.

Cut 8  (09)  “budget problem”

Martiny says uniformly parked cars look nicer, but it isn’t the government’s place to make sure everything looks pretty in your subdivision.

Cut 9 (08)  “statute”

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A bill seeking equal pay for men and women in Louisiana has been approved by the Senate Labor Committee. According to data from the US Census Bureau, women make 65-cents for every $1 a man makes, and that gap is even wider for minority women Author of the bill, New Orleans Senator JP Morrell, says this is not acceptable.

Cut 10 (10) “than men”

Governor John Bel Edwards went before the committee to tout his support for the measure. He says women deserve equal pay for equal work to their male counterparts.

cut 11 (07) “of us”

Dawn Starns, with the National Federation for Independent Business, opposes the legislation. She says legislation is already in place to protect equal pay.

cut 12 (07) “business owners”

Renee Amar, with the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, says determining what is “comparable work” could pose a problem for employers. She also says things like education, experience, and market prices determine how much an employee is paid.

Cut 13 (06)  “their wages”

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Drivers are paying the cheapest quarterly gas prices in 12 years. That’s according to Triple-A, who says Americans have saved almost $10-billion on gas this year compared to the same period in 2015.  AAA spokesperson Mike Right says people are well on their way to significant savings on gas this year.

Cut 14 (06)  “gasoline bill” 

Right says this is leading to a record-breaking number of motorists out on the roads, according to US Department and Transportation numbers. The average price for a gallon of gas in Louisiana is about $1.88. Right says we could see prices at the pump increase in the coming months.

Cut 15 (08) “Memorial Day”

Right says greater demand for gas and refineries’ annual maintenance are driving up prices. But he says even with those factors, gas prices will not get as high as they were this time last year.

Cut 16  (06)  “last year”

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The 14th ranked LSU Baseball team looks for its first series win in SEC play this weekend as they visit Auburn for a three-game series that starts tonight. The Tigers are 2-and-4 in league play and have lost three of their last four overall. Sophomore right-hander Alex Lange will start tonight on the mound tonight for the Tigers.

Cut 17 (10) “as possible”

LSU enters this weekend’s action, tied for fifth place in the SEC West. Starting shortstop Kramer Robertson says they are trying to remain loose.

Cut 18 (12) “good results”

Southeastern Louisiana takes a 15-game winning streak into this weekend’s home series against Nicholls. The Lions are led on the mound by senior left-hander Kyle Cedotal, who is 4-2 with a 1.15 ERA. S-L-U Coach Matt Riser says Cedotal will get the start tonight.

Cut 19 (17) “go out”

The Lions are 20-6 on the season, 9-0 in the Southland Conference. Riser says his team is motivated to reach the NCAA Tournament after missing it last year.

Cut 20 (18) “ballclub”