Governor Edwards signs into law a bill that means the TOPS scholarship is no longer guaranteed to cover the full cost of a student’s tuition, starting in the fall of 2017. The bill locks in the amount of a TOPS scholarship at next year’s amount, and the award will not automatically increase, even if tuition costs go up. Executive Director of the Taylor Foundation, Dr. James Callier, says tuition increases have hurt the scholarship program.
An attack on a member of law enforcement, firefighters or EMS would be considered a hate crime under a measure headed to the Senate floor. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says the hate crime law currently covers violence against people because of their race, gender, religion, age, disability or nationality — and this bill expands that…:
Authorities say a Prairieville woman has been arrested after her child ate methamphetamine. Gonzales police Sgt. Steven Nethken says 21-year-old Tyler Dauzat took her 2-year-old to the hospital when the child began exhibiting “erratic behavior.” Nethken says Dauzat was staying in a local hotel, when she left her child alone with her purse.
Nethken says the child was stabilized and taken to a Baton Rouge Pediatric Center.
The yearbook from West Monroe’s Good Hope Middle School is full of smiling children, and one very special furry friend. Presley, a service dog, got her own headshot in the yearbook next to her owner, 14-year-old Joseph “Seph” Ware, who has muscular dystrophy. Sonya Hogg is the yearbook advisor at Good Hope, and she says the 5-year-old golden doodle got her picture because to everyone at the school, Presley is just another student.