The Blue Lives Matter bill that seeks to include police, firefighters and EMS as protected groups in hate crime laws is becoming a controversial topic. Halen Doughty has more…
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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Thousands of college students across the state are graduating, and many may be wondering what’s next. Jeff Palermo has more…
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The Letter Carriers Food Drive is this Saturday and here’s how you can participate. Emelie Gunn has more…
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Saturday is the Letter Carriers Food Drive and those interested in donating can leave nonperishable food items by the mailbox for the mailman. U.S. Post Office Spokesperson Boyd McKinney says this is the 24th anniversary of the biggest single day of giving to replenish food banks in the country.
McKinney says non-perishable items include, cereal, pasta, sauces, rice and canned foods. He says most mail carriers participate in the drive and for you to participate, just leave your bag of food outside of your mailbox on Saturday morning and your mailman will collect it during their route.
Toiletries and other personal items can also be donated during the drive along with food. McKinney says the majority of the food donations stay local.
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The Blue Lives Matter bill has one group questioning who can realistically be victims of hate crimes. The measure seeks to add police officers, firefighters, and EMS as a protected class in Louisiana’s hate crime laws. Ejike Obineme (EH-ji-kay Oh-bi-NEM-ay) with the New Orleans Chapter of the Black Youth Project 100 does not support the bill. He says police are not the victims of hate crimes.
Obineme says it doesn’t make sense for armed people to shoot at unarmed people and then claim to be in danger. He says far more people are killed by police violence than officers killed in hate crimes.
But Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says there have been instances of hate crimes against cops and firefighters around the country. He says one officer was shot while he was pumping gas in Houston.
Harris says lawmakers need to pass this bill to protect our civil servants.
The bill is waiting to be heard on the Senate floor for final passage.
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Health professionals have recommended for some time to wear sun protection while outdoors and now they say it’s also smart to do so while riding in a vehicle. Chair of Ophthalmology at LSU Health New Orleans, Dr. Jayne Weiss, says side windows in cars only block about 65% of the UV rays.
She cites a study demonstrating that left-sided skin cancer was more common in those who spent a lot of time driving. Weiss says overexposure to UV rays can lead to serious health problems, like skin cancer and cataracts. She says people need to wear sun protection inside the vehicle as well.
Weiss says the level of protection from side windows can vary from one vehicle to the next. She says although driving with the windows up is not perfect, it’s still better than driving with the windows down.
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Thousands of college students receive their degree today and they are now set to enter the workforce. Recruiting consultant with the Eastman Group, Tom Hanson says hiring for entry level positions has increased since last year.
Today, LSU will hand out a record number of degrees, with over four-thousand students participating in commencement ceremonies. Hanson says based on the National Labor Board, companies are hiring college grads, but the competition is tough.
Hanson says healthcare and engineering are always majors that see job opportunity. But he says grads looking to get hired in the oil and gas industry will have to be patient. Hanson says with technology becoming more and more important, computer science will be a key career field.
Cut 16 (10) “software development”
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UL Lafayette is at South Alabama in a battle of leaders in the Sun Belt Conference this weekend. The Ragin Cajuns are three games back of the Jaguars. The two teams lead the league in pitching and UL Lafayette Coach Tony Robichaux says South Al is a pesky team at the plate….
The Cajuns will face one of the top pitchers in the nation tonight. Senior right-hander Kevin Hill is 8-1 with a 2.23 ERA. Robichaux says they’ll need to have some timely hits tonight…
The LSU baseball team is in Knoxville for the start of a three-game series against Tennessee. The Tigers are looking to improve on their 14-10 league record, while the Vols are just 7-17 in the SEC. LSU Coach Paul Mainieri is surprised by Tennessee’s record…
Mainieri says his fielders will need to be on their toes this weekend…