PM Newscall September 18, 2014

The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s office says a 31-year-old United States Postal worker is under arrest for allegedly stealing marijuana from packages. Michelle Southern has that…:

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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Louisiana’s highway system ranks 40th in the country according to a report released today by the Reason Foundation, which is a Los Angeles-based libertarian think tank. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 2 (27) “reporting”

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Officials in Lafourche Parish are alerting residents that a North Larose resident was found deceased last week and the Department of Health and Hospitals confirmed he had the West Nile Virus. Parish Administrator Archie Chaisson says they’ve started a very aggressive spraying campaign…:

CUT 3 (08) “different insecticide”

According to DHH this makes the 5th death from the disease in Louisiana this year. The last West Nile report from DHH indicates this year’s total reported infections is 92. Chaisson says they are spraying insecticides in the area to try to kill mosquitoes in every stage of life…

CUT 4 (08)  “West Nile either”

Chaisson says the public should be aware that this is happening in their area and to reduce the chances of mosquito bites as much as possible by using spray that contains DEET and not leaving standing water in your yard. He says this is prime time bite season…:

CUT 5 (08) “vigilant”

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The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s office says a United States Postal worker is under arrest for allegedly stealing marijuana from packages he was supposed to be delivering. CPSO spokesman Bobby Herring says they got an anonymous tip that 31-year-old Russell Leon Ellis of Shreveport was stealing the mail he thought contained pot…:

CUT 6 (09)  “these packages”

Herring says initially Ellis was charged with possession of schedule I marijuana. He says narcotics agents moved in on the mailman as he was removing the drugs from the postal packages…: (Herring says the United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General also investigated this case and Ellis could face federal charges.)

CUT 7 (09) “street value”

Herring says they were able to obtain a search warrant for the suspect’s home and there they found an additional 618 grams of suspected marijuana with a street value of $6100, 25 weapons and $15,000 in cash. He says the suspect was targeting packages being sent from states that have legalized marijuana…:

CUT 8 (04) “and smell it”

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The condition of Louisiana’s highways rank 40th in the nation in a report released today. The Reason Foundation, which is a think tank out of Los Angeles, says Louisiana has fallen 16 spots from its 2011 highway report. Author of the study, David Hartgen, says the pavement condition of the state’s rural and urban interstates contributed to the poor ranking…

CUT 9 (09)  “….prior year”

A spokesperson for the state department of transportation says Louisiana has spent six-point-four billion dollars since 2008 in highway improvements. But Hartgen says their ranking also takes into account highway safety and Louisiana does not fare well in that category

CUT 10 (11) “…national average “

Hartgen says Louisiana’s highways rank 44th in fatality rate and it also gets poor marks for the percentage of deficient bridges….

CUT 11 (07) “…21-percent

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According to new census data, Louisiana women make about two thirds of what men in The Bayou State are paid. The figures show males here earn 33 percent more than females which is the largest pay gap in the nation. Tulane Business Professor Dr. Mark Rosa says high paying fields of study are dominated by men in Louisiana…:

CUT 12 (08) “that’s for sure”

Rosa says, from a geographical standpoint, very few women work in the high-paying oil and gas area in the south and certainly Louisiana…:

CUT 13 (07) “bit better”

Rosa also believes women in Louisiana, even if they have a high paying degree, are more inclined to stay home and not work in favor of raising their family…:

cut 14 (08) “shouldered with that”