LRN AM Newscall July 26th

A record number of Louisiana students have achieved an ACT score of 18 or higher that will allow them to go to college. Halen Doughty reports…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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The nationwide average for a gallon of gas is at a 12 year low, according to AAA. Jeff Palermo has more…

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Eddie Bonine remains the executive director of the LHSAA. Emelie Gunn has more details…

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Disabled veterans will see an increase in their compensation beginning next year thanks to a bill by Congressman Ralph Abraham that has just been signed into law. Abraham says the bill will adjust the amount of compensation veterans receive for disability, dependents, and clothing allowance, as well as compensation for surviving spouses.

cut 4  (08)  “all together”

Abraham says the increase is tied to the social security increase, so we won’t know how much more money these vets will get until the end of November.

Cut 5  (09)  “adjustments”

Abraham has been an advocate for veterans since he was elected to Congress in 2014. He says veterans have been failed in a lot of areas by the Department of Veterans Affairs. He says the VA has got to get better.

Cut 6 (12) “really are”

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More students than ever have achieved ACT scores that allow them to go to college, according to State Superintendent John White, who says the state’s composite ACT score has increased nearly a half a point since 2013. He says over 25-thousand students in the Class of 2016 scored an 18 or higher on the ACT.

CUT 7 (08)  “since 2012″

White says he credits this to the 2012 “ACT for All” initiative that allows students to take the exam at no cost, which he says gives more students access to the test. He says they also saw a record number of students qualify for the TOPS scholarship.

Cut 8  (10)  “life opportunity”

Since 2012, over 4-thousand more students have qualified for the TOPS Opportunity scholarship, and more than 2-thousand more earned the TOPS Performance award. White says this growth is good news for Louisiana students.

Cut 9 (07)  “our state”

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According to AAA, nationwide gas prices are at a 12 year low. Spokesperson Don Redman says the current statewide average for a gallon of regular gas is about $1.98.

Cut 10 (08) “a gallon”

Redman says the price of oil is also down to around $40 a barrel. He says drivers could see prices at the pump go down even more before the end of the summer.

cut 11 (07) “$1.84”

Redman says abundant supply has driven prices down. He says refineries have kept up with the supply surprisingly well considering the high demand.

cut 12 (10) “summer travel”

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After a nearly 4-hour meeting, the LHSAA Executive Committee decided Eddie Bonine will remain the executive director of the organization. Bonine referred to the LHSAA as a “proverbial dumpster fire” in a report to the N-F-H-S, which led to the special meeting that went into executive session. LHSAA President Vic Bonnaffee couldn’t elaborate what went into the decision to keep Bonine.

Cut 13 (10) “no comment”

Bonine says moving forward, he will be the executive director of LHSAA until the remainder of his contract which is up in 2019. He says it will be a tough task mending fences with some of the executive members…

cut 14 (10)  “point further”

Before the meeting went behind closed doors, Bonine apologized for his dumpster fire comment. He also talked about his frustrations over not being able to come up with a solution to end the public-private playoff split.  Bonine says after the airing it out session, he believes the board is fully behind him.

Cut 15 (09) “at hand”

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UL Lafayette football coach Mark Hudspeth says he’s looking forward to the compeitition at quarterback when fall camp begins next month. Jordan Davis, who played in four games, will have a chance to start this season, but Hudspeth says he’ll need to beat out former LSU quarterback Anthony Jennings…

Cut 16  (25)  “each day”

Hudspeth says even though there’s uncertainty on who will start at quarterback, he believes the offense can still put up big numbers thanks to senior running back Elijah McGuire…

Cut 17 (12)  “make plays”

New Warhawks Head Football Coach Matt Viator made his first appearance at Sun Belt Media Day. He was asked if the rebuilding job he faces at ULM was similar to one he faced at McNeese when he took over as the Cowboys Head Coach ten years ago…

Cut 18 (20) “to do”  (2x)

ULM won just two games a season ago, but senior wide receiver AJalen Holley says the players are determined not to have another bad season….

Cut 19 (12) “get better”