The personal finance website WalletHub found that Louisiana has the worst public schools in the nation after analyzing data from the National Bureau for Education Statistics. Halen Doughty has more…
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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According to a UNO poll, 82% of Louisiana voters disapprove of US Senate candidate David Duke. Jeff Palermo has more…
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Under a new law, fines for not wearing a seatbelt have doubled. Don Molino has more…
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Louisiana has the worst public schools in the country, according to a new report from the personal finance website WalletHub. Analyst Jill Gonzales says Louisiana ranked near the bottom in reading and math scores, ACT scores, and student safety. She says the state also ranked 45th in dropout rates.
Gonzales says Louisiana also ranked low on school safety, for the number of minors in detention facilities and reported bullying, but the state did even worse in the number of discipline incidents.
In response to this report, the state department of education says public school students have made tremendous growth. They point to improving reading and math scores for 4th graders, the graduation rate is at an all-time high and ACT Performance has increased for a third straight year. But Gonzales says Louisiana is 29th in spending, but based on data from the National Bureau for Education Statistics, the Bayou State has the worst school system in America.
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US Senate candidate and former-KKK leader David Duke has an 82% disapproval rating, according to a University of New Orleans poll of about 600 likely voters. UNO pollster Ed Chervenak says this survey indicates that there is a wholesale rejection of Duke’s candidacy by Louisiana voters.
Chervenak says 9 in 10 respondents in the 2nd and 3rd congressional districts in south Louisiana disapproved of Duke. He says Duke’s most favorable rating came from the 5th district in the northeastern part of the state.
The poll found that 13% of respondents say they would vote for Duke. Chervenak says young voters were twice as likely to rate him favorably.
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Drivers will now pay double what they used to for not wearing a seatbelt because of a new law that’s now in effect. Interim Director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Ken Trull says the fine for a first offense has doubled from $25 to $50, and second offense fines have increased from $50 to $75. He says this is not about money, it’s about driver safety.
Trull says the seatbelt compliance rate in Louisiana is nearly 86%, which is just below the national average. He hopes these increased fines will boost that rate, like it has in other states.
Trull says this new law applies to everyone in the vehicle, not just the driver. He says they hope this new law convinces people who normally don’t buckle up to wear a seat belt, because it could save your life.
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About 48-thousand Louisiana residents will receive a check as a result of a $310 million settlement with the manufacturers of dynamic random access memory devices, or DRAM (dee-ram), for overcharging customers. Attorney General spokesperson Ruth Wisher says DRAM was used in electronic devices, like computers and gaming consoles, from 1998 to 2002.
Louisiana and many other states filed a lawsuit in 2007 to get back the money consumers lost. Wisher says that lawsuit was settled and Attorney General Jeff Landry recently mailed checks to the people who made claims against the DRAM manufacturers.
Those payments averaged 56-dollars per scammed customer. Wisher says the A-G’s office is glad to get this money back to the people who were overcharged.
Cut 15 (10) “Louisiana people”
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The Southeastern Louisiana football team reports to campus today to begin preseason practice. After winning back-to-back Southland championships, the Lions went 4-and-7 last year. Coach Ron Roberts says the team is chomping at the bit to start a new season
The Lions open the season at Oklahoma State on September 3rd. S-L-U’s Southland opener is September 24th at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond against Northwestern State. Last year the Demons went 4-and-7, but won four of their last six games. Demons Head Coach Jay Thomas likes what he has at quarterback, which includes Ragin Cajuns transfer Brooks Haack
The Demons homecoming game this year is October 22nd against McNeese State. The Cowboys were 10-0 in the regular season last season. First-year Head Coach Lance Guidry plans to be aggressive on offense this year…
Expectations are low for second-year Nicholls State head coach Tim Rebowe. The Colonels were 3-and-8 last season and their top two running backs from a year ago, Michael Henry and Tobias Lofton, have departed. Rebowe says they’ll be tough to replace…