PSC Chairman and former Congressman Clyde Holloway of Forrest Hill has passed away at 72. Emelie Gunn has more…
______________________________________
Louisiana’s high school graduation rate has hit a new high, as has the overall US rate. Michelle Southern reports on today’s numbers released by the White House.
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”
______________________________________
Food prices at the grocery store are down 13-percent from last year. That’s based on a survey from the American Farm Bureau. Louisiana Farm Bureau specialist Neil Melancon says the quarterly survey looks at prices of sixteen different food items and the numbers look much better than they did this time last year.
Steak prices are down 11-percent, while chicken breasts are down 16-pecent and bacon decreased by 3-percent. Melancon says there was a spike in meat prices a few years ago, because the demand outweighed the supply of livestock, but the like livestock supply has been rebuilt.
Prices for eggs have plummeted a whopping 51-percent, and whole milk is down 10-percent. Melancon expects the next survey, which will be conducted before Thanksgiving, will continue to show lower prices at the grocery store..
Melancon says of the 16 items on the survey, only three increased in price- bagged salad by 16-percent, apples by 10-percent, and potatoes by 3-percent.
______________________________________
Chairman of the Public Service Commission and former Congressman Clyde Holloway of Forrest Hill has passed away at the age of 72. Former state representative and close friend of Holloway, Woody Jenkins, says Holloway was the type of man who took the initiative and didn’t wait for someone else to tell him what needed to be done.
A cause of death was not given. Jenkins says Holloway was an honest man with traditional conservative principles. He says Holloway fought hard to help his hometown of Forrest Hill and wasn’t afraid to run for any political office.
Holloway served as one of five members of the PSC since 2009, and served in the US House of Representatives from 1987-1993. Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere says Holloway was one of the founders of the conservative movement in the state.
______________________________________
A new survey released by JMC Analytics finds democratic Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell tops the poll, coming in at over 23-percent. Pollster John Couvillon says democratic voters are rallying behind Campbell. He says fellow Democrat Caroline Fayard polls at 9-percent, so Campbell’s message seems to be getting out to minority voters.
Couvillon says it looks like it’s now a fight for the second spot in the runoff with Republicans John Kennedy, John Fleming, and Charles Boustany all on each other’s heels. He says right now Kennedy is leading Fleming by one point, but Fleming is well positioned to make the runoff.
The poll was commissioned by the Fleming campaign. Couvillon says Campbell is essentially a lock for the runoff. But he says we can be expect to see a big ramp up in ads from the three major republican candidates.
______________________________________
The US graduation rate is at an all time high, and so is Louisiana’s. According to a report released by the White House, the Bayou State’s graduation rate for 2014-2015 is 77.5 percent, compared to 74.6 percent the prior year. Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White…:
The overall US graduation rate went up to 83- percent. White says years ago Louisiana committed that graduating from high school would be a part of our state’s high school rating system…:
Cut 13 (08) “to make sure it happens”
The numbers from Washington show Asian Americans had a 90.2 percent graduation rate, whites were 88-percent and African Americans at 75-percent. White says Louisiana also has unfortunate gaps between low income students and their peers. He says Louisiana outpaces the nation in terms of improvement, but there is still a long way to go…:
cut 14 (10) “here at home in Louisiana”
______________________________________