More changes could be coming to the TOPS scholarship program. Don Molino has more…
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A report from United Health Foundation finds Louisiana is no longer the unhealthiest state in the country. Michelle Southern has more…
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”
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Get ready for another change in the weather. Andy Tingler, with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, says a strong cold front will move through the state Saturday and produce a big temperature drop….
Tingler says the Storm Prediction Center also says there’s a slight chance we could see severe weather in the Monroe and Alexandria areas along with a portion of south Louisiana…
Tingler says the cold air will stick around for a couple of days, at least through Tuesday. He says Sunday might be a good day to watch football, a movie or wrap gifts…
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With budget shortfalls still looming, higher education leaders are looking at more potential changes to the TOPS scholarship program. Higher Ed Commissioner Joe Rallo says one option being discussed is raising the hourly requirement for the scholarship from 24 credits per year to 30. He says the idea is to encourage students to graduate more quickly, as TOPS only covers 8 semesters.
Rallo says this would mean students would have to take either 15 credits per semester or 6 additional hours during the summer. He says up until about 20 years ago, it was normal for students to take 15 hours a semester, until the feds lowered the requirements to be considered a fulltime student.
Rallo says this is just one of several changes they’re considering to stabilize the program. Lawmakers are hopeful they can find the necessary $89 million to fully fund the program next year, but Rallo says changes will likely come to TOPS whether or not it’s fully funded.
Opponents of the change say it would add to students’ workload, especially for those who take time-consuming labs or play sports.
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Louisiana is no longer the least healthy state in the country, according to United Health Foundation. State Health Secretary Dr. Rebekah Gee says this is great news, but unfortunately Louisiana still ranks 49th in the nation for overall health. She says the state has high rates of low birth weight, infant mortality, and obesity.
The report found that funding for public health decreased by 28-percent over the last four years. Gee says that’s because of state budget problems. She hopes public health will become more of a spending priority, because money is used to protect against Zika outbreaks and flu epidemics.
Mississippi was the only state found to be less healthy than Louisiana. A troubling sign for the Bayou State is that in the past year, the rate of diabetes among adults has increased 12-percent. Gee says that’s due in part to the high rate of obesity. She says a healthy lifestyle starts with the individual.
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The Big Easy is gearing up for the big R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl tomorrow featuring the UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns taking on Southern Miss. Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation President Jay Cicero says they’ve never had these two regional teams in the bowl game so they’re seeing tons of fans in town…:
Cicero expects this year’s game to bring in as much as $30 million dollars for area businesses. He says the game itself looks to be a great one…:
There’s no shortage of events surrounding the game as the Gin Blossoms and Better Than Ezra perform a free show Friday night in Champions Square. Cicero says it’s always great when you can get one team that’s two hours one way, and another that’s 90 minutes the other way…:
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LSU running back Leonard Fournette’s college football career is over. The junior, who has already said he intends to enter the 2017 NFL Draft, announced today that he would not play in the Citrus Bowl with the Tigers. He and head coach Ed Orgeron broke the news on Friday…:
Cut 15 (11) “best for my future”
Fournette said he plans to rest and rehab the ankle injury that has limited him to seven games this season. Some fans may not be happy about this, but Coach O reminds fans that Fournette was the best player in the nation his senior year in high school…: