AM Newscall March 7,2017

The American Cancer Society has set a goal to increase the nation’s colorectal cancer screenings by 80-percent in 2018. Jeff Palermo has more….

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Louisiana could be in trouble if a wildfire breaks out, as a state official says there’s a shortage of firefighters with the Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Halen Doughty has more…

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The contractor arrested on multiple charges of fraud against flood victims has been booked back into the Ascension Parish Jail on additional charges. Emelie Gunn has more…

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The American Cancer Society has set a goal of 80-percent of Americans to be screened for colorectal cancer by 2018. That means 417-thousand people in Louisiana need to be screened to reach that number. Tulane Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine Dr. Jordan Karlitz says colorectal cancer is a major health issue in Louisiana.

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March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Louisiana has one of the highest rates of the development and mortality from colorectal cancer. But Karlitz says the Bayou State is on its way to improving that statistic, because more people have health insurance to get screened…

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Karlitz says if you notice any changes in your stool or have a history of colorectal cancer, getting screened before the recommended age of 50 could be necessary. He says this cancer can be treated successfully if detected early.

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President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban has many immigrants concerned, including some in Louisiana. Iraq has been dropped from the new order, but six countries including Libya remain on it. Ibrahim Matri (Ib-ruh-ham Mah-tree) is an LSU student from Libya, and he questions why some countries are on this list.

Cut 7 (12)  “understand that”

Matri says his family was planning to come visit soon, but the original ban made it difficult to know what to expect. He says with this revised ban taking effect soon, it looks like he will have to stay put for a while and see how things progress. He says he’s worried other countries will follow suit.

Cut 8 (08) “domino effect”

Matri says for now he’s just focusing on school, as his prospects for continuing his education and finding a job have changed since the ban was ordered. But he says he understands that tensions are high in Libya and other countries and that people want to be cautious.

Cut 9 (11)  “and whatnot”

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Recent state budget cuts to the Department of Agriculture means Louisiana might not have the necessary resources to fight wildfires. That’s according to Ag Commissioner Mike Strain, who says one of the issues with the Gatlinburg fire in Tennessee is that the federal government decreased their firefighting budget. He say that means there wasn’t appropriate forest management.

Cut 10 (12) “massive fire”

Strain is concerned continued cuts to his department will lead to a tragic event like this in Louisiana. He says the midyear cut lawmakers levied against the Department of Agriculture is over $1.2 million. He says he only has 53 firefighting teams for the entire state.

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Strain says those 53 teams are responsible for 14 million acres of forests. He says they may not have enough firefighters on hand if things go badly.

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The contractor who has been arrested for multiple charges of fraud was arrested again after using false receivables as collateral for his bond when he was in the Ascension Parish Jail. Sheriff Jeff Wiley says 39-year-old Matthew Morris, owner of Complete Construction Contractors, was booked back into their jail after detectives discovered issues with Morris’ cash bond…

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Morris is also facing charges in Baton Rouge, Walker, and Denham Springs in addition to Ascension Parish. Wiley says Morris took advantage of flood victims by inflating fraudulent estimates for home repairs and never completing the job.

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Wiley says Morris violated the terms of his bond by convincing a bank to give him a line of credit based on money he falsely claimed he was owed by flood victims. He urges anyone who believes they have been a victim of Morris’ scheme to come forward.

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Louisiana Tech is ranked 24th in the USA Today Coaches poll. It’s the first Top 25 ranking for the Bulldogs baseball program in three decades as the team is off the school’s best start at 11-1. First-year head coach Lane Burroughs…

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Tech is coming off a weekend sweep over Wichita State. The Diamond Dogs scored  33 runs in those three games. Senior third baseman Chase Lunceford is the Conference USA hitter of the week. Lunceford hit .421 during five games last week and drove in at least one RBI in each. Burroughs says the Mississippi native is more than just a great hitter

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Tonight, Louisiana Tech begins a four-game road trip at Mississippi State. Burroughs says it’s another opportunity for his team to make a statement…

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Weather permitting, the 7th ranked LSU Tigers are set to host San Diego at Alex Box Stadium. It would be the first ever meeting between the two teams. But there’s a very good chance for rain tonight. Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri is hopeful they can play

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Freshman Zack Hess is tonight’s scheduled starter. Last week, he gave up two runs in 4.2 innings. Mainieri hopes to see a better game from Hess tonight…

Cut 20 (07)   “bit longer”