The Department of Transportation breaks ground on a project to widen a 7 mile stretch of I-10 in the Lafayette area. Jeff Palermo has more…
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The American Society of Addiction Medicine’s annual conference is New Orleans is ongoing working on ways to treat opioid addiction. Emelie Gunn has more…
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The Strawberry Festival kicks off today in Ponchatoula. Halen Doughty has more on this weekend’s festivities…
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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The Department of Transportation has broken ground on a project to widen a 7 mile section of Interstate 10 from I-49 to the Atchafalaya Basin. DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson says they are replacing the original pavement and widening it to three lanes. He says this will increase the interstate’s capacity for the 60-thouasnd people who drive this stretch of highway every day.
Wilson says the 124-million dollar project is funded through state dollars and federal grant known as FASTLANE. He says this widening project should alleviate congestion in the Lafayette area and lead to a smoother ride for a very important highway.
Wilson says construction will begin in May, and the project is expected to take two years to complete.
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The American Society of Addiction Medicine’s annual conference is underway in New Orleans bringing together researchers and doctors from around the world to address new ways to treat opioid addiction. Addiction Specialist at LSU Heath New Orleans Ross DeLeonardo Jr., says this is a great opportunity to find alternatives to the traditional 12 step program.
DeLeonardo says they are discussing treating opioid addictions with maintenance medications that can prevent drug users from withdrawals. He says unlike methadone clinics where users have to wait in line daily, this gives an addict an alternative and chance to get their lives in order.
Critics of maintenance medication claim users can abuse the drugs. DeLeonardo says these prescriptions allow addicts to stay in control without the use of street drugs. He says during the conference, doctors are working to develop new maintenance drug treatments, like a rod put into the skin eliminating the need to take a daily pill.
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The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival gets underway today and lasts all weekend. Festival Queen Katie Robinson says it’s the second largest free festival in the state next to Mardi Gras. Robinson says this is a great event for the whole family.
Louisiana has nearly 400 acres of strawberry fields producing 850,000 flats a year worth $14 million. Festival King Bill Wheat says last weekend’s severe weather did a little damage to the crop, and supply is dwindling as the season comes to an end.
Robinson says severe weather won’t be a problem this weekend. The festival draws around 200,000 people every year, and Robinson hopes the sunshine will bring an even bigger turnout.
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Louisiana Economic Development announces Lotte Chemical is moving their headquarters from Houston to Lake Charles. LED Secretary Don Pierson says Lotte already has a chemical plant under construction at the junction of Interstates 10 and 210. He says this is a big win for the Bayou State.
Pierson says the company is also teaming up with Westlake Chemical to build a roughly $2 billion ethane cracker complex there. He says Lotte also added a $1 billion monoethylene glycol plant at the interstate junction as well.
Lotte Chemical is based in Korea, while Westlake is out of Taiwan. He says it’s encouraging to see two international companies choosing to conduct business in Louisiana.
Cut 15 (09) “chemical production”
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The LSU baseball team begins a huge series tonight in Fayetteville against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Hogs are tied for first in the SEC West with a 7-2 record, while the Tigers are 5-4 and have lost their last two conference series. But LSU senior starting pitcher Jared Poche says knows they can play better…
Cut 16 (11) “see what happens”
Arkansas is 24-6 overall. They’ve hit 40 home runs on the season, which leads the SEC. They’ve scored 214 runs, which is tied for third in the league. Poche says they’ll need to execute their pitches to have success…
On the mound, Arkansas pitchers have struck out a league-high 317 hitters. Senior shortstop Kramer Robertson says they’ve already faced some talented pitchers this season and this weekend is no exception…
Alex Lange will start on the mound for LSU tonight. He’s 3-3 with a 3.73 ERA. The Tigers have failed to score runs for him in his last two starts. Robertson says they know they only have to score a few runs on the nights that Lange pitches