The transportation research group TRIP ranks Louisiana ninth in the country for structurally deficient rural bridges. Michelle Southern has more…
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The E-B-R district attorney is set to release more details about last year’s ambush attack on police officers in Baton Rouge. Jeff Palermo has more…
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North Louisiana says goodbye to a local legend today, as Johnny Huntsman is laid to rest in Oak Grove. Halen Doughty has more…
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Louisiana ranks ninth in the country for structurally deficient rural bridges, according to the transportation research group TRIP. Their report, which used state data, found 15-percent of rural bridges in Louisiana need to be repaired or replaced. State Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson says that’s not surprising, as he just had to close a bridge in Vernon Parish.
Wilson says what makes the problem worse is that DOTD doesn’t have the money to build new bridges, they can only repair aging bridges, and that’s just a temporary fix.
Wilson says there’s about 5,000 rural bridges in Louisiana that are not owned by the state. He says many times, they only work on 15 to 20 of those bridges a year because there’s not enough revenue to cover the cost of necessary maintenance.
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East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore will provide more details today on last July’s ambush on police officers in Baton Rouge. Moore has called a 10 AM press conference in which more details will be learned about Gavin Eugene Long, the gunman who ended up killing three officers and injuring three others. Former East Baton Rouge prosecutor Prem Burns.
But Burns says she’s not sure how those details would serve the community. She says she doesn’t understand the need for a media event because the ambush is still painful to many people.
Burns doesn’t think there’s much left to learn about what happened nearly one year ago at a carwash on Airline Highway. She says we could get some clarity on which officers were on duty or off duty and which law enforcement agency responded first. She says we could also get more details about the shooter.
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Schools.com ranks the University of Louisiana at Monroe the best four year college in the state. ULM president Dr. Nick Bruno says it is exciting and satisfying to be recognized this way. He says ULM is a small institution that has a very big attitude.
The ratings are based on factors like affordability and variety of degree programs. Bruno says they have done their best to control costs for students. He notes the university offers great programs, especially in health sciences.
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Bruno hopes a new partnership with a nonprofit medical school will help elevate the health sciences program even more. He says they’ll continue to work to make sure ULM remains a top university in Louisiana offering the programs the community needs.
McNeese came in second on the list, followed by Northwestern, LSU, and UNO.
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Today a north Louisiana legend is being laid to rest, as funeral services for Johnny Huntsman begin today at 2 p.m. in Oak Grove. Huntsman opened the first Johnny’s Pizza House in 1967 in Monroe, which has grown into an empire spanning several states. Former KNOE-TV news director Jim Shannon says Huntsman was loved by so many.
Shannon says Huntsman never gave up on the franchise, and eventually it grew into the household favorite it is today. He says Huntsman was beloved not only for his pizza, but his employees as well, and he even sold the company to them.
Shannon says even as Huntsman’s fame grew with his business, it never went to his head. He says Huntsman was always the kind of guy who would come over to drink a beer.
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LSU baseball had its most successful season since winning the national championship in 2009 and Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says the pieces are in place to make it to Omaha again next year. Moran says the biggest question is with the starting rotation as the Tigers top two starters, Alex Lange and Jared Poche, are moving on to pro ball…
Moran says the 2018 Tigers will feature several players returning from the 2017 national runner-up club. He says Antoine Duplantis, Zach Watson, Josh Smith and Jake Slaughter will be counted on to lead the way early next year…
Moran says the LSU coaching staff is also bringing in another good group of freshmen….