Governor John Bel Edwards is presenting a budget today that shows the effects of one-billion dollars in cuts to state agencies. Healthcare will see a 660-million-dolar cut and there will be an 80-percent cut in funding to TOPS. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says it’s not the budget the governor wants, but it’s the budget he is constitutionally required to present.
Edwards has said he would like to call a February special session to address the fiscal cliff.
25 Democratic women will be trained on how to run for political office. Emerge Louisiana Executive director Melanie Oubre says with districts to be redrawn following the 2020 census, it’s a great time to have these women trained and ready to tackle the political scene…
Cut 14 (10) “Emerge Louisiana.”
A 9.7 million dollar grant was awarded to a UL Lafayette consortium to study the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale oil deposit that stretches across central Louisiana and the Florida parishes. The consortium will be comprised of scientists, academics, and oil industry professionals from across the nation. ULL Professor Mehdi Mokhtari (med-e mowk-tari) says this study could raise the prestige of the University of Louisiana system…
Cut 11 (12) “know universities.”
Gas prices on the increase. Louisiana’s average price is up to 2.36 a gallon, up six cents from a week ago and 15 cents from last month. The cost at the beginning of 2017 was 2.17 a gallon. Analysts say gas production remains strong at a time of the year when it normally is weak, which could lead to lower prices down the road.