Inspired by a meeting with Ivanka Trump, US Senator Bill Cassidy will chair a hearing on paid parental leave. Matt Doyle has the story.
_____________________________________________
Lafayette Regional Airport will soon have seasonal service to two more cities starting this October. Kevin Barnhart tells us who…
Cut 2 (31) ”I’m Kevin Barnhart”
_____________________________________________
Governor Edwards is calling on the Restore Task Force to up reimbursement on 2016 flood relief grants to 100 percent. Jeff Palermo has the story.
____________________________________________
Louisiana US Senator Bill Cassidy will chair a hearing on paid family leave after meeting with Ivanka Trump, who’s been pushing the idea in DC. The United State is one of only eight countries worldwide, and the only developed nation on earth not to have guaranteed leave for newly minted parents. Cassidy says he’s open to the idea, but wants to know if the US has enough money to pay for it first.
Paid parental leave gives new parents paid time off for a certain period after their child is born.
Advocates say paid family leave relieves much of the financial pressure on working class families immediately after they have their children, and the ability for parents to stay with their kids for a time after birth leads to healthier children. Cassidy says he’s interested to know if offering those benefits to working class families would be helpful.
The Senator says he’s already started looking into ways this could be accomplished without adding additional costs to businesses, including allowing parents to temporarily access their social security payments immediately after their child is born.
_____________________________________________
The Morehouse Parish Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in connection with a video that was spread via Snapchat and various other social media outlets. The graphic video shows a dog being executed with the sound of two gunshots and someone laughing. Sheriff Mike Tubbs says they are currently investigating people involved.
The sheriff says the gunman appears to be Tobias Conway of Mer Rouge, who has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Tubbs says more charges could be pending.
Cut 8 (10) “…the appropriate charges.”
Sheriff Tubbs says the agency has received phones calls from around the nation with people demanding action.
Cut 9 (13) “…evidence we can.”
Authorities say more arrests are possible.
____________________________________________________
Lafayette Regional Airport will soon have seasonal service to two more cities, Orlando and Denver, with the addition of Frontier Airlines. The flight prices start at just $39 and Airport Director Steve Picou says the action starts up this fall.
Cut 10 (12) “…Wednesdays and Saturdays”
Picou says Frontier Airlines initially contacted the airport in January with a survey and that the airport has maintained contact with the airline since returning the survey. And then the news came.
Cut 11 (05) “…to start service”
The airline may only be starting with service two days each week, saying demand will determine if Frontier will expand even further. Picou is very optimistic.
Cut 12 (08) “…approached by Frontier”
With the addition of the two cities, the Lafayette Regional Airport now services five of the top seven US destinations.
_____________________________________________
Governor John Bel Edwards is asking the Restore Flood task to expand the 2016 flood recovery grant program to expand grant reimbursement eligibility to 100 percent, up from the current 50 percent. Edwards’ Communications Director Shauna Sanford says this change means 110 million more dollars could be dispersed to thousands of Louisianans.
The deadline for filling out a survey that qualifies Louisianans effected by the flooding for reimbursement is set for July 20th, after which point if you haven’t submitted, you won’t be able to be reimbursed by the state for any damage suffered. Sanford says considering how tough the recovery has been for many, she hopes to see a rush of registrations in the final nine days.
Homeowners who have already filled out the survey will have their application automatically updated to reflect the 100 percent reimbursement.
Sanford says the Governor is still fighting to end the duplication of benefits logjam that has prevent many flood victims from claiming their reward, but says do not let any doubts about eligibility prevent you from at least filling out the survey.
The survey can be found online at restore.la.gov or by calling 866-735-2001