Educators are keeping their finger on the pulse of sports betting in Louisiana after Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s open to dedicating any revenue from the additional gaming to better preparing children for kindergarten.  Edwards says if the state really wants to make a difference in the lives of children, more needs to be done about early childhood education.

Cut 3 (08) “…kindergarten any longer.”

Edwards’s cautions says any revenue gains from sports betting would be modest.

After a 2015 GOP gubernatorial blood bath that saw the ascendance of The South’s only Democratic governor, Louisiana Republican operative Scott Wilfong, on Talk Louisiana, said the party is taking a hard look in 2019 at throwing their weight behind just one candidate before the October open primary. Wilfong says the party will be discussing that question, and soon.

Cut 6, 6 seconds, ultimately

Congressman Garret Graves supports pending legal action against several federal agencies for refusing to distribute RESTORE funds to families who fall into the “duplication of benefits” loophole after the 2016 floods. Graves blames the delay on a group that’s opposed the regulatory change from the beginning, because he says they erroneously fear it would result in flood victims getting paid by both the SBA and HUD.

Cut 12 (10)   “…entire process.”

Flood victims who received Small Business Administration loans after the 2016 floods were not eligible to receive RESTORE grants for flood damage. But in October, Congress approved legislation to allow it.

BP has announced plans to go forward with a one-point-three billion dollar expansion in production in the Gulf of Mexico after seismic imaging discovered an additional one-point-four billion barrels of oil under the sea.