LRN PM Newscall August 2

Induction ceremonies are Saturday night for the 2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame class and three of the inductees have strong connections to Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Two of the three men on the ballot for the Governor’s race portrayed two contrasting images of the state at the Louisiana Municipal Association convention in Monroe.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

cut  2 (31) I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

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The state appears to have a surplus for the third year in a row, as Louisiana may have collected 300 million more in taxes last fiscal year. Legislative Fiscal Office Chief Economist Greg Albrecht says the surplus is mostly due to two things, one of them is the impact of the Congressional tax reform law

Cut 3 (09) “…paid”

Albrecht says the other reason is the steady elimination of a series of corporate income tax deductions over the past four years, which increased state revenue.

Cut 4 (11) “…tax”

Governor Edwards says the surplus is an example of the state’s improving economy, but Albrecht says the state’s slowly improving outlook isn’t the primary reason why revenue is up.

Cut 5 (12) “…side”

Albrecht notes the state has added money to its budgetary forecast to try and compensate for the increased revenue, but their estimates have turned out to be too conservative.

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Three former Louisiana football stars are among the eight that will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Former Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed went to Destrehan High School. His defensive coordinator at Destrehan and current Wildcats head coach Stephen Robicheaux says it’s a well-deserved honor

Cut 6 (09) “…another level.”

Reed spent 12 years in the NFL and holds the record for interception return yards. Robichaux says Reed is an even better person away from the field as he hosts football camps and he’s raised money to build a park in his hometown

Cut 7 (11) “…the community.”

Two former LSU Tigers are also part of the 2019 Hall of Fame Class, Johnny Robinson and Kevin Mawae. Executive Deputy athletics director Verge Ausberry says what an honor for two LSU legends…

Cut 8 (11) “…played at LSU.”

Robinson was an All-SEC running back on the Tigers 1958 national championship team. While Mawae was an all-conference performer on the offensive line for the Tigers in the early 1990s. Mawae played 16 years in the NFL and was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for several years. Ausberry say Mawae is a class act…

Cut 9 (08) “…to your institution”

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Governor Edwards and Congressman Ralph Abraham painted two very different pictures of the current status of state at the Louisiana Municipal Association convention in Monroe.  Edwards touted his hard work in pulling the state out of its largest budget deficit and an economy that was deep in the ditch.

Cut 10 (09) “…to a better path.”

Edwards says no state in the nation has exceeded Louisiana’s rate of decline in unemployment in the last 12 months, adding the economy is the strongest in the state’s history.

Cut 11 (10) “…historic low unemployment.”

But Abraham says the state has so much more potential.

Cut 12 (10) “…better than that.”

Abraham says if elected, he’s moving the state in a new direction.

Cut 13 (10) “…of leaving Louisiana.”

The third man currently on the ballot in the Governor’s race, Eddie Rispone, was absent from the event.

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The LSU/GB Sciences medical marijuana product has been approved for distribution by the Department of Agriculture and nine licensed pharmacies will have access to it on Tuesday. Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says the treatment has undergone extensive testing for contaminants and consistency…

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The Advocate reports the product will cost about 90 to 200 dollars a bottle at the Baton Rouge-based pharmacy.

Only those with a specific set of diseases approved by the Legislature will be allowed access to medical marijuana. Strain says that includes HIV, intractable pain, cachexia…

Cut 15 (11) “…dystrophy.”

And you can only get those prescriptions from physicians who have been approved by the Louisiana Board of Medical Examiners.

Cut 16 (08) “…pharmacy.”

Strain says you can get the list of participating doctors and pharmacies online at the board’s website