The state GOP issues endorsements for all incumbent statewide Republicans, along with the two major Republicans challenging Governor Edwards. Matt Doyle has more…
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Former Governor Edwin Edwards was rushed to the hospital Tuesday after he was found unresponsive. Brooke Thorington has more.
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The Opioid Action Summit and Town Hall kicks off in Slidell today, and Matt Doyle spoke with the Louisiana Department of Health about what to expect…
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Along I-49 in Caddo Parish DOTD will begin installing cable barriers along the medians north of Shreveport. The project will stretch 35 miles along the interstate beginning at Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and end at the Arkansas state line. DOTD spokesperson Erin Buchanan explains how the cable medians work.
The barriers are made of three or four high steel tension cables strung on posts. The barriers are designed to redirect the car along the median and potentially prevent a fatal crossover crash. Buchanan says for the last eleven years DOTD has invested more than $50 million in safety improvements to install the cable barriers across the state.
The Project in Caddo Parish is set to begin mid-September and weather pending wrap next spring. Buchanan says when it’s completed it will mark a milestone for the cable barrier project.
The Department’s goal is to have median cable barriers installed on interstates across the state by 2022.
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The Louisiana Republican Party releases statewide office endorsements headlined by both major GOP gubernatorial candidates, and a clear favorite in the race for Insurance Commissioner.
LSU-Shreveport Poli Sci Professor Jeff Sadow says it’s not a surprise that the party backed both Congressman Abraham and Eddie Rispone, as there’s little to gain from picking sides in a tight primary.
A recent independent poll shows Rispone within striking distance of Abraham for the right to take on the Governor in a potential November run-off.
Incumbent Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon got the nod over challenger Tim Temple. That could sway the election in a race where there’s not a lot of policy daylight between the two Republicans.
Sadow adds the state party is likely skeptical of Temple due to the prominent consulting role former Democratic Insurance Commissioner Robert Wooley holds in the Temple campaign.
Wooley resigned the position in 2006. His deputy at the time, Donelon, then stepped into the role he’s held ever since. Campaign finance reports show Temple has paid at least 90,000 dollars to Wooley for consulting this year.
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Former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards was rushed to the hospital Tuesday afternoon when his wife found him unresponsive. Edwards’ biographer Leo Honeycutt tells us that it appears the former governor was suffering from low blood sugar and is in much better condition now. Despite the 92 year old former governor’s age, Honeycutt says Edwards is still extremely spry.
Doctors are waiting on more test results before they make a diagnosis and Edwards was ill over the weekend. Honeycutt said once Edwards received fluids he started acting like his usual self and even began joking with hospital staff.
Honeycut attended an event two weeks ago with Edwards and he took questions from the audience and says it’s hard to believe the former governor is in his 9th decade.
Edwards also attended former Governor Kathleen Blanco’s funeral.
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The Louisiana Department of Health is hoping to raise awareness and share best practices for fighting the opioid epidemic this week at the Opioid Action Summit and Town Hall.
Office of Behavioral Health Deputy Assistant Secretary Dr. Janice Petersen says the program may be state-organized, but it’s put on primarily for the public. She says there will be breakout sessions covering a range of topics.
And they’re hoping for a wide range of attendees from recovering addicts to those who work local outreach.
OBH Assistant Secretary Karen Stubbs says there’s a few major themes for the week.
Stubbs says they’re expecting at least 500 people to show up to scheduled events that run throughout the rest of the week at the Slidell Harbor Center.
In 2018 there were more than 450 opioid-involved deaths, a 187 percent increase from 2012. Petersen says the summit is a great way to continue to increase awareness of the epidemic’s devastating consequences.
Wednesday’s discussion starts at 1:15 PM, Thursday’s starts at 9:40 AM, and Friday’s start at 8:30 AM.
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LSU’s new look offense faces a much bigger test this Saturday against 9th ranked Texas than the one they faced in the season opening win over Georgia Southern. Coach Ed Orgeron says the Longhorns have good pass rushers and its up to the o-line to win their one-on-one battles
Orgeron says starting offensive tackle Saahdiq Charles and linebacker Michael Divinity will play this Saturday after missing the season opener for disciplinary reasons.
LSU played five different running backs in the easy victory over Georgia Southern. Orgeron says how the game goes on Saturday will dictate how many will play against the Longhorns
When LSU fired Les Miles during the 2016 season, many in the LSU fan base wanted at that time athletics director Joe Alleva to hire Tom Herman. Instead, Herman was hired at Texas and Orgeron got the head coaching job at LSU. Orgeron says he’s not interested in revisiting history…
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