HB 9 is this year’s big push to limit jury trial damages in an effort to potentially push down the state’s sky-high auto insurance rates. Matt Doyle has more.
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Crawfish season is underway and the initial crop is showing good signs for the rest of the season ahead. Kevin Barnhart has the details.
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”
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Mitch Landrieu’s E. Pluribus Unum launches a tracker of 2020 presidential candidate’s policy positions on racial equity issues…
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A Chalmette Representative is bringing this year’s major lawsuit reform bill aimed at limiting damages in jury trials, hopefully bringing down auto insurance rates as a result.
HB 9 is a core part of a suite of insurance premium related bills this session. Ray Garofalo says his legislation is the result of extensive consultation with the insurance industry.
The bill increases the period of time you can wait before filing a lawsuit to two years, in a hope to allow for more out of court settlements, and decreases the jury trial threshold to 5,000 dollars.
Lawsuit reform powered many successful Legislative campaigns last fall, and the Republican says voters sent lawmakers to Baton Rouge with a mandate.
Opponents argue that these changes could limit a victim’s winnings in court while providing no promise rates would actually go down. Garofalo says…
The reduction would potentially come two years after passage. Garofalo says if insurance companies saved money, the Insurance Commissioner will require they pass it on.
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Crawfish farmers have been setting traps over the last month or so and the crop production so far is showing positive signs for the rest of the season. LSU AgCenter Crawfish specialist Mark Shirley says supply is good for this weekend and there should be plenty to go around for the Super Bowl.
Across the state, about a quarter-million acres of underwater crawfish habitat are being farmed. In addition to that, Shirley says the Atchafalaya Basin is where the wild crop is being harvested.
Cut 8 (09) “…in crawfish production.”
In 2019, a seafood labeling bill became state law requiring businesses to disclose if they are serving imported shrimp and crawfish. Shirley says there should be enough of the homegrown crop to meet the demand, but…
Cut 9 (09) “…demand Louisiana crawfish.”
Crawfish season runs through May.
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E. Pluribus Unum has assembled a substantial list of every 2020 presidential candidates’ positions on 3 major topics concerning racial equity in the South.
Unum Founder and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says the list of policy positions of each candidate is broken down over 15 of the biggest concerns they’ve heard.
Some of the topics include the racial wealth gap, health equity, gun safety, and gerrymandering.
Landrieu says it’s a non-partisan collection of positions from both Republican and Democratic contenders…
Some candidates have a lot more to say than others on some topics, and Landrieu says it’s interesting to see who prioritizes what issues.
You can see all 15 candidate’s positions at umun-fund-dot-org.
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Seven hotel workers, including clerks and managers, are being accused of defrauding a Shreveport Holiday Inn Express of $280,000. Caddo Parish Sheriff’s spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says it was a tricky scheme.
Cut 13 (12) “…manipulate the books.”
Chadwick says the company did an internal audit and upon realizing the size of the theft, contacted authorities in November.
Cut 14 (12) “…involved they were.”
Three people have been taken into custody so far. Warrants remain open for siblings 41-year-old Amber Nelson and 43-year-old David Nelson as well as 24-year-old Jamilah King and 54-year-old Angela Mere Lane, all of Shreveport.
Cut 15 (05) “…Caddo Shreveport Crimestoppers.”
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Louisiana Tech men’s basketball returns to the Thomas Assembly Center tonight to host Charlotte. Both teams are tied for third place in Conference USA, with 6-and-2 league records. The Bulldogs won two games on the road last week, which pleases Coach Erick Konkol
Cut 16 (15) …season progresses”
The 49ers are allowing 62 points a game for second-year head coach Ron Sanchez. Konkol says Sanchez is known as a defensive-minded coach…
With a bunch of home games coming up, Konkol hopes Bulldog nation will support his team…