AM Newscall February 19th, 2015

A doctoral candidate in LSU’s College of Engineering believes he’s come up with a unique way to control mosquito-borne diseases. Eric Gill has more…

CUT 1 (29) “reporting”

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The US Department of Health and Human Services announces 184,532 Louisianans have signed up for insurance through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace as of Sunday’s deadline. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 2 (30) “reporting”

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Budget cuts will result in 14 museums under the control of the Secretary of State to reduce the number of days they are open. Scott Carwile has the story…

Cut 3 (30) “reporting”

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A doctoral candidate in LSU’s College of Engineering believes he’s come up with a unique way to control mosquito-borne diseases. Charles Malveaux’s (MAL-vo) idea is to use drones for mosquito control. Malveaux says the concept is pretty straightforward…

cut 4  (06)  “can be targeted”

Malveaux says drones would fly over an area and target areas of interest. He says East Baton Rouge Parish has expressed interest in the use of drones for mosquito control and hopes to be able to work with them. Malveaux says the ideal system would use two drones: one to survey the area and another to treat the area…

Cut 5  (08)  “for another task”

Malveaux’s plan would treat breeding areas with larvicide, preventing mosquitoes from hatching. He says mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria and West Nile, could be prevented with technology like this. Malveaux says drones have been used to apply chemicals in the past and this can be a powerful tool in combating mosquitoes…

Cut 6 (11)  “in the future”

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The US Department of Health and Human Services announces over 184-thousand Louisianans signed up for insurance through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace. Nationwide, about 11.4 million Americans selected Marketplace plans or automatically re-enrolled by Sunday’s deadline. Marketplace Director and CEO Kevin Counihan says they are very pleased with how things are going..:

CUT 7 (08)  “easier and simpler”

102,000 folks in the Bayou State signed up for Obamacare last year and Counihan says they are happy with the growing interest. He says they know they still have a long way to go especially when it comes to making the customer experience easier and simpler…:

Cut 8  (06)  “we’re working on” 

Counihan says when you see big enrollment numbers like these it means that people are starting to realize that the products and services being offered through HealthCare.gov are quality. He says they know open enrollment next year will be bigger and better than it was this year…:

Cut 9 (09)  “certainly does”

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The State Department of Ag and Forestry says the severe insect pest Emerald Ash Borer (or EAB) has been detected in Louisiana. Commissioner Mike Strain says this pest attacks ash trees and has been confirmed in Webster Parish making Louisiana the 25th state to report the presence of this beetle. He says the EAB could be devastating to the trees…:

Cut 10 (07) “the trees die”

Strain says one of their biggest concerns with the EAB is that there is no effective eradication method. He says the EAB was discovered last year in southern Arkansas and they think it got there from someone who brought firewood camping from another state…:

cut 11 (07) “from where you buy it”

Strain says ash trees are primarily located along rivers and swamps but they are also planted in urban areas for aesthetic appeal and it could be costly to have them removed once they start dying. He says it’s best to purchase firewood not more than 10 miles from where it will be burned…:

cut 12 (09)  “all of your firewood”

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Secretary of State Tom Schedler announces reduced days of operation for  14 museums. Starting in mid-April, the old state capitol in Baton rouge and the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport will only operate three days a week. Schedler says it’s in response to the mid-year budget cuts and his budget for next fiscal year is also tight

Cut 13 (10)  “currently expand”

Schedler says 12 smaller museums under his control will only be open one-day a week. He says the reduced hours could be in place for the foreseeable future

Cut 14 (10) “as it looks”

In addition to reduced hours of operation at state museums, 24 Secretary of State employees will be laid off. Schedler says if there’s group or individual that wants to provide financial resources, his door is open…

Cut 15  (11)  “those discussions”

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The U-L Lafayette men’s basketball team hosts Texas State tonight at the Cajundome. The Cajuns are 8-and-7 in the Sun Belt and in fifth place in the league standings. Head Coach Bob Marlin says a victory is important tonight with the conference tournament right around the corner

Cut 16  (17)  “at home”

The Ragin Cajuns have lost seven of their last eleven games and Marlin knows his team can play better

Cut 17 (16)  “two areas”

Texas State enters tonight’s game with a 5-and-10 record in Sun Belt play, 11-and-13 overall. But Marlin expects a good battle with the Bobcats…

Cut 18 (13) “prepared for’

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Louisiana Tech, who is in first place Conference USA, visits Charlotte tonight. The 49ers are 11-and-14 overall on the season, but Bulldogs coach Mike White calls Charlotte one of the more talented teams in the league

Cut 19 (10)   “on edge”

Louisiana Tech is coming off its 20th win of the season. Tech beat Florida International 75-42, forcing the Golden Panthers to commit 28 turnovers and shoot just 28-percent from the field. White says his team has improved on defense during the course of the season

Cut 20 (17)  “a process”