The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality adds the first electric car to the vehicle fleet. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Brooke Thorington”
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Authorities are on the hunt for the person that threw a bag full of puppies into Bayou Portage in St. Martin Parish. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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A teacher pay raise may not be in the budget right now, but Governor Edwards is confident educators will get an increase by the end of the session. Matt Doyle has the story.
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The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality adds the first all-electric car to it’s vehicle fleet. DEQ’s first Electric Vehicle, or EV, is a Chevrolet Bolt. LDEQ Spokesperson Gregory Langley says they hope to add more EVs to the fleet but…
Langley says the EV offers an EPA-estimated 259 miles of range on a single charge, nearly 10-percent more than previous models. But most importantly it’s good for the environment.
Cut 5 (08) “…generating electricity.”
DEQ hopes by setting the example of having the first EV that other departments will follow their lead along with citizens of the Bayou State. Langley says the car performs well for a passenger vehicle.
Cut 6 (10) “…the environment.”
The car will be easy spot it on the road with its custom wrap and DEQ logo.
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The Humane Society of Louisiana is offer a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of a person who threw a dog food bag containing eight puppies from a bridge into Bayou Portage in St. Martin Parish on Sunday. Humane Society of Louisiana executive director Jeff Dorson says a nearby fisherman saw the man toss what appeared to be litter into the water.
Dorson says the person behind the tossing could face up to eight felony counts, one for each pup, with a fine of $5,000 to $25,000 and possible prison time of 1 to 10 years for each count.
The puppies are in the care of Every Paw Animal Rescue in Evangeline Parish and Dorson says the opportunity to adopt the pups will be coming soon.
Cut 9 (11) “…available for adoption.″
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Governor Edwards addressed the controversy over his decision not to include a specific teacher pay raise in his budget, saying he is confident there will ultimately be a raise in this year’s legislative session.
Edwards says he has not deprioritized K-12 education, noting his budget includes 39 million dollars in new education spending.
Many teachers were shocked at the non-inclusion of a raise, saying the Governor had broken a campaign promise, but Edwards says his plan to get to the southern regional average by the end of the term hasn’t changed.
Edwards notes teachers received a 1,000 dollar pay raise last session, just over 100 million dollars in new yearly spending.
The Governor says he wanted to invest more into education and a potential raise, but the Revenue Estimating Conference has yet to approve an official revenue number for the upcoming budget.
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Senator Bill Cassidy officially kicks off his run for a second term in Washington DC. Among the issues Cassidy says will be a priority in his time in office is facing the challenges presented from disasters in Louisiana and using what we learn to help the rest of the nation.
Cut 13 (12) “…the same thing.”
Cassidy says he will continue to push for the use of fracking in the natural gas industry that has provided prosperity and helped improve air quality. He adds under Trump’s economy, the US has become energy dominant.
Cut 14 (09 ) “…some place else ”
Cassidy says compared to when he started his term, more people are optimistic now about the world for future generations. He adds that now is the time to pull together and meet the challenges ahead.