The Senate Finance committee says state worker pay raises for next fiscal year should be put on hold. Matt Doyle has the story.
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The state education department releases guidelines for schools to reopen with students in the classrooms. Jeff Palermo reports from third grade and on up masks will be required…
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”
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Caddo Parish Coroner Doctor Todd Thoma determines a 63-year-old black man died of febrile delirium while in the custody of Shreveport first responders last April. Thoma says paramedics and police were called to Wavey Austin’s apartment because he was delusional and uncooperative, so he was handcuffed to conduct a medical evaluation…
Cut 3 (09) ”…it eventually stopped.”
Thoma says there was no struggle with police or significant signs of trauma…
Cut 4 (08)_ “…or broken bones.”
Febrile delirium is an acute and transient confusional state with a high fever. Austin was running a fever of 101.5 at the time of this death and was found to have an enlarged heart contributing to arrhythmia.
Thoma says first responders worked quickly to apply medical care to Austin.
Cut 5 (13) “…a preventable death”
A group called 45 days of Action Shreveport seeks answers on why Austin and Tommie McGlothen died in police custody in April. Thoma ruled McGlothen died from excited delirium, but there is video showing officers hitting him.
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When the Senate Finance Committee approved a budget for the next fiscal year Wednesday they put a pause on scheduled pay raises for state workers.
Baton Rouge Senator Bodi White says right now a public sector pay raise just wouldn’t look good.
The proposal heads to the Senate where it could be adjusted.
Evangeline Parish Senator Heather Cloud says the full scope of economic damage from the pandemic is not clear yet. Authorizing a raise could have serious ramifications.
Opponents note the Legislature is also currently considering nearly a hundred million dollars in business tax breaks at the same time.
Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne notes that most of the workers who will be impacted don’t make a lot of money.
The 60 million dollars in pay raises was set aside, and lawmakers say they will take a look at whether the state can afford the raises later this year.
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The state education department released a plan today on how public schools can reopen for the upcoming school year and do so without contributing to the spread of COVID-19. One of the guidelines calls for children in third grade and above to wear masks. Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Larry Carter…
Carter says students with a breathing condition could wear a face shield. The plan also calls for symptom monitoring of students when they arrive and throughout the day, including an initial temperature check. Carter says sick students need to be isolated quickly…
Also, the department of education is telling schools they should prepare to close for three to five days if the school environment is determined to be a source of ongoing COVID-19 spread. Carter hopes schools have a plan in place to do a deep clean
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Shreveport Republican Alan Seabaugh is once again pushing his petition to end Louisiana’s state of emergency because of COVID-19. Seabaugh needs the support of 53 other lawmakers in the House and says the spread mitigation restrictions have been extended too long.
While it is unclear if Seabaugh has enough backing, Rosepine Republican Charles Owen is among those showing support for the measure and believes lawmakers need more input on the decision making of advancing the state in reopening.
Louisiana has seen over 53,000 COVID-19 cases and 3,000 fatalities. Baton Rouge Democrat Denise Marcelle opposes the movement saying it is not a good idea…
Cut 14 (07) “…risk peoples’ lives.”
Marcelle applauds the Governor’s decision making and feels sacrificing human life is not worth it for a quicker economic bounce back.