Another casualty of the budget fighting and confusion in the last minutes of the legislative session: funding for an important expansion of the Port of New Orleans is cut. Kevin Gallagher reports the Governor is not happy about it…:
Cut 1 (36) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”
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A 28-year-old woman who posed as a 17-year-old student at Hahnville High has been arrested along with her 46-year-old mother in St. Charles Parish. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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The Governor signed into law legislation that would establish a system to track rape kits of victims when they are administered at a hospital. Teiko Foxx has the story.
Cut 3 (33) “….I’m Teiko Foxx.”
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Louisiana Department of Education brings together educators and first responders at their second annual Louisiana School Safety Summit at the Raising Cane’s River Center today. State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says schools must learn to meet the challenge of reinforcing security.
LDOE invested over $21 million to harden school perimeters in 39 school systems to keep students and teachers safe by enforcing single points of entry. Brumley says everyone will learn the best responses and solutions around school safety.
Brumley believes this creates a unified mission to provide a safe environment for all students.
Over 1000 law enforcement officers, state responders, fire professionals, and mental health professionals are scheduled to attend.
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Another sign of the chaos in the final hours of the state legislature last week: a big cut in funding for a new terminal at the Port of New Orleans. Governor John Bel Edwards says he is not happy with the cut. Many lawmakers differed on raising the state’s spending cap, and the port sits in the district of one who voted “no.” Edwards says such “political payback” has been known to happen before…:
New Orleans is one of the country’s largest ports and was on track to start a billion-dollar container terminal just south of the Crescent City. About $130-million to get things started was stripped from the state’s annual construction bill at the last minute; $4-million to be spent in the next few months. Governor Edwards says political gamesmanship now threatens a needed economic development project…:
Cut 8 (10) “…in the worst way.’”
Edwards says $800-million in private financing has been dedicated to the Port project, and now the state has “egg on its face” as no state money is budgeted to proceed. He says he does have a plan to salvage near-term funding to get the project on track…:
Cut 9 (08) “…Port of New Orleans.”
He says lawmakers MUST assure the project is properly funded in future state budgets.
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After receiving a tip that a 17-year-old student at Hahnville High School was instead an adult, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s office has arrested a 28-year-old Honduran woman and her 46-year-old mother. Sheriff Greg Champagne says the two are charged with Injuring Public Records.
Cut 10 (11) “…proficient at English.”
He says investigators found a falsified birth certificate was used so she could attend school.
Champagne says they wanted to notify the public especially those with children who attend Hahnville High School that there is no evidence of any other criminal activity or inappropriate behavior. He says many are surprised how a 28-year-old woman was able to pose as a 17-year-old student for the last year.
Cut 11 (12) “…certificate said.”
Champagne says there are other options available for those who want to learn English as a second language.
Cut 12 (11) “…government document.”
Because the student did not have any transcripts when she enrolled she was placed in the ninth grade.
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Governor John Bel Edwards signed into law a measure that would require Louisiana State Police to develop a database tracking system to track rape kits. Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell says the current process is not victim-friendly and lengthy.
Lawmakers appropriated $100 thousand to State Police to reduce the rape kit backlog along with $4.2 million more to the crime lab for general use. Police and more than two dozen healthcare providers who store rape kits must participate in the system by next year. Mizell believes the system will add accountability for residents and visitors.
The new law will also ensure rape victims are eligible for full reimbursement of their medical expenses after a state board had capped reimbursement at $1,000 for rape victims, compared to $15,000 for other victims. Mizell says when a victim goes through a sexual assault it will be easier to track a rape kit.
The state crime lab currently has a backlog of 592 rape kits, 409 of which are from the New Orleans Police Department.
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The LSU baseball team is in Omaha preparing for its College World Series match-up on Saturday night against Tennessee. The Tigers have scored the most runs in the country at 588. You can make an argument shortstop Jordan Thompson is the best eight-hitter in the country. Thompson says LSU’s bottom of the order is just as good as any team’s top three hitters…
Thompson says they want to win a championship, but they also want to keep playing as long as they can…
Cut 17 (14) “…to continue playing”
LSU is making its first trip to the College World Series since 2017. Freshman pitcher Gavin Guidry says it’s a special feeling to bring the Tigers back to Omaha…
Cut 18 (18) “…national championship”
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