Governor Landry did not include a permanent teacher pay hike in his proposed budget. And educators in the Bayou State are not happy. Teiko Foxx has more…
Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”
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Because of the difficulty finding drug companies willing to supply what’s needed to perform lethal injections, a bill has been filed to add options and protections to those companies.
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana has cancelled their policyholder vote and withdrawn their filing to be acquired by Elevance Health. Colleen Crain has more…
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”
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Governor Landry’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year includes $198 million for a second round of stipends for teachers, but no permanent salary increase. Louisiana Federation of Teachers Legislative Director Cynthia Posey says educators thought the stipend pay hike would last more than one year.
Cut 4 (13) “…be kept.”
Lawmakers elected to give the same stipend amount of $2000 for teachers, and $1000 for support workers. Landry’s proposal would allocate alternating stipends based on teachers performance levels.
Posey says the pay gap plays a role in the state’s shortage of qualified educators. And teachers are not only leaving the classrooms, but they’re also leaving the state.
Cut 5 (09) “…in Texas.”
The average teacher salary for the 2021-2022 school year was $54,907, compared to Texas at $58,887, according to the Southern Region Education Board.
Posey says BESE is expected to take up the teacher compensation for a vote in early March. She believes lawmakers making the modest size pay raise permanent for teachers in the Bayou State would be…
Cut 6 (12) “…first step.”
Governor Landry decided not to make teachers pay raise permanent because it would be illegal to remove in the future.
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Among the legislation filed for the special session to address crime would expand the methods used to carry out the death penalty. Baton Rouge Representative Nicholas Muscarello says there’s an ongoing shortage of the drugs used for lethal injections so House Bill 6 would offer alternatives…
Cut 7 (10) “…the bill.”
Because of the difficulty obtaining the drugs used for lethal injections, the bill would also offer protections for drug manufacturers. Muscarello says drug companies are often reluctant to provide the ingredients needed for an execution.
Cut 8 (13) “…as well.”
Any legislation about the death penalty brings on emotional debate, but Muscarello says this bill is only about expanding methods and providing protections to drug manufacturers.
Cut 9 (10) “…families.”
Muscarello’s bill is one of the 24 pieces of legislation Governor Jeff Landry wants passed in the special session that begins Monday and wraps on March 6th, just days before the regular legislative session convenes on March 11th.
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The proposed sale of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana to Indiana-based Elevance Health is off, at least for now. Blue Cross withdrew their filing and cancelled a policyholder vote saying their stakeholders need more time and information to understand the proposal. Louisiana Senator Thomas Pressly says he and other senators had many concerns…
Cut 10 (09) “…last week.”
Pressly says one of his major concerns is how Elevance has done business in other states…
Cut 11 (10) “…in Georgia.”
Pressly also voiced concern over 20 million dollars he says Blue Cross spent on what he called a “propaganda machine” to solicit votes from policyholders to approve the deal.
Pressly says why hand over a financially healthy Blue Cross Blue Shield to a company that has a billion dollars in fines nationally since 2000 and has falling CMS ratings. He says he understands the larger pool of people from Elevance may get the company better prices on technology and information, but Blue Cross is currently in good shape and has the vast majority of the market in Louisiana…
Cut 12 (06) “…financial health.”
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State officials have confirmed seven additional cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD), with a total of 19 cases all in Tensas Parish. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries State Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Jim Lacour says the first case was discovered two years ago.
Cut 13 (09) “…this point.”
CWD is a neurodegenerative disease caused by an infectious, misfolded protein particle, and it is 100 percent fatal to deer after an indeterminate incubation period. The first confirmed case of CWD was detected in 2022.
Lacour says a feeding an baiting ban has been implemented in Tensas, Madison, Concordia, and Franklin Parishes. He says hunters are prohibited from bringing out a deer or deer head with the brain in it but…
Cut 14 (13) “…a cape.”
LDWF has set up 13 free CWD collection sites throughout the region including Catahoula, Concordia, Franklin, Madison, Morehouse, Tensas, and Union Parishes.
And while CWD has not been found to be contagious to humans, CDC recommends not to consume a deer known to be positive. LaCour says LDWF provides free testing for hunters across the state.
Cut 15 (12) “…consuming it.”
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The Ragin Cajuns begin a four-game road trip tonight at Old Dominion. U-L Lafayette is 8-4 in the Sun Belt, which is good for fourth place. Cajuns Coach Bob Marlin says he wants to stay in the top four, which gives them a better chance at winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament
Cut 16 (23) “…at that time”
Old Dominion is 2-and-10 in league play, entering tonight’s game. After O-D-U, U-L Lafayette will visit Appalachian State, who is tied with Troy for first place in the Sun Belt. Point guard Themus Fulks says they will not overlook the Monarchs…
Cut 17 (17) “…game by game”
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LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson has named Thatcher Hurd as his starting pitcher for Friday’s season opener against V-M-I. Hurd was the winning pitcher in the national championship game and Johnson says he deserves the opening day assignment after a strong finish to last year…
Cut 18 (20) “…do that.”
Alabama transfer Luke Holman will start game two for the Tigers on Saturday against Central Arkansas. Holman was Alabama’s ace last season as he went 7-4 with a 3.67 ERA. Johnson says Holman has been a great addition…
Cut 19 (18) “…what we are doing”
Johnson has been impressed with the team’s preparation…
Cut 20 (24) “…on that.”