There’s a discussion about moving the Atlantic hurricane season up by two weeks. Brooke Thorington has more

Cut 1 (31) “…Brooke Thorington.”

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Governor Edwards’ proposed 400 dollar K-12 teacher pay raise has some teacher advocates crying foul. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle.” 

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The Johnson and Johnson effort to end the pandemic received emergency use authorization Saturday. Brooke Thorington on what makes this vaccine different from the others.

Cut 3 (30)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”  

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The Workforce Commission reports the state unemployment system was bombarded with fraudulent applications last year, but most were rejected.

The Workforce Commission has turned over 28,000 suspected cases of attempted unemployment insurance fraud to law enforcement. Secretary Ava Dejoie says those attempts did not succeed.

Cut 4 (04)“…went off.”

The Commission also suspects they have an additional 60,000 could be fraud attempts. Assistant Secretary of Unemployment Insurance Robert Wooley says these applications have incomplete information, and…

Cut 5 (10)“…fraud.”

Dejoie says 2020 was an incredibly busy year for the department in general. They disbursed 8 billion dollars in federal and state UI benefits.

Cut 6 (07) “…2019”

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The Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1st, but a committee at the National Hurricane Center is looking at changing the start date to May 15th. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the two-week jumpstart might be justified.

Cut 7 (11)  “…six seasons.”

Keim says but the bigger question is are we detecting storms sooner or is climate responsible for the earlier start.

Cut 8 (06) “…of it.”

The answer to the question according to Keim is that possibly both is happening, climate change and better surveillance.

Keim says hurricane season is tied to sea surface temperatures and when they become warm enough, they can feed energy into creating a tropical storm or hurricane. He says June 1^st is not necessarily some magical date.

Cut 9 (07) “…cycle.”

Keim says by moving the hurricane season up two weeks it may help to foster earlier preparation and forecasting for the Atlantic season.

The record-breaking 2020 season began May 16^th when tropical storm Arthur formed east of Florida.

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Many teachers are scoffing at the Governor’s proposed 400 dollar teacher pay raise, calling it far too little.  Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana Director Dr. Keith Courville says the Governor needs to add an extra zero to that figure if he wants to rival the pay teachers can find in neighboring states.

Cut 10 (09) “…faculty.”

The 400 dollar pay raise for teachers and 200 dollar pay raise for support staff will cost the state an additional 40 million dollars a year. The proposal will be debated in the upcoming April legislative session.

Courville says teachers made great sacrifices for the state during the pandemic and this proposal is just a slap in the face.

Cut 11 (09) “…this year.”

Courville says the Governor is not on track to meet his campaign trail promise of getting Louisiana teacher pay up to the southern regional average.

Cut 12 (09) “…wrong. ”

A+PEL is not associated with either of the state’s two major teachers unions, the LAE or LFT, and Courville described the 9,800 member group as the state’s independent, non-partisan teachers association.

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The Johnson and Johnson one dose COVID-19 vaccine has received emergency use authorization and doses should arrive in the state this week.  Tulane School of Medicine Professor Dr. Lisa Morici says data shows the J & J vaccine doesn’t have any of the severe allergic reactions shown with the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines..

Cut 13 (11) “…injection site.”

Morici says don’t get caught up with the stats that J&J’s has an overall efficacy rate of 66-percent versus in the 90-percent and greater of the other vaccines.

Cut 14 (11) “…deaths.” 

When given the opportunity to be vaccinated, Morici says take whichever vaccine is first offered.

Besides being one-dose, Morici says the J & J vaccine also doesn’t require extensive cold storage like the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines making it ideal for transport in rural areas.

Cut 15 (09)“…is great.”

On Thursday, State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter said that once approved the state anticipated receiving up to 38,000 doses of the J & J vaccine this week in addition to the weekly allocation of more than 97,000 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

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Louisiana Tech men’s basketball recorded two blowout victories over the weekend beating Rice 101-57 and 79-58. Kalob Ledoux had a season-high 25 on Friday and followed that up with a 17-point performance on Saturday. Coach Eric Konkol says he’s proud of Ledoux

Cut 16 (16) “…to the basket.”

Before Saturday’s game, Tech celebrated the collegiate careers of the six senior Bulldog basketball players who have led the team to a 19-6 record this season. Konkol calls them a special group…

Cut 17 (16) “….one another”

There is the potential for another game to be added, if not La Tech will play in the Conference USA Tournament next week in Frisco, Texas.

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The LSU men’s basketball team had a five point lead at Arkansas on Saturday, but played poorly in the second half and fell behind by 20 before losing to the 20th ranked Razorbacks 83-75. Coach Will Wade says it was a tale of two halves

Cut  18 (20) “…advantage of that.”

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After a couple of tough losses on the road in Milwaukee and San Antonio, the Pelicans return home tonight to host the Utah Jazz, who have the best record in the NBA. On Saturday, the Pels fell to the Spurs 117 to 114 to drop their record to 14-19. After the game, New Orleans All-Star Zion Williamson said the team is close to winning a bunch of games…

Cut 19 (19) “…be there.” 

Williamson says his teammates are determined to keep fighting, which is why he believes this team is close to turning the season around…

Cut 20  (16) “…figure it out” 

The Edwards administration has proposed a 36 billion dollar budget plan for next fiscal year, a 186 million dollar increase over the current year. Matt Doyle has more…

Cut 1 (30) “ …I’m Matt Doyle.”  

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With the State Department of Education to receive one-billion in CARES funding, one lawmaker is urging them to use part of the funds to help close the digital divide.

Cut 2 (31) …I’m Jeff Palermo.”  

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State officials say there is a critical need for blood donations due to supply disruptions caused by last week’s winter storms. State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says donating blood is quick and easy. You can call 2-1-1 to be directed to a donation center near you.

Cut 3 (07)  “…twice” 

Edwards asks if you have a regularly scheduled blood donation appointment to move it up to this weekend.

Cut 4 (10) “…right now” 

Edwards says this appeal comes directly from the state’s hospitals…

Cut 5  (11)  “…serious.” 

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Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne has laid out the governor’s 36 billion dollar budget plan to legislators today. Thanks to an increase in federal funding for Medicaid, the proposal is a 186 -million dollar increase over the current year. Dardenne says public colleges would see 80 million dollars more to help pay for faculty pay raises.

Cut 6 (11) “…institutions.”

Much of the budget increase is being afforded by more generous federal support for the state’s Medicaid program, which is allowing state funds to be moved into other areas. The budget did not include increased funding for early childhood education.

The Governor’s call for a 400 dollar pay raise for K-12 teachers and a 200 dollar increase for support staff would cost the state an additional 40 million dollars a year.

Cut 7 (09) “…average.”

The budget also calls for increased investment in the Department of Corrections.

The plan will be debated by the Legislature in the legislative session that begins in April. Dardenne hopes these proposals won’t be rolled back…

Cut 8 (12) “…investments.”

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Avoyelles State Representative Darryl Deshotel is asking the State Department of Education to use part of the more than one billion it is receiving in CARES Federal Funding to assist areas of the state that lack broadband access, which will help students with virtual education.

Cut 9 (11) “…partner”

Deshotel says the CARES funding is designated to be used for COVID-related expenses and students need internet access as soon as possible.

Cut 10 (11) “…future.” 

Deshotel says the federal government has given the state $300-million in vouchers for students to buy broadband access, however…

Cut 11 (14) “…no infrastructure.”

Deshotel says the Federal Government has designated $349-million for broadband infrastructure in the state but says it’s going to take another 400 to 500-million to close to the digital divide.

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As parents struggle with getting their children to eat healthy the American Academy of Pediatrics has some tips on how to first introduce your kids to more nutritious meals. Pediatrician and Mom Dr. Candice Jones says since small children eat small amounts parents need to make every bite count.

Cut 12 (08) “ …protein.” 

Jones says if possible, children should be breastfed for the first six months of life and then begin introducing them to nutritious pureed food gradually, one new food group at a time.

Cut 13 (10)“…vegetables.”

Jones says it’s also very important to introduce dairy, eggs, fish, and nuts to prevent food allergies as early as possible.

Another tip is to try to offset the sugary drinks that kids favor with low-fat milk or water and remember that children will model your behavior.

Cut 14 (11) “…take it.” 

Jones also reminds you to avoid processed and prepackaged food for children and try to introduce fruit and vegetables with low-fat yogurt in the form of smoothies to make food more appealing for young children.

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 The LSU men’s basketball team will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks on the road on Saturday. LSU easily won the previous matchup 92-76 against the Razorbacks but coach Will Wade says they’re a different team now.

Cut 15 (17) “…huge challenge” 

 Wade says a big reason for Arkansas’ improved level of play is due to the confidence they have as a team.

Cut 16 (09) “…great job”