In an effort to have children educated sooner, one lawmaker files a bill to make kindergarten mandatory in Louisiana.  Brooke Thorington explains

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Utilities reported to the Public Service Commission this morning on last week’s winter storm response. Matt Doyle has the story.

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Currently, it is not mandatory to send your child to kindergarten in Louisiana, but one Senator wants to change that to get more children enrolled in pre-K education. Baton Rouge Senator and Chairmen of the Senate Education Committee Cleo Fields has pre-filed legislation to make kindergarten a requirement.

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According to Louisiana’s Early Childhood and Education Commission, birth to five years of age is critical for brain development. Fields wants to aid educational outcomes for children as early as possible.

Cut 4 (11) “…first grade.” 

Fields says we need to concentrate on learning sooner so all children will have the advantage of pre-K and kindergarten education before, they walk into first grade. Fields says but first we must make kindergarten a requirement.

Cut 5  (11)  “…through twelve.” 

If the bill is approved children who turn age five on or before September 30^th will be required to enroll in kindergarten.

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Utility providers went before the Public Service Commission today to explain last week’s winter storm power outages and the poor communication to customers about those outages.

Entergy CEO Phillip May says Tuesday the grid faced significantly more demand than it had supply and they were given 30 minutes by a regulator to begin rolling blackouts.

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That super-regional regulator, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, operates an energy market in 15 states throughout the center of the country. Nearly all of those states were caught in last week’s polar vortex.

May says part of the problem last week was that they could not source enough natural gas to maintain a normal level of power production.

Cut 7 (10) “…supply”

Providers acknowledged that natural gas prices for February were far higher than they usually are, and that will be passed on to customers. Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta…

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Senator Bill Cassidy spoke with members of the media on a zoom conference to discuss his vote to impeach former President Donald Trump.  Despite some criticism, Cassidy says he’s at peace with his decision.

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After Cassidy’s vote, the Louisiana GOP voted to censure him, but Cassidy says that’s only a small portion of the Republican Party and that a lot of Republicans say they respect his decision.

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In regards to how this vote will impact his political career, Cassidy says honoring his constitutional oath is more important.

Cut 11 (10) “…consequesnces.”

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A former well-known Monroe staple passed away Monday at the age of 72. Shirley was the sole elephant at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo for 22 years after she arrived in 1977.  As requirements changed for keeping elephants in captivity, Zoo Director Tom Pearson says they opted to let Shirley retire.

Cut 12 (12) “ …years.” 

Pearson says since elephants are herd animals, Shirley relocated to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee where she defied the odds as the Sanctuary’s oldest elephant after her previous circus life and then her residency in Monroe.

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Pearson says at the Sanctuary, Shirley was able to roam vast the grounds with other elephants and had little human interaction. He says about 10 years ago however one of her former caretakers in Monroe, Solomon James, was allowed to visit on her birthday.

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At the time of her passing, Shirley held the record for the second oldest elephant in North America.

The next Louisiana Gubernatorial race is more than two years away but the top potential candidates are on their way to assembling large campaign war chests. Matt Doyle has the story.

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If you receive unemployment, Medicaid or SNAP you’re also eligible to receive free mobile internet service. Brooke Thorington has more.

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Potential 2023 Gubernatorial Race contenders Attorney General Jeff Landry and Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser are off to a strong fundraising start with the election more than two years away.

Landry is sitting on two million dollars and Nungesser has a million in a half in the bank. Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the two statewide elected Republicans are strong early favorites.

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The reported numbers cover the end of the 2020 fundraising period.

Other Republicans rumored to be contemplating a run include Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt and State Treasurer John Schroder, but each is only sitting on six-figure sums…

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Hewitt claimed 215,000 dollars cash on hand while Schroder has 550,000 in the bank. Another potential Republican, Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves, has a federal election war chest that can’t be used in state races.

Pinsonat says with Governor Edwards term-limited there’s no easy answer for Democrats in 2023, but Edwards two wins prove you can’t count the party out…

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Pinsonat says two early Democrats being floated are Norco Senator Gary Smith and Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields.

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The State Fire Marshal’s Office is asking residents to reconsider the use of heat lamps to keep pets and animals following several fires last week, including one in Bossier Parish that claimed the lives of seven horses. State Fire Marshal Spokesperson Ashley Rodrigue says even outside, heating lamps can be hazardous.

Cut 6 (15) “…over the heat lamp.”

Rodrigue says there was also a fire involving a heating lamp in the Houma area that killed a dog and another one in Livingston Parish. Rodrigue says the fires could be due to the lamps being placed near flammable objects like a blanket…

Cut 7 (11) “…on fire”

Rodrigue says that if animals are able to be brought inside, then that’s the best option for warmth.

Cut 8 (12) “…not advisable.”

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A 56-year old Bossier Parish Sheriff’s deputy is recovering after being allegedly shot multiple times by his daughter in Benton Monday night. Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Bill Davis says they were called to Burt Wich’s home in Benton around 5 pm.

Cut 9 (11) “…murder”

22-year old Kalee (pronounced Kallie) Wich is being held at the Bossier Maximum-Security Facility in Plain Dealing.

Davis says Deputy Wich, who lives alone was getting ready to go assist a friend with storm damage when his daughter Kalee arrived.

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Davis says Deputy Wich is in stable condition at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport and was up walking around this morning after being shot multiple times.

Cut 11 (08) “…to work.”

Davis says the gun used in the shooting was not the deputy’s service revolver. The investigation is ongoing.

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Thanks to a COVID Relief bill those receiving unemployment, Medicaid or SNAP Benefits are now eligible to receive free mobile internet service. Q Link Wireless is one of the phone providers participating in the program and CEO Issa Asad (EE-sa Ah-sod) says you can even keep your current phone and number.

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Asad says to sign up for the benefit you can visit QLinkWireless.com, He says once approved you’ll receive service in two to three days.

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The Emergency Broadband Benefit program passed by Congress begins on February 25th and lasts until the end of the year, after that Asad says you can roll over into the LifeLine program.

Cut 14 (09) “…unlimited”