The state posted all time highs in the numbers of students who graduated high school in four years, and the number of students who qualified for TOPS. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Matt Doyle”
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Governor John Bel Edwards is pushing back against legislators who criticized his decision to mail eviction warnings to Medicaid patients who’s programs could be canceled under a House backed budget. Jeff Palermo has more.
Cut 2 (32) I’m Jeff Palermo”
Cut 3 (11) “and 1/3rd”
Hollis says the effort is difficult at best, but at least he says with this legislation the process is a little easier.
Cut 4 (12) “real time accountability”
Hollis says even with this change to our recall laws, Louisiana still has a high standard when it comes to the process of removing an elected official.
Cut 5 (12) “registered voters”
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A bill strengthening laws against animal sexual abuse passed the House unanimously and heads back to the Senate for final passage. Conservative Christian groups oppose it, because they say it could undermine Louisiana’s unconstitutional anti-sodomy law. Lafayette Representative Jean-Paul Coussan weighed in, with commentary from Baton Rouge Representative Barry Ivey.
Cut 6 (08) “the state”
The bill’s language was alerted to more definitively only apply to instances of animal abuse. It does not change Louisiana’s unenforceable anti-sodomy law.
Coussan says the bill closes loopholes that allowed for those who abetted the abuse or profited from it to walk free.
Cut 7 (08) “current laws”
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Louisiana high schools posted an all-time high of 78.1 percent of four year graduation for the class of 2017. That’s an increase of eleven percent over the last ten years. Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White says it’s a 4,000 student increase over last year.
cut 8 (10) “thirty two”
But White says that number could drop next year as the state begins to tighten up high school’s academic requirements.
Cut 9 (09) “this requirement”
52 percent of the class of 2017 qualified for TOPS this year, a nearly 1,000 student increase over the class of 2016. White says despite criticisms that TOPS is becoming too expensive, it’s clear that the program needs to be maintained to reward the hard work of Louisiana high school students.
Cut 10 (08) “better outcomes”
The state also saw an increase in the percentage of disadvantaged students graduating, posting a 52.5 percent rate.
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An off-duty Slidell police officer, Dennis Neyland, aided the release of a kidnapped 83-year-old woman in Downtown Baton Rouge on Wednesday afternoon. The officer rescued the woman after fighting with the suspect in the middle of a road near Laurel and 4th. Baton Rouge Police spokesperson, Sergeant L’Jean McKneely says the heroic officer seized the moment…
Cut 11 (10) “good time”
The 83-year-old was kidnapped after 42 year old Tamikia Raymond approached the victim on the fourth floor of the Belle of Baton Rouge casino’s parking lot with a pellet gun…
Cut 12 (08) “money”
McKneely says that after the victim withdrew a reported 800 dollars in cash from the ATM, she refused to follow Raymond’s commands to move the vehicle…
Cut 13 (08) “wasn’t okay”
The Baton Rouge Police arrived to arrest Raymond on armed robbery, false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon, and battery of a police officer.
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Governor John Bel Edwards punched back against lawmakers who criticized his decision to mail nursing home eviction warnings resulting from a potential Medicaid cut, and who are stalling on approving the 648 million dollars in revenue needed to fund healthcare and TOPS. Governor Edwards:
Cut 14 (15) “that revenue”
GOP legislators resisted efforts to renew any portion the expiring revenue at the center of the fiscal cliff in a special session in February, but Edwards says with a rebounding economy, they won’t need to renew the full billion dollars.
Cut 15 (12) “talking about”
Edwards says the ramifications of budget cuts that would close public-private partnership hospitals, formerly the Charity Hospital System, would go deeper than just eliminating service to hundreds of thousands of at risk patients.
Cut 16 (12) “million dollars”
Edwards says he now supports renewing a portion of the expiring penny sales tax to close the budget gap.