LSU Engineering Seniors are hard at work on a project that could mean a lot to a local girl with a neuro-muscular disorder. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 1 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle”
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An LSU survey finds that 72-percent of residents believe an elected official should resign if they are accused by multiple people of sexual harassment. Jeff Palermo has the story
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”
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The Senate could hear a bill that would block localities from requiring real estate developers to build lower cost housing units. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”
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LSU Engineering students have built a special wheelchair, designed for cruising beaches, in response to an inspiring essay from a girl with muscular dystrophy. Cheslyn Simpson of Plaquemine loves beaches, but is wheelchair bound. Blaize Vansickel from Livingston Parish says it’s technology for a better quality of life.
Cut 4 (12) “the beach”
The project got off the ground with a contribution from an LSU donor, but since then has been mostly self-funded. Vansickel says they’re getting close to a finished product.
Cut 5 (06) “gunna work.”
If the wheelchair works, Vansickel says they hope they can have it mass produced for others, who love a trip to the beach, but are wheelchair bound. He says working on the project has been a joy.
Cut 6 (09) “their own.”
They’ve setup a GoFundMe for donations, and also accept support through the LSU Foundation under team 43.
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An LSU survey finds 70-percent of state residents believe women face a lot or some discrimination in society and that’s a seven-percent increase from a year ago. LSU Public Policy Research Lab director, Doctor Michael Henderson, says most Louisiana residents agree gender inequality is a real problem in this state
Cut 7 (07) “with these issues”
Henderson believes the increase can be attributed to reports that Louisiana leads the country in gender pay inequality and the numerous accusations of sexual harassment. He says most of the victims claim they were harassed by someone they worked with
Cut 8 (06) “work place”
Henderson says the survey also showed that nearly three-fourths of the respondents say elected officials accused of sexual harassment or assault by multiple people should resign
Cut 9 (11) “even higher”
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The full Senate could hear arguments today on a bill that would strip local jurisdictions of the ability to mandate real estate developers set aside a certain portion of their housing as lower rent. Metairie Senator Dan Martiny, the bill’s sponsor, says affordable housing initiatives should be voluntary, not mandatory.
Cut 10 (08) “income unit”
Martiny says rent prices and housing availability should not be subject to local control.
Cut 11 (05) “them self”
He says the bill is an attempt to preempt rent reform movements that are picking up steam in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
But Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center Policy Director Maxwell Ciardullo says requiring developers to build lower cost units gives thousands of working class people the chance at finding a reasonable rent.
Cut 12 (08) “average worker”
Ciardullo says it’s a gross overreach of state governmental power.
Cut 13 (07) “think of”
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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says they have yet to find any positive results for chronic wasting disease in Louisiana. L-D-W-F was put on alert when a case was confirmed in the Mississippi Delta just five miles away from the Louisiana border. LDWF Program Manager Johnathan Bordelon says they’ve sampled 188 deer from East Carroll, Madison and Tensas parishes
Cut 14 (08) “any of them”
Bordelon says they hope to sample over 100 more deer in northeast Louisiana. He says C-W-D is a neurodegenerative disease and it causes irreversible brain damage and infected deer can spread the disease even before symptoms develop
Cut 15 (11) “this time”
Bordelon says they will continue to work with private landowners to obtain consent for sampling efforts and they are asking for the public to watch out for signs of the disease
Cut 16 (12) “suspect”