New Orleans is now home to the state’s first ever milk bank, and only the 24th milk bank nationwide. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”
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A memorial service was held Saturday for the slaves whose burial plots were discovered on Shell property in Ascension Parish. Jeff Palermo has more.
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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Eight Louisiana communities are officially Louisiana Retirement Certified Areas. Kelley Ray has more on what that means.
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Kelley Ray”
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Oschner Baptist in New Orleans is now home to Mother’s Milk Bank, the state’s first ever such facility. The bank allows mothers to donate milk that will be used to help premature babies grow through a turbulent first period of their life. Neonatal Intensive Care Director Harley Ginsberg says premature babies especially need the vital nutrients that you just can’t find in formula.
Cut 4 (10) “baby.”
The process for opening the facility took three and a half years to complete.
Just because the milk bank is located in New Orleans, doesn’t mean it won’t benefit the rest of the state. Ginsberg says the milk is collected, pasteurized, and stored until it’s needed.
Cut 5 (12) “frozen milk”
Ginsberg says donors will be questioned, much like blood donors, to make sure only clean, healthy milk makes it into the storage. Once you’re clear, he says the process should take about 12 minutes to complete.
Cut 6 (11) “human milk.”
The Mother’s Milk Bank is a non-for-profit initiative.
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Eight Louisiana communities are officially Louisiana Retirement Certified Areas. Lafayette, Lake Charles, Natchitoches, Ruston, Toledo Bend, Shreveport-Bossier City, Homua and Thibodaux are included. Lincoln, Sabine and Terrebonne Parishes are also listed. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says the communities were selected for their quality of life for retiring seniors…
Cut 7 (11) “and festivals.”
Nungesser says there are about 76 million baby boomers that are nearing retirement and competition is tough. Nungesser says our state’s mild weather, makes it the perfect place to link more communities with bike trails…
Cut 8 (12) “retirement communities.”
Nungesser says he is intending to file a bill in which a specific scratch off lottery ticket would be used to raise money to be used toward retirees and the improvement of communities…
Cut 9 (11) “those people.”
More information about these retirement communities can be found at LouisianaTravel-dot-com.
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A memorial service was held over the weekend near Donaldsonville for the 1,000 slaves whose unmarked graves were discovered on Shell property in 2013. Cofounder of the River Road African American Museum Darryl Hambrick says the ceremony paid respects to those whose freedom to choose their final rights was stolen.
Cut 10 (10) “was done”
The graves date back into the 1800s, but had gone undiscovered for hundreds of years until Shell surveyed the land as part of a planned expansion, and found two mass burial sites. Hambrick says the location was forgotten over time, and eventually built over.
Cut 11 (09) “for years”
Hambrick says he wants people to think about what these graves represent, and about the lives of those who were forced to work one of the nearly 100 plantations that were in operation around Ascension Parish.
Cut 12 (08) “are today”
More information can be found about this event and others at sfricanamericanmuseum.org
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The Governor’s Office is touting that the state has the second largest monthly unemployment decline in the country for February, but is it really good news? The unemployment rate was 4.5-percent, over a full percent lower than February 2017. But LSU economist Loren Scott says the numbers aren’t as rosy in towns where construction has slowed…
Cut 13 (06) “like 6600.”
Scott says the state’s economy is based largely on gas and oil. He says the New Orleans job market is being severely affected right now, citing one oil contractor…
Cut 14 (09) “right now.”
Baton Rouge lost 1,500 jobs last year, Lafayette saw 2,100 jobs go away and 1,400 jobs in New Orleans are not around that were last year. Scott says some on unemployment are discouraged by the lack of jobs and give up, resulting in a false reality of the unemployment rate…
Cut 15 (10) “in Louisiana.”