Tulane researchers discover Louisiana’s coast is sinking at a rate of one third inch per year, which is 50-percent faster than their estimate from two years ago. Emelie Gunn has more…
Cut 1 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”
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The St. Tammany Parish coroner doesn’t think a new law to limit first time opioid prescriptions will address the epidemic as much as we hoped. Jeff Palermo has more…
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”
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Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves blames turbulent political times for the attack on House Majority Whip Steve Scalise. Halen Doughty has more…
Cut 3 (28) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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Tulane researchers have found Louisiana is sinking at a rate of just over one third of an inch per year, which is 50-percent faster than what was estimated two years ago. Geology professor and co-author of the report, Tor Tornqvist, says we’ve always known the state is sinking, but they developed a map of coastal Louisiana to determine how rapidly it’s going underwater and where.
Cut 4 (06) “one inch”
Tornquvist says they were able to conduct this research by collecting data from nearly 300 monitoring stations along the state’s coast that measured how wetland surfaces change over time and how much sediment accumulates over time.
Cut 5 (11) “feet”
Tornquvist says this map is an improvement and can hopefully be used by policymakers who are making decisions about restoring Louisiana’s coast. He says this research should alarm those about future of Louisiana’s coastline.
Cut 6 (11) “right now”
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A new law that limits first time opioid prescriptions may not address Louisiana’s opioid epidemic as much as we hoped. St. Tammany Coroner Charles Preston says according to numbers he’s seen, only four to 13 percent of patients will misuse their opioid prescription, and four percent of those will go on to use harder drugs. He says that means less than one percent of those who receive opioid prescriptions will abuse drugs.
Cut 7 (10) “appropriately”
The law limits first time prescriptions for acute conditions to a 7-day supply. One provision allows patients to request their script only be partially filled, and they could get the rest later if needed. Preston says that could be problematic for pharmacies. He says he’s spoken to many that say they cannot practically partially fill a prescription.
Cut 8 (10) “additional prescription”
Preston says this new law is a positive step, and he applauds New Orleans Representative Helena Moreno for shedding light on a growing problem in Louisiana and around the country. But he hopes it doesn’t cloud the importance of funding addiction treatment programs.
Cut 9 (10) “disease process”
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Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says the attack on House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and others at a congressional baseball game practice is a sign of the turbulent times in our country. He says it’s okay to have different ideas and opinions, in fact we should celebrate that. But he says this is taking our differences too far.
Cut 10 (10) “physical attacks”
Graves says this sobering incident shows how quickly things can turn. He says it doesn’t matter which party it is, it’s simply not okay to turn to acts of violence to address a problem. He says he has never seen things as polarizing and divisive as they are right now.
Cut 11 (09) “right now”
There’s been reports of congressional leaders receiving threats following the attack, suggesting that more may follow. Graves says he’s certainly received threats in the past, but he won’t let it interfere with his duties in Washington.
Cut 12 (11) “to be fixed”
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Legislators have taken a significant step towards ending the budget impasse and the special session. On a 56-44 vote, the House approved a budget that allocates 100-percent of the available money. A large contingent of House Republicans like Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala did not want to spend at least 100-million dollars, because the state constantly has midyear revenue shortfalls.
Cut 13 (05) “need that money”
Bacala told his colleagues that it would be wise to hold back 100-million dollars so midyear cuts are not needed if the revenue does not come in as anticipated…
Cut 14 (11) “some back”
But New Orleans Representative Walt Leger says if the state doesn’t allocate all of the available dollars, cuts will occur to areas when the fiscal year begins in July to areas of the budget that do not need to be slashed
Cut 15 (10) “budget”
The 28-billion dollar budget proposal will be heard in the Senate finance committee on Thursday. It has the support of Governor John Bel Edwards, who says the spending plan imposes cuts in a responsible way, but it also adequately funds our needs. Leger says using all of the dollars available is the responsible way to fund state government…
Cut 16 (10) “of the state”
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The LSU Tigers leave for Omaha this morning. It’s their first trip to the College World Series since 2015. Senior shortstop Kramer Robertson is looking forward to his first C-W-S experience…
Cut 17 (20) “all of it”
LSU pitcher Alex Lange will start versus Flordia State on Saturday night. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the first round earlier this week. But Lange is not worried about his pro career…
Cut 18 (08) “Omaha now”
Lange says everyone is excited about the opportunity to win the school’s seventh national championship…
Cut 19 (15) “fun starts”