A bill is moving closer to final legislative passage that would ensure that all TOPS students receive at least part of their scholarship, in the event the legislature cannot fully fund the program. Halen Doughty has more…

CUT 1 (30)  “I’m Halen Doughty”

================

The price of oil hit 50-dollars a barrel for the first time since October. Emelie Gunn on what this means for the industry….

CUT 2 (31)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

===================

The bill to ensure that all TOPS students get at least part of their scholarship award moves closer to final legislative passage. The legislation would go into effect if the legislature is not able to fully fund the popular scholarship program. Currently, 51-thousand students receive TOPS. Hammond Representative Chris Broadwater says without this bill 13-thousand students could lose their scholarships because of funding issues, which would be bad for the state’s economy…

CUT 3 (05)  “do it”

Broadwater says this bill is needed to make sure that all TOPS students have the opportunity to go to college. He says this could keep more Louisiana students in the state.

CUT 4 (09)  “at home”

Under current law, if TOPS is underfunded, students with the lowest GPA and ACT scores would be dropped from the program. Broadwater says a better route is if lawmakers decreased the amount of each award, instead of taking the entire award away from some students.

CUT 5 (12)  “this year”

The measure passed the House and now heads back to the Senate so changes made to the bill can be approved.

===============================================

Earlier this morning the price of oil rose above 50 dollars a barrel for the first time since October.  Executive Director at LSU’s Center for Energy Studies David Dismukes says this marks an important milestone and it might put an end to the job losses in this industry.

CUT 6 (10) “woods yet”

Crude oil was below 30 dollars a barrel earlier this year. Dismukes says the real challenge is to see if the increase is sustainable. He says the biggest catalyst for the uptick has been the recent fires in Canada.

CUT 7 (10) “to that”

Even with this increase, crude oil is still down 66-percent from the record high in July of 2008 where oil closed at $145 a barrel. Dismukes says with the higher prices, there’s less pressure for oil companies to make production caps or cuts. He says with oil trading at 50-dollars a barrel, it’ll be interesting to see if there will be an uptick in production…

CUT 8 (10) “the operators”

===================================================

A Senate-approved bill that would allow patients to see physical therapists without a doctor’s referral also has the support of the House as it nears final passage. West Monroe Representative Frank Hoffman opposes the legislation. He says patients should see a doctor before seeing physical therapists, because doctors have more medial training.

CUT 9 (08) “doctor’s training”

Under the current law, patients must get a diagnosis from a doctor before seeing a PT. Hoffman says if physical therapists missed something in a patient’s diagnosis, they could seriously hurt that person, even paralyze them.

cut 10 (05)  “real problem”

Ville Platte Representative Harvey LeBas is the House sponsor of the bill. He says Louisiana is one of only 7 states with this kind of law. He says because of this, PT grads are leaving Louisiana.

Cut 11 (07) “other states”

LeBas says physical therapists have the necessary training to see patients and take care of them.

cut 12 (08) “disease states”

The measure passed in the lower chamber on a 65-33 vote and heads back to the Senate for concurrence on House language.

===================================================

A report from the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums finds that the Baton Rouge Zoo is not at fault for the deaths of  two giraffes who died in March. Zoo director Phil Frost says he requested an audit by the association because the giraffe deaths that occurred during a severe thunderstorm were very unusual.

Cut 13 (10)  “do that”

Frost says he’s proud the report shows zoo staff were professional and kept a cool head even with the circumstances. He says the Baton Rouge Zoo wanted to be professional and open during this situation because the public has a connection with these animals.

cut 14 (10)  “that too”

18 animals have died in the last year at the Baton Rouge Zoo. Frost says they’re working on getting more giraffes to the zoo but it could take a while because it’s not an easy process…

cut 15 (10) “the year”

===================================================

Over 38 million Americans are expected to be traveling over the Memorial Day weekend. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (27) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

______________________________________

Louisiana is one of several states suing the Obama administration over the new transgender bathroom policy in public schools. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

______________________________________

 An LSU AgCenter scientist creates a nanosalt to reduce the sodium content in food. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

______________________________________________

Triple-A expects over 38 million Americans will travel over the Memorial Day weekend, the highest number of travelers since 2005. Spokesperson Don Redman says it’s due to low gas prices, which are currently around $2.10 a gallon for regular gasoline. He says these are the lowest gas prices we’ve seen in 11 years.

cut 4  (09)  “done before”

Redman says from January until now, Americans have saved about 18 billion dollars that would usually go into their gas tanks. He warns drivers to be careful because a lot of travelers will be on the road this holiday weekend.

Cut 5  (10)  “rush hours”

Redman also says over 2 million Americans will travel by plane this Memorial Day. He says the average price of a ticket for the top 40 domestic flight routes is 26 percent cheaper this holiday.

Cut 6 (09)  “those prices”

___________________________________________________

The nonprofit group Rebuild Louisiana is raising money that will go towards getting public support for Governor John Bel Edwards’ legislative agenda. It’s expected the governor will call a special session next month to address a 600-million dollar budget shortfall. Chairman of Rebuild Louisiana, Mary Olive Pierson says the group is raising money because there are plenty of what she calls “hard heads” in the legislature.

CUT 7 (09)  “really want” 

Several republican lawmakers have said a second special session should take place later in the year, after taxes were raised in the first special session. Pierson says Rebuild Louisiana is raising money through social media, direct mail, and every available outlet so they can spread their message through all popular mediums. She says one of their biggest concerns is the state budget. But she says they’re pushing for several issues.

Cut 8  (06)  “big ticket items” 

Pierson says they are concerned about some items that have already been defeated, such as equal pay for men and women. She says the fight isn’t over yet, because after this session, there will be another special session, and her organization will continue to push for their concerns.

Cut 9 (10)  “these issues”

___________________________________________________

An LSU AgCenter scientist has discovered a new way to reduce the sodium content in food. Marvin Moncada developed nanosalt, which is salt in a powder form that is about one-thousand times smaller than kosher salt. Moncada says nanosalt is a natural alternative to reducing the amount of salt content in foods.

Cut 10 (08) “to cover”

Moncada says The CDC recommends individuals eat 23-hundred milligrams of sodium a day but most people in the US eat double the amount. He says they’re still in the lab stage but expects tests to be conducted with consumers shortly.

cut 11 (08) “the consumer”

Moncada says hopefully we can lower the cases of high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases by reducing the sodium content in some foods.

cut 12 (08) “maybe fries”

_______________________________________________

Louisiana has joined several states seeking to block the Obama administration’s transgender bathroom policy in public schools. The federal government says public schools must allow transgender students to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity, or risk losing federal funding. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry says the President does not have the legal authority to require children to share locker rooms and bathrooms with children of the opposite sex….

Cut 13 (06)  “that letter”

The lawsuit was filed in a federal courtroom in Texas. The White House has no comment on the suit. Landry says the federal government continues to direct education policy to the detriment of Louisiana students and he will not allow Washington wreak further havoc on our schools….

cut 14 (07)  “harmful policy”

Landry says if there are any attempts from the federal government to make good on their threats to withhold federal funding, the schools should contact his office so they can take legal action. He says Louisiana has joined 10 other states in an effort to get a judge to declare the directive unlawful…

Cut 15 (09) “federal courts”

===========================================================