On the eve of ten year Hurricane Rita anniversary. Eric Gill takes a look at the hardest hit area from the storm, Cameron Parish…
CUT 1 (29) “I’m Eric Gill”
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Two relatives of Breaux Bridge actress and model Ali Landry were attacked and killed in Mexico. Jeff Palermo has more…
CUT 2 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”
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Louisiana Tech reports the highest enrollment it’s ever had for the 125-year history of the school. The headcount is at 12,414 students for the fall quarter, a 10-percent increase over last year. The previous record was just under 12-thousand in 2003. University spokesperson Dave Guerin says they are also seeing an increase in other key areas as well…
CUT 3 (08) “graduation rate”
The school reported earlier this year that’s graduation rate went up four-percent to 54-percent, the second highest among all public universities. Guerin says a big key to the record enrollment is that 81-percent of first-time, full-time freshman in 2014 are back at Tech this year…
CUT 4 (06) “graduate them”
Guerin says over 55-percent first-time freshmen at Louisiana Tech scored at over above 24 on their ACT. He says a strong student retention effort is helping to build a larger and stronger student body…
CUT 5 (08) “they graduate”
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Tomorrow marks the ten year anniversary of Hurricane Rita making landfall in Louisiana. Cameron Parish was the hardest hit area from the storm with farmland and pasture inundated with saltwater and numerous homes flooded or washed away. Kevin Savoie, LSU AgCenter agent in Cameron Parish, says recovery has been slow over the past decade, but there are positive signs…
CUT 6 (09) “tax base”
He says there are some big Liquid Natural Gas projects in the parish that will help the local economy. The seafood industry in Cameron Parish was decimated as a result of Rita with docks and the only ice house being destroyed. Savoie says a big project is nearly complete that will hopefully revitalize the industry…
CUT 7 (06) “processing facility”
He is hopeful the LNG projects and the new seafood processing facility will help sustain Cameron Parish in the long run. Savoie says, ten years later, there is still an issue of people moving back to Cameron Parish…
CUT 8 (06) “that number”
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Pope Francis is in Washington DC today for first full day in the United States. During a speech at the White House, he urged those in attendance that its time to combat climate change. Doctor Tom Ryan, director of the Loyola Institute of Ministry, says Pope Francis was not making a political statement, but instead reminding Americans we have one Earth and have to protect it
CUT 9 (04) “our very life”
Pope Francis also spoke about protecting religious freedom. Ryan says even though President Obama was present for the speech, it was not directed at him or even conservatives for that matter…
cut 10 (07) “deep faith commitment”
Tomorrow, the US Senate and House will have a joint session to hear from Pope Francis as he’ll make his first-ever address to Congress. Ryan says after talking about climate change and religious freedom in front of the President, what will he say to legislative leaders???
Cut 11 (06) “…challenging us”
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The Division of Administration has begun notifying legislative leaders that the state ended its most recent budget year, which ended on June 30th, with a deficit. An exact amount of the deficit has not been released. Political pundit CB Forgotston says he isn’t surprised there was a deficit, but is surprised that the Jindal administration has waited so long to release the information…
cut 12 (08) “intelligent votes”
The size of the deficit is expected to be announced to the Legislature’s joint budget committee in mid-October. Each of the four major gubernatorial candidates have stated that they will call a special legislative session to deal with the state’s budget issues, once sworn into office. Forgotston doesn’t think much will be done in this special session…
cut 13 (07) “raise taxes”
This deficit has to be closed within nine months and adds to the state’s long list of budget issues. Many of the same legislators who struggled with the state’s budget problems this year will return to the capital for next year’s legislative session. Forgotston doesn’t foresee many changes in how they will deal with the budget…
cut 14 (10) “of both”
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