A new school year has arrived. The head of the state department of education talked about a couple of new priorities this year. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

___________________________________________________

With the new school year about to begin, Andrew Greenstein has some tips for kids to get to and from school safely.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

___________________________________________________

A new school year gets underway this week and an emphasis this year for the Louisiana Department of Education is to expand work-based learning opportunities for high school students. State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says that means more high school students will participate in internships…

Cut 3 (11) “…this year.”

According to Leaders for a Better Louisiana, just over two-thousand of about 42-thousand high school students graduated with an internship credit, or about five-percent of the graduating class.

Brumley says another emphasis this year is more structured physical education classes…

Cut 4 (10) “…thoughtful than that.’”

Brumley says structured P-E classes will complement mandatory recess time for students between kindergarten and fifth grade.

Cut 5 (11) “…too long.”

________________________________________________

With school starting up again, now is the time to start to pay extra close attention on the roadways. Greg Fischer with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says you can start by giving yourself a little extra time to get to and from work.

Cut 6 (12) “…at those times.”

Fischer says kids who walk to and from school should be focused solely on that single task and doing everything they can to stay safe.

Cut 7 (11) “…way as possible.”

Fischer says if it’s absolutely necessary for kids to cross the street, they should only do so at crosswalks and nowhere else.

Cut 8 (10) “…on their phones.”

________________________________________________

A 1.4-million-dollar grant from NASA will support a three-year research collaboration between LSU, Southern and Louisiana Tech. Dr. Andrew Peters, a professor of chemical engineering at Louisiana Tech, says the money will be used to research ways to construct and fix large space structures without relying on bolts, screws or glue.

Cut 9 (09)  “…kind of stuff.”

While LSU will get the bulk of that money, Louisiana Tech will receive more than 360-thousand dollars. Dr. Peters says the research team will be focused on developing a new generation of materials called vitrimers.

Cut 10 (10) “…techniques they need.”

Peters says Louisiana is the perfect place to do this research, with the plastics industry being very robust in this state.

Cut 11 (07) “…and manufacturing capabilities.”

________________________________________________

Starting in January, SNAP recipients will no longer be able to use their food stamp benefits to purchase soda, energy drinks and candy. Governor Jeff Landry asked the federal government to prohibit these foods from being purchased by SNAP benefits because they contribute to poor health outcomes…

Cut 12 (06) “…chronic diseases.”

Landry talked about the upcoming changes to the SNAP program on his “Diner Days” podcast he recorded at a restaurant in Broussard.

The governor was joined by Louisiana Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein (Green-steen) who says the state’s SNAP program costs the federal government one-point-nine billion dollars and SNAP recipients use their benefits to purchase about 350-million dollars in soda every year…

Cut 13 (11)  “…dairy products.”

SNAP recipients can still purchase soda candy, but they’ll have to use their own money.

Greenstein says the waiver also allows the 800-thousand SNAP recipients in the state to use their benefits to buy a hot rotisserie chicken…

Cut 14 (11) “…and pop.”

We’re hearing from the representative who helped get the ban on handling cell phones while driving into law. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

___________________________________________________

A study from Bankrate finds Louisiana’s housing market is cool and New Orleans and Shreveport are among the coldest in the country for their market size. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

___________________________________________________

We’re now hearing from the representative who helped get a ban on hand-held cell phone use while driving across the finish line in the legislature and into law. Slidell Republican Brian Glorioso says it was a long time coming.

Cut 3 (09) “…matters and issues.”

The new law makes handling a cell phone while driving a secondary offense. That means an officer will not pull you over just for handling your cell phone while driving; but if the officer observed you doing so while committing another moving violation, that would add an additional fine to your citation. Glorioso says he wrote his bill that way after prior attempts to make it a primary offense failed.

Cut 4 (09) “…pretextual stop issue.”

Glorioso says while the law is now in effect, there is a grace period.

Cut 5 (08) “…until January 1st.”

Handling a cell phone while driving, however, is a primary offense in school zones and construction zones for a while – and it has been for quite some time.

________________________________________________

Researchers determined the 2025 Gulf of Mexico dead zone is about the size of Connecticut. The zone represents an area of low to no oxygen, unable to support marine life. LSU Oceanography Professor Nancy Rabalais says the zone is caused by high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in waterways.

Cut 6 (10) “…the oxygen.”

The most common way these nutrients make it to the Gulf is through runoff from fertilizers used throughout the Midwest. Rabalais says many farmers are aware of the issue, and their efforts can help.

Cut 7 (10) “…Gulf of Mexico.”

Rabalais says the Gulf has two layers of water: a warmer, fresher top layer, with a colder, saltier one beneath. She says this leads to the dead zone along the ocean floor.

Cut 8 (13) “…doesn’t diffuse.”

________________________________________________

A new study from Bankrate finds Louisiana has a cool housing market and New Orleans and Shreveport are among the coldest for their market size in the country. Data analyst Bankrate Alex Gailey says high homeowners’ insurance rates is one reason why it’s tough to sell a home in Louisiana…

Cut 9 (08)  “…housing costs.”

Gailey says the Bankrate Housing Heat Index looks at data from a variety of sources and Louisiana ranks below average in every category…

Cut 10 (08) “…population growth.”

Gailey says they also found many Louisiana residents can not afford to own a home…

Cut 11 (12) “….buy a home”

Gailey says on the flip side, a cool housing market is good for buyers as it means more options, you can negotiate more and get concessions from the seller.

________________________________________________

LSU was ranked ninth in the US LBM preseason Coaches Poll. Head coach Brian Kelly has seen a motivated group of players, especially in the trenches. He says ongoing position battles and a competitive culture make for great practices.

Cut 12 (10) “…those traits.”

Wide Receiver Aaron Anderson has missed most of fall camp with nagging knee inflammation stemming from his time at Alabama. Kelly says it was reaggravated in his offseason work, but he felt good today.

Cut 13 (12)  “…on the field.”

The Tigers volunteered at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank on their off day yesterday. The team supplied nearly 40-thousand meals across 11 parishes in just one hour. Kelly says all it took was telling them they could go home when they finished.

Cut 14 (08) “…of work.”