The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office has released a report to the state legislature designed to help the state attract and retain a capable teaching workforce. State auditor Ed Seyler says they’ve found teachers with more years of experience tended to be more effective and certified teachers were more effective on average than uncertified teachers…
cut 7 (08) “…certified teachers”
Seyler says they also found that teachers in schools with more economically-disadvantaged students were less likely to be certified and had fewer years of experience.

Tomorrow is the official start of the 2022 hurricane season and in Terrebonne Parish, there are about 400 households still waiting on a FEMA trailer as they look to rebuild their home from Hurricane Ida. Terrebonne Planning and Zoning Director Christopher Pulaski says dealing with the federal government on temporary housing has been a far more complicated process than the state-run program…
cut 11 (06) “…much, much sooner”

Louisiana is well-represented in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. David Grubb has more…
Cut 3 (31) “…I’m David Grubb.”

For fans looking to drive to those regional destinations, they’ll find the statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $4.22 According to Triple-A, gas prices have been holding steady for the last week.

Louisiana’s bond rating – a main barometer of how much the state pays in interest on money borrowed – has been upgraded for the first time in nearly seven years. Moody’s Investor Service upgraded the state from an Aa2 rating, to Aa3. State Treasurer John Schroder says the upgrade will mean significant savings to the state (and taxpayers) in interest paid…:
Cut 3 (07) “…pretty big deal.”
Louisiana had been ranked among the five lowest-rated states by Moody’s.

Today we observe Memorial Day, a day to remember the men and women who died while serving in the U-S military. If you have a relative or loved one who paid the ultimate sacrifice, Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Joey Strickland says the state has partnered with the Veterans Legacy Memorial…
cut 8 (10) “….forever”
For more information or to find a veteran’s page, visit v-a-dot-gov/remember.

A proposed law sitting on the governor’s desk for his signature would make noodling legal in Louisiana. Noodling is fishing for catfish using bare hands. The bill’s author, Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland,says noodling has become popular in Louisiana thanks to a series of YouTube videos…
cut 11 (06) “….quite popular now”
Governor Edwards could sign McFarland’s measure this week.

The bracket is out for the NCAA baseball tournament. After going 1-2 at the SEC tourney this weekend, it wasn’t a shock when Baton Rouge was left off the list of Regional host sites. Tigers coach Jay Johnson says once that happened, he could read the tea leaves on where his team was headed…
Cut 13 (12) “…a surprise.”
LSU will play Kennesaw State on Friday night at 6 PM. The Cajuns are headed to the College Station Regional. La Tech is in the Austin Regional and Southeastern Louisiana is in the Auburn Regional.

On this Memorial Day, we remember the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the U-S military. Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Colonel Joey Strickland says there’s now a digital platform dedicated to the memory of millions of veterans interred in V-A national cemeteries and state-run veteran cemeteries…
cut 7 (08) “…never dies”
For more information go to va-dot-gov-slash-remember.

If you are firing up the grill this Memorial Day, Dave Foster, CEO of the Cattle Producers of Louisiana says there are a couple of things you should keep in mind before buying your beef…
Cut 12 (09) “…limited as well.”

Moody’s has raised Louisiana’s bond rating up a notch which will save the state 750-thousand dollars a year in interest for every 300-million dollars in bonds issued. That’s according to state Treasurer John Schroder who says the state over the last five years has significantly increased reserves…
cut 4 (07) “….the bottom five”
Louisiana had been ranked among the five lowest-rated states by Moody’s.

A bill making it legal for Louisiana sportsmen (and women) to catch catfish with their hands has been sent to Governor Edwards’ desk. The bill is authored by Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland, who says the sport – called “noodling” – is catching on in Louisiana, and his legislation assures folks can do it without running afoul of Wildlife & Fisheries agents…:
Cut 9 (08) “…and noodle a catfish.”
McFarland’s bill was passed with little objection in both the House and Senate, and there is little reason to think the Governor will veto it.

The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs announces a new way to honor a fallen loved one online. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

LSU is not hosting an NCAA Baseball Regional but they will not have to travel far as they are one of four teams in the Hattiesburg Regional. Southern Miss is the host school, while the second-seeded Tigers will play Kennesaw State. La Tech is at the Austin Regional, the Cajuns are at the College Station Regional and Southeastern Louisiana is at Auburn.

Moody’s has raised Louisiana’s bond credit rating to A-a-2 after it was A–a-3 for six years. It’s because Louisiana has made significant progress towards “restoring its financial reserves and liquidity in recent years by structurally aligning revenue and spending. State Treasurer John Schroder says the new rating will save the state about 750-thousand dollars a year in interest for every 300-million in bonds issued….
cut 5 (12) “….uhh for the state”

Noodling is just a Governor John Bel Edwards’ signature away from becoming legal in Louisiana. Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland says noodling is fishing for catfish with your bare hands…
cut 10 (08) “…pull it out”
McFarland says noodling has become more popular thanks to YouTube videos.

Today is Memorial Day, a day to remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. There are Memorial Day events across the state and Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary, Colonel Joey Strickland says the Bayou State has played a major role in the fight for our freedom…
cut 6 (07) “….our state”
Over 7,500 veterans are interred at LDVA cemeteries.

Louisiana’s bond rating – a main barometer of how much the state pays in interest on money borrowed – has been upgraded for the first time in nearly seven years. Moody’s Investor Service upgraded the state from an Aa2 rating, to Aa3. State Treasurer John Schroder says the upgrade will mean significant savings to the state (and taxpayers) in interest paid…:
Cut 3 (07) “…pretty big deal.”
Louisiana had been ranked among the five lowest-rated states by Moody’s.

For this Memorial Day weekend, you’ve probably noticed the price of beef is up from last year. CEO of the Cattle Producers of Louisiana, Dave Foster, says the reason for the spike isn’t a lack of product, but a distribution issue only heightened by soaring gas prices…
cut 14 (07) “….retail market”
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, prices for meat between March and April increased by 0.7%.

A proposed law sitting on the governor’s desk for his signature would make noodling legal in Louisiana. Noodling is fishing for catfish using one’s bare hands. The bill’s author, Jonesboro Representative Jack McFarland,s ays noodling has become popular in Louisiana thanks to a series of YouTube videos…
cut 11 (06) “….quite popular now”
Governor Edwards could sign McFarland’s measure this week.

Today we observe Memorial Day, a day to remember the men and women who died while serving in the U-S military. If you have a relative or loved one who paid the ultimate sacrifice, Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Joey Strickland says the state has partnered with the Veterans Legacy Memorial…
cut 8 (10) “….forever”
For more information or to find a veteran’s page, visit v-a-dot-gov/remember.

Moody’s has raised Louisiana’s bond rating up a notch which will save the state 750-thousand dollars a year in interest for every 300-million dollars in bonds issued. That’s according to state Treasurer John Schroder who says the state over the last five years has significantly increased reserves…
cut 4 (07) “….the bottom five”
Louisiana had been ranked among the five lowest-rated states by Moody’s.

A bill making “noodling” legal in Louisiana has been sent to Governor Edwards’ desk. Kevin Gallagher reports it’s not about making pasta…:
Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

LSU will not host an NCAA Baseball Regional as their R-P-I was not high enough. So they will be a two-seed at a regional somewhere. U-L Lafayette, Louisiana Tech and Southeastern Louisiana will join the Tigers in the NCAA Baseball Tournament after those three schools won their conference tournament championships to receive an automatic berth.

It’s Memorial Day and the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs announces a new way to honor a fallen loved one online. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

There are four teams who are in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. The LSU Tigers are not hosting but they’ll be a number two seed somewhere. Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech, the Ragin Cajuns, and Southeastern Louisiana all received an automatic bid after winning their conference tournaments.

Moody’s has raised Louisiana’s bond credit rating to A-a-2 after it was A–a-3 for six years. It’s because Louisiana has made significant progress “restoring its financial reserves and liquidity in recent years by structurally aligning revenue and spending. State Treasurer John Schroder says the new rating will save the state about 750-thousand a year in interest for every 300-million in bonds issued….
cut 5 (12) “….uhh for the state”

If you are heading out to the grocery store today to pick out meat to throw on the grill. Dave Foster, CEO of the Cattle Producers of Louisiana, has this advice…
cut 13 (09) “….quality experience”

Representative Mike Huval’s cellphone ban bill meets defeat once again. David Grubb has more…

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m David Grubb.”

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Most Louisiana lawmakers are on board with loosening the restrictions that are currently in place for name, image, and likeness deals for college athletes. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

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Louisiana State Treasurer John Schroder says the check is in the mail. On Thursday almost 30-thousand unclaimed property checks were mailed out after a data match to update addresses. The checks total $4.8 million in unclaimed property.

Cut 3 (04) “..the bank.”

The state is charged with overseeing unclaimed funds that can be from a variety of sources, for example, a deposit from a utility provider, or money left in an old bank account. Schroder says his staff works diligently to find the rightful owners.

Cut 4  (09) “…our program.”

Schroder says when the Louisiana Department of Revenue is able to provide Unclaimed Property with current addresses it allows them to unite those lost funds with the proper owner.

Cut 5  (08) “…Revenue.”

And if you don’t receive a check, it doesn’t mean you don’t have unclaimed property with the state, visit LaCashClaim.org to see if your name is listed and file a claim.

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Senate Transportation made the decision to defer Breaux Bridge Representative Mike Huval’s bill to ban handheld cellphone use while driving. The greatest concern for lawmakers continues to be the possible overreach by law enforcement that the ban could enable. Huval tried to allay that concern.

Cut 6  (08) “…to stop people.” 

Huval said that his bill would actually improve upon current legislation that bans texting in driving, as it provides greater protection for drivers and creates measures for tracking citations to find and address potential abuses of power.

Cut 7 (09) “…who is stopped.” 

New Orleans Senator Gary Carter continued to hit on the point made by several lawmakers; that Huval’s bill would lead to law enforcement profiling drivers who may or may not be using their cell phones in order to look for larger offenses.

Cut 8 (12) “…unfortunate consequences.” 

The vote to defer was close, going down 4-3.

_____________________________________________________

The state House has overwhelmingly voted for a measure that would remove the current restrictions on the state’s name, image, and likeness law. Crowley Representative John Stefanski says the measures would allow universities and their employees to participate in NIL deals, which allows student-athletes to receive endorsement money

Cut 9 (10) “…to do”

The legislation also removes limitations on boosters and NIL contracts would remain private between the player and the business. Stefanski says the legislation would not allow LSU or any school in Louisiana to use an NIL deal to recruit a player to come to their school…

Cut 10 (09) ” ..recruit an athlete” 

The measure heads back to the Senate for concurrence on House amendments. Stefanski says the changes the state is about to make to its NIL laws will put Louisiana in line with what other states are doing…

Cut 11 (12)  “…like you said” 

The measure is one vote in the Senate away from reaching the governor’s desk.

_____________________________________________________

For Memorial Day, the National World War II museum in New Orleans will have a number of events honoring fallen soldiers. Museum Director of Education, Dr. Maggie Hartley says on Monday they will hold a commemoration ceremony featuring a gold star spouse, that’s an individual who lost their military spouse in service.

Cut 12 (11) “…this holiday.”  

If you’ve never visited the WWII museum, Hartely says plan to spend an entire day or two if possible, to really take it all in. She says they have world-class exhibits that immerse you into the historic conflict.

Cut 13 (10) “…democracy.”

The WWII museum is part of the nationwide Blue Star Museums program. And Hartley says that means if you are active military or a reservist admission to the museum is free right now.

Cut 14 (08)  “…this summer.”

Free admission for active military and reservists runs annually from Armed Forces Day until Labor Day.