Governor Edwards says he won’t discuss if he plans to veto any of the maps that have passed in the House and Senate so far, but he did say they appear to be problematic. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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Shreveport area Congressman Mike Johnson says it’s time to permanently make Fentanyl a Schedule I controlled substance. Kevin Gallagher reports on his bill to do just that:
Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”
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After nearly half a century in prison, convicted rapist Vincent Simmons is being released. David Grubb has the story.
Cut 3 (33) “…I’m David Grubb.”
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Governor John Bel Edwards says congressional maps approved by the House and Senate in the redistricting session fail to add a majority-minority Black district and he believes them to be problematic. But until they reach his desk Edwards won’t comment if he plans to veto them.
Edwards says the 2020 Census indicates one-third of the state is Black which has changed the state’s demographic makeup from the previous ten years and that a third of all voting districts should reflect that.
The House and Senate have both passed Republican-drawn Congressional maps which maintain one Majority-Minority district. The maps have yet to reach the governor’s desk, from the session that must end by Sunday. Edwards says he does see those maps to have issues when it comes to the Voting Rights Act.
Cut 5 (12) “…African American districts.”
Edwards says there have been a number of bills and/or amendments presented to show that a second majority-minority district can be done.
The governor says he is hopeful the district maps will be amended to reflect the state’s population appropriately before they reach his desk.
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District 4 Louisiana U.S. Congressman Mike Johnson proposes federal law to permanently make illicit Fentanyl a Schedule I controlled substance. Talking with LRN, Johnson says Congress currently has to go back periodically and reauthorize the drug’s temporary Schedule I status; which is counter-productive…:
Federal law states that substances on the Schedule I list have “no medicinal value whatsoever.” Johnson’s “CEASE Overdose” act would make that designation for illicit (or non-prescribed) Fentanyl permanent. He says law enforcement needs all the help they can get combating the very dangerous drug…:
Johnson says there is no good reason why congress must reauthorize Fentanyl’s illicit status over and over again. He says Fentanyl and other dangerous drugs flow freely across the wide-open southern border, and his bill is only a small part of what he calls a “full court press” in fighting it…:
Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. topped 120-thousand in 2021; an increase of 40-percent over the previous year. Johnson says Fentanyl accounts for the majority of those.
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After serving nearly 45 years in prison, Vincent Simmons is going home. Simmons, who is Black, was convicted of the attempted aggravated rape of 14-year-old white twin sisters in 1977. Now, a judge has granted a new trial, says Avoyelles Parish District Attorney Charlie Riddle.
Cut 10 (7) “…constitutional issue.”
Over the years, lawyers for Simmons have restated their claim that he did not receive a fair trial and that there were problems with both the physical evidence and witness testimony presented at that time. The judge’s ruling only addressed a single constitutional issue dealing with how evidence was shared with the defense.
Cut 11 (12) “…in his possession.”
That new trial won’t take place, as Riddle has decided not to re-try Simmons and has dismissed the charges against him. Riddle said that after all this time, and with today’s sentencing guidelines likely to reduce the 100-year sentence against Simmons, it’s time to move on.
Cut 12 (11) “…can be released.”
Simmons will be set free after his processing is complete at Angola State Penitentiary.
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Governor John Bel Edwards gave some encouraging news that Louisiana is definitely on the downswing of the Omicron surge. Edwards says he plans to renew the Public Health Emergency proclamation, but it will not have any mention of face masks. And the department of health will give a briefing today on new CDC guidelines for K-12 schools.
Cut 13 (11) “…mandates either.”
Edwards says cases the last three Mondays have decreased significantly each week but there’s still plenty of COVID out there.
Cut 14 (08) “…lagging indicator.”
On Monday the state reported 41 COVID deaths.
As for hospitalizations, they remain four times as high as they were before the Omicron surge started and Edwards says we still have a lot of improving to do pandemic wise, on Monday the state indicated 1,135 were in the hospital with COVID.
The governor reminded residents that they are still required to wear face masks in a healthcare setting.
Cut 15 (12) “…the Federal government.”
Edwards said the state’s positivity rate had from the mid-’30s this time last month to now 8-percent.
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It’s not quite the glory days of the early 90s, but Tulane basketball is on the comeback. In his third season, Ron Hunter has the Wave at 11-11, and 8-5 in the American Athletic Conference. Saturday, Tulane improved to 6-1 at home in conference play with a thrilling 92-83 overtime win over Temple, its first home win over the Owls since 1992.
Cut 16 (11) “…hanging in there.”
Prior to Hunter’s arrival in 2019, Tulane hadn’t won more than six conference games since joining the American. With five games remaining, the Wave has a chance at a first-round bye in the AAC tournament and their first postseason bid since of any kind since 2014. Hunter says his team is finally maturing…
Cut 17 (15) “ …a veteran team.”
In Thibodaux, the Colonels of Nicholls State are trying to make their first postseason appearance since 1998. After topping Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for their fifth straight win, the Colonels are just a game and a half back of UNO in the standings. Coach Austin Claunch says the energy at Stopher Gymnasium has been a big reason for the surge, and that needs to continue with games against McNeese and Houston Baptist this week.
Cut 18 (10) “ …that we bought.”
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The Ragin Cajuns men’s basketball team is struggling. They’ve lost three in a row and eight of their last ten and there’s talk among the fan base about head coach Bob Marlin’s job security. Marlin says he’s not paying attention to that noise
Cut 19 (25)_“getting it done.”
U-L Lafayette is at ULM on Thursday.