Senate Finance advances a bill that would dedicate point four-five percent of the state sales tax that is set to expire in 2025 permanently to infrastructure. Port Allen Senator Rick Ward made an emotional appeal to the committee, saying he doesn’t want to see any more of his family move out of state because of Louisiana’s inadequate infrastructure.
Cut 8 (10) “…state.”
The legislation would generate 400-million dollars every year that would go towards road and bridge improvements.

Loyola University New Orleans Law Professor Andrea Armstrong has put together a database on deaths in Louisiana prisons, jails and detention centers from 2015 to 2019. Deaths as a result of medical illness make up a majority of deaths. Armstrong says deaths by suicide and drug overdose are the second and third leading causes, and they occur primarily in local jails…
cut 15 (06) “….department”

A bill to allow voters to decide if Slidell can have a riverboat casino now heads to the Senate floor for final passage after a 5-4 vote in Senate Finance. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Attorney General Jeff Landry blasts the LSU Faculty Senate’s request that the school adopts a mandate requiring students be vaccinated to attend classes in the fall. LSU Interim President Thomas Galligan says he’s “reviewing” the request, but Landry says there’s nothing to review and the mandate would be illegal.
Cut 10 (08) “…right now.”
LSU spokesperson Ernie Ballard says the school is looking at options and alternatives to a vaccine mandate.

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says over 200-thousand kids are enrolled in summer school at public schools. Brumley says to incentivize summer school attendance they encouraged school systems to use federal funds to create more of a summer camp atmosphere…
Cut 5 (12)”…social studies.”
Brumley says if your child is not attending summer school then engage them with some kind of continuing education.

Clinical trials are underway to see if an at-home nasal spray can prevent someone from getting COVID-19. Baton Rouge General Rhinologist Dr. Henry Barham oversees the trial in Louisiana and says the spray works differently from the vaccine. He says the vaccine builds up antibodies to fight off the virus when you contract it.
Cut 13 (08) “…first place.”
Barham says they are looking for around 90 additional participants for the study.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has verified that a Red Prinaha was caught in the University Lakes in Baton Rouge last week. The Red Prinaha is native to South America and the fish is illegal to possess or sell in Louisiana. Aquatic Nuisance Species Coordinator Robert Bourgeois says they are checking to see if there are more Red-bellied Piranha in the LSU lakes…
cut 9 (08) “….winter temperatures”
LDWF believes this was a pet released into the University Lakes.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry says it would be illegal for LSU to mandate COVID vaccines for students to attend the university. The LSU Faculty Senate made that request and Tulane, Dilliard, Xavier, and Loyola Universities have adopted the vaccinate mandates. Landry believes that’s illegal as well…
cut 11 (10) “…University receives”

Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says over 200-thousand students will attend summer school at public schools to help make up for learning loss during the pandemic. Brumley says if your child is not attending summer school then you need to engage them with some kind of continuing education to keep them up to speed.
Cut 6 (07)”…in summer.”

Besides the vaccines for COVID, there is also a clinical trial underway for a nasal spray to prevent you from catching the virus. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

State Police confirm their troopers fatally shot a man wanted for injuring two Mississippi sheriff’s deputies. LSP says 29-year-old Michael Jackson of Vicksburg, Mississippi was fatally shot after a long standoff. Law enforcement surrounded Jackson after he crashed his car in Madison Parish and according to a release, troopers shot Jackson as he approached a safety perimeter and attempted to draw his handgun.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry says it’s illegal for LSU to mandate vaccines for students to attend school this fall. The university’s faculty senate says the only way to ensure a safe normal semester to mandate vaccination, but Landry says if the faculty wants to be safe they should get vaccinated themselves…
cut 12 (08) “….disappointing”
An LSU spokesperson says they are looking at other options and alternatives to mandating the vaccine.

A clinical trial is underway to see if a special nasal spray can prevent a person from getting COVID-19. Baton Rouge General rhinologist Henry Barham says the spray is not a substitute for the vaccine, instead a compliment. Barham says the spray is targeted to one part of the body as opposed to entering the bloodstream.
Cut 15 (06)“…super exciting.”

Louisiana K-12 schools will educate over 200,000 students for summer school after a year where most students spent a lot of time out of the classroom and in front of screens. Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says they managed to have 70 percent of students back in the classroom by the end of the school year, but many still need help before the next school year…
Cut 4 (07)”…I know.”
Brumley says to incentivize more summer school attendance they’ve encouraged school systems to use federal funds to create more of a summer camp, and not a traditional summer school experience.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries confirms a red piranha, which is a species native to South America was caught in the University Lakes near LSU. Aquatic Nuisance Species Coordinator Robert Bourgeois on how it got into the lakes…
cut 8 (08) “….the lake”
Bourgeois says they hope it was the only piranha in the lake because they will go after dead or dying prey.

Attorney General Jeff Landry blasts the LSU Faculty Senate’s request that the school adopts a mandate requiring students be vaccinated to attend classes in the fall. LSU Interim President Thomas Galligan says he’s “reviewing” the request, but Landry says there’s nothing to review and the mandate would be illegal.
Cut 10 (08) “…right now.”
LSU spokesperson Ernie Ballard says the school does not believe they can mandate vaccines on campus.

A clinical trial is underway in Louisiana to test an at-home nasal spray’s effectiveness at preventing people from getting COVID-19. Baton Rouge General Rhinologist Doctor Henry Barham says they are following participants for six weeks after use of the nasal spray…
cut 14 (07) “…spray”
Barham says the spray is not necessarily a substitute for the vaccine, but instead a complement to the vaccine.

Over 200,000 kids are expected to attend summer school for what the Superintendent of Education calls the most important summer school in modern history. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”