Higher education officials are celebrating the 38 billion dollar budget approved by the Legislature. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

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If you’re hitting the waterways you are not alone on this Memorial Day. A boat towing company says to expect a jump in the number of boaters and new navigators. Brooke Thorington has more…

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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UL System President Jim Henderson calls the budget for the fiscal year starting in July the biggest investment in higher education the state has seen in 13 years.

The 38 billion dollar spending plan is headed to the Governor’s desk. Henderson says it features a faculty pay raise that breaks down to about a two to two and a half percent increase.

Cut 3 (10)  “…for us.”

Henderson says UL System faculty are still about 8,000 to 10,000 dollars a year behind the southern regional average and this increase gets them about a quarter of the way there.

Henderson says the budget fully funds TOPS and even increases the size of the Go Grant program.

Cut 4 (09)”…higher education”

Despite the big increase in higher ed funding this year, Henderson says the still hasn’t made up for the steep budget cuts enacted during the Jindal Administration.

Cut 5 (06)”…Legislators.”

Per-student funding is still below where it was in 2009 and the Henderson says the funding mechanism for higher ed has “flipped” in the last decade. Previously up to 70 percent of college budgets were state-funded, now 75 percent of college budgets are sustained by student tuition and fees.

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Not only are there more drivers on the road for Memorial Day this year, but according to a Sea Tow Services survey, 52-percent of the boaters say they plan to spend more time on the water this year compared to 2020. Sea Tow President Kristen Frohnhoefer (Frone – hoffer) says expect waterways to be crowded.

Cut 6 (11)”…with it.”

With a record number of new boat sales and an influx of new boaters, Sea Tow says new navigators are 142-percent more likely to need ungrounding services. Frohnhoefer says if you’re a neophyte to boating, get properly trained before you leave the dock.

Cut 7 (11)  “…courteous boater.”

Frohnhoefer says their Sea Tow affiliates in Louisiana have experienced a large increase of ungrounding calls due to the record low tides. She says another hazard, due to the recent floods, is more debris in the water. She recommends assigning someone to serve as a lookout when cruising.

Cut 8 (10) “…the water.”

She also recommends checking that you are properly fueled before you leave the dock as well.

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Hurricane season starts tomorrow and Louisiana residents know all too well about storm preparedness.  David Maurstad, the head of the National Flood Insurance Program with FEMA, says every homeowner should have a flood insurance policy

Cut 9 (13) “…you need.” 

There’s no way to completely eliminate flood damage but Maurstad says a good policy can help with the recovery process.

Cut 10 (12) “…policy.”

Louisiana residents experienced an unprecedented flood back in 2016 due to a variety of reasons.  Maurstad says the NFIP policy protects from all types of flooding.

Cut 11 (07) “…policy.”

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Americans observe Memorial Day today, remembering those who died serving our country.

Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Colonel Joey Strickland says today is partially about remembering those who have served in the military, but…

Cut 12 (12) “…forgotten”

Strickland says while you’re enjoying your day off take some time to think about the Louisiana National Guardsmen who are overseas…

Cut 13 (07) “…are”

Dating back to the Revolutionary War an estimated 70,000 Louisianans have died while serving in the military, but Strickland says that number is likely much higher when you factor in uncounted civil war deaths.

Cut 14 (06) “…sacrifice.”

Cameron Parish authorities say it was a tip from a local woman that helped them identify a human skull found off a highway in 2018. Brooke Thorington explains.

Cut 1 (31) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington” 

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The Legislature sends a 38-billion dollar spending plan to Governor Edwards’ desk, a record amount buoyed by federal coronavirus aid.  Matt Doyle has more…

Cut 2 (30) …I’m Matt Doyle”  

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After 15 seasons and one national championship at LSU, Paul Mainieri has announced he’s retiring as a college baseball coach. Mainieri has the most career victories among active Division one coaches, but his team had a losing record in SEC play this year. Tiger Rag Editor Ron Higgins says the 63-year-old is also dealing with health issues…

Cut 3 (10)  “…left to prove.” 

Mainieri led the Tigers to the College World Series five times, winning it all in 2009 and finishing as a runner-up in 2017. But his critics say Mainieri didn’t win enough national titles like Skip Bertman, who won five titles. Higgins says Mainieri was still a great coach…

Cut 4 (08) “…great job.” 

This year’s LSU baseball team is waiting to find out if they made the NCAA Tournament. The Field of 64 will be unveiled on Monday at 11 AM. The Tigers are on the bubble after going 13-and-17 in SEC play. Higgins says Mainieri’s announcement might give the selection committee another reason to put the Tigers in a regional

Cut 5  (10)  “…deserve that”

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Millions of drivers are expected to hit the roadway this Memorial day weekend and the Louisiana Transportation Department advises travelers to exercise extra caution. DOTD spokesperson Rodney Mallett says 330 people have lost their lives in fatal crashes this year in Louisiana so put down the phone and buckle up to prevent more fatalities…

Cut 6 (8) “…they’re used too”

Last year over 800 drivers died in Louisiana. Mallett hopes they do not surpass that number this year, despite traffic volume up over last year.

Cut 7 (9) “…that trend downwards” 

Travelers should expect roadwork on I-10 next to the Texas border and near the Atchafalaya Basin and I-12 in St. Tammany Parish. Mallet says there will be no lane closers but be aware of speed limit changes and lane shifts…

Cut 8 (7) “…at any minute” 

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A human skull found in Cameron Parish more than three years ago has been identified as a missing 58-year old San Antonio woman. Cameron Parish Sheriff Ron Johnson says it was a computer-generated image of the head that led a concerned citizen to connect the dots and dental records confirmed the findings.

Cut 9 (11) “…Sally Hines.”

58-year-old Hines went missing in December of 2017 and a clean-up crew found the head on highway 27 between Hackberry and Holly Beach in March of 2018.

After numerous tips over the years that never identified the skull, Johnson says it was a Cameron Parish woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, that looked at a computer-generated image of what the skull would resemble in person and that pointed investigators in the direction to see if it was Hines.

Cut 10 (11) “…at zero.

Johnson says San Antonio police, who took the initial missing person report, is leading the investigation and many questions remain unanswered.

Cut 11 (08) “…the body.”

Johnson says they do not believe any other body parts from Hines, with the exception of the skull, are located in Cameron Parish.

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With two weeks still left in the session, the Legislature approves a record 38 billion dollar spending plan for the fiscal year starting in July.

Senate President Page Cortez says because of federal assistance there were a lot of things they could accomplish so lawmakers didn’t argue about the little things.

Cut 12 (08)   “…Senate.” 

Despite frequent talk of increasing early childhood education funding, no additional dollars were allocated to it.

Cortez highlighted a few of the major investments they were able to make thanks to the American Rescue Act Assistance, including infrastructure.

Cut 13 (11)“..lines”

The state also paid down 400 million dollars of a one billion dollar outstanding payment we owe to the federal government over the 12 billion dollar New Orleans levee system built after Hurricane Katrina. The unemployment trust fund was also replenished with 490 million dollars. After paying back some money owed to the feds that puts the fund at a net of 300 million dollars.

Also included was an 800 dollar teacher pay raise and a roughly two and a half percent higher education faculty pay raise. Cortez says they may be reoccurring costs, but it’s a priority that’s worth it.

Cut 14 (12) “…do that” 

Other items include four million to increase LSU campus lighting and security, more money for public defenders, millions in funding for small local projects, judicial pay raises, the full funding of TOPS, and more.