Governor Edwards launches a new program called Constituent Services on the Geaux. Halen Doughty has more of the service to give residents a chance to meet face to face with the governor’s office to answer questions.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”
______________________________________
The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is supposed to be a big one this year and is expected to peak in the end of July and early August. Emelie Gunn has more…
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”
______________________________________
Congressman Ralph Abraham says the National Defense Authorization Act will includes lots of wins for Louisiana’s military bases, like beginning the process re-engining the B-52 bombers. Don Molino has more…
Cut 3 (25) “I’m Don Molino”
______________________________________________________________
Governor John Bel Edwards has launched a new program called Constituent Services on the Geaux to give Louisiana residents a chance to meet face to face with someone from the office to answer questions. Deputy Chief of Staff Johnny Anderson says this give constituents the opportunity to offer assistance with concerns regarding state agencies.
Cut 4 (08) “their problems”
Constituent Services receives nearly 1,000 inquiries each week. Anderson says their representatives will get back to the resident within 24 hours after a meeting. He says the program will kick off in St. Landry Parish today.
Cut 5 (07) “is there”
Anderson says they are working with local and statewide elected officials to alert residents in their districts of the Constituent Services on the Geaux program.
Cut 6 (08) “those concerns”
________________________________________________________
This summer’s dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to be the largest ever and Louisiana aquatic life will suffer most burden of the effects. LSU Professor of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences Nancy Rabalais says an increased load of nitrates were carried by the Mississippi River during the spring leading to the hypoxia, or dead zone. She says this is a lack of oxygen in the water.
Cut 7 (10) “usually happens”
Hypoxia occurs when microscopic organisms eat on the nitrogen materials and when they die sink to the bottom and decomposition depletes the oxygen in the water, according to the EPA. Rabalais says this is already causing a noticeable effect for fisherman. She says they know where the majority of the nitrogen and phosphorus are coming from.
Cut 8 (06) “row crops”
Rabalais says Louisiana does not contribute much to the dead zone yet we are the ones who face what happens to our water ways. But she says it benefits water quality everywhere to clean up this mess.
Cut 9 (10) “far away”
________________________________________________________
Louisiana’s military bases will see tremendous benefits from the National Defense Authorization Act passed by the US House. That’s according to Richland Parish Congressman Ralph Abraham, who says this is the funding mechanism for the nation’s military. He says the bill begins the process of re-engining B-25 bombers, many of which are housed at Barksdale Air Force Base.
Cut 10 (10) “maintenance costs”
In central Louisiana, Abraham says the NDAA protects Fort Polk by preventing another round of base realignment and closures. The bill would also increase the size of each branch, and many of the new troops will train at the Joint Readiness Training Center there. More importantly, he says, it gives military men and women a 2.4 percent pay increase.
Cut 11 (11) “care of them”
Abraham says the NDAA passed by the House supports the continued use of the F-15C fighter planes in use at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse. He says it also supports maintenance and development of the tactical aviation squadron.
Cut 12 (08) “in the future”
_________________________________________________
According to a recent study, sleep deprivation is costing Americans billions. Dr. Jake Rodi with Ochsner says people are more sleep deprived than ever. He says the biggest medical cause of sleep loss is sleep apnea, but there’s plenty of things that keep us up at night.
Cut 13 (08) “destroys melatonin”
Rodi says blue light from phone and tablet screens can cause people to lose sleep. He advises turning on the nighttime setting to turn off the blue light and putting down electronics an hour before bedtime. He says there are other ways people can get a better night’s sleep.
Cut 14 (12) “go to sleep”
The study from Rand Europe finds the US loses over 1 million working days a year to sleep deprivation. Rodi says that’s because people aren’t as productive at work when they haven’t slept. He even estimates the $400 billion the study says we lose annually is a low ball.
Cut 15 (09) “sleep deprivation”
____________________________________________________