There is a record number of graduates from Louisiana’s Community and Technical Colleges. Jeff Palermo has more….

cut 3 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

According to recent figures by the American Association of University Women and the federal government, Louisiana continues to have the most unequal pay gap between men and women in the United States. The study shows that women in Louisiana make 65-cents to a man’s dollar. They say the wage gap remained present even when similar jobs with similar education and experience were compared.

It’s the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Rita and many, including Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany, remember the destruction it caused only a month after Katrina. Boustany says the recovery in Cameron and Calcasieu parishes proves that after a natural disaster, the people of south Louisiana come back better than before…

cut 5 (08) “of opportunity”

Boustany says they learned many lessons after Hurricane Katrina, so the response for Rita was much improved.

Despite his bruised rotator cuff, Saints quarterback Drew Brees is confident that he can play this Sunday against Carolina. Brees’ banged up shoulder has been one of the biggest news items in the state this week. The veteran Q-B says he is a little suprised with all of the attention it’s getting…

cut 18 (10) “of a deal”

Brees says he’ll put in extra time this week to rehab his bruised shoulder so he can play against the Panthers.

10 years ago today, Hurricane Rita hit southwest Louisiana causing immense damage. Emelie Gunn has more on how we’ve recovered…

cut 1 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The state Attorney General’s Office says a Carencro woman has been arrested in connection with an elaborate financial fraud scheme that resulted in the more than 300 victims of identity theft and over $5 million in fraud. 64-year-old Brenda Taylor is accused of creating false bank records in an attempt to obtain a $250,000 loan. Taylor is charged with racketeering and criminal conspiracy to commit racketeering.

In one month voters will head to the polls for Louisiana’s primary elections. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross still expects Republican David Vitter and Democrat John Bel Edwards to make the gubernatorial runoff. He says Republicans Jay Dardenne and Scott Angelle really have their work cut out for them with only one month to go…

cut 9 (08) “putative front-runners”

Cross says it appears the governor’s race is finally starting to heat up.

The latest Public Policy Polling Republican presidential survey in Iowa shows Governor Bobby Jindal receiving four-percent of the vote. There’s still over four months to go before the Iowa caucus and polling analyst Jim Williams says they’ve already seen poll numbers shift dramatically. He says the now departed Scott Walker’s decline is a prime example…

cut 15 (08) “the race”

He says Jindal’s four-percent standing puts him in the top ten in Iowa.

The latest Public Policy Polling survey shows Governor Bobby Jindal continuing to poll in the single digits in Iowa. But polling analyst Jim Williams says a positive sign for Jindal is that his favorability rating is 59-percent…

cut 14 (08) “in Iowa”

The poll of nearly 500 Republican primary voters last weekend showed four-percent said they would like to see Jindal receive the GOP nomination for President.

The 2014-15 school year saw a record number of students graduating from the state’s technical and community colleges. Louisiana Community and Technical College System President Dr. Monty Sullivan says 70 percent of graduates go directly into high demand jobs and they’re making wages that are enough to sustain a family…

cut 11 (07) “those jobs”

Sullivan says they’re projecting that they need to produce about 40-thousand graduates to meet the workforce demands for Louisiana in 2020.

Louisiana’s October 24th primary election is one month from today. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says it appears the governor’s race is finally starting to heat up. He says we’re beginning to see some hostility among the candidates and that’s something everyone’s been waiting for…

cut 8 (07) “now gone”

Cross says with all four major gubernatorial candidates running television ads and taking shots at each other, it finally feels like election season.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Rita and many remember the destruction it caused only a month after Katrina. Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany recalls the immense flooding and tornadoes that slammed into southwest Louisiana. He says the only fortunate thing that came out of this tragic event was there were no lives lost.

cut 4 (09) “leadership”

Boustany says both Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes showed extreme resilience and entrepreneurship after the storm.

Governor Bobby Jindal continues to poll in the single digits in Iowa. Public Policy Polling surveyed nearly 500 Republican primary voters last weekend and four-percent said they would like to see Jindal receive the GOP nomination for President. Polling analyst Jim Williams says Jindal’s four-percent standing puts him in the top ten in Iowa..

cut 13 (07) “John Kasich”

Public Policy Polling continues to see Donald Trump leading the state with 24-percent.

We’re one month away from Louisiana’s October 24th primary election. For a while, the governor’s race seemed to be lackluster, at best. However, UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says it appears the governor’s race is finally starting to heat up…

cut 7 (08) “election season”

Cross still expects Republican David Vitter and Democrat John Bel Edwards to emerge from the primary into November’s runoff.

A record number of students have graduated from the state’s technical and community colleges in the 2014-2015 year. Louisiana Community and Technical College System President Dr. Monty Sullivan says they’ve graduated over 21-thousand students, who have entered the workforce or moved on to universities to pursue bachelor’s degrees…

cut 10 (07) “across Louisiana”

Sullivan says 70 percent of graduates go directly into high demand jobs. He says by entering into critical economic fields, they’re making wages that are enough to sustain a family.

As we approach the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Rita tomorrow, leaders in Cameron Parish say their economy continues to suffer from the devastation of the storm. Kevin Savoie, with the LSU Ag Center in Cameron Parish, says the depressed oil industry has also hurt them but that could be offset by the planned construction jobs coming:
CUT 6 (09) “tax base”
He says still it’s been a decade and the town of Cameron, which had 2200 people pre-Rita, still hopes steady at about just 400 residents living there.

Injured Saints Quarterback Drew Brees was back on the practice field today and participated in the portion that the media was allowed to attend. Brees status was called “day to day” by coach Sean Payton earlier this morning. Number 9 says he’s not throwing in practice so he can rest his bruised rotator cuff, but he’s pretty confident that he will play in the game Sunday at Carolina.

Two relatives of Breaux Bridge actress and model Ali Landry were attacked and killed in Mexico. Jeff Palermo has more…:
CUT 2 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Pope Francis is in Washington DC today and gave a speech at the White House. Tomorrow he’s addressing Congress. Doctor Tom Ryan, director of the Loyola Institute of Ministry, says after talking about climate change and religious freedom in front of the President, what will he say to legislative leaders???
CUT 11 (06) “challenging us”
Pope Francis will travel to New York and Philadelphia later in the week to wrap up his six-day visit.

The Jindal Administration has started letting lawmakers know that the last budget year ended with a deficit. The exact amount of money the state came up short in the fiscal year that ended June 30th is not being made known. Political pundit CB Forgotston believes this inability to properly balance the budget will continue with the next legislature..:
CUT 14 (10) “or both”
We’re expected to know the exact amount that was off in mid-October.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees said during an afternoon news conference that he’s “pretty confident” he will play in Sunday’s game against the Panthers in Carolina. Number 9, who sustained a bruise to his rotator cuff during the Bucs game, says this is just another hurdle that’s not that big of a deal. He was at practice today, but says he did not throw.

Hurricane Rita hit Louisiana 10 years ago tomorrow.. and Cameron Parish, which suffered the most, is still trying to get things back to normal. The seafood industry there was decimated as a result of the storm with docks and the only ice house being destroyed. Kevin Savoie, LSU AgCenter agent in Cameron Parish, says a big project is nearly complete that will hopefully revitalize the industry…:
CUT 7 (06) “processing facility”
He says a boost in the economy is just around the corner in southwest Louisiana and he hopes more people will move back to Cameron Parish.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office says a 14-year-old student from Boyet Junior high is under arrest on felony battery charges after allegedly shoving a 67-year-old teacher to the ground. They say the altercation apparently started during a disagreement over an assignment and afterwards the juvenile left campus. Deputies found him a few blocks from the school and he was sent to jail.

Two relatives of Breaux Bridge actress and model Ali Landry were attacked and killed in Mexico. Jeff Palermo has more…:
CUT 2 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Today is the deadline for Louisiana residents to register to vote for the October 24th primary election. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says this is for people who have never registered or for those who need to update their information like their address, name or party affiliation. He says there are 600 races statewide and hopes people will participate in democracy.

Cameron Parish was the hardest hit from the devastating Hurricane Rita which happened 10 years ago tomorrow, and recovery remains slow. Kevin Savoie, LSU AgCenter agent in Cameron Parish, says one of the biggest issues is getting people to move back.
CUT 8 (06) “that number”
He is hopeful the LNG projects and the new seafood processing facility will help sustain Cameron Parish in the long run.

The Division of Administration has begun notifying legislative leaders that the state ended its most recent budget year, which ended Jun 30th, with a deficit. An exact amount is not being released. Political pundit CB Forgotston says he isn’t surprised there was a deficit, but is surprised the Jindal Administration took this long to release the information…:
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The size of the deficit is expected to be announced to the Legislature’s joint budget committee in mid-October.

Pope Francis is in Washington DC today for his first full day in the United States. During a speech at the White House, Pope Francis spoke about protecting religious freedom. Doctor Tom Ryan, director of the Loyola Institute of Ministry, says even though President Obama was present for the speech, it was not directed at him or even conservatives for that matter…:
CUT 10 (07) “deep faith commitment”
Tomorrow, the US Senate and House will have a joint session to hear from Pope Francis as he’ll make his first-ever address to Congress.

Two members of actress and beauty queen Ali Landry of Breaux Bridge have reportedly been murdered after being kidnapped earlier this month in Mexico. The online publication Latin Times says Landry’s husband’s father and brother were being held for ransom and the money was delivered, but the pair was never released. Landry, who is also known as the Doritos girl, is married to director Alejandro Monteverde.

Louisiana Tech reports the highest enrollment it’s ever had for the 125-year history of the school. The headcount is at 12,414 students for the fall quarter, a 10-percent increase over last year. University spokesperson Dave Guerin says a strong student retention effort is helping to build a larger and stronger student body…:
CUT 5 (08) “they graduate”
He says a big key to the record enrollment is that 81-percent of first-time, full-time freshman in 2014 are back at Tech this year.

State Police say a DOTD vehicle and a Trooper patrol car were badly damaged when a suspected drunk driver drove through a barricade as cops were working another crash in Gonzales. They say the Trooper vehicle had its lights activated while DOTD was clearing the accident and that’s when 36-year-old Rickey Denny Jr. drove through the scene crashing into both unoccupied vehicles. Nobody was injured. Cops say Denny’s BAC registered nearly three times the legal limit.