LAdualEnrollment.com hopes to encourage more students to take advantage of dual enrollment and advance their college or tech school degrees. Brooke Thorington
Cut 2 (34)…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

We are expected to hear more about education funding during a 2 PM press conference at the state capitol. Governor John Bel Edwards will outline his spending plan for the next fiscal year.

With the Saints not in the playoffs for the first time in five seasons, there are questions about what’s next for the franchise, starting with coach Sean Payton. An NFL Network report says Payton has not committed to returning next season, but Saints insider Mike Detillier says his gut tells him Payton will be back.
Cut 6 (12) “…in 2022.”
The NFL Network says they made multiple attempts to reach out to Payton for comment, but the requests were not returned.

If you are looking to team up with others and compete against other teams in a weight loss challenge, the state health department is encouraging you to participate in the Own Your Own Health challenge. Rudy Macklin, director of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, says even though the competition starts today, you can still sign up, but do so by the end of the week…
Cut 11 (08) “…pretty quickly”
Go to the Own Your Own health website.

The Own Your Own Health 13-week wellness challenge gets underway today. The state health department organizes the competition which allows a group of people to form teams to compete in step and weight loss challenges. Director of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Rudy Macklin…

Cut 9 (10) “…signed up.”

LA Dual Enrollment-dot com is up and running. It’s a website aimed at increasing dual enrollment for high school students and inform them of benefits for all students, even those seeking a technical degree. Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed…

Cut 12 (11) “…near them.”  

Dual enrollment allows students to take one course and receive credit hours for both high school and college at the same time.

The NFL Network reports Saints Coach Sean Payton is not committed to returning to the sidelines next season. David Grubb on whether Payton will be back for his 16th season…

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m David Grubb.”

State Police is investigating an officer-involved fatal shooting involving the Lafayette Police Department. L-S-P says a subject was shot last night after 11 PM in the 16-hundred block of Pinhook Road. No officers were injured, and no other details were released.

The state health department reported over one thousand COVID cases among nursing home residents last week, an increase of about 300 from the week before. But state health officer Doctor Joe Kanter says there is some good news…
Cut 14 (10) “…residents.”

AARP is calling on nursing homes to require booster shots for both residents and staff. In Louisiana, only 16-percent of staff is reportedly boosted.

Cynthia Posey, Legislative Director for the Louisiana Federation of Teachers is hopeful lawmakers will address the needs of educators in the upcoming legislative session, if not she fears the teacher shortage will continue to grow. Posey says education reforms over the last decade are only hurting students and driving away teachers.
Cut 10 (12) “…isn’t working.”
Posey says among the concerns is the amount of paperwork teachers are burdened with in addition to low pay.

Tax season officially begins today, as filers can begin sending in their returns. David Grubb has more…

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m David Grubb.” 

Baton Rouge Police have arrested 26-year old Terrione Thomas in connection with a Friday night shooting in Thibodaux that left two dead. His brother 38-year old Timothy Thomas is being held on two charges of second-degree murder In LaFourche Parish in connection with the deaths of 47-year old Alvin Turner and 70-year old Linda Johnson. Terrione Thomas was arrested at a hospital in Baton Rouge.

The political director for the Louisiana Federation of Teachers says lawmakers need to finally address the concerns of teachers or even more will leave the profession. Brooke Thorington explains
Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

We are expected to hear more about education funding during a 2 PM press conference at the state capitol. Governor John Bel Edwards will outline his spending plan for the next fiscal year. Additional money for highway construction is also expected to be discussed.

With the pandemic, telemedicine has become a popular option for many doctors and patients. A telemedicine healthcare company called Nurx has begun offering services in Louisiana. They already operate in 32 states and Doctor Adrienne Robertson says they can help with birth control, STD treatment, migraines, and skincare…
cut 5 (13) “….mailed to your home”
For more information go to Nurx.com.

Tax filing season begins today as Louisiana residents can file their federal and state tax returns. Federal taxes are due April 18th and state returns are due May 16th. Certified Public Accountant Conner Brown of Madisonville says taxpayers should be ready to file on time or pay the price…
cut 9 (14) “….to be late”

State Health Officier Doctor Joe Kanter says last week saw an increase in COVID cases among nursing home residents with more than one-thousand cases reported. But Kanter credits a high vaccination and booster rate among nursing home residents as to why COVID deaths have not seen a spike…
cut 15 (10) “….to be
But Kanter says he’s concerned only 16-percent of nursing home staff are boosted.

Louisiana Federation of Teachers Legislative Director Cynthia Posey is concerned about the decline in teachers. Posey says more parents are also discouraging college students from even entering the curriculum…
cut 12 (11) “…..the case”
Posey says some of the reforms put into place over the years when it comes to grading teachers have chased many educators out of the profession.

Nurx, which markets itself as the leading digital healthcare company, is now available in Louisiana. The telehealth provider is already in 32 states and Doctor Adrienne Robertson says they’ve delivered personalized care to more than one million patients, including birth control, migraine treatment, and skincare…
cut 6 (10) “…who aren’t insured”
For more information go to nurx.com.

The tax filing season begins today as taxpayers can file their 2021 federal and state tax returns today. Many families received child tax credits this year. Certified Public Accountant Conner Brown in Madisonville says that doesn’t necessarily make those parents ineligible from receiving even more credit on their returns…
cut 8 (16) “….able to do that”
The deadline to file federal taxes is April 18th.

The state health department reported over one-thousand COVID cases among nursing home residents last week, an increase of about 300 from the week before. But state health officer Doctor Joe Kanter says there is some good news…
Cut 14 (10) “…residents.”

A leading provider of online health care to women is now available in Louisiana. Nurx delivers online consultations with medical professionals, pharmacy services and specialized care; all via the Internet. Dr. Adrienne Robertson says they are ready to assist with a number of women’s health needs…:
cut 4 (14) “….anti-aging services”
For more information go to Nurx-dot-com.

Governor John Bel Edwards will hold a press conference at 2 PM today as he’ll release details of his spending plan for the next fiscal year. It’s expected to contain more dollars for education. Louisiana Federation of Teachers legislative director Cynthia Posey also hopes legislators will address some of the education reforms that have forced a lot of teachers out of the profession. She says it’s difficult for teachers to have their voices heard when the legislative session begins…
cut 11 (12) “….legislative committee”

Today marks the beginning of tax season as Louisiana residents can begin filing their state and federal returns. Though the process can seem complicated, Certified Public Accountant Conner Brown says a little information can go a long way to helping you maximize your return and minimize what you owe.
Cut 7 (7) “…taxable income.”
The federal tax day is April 18th, while the deadline to file state taxes is May 16th.

Cynthia Posey, Legislative Director for the Louisiana Federation of Teachers is hopeful lawmakers will address the needs of educators in the upcoming legislative session, if not she fears the teacher shortage will continue to grow. Posey says education reforms over the last decade are only hurting students and driving away teachers.
Cut 10 (12) “…isn’t working.”
Posey says among the concerns is the amount of paperwork teachers are burdened with in addition to low pay.

Similar to hospitals nursing homes are feeling the impacts of Omicron. State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says COVID cases are not only impacting residents but those who take care of them.
Cut 13 (08) “…settings are.”
Last week the health department reported more than 1,000 cases among nursing home residents, an increase of about 300 from the week before.

A leading provider of online health care to women is now available in Louisiana. Kevin Gallagher reports on what “Nurx” has to offer…:
Cut 1 (36) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

State Police is investigating an officer-involved fatal shooting involving the Lafayette Police Department. L-S-P says a subject was shot last night after 11 PM in the 16-hundred block of Pinhook Road. No officers were injured and no other details were released.

Freezing weather will continue into the rest of the weekend in Louisiana with temperatures remaining only in the 40s. State climatologist Barry Keim says it will begin to warm up on Sunday, but until then take the usual precautions when it gets this cold…
Cut 5 (10) “…exposed lines.”
Hard freeze warnings are posted for this morning
And a new partnership between the Crescent River Port Pilots and the New Orleans-Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Associations is increasing awareness of career opportunities in the maritime industry for minorities. Captain Roy Vance says the newly formed alliance will be making an aggressive effort to increase awareness and most importantly, fill those jobs.
Cut 8 (12) “…get the word out.”

___________________________________
The state health department is now reporting reinfections on its COVID dashboard. There are more than 49-thousand in Louisiana now and almost 14-hundred were added Friday. State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says the state is following the CDC’s definition.
Cut 9 (12) “…as a reinfection.”
Boosters are advised for ages 12 and up, at least five months after the second dose of either the Pfizer of Moderna vaccines and at least two months after a Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

And the low temperatures in South Louisiana will make it more difficult to catch crawfish which don’t grow when it’s this cold. Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says temperatures are getting into the 40s today, so this arctic blast is just a hiccup for what should be a great crawfish season…
Cut 15 (11) “…crawfish”
LRN

The state adds COVID reinfections to the dashboard and the Omicron variant has caused them to grow considerably. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 2 (34)…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
And today’s cold temperatures are expected to continue for the remainder of the weekend. State climatologist Barry Keim says hard freeze and freeze warnings are posted for Louisiana this morning…
Cut 4 (10) “…across the whole state.”
Temperatures will only be in their 40s today
LRN
___________________________________
A new partnership between the Crescent River Port Pilots and the New Orleans-Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Associations aims to increase awareness of career opportunities in the state’s maritime industry for African-Americans and other minorities. Captain Roy Vance says that these jobs are not limited to on-ship positions and people from any number of backgrounds have the opportunity to find a job suited to their skills.
Cut 7 (11) “…to choose from.”
And with temperatures dropping down to the 20s in southeast Louisiana strawberry producers are expected to be impacted. Before this weekend, Louisiana was experiencing a mild winter, which Tangipahoa Parish Associate Extension Agent Mary Helen Ferguson says has allowed some strawberry growers to begin picking berries…
Cut 13 (09) “…back on.”
LRN

A new partnership aims to expand career opportunities in Louisiana’s thriving maritime industry. David Grubb has more.
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m David Grubb.”
And today’s cold temperatures are just the beginning of a frigid weekend in Louisiana. State climatologist Barry Keim says high temperatures will only be in the 40s today.
Cut 3 (04) “…this time of year.”
Freeze warnings will continue throughout the morning and another freeze is expected next week

——————-
Reinfections are now reported on the state health COVID dashboard. These are included in the total case count which surpassed one million this week since the pandemic began. State Health Officer Dr. JoeKanter says they’ve been tracking reinfections since they started but Omicron caused reinfections to surge.

Cut 10 (10) “….boosters.”
And temperatures will get down to the low-to-mid 20s in southeast Louisiana this weekend where strawberries are produced. But Tangipahoa Parish Associate Extension Agent Mary Helen Ferguson says producers are prepared for below-freezing temps…
Cut 12 (11) “..protection.”
in addition to strawberries, the cold weather this weekend makes it hard for crawfish farmers to catch mudbugs that don’t grow in these temperatures.
LRN