Some Congressional Republicans are expected to vote against certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win today. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Beginning next fall more high school juniors and seniors will have the option to “Fast Forward” their education. Brooke Thorington explains.
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Louisiana usually ranks at the bottom of every healthcare study’s yearly report but one group highlighted a few of the things we got right in the last decade. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Congress will vote today on certifying the results of the November Presidential Election.
Congressman Clay Higgins says he has a constitutional duty to vote against certification because many states changed their election procedures without legislative approval, resulting in illegitimate results.
Cut 4 (12) “…violated.”
Those claims were rejected by the US Supreme Court but are supported by a faction of Republicans, including Higgins and Senator John Kennedy. It is unclear where most of the state’s Republican Congressional delegation stands on a certification vote.
Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell is calling on the delegation to vote to certify. He had strong words for those who refused to accept President-elect Biden’s victory…
Cut 5 (10) “…right.”
But Higgins says along with legal concerns over altered voting procedures he’s also seen evidence of largescale voting irregularities.
Cut 6 (09) “…fraud.”
Louisiana’s senior Senator Bill Cassidy, who says he will vote to certify the election, says no such evidence has been presented showcasing the kind of wide-scale fraud needed to impact the election. Higgins did not name any specific cases of fraud during the interview.
Campbell says Congressmen who vote against certifying know what they are doing is wrong.
Cut 7 (10) “…Louisiana.”
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The Louisiana Department of Education is launching a pilot program aimed at encouraging more high school juniors and seniors to “Fast Forward” their education. Superintendent Cade Brumley says the Fast Forward program allows students to be better prepared for life after high school while still in school.
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Brumley says about half of the students do not carry a full schedule their last two years of high school giving them more flexibility to changes courses.
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The program is expected to launch next fall. Brumley says the entry point into the career field is an associate degree, a certificate in a technical craft, an apprenticeship, or a four-year degree.
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Brumley says he’s impressed with the collaboration of higher education and workforce commission in building the FAST FORWARD initiative.
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The legislature approves Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin’s proposal to allow COVID-19 emergency rules to be used again in the spring and special congressional elections due to the ongoing pandemic. Ardoin says only a small number of voters used the COVID-19 rules in the July, August, and November elections along with the December run-off to vote absentee.
Cut 11 (11) “…one-thousand two-hundred-seventeen.
While there were extended early voting days and hours for the November election, Ardoin says however for the December run-off election days and hours were not extended for early voting.
Cut 12 (05) “…as well.”
When Ardoin presented the plan last year, many Republicans expressed concern it would allow for voter fraud. The plan was approved without any objections. Republican Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt…
Cut 13 (07) “…opportunity.”
The measure now awaits Governor John Bel Edwards’s signature.
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A United Healthcare study highlighted some good progress the state has made over the last decade in key healthcare-related areas.
United Chief Medical Officer Rhonda Randall says the number of teen pregnancies dropped 49 percent between 2008 and 2018.
Cut 14 (11) “…half.”
Louisiana saw a seven percent increase in mental healthcare providers between 2016 and 2020, which is good, but far below the curve…
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Louisiana also increased its per-person healthcare spending from 2014 to 2019 from 81 dollars per person to 94 dollars per person, good for 26th in the nation. Randall says it’s important to note…
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On the downside, we saw excessive drinking rise to 21 percent from 18 percent between 2014 and 2019, the percent of adults with frequent mental stress increased from 15 percent in 2011 to 18.5 percent in 2019.
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The LSU men’s basketball team looks to bounce back tonight against Georgia following last Saturday’s loss to Florida. Tigers coach Will Wade says the Bulldogs like to play at a fast pace and they lead the SEC in rebounding margin
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LSU is 1-1 in the SEC and six and two overall. Wade says he had a spirited talk with his team following the loss to Florida…
Cut 18 (16) “…capable of being.”
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The Saints will host the Chicago Bears on Sunday in the first round of the NFL playoffs. Even though the Saints are playing well, Tight End Jared Cook says the team will need to raise its level of play in the postseason.
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The team is hoping to get All-pro receiver Michael Thomas back after he missed the last few games to rest his injured ankle. Cook says having Thomas on the field makes it harder for teams to double-team a particular player.
cut 20 (17) “…red zone.”