Governor Edwards says Louisiana should consider police reforms in next year’s legislative session. Cities and states across the country are taking up changes to policing policy in the wake of George Floyd protests. Edwards says he spoke with Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields about what could be done in Louisiana.
Cut 7 (11) “…scrutiny.”
Edwards says reforms to the way police interact with their community are needed, and overdue.

The UNO Transportation Institute wants residents to fill out a survey detailing what they would like to see from a hypothetical Baton Rouge to New Orleans passenger rail service. Research Associate Tara (tar-uh) Tolford says their survey asks commuters along the route in Gonzales, LaPlace, and Jefferson Parish how or if they would use the system.
Cut 13 (04) “…go” 
Rail service between the two locations is highly limited at the moment.

The pace of the special session will accelerate this week. Matt Doyle spoke with LaPolitics.com’s Jeremy Alford…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Black student leaders met with LSU officials concerning the university’s heavily criticized initial response to an incoming student using a racial slur on video. Initially, LSU’s response to the video made it appear there was no way of holding the potential student accountable, but during the meeting, interim President Thomas Galligan assured students a process is in place for students making blatantly racist remarks.

There’s a growing movement around the country to defund law enforcement and use that money instead on community programs. But Governor John Bel Edwards, who comes from a family of law enforcement officers, says he does not agree with the Defund the Police Movement…
cut 9 (09) “….appropriate”
But Edwards says he could support legislation dealing with the selection of officers, the training and retraining of officers and their supervision.

An LSU survey conducted in late May found that 71-percent of the 757 respondents continued to stay at home instead of going to work, school or other regular activity. That’s down 10-percent from an April survey. LSU Public Policy Research Lab director Michael Henderson…
cut 12 (07) “….across the state”
Over 75-percent of the respondents say they are still uncomfortable getting on an airplane or attending a large sports or entertainment event.

The UNO Transportation Institute is conducting a study that seeks input from individuals who would use a proposed passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Research associate Tara Tolford says they plan to use this data to further refine the concept…
cut 15 (10) “….forward”
The survey can be found on UNO T-I’s Facebook page.

Week two of the special session is underway. The House Ways and Means Committee will discuss several business tax break bills. La-Politics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says during the special session, legislators will also discuss legislation that would change unemployment qualifications…
cut 5 (07) “….as well”
On Thursday, the full House will debate a spending plan for the next fiscal year.

An LSU study indicates 42 percent of residents know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19….
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

Louisiana reported six more COVID-19 deaths yesterday to bring the state’s death toll to 2,831. Nearly 34-thousand have recovered after testing positive and Louisiana is reporting 43-thousand cases. Governor Edwards says he’s heartened that the data is not showing a spike since the Memorial Day weekend.

George Floyd will be laid to rest today in Houston. His death during custody with Minneapolis officers has resulted in calls to overhaul police practices. Governor John Bel Edwards, who comes from a family of law enforcement officers, says the trend of unreasonable police force is troubling…
cut 8 (10) “….unacceptable”
But Edwards says he doesn’t support a movement to defund police officers.

U-N-O’s Transportation Institute has launched a new survey that seeks input from potential riders of a proposed rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. A 2010 survey indicated 39,000 riders a month may use a train that connects the two cities, but UNO researcher Tara Tolford says those numbers could change should the proposed stop-offs be built.
Cut 14 (11) “…study”
To take the survey go to the U-N-O T-I Facebook page.

Governor Edwards says police reforms are needed, but he does not support the movement to defund police departments…
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Shaun Ferguson has apologized for his officers firing so-called rubber bullets at protesters on the Crescent City Connection last week. The chief says their special operations division was not authorized to use the anti-riot rounds and an investigation is underway.

A new LSU poll of 757 Louisiana residents found 42 percent of respondents know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and 23 percent know someone who has died from it. LSU Public Policy Lab director Michael Henderson says this shows the widespread impact of the virus.
Cut 10 (06) “…people who have.”
The survey also found Louisiana residents are uncomfortable with many activities outside of the home. 77-percent do not want to get on an airplane.

Week two of the special session is underway at the State Capitol and lawmakers will begin debating several tax break proposals for businesses. La-Politics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford expects a bitter partisan brawl over the prospect of tax cuts, while the state faces revenue shortfalls. He pointed to comments from staet Representative Ted James, a Democrat from Baton Rouge…
Cut 6 (05) “…proposals”
The special session is set to end June 30th.

Governor John Bel Edwards says Louisiana should consider police reforms in next year’s legislative session. Cities and states across the country are taking up changes to policing policy in the wake of George Floyd protests. Edwards says he spoke with Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields about what could be done in Louisiana…
Cut 7 (11) “…scrutiny.”
But Edwards says he does not support defunding police departments.

This week in the special session, lawmakers will dig into the nuts and bolts of the budget and start the debate on economic relief bills for businesses. The special session started last Monday and LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford is surprised by the slow start despite a mountain of work.
Cut 4 (10) “…filed.”
The House Civil Law committee will discuss tort reform this morning.

A survey of 757 Louisiana residents during the final days of May finds that 42-percent of the respondents know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and 23-percent know someone who has died from complications. LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab director Michael Henderson says the data shows the disparities between Black and White Louisianans on exposure to the novel coronavirus…
cut 11 (10) “….for white residents”
Forty percent of black residents know someone who has died from complications of COVID-19, compared to 17 percent of white residents.

Calls for policing policy changes are growing in the wake of nationwide George Floyd protests. In response, the Governor says he’s been in conversations with a few Senators, namely Baton Rouge’s Cleo Fields, about introducing potential reforms…

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He says…

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Edwards called for legislation focusing on reforming the police and he says he opposes initiatives being taken up in other states to shift tax dollars away from law enforcement and towards education, mental health, job training, and other social services…

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The second week of the special session will see lawmakers dig into the nuts and bolts of the budget and start the debate on economic relief bills for businesses. The special session started last Monday and LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford is surprised by the slow start despite the mountain of work ahead for legislators.

Cut 4 (10) “…filed.”

The House Appropriations Committee has already advanced the budget to the House floor for more debate, but the spending plan does not take into account potential tax breaks for businesses that will mean less revenue for the state. He says there’s also legislation that would change unemployment qualifications.

Cut 5 (09) “…back”

Alford expects this to be the start of a bitter partisan brawl over the prospect of tax cuts as the state faces revenue shortfalls. The special session is set to end June 30th.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reminding the public to catch up on the routine vaccinations that may have gone by the wayside due to the shelter in place order and closure of many medical offices.  State immunization director Dr. Frank Welch says skipping vaccines can have disastrous consequences in the future.

Cut 4 (09)_ “…something like that.”

State and federal data show a sharp drop in vaccine orders from January through April.

As protestors nationwide demand changes in policing policy, Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome says the city’s police union has been an obstruction to reform within the department. Broome says they need greater flexibility to identify and remove bad cops from the department, and the union makes that difficult to do.

Cut 7 (08) “…here”

The LSU football team will have to wait one more day before starting voluntary workouts. Senior associate athletic trainer Shelly Mullenix says they are not testing players daily for coronavirus, but they are screening for the disease. She says there are temperature checks when they enter the football operations building, plus coaches and players will answer a CDC questionnaire about their health

Cut 13 (10) “…orchestrated flow”  

The 2020 dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is projected to be four times larger this year than what a task force established in 2001. LSU Marine Science Professor Nancy Rabalais estimates this year’s 77-hundred square mile dead zone is roughly the size of New Hampshire.Rabalais says despite recognizing the dead zone issue, the federal government has not been able to tackle the problem.

Cut 11 (08) “…overcome.”

A number of cities are taking up policing policy changes in the wake of massive nationwide George Floyd protests. One of the proposed changes involves taking funding away from police departments and using the cash to fund social services like education. Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome says she doesn’t support that policy, and instead told Talk Louisiana she’s concerned about police unions and their efforts to protect bad apples in the force…

Cut 6 (12) “…cops”

The LSU football team will start voluntary summer workouts tomorrow. Senior associate athletic trainer Shelly Mullenix says when players arrived on campus last week they were given an antibody test…

Cut 12 (10) “and everything”

The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico this year is expected to hit nearly 77-hundred square miles according to LSU Marine Science Professor Nancy Rabalais who says that’s nearly the size of New Hampshire…

Cut 9 (05) “…years.”

The dead zone stretches along the bottom of the continental shelf along Texas and Louisiana and forms due to fertilizer filtering downstream from the Midwest.

The Louisiana Department of Health is reminding the public to catch up on the routine vaccinations that went by the wayside due to coronavirus restrictions.  State immunization director Dr. Frank Welch says medical facilities are opened again, it’s time to get back on track.

Cut 3 (10)  “…get their vaccines.”  

The Louisiana Department of Health is reminding the public to catch up on the routine vaccinations that may have gone by the wayside due to the shelter in place order and closure of many medical offices.  For those that may be uneasy about entering a doctor’s office, state immunization director Dr. Frank Welch says most facilities have changed up the experience with spread mitigation efforts.

Cut 5 (12)  “…and preventative healthcare.”

The 2020 dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is projected to be four times larger this year than what a task force established in 2001. Fertilizer from Midwest agriculture washes down the Mississippi River, exiting at the mouth forming an area of low oxygen and high nitrogen. LSU Marine Science Professor Nancy Rabalais says the nitrogen loads have remained steady since 1980…

Cut 10 (09) “…Mexico.”

The LSU football team begins summer workouts tomorrow. Jeff Palermo has more on the national champs’ COVID-19 mitigation efforts…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

ULM is investigating racially insensitive social media posts that were allegedly made by two of their faculty members. According to the Monroe News Star assistant nursing professor, Mary Holmes referred to former President Barack Obama as a monkey and biology instructor Dennis Bell used a racial slur on his Facebook page. ULM says it condemns the stunningly bigoted and racist language in social media posts by select faculty members.