A Louisiana Tech senior is being hailed a hero after helping lead 14 young campers to safety during deadly flash floods in central Texas. Sean Richardson has more on the heroism of Emma Foltz.
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Bickering between the political parties over the budget bill’s effects on Medicaid continues. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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An invasive ant species not native to the U.S. has been found in Louisiana. Colleen Crain reports.
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A Louisiana Tech student is being hailed a hero after helping lead 14 young campers to safety during deadly flash floods in central Texas. student Emma Foltz, a counselor at Camp Mystic near Kerrville, acted quickly as rising waters flooded cabins early Friday. Louisiana Tech President Jim Henderson says he couldn’t be prouder.
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Governor Jeff Landry praised the Louisiana Tech senior for her courage under pressure. The flooding, which has killed more than 100 people with ten campers still unaccounted for, devastated the camp and surrounding areas. Henderson says Foltz and others moved campers to higher ground.
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Henderson says as the semester is set to start soon, Louisiana Tech will support her and learn from her example. He says she and exhibits the 12 tenets that define Louisiana Tech students.
Cut 6 (10) “…adversity strikes.”
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The bickering over the budget bill’s effects on Medicaid continues between the political parties. Louisiana Democratic Party Executive Director Dadrius Lanus says the bill will destroy families who depend on Medicaid for health care coverage.
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Lanus says the cuts to Medicaid will hit Louisiana very hard.
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Lanus says 33 rural hospitals across the state are projected to close, including 11 in Speaker Mike Johnson’s district. Johnson says the alarm bells that Democrats are sounding are completely overblown. He says what they fail to mention is that those who are able to will now be required to work or volunteer for 20 hours a week in order to receive Medicaid benefits.
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Johnson says when those people go to work, their Medicare taxes will help ensure that anyone who needs the benefit can get it.
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Ascension Public Schools retained the top spot in Louisiana for the percentage of students in grades 3 through 12 achieving mastery or advanced levels on the 2024-25 LEAP state tests, with 53-percent meeting those benchmarks. Superintendent Edith Walker praised the achievement while reaffirming the district’s commitment to every student’s success.
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The district also ranked in the top three for performance among economically disadvantaged students, African American students, and students with disabilities. Walker says Ascension Public School focuses on all students.
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Walker says this is the second year Ascension has taken the top spot, but says she its ultimately about Louisiana students and having communication with other districts, parents and superintendents is crucial for continued growth throughout the state.
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An invasive species of ants not native to the U.S. has been detected in Louisiana. A colony of the Asian needle ant was detected in East Baton Rouge Parish last month. Aaron Ashbrook, an entomology professor at LSU, says as the name implies, the species is native to Japan and China, although it’s been in the U.S. since the 1930s; and it was recently found in the South.
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Ashbrook says unlike fire ants, the Asian needle ant is not a mound-forming ant.
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Ashbrook says you should protect yourself by wearing gloves, especially after a good rain storm.
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And the Asian needle ant’s sting is much more painful than that of the fire ant. Ashbrook says the best way to control Asian needle ants is to apply scatter baits in areas where you see them foraging. They would then take that bait back to their nests and share it with their colony-mates.