Both of Louisiana’s US Senators voted to appropriate 15-billion dollars in disaster aid for victims of Harvey, which nearly doubles what President Donald Trump requested. Junior Senator John Kennedy says this federal funding will help our neighbors grapple with the destruction Harvey left behind..:
Cut 10 (09) “happened to em”
The vote was 80-17 in the Senate and now heads to the House for their approval.

In the coming weeks and months, Harvey victims will need help navigating the red tape to getting federal aid, and Louisianans are coming to the rescue. CSRA was enlisted by the feds to establish a call center for helping disaster victims. Spokesperson Mimi Hedgcock says 500 of those call agents will be based in Bossier City…:
Cut 4 (09) “within FEMA”
A $95 million grant will fund the temporary call center.

A statewide blood drive is being held today in the hopes of replenishing a short supply following Hurricane Harvey. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Louisiana has been pretty lucky this hurricane season, even after two tropical storms made landfall in the Bayou State. State climatologist Barry Keim says fortunately neither Cindy nor Harvey did much damage in Louisiana.

Cut 11 (08) “unscathed”

But Keim says we aren’t out of the woods yet, as three storms are currently churning in the Atlantic.

LSU grads earn higher starting salaries than graduates of other Louisiana universities, according to a new report. President F. King Alexander hopes this will encourage more students, both in and out of state, to choose LSU.

Cut 5 (11) “worth it”

LSU grads have early career earnings or move than $52-thousand.

Entergy is teaming up with Cleco to build a new transmission line in southeast Louisiana that can withstand winds up to 150 miles per hour. Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says this is an important project because customers want their power restored immediately after a storm.

Cut 8 (08) “Louisiana”

The project should be complete by fall of next year.

Groundbreaking took place on a project to widen Arkansas Road in West Monroe. State transportation secretary Shawn Wilson says this widening will increase the traffic capacity in the growing residential area.

Cut 12 (10) “signals”

The $33-million project should be finished by the spring of 2020.

There’s three hurricanes churning in the Atlantic Basin, and hurricane season is far from over. State climatologist Barry Keim says we’re not even halfway through the season, and we’re already off to a roaring start with 11 named storms so far.

Cut 10 (09) “right now”

Cleco and Entergy are teaming up to build a new transmission line that can withstand hurricane force winds. Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says the companies are splitting the cost. She says Entergy expects to spend $65 million on 24 miles of the project in southeast Louisiana.

Cut 7 (09) “dollars”

The project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2018.

LSU graduates have higher early- and mid-career earnings than other grads, according to a new report. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

High school students in Louisiana did not perform as well on the ACT compared to students in other states. The national average composite score was 21, while Louisiana averaged a 19.5. The Bayou State reportedly ranks 43^rd in the country for ACT test scores.

Governor John Bel Edwards had another roundtable meeting today, this time with business leaders and local officials in the Houma area to gather input on how the state can stabilize the budget for the long-term. Louisiana is facing a looming fiscal cliff, as a over a billion dollars in temporary taxes expire July 1st. Edwards says his meetings with stakeholders have been extremely productive.

A recent report finds LSU graduates have higher early- and mid-career earnings than graduates of other Louisiana universities. President F. King Alexander notes many of the universities below LSU on the list charge higher tuition and have more student debt…:
Cut 4 (12) “LSU degree”
LSU grads have early career earnings of more than $52,000 and mid-career earnings of over $100,000.

Three hurricanes are churning in the Atlantic Basin. Hurricane Irma is heading towards south Florida, Jose is in the central Atlantic, and Katia is a hurricane in the southwestern Gulf. State climatologist Barry Keim says having three hurricanes simultaneously is unusual, but not unprecedented.
Cut 9 (11) “1998″
He says we’ve already seen 11 named storms, and we haven’t reached the peak of the season.

Cleco and Entergy are teaming up to increase reliability to customers in southeast Louisiana. Cleco Spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says construction is already underway for a new storm-hardened transmission line from Gray to Patterson that can withstand winds of 150 miles per hour…:
Cut 6 (10)”restoration times”
It’s expected the project will be completed by the fall of 2018.

A report finds LSU graduates have higher early- and mid-career earnings than graduates of other Louisiana universities. Among the 50 flagship universities in the country, LSU ranks 21st in early career earnings and 18th for mid-career earnings. President F. King Alexander..
Cut 3 (10) “career ready”
Officials have broken ground on a 33-million dollar project to widen Arkansas Road to four lanes in Ouachita Parish and also add roundabouts. Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson says West Monroe is growing and this project will eliminate huge congestion problems….
cut 13 (10) “…this corridor”

There are three active hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin for the first time since 2010. Irma is expected to strike south Florida Sunday morning as a major hurricane. State Climatologist Barry Keim says so far in 2017, two tropical storms have made landfall in Louisiana….
cut 11 (08) “…unscathed”

If you’ve seen more lovebugs this summer, Halen Doughty explains why….
Voicer 5 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

For the first time in nearly a decade, three hurricanes are moving through the Atlantic Basin at the same time.
Voicer 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

Cleco and Entergy are teaming up to pay for a new storm-harded transmission line in southeast Louisiana that can withstand winds of 150 miles per hour. Cleco Spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says…
cut 7 (09) “…48-million dollars”

A new report shows LSU is third in the SEC when it comes to early career earnings and fourth in mid-career earnings. LSU grads have early career earnings of more than 52-thousand dollars and mid-career earnings of over 100-thousand. LSU System President F King Alexander says this is a postive report for LSU….
cut 5 (11) “…worth it”

Good news for motorists in the West Monroe area who use Arkansas Road. The state department of transportation has broken ground on a 33-million dollar project that will expand the two-lane road into four lanes with roundabouts. Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson says construction will last three years and be slightly uncomfortable, but….
cut 14 (09) “….Louisiana”
Over 18-thousand vehicles use this roadway on a daily basis.

A recent report finds LSU graduates have higher early- and mid-career earnings than graduates of other Louisiana universities. President F. King Alexander notes many of the universities below LSU on the list charge higher tuition and have more student debt…:
Cut 4 (12) “LSU degree”
LSU grads have early career earnings of more than $52,000 and mid-career earnings of over $100,000.

There are currently three hurricanes churning in the Atlantic Basin. Cat-5 Irma is approaching Florida on the current track, Juan is far east of Irma, and Katia is a hurricane in the southwestern Gulf. State Climatologist Barry Keim says we’ve already seen 11 named storms, and not even at peak of season
Cut 10 (09) “right now”

The state Department of Transportation has started a major project on Arkansas Road in Ouachita Parish. DOTD Secretary Dr. Shawn Wilson says with a big boom in residents in West Monroe, there is a serious need for a wider road…:
Cut 12 (10) “signals”
The project is expected to cost about 33-million dollars.

Thibodaux Representative Dee Richard says he’s paying back the $37,000 he used from his campaign account on gambling. He said he thinks the problem was a side effect to anti-Parkinson’s medication..:
Cut 15 (09) “it’s terrible”
The Ethics Board will decide Friday what action to take against the Richard.

LSU graduates have higher early- and mid-career earnings than other grads, according to a new report…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Construction is underway in a joint effort by Cleco and Entergy on a new storm-hardened transmission line that will strengthen service reliability for customers. Cleco Spokesperson Jennifer Cahill…:
Cut 8 (08) “Louisiana”

Three hurricanes are churning in the Atlantic Basin. Hurricane Irma is barreling down on the Greater Antilles, Jose is trailing Irma in the central Atlantic, and Katia is now a hurricane in the southwestern Gulf. State climatologist Barry Keim says having three hurricanes simultaneously is definitely unusual, but it’s not unprecedented or record-breaking.
Cut 9 (11) “1998″
He says we’ve already seen 11 named storms, and we haven’t reached the peak of the season.

LSU’s All-American pass rusher Arden Key practiced fully for the first time this fall yesterday. Head Coach Ed Orgeron said on his weekly talk show that Key has not been cleared to play, but he’s making progress and they’ll know more next week.

A recent report finds LSU graduates have higher early- and mid-career earnings than graduates of other Louisiana universities. Among the 50 flagship universities in the country, LSU ranks 21st in early career earnings and 18th for mid-career earnings. President F. King Alexander credits the hard work of the University for getting students ready for the workforce:
Cut 3 (10) “career ready”
In the SEC, LSU is third behind only Texas A&M and Florida for early career earnings.

Hurricane Irma has weakened slightly as of the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center, but is still an extremely dangerous Cat-5 storm. A Hurricane Watch has now been issued for southern Florida as Irma continues to travel west-northwest at 16 miles per hour. Top sustained winds are a ferocious 175 miles per hour, down from a peak of 185.

Cleco and Entergy are teaming up to increase reliability to customers in southeast Louisiana. Cleco Spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says construction is already underway for a new storm-hardened transmission line from Gray to Patterson that can withstand winds of 150 miles per hour…:
Cut 6 (10)”restoration times”
It’s expected the project will be completed by the fall of 2018.

The lovebug population has been in overdrive this year and experts say it’s because we had such a mild and wet summer. LSU-Shreveport Associate professor of Biological Sciences Beverly Burden says it’s true that lovebugs are bad for your car..:
Cut 9 (11) “overheat”
Burden expects the population to decline in the next 10 to 14 days.

Tomorrow the Louisiana Board of Ethics will decide the fate of a state lawmaker who used campaign dollars to feed a gambling addiction. Jeff Palermo has more…
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Governor John Bel Edwards will speak to the Rotary Club of Houma. Afterwards, the governor will have another roundtable meeting with business leaders to discuss the approaching fiscal cliff, as over a billion dollars in temporary taxes is set to expire in July. Yesterday, the governor partcipated in a groundbreaking for the expansion of Arkansas Road in Ouachita Parish.

Rural parishes in Louisiana are struggling more than urban areas to combat the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. That’s based on the research done by Linda Meredith who is an advocacy group called HEROES. Meredith says improvements are being seen in places like Baton Rouge and New Orleans, but that’s vastly different from the trend in northeast Louisiana..:
Cut 12 (09) “one percent”
Louisiana ranks first in the country for new HIV infections.

The state department of wildlife and fisheries is trying to determine why a third sperm whale has been found stranded off the Louisiana coast in the last year. Biologist Mandy Tumlin says they hope autopsy results will give them clues on how this endangered species died …:
Cut 4 (10) “formation”