Louisiana’s electors head to the state capitol today to cast their votes for president-elect Donald Trump. Jeff Palermo has more…
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There’s just two weeks left of US Senator David Vitter’s final term in office. Emelie Gunn has more…
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The United Health Foundation finds there are fewer smokers in Louisiana than there were last year. Halen Doughty has more…
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Today, Louisiana’s 8 electors will cast their votes for President-elect Donald Trump. Scott Wilfong is one of those electors. He says it’s an honor to cast his vote for the people of Louisiana, as he has done once before for Mitt Romney in 2012.
Wilfong says each elector will cast his or her ballot in their respective state capitals today. He says the votes will then be sent to Washington, where the new Congress will read them when they convene in January.
Wilfong says he and other electors have received hundreds of phone calls, emails, and letters asking them not to vote for Mr. Trump. But he says it would be a disservice to the people of Louisiana to go against their votes. However, he does expect some electors will be swayed.
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David Vitter has just two weeks left in office as a U.S Senator. Vitter says representing and serving the people of Louisiana has been the greatest honor of his professional life. He says he’s most proud of his work in the post-Katrina recovery, as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the coast just months after Vitter was sworn in as a Senator.
Vitter served as Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District Representative from 1999 to 2004 and as a US Senator since 2005. Prior to that, Vitter served in Louisiana’s House of Representatives from 1992 to 1999. He says there are some things he did not accomplish that he hopes will be achieved under the Trump Administration, including term limits for lawmakers.
Vitter says he does not want a role in the new administration, as he and his wife, Wendy, have been looking forward to life in the private sector. He says he cannot negotiate potential jobs while still in office, but he has an idea of what he’d like to do after he leaves Washington.
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Fewer Louisianans are smoking cigarettes, according to the United Health Foundation. The report found 22-percent of Louisiana residents are smokers, compared to 24-percent in 2015. CEO of the Smoking Cessation Trust, Mike Rogers, credits legislation that bans smoking in bars and casinos, like one that was passed in New Orleans last year.
Louisiana now ranks 43rd in the country for the rate of smokers, up from 46th last year. Rogers says there are many health benefits to quitting smoking, and smokers will notice a change in their health almost immediately.
The US average for adult smokers is about 17-percent. Rogers hopes we’ll continue to see a decline in the number of smokers. He says the public is becoming more knowledgeable about the dangers of smoking.
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There’s talk around the Capitol about the potential for another special session to address a looming $300 million budget shortfall for this fiscal year. That’s according to La-politics-dot-com, who heard that from a source within the Edwards administration. But political analyst and pollster Bernie Pinsonat says voters do not want to raise any more taxes.
The Revenue Estimating Committee meets again in January, so lawmakers will have a better idea of how much money is available. Pinsonat says voters believe there’s too much spending, which was evident when Senator-elect John Kennedy won the runoff by a landslide 61 to 39-percent.
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Lawmakers met for three back-to-back sessions earlier this year and still failed to raise enough revenue to avoid midyear cuts to higher ed, healthcare, and TOPS. Pinsonat says at this point Louisianans are okay with cutting back state services.
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The Ragin Cajuns football team finished the 2016 season with a 6-and-7 as a result of its 28-21 loss to Southern Miss in the R-and-L Carriers Bowl. On two separate occasions, Louisiana faces two 14-point deficits, but still had a chance to win the game. Coach Mark Hudspeth says the game mirrored their season…
It’s the second straight losing season for Hudspeth and the Cajuns. But Coach Hud is optimistic about 2017, because they’ll have a bunch of returning starters coming back on offense and defense…
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The Saints had very little trouble moving the ball or scoring points against one of the top defenses in the NFL on Sunday. Quarterback Drew Brees threw four touchdown passes as New Orleans won 48-41 to snap out of a two-game funk by the Black and Gold offense. Coach Sean Payton says it was a good win for the team…
Brees had 389 yards passing on the day and it is the 21st time in his career that he’s thrown at least four touchdowns without any interceptions. The future Hall of Famer says the whole team played well in this one…
Brees silenced the naysayers who started to wonder if he’s done playing at a high level. The previous two games, Brees was intercepted six times and did not throw a touchdown. Payton liked what he saw from his veteran Q-B…