Thanks to the state legislature and Governor Edwards, Louisiana is the first state to prohibit public colleges from asking about criminal history on a prospective student’s application. Emelie Gunn has more…
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The Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off gets underway in Lafayette today. Halen Doughty has more…
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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Tropical storm conditions are expected to reach the state later today and state officials are gearing up for potential flooding. Jeff Palermo has more…
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Louisiana is the first state in the country to ban the box on college admissions asking if a prospective student has a criminal record. Governor John Bel Edwards signed the measure into law. Annie Freitas, the program director with the Louisiana Prison Education Coalition, says this is a step in the right direction for prison reform.
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Research finds two out of three people with convictions stop filling out their college application after seeing this box. Freitas says the recidivism rate drops by at least 40-percent when a convicted felon is able to access any kind of higher education.
Freitas says it was great to see this measure signed into law with bi-partisan support. She says many Republican lawmakers changed their mind about the bill after hearing first hand testimony.
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The 10th annual Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off gets underway today at the CajunDome in Lafayette. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says this is a great way to showcase the fresh seafood of the Bayou State. He says a dozen Louisiana chefs will compete in the cook-off.
This is the first year the event will be held in Acadiana, as it usually takes place in New Orleans. Nungesser says this is a way to help bolster the Lafayette economy amid a struggling oil and gas industry.
Nungesser hopes cook-off attendees will spend a couple days in Acadiana to see how beautiful the Lafayette community is. He says this can have a huge economic impact as people stay in area hotels and shop local establishments.
Blake Phillips of Sage Restaurant in Monroe was last year’s winner.
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Louisiana’s craft beer industry is growing rapidly. That’s according to Executive Director of the Louisiana Craft Brewers Guild, Cary Koch, who says we’re on track for more growth if the state fosters a good business environment. He says 6 new breweries opened last year, and even more are in the planning stage.
Koch says lawmakers have already targeted the industry. A proposal in this year’s legislative session would have ended trademarked university beers, like the ones at UL-Lafayette and LSU. He says they didn’t like some of the comments made during testimony on the bill.
Koch says this bill also would have caused two local breweries to lose out on sales. He hopes the state will create more incentive programs for craft breweries, which have huge economic impacts on their communities. He says one specific change they’d like is the option for self-distribution.
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Tropical storm conditions are expected to reach the state late today. Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness spokesperson Mike Steele says heavy rains and flash flooding are the biggest threat. The National Weather Service is calling for four to eight inches of rain across southeast Louisiana, with isolated amounts of 10 inches.
Steele encourages the public to prepare for the coming storm now. He says many parishes are already handing out sandbags in preparation for this rain event, which is expected to peak Wednesday and Thursday.
Steele says if the storm stalls along the coast and we have continued rain, more problems could develop. But he says one of the biggest problems from flash flooding is not in homes, it’s on the roadways.
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LSU’s 17-game winning streak came to a screeching halt as the Oregon State Beavers devoured the Tigers 13-1 in a winner’s bracket contest in the College World Series last night. Coach Paul Mainieri says it was not a pretty game for the Bayou Bengals…
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LSU used eight pitchers on the night. Starter Eric Walker left the game in the third inning with forearm soreness in his throwing arm. Mainieri says that was the turning point of the game…
LSU’s offense managed just four hits as Oregon State pitcher Bryce Fehmel pitched eight strong innings. Tigers center fielder Zach Watson says Fehmel kept them off balanced…
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LSU faces an elimination game on Wednesday against Florida State. Mainieri says with the loss to the Beavers, the road to a national championship got a lot more difficult…