The cold temps are raising concerns for State Fire Marshal Butch Browning. Jeff Palermo has the story.
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A Winnfield woman has lost sight in her right eye due to a police taser, and now the ACLU wants answers. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (33) “Im Kevin Barnhart.”
Cold weather has resulted in snow flurries being spotted in the Shreveport area this morning. National Weather Service meteorologist Aaron Davis says even forecasters were surprised at how quickly the temperature dropped.
The air temp at surface level was 34 this morning. Davis says the snow didn’t stick…
Cut 4 (04) “…maintain the snow.″
Davis says the state’s coldest temperatures of the week are still to come.
When temperatures go below freezing in Louisiana, the fire risk increases. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says the first priority to keep your family safe is to make sure your home has working smoke alarms.
Cut 6 (08) “…time and escape.”
Browning says the use of space heaters is quite common, saying it’s important to keep them five feet away from anything combustible, don’t overload wall outlets, and do not use them with extension cords. He adds those with a central heating system, although it may be a safer option, also need to be careful.
Browning insists that no one use a kitchen stove top or oven in an attempt to warm their home.
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71 percent of early education programs in the state were rated proficient, up five percent from last year according to the Louisiana Department of Education. Policy Institute for Children Executive Director Melanie Bronfin says its solid progress for programs vital to student’s pre-kindergarten educational preparation.
Six percent of programs were rated excellent, up from 3 percent last year.
But 23 percent of child care providers did not make the cut this year, and Bronfin says even though it’s an 8 point improvement, that’s still not good enough. Bronfin says the state shouldn’t have any non-proficient providers, something that can only be accomplished with better funding.
Bronfin says the state is seriously lacking in support for working class families early childcare needs. Their numbers show that two thirds of kids come from single parent households, or households where both parents work, but few of those families qualify for childcare financial assistance.
School programs showed the highest levels of proficiency followed by Early and Head Start programs, and then Child Care.
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The ACLU of Louisiana is looking for answers from authorities after a Winnfield woman lost sight in her right eye due to a police taser. ACLU spokesperson Bruce Hamilton says Tanisha White had gone to a private residence to speak with someone, and called the Winnfield Police to ask for a ride and upon their arrival she was eventually tased.
Hamilton says the open request for policies regarding the use of force, de-escalation and racially-biased policing have been unanswered.
Cut 13 (10) “…to other races.”
Hamilton says often tasers are used in ways that they should not be, and the goal is to make sure this type of incident doesn’t happen again.
Cut 14 (08) “…have severe consequences.”
The department has not yet commented on the case.