Baton Rouge Representative Larry Selders is charged with DWI, reckless operation, and driving under a suspended license. Trooper Christian Reed says officers witnessed Selders doing burnouts near LSU.

Cut 9 (07)  “…doing a burnout.”

Selders took a breath test, was arrested, and released on a summons.  He released a statement saying he takes public safety seriously and is committed to making better decisions.

The CDC and the FBI say the 2020 homicide rate for rural Louisiana was almost three times higher than the national average. LSU Health New Orleans Criminologist, Peter Scharf says it comes down to drugs and the fact that rural law enforcement doesn’t have the capacity to address the issue.

Cut 7 (12) “…overwhelmed.” 

New research has determined the mounds on LSU’s campus near Tiger Stadium are the oldest known manmade structures in North America. LSU Geology and Geophysics Professor Emeritus Brooks Ellwood says the age estimate is based on studying sediment from the bottom of the mounds which is ash from burned reed and cane plants as well as charred mammal bone fragments…

Cut 13 (10) “.    these mounds’ 

Several Calcasieu Parish School buildings are still under repair from Hurricane Laura—which struck southwest Louisiana as a category four storm two years ago. Schools superintendent Shannon Lafargue says the school system has maxed out its insurance and really needs FEMA’s help.

Cut 14 (10)  “…week to week”

According to a report in the Advocate, homicides in rural Louisiana are surging. The CDC and the FBI data indicate the homicide rate for rural Louisiana in 2020 was just under 17 per 100 thousand people. Almost three times higher than the national average. LSU Health New Orleans Criminologist, Peter Scharf says it comes down to drugs.
Cut 6 (07) “…kill each other .”
Scharf says the loss of jobs in rural areas has many turning to drugs as a form of recreation.

New research has determined the mounds on LSU’s campus near Tiger Stadium are the oldest known man made structures in North America. LSU Geology and Geophysics Professor Emertius Brooks Ellwood says radiocarbon dating of the layers of material indicates the mounds were built 11-thousand years ago…
cut 12 (12) “…gets younger”
The mounds on LSU’s campus are among the more than 880 man-made, hill-like mounds in Louisiana.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate fell for a second straight month in July, to its lowest level ever. Kevin Gallagher reports…:
Cut 1 (27) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

Heavy rainfall is falling across north Louisiana today and in fact the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for the upper half of the state through Tuesday night. Meteorologist Davyon Hill says the rainfall will give north Louisiana a break from what has been a hot and relatively dry summer…
Cut 5 (05) “…the flooding”
If you are in the Monroe area, be prepared for some heavy rainfall.

An investigation determines hospital staff contacted the Department of Children and Family Services three times about potential substance abuse involving a two-year-old child, before he died of a fentanyl overdose. Kevin Gallagher reports…

Cut 2 (32) “….I’m Kevin Gallagher” 

A Baton Rouge Representative Larry Selders faces DWI charges after troopers saw him doing burnouts in his Dodge Challenger near LSU early Sunday morning. He was also charged with Reckless Operation and Driving Under Suspension.

The northern half of the state is under a flash flood watch through tomorrow night. National Weather Service meteorologist Davyon Hill says a stalled frontal boundary has set up over the I-20 corridor and four to six inches is likely across the area, but there’s the potential for as much as eight inches for some areas.

Cut 4  (12) “…some locations.”

Several Calcasieu Parish School buildings are still under repair from Hurricane Laura—which struck southwest Louisiana two years ago. One of the strongest storms to ever make landfall in Louisiana did at least 400 million dollars’ worth of damage to the schools alone. But Schools superintendent Shannon LaFargue says they’ve made a lot of progress.

Cut 13 (08) “…sense of normalcy.”

The state Department of Children and Family Services announces policy changes as a result of an overdose death of a two-year-old child. D-C-F-S admits they were contacted three times by hospital staff about substance abuse involving the child, but because of a variety of reasons they failed to have a case worker inspect the home. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says that will never happen again…

Cut 8 (08)  “…priority response.”

For a second straight month, Louisiana set a record-low unemployment rate in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Cates says the seasonally adjusted rate of unemployment is 3.6-percent. She says, coincidentally, the EMPLOYMENT rate is also looking good…:

Cut 4 (11)  “…is high as well.”

U.L. Lafayette is now ranked among the nation’s top 100 public research universities. The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) annual Higher Education Research & Development Survey (HERD) ranks ULL 94th among 655 colleges that do research. ULL’s Vice President for Research & Innovation Dr. Ramesh Kolluru (ko-LOO-roo) says it’s an important distinction for a Louisiana university…:

Cut 10 (09) “…in the top 100.”

Several Calcasieu Parish School buildings are still under repair from Hurricane Laura—which struck southwest Louisiana as a category four storm two years ago. Schools superintendent Shannon LaFargue says the school system has maxed out its insurance and really needs FEMA’s help.

Cut 14 (10)  “…week to week”

An investigation determines hospital staff contacted the Department of Children and Family Services three times about potential substance abuse involving a two-year-old child before he died of a fentanyl overdose. Kevin Gallagher reports…
Cut 2 (32) “….I’m Kevin Gallagher”

Baton Rouge Representative Larry Selders was arrested over the weekend on D-W-I and reckless operation charges. State Police says Troopers observed the 40-year-old state lawmaker traveling at a high rate of speed while producing a burnout with his vehicle near the LSU campus early Sunday morning.

The state’s unemployment rate for July is the lowest on record at 3-point-six percent, according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission. And the number of people employed is the second highest. L-W-C Secretary Ava Cates says they hope the state’s new Tech Ready Louisiana program will produce even more jobs…
cut 5 (10) “…..essential skills”
Nearly one-thousand Louisiana residents have already signed up for Tech Ready.

The northern half of the state is under a flash flood watch through tomorrow night. National Weather Service meteorologist Davyon Hill says a stalled frontal boundary has set up over the I-20 corridor…
cut 3 (10) “…48 hours”
Hill says four to six inches is likely across the area, but there’s the potential for as much as eight inches for some areas.

For the second consecutive month, the state’s unemployment rate hit a record low, with a seasonally adjusted rate of 3-point-six-percent in July. And the number of people employed is the second highest in recorded history. Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Cates says they hope to add even more jobs with the state’s new Tech Ready Program, which offers thousands of courses to help people gain new skills and increase their readiness..
cut 6 (13) “…..and top level”

The state Department of Children and Family Services is hiring additional case workers after failing to respond adequately to reports of potential substance abuse involving a two-year-old child who ended up dying from a fentanyl overdose. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says they are searching for people who want to help children…
cut 9 (12) “….looking for”

The northern half of the state is under a flash flood watch until Tuesday night as a big rain producing system is moving in from Texas. Six to eight inches of rain is possible through the middle of the week for north-central Louisiana. Four to six inches is possible for Shreveport. Monroe, Natchitoches and Jena.

Two years since Hurricane Laura slammed southwest Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish schools are still in need of repairs. Marsanne Golsby has more…
Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Marsanne Golsby”

Louisiana’s unemployment rate fell for a second straight month in July, to its lowest level ever. Kevin Gallagher reports…:
Cut 1 (27) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

According to a report in the Advocate newspaper, homicides in rural Louisiana are surging. Based on data from the CDC and the FBI, the homicide rate for rural Louisiana in 2020 was just under 17 per 100-thousand people. That’s nearly three times higher than the national rural homicide rate. The biggest increase has occurred in Washington Parish.

The state Department of Children and Family Services announces policy changes as a result of an overdose death of a two-year-old child. D-C-F-S admits they were contacted three times by hospital staff about substance abuse involving the child, but because of a variety of reasons they failed to have a case worker inspect the home. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says that will never happen again…
cut 8 (08) “….response”
The supervisor overseeing Mitchell Robinson’s case has resigned, while the worker assigned to the case has been suspended.

The two-year anniversary of Hurricane Laura making landfall in southwest Louisiana is Saturday and many schools in the Calcasieu Parish School System still have temporary roofs as they await for FEMA money to make the repairs. But school superintendent Stephen LaFargue says despite the physical condition of their schools, LEAP scores are up…
cut 15 (08) “…the classroom”

The Department of Children and Family Services admits they were contacted three times by hospital staff about the well-being of two-year-old Mitchell Robinson before he died from a fentanyl overdose on June 26th. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says a case worker assigned to Mitchell’s case was on sick leave when he died and a supervisor failed to follow up on the third report…
Cut 7 (08) “…in time”
The supervisor has resigned and the case worker who was on sick leave has been suspended.

For a second straight month, Louisiana set a record-low unemployment rate in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Cates says the seasonally adjusted rate of unemployment is 3.6-percent. She says, coincidentally, the EMPLOYMENT rate is looking very good…:
Cut 4 (11) “…is high as well.”
July 2022 figures estimate slightly over 2-million people in Louisiana are currently employed.

Several Calcasieu Parish School buildings are still under repair from Hurricane Laura—which struck southwest Louisiana as a category four storm two years ago. One of the strongest storms to ever make landfall in Louisiana did at least 400 million dollars’ worth of damage to the schools alone. But Schools superintendent Shannon LaFargue says they’ve made a lot of progress.
Cut 13 (08) “…sense of normalcy.”
LaFargue says many schools still have temporary roofs as FEMA money continues to be tied up by red tape.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is now ranked among the nation’s top 100 public research universities. Last year the school invested over 181-million dollars in research and development, a 193-percent increase in funding over eight years. V.P. for Research & Innovation at ULL Dr. Ramesh Kolluru (ko-LOO-roo) says part of that research was pandemic related…
cut 11 (10) “…emergency authorization”