It’s the first full day of the redistricting session where Democrats are pushing for a second minority-majority Congressional District while Republicans propose district lines to resemble the current map. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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By simply filling out a survey, Louisiana families could receive assistance as they recover from major storms over the past two years. David Grubb has more.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m David Grubb.” 

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Governor John Bel Edwards gave his side of the story after allegations he withheld information about Ronald Greene’s 2019 death and tried to impede an investigation while campaigning for a second term. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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Today is the first full day of the redistricting session and the creation of a second minority-majority congressional district could be the most contentious debate of the session. Of the state’s six districts only one is majority Black. Baton Rouge Democratic Senator Cleo Fields says it’s time for another district because the 33-percent of the state’s population is black.

Cut 4 (10) “…than fair..” 

While the map Republicans are pushing for makes minimal changes to the current district lines, Fields has filed legislation to allow for second Black to be elected. He says failure to do so is a federal violation.

Cut 5 (09) “…black district.”

The state senate has a Republican super-majority but Fields says if they fail to add a second minority-majority district then it will either be vetoed by the governor and if overridden, decided in court.

Cut 6 (12) “…absolutely wrong.”

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Louisiana is encouraging homeowners who sustained damage from Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020 to fill out a survey at restore.la.gov. Louisiana Office of Community Development Director Pat Forbes says the state will soon receive 600-million dollars in federal disaster block grant funding and answers to this survey will help determine how the money is allocated…

Cut 7 (09) “…out there.”

Forbes says they know there are many homeowners struggling financially as a result of the storm damage done to their homes in 2020 and the goal is to get this assistance out quickly once it becomes available…

Cut 8 (09)  “….vulnerable people first.”

The survey will help guide the state in developing its action plan for those funds. Homeowners can complete the survey online or on their mobile devices at restore-dot-la-dot-gov, or by calling 866.735.2001. Forbes says the process is easy to navigate and complete.

Cut 9 (08)  “…easy to sign up.”

The OCD is also urging any homeowner impacted by hurricanes over the last two years, including Hurricane Ida, to complete the survey, because they expect more federal assistance to become available.

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Governor John Bel Edwards denies his office impeded an investigation into the death of Black motorist, Ronald Greene, who died in State Police custody following a violent struggle with Troopers. Edwards met with reporters at the state capitol after accusations were made that his office was involved in a cover-up…

Cut 10 (10) “…categorically false.”

Edwards has been embattled in a controversy over what he knew about Greene’s death since an Associated Press report suggested he may have kept details of the police custody death quiet because he was up for re-election in 2019. But Edwards says he never interfered with the investigation…

Cut  11 (11)  “…being served.”  

Edwards met with the Legislative Black Caucus on Tuesday and Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder is calling for a legislative investigation to determine if Edwards did anything wrong. The governor was asked about an investigation by a GOP-led legislature…

Cut 12 (09) “…would stop.”

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Louisiana State Treasurer John Schroder has launched a new campaign to heighten awareness of the unclaimed property program. It’s called the Louisiana Cash Campaign and Schroder says it’s a renewed effort to return over 900-million dollars in unclaimed property to the rightful owner…

Cut 13 (06) “…keep promoting.”

Schroder says there’s a new website for you to check if you have any unclaimed money in your name and that’s La-Cash-Claim-dot-org. He says they are also rolling out a series of digital promotions and commercials in an effort to get people to check to see if they have any money owed to them…

Cut 14 (06)  “…its results.”

Unclaimed property consists of abandoned financial assets like checking and savings accounts, unpaid wages, life insurance payouts, and proceeds from safe deposit boxes. Schroder says one in six Louisiana residents have an unclaimed property…

Cut 15 (09)  “…today.”

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National Signing Day is Tuesday, the first for Brian Kelly as the head man at LSU. Glen West, editor of LSU Country for Sports Illustrated says even with the outstanding job that Kelly has done already, the Tigers can never have too much talent.

Cut  16 (07)  “…on the roster.”

Though LSU filled a number of needs during the early signing period, West says the Tigers still have position groups that they are targeting.

Cut 17 (14) “ …another offensive lineman.” 

A big part of Kelly’s recruiting has been identifying the types of players that fit his vision for what an LSU Tiger should be on the field and off.

Cut 18 (14) “ …a positive way.” 

Governor John Bel Edwards met with members to the Legislative Black Caucus this afternoon to give his side of the story after an Associated Press report says he had knowledge of the death of a motorist after a struggle with state police in May 2019. The motorist in question is Ronald Greene, where body camera footage shows Greene being beaten repeatedly. Edwards says he didn’t see video of the arrest until October of 2020 and didn’t comment on it until it went public due to an investigation.

Cut 26 investigation :22

Edwards says he requested that Greene’s family and members of the Black Caucus be allowed to view the video privately and the Justice Department agreed.

February is American Heart Month, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is sharing ways for people of all ages to maintain a healthy heart. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, and Dr. David Goff, Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences diet plays a major role in heart health and Louisiana faces some unique challenges due to our rich food culture.

Cut 8 (08) “…including Louisiana.”  

The federal government is sending Louisiana 111-million dollars to plug and restore abandoned oil and gas wells. The money comes from the one-trillion dollar infrastructure bill and the first allocation is for 47-million dollars. Senator Bill Cassidy says he’s heard from communities across Louisiana about the environmental and safety hazards of orphan wells…

Cut 13 (09) “…infrastructure bill”

Governor John Bel Edwards gave his side of the story after allegations he knew of Ronald Greene’s 2019 death and that he failed to make details public and interfered with the investigation prior to his 2019 reelection. A text from then State Police Head Kevin Reeves informed Edwards that an unnamed motorist was pronounced dead at a hospital after a struggle with responding officers.  Edwards asked what political advantage is gained when the investigation was turned over to District Attorney in Union Parish two and a half months before the election?

Cut 24 is no :24

Edwards says the Department of Justice told him not to release video of the arrest to the public so it wouldn’t interfere with the investigation.

The redistricting session began Tuesday, and the creation of a second minority-majority congressional district could be the most contentious debate of the session. Of the state’s six districts only one is majority Black. Democratic Senator Cleo Fields says it’s time for a second district because 33-percent of the state’s population is black.

Cut 4 (11) “…than fair.” 

If you’ve ever contemplated taking to the open road and becoming a truck driver, the Louisiana Workforce Commission has just the plan for you. It’s called the “Drive Your Future” program. LWC Secretary Ava Cates says it gives Louisianans a chance to change careers and be trained at no cost for their CDL

Cut 10 (07)  “…issues.” 

Visit LaWorks.net for information.

Governor Edwards meets with the Legislative Black Caucus today to discuss what he knew about the death of Black motorist Ronald Greene, who died after a violent struggle with State Troopers. Republicans are calling for an investigation to see if the governor was involved in a cover-up. But Democratic state Senator Cleo Fields said on Talk Louisiana he’s willing to give Edwards the benefit of the doubt…

Cut 3 (07) “…real problem”

Edwards says he was made aware of Greene’s fatal arrest in May of 2019 the day after his death but didn’t see the videos of the arrest until October 2020. That’s when he called the actions of the officers in the video disturbing and unacceptable and should be investigated.

State Police initially told Greene’s family he died from injuries suffered in a car crash. But a reexamined autopsy rejected L-S-P’s claim. State Attorney General Jeff Landry says Speaker Clay Schexnayder can call on the House Criminal Justice Committee to investigate who tried to keep Greene’s family in the dark on how he died…

Cut 6 (10) “…cover-up”

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February is American Heart Month, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is sharing ways for people of all ages to maintain a healthy heart. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, and Dr. David Goff, Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at the NHLBI, says Louisiana is one of the states most at risk.

Cut 7 (11) “…high blood pressure.”

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If you’ve ever contemplated taking to the open road and becoming a truck driver, the Louisiana Workforce Commission has just the plan for you. It’s called the “Drive Your Future” program. LWC Secretary Ava Cates says it gives Louisianans a chance to be trained at no cost for their CDL.

Cut 10 (07) “…issues.”

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The federal government is sending Louisiana 111-million dollars to plug and restore abandoned oil and gas wells. Senator Bill Cassidy says the money will create jobs and make Louisiana a cleaner place to live…

Cut 15 (08) “…get it done.”

Governor Edwards meets with the Legislative Black Caucus today to discuss what he knew about the death of Black motorist Ronald Greene, who died after a violent struggle with State Troopers. Edwards says he was made aware of Greene’s fatal arrest in May of 2019 the day after his death but didn’t see the videos of the arrest until October 2020. That’s when he called the actions of the officers in the video unacceptable and should be investigated. Appearing on Talk Louisiana today Democratic state Senator Cleo Fields says he’s frustrated there’s no state agency investigating state police regularly.

Cut 4 (07) “…real problems”

Greene’s family was initially told he died in a car crash. Republicans are calling for an investigation to see if the governor was involved in a cover-up.

The federal government is sending Louisiana 111-million dollars to plug and restore abandoned oil and gas wells. The money comes from the one-trillion-dollar infrastructure bill and the first allocation is for 47-million dollars. Senator Bill Cassidy says in many cases the wells were last owned by a company that’s now out of business or it’s hard to determine ownership of that well…

Cut 14 (11)  “…pay for it” 

If you’re looking to get a CDL and enter the trucking industry, the Louisiana Workforce Commission wants to help by paying for your training. LWC Secretary Ave Cates says women make up only 7-percent of drivers. Cates says she read about a nurse who left the medical field and entered the trucking industry.

Cut 12 (08) “…registered nurse.”  

Visit Laworks.net for more information. Classes begin in two weeks.

We expect to find out more information today on what Governor John Bel Edwards’ knew about Ronald Greene’s death, a black motorist who died while in State Police custody.
Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

At 5:00 today, the Louisiana Legislature begins a redistricting session. Democrats have filed bills to create a second-minority majority Congressional district, while the Republicans are pushing for minor changes to the state’s Congressional district map.

The federal government is sending Louisiana 111-million dollars to plug and restore abandoned oil and gas wells. The money comes from the one-trillion dollar infrastructure bill and the first allocation is for 47-million dollars. Senator Bill Cassidy says he’s heard from communities across Louisiana about the environmental and safety hazards of orphan wells…
Cut 13 (09) “…infrastrucutre bill”
The state Department of Natural Resources estimates there are 46-hundred abandoned wells in Louisiana and cleanup is likely to cost 400-million dollars.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission launched a new program today that would provide qualified applicants with free truck driver training…
cut 11 (09) “…our country”
That’s L-W-C Secretary Ava Cates who says the five-week classes begin in mid-February and they hope to ease the state’s driver shortage.

Governor Edwards meets with the Legislative Black Caucus today to discuss what he knew about the death of Black motorist Ronald Greene, who died after a violent struggle with State Troopers. House Speaker Clay Schexnayder says it’s the Legislature’s responsibility to seek the truth about Edwards’ involvement in a possible cover-up of how Greene died. State Attorney General Jeff Landry supports a fact-finding mission by a legislative committee…

Cut 5 (11) “…that information”

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February is American Heart Month, and Dr. David Goff, of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, says that managing that stress is an important step we can all take in improving our vascular health.

Cut 9 (08) “…your overall health.”

Nearly 40 percent of Louisianans live with hypertension, 6th-highest in the US.

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If you’re contemplating a career change and want to become a truck driver the Louisiana Workforce Commission is providing free CDL training. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (34)…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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A woman’s body, stuffed into a plastic container, was found in an abandoned truck in Ascension Parish over the weekend. The sheriff’s office says someone came across the vehicle near Bayou Narcisse Road and found the body. Investigators believe the woman, who appears to be in her 20s died of an overdose and was most likely dumped out of fear. It remains under investigation.

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Governor Edwards meets with the Legislative Black Caucus today to discuss what he knew about the death of Black motorist Ronald Greene, who died after a violent struggle with State Troopers. Republicans are calling for an investigation to see if the governor was involved in a cover-up. But Democratic State Senator Cleo Fields said on Talk Louisiana he’s willing to give Edwards the benefit of the doubt…
Cut 3 (07) “…real problem”
State Police initially told Greene’s family he died from injuries suffered in a car crash. But a reexamined autopsy rejected L-S-P’s claim. Landry says Speaker Clay Schexnayder can call on the House Criminal Justice Committee to investigate who tried to keep Greene’s family in the dark on how he died…
Cut 6 (10) “…cover-up”
Governor Edwards is scheduled to take questions from the press at 4:30.

If you’ve ever contemplated taking to the open road and becoming a truck driver, the Louisiana Workforce Commission has just the plan for you. It’s called the “Drive Your Future” program. LWC Secretary Ava Cates says it gives Louisianans a chance to change careers and be trained at no cost for their CDL
Cut 10 (07) “…issues.”
Training is only five weeks and LWC is partnering with community colleges and training sites across the state. More information can be found at la-works-dot-net.

Today is February first, the start of American Heart Month, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is sharing ways for people of all ages to maintain a healthy heart. Dr. David Goff, Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at the NHLBI, says Louisiana is one of the states most at risk.
Cut 7 (11) “…high blood pressure.”
Goff encourages regular physical activity, eating heart-healthy foods, and manage your stress.