The 2021 KIDS COUNT is out, and Louisiana ranks towards the bottom in its four main categories. Brooke Thorington has more from the President of the Annie E Casey Foundation.
Cut 1 (31) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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A bit over a million dollars in state and federal unemployment benefits were paid out to 374 dead Louisianans since March of 2020 according to a Legislative Auditor’s report. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (30) …I’m Matt Doyle.”
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The 2021 KIDS COUNT report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows Louisiana’s rankings are towards the bottom. President and CEO Lisa Hamilton says they look at four areas, Economic Well-Being, Education, Health, and Family and Community. Hamilton says the 2019 data shows the state at 49th poverty-wise.
Cut 3 (12) “…worse now.”
Louisiana ranked 48th in Health and Education and 49th in Family and Community.
Hamilton says meeting the economic needs of children has a direct effect on their education, health along with family, and community. She says the American Rescue Act allows families to receive an extra $300 a month through the child tax credit and it will hopefully break the cycle of poverty.
Cut 4 (09) “…as adults.”
The tax credit will reportedly lift 400-million children above the poverty line.
KIDS COUNT tracks a total of 16 indicators among the four main topics and Hamilton says it isn’t all bad news for children in the state.
Cut 5 (08) “…the course.”
She says the state needs to continually make investments in education and healthcare for children. Hamilton says the state improved in health coverage and only 4-percent lack health insurance, which’s above the national average of six percent.
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The Louisiana Legislative Auditor finds just over a million dollars in unemployment benefits were paid out to 374 dead folks since March of 2020.
Data Analytics Manager Chris Magee says the Louisiana Workforce Commission does have a process to weed out dead applicants and managed to catch roughly 8,000 with their current system…
Cut 6 (12) “…deceased.”
The one million only amounts to point-zero-one-three percent of the 8.5 billion in state and federal benefits paid out since March of 2020.
Magee says nothing could have been done to stop about half of that money from being paid out but 123,000 dollars could have been prevented if LWC were to start processing death data weekly.
Cut 7 (08) “…quickly.”
The report notes 337,000 dollars should have been prevented under the current system but managed to slip through.
Workforce Commissioner Secretary Ava Cates says all things considered the department did a good job on this issue relative to the historic demand for UI.
Cut 8 (11) “… ratio”
Cates says LWC will review implementing weekly processing of Social Security death data.
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Monroe Police continue to investigate Friday night’s fatal shooting of former Richwood High starting quarterback Michael Sherman. Detectives say Sherman was gunned down after an argument involving two females. Richwood High Football Coach Marcus Yanez says Sherman was a great person to be around
Cut 9 (11) “…the state”
Sherman graduated in May and no arrests have been made.
After learning of Sherman’s death, Yanez held a team meeting, with players, coaches, students, and the community. But he says less than an hour after that meeting two more of his former players were shot in a drive-by shooting…
Cut 10 (10) “…doing ok”
So three teenagers were shot in Monroe and no arrests have been made. Yanez is joining other community leaders in calling for the violence to stop…
Cut 11 (11) “…of my kids”
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A side-by-side crash in Webster Parish claims the life of an 11-year-old boy and injuries to the 14-year-old girl who was driving the vehicle. State Trooper Jonathan Odom says the 14-year-old was driving the 2011 Polaris UTV northbound on Grant Circle when the tragic crash occurred.
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The 11-year-old has been identified as Morris Naron of Plain Dealing. The 14-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for minor injuries.
Neither of the two children had seatbelts on.
Cut 13 (07) “…seatbelts”
Operating an off-road vehicle on public roadways is illegal. It is not currently known whether the 14-year-old will face charges as a result of the crash.
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Several hundred homeowners in the eastern half of Slidell are cleaning up after Tropical Storm Claudette dumped over ten inches of rain in a short amount of time, producing street flooding that got into people’s homes. Mayor Greg Cromer…
Cut 14 (12) “…of feet ”
Cromer says between 40 and 50 high water vehicle rescues took place Friday night, including a pregnant woman…
Cut 15 (11) “…the hospital”
Cromer says residents who sustained flood damage should report it at damage-dot-la-dot-gov.
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