Louisiana gets its infrastructure report card, and Andrew Greenstein reports like much of the rest of the country, Louisiana has room for improvement.
Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
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Tiger Rag is providing more insight into Brian Kelly’s 54-million dollar buyout dispute. Jeff Palermo has the story.
Cut 2 (40) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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The former Louisiana House speaker is indicted on a pair of charges related to the disappearance of an ancient artifact. Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 3 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
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The American Society of Civil Engineers is out with its quadrennial report card for Louisiana’s infrastructure. Grading ten metrics, it gives Louisiana an overall grade of a C-minus, which is just below the national grade of a C. Report Card Chairman Kirk Lowery says Louisiana’s bridges got a D-plus.
Cut 4 (11) “…and capital improvement.”
Lowery says Louisiana’s lowest grades were D’s in roads and in drinking water.
Cut 5 (10) “…if something fails.”
Lowery says Louisiana’s coastal grade was a C-minus. He says while the state has done more than 140 projects that have protected two-million residents living near the coast, there’s a lot more work that needs to be done and not a lot of money to pay for it.
Cut 6 (10) “…funds in 2031.”
Louisiana’s best grades were C-pluses in aviation and solid waste.
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The State Bond Commission has approved the City of New Orleans’ request to secure a 125-million-dollar loan to cover payroll costs into January. The city must have a dedicated fund for the loan, and Louisiana Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack will oversee it. Waguespack took questions from Governor Jeff Landry.
Cut 7 (12) “…they can transfer.”
Waguespack was asked how New Orleans got into this payroll crisis. Waguespack says factors include improper budgeting practices, no oversight of overtime spending and the loss of federal COVID recovery dollars.
Cut 8 (13) “…your biggest issue.”
Outgoing mayor LaToya Cantrell was not at Wednesday’s Bond Commission meeting. But Mayor-elect Helena Moreno was there and told the commission her incoming administration is working on improving operational efficiencies.
Cut 9 (04) “…cent to waste.”
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In Brian Kelly’s lawsuit against LSU, it claims that Monday was the first time the former Tigers coach was told the school was seeking to fire him for cause. Tiger Rag Executive Editor Todd Horne says sources close to the situation tell him that’s not the case, as Kelly was informed of the possibility that he could be fired for cause the day after LSU’s loss to Texas A&M.
Cut 10 (14) “…is what happened.”
In the petition for declaratory judgement that Kelly’s attorneys filed in state court in Baton Rouge, it says that Kelly has not been formally terminated, and Scott Woodward did not have the authority to fire the coach. Horne says Woodward’s role was to negotiate a buyout.
Cut 11 (08) “…approve or disapprove.”
Horne says Kelly has not been formally terminated because an agreement on the size of the buyout was not reached. He says LSU’s final offer to Kelly was a 30-million-dollar buyout in two lump sums, and Kelly’s attorneys countered with 43-million.
Cut 12 (13) “…can win that.”
It’s unknown what information LSU has on Kelly to fire him with cause. According to Kelly’s contract, they could fire him for cause over various behavioral issues, committing NCAA rules violations, crimes or serious misconduct that constitutes moral turpitude.
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The former Louisiana House speaker is indicted in connection with the disappearance of a rare state artifact. A Baton Rouge grand jury indicted Clay Schexnayder on a charge of felony theft greater than 25-thousand dollars in the disappearance of an ancient cypress board. Tyler Bridges has been covering the story for The Advocate.
Cut 13 (08) “…the state capitol.”
Bridges says where the board is today is anyone’s guess.
Cut 14 (06) “…office in Gonzales”
Bridges says Schexnayder was indicted because he was the last person to know of the whereabouts of the ancient artifact.
Cut 15 (07) “…office in Gonzales.”
Schexnayder is also charged with malfeasance in office. In a brief statement as she announced the indictment, Attorney General Liz Murrill said, quote, “You don’t get to keep state property. It doesn’t belong to you.”
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Louisiana Tech dropped to 5-and-4 after a heartbreaking 25-24 loss to Delaware last Saturday. Blake Baker, the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback, suffered a season-ending injury after tearing his ACL. Head coach Sonny Cumbie says the team is devastated.
Cut 16 (17) “…swallow for us.”
The Bulldogs are planning to play both Evan Bullock and Trey Kukuk (Q-kuk) at quarterback in this week’s game at Washington State.
Two of Louisiana Tech’s four losses have been by one point. Cumbie says he believes his team will respond the right way this week.
Cut 17 (19) “…good football team.”
Kickoff in Pullman on Saturday is at 9 p.m. Central time.
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It’s going to be an early kickoff for LSU football this weekend, as the Tigers face the Arkansas Razorbacks at 11:45 a.m. Senior defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory says the team will be ready to go early.
Cut 18 (09) “…for this week.”
Interim head coach Frank Wilson said the Tigers will play both quarterbacks this weekend. Guillory defended Garrett Nussmeier after seeing a lot of criticism on social media and says he has full faith in both Nussmeier and Michael Van Buren to give LSU a shot at winning on Saturday.
Cut 19 (19) “…opportunity to win.”
Senior wide receiver Zavion Thomas says Nussmeier is a great teammate and that he and Nussmeier have a great relationship both on and off the field.
Cut 20 (12) “…for each other.”