Several Angola inmates are celebrating the holidays with new Seminary degrees through the Leavell College of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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Governor John Bel Edwards says his early New Year’s resolution is a teacher pay raise…
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Several Angola inmates are celebrating the holidays with new Seminary degrees through the Leavell College of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. The college conferred 64 Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Christian Ministry. Department of Corrections spokesperson Gary Young says the graduates have become very important to the facility in working with fellow inmates.
Cut 3 (07) “…those same capacities.”
Young says they are seeing a lower recidivism rate among the released inmates who have participated in the program.
Cut 4 (09) “…changed so much.″
Young says currently twelve other states are modeling the Angola Seminary Program.
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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has stocked over 8 million fish into 59 waterbodies around the state this year. The fish are stocked in an effort to enhance the angling experiences of those casting a line in Louisiana. LDWF inland fisheries operations manager Alex Perret says among the fish brought in, over 7.3 million were Florida largemouth bass, in an effort to introduce its genetics into area waters.
Cut 6 (09) “…bit bigger bass.”
Perret says not all of the waterways prove to be a good fit for the Florida variety of bass, so the agency has become selective with distribution.
Cut 7 (05) “…seen the results.”
Perret there have been many other varieties introduced into the state’s waters that also make for great fishing experiences.
Cut 8 (11) “…by recreational fishermen.”
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Governor John Bel Edwards says his number one legislative priority for 2019 is getting Louisiana teachers a 1,000 dollar pay raise, and school support workers a 500 dollar pay raise. Bayou State educators are paid noticeably less than their southern counterparts, and Edwards says we need to start catching up.
The average pay in 2015-1016 for a teacher in Louisiana is 49,900 dollars. The national average is 58,000.
Edwards says that lagging pay is responsible for the state’s difficulty in obtaining and retaining qualified and committed educators.
61 percent of Louisiana teachers in a recent survey said that would support a strike for better pay.
Edwards says he plans to pay for the raise with increased revenue from an improving economy, but those plans have been stalled after House Speaker Taylor Barras blocked a revenue forecast increase. Barras says he supports the raise, and Edwards believes he’s not trying to block the raise, but says paying for the raise without an increase forecast would be difficult.
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Senator John Kennedy says he hasn’t picked horse in the 2019 governor’s race yet. That’s after he bowed out of the competition early this month, citing his desire to continue serving his Senate term that runs through 2022. Currently Businessman Eddie Rispone and Congressman Ralph Abraham are the only Republicans in the race, but Kennedy says don’t be shocked if the field gets more crowded.
Kennedy says he hasn’t spoken to Rispone yet, but Abraham gave him a call the night before he announced he was joining the race. Analysts have noted that the state rarely elects governors from the northern parishes, but Kennedy isn’t buying that.
Those analysts note that northern politicians have difficulty with name recognition in the more densely populated south.
No matter which Republican makes the run-off, Kennedy says they’ll have his support against the only Democratic governor in an SEC state, Governor John Bel Edwards.