The Louisiana PTA and Learning Heroes are partnering to provide parents with 2017 Super 5 Back-to- School Power Moves, as parents are showing a disconnect with judging their kid’s academic performance.

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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After failing to raise the gas tax during this year’s session, Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter says it’s time to look at other options for funding highway construction. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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More women than ever are heading to court, as the American Bar Association finds an uptick in women becoming attorneys. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 3 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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A survey finds most parents’ believe their children are performing better than what their test scores actually show.  Nine in 10 parents believe their children are or above grade level, but data shows the number is really closer to one-third. Public Relations Chair for the Louisiana PTA Stacey Simpson…

Cut 4  (07) “at level”

Simpson says with the school year about to start, review your student’s test results.

Cut 5  (10)  “help them”

Simpson says to help improve your child’s academic achievement make sure you stay involved.

Cut 6 (10) “everyday life”

For a full list of the Super 5 Back-to-School Power Moves visit bealearninghero.org.

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The author of the failed gasoline tax increase proposal says the state needs to look at other ways to repair the state’s decrepit roads and bridges. Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter recommended a 17-cent gas tax hike, but the support was not there in the legislature. Carter says one way to put more funds to highway construction would be to include transportation in the general budget.

Cut 7 (10)  “gasoline tax”

Carter sought a higher gasoline tax in the past legislative session to fund a new Mississippi River bridge to address traffic congestion in the Capitol City. He says if the state legislature isn’t willing to raise the gasoline tax statewide, there’s another possibility.

Cut 8 (10) “the infrastructure”

Carter says next year’s session is general and no tax bills can be filed. The following year is a fiscal session, but taxes are unlikely to pass during an election year. He says until lawmakers find a way to fund the state’s growing infrastructure needs, the problems will only get worse.

Cut 9 (11)  “a priority”

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LSU has found a tiger that could become Mike VII. Ginger Guttner with the LSU Vet School says the prospect is a nine-month-old, 160 pound male tiger. She says there’s still a lot up in the air, especially with the tiger habitat on campus still undergoing renovations.

Cut 10 (08) “in August”

Guttner says the prospective Mike VII is a rescue from a tiger sanctuary in Florida. The tiger would be donated by the Wild at Heart Wildlife Center in Okeechobee, Fla., because the facility is rehoming some of its animals. She says LSU has not paid for a tiger since Mike III in 1958.

Cut 11 (10) “our tiger”

The new tiger could arrive in mid-August, but he will be kept in the night house for about a week and not visible to the public during that time. If that goes well, he will be let out into his yard and declared Mike VII. Guttner says fans shouldn’t get too excited just yet.

Cut 12 (08) “in August”

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More and more women are heading to court, as the American Bar Association finds an uptick in the number of female attorneys. Women account for 35 percent of lawyers in the state, a 7 percent jump since 2004. President of the Louisiana State Bar Association, Dona Renegar (Doh-na, not Donna) credits a more accommodating environment for female attorneys with family responsibilities.

Cut 13 (09) “that family”

Baton Rouge is slightly ahead of the national average with females representing 38 percent of attorneys in the city. Renegar says women often have to overcome obstacles in the workforce that they’re male counterparts don’t.

Cut 14 (08) “to have children”

Renegar is also the fourth female president of the LSBA since 2006. She says as gender roles change over time, society has become more accepting of women in positions of power. She says networking and supporting young women is crucial to continuing the trend.

Cut 15 (11) “before me”

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LSU Quarterback Danny Etlin says he feels a lot better than he did in the spring. Etling underwent a back procedure earlier this year and the senior from Indiana says he’s close to 100-percent…

Cut 16 (15)  “better and better”

Etling says he had trouble keeping his back loose during games last season and it caused a lot of pain. He says he felt immediately better after surgery. The signal caller also likes the progress the offense has made when it comes to learning offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s offense…

Cut 17 (19) “good about ourselves”

Starting right tackle Toby Weathersby is also coming back from an injury that forced him to miss all of spring practice due to an unspecified offseason surgery. Weathersby says he feels good and the younger guys working behind him are also doing well…

Cut 18 (14 “are ready” 

Two Minnesota teenagers will be the youngest team to travel the entire Mississippi River by kayak. Emelie Gunn has more on the pair that is approaching New Orleans…

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Governor John Bel Edwards says they’re seeing an uptick in enrollment in the federally funded homeowner assistance program. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Two teenagers from Minnesota are attempting to be the youngest team to kayak the entire Mississippi River. 19-year-old Matt Rens and 18-year-old Jesse Richard are on day 49 of their journey from Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico and are approaching New Orleans. Rens says the pair is making this journey on behalf of LifeWater International.

Cut 3 (11) “clean water”

The pair has raised a little over 4-thousand dollars and their goal is to raise 12-thousand, which sets up full sanitation for a village. Rens says they have encountered some unexpected things while on the Mississippi River, like getting poison ivy.

Cut 4  (10) “unknown things”

Rens says it’s expected they will be in New Orleans by tonight and plan to make it to Pilottown if the pair can find a boat to bring them back. He says during the journey they’ve only taken three days off, one due to a serious infected rash that came from the kayak and the water and they are mostly sleeping on the banks.

Cut 5  (09)  “people”

Nearly one year after flood waters ravaged south Louisiana, one flood victim is getting ready to go home. Lillie Gumm of Baton Rouge was one of the first people to complete the flood recovery survey. Her home will be the third to be completed through the state’s homeowner assistance program, which she says turned out to be even better than she expected.

Cut 6 (10) “gone through”

Gumm’s home is about 90 percent complete, after taking on three to four feet of water last year. She is one of 37,000 flood victims to complete the online survey at restore-dot-la-dot-gov, which gets the ball rolling on helping flooded homeowners repair their homes. She says throughout this ordeal, she has learned to be patient.

Cut 7 (09)  “turned around”

Gumm says the whole process took about three months from start to finish. Gumm is currently staying in a FEMA mobile home while repairs wrap up on her home. She encourages everyone impacted by the flood to complete the survey without delay.

Cut 8 (11) “the survey”

Money from the homeowner assistance program, which was funded by Congress, is first going to the elderly, disabled and low-income individuals, and the state is beginning to expand the program to all income levels in the most impacted parishes.

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As of today, smoking is no longer permitted in Lafayette bars. Robin McMillan owns McMillan’s Pub in Lafayette, and she’s afraid the new ordinance will affect her business since about 80 percent of her patrons are smokers. She says they may start going to other bars because the smoking ban is only within the city limits.

Cut 9 (08)  “not coming”

McMillan says she’s been working for the past few weeks to accommodate her smoking customers. She says she’s bringing in lumber and construction workers to build a deck outside of her bar. But she says the task hasn’t been easy or cheap.

Cut 10 (08) “as it seems”

McMillan says the change is frustrating because she has owned the building her bar is in for years. She says with both smoking and nonsmoking bars throughout the city, bar goers already had options. At this point, she says she is hopeful nonsmokers will help keep her in business.

Cut 11 (08) “my business”

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More victims are now covered under Louisiana’s domestic violence laws. Two laws take effect today that expand the statutes to include same-sax couples and dating partners. Executive Director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence Mariah Wineski says this extends legal protections to more victims.

Cut 12 (10) “domestic abuse battery law”

Wineski says this means that abusers in same-sex or unmarried relationships would not be held accountable for their crimes. She says in the past many would only face simple battery charges, but one of the new laws creates the crime of battery of a dating partner.

Cut 13 (11) “dating partners”

Wineski says these new laws provide more protection for more victims, which could help reduce the domestic abuse homicide rate. She says that is invaluable because domestic violence occurs in all types of relationships.

Cut 14 (12) “through the cracks”

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