The Department of Transportation breaks ground on a project to widen a 7 mile stretch of I-10 in the Lafayette area. Jeff Palermo has more…

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The American Society of Addiction Medicine’s annual conference is New Orleans is ongoing working on ways to treat opioid addiction. Emelie Gunn has more…

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The Strawberry Festival kicks off today in Ponchatoula. Halen Doughty has more on this weekend’s festivities…

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The Department of Transportation has broken ground on a project to widen a 7 mile section of Interstate 10 from I-49 to the Atchafalaya Basin. DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson says they are replacing the original pavement and widening it to three lanes. He says this will increase the interstate’s capacity for the 60-thouasnd people who drive this stretch of highway every day.

Cut 4  (09) “on interstates”

Wilson says the 124-million dollar project is funded through state dollars and federal grant known as FASTLANE. He says this widening project should alleviate congestion in the Lafayette area and lead to a smoother ride for a very important highway.

Cut 5  (10)  “to grow”

Wilson says construction will begin in May, and the project is expected to take two years to complete.

Cut 6 (09) “this project”

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The American Society of Addiction Medicine’s annual conference is underway in New Orleans bringing together researchers and doctors from around the world to address new ways to treat opioid addiction. Addiction Specialist at LSU Heath New Orleans Ross DeLeonardo Jr., says this is a great opportunity to find alternatives to the traditional 12 step program.

Cut 7 (10)  “90%”

DeLeonardo says they are discussing treating opioid addictions with maintenance medications that can prevent drug users from withdrawals. He says unlike methadone clinics where users have to wait in line daily, this gives an addict an alternative and chance to get their lives in order.

Cut 8 (09) “same way”

Critics of maintenance medication claim users can abuse the drugs. DeLeonardo says these prescriptions allow addicts to stay in control without the use of street drugs. He says during the conference, doctors are working to develop new maintenance drug treatments, like a rod put into the skin eliminating the need to take a daily pill.

Cut 9 (10)  “prescriptions”

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The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival gets underway today and lasts all weekend. Festival Queen Katie Robinson says it’s the second largest free festival in the state next to Mardi Gras. Robinson says this is a great event for the whole family.

Cut 10 (09) “eating contest”

Louisiana has nearly 400 acres of strawberry fields producing 850,000 flats a year worth $14 million. Festival King Bill Wheat says last weekend’s severe weather did a little damage to the crop, and supply is dwindling as the season comes to an end.

Cut 11 (11) “on supply”

Robinson says severe weather won’t be a problem this weekend. The festival draws around 200,000 people every year, and Robinson hopes the sunshine will bring an even bigger turnout.

Cut 12 (08) “larger crowds”

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Louisiana Economic Development announces Lotte Chemical is moving their headquarters from Houston to Lake Charles. LED Secretary Don Pierson says Lotte already has a chemical plant under construction at the junction of Interstates 10 and 210. He says this is a big win for the Bayou State.

Cut 13 (10) “for Louisiana”

Pierson says the company is also teaming up with Westlake Chemical to build a roughly $2 billion ethane cracker complex there. He says Lotte also added a $1 billion monoethylene glycol plant at the interstate junction as well.

Cut 14 (10) “to Louisiana”

Lotte Chemical is based in Korea, while Westlake is out of Taiwan. He says it’s encouraging to see two international companies choosing to conduct business in Louisiana.

Cut 15 (09) “chemical production”

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The LSU baseball team begins a huge series tonight in Fayetteville against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Hogs are tied for first in the SEC West with a 7-2 record, while the Tigers are 5-4 and have lost their last two conference series. But LSU senior starting pitcher Jared Poche says knows they can play better…

Cut 16 (11) “see what happens”

Arkansas is 24-6 overall. They’ve hit 40 home runs on the season, which leads the SEC. They’ve scored 214 runs, which is tied for third in the league. Poche says they’ll need to execute their pitches to have success…

Cut 17 (12)  “should be okay”

On the mound, Arkansas pitchers have struck out a league-high 317 hitters. Senior shortstop Kramer Robertson says they’ve already faced some talented pitchers this season and this weekend is no exception…

Cut 18 (09)    your ability“

Alex Lange will start on the mound for LSU tonight. He’s 3-3 with a 3.73 ERA. The Tigers have failed to score runs for him in his last two starts. Robertson says they know they only have to score a few runs on the nights that Lange pitches

Cut 19 (08)   “for success”

A report from United Way finds 42 percent of Louisiana households cannot afford basic necessities. Jeff Palermo has more…

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The hurricane forecast team at Colorado State is calling for a slightly below-average 2017 Hurricane Season. Michelle Southern reports…:

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Forty-two percent of Louisiana households cannot afford their basic needs, according to the United Way. The report finds 23 percent of those live above the poverty level but are considered Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed, or ALICE. President of the Louisiana Association of United Ways, Sarah Berthelot says that’s a 2 percent increase from their first report.

Cut 3 (09) “job loss”

Dr. Stephanie Hoopes of Rutgers University authored the report. She says we’re seeing an increase in ALICE families in Louisiana because the cost of living is going up, but inflation is not. She says this means affording basic needs is becoming more of a challenge.

Cut 4  (09) “14 percent”

The report finds households living below the ALICE threshold make up at least 25 percent of the population in every parish. In New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport, more than 49 percent of households struggle to make ends meet. Berthelot hopes these findings can lead to change.

Cut 5  (10)  “in homes”

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The State Department of Natural Resources gives its approval to the controversial Bayou Bridge Pipeline project. DNR Spokesperson Patrick Courreges (Koo-rezge) says they determined the pipeline, which would dip into 17 miles of Louisiana’s coastal zone, would pose no risk of damage to wetlands. He says after a permit was submitted, the DNR took public comment and reviewed the plans.

Cut 6 (09) “wetland zone”

Permission is still needed from the state Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Army Corp on Engineers before the pipeline can be built from Lake Charles into St. James Parish. Courreges says D-N-R’s role in the permitting process was to make sure the pipeline did not produce a net loss of wetlands.

Cut 7 (09)  “be altering”

The Gulf Restoration Network has expressed concern with the pipeline due to the potential of oil leaks into the drinking water of nearly 300-thousand residents. But Courreges says the pipeline poses no threat. He says the department took a long look at the plans before approving the project.

Cut 8 (07) “recommend approval”

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The Louisiana Survey finds 91 percent of Louisiana residents support the concept of equal pay for equal work. Director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, Dr. Michael Henderson, says it always raises eyebrows when you see such a large majority falling on one side of an issue. But he says that could change as the issue is debated in the legislative session.

Cut 9 (08)  “of businesses”

Bills requiring men and women to be paid the same wage for the same job have been filed. Henderson says public support won’t be the only thing lawmakers keep in mind as the debates unfold. He says they’ll also be interested in what interest groups have to say about equal pay measures. He expects opponents to the proposals to make a strong case before the legislature.

Cut 10 (08) “gonna be”

Henderson says there are gender and party differences in how respondents view gender discrimination. The report finds 61 percent of women say there is a lot or some discrimination, while only 55 percent of men agree. Likewise 56 percent of Democrats say there’s a lot of discrimination, and just 11 percent of Republicans think so. He says that opens the door to see some divide on equal pay legislation.

Cut 11 (10) “highly debated”

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The hurricane forecast team at Colorado State is calling for a slightly below-average 2017 Hurricane Season. They are predicting 11 named storms, four hurricanes, two of those major. Lead Researcher Dr. Phil Klotzbach says the primary reasons are the predicted development of an El Nino in the Pacific Ocean, which typically breaks up storms in the Atlantic..:

Cut 12 (08) “for the storms”

The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1st to Noevmber 30th. There has been some concern that since Louisiana had such a warm winter that it was keeping temps Gulf of Mexico at a level that fuels storms. Klotzbach says the water in the Gulf of Mexico always has warm conditions, but other factors need to be present to carry a storm there..

Cut 13 (10) “Gulf of Mexico”

Klotzbach says when it comes to landfall probability, there’s a 1 in 4 chance a major hurricane would impact the Gulf Coast, and the long-term average is about one in three…:

Cut 14 (10) “every year”

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Walgreens is taking a stance against the growing opioid epidemic in Louisiana by placing safe drug disposals kiosks in 12 locations around the state. Governor John Bel Edwards held a press conference at a Walgreens pharmacy earlier today to discuss the importance of safely throwing away old prescription medications. He says the placement of the kiosks is a step in the right direction to stopping opioid addiction.

Cut 15 (07) “we  can”

Statistics show by mid-year 2016 in East Baton Rouge and Orleans Parishes, death due to narcotics overdoses surpassed homicide deaths. Edwards says properly disposing of old prescription drugs can prevent friends and family members from experimenting with opioids. He says once addiction begins it can spiral out of control.

Cut 16  (09)  “we can”

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