Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency after severe weather caused two deaths and left a wake of destruction. Halen Doughty has more…
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The bids to produce medical marijuana are in with the LSU Ag Center, but how much longer do patients have to wait? Michelle Southern reports…:
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Severe weather across the state resulted in two deaths and multiple injuries, as well as road closures and downed power lines in all corners of Louisiana. Maj. Ginny Higgins with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office says two people were killed when an EF1 tornado touched down in a rural area of the parish.
Cut 3 (09) “flipped over”
The victims have been identified at 38-year-old Francine Gotch and 3-year-old Neveah Alexander. Higgins says the woman’s other child, a little boy, left the trailer home to go next door just moments before the tragedy.
Cut 4 (09) “a home”
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Franklin Parish Sheriff Kevin Cobb says his parish sustained major damage, resulting in one injury. He says trees were uprooted or snapped in half, roofs were blown off buildings, and some structures even shifted in the heavy winds. He says limbs ripped from trees and flying debris downed power lines and injured one person.
Cut 5 (10) “hospital there”
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Vernon Parish wasn’t spared from the storm’s destruction. Office of Emergency Preparedness Director Kenneth Moore says more than 30 parish roads were closed, and several homes took on water. He says three people had to be rescued by sheriff’s deputies.
Cut 6 (10) “life jackets”
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LaSalle Sheriff Scott Franklin says there was extensive damage throughout the parish as the storm moved from Rapides to Catahoula Parish, leaving a wake of destruction. He says volunteers and parish officials are working to open roads and restore power.
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A suspected tornado caused of much of the wreckage. Franklin says the area of Fellowship, south of Jena, saw extensive damage from the storm.
Cut 8 (08) “houses and cars”
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Rapides Parish was also hit by a suspected tornado along the Highway 165 corridor. Capt. Tommy Carnline with the Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported, but they worked 30 weather related calls between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.
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Carnline says deputies are working to clear roadways, and Cleco has people on the ground repairing power lines. He says everyone is thankful no one was hurt.
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There are two bills filed for the upcoming legislative regular session that seek to raise the minimum GPA for high school students to receieve the TOPS scholarship. A cumulative GPA of 2.5 is currently required and the proposed legislation raises the requirement to 3.0. Minden Representative Gene Reynolds is the author of the one of the bills
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There are currently 50-thousand students who receive the TOPS scholarship. But this year for the first time, the state was able to fully fund the program. So legislators are looking at ways to make TOPS more cost effective. Reynolds says raising the standards on receiving the scholarship is a good place to start…
Cut 12 (04) “more dedication”
Reynolds bill also would give TOPS students the opportunity to leave college or postpone entering college for a year or two, possibly for a job, and then receive the scholarship once that person makes the decision to go back to college. He’s hopeful his legislation will pass…
Cut 13 (04) “how it goes”
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Now that the bids are in with the LSU Ag Center to produce medical marijuana in Louisiana that would one day be used for patients who suffer from specific diseases, many are wondering how much longer they’ll have to wait. New Iberia Senator Fred Mills, who was instrumental in creating the medical marijuana law, gives his best guess on a timeline…:
Cut 14 (09) “that’s done”
LSU is expected to select a contractor by June, who will pay for the production costs. The facility will be located off campus and the first crop should be ready by the end of 2017. Mills says patients have to know that they are working to make a pharmaceutical grade product that’s consistently delivered. He says they can’t get this wrong…:
Cut 15 (10) “we’re being cautious”
The estimated cost to cultivate the drug it its raw form is 10-million dollars. Mills says he knows this process is going a little slower than some people had hoped, but it could be much worse…:
Cut 16 (08) “quickly done”