A survey from LSU finds 56-percent of respondents believe families who are on the upper end of the income bracket should not be eligible for the taxpayer funded scholarship program….
cut 12 (08) “….for that”
That’s Michael Henderson with the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, who says their poll also found 60-percent of the public supports higher academic requirements. High school students currently need at least a 2.5 GPA and a 20 on the ACT.

West Monroe Representative Frank Hoffman has filed a bill for the upcoming session to raise the state’s tax on a pack of cigarettes from a dollar-eight-cents to one-dollar-and-30 cents…

cut 8 (08) “…with that”

Louisiana ranks 36th in the country for highest cigarette tax in the country.

A plan to provide all Louisiana school districts with high speed internet has been scrapped. Executive Director of the Louisiana School Boards Association, Scott Richard says districts were given a short time period to commit to a plan with very little information from the Board of Regents. He says every school district wants to have high speed internet access, but funding uncertainties caused many to be hesitant.
Cut 3 (10) “this endeavor”
Richard hopes schools districts will have another attempt to receive this funding in the future.

Getting lawmakers to approve the revised coastal restoration master plan is part of Governor Edwards legislative package. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish the plan contains 120 projects that are fairly evenly divided between protection and restoration…
Cut 15 (09) “Louisiana coast”

A bill filed for the regular session seeks to fully fund TOPS by using riverboat gaming revenues. For the first time ever, the taxpayer funded scholarship didn’t cover all of a student’s tuition costs this year. Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil says he wants to make sure the program isn’t underfunded in the future…:
Cut 7 (08) “a year”
He says if this bill passes, TOPS would have to be fully funded before riverboat gaming revenues can be used on other items in budget.

And there’s an LSU survey that finds a majority of Louisiana residents want to see the state-funded scholarship fully funded. But Michael Henderson, with the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, says the public supports a higher GPA to qualify for TOPS…
cut 11 (08) “…for that”
There’s a bill that’s been filed in the legislative session to raise the GPA requirement for TOPS.

Louisiana’s revised coastal restoration masterplan will be taken up by lawmakers in the regular session, as part of the governor’s legislative package to protect and restore the state’s coast. The plan contains 120 projects to be completed over the next 50 years that will maintain over 800 square miles of coastal land. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish co-authored the legislation.
Cut 13 (07) “can afford”
A survey from the state department of education finds 88-percent of families are satisified with the quality of their child’s early education program. But despite that high number, four out of 10 families are not sure if their child is learning the necessary skils to prepare them for kindergarten.
cut 5 (10) “….quality benchmarks”
That’s Jenna Conway, who is the Assistant Superintendent of Early Childhood.

A bill filed for the regular session seeks to fully fund TOPS by using a portion of riverboat gaming revenue. Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil says, under the measure, TOPS would have to be fully funded, before riverboat gaming revenues can be used on other items in budget…:
Cut 9 (09) “off the top”
For the first time ever, the popular taxpayer funded scholarship didn’t cover all of a student’s tuition costs this year.

The Department of Education says a recent survey finds most families are happy with their kid’s daycare. Assistant Superintendent of Early Childhood, Jenna Conway, says they want to improve the programs further by figuring out ways to engage families in the learning process…:
Cut 6 (10) “that work”
The survey indicates 90 percent of respondents are likely to choose their program again.

Louisiana’s revised coastal restoration master plan will be taken up by lawmakers in the regular session, as part of the governor’s legislative package to protect and restore the state’s coast. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish co-authored the legislation. The master plan costs $50 billion and Morrish says some state dollars are used, but most of the funding comes from outside sources….:
Cut 14 (09) “settlement money”
The bill contains 120 projects to be completed in the next fifty years that will maintain over 800 square miles of coastal land.

The Orleans Parish Coroner released a report Monday highlighting accidental drug-related deaths last year. It said there were more than double the number of ODs than in 2015, and it is likely the first time that drug-related deaths have surpassed homicides in New Orleans history. The report said there were 211 drug-related deaths in 2016 as compared to 92 drug-related deaths in 2015.

An LSU survey finds voters do not support reducing the amount of the TOPS award as a way to save money. Don Molino has more…:
Cut 3 (25) “I’m Don Molino”

Meanwhile a bill is up for the upcoming session that would use more riverboat gaming revenue to go towards the TOPS program. Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil says currently less than 25 percent of the 75% of gaming funds that go to the state general fund are used for education…:
Cut 8 (11) “for that purpose”

The State Fire Marshal’s Office has ruled the fatal fire on March 18th in East Feliciana Parish was arson-suicide. They believe 59-year-old James Gilliland of Ethel set fire to the home, then took his own life with a gun. Apparently the man was set to be evicted from the home that day as he informed the landlords he lost his job and couldn’t pay rent.

Lawmakers are slated to talk about the revised coastal restoration master plan in the session. It’s part of Governor Edwards legislative package. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish co-authored the bill and said it contains 120 projects that are fairly evenly divided between protection and restoration….:
Cut 15 (09) “Louisiana coast”
Nearly $18 billion would go toward marsh creation, $5 billion set aside for sediment diversion, and $19 billion for hurricane protection.

Jazz Fest officials today will announce stages and times for this year’s performers. The lineup this year includes some artists making up for last year’s rain-out, including Stevie Wonder. The schedule also includes Snoop Dogg, Maroon 5, Aaron Neville, Harry Connick Jr, Tom Petty and more.

TOPS would be fully funded by using revenues from riverboat gambling, under a proposal to be taken up in the upcoming regular session. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

The Louisiana State Police Retirement System released figures Monday which indicate former LSP Col Mike Edmonson could get an over $128,000 annual pension for life if approved by the board. Edmonson retired last week amid criticism over the way he was handling the department and certain travel related expenses and overtime pay.

Most Louisianans oppose reducing the amount of the TOPS scholarship award to cut costs, according to a recent survey from LSU. State leaders have proposed several means of making TOPS more affordable, including limiting the amount each student receives. Michael Henderson with the LSU Public Policy Research Lab says 64 percent of people don’t approve…:
Cut 10 (05) “fan of that”
He says the survey did find that 60 percent of respondents support raising the academic requirements for the scholarship.

Most families are satisfied with their kid’s early childhood provider, according to a recent survey from the Department of Education. It finds 90 percent of respondents are likely to choose their program again. Assistant Superintendent of Early Childhood, Jenna Conway, says families also say they are befitting from the changes which simplify enrollment…:
Cut 4 (09) “process locally”
But she says four out of ten families note they are not sure if their child is making progress.

A bill filed for the regular session seeks to fully fund TOPS by using a portion of riverboat gaming revenue. For the first time ever, the popular taxpayer funded scholarship didn’t cover all of a student’s tuition costs this year. Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil says he wants to make sure the program isn’t underfunded in the future…:
Cut 7 (08) “a year”
He says if this bill passes, TOPS would have to be fully funded before riverboat gaming revenues can be used on other items in budget.

Louisiana’s revised coastal restoration master plan will be discussed in the session as part of the governor’s proposals. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish co-authored the legislation…:
Cut 13 (07) “can afford”
The bill contains 120 projects to be completed in the next five years that will maintain over 800 square miles of coastal land.

A survey from the Department of Education finds most Louisiana families are satisfied with their early childhood provider. Jeff Palermo has more:
Cut 1 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office reports that, for the first time in history, more people died from accidental drug related deaths last year than homicides in The Big Easy. Dr. Jeffrey Rouse said 211 overdoses eclipsed 175 murders in 2016.

A statewide survey conducted by LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab finds support for higher taxes if the additional revenues will go towards public schools, colleges, health care and roads. But LSU pollster Michael Henderson says when it comes to raising taxes to pay for key services, it’s unclear what taxes the public would like to see raised….
cut 13 (05) “…sales tax”

In order to help the state with its budget problems, Amite Representative Robby Carter has proposed legislation that would put a tax on oil that’s processed at Louisiana refinieries. Carter has also filed a bill that would tax oil that passes through pipelines. Carter believes oil and gas companies have the money to pay for these additional taxes…
cut 8 (10) “….of profit”
Carter says he knows there will be heavy opposition to these proposals.

State Police investigated 10 fatal crashes resulting in the deaths of 15 people since Friday. Michelle Southern reports on the tragic weekend:

Voicer 2 (29) “I’m Michelle Southern”

The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts we could see 88-thousand fewer doctors by 2025. Dean of the School of Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans Doctor Steve Nelson says they are providing incentives to keep medical students in this state and there efforts are paying off…
cut 5 (06) “…their training”