The deadline for August flood victims to apply for FEMA assistance is extended to November 14th. Emelie Gunn has more on the federal government’s response to the flooding…

CUT 1 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Boating fatalities are significantly up, as 22 people have died on Louisiana’s waterways in 2016. Halen Doughty reports the state only had 13 fatal crashes on the waterways at this time last year.

Cut 2 (27) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Tulane researchers are teaming up in a university-wide collaboration to learn more about the brain. Jeff Palermo has more on the schoo’s new Brain Institute…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The deadline for August flood victims to apply for FEMA aid or low interest loans from the Small Business Administration has been extended until to November 14th. FEMA spokesperson Kurt Pickering says this will give people more time to register for assistance. He says so far, individual households in Louisiana have received 699 million dollars in grants to repair their homes.

cut 4  (04)  “150,000”

Pickering says by applying for FEMA aid, it also starts the process to receive an SBA loan, which can provide flood victims up to 200-thousand dollars and up to 2 million dollars for businesses.

Cut 5  (11)  “from us”

Pickering says the federal government remains very committed to the recovery process in Louisiana, despite the massive damage the East Coast received from Hurricane Matthew. He says FEMA staff will not be moved from Louisiana.

Cut 6 (08) “set up”

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Over six weeks and three thousand miles later, three escaped Natchitoches parish inmates are once again behind bars. Capt. Tony Moran with the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office says 35-year-old Walshea Mitchell, 24-year-old Michael Elliot, and 34-year-old Willie Ethridge were all captured in different states, and they’re working to figure out how they managed to get that far.

CUT 7 (08)  “the escape”

Moran says Mitchell was captured in Oklahoma yesterday, Elliot was apprehended in Colorado a few days ago, and Ethridge was caught in Oregon a couple of weeks ago. He says the inmates escaped from Natchitoches Parish Detention Center on August 27^th.

Cut 8 (09) “and escaped”

Moran says multiple law enforcement agencies in several states worked together to get these criminals back into police custody. He says in addition to the charges they were serving time for, they will all face new charges.

Cut 9 (08)  “on the run”

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Fatalities on Louisiana’s waterways are well above what they were at this time last year, as 7 people died in boating accidents in September alone. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries spokesperson Adam Einck says there have been 22 deaths this year, compared to only 13 through September of last year. He says most of the deaths could have been prevented.

Cut 10 (08) “the water”

Einck says LDWF conducts boating safety patrols on the waterways to make sure everyone is wearing a life jacket and that the operator is sober. He encourages anyone who is going out on the water to make a plan with your loved ones and always bring your cell phone.

cut 11 (08) “with you”

LDWF has investigated 110 boating crashes so far this year, 12 of which happened in September. Einck says a lot of last month’s accidents involved boaters hitting something in the water. He says it’s important to always be aware of your surroundings.

cut 12 (08) “your speeds”

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Tulane University researchers are teaming up to learn more about the brain in a new collaboration called the Brain Institute. Tulane Vice President for Research, Dr. Laura Levy, says understanding the brain is one of the true frontiers of the life sciences. She says scientists don’t know much about the brain, and they hope this university-wide collaboration will help them learn more.

Cut 13 (09) “disease states”

Levy says the purpose of the Brain Institute is to bring together people from across the university who may not even know each other to collaborate and share ideas. She says graduate and undergraduate students will also be a part of the discussions.

cut 14 (08)  “make progress”

Levy says they received a $3.7 million donation to jumpstart the initiative, and the donors Marta and Bill Marko, set a fundraising goal of $50 million. She says the National Institute of Health is also expected to contribute grants to help with the cost of their research.

Cut 15 (09) “national objective”

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The LSU Tigers are getting closer to taking the field after not playing last Saturday because of Hurricane Matthew. The Bayou Bengals face Southern Miss on Saturday night in Death Valley in just the third ever meeting between the two teams. LSU is a 26-point favorite, but offensive guard Garrett Brumfield says there’s no over looking the Golden Eagles

Cut 16  (10)  “play the game”

Fullback JD Moore says after not having the opportunity to play last weekend, the team is ready to take the field again in Tiger Stadium…

Cut 17 (12)  “to play”

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The Saints welcome the defending NFC Champs to the Superdome this Sunday as they’ll battle the Carolina Panthers at noon. Carolina is a disappointing 1-and-4 on the season, but Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro says don’t let the Panthers record fool you…

Cut 18 (12) “lightly”

New Orleans comes into Sunday’s contest with a 1-and-3 record, but they went into an open week by beating San Diego on October 2nd. Saints cornerback Ken Crawley says both teams will be desperate for a win…

Cut 19 (16)   “be ready”

BESE has approved one year residency as a redesign to how teachers are prepared to be in the classroom. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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A report 24/7 Wall Street finds the rate of college grads in Louisiana is 23-percent, eight percentage points below the national average. Michelle Southern reports…

CUT 2 (30)  “I’m Michelle Southern”

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In the wake of two historic floods in Louisiana, Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana wants the public to know that research shows child abuse rates usually go up three months to a year after a disaster. Executive Director Amanda Brunson says as we’re entering that time period, now is the prime time for prevention. She says tensions tend to rise as the family experiences more stress.

CUT 3 (09)  “to wane”

Brunson says it’s not just the parents who feel pressure after a disaster. She adds stress can lead to children complaining, wetting the bed, and being clinging, and says it’s important for parents to understand where this behavior is coming from.

CUT 4 (08)  “more supportive”

Brunson says they have a toll-free anonymous hotline for parents who need some support. She says parents who are struggling can call their KIDLINE at 1-800-CHILDREN from 8am to 8pm daily.

CUT 5 (10)  “crisis intervention”

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A redesign of how teachers are prepared to lead a classroom has been approved by BESE. It would require a one year apprenticeship for aspiring teachers before they can be certified. BESE President Jim Garvey says he supports this change because this will improve the ability of new teachers to hit the ground running on day one.

CUT 6 (09) “mentor teacher”

The program will be funded for the next 5 years by a federal grant.  Mentors will receive additional pay and the teacher in training will receive some income. Garvey says some teachers have already gone through the apprenticeship as part of a pilot program and gave positive reviews.

CUT 7 (10) “lead teacher”

The one year residency will be required for certification starting July 1, 2018. President of the Louisiana Association of Educators Debbie Meaux says she is in favor of the concept, but this program is moving way too fast. She says some college classes would be stripped away with this new program…

CUT 8 (09) “mini me”

Meaux says she’s also concerned that new teachers will only be sent to schools around universities and not in rural areas.

CUT 9 (07) “fully yet” 

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An attorney in Metairie has filed a petition to recall Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni. This comes after Yenni admitted to sending improper text messages to a 17-year-old boy. Robert Evans made the announcement after Yenni said he had no plans to resign because he didn’t do anything illegal. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says the recall effort as 180 days…:

cut 10 (08)  “in Jefferson Parish”

In a news release Evans cites, among other things, that the fact that Yenni is banned from schools and other youth related activities — it’s impossible for him to perform his job as parish president. Schedler says they need to collect just over 80,000 written signatures in 6 months…:

Cut 11 (06) “to vote”

Schedler says if they get all of the certified signatures they need, the petition goes to the governor who can then decide if there is cause for a recall election. He says they always recommend that petitioners get more than the required number of signatures…:

cut 12 (08) “or kick out”

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About 23-percent of Louisiana adults have at least a four year degree, according to a new report from the finance website 24/7 Wall Street. That’s 8 percentage points below the national average. Demographer Greg Rigamer says Louisiana’s lower than average household creates financial obstacles for people seeking degrees.

Cut 13 (09)  “trump that”

The report also found New Orleans has the highest concentration of college grads in the state at nearly 29-percent. Rigamer also contributes the low rate of four year degrees, to Louisiana’s public education system, as well as the kinds of job opportunities in the state.

cut 14 (09)  “college degrees”

Rigamer says people may not be as enthusiastic about getting degrees because there are not many major white-collar corporations in Louisiana as there are good paying blue collar jobs.

cut 15 (09) “college education”

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The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office says a chase and standoff this morning resulted in the death of a suspect wanted on attempted murder of a police officer charges. Spokeswoman Lori Steele says it all started this morning when a deputy attempted to pull 31-year-old Blaine Beason over as the suspect gave chase…:

cut 16 (09) “while fleeing on foot”

State Police is investigating. Steele says Beason was later located in a barn where a deputy found the suspect pointing a gun at the cop. That’s when the officer returned fire killing the suspect. Steele says Beason was wanted on several charges:

cut 17 (08) “initial stop”