Fewer LSU Health New Orleans medical graduate are taking residencies in Louisiana. Dr. Steve Nelson, Dean of the School of Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans, says that drop is due to Louisiana’s budget concerns. He says 70% of Louisiana doctors trained at an LSU facility, so losing those doctors could be detrimental to the state’s healthcare system.

cut 10 (11)  “come back”

Nelson says fortunately 50% of LSU Health New Orleans graduates are entering primary care in Louisiana.

Two more Disaster Recovery Centers opened today, one in Monroe and the other in Slidell. Mike Steele, with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, says the first center opened up last week in Bossier City and Steele says more centers should open soon.

CUT 4 (05)  “working towards now”

Two giraffes at the Baton Rouge Zoo died over the weekend, and workers are heartbroken. Sam Winslow, the zoo’s general curator, says one of the giraffes, a 24-year-old named Hope, was receiving treatment for a chronic illness. He says when severe storms moved in, they were forced to put her into a stall with a male she’s normally not with…:

cut 12 (07) “happened so quick”

Winslow says Hope’s condition worsened and she had to be euthanized.

LSU’s Ben Simmons has told ESPN he is entering his name into the NBA Draft and he’ll hire an agent soon. Simmons will mostly likely be the number one overall pick in June. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says statistically, Simmons had one of the best seasons in college basketball history, but he was not able to lead the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament…

cut 15 (09) ” he would” 

Fewer Louisiana medical school graduates are choosing to stay in the state for their residencies, according to Dr. Steve Nelson, Dean of the School of Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans. Jeff Palermo has more…
voicer 2 (30) “….I’m Jeff Palermo”

State lawmakers are still waiting to hear from the Edwards administration about an additional 70-million dollars in cuts to this fiscal year’s budget. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says he’ll be able to provide that information later this week, but he says it appears most agencies will receive painful cuts of about 30-percent.

Two more Disaster Recovery Centers opened today in Louisiana, one in Monroe and the other in Slidell. Mike Steele, with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, says flood survivors can find personnel from all of the agencies involved in disaster recovery at these centers…:
CUT 3 (06) “assisting people”
He says these centers are open from 8 to 6 Monday through Saturday, and noon to five on Sunday.

The general curator of the Baton Rouge zoo, Sam Winslow, admits they are taking criticism after two of their giraffes died over the weekend. They had to put two giraffes in the same stall as severe weather rolled in on Friday. Winslow says ne of the giraffes was already dealing with a chronic condition that worsened and the one that was sick knocked the other one down resulting in her death.
cut 14 (10) “…like that”
The two giraffes that died were 30 and 24 years old.

Two more disaster recovery centers opened today, one in Slidell and the other in Monroe. Mike Steele, with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, says flood victims can receive assistance from various agencies at these locations. He says you don’t have to visit one of these centers to register for financial assistance…
cut 5 (09) “…assistance”
Steele says a disaster recovery center was also opened in Bossier Parish last week.

There is still extensive flooding in the Monroe area. Neal Brown, director of the Ouachita Parish Homeland Security, says some neighborhoods will see high water for another few days. He is glad to see volunteers coming together to help flood victims…
cut 8 (11) “…greatly appreciated”

Officials at the Baton Rouge zoo are mourning over the loss of two of their giraffes. The 30 and 24-year-old giraffes were in the same stall when severe weather rolled in and one of the animals knocked the other one down, which caused injuries that led to her death. The zoo’s general curator, Sam Winslow, says they had to euthanize the other girafee because his chronic illness, which they have been treating for a long time, worsened after the event…

cut 13 (06) “…discouraging”

It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that basketball star Ben Simmons has played his final game at LSU. Simmons has told ESPN he’s turning pro. Despite failing to lead the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament, he’s expected to be the number one pick. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says it remains to be seen if it was a positive that Simmons even played for the Tigers…
cut 16 (12) “…bad thing”
Simmons averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists last season.

Only 51% of LSU Health New Orleans medical graduates are staying in Louisiana for their residencies. Dr. Steve Nelson, Dean of the School of Medicine at LSU Health New Orleans, says that’s a significant drop from previous years…:
CUT 9 (09) “62%”
Nelson says the drop in grads staying in the state is due to Louisiana’s budget concerns.

Two giraffes at the Baton Rouge Zoo died over the weekend, and workers are heartbroken. Sam Winslow, the zoo’s general curator, says one of the giraffes, a 24-year-old named Hope, was receiving treatment for a chronic illness Friday. He says then severe storms moved in and they were forced to put another female into a stall with a male she’s normally not with…:
CUT 12 (07) “happened so quick”
He says that female died from her injuries in the fall and staff decided to euthanize Hope Saturday when her condition worsened.

Residents in Ouachita Parish are still dealing with high water in many areas. Neal Brown, Director of Ouachita Parish Homeland Security, says his biggest concern is the high water putting pressure on levees around neighborhoods that were not meant to hold that much water for so long. He says when the water does start to drain, it could be bad for nearby parishes…:
CUT 7 (07) “hit them”
Those in Louisiana who flooded are asked to report their damage online at emergency-dot-la-dot-gov.

LSU’s Ben Simmons tells ESPN he is entering his name into the NBA Draft. Simmons will most likely be the number one overall pick in June. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says statistically, Simmons had one of the best seasons in college basketball history, but he was not able to lead the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament…:
cut 15 (09) ” he would”
Simmons said he plans to hire an agent soon.

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says disaster centers are open today to assist flood victims in Monroe and Slidell. Spokesman Mike Steele says the first center opened up last week in Bossier City and more disaster centers should open soon…:
CUT 4 (05) “working towards now”
Steele says people can still report their damage online at emergency-dot-la-dot-gov.

New Iberia Senator Fred Mills, who successfully passed a medical marijuana bill last year, says he would like to expand the number of illnesses the legislation covers in the current session. He says this new bill includes cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and several other chronic conditions…:
Cut 14 (11) “will be successful”
Mills says you still can’t get medical marijuana in Louisiana as the agencies involved are still trying to figure out a mechanism to make it available.

Parts of Ouachita parish are still underwater, as the Monroe area received over two feet of rain in the recent flooding event. Halen Doughty has more..:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

ESPN is reporting that Saints cornerback Damian Swann was arrested on reckless driving and speeding charges in Athens, Georgia. It says cops found Swann going 100 miles per hour in a 65.

Two more Disaster Recovery Centers opened today in Louisiana, one in Monroe and the other in Slidell. Mike Steele, with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, says flood survivors can find personnel from all of the agencies involved in disaster recovery at these centers. He says small business administrators are also on hand with information about low-interest loans available for flood victims…:
CUT 3 (06) “assisting people”
He says these centers will be open from 8 to 6 Monday through Saturday, and noon to five on Sunday.

This morning north of Sulphur in Calcasieu Parish, one person was killed and another injured when a pickup truck traveled into the path of a commercial truck, according to State Police. They say 26-year-old Laura Lee Reeves of Lake Charles failed to yield to the commercial vehicle when the collision occurred. Reeves was not wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two weeks after Louisiana’s major flooding event, much of Ouachita parish is still underwater. Neal Brown, Director of Ouachita Parish Homeland Security, says rivers and bayous throughout the parish are still cresting, which means the water has nowhere to go right now…:
CUT 6 (08) “the parish”
He says the bad news is that when the water does eventually go down, it will spell trouble for parishes south of Ouachita.

Lawmakers are expected to get involved in the LHSAA’s public versus private school split that’s impacted high school sports. River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot says he has legislation which he hopes will lead to the end of the split and bring all schools back together for postseasons..:
CUT 9 (08) “kids in mind”
Schools around the state have been invited to join a new high school sports association that would NOT have a split playoff system.

The discussion over the use of medical marijuana is expected to occur during the legislative session. Legislation was passed last year to allow certain patients to use it, but it’s still not available in the Bayou State. State Senator Fred Mills says there are plenty of people who are waiting to get it…
cut 15 (08) “…medical condition”
Mills says the department of agriculture and a couple of other other groups are still working on the details to make the drug available here.

The state legislature is also expected to address the growing playoff split with the Louisiana High School Atheltic Association. River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot has a bill that would prevent a high school from receiving state funds, if they participate in an association with a split postseason…
cut 8 (07) “…A,B-C”
Talbot says the ultimate goal is to bring the LHSAA back together again.

The Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee meets at noon today to begin going over the 400 or so different tax credits and deductions the state hands out to businesses and individuals. Chairman JP Morrell of New Orleans says the credits or exemptions that are deemed unnecessary will be removed in a potential second special session or during next year’s fiscal session…
cut 12 (06) “….budget crisis”
Morrell says it will take most of this session to go over the different tax credits.

State Health officials are gearing up for a potential outbreak of the Zika Virus, which is a mosquito borne disease which has been linked to birth defects in other countries. Dr. Frank Welch, with the state department of health says once the weather warms up, they’ll have to increase surveillance…
cut 6 (07) “….transmission”
A study from the National Center for Atmospheric Research finds New Orleans is at a high risk because of the high poverty rate and a lot of visitors from countries where Zika is prevalent.