NOAA increases its hurricane prediction to five to nine hurricane with two to four major storms. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (25) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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Four Louisiana Mayors sign a letter demanding Congressional action on mandatory nationwide background checks for gun purchases. Matt Doyle spoke with one of the signees…
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NOAA has upped it’s hurricane forecast for the year to five to nine hurricanes with two to four major storms. NOAA lead hurricane season forecaster Gerry Bell says all the ingredients are now in place for an above-average hurricane season as part of a high activity era in place since the mid-nineties.
There have only been two named storms so far, with Hurricane Barry impacting the state as a category 1 storm at landfall. Bell says as the season moves into August, the way that storms begin to form becomes more reliant on activity off of the African coast.
Cut 4 (07) “…the tropical waves.”
Bell says of the impact of climate change on the production of hurricanes…
Cut 5 (09) “…fewer stronger storms.”
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Mayors from four of Louisiana’s biggest cities joined 200 of their colleagues nationwide in signing a letter to Congress demanding the passage of gun background check and red flag legislation.
Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo was one of the signees. He says a rash of recent mass shootings demands an appropriate response.
The letter notes there’s been 250 mass shootings in 2019 alone.
Similar legislation failed to gain any traction in the last Legislative session in Louisiana. Mayo says with states failing to do their part, it’s up to D.C.
Cut 7 (09) “…representatives.”
The Mayor says he plans on writing a personal letter to US Senator Bill Cassidy urging him to support the federal bill.
Opponents of the legislation say it’s an infringement on 2nd amendment rights and would do little to actually curb gun violence, but Mayo says it would at least help cut down on mass shooting events.
Mayo was joined by Mayors Latoya Cantrell of New Orleans, Adrian Perkins of Shreveport, and Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome of Baton Rouge.
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Governor Edwards says the state economy is stronger than it’s been in years under his leadership, but his Republican opponents counter that Louisiana still has one of the worst economies, so who’s right?
Council For A Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin says the answer is complicated, and neither of the arguments is technically wrong. He adds the question requires some context.
Republicans Congressman Abraham and Eddie Rispone argue the Governor’s tax increases have stunted the state’s growth while the national economy has grown. Erwin says there’s little data to back that up.
Edwards points to data like the unemployment rate, GDP, and wage growth to argue that his policies of balancing the budget, expanding Medicaid, and investing in education have boosted the economy. Erwin says they aren’t that influential in the short-term.
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A licensed medical marijuana physician is arrested in Ouachita Parish by State Police. Dr. Benjamin Stage faces five counts of illegally prescribing controlled dangerous substances to a patient that was not one of his own. Trooper Michael Reichardt.
Cut 12 (09) “…arrest him then.”
As far as what will happen to the doctor’s credentials if found guilty, Reichardt says that is up in the air.
Cut 13 (07) “…to Louisiana law.”
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Cut 16 (08) “…pharmacy.”
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