A new program called the Motorist Assistance Patrol, or MAP, will provide assistance to drivers in need. The MAP cars, part of a public-private partnership with State Farm will be highly visible to drivers, and can assist with basic road-side maintenance. The idea is to improve traffic flow by decreasing the congestion caused by stopped [...]
Texas Man Walks Across Country for Disabled Vets
Meet Austin Shirley. On October 9th, he started walking his dog across America. Shirley, who’s from Dallas, left Jacksonville, Florida with a goal of reaching San Diego.
He says this started as a mission of self-discovery, and it’s turned into a way to draw attention and funds to disabled veterans.
Shirley says he’s amazed at the hospitality [...]
Common Core Changes
The state board of education is making changes to the controversial common core program.
The new policy includes changes to letter grades for schools, promotions and teacher evaluations.
Rapides Parish has adopted the common core, but the superintendent says it will be tailored to fit local needs.
KLAX ABC 31 News 12/4/13
McAllister Appointed to House Ag & Natural Resources Committees
Newly elected 5th district representative Vance McAllister, didn’t get his first committee choice, but says he’s excited about his appointment to the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees. McAllister had hoped speaker John Boehner and other GOP house leaders would let him take predecessor Rodney Alexander’s seat on the House Appropriations Committee.
McAllister plans to use [...]
Black Friday A Success for Local Merchants
The numbers are in and, overall, sales were up for Thanksgiving weekend. ShopperTrak, a retail research firm, says store sales were up for Thursday and Friday by 2.3 percent. But for Black Friday alone, sales were down 13.2 percent, meaning more people shopped on Thanksgiving.
As for Central Louisiana, we checked in with one local merchant [...]
Louisiana Federation of Teachers Meets This Week
Teachers and school staffers are on vacation but they can’t take time off worrying about the future of education.
The 49th annual convention of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers is in Alexandria until tomorrow. This is an AFLCIO affiliated union, with about 20 thousand members.
The common core curriculum is number one on the agenda and is [...]
DOTD issues Thanksgiving Holiday travel advisory
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development today advised drivers of upcoming work schedules for interstate and major road projects throughout Louisiana during the Thanksgiving holiday (Thursday, November 28, through Sunday, December 1).
DOTD Secretary Sherri H. LeBas urged drivers to use extra caution when traveling on the roadways during the upcoming [...]
Adoption Awareness Month Spurs Statewide Events
November is Adoption Awareness Month. The state Department of Children and Family Services wants more people to know about adoption as an opportunity to expand their families.
For more information, contact your local office of children and family services.
As part of this initiative, Louisiana’s first lady honors some remarkable families at the governor’s mansion. This is [...]
Oyster Shortage in Louisiana
It’ll cost more to put oyster dressing on your plate this holiday season. With a shortage of oysters in Louisiana waters, prices increased around 20 percent over the last few weeks. Troy Gaulden reports.
KLAX ABC 31 News 11/21/13
Judge Edmund Reggie Dies at 87
A powerhouse in Louisiana politics has passed away at the age of 87.
He’s Judge Edmund Reggie, who ran campaigns for president John F. Kennedy in Louisiana and later for governors John McKeithen and Edwin Edwards. His daughter Victoria is the widow of Senator Edward Kennedy.
He was always called judge, because he served for so long [...]
