By KEVIN McGILL, Related Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Legislature will possible be capable to increase state instructor pay by $2,000 a yr earlier than the present session ends in June, Gov. John Bel Edwards stated Thursday.
Edwards spoke at a livestreamed information convention on the Capitol in Baton Rouge because the state Home wrapped up work on a $38 billion 2022-2023 working funds that already has $1,500 raises for lecturers.
The Democratic governor stated he’s happy that a lot of his funds proposals, together with the $1,500 instructor increase, have survived throughout debate on funds laws. He stated he’ll ask lawmakers to extend the increase to $2,000 if income projections improve as anticipated.
Edward stated he was disenchanted that a few of his proposals have been in the reduction of or stripped because the funds has superior via the Republican-dominated Home. He added that he hopes to work with the Senate, additionally closely Republican, to revive cash for will increase in state supplemental pay for native police and firefighters.
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“I type of thought in Louisiana we weren’t in any means concerned in any type of a defund the police or something like that,” Edwards stated. “I cant think about that that is it.”
When cash for the state pay complement was stripped in committee earlier this week, lawmakers stated they want to discover ways in which native governments might improve the pay with out counting on state will increase.
Edwards additionally stated he was disenchanted at lawmakers to date having sidelined his proposal to spend $500 million towards the event of a brand new Mississippi River bridge at Baton Rouge.
“It isn’t prefer it’s being taken from different locations across the state,” Edwards stated, as he mentioned legislative leaders reluctance to dedicate cash to the bridge challenge.
Leaders have stated they are not able to dedicate such a big sum — a couple of fifth of the estimated price of the challenge — when a web site hasn’t even been chosen. Administration officers say dedicating the cash now, whereas the state is flush with better-than-expected tax income and one-time money from sources together with federal pandemic support, would assist safe future funding.
After dealing with years of tight budgets, lawmakers are debating how finest to spend greater tax revenues and an inflow of greater than $2.8 billion in one-time income — $1.4 billion from federal pandemic support, $700 million of surplus from the 2021 fiscal yr and $853 million higher-than-planned income for the present yr.
Nonetheless, some lawmakers have fearful aloud in the course of the present common session which ends no later than June 6, that extra must be completed to curb spending. Even advert Edwards prepares for anticipated will increase in tax income in official projections that shall be made by a state panel earlier than the session ends, some are involved {that a} .45% momentary gross sales tax will expire in 2025.
Edwards stated the proposed funds is affordable and accountable. And Rep. Jerome Zeringue, the Houma Republican dealing with the funds payments within the Home, stated a lot the identical factor earlier than the Home voted Thursday. Zeringue careworn that the laws amended and authorized by the Home ensures that one-time funding sources aren’t getting used on recurring bills. He added that some recurring income is devoted to debt discount and a few one-time initiatives.
With a separate building funds, a judicial funds and different cash laws authorized and despatched to the Senate, the Home completed work on about $45 billion in funds payments. The legislative session ends no later than June 6.
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Initial unemployment claims in Louisiana rose during the third week of May, increasing nearly 12% from the week prior, according to the figures released Friday morning by the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
There were 2,184 unemployment claims filed for the week ending May 25, up from the previous week’s 1,955. Claims are still down 10% from the same week a year prior.
Continued claims also increased, rising roughly 1.4% from the previous week.
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FAYETTEVILLE — The player nicknamed “Country Ohtani” — also known as Ethan Bates — will lead Louisiana Tech’s baseball team against Kansas State on Friday night at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional.
Bates, a senior from Hot Springs Lakeside High School, has developed into a hitting and pitching star after starting his college career at the University of Arkansas.
With a Division I-leading 17 saves to go with 15 home runs, 21 doubles and 74 RBI as a designated hitter, Bates’ nickname is a reference to Shohei Ohtani, a two-way star with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Considering the population for Los Angeles was listed as 3.82 million last year compared to 38,109 for Hot Springs and 22,295 for Ruston, La. — where Louisiana Tech is located — the “Country” part of Bates’ nickname seems appropriate.
“Four-wheelers, that’s his thing,” Louisiana Tech Coach Lane Burroughs said after the Bulldogs’ Thursday practice. “I promise you he would have rather been in Hot Springs working on a four-wheeler right now than in here talking to you guys.
“He’s just a great young man. He loves to hunt and fish. And he’s obviously a really, really good ballplayer.”
Bates, who throws right-handed and bats left-handed, was named Conference USA Player of the Year.
“He’s the top two-way player in the country,” Kansas State Coach Pete Hughes said as he rattled off Bates’ stats. “They’ve gotten their money’s worth out of that guy, right?”
Bates said he enjoyed being at Baum-Walker Stadium on Thursday for regional practices and is looking forward to playing on Arkansas’ home field Friday night.
“Just kind of taking it all in,” Bates said. “Just really excited to be back up here and see a bunch of friends and family that I haven’t gotten to see in a while.
“I’ve loved being at Tech. It’s been the best fit for me.”
Bates played in 17 games as a freshman for the Razorbacks in 2021 as an outfielder and third baseman, including eight starts. He batted .250 (9 of 36) with 6 RBI.
“Ethan, what a great kid,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said this week. “I mean, he’s not a kid anymore. He’s a full-grown man.
“He came in here and struggled a little bit, but we could see [the talent] in him. He really wanted to play.”
To get more playing time, Bates transferred to Navarro (Texas) Junior College for his sophomore season. He said that before going to Navarro, he already was hoping to land at Louisiana Tech.
“We played down at Tech my freshman year and I really liked it,” Bates said of Arkansas’ three-game series in Ruston. “Loved the field, loved the atmosphere.
“Whenever I did decide to leave [Arkansas] and go to Navarro, that’s kind of where I set my sights on.”
Burroughs was glad to add Bates, who batted .324 (56 for 173) with 3 home runs, 4 triples and 15 doubles with 34 RBI in 52 games. Bates also pitched in 5 games at Navarro and had a 3.24 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings.
“We were not aware of the pitching,” Burroughs said. “We knew he could hit.
“A coach at Navarro called and told us, ‘Hey, you might want to look at him on the mound. I think the dude can pitch a little bit.’
“We did put him out there in the fall [of 2022], and he just started carving us up. We thought, ‘Hey, we might be onto something.’ It was kind of by accident.
“It was good stuff. It’s velocity and plus-plus command. Plus slider, plus changeup.”
Bates batted .281 with 15 home runs and 35 RBI and 6 saves with a 3.16 ERA as a junior, then took his hitting to another level this season.
“When he’s in the [batter’s] box, we always expect something really good to happen,” Louisiana Tech right fielder Dalton Davis said. “He’s come through in the clutch a bunch of times. He always finds a way.”
Bates has pitched 43 2/3 innings in 35 games this season.
“I’ve been doing this for 28 years at this level and I don’t think I’ve ever coached a kid that wants the baseball [more] in the most stressful situations,” Burroughs said. “High leverage, he wants it. He wants to be the man at the plate when the game’s on the line.
“We’ve rode him extremely hard this year. I mean 17 saves, that’s kind of unheard of in college baseball. But he takes the baseball, man. He’s never turned us down. He’s a team-first guy.”
Louisiana Tech (45-17) won its last six Conference USA games with sweeps of Western Kentucky and Liberty to win the regular-season title with an 18-6 record — one game ahead of Dallas Baptist (17-7).
The Bulldogs started their closing run when Bates hit a 3-2 pitch for a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against Western Kentucky senior Mason Burns — second nationally with 15 saves — to lift Louisiana Tech to a 9-7 victory.
Burroughs smiled Thursday as he recalled Bates’ heroics.
“I don’t think you could have drawn it up any better,” Burroughs said. “He’s facing the guy that he’s tied in the country with in saves. They’ve kind of been in a race the entire year on who’s going to be the national leader in saves. Ethan hits a three-run homer off him, walks it off.
“He’s just that guy. He has that ‘it’ factor. I know that’s coach speak and cliche, but he does.
“The thing about Ethan is he’s ultra, ultra competitive.”
Van Horn said Arkansas’ coaches spoke to Bates about the possibility of pitching.
“That wasn’t his first love, honestly,” Van Horn said. “That’s the way it is with a lot of kids.
“It’s just that we knew Ethan had a great arm and power from the left side as a hitter. But when he got to Tech, it’s all come out.
“As an older player and confident, he’s been lights out.”
SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – For the past week, officials with the Northwest Louisiana State Office Building project have been meeting about the budget for the new site construction in downtown Shreveport.
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Roger Husser, director of facility planning and control, told KSLA about the overall budget for the project.
“The overall budget for the project has not fluctuated since design efforts began. However, the current projections of cost exceed the original target budget that the project was intended to be designed within,” he explained.
The budget has been an ongoing discussion, and the plans for the building design also have changed, with a new architectural drawing being made.
“The architect, construction manager, and the state have undergone an extensive value management exercise to understand which reductions in scope and design would be required to bring the project back within the original target budget,” Husser said.
Copyright 2024 KSLA. All rights reserved.
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