Transcript
You’re listening to Red River Radio News.
Good morning, I’m Jeff Ferrell.
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INTRO:
A new analysis finds that conditions inside the Texas Juvenile Justice Department’s (TJJD) secure facilities are still failing to meet federal standards.
In 2024, the Department Of Justice deemed the juvenile lockups unconstitutional.
Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports on the investigation:
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SOT:
“The report Behind the Concrete Walls: Uncovering Conditions in Texas’ Five Youth Prisons shows that chronic staffing shortages contribute to unsafe conditions like violence in the state’s five Juvenile Justice Department’s secure facilities. Brett Merfish is the Director of Youth Justice for Texas Appleseed and author of the report. “Not much has changed from the data we're able to see since the DOJ, the Department of Justice, released a report showing that there were unconstitutional conditions in all five state secure lockups for youth.” Merfish said there are signs that the mental health needs of the children are not being met. “We're seeing youth that have more mental health needs go into the facility. “So they have what's called adverse childhood experiences, kind of measures your risk. And for the youth that are entering, 52% have four or more ACEs. That's very high.” For the 2027 legislative session, the Sunset Advisory Commission is conducting a targeted, limited-scope review of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department focused strictly on its regionalization duties and evaluating how effectively the agency prioritizes local juvenile systems over secure state facility commitments.”
TAG:
The report concludes the best way for Texas to address these problems is to continue to divert youth from commitment to TJJD and stop the continued investment in a failed system.
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INTRO:
In Louisiana…A poll released by Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Jamie Davis indicates the race against Republican Congresswoman Julia Letlow is closer than expected. According to Public Policy Polling, 41% of voters favor Letlow, 37% support Davis while another 22% remain undecided.Southern University Political Science professor Albert Samuels says with only a 4-point difference between the candidates, the undecided number is even more significant: **********SOT: “The fact that over 20-some percent of people are undecided, this may be more of a race than what the Letlow campaign was bargaining for.” **********TAG: The poll of more than 500 registered Louisiana voters was conducted in late July. That happened before media reports came out regarding Letlow’s nondisclosure agreement she signed with Meta… and her stock trades involving the media giant.
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INTRO:
As the heat wave continues, chances are your air conditioner is struggling. Louisiana H-VAC technician John Bolin with Home 360 says signs include higher energy bills, or the condenser unit outside is running hot. It may also be making odd noises, and making unable to cool your home.Bolin says the most important thing you can do is have your unit serviced annually and have your outdoor unit cleaned on a regular basis:
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SOT:
“That outside coil brings in all the dust and all the grass and it just fills up those fins to where your outside unit can't breathe. And it causes the unit to draw excessive amps, and it causes your parts to fail prematurely. It can be costly.”
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TAG:
Bolin reminds people to change their indoor filter monthly.And if their compressor unit outside is not working, turn the air conditioner off to avoid further damage - and call a repairman. The average cost of an annual a/c maintenance plan costs $150 to $350.
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FORECAST:
The National Weather Service in Shreveport is calling for:
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Sunny, hot, and dry conditions for the rest of the week, with a high near 103 and a heat index as high as 109 today and tomorrow.
Wednesday’s high will drop to 102, then 101 Thursday & Friday.
And 100 by the weekend and still no rain in the forecast.
* There are indications that we may break this triple digit heat and introduce small rain chances for at least portions of the Four State Region by late week and into the upcoming weekend. Until then, high wildfire danger will continue.
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