TRANSCRIPT
You’re listening to Red River Radio News.
Good morning, I’m Jeff Ferrell.
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INTRO:
Childcare providers in Louisiana are struggling with rising costs: insurance, food, utilities. Aubri Juhasz of the Gulf States Newsroom reports on the latest annual survey from the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children:
SOT:
“This year, more than 600 providers responded from across the state, including Nathaniel Moore of Little Blessings in Lafayette. He says he can’t turn to families to fill budget gaps. “ Our cost has definitely exceeded what tuition they can afford in the community. And so, you know, many times we can't pass that along, and many times we're having to reduce rates.” Nearly 80 percent of survey respondents said their operating costs outpace revenue at least some months. And nearly three-quarters said they worry about covering their expenses over the next six months. Meanwhile, eligible families are waiting Years for state childcare assistance because of limited funding.”
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INTRO:
A new Texas mandate bars college coursework on the 1619 Project at teacher preparation programs.
As Texas Public Radio Education Reporter Camille Phillips tells us, the mandate impacts more than a hundred teacher certification programs across the state:
SOT:
“The leaders of every educator preparation program in the state were required to sign a form by September 1st … pledging--under penalty of perjury-- that their instructors would apply K-12 anti-DEI laws to their coursework for future teachers. The form obtained by TPR includes a bulleted list of limitations to discussions on race, gender, and history … including a ban on the 1619 Project, and an edict that slavery and racism can only be described as a quote “betrayal of American values.” Multiple faculty members at the University of Texas at San Antonio told TPR they’re concerned about the legal ramifications of signing the form… but fear not signing it could lead to losing their jobs. TPR sent TEA officials a detailed list of questions about the form several days before publication. The agency did not respond.”
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INTRO:
In Arkansas… the number of cases of cyclo-sporiasis is slowing, with fewer than 10 cases reported in September.
According to the Arkansas Department of Health, a total of 290 cases of the food-borne illness have been reported this year, a record high.
Kristen Gibson is Director of Food Safety at the University of Arkansas.
Gibson says there are steps consumers can take when they hear about food recalls.
She cited the example of the multi-state outbreak of cyclospora illnesses that resulted in the mid-July recall of iceberg lettuce from Taylor farms products sourced from Central Mexico:
SOT:
“But you can maybe say, ‘okay, I’m going to buy a locally sourced lettuce,’ because it’s not coming from the region where, in this instance, cyclospora, is endemic. So, I would say, you know, you can just become a more informed consumer and make different choices.”
TAG:
That audio comes courtesy of Little Rock public Radio.
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INTRO:
Only 21% of hospitals in Louisiana are fully complying with federal price transparency law.
Ilaria Wheeler with the group Patients’ Rights Advocate says that’s compared to 15% two years ago:
SOT:
“What we're seeing a lot of hospitals in Louisiana do is post algorithms that are incalculable and unquantifiable that don't actually provide real dollars and cents pricing. And what good is a pricing file that doesn't actually have prices?”
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The National Weather Service in Shreveport is calling for:
- More punishing heat, with a high near 99 & heat index values as high as 107 – while a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms does arrive after 4:00 p.m. today.
- Tomorrow: a 1 degree drop in the high and heat index, but dry.
- Wednesday: back to 99 for the high.
- Then 97 Thursday, Friday & Saturday.
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