WE SUPPORT SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AT LOCAL SCHOOLS TO

BUILD A BRIGHTER PATH TO BETTER JOBS AND HELP PREPARE THE NEXT

GENERATION BECAUSE TOGETHER, WE POWER LIFE.

ENTERGY. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED

BY THE FRED B. AND RUTH B. ZIEGLER FOUNDATION AND THE

ZIEGLER ART MUSEUM LOCATED IN JENNINGS CITY HALL.

THE MUSEUM FOCUSES ON EMERGING LOUISIANA ARTISTS AND IS AN

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CENTER FOR SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA.

AND THE FOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN LOUISIANA PUBLIC

BROADCASTING WITH SUPPORT FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

CAPTIONING PERFORMED BY LNS CAPTIONING

WWW.LNSCAPTIONING.COM

EARLY VOTING TURNOUT HAS REMAINED HIGH.

SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE GOVERNOR'S RACE?

CANDIDATES REALLY HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HOW TO TALK TO YOUNG

PEOPLE. WHY MANY YOUNG PEOPLE AREN'T

GOING TO THE POLLS. VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES

ARE NOT BEING TAKEN CARE OF BECAUSE OF THIS.

WORKING TO RIGHT A WRONG THAT HAS GONE ON FOR DECADES.

HI, EVERYONE. I'M NATASHA WILLIAMS.

I'M ANDRE MOREAU. MUCH MORE ON THOSE TOP STORIES

IN A MOMENT ON THIS WEEK'S EDITION OF "SWI," BUT FIRST A

LOOK AT OTHER NEWS MAKING HEADLINES ACROSS LOUISIANA.

THIS WEEK A LOT OF FIRSTS FOR LSU FOOTBALL.

THE TIGERS EARNED THEIR FIRST EVER NUMBER ONE RANKING IN THE

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF POLL. THEY'RE ALSO FIRST IN THE AP AND

COACHES' POLL. IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY

DID SATURDAY. A 46-41 SCOREFEST OVER

PREVIOUSLY UNBEATEN ALABAMA. THE TIGERS' FIRST VICTORY OVER

THE TIDE SINCE 2011. QUARTERBACK JOE BURROW AND

RUNNING BACK CLYDE EDWARDS-HELAIRE WERE FLAWLESS,

PROPELLING LSU TO A 20-POINT HALFTIME LEAD AND THEN MAKING

ALL THE CLUTCH PLAYS TO SECURE THE VICTORY.

THE TIGERS TRY TO KEEP THEIR PERFECT SEASON GOING SATURDAY

NIGHT AT OLE MISS. HOUSTON WRITER BRYAN WASHINGTON

NAMED THE WINNER OF THE 2019 ERNEST J. GAINES AWARD FOR

LITERARY EXCELLENCE. HIS DEBUT BOOK ENTITLED "LOT" IS

A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES. WASHINGTON RECEIVED HIS AWARD

JANUARY 30 IN A CEREMONY AT THE MANSHIP THEATER AT SHAW CENTER

FOR THE ARTS IN BATON ROUGE. THE GALA WILL HONOR THE WRITERS,

OF COURSE, AND ALSO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE LITERARY GREATNESS OF THE

LATE ERNEST J. GAINES. HE PASSED AWAY JUST LAST WEEK AT

HIS HOME IN OSCAR. GOVERNOR JOHN BEL EDWARDS

ANNOUNCED THAT $10 MILLION IN RECOVERY MONEY FROM HURRICANES

IKE AND GUSTAV WILL BE USED TO BUILD PERMANENT HOUSES AT CAMP

BEAUREGUARD IN PINEVILLE. THE 50 NEW HOUSES WILL BECOME

HOME TO NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS AND AIRMEN.

THE NEW HOMES WILL REPLACE AGING MOBILE HOMES, WHICH WERE BROUGHT

IN FOR DISPLACED FAMILIES AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA.

WHO KNEW LOUISIANA WAS SUCH A TOURISM DESTINATION FOR GERMANY.

FOR ONE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR BILLY NUNGESSER, RIGHT NOW, AS

CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS'

ASSOCIATION, HE'S LEADING A WEEK LONG DELEGATION THERE.

NUNGESSER IS MEETING WITH GERMAN POLITICAL AND BUSINESS LEADERS

TO CONTINUE PROMOTING OUR STATE AS A TOURIST DESTINATION AND A

PLACE TO DO BUSINESS. GERMAN VISITORS SPENT MORE THAN

$80 MILLION IN LOUISIANA LAST YEAR.

CURRENT MONEY CONCERNS ARE CREATING WORRY THAT HALF OF THE

SCHOOLS IN POINTE COUPEE PARISH COULD CLOSE AND JOBS SLASHED IF

A PROPERTY TAX UP FOR RENEWAL VOTE THIS WEEKEND FAILS.

THE $5.5 MILLION THE TAX GENERATES ACCOUNTS FOR MORE THAN

A QUARTER OF THE BUDGET FOR PARISH SCHOOLS.

THE TAX RATE HAS REMAINED UNCHANGED SINCE THE 1970s AND

HAS BEEN RENEWED EVERY DECADE. WORK TO CREATE FOUR ARTIFICIAL

REEFS TO ATTRACT SPORTFISH IN LAKE BORGNE AND THE MISSISSIPPI

SOUND SHOULD BE FINISHED BY THE END OF THE MONTH.

THE REEFS WILL PROVIDE A HABITAT WHERE SPECKLED TROUT, REDFISH

AND FLOUNDER ARE LIKELY TO HANG OUT, CONTRACTORS HAVE PUT DOWN

880 TONS OF LIMESTONE AND 80 CUBIC YARDS OF CONCRETE DOMES.

OYSTER SHELLS STILL TO COME WILL COMPLETE THE NEW HABITAT.

IT APPEARS A COALITION OF STATE, LOCAL, AND LSU OFFICIALS HAVE

COME TOGETHER IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE THE SIX LAKES WHICH

SURROUND THE LSU CAMPUS IN BATON ROUGE.

A PLAN WAS FIRST DISCUSSED FOUR YEARS AGO, THE COALITION

INCLUDES THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE, BREC,

LSU, THE LSU ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT, AND THE BATON ROUGE

AREA FOUNDATION. LSU'S REAL ESTATE AND FACILITIES

FOUNDATION WILL BE IN CHARGE OF ISSUING THE CONTRACTS AND WILL

OVERSEE THE EXTENSIVE WORK. THE WORK INCLUDES DREDGING ALL

SIX LAKES, BUILDING A BRIDGE AND SIDEWALKS AND BIKE PATHS.

FUNDING WILL COME FROM CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY EACH OF

THE PARTNERS. THANK YOU MR. PRESIDENT.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. LOUISIANA, WE ARE TRUMP COUNTRY.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ] WE LOVE PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HE

LOVES LOUISIANA. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP LEFT A

WASHINGTON EMBROILED IN AN IMPEACHMENT DRAMA FOR BOSSIER

CITY TO RALLY REPUBLICANS AND RUNOFF CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR

EDDIE RISPONE. THE THURSDAY NIGHT EVENT TOOK

PLACE AT THE CENTURY LINK CENTER.

TRUMP IS URGING REPUBLICANS TO VOTE PARTY AND ELECT RISPONE.

BRING DOWN YOUR TAXES. IF YOU WANT TO DEFEND YOUR

VALUES, YOUR JOBS AND YOUR FREEDOM, THEN YOU NEED TO

REPLACE RADICAL LIB CAL JOHN BEL EDWARDS WITH A TRUE LOUISIANA

PATRIOT, EDDIE RISPONE. EDDIE RISPONE.

GREAT GUY. THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL

COMMITTEE HAS POURED ANOTHER $1 MILLION IN THE GOVERNOR'S RACE

IN THE FINAL DAYS BEFORE TOMORROW'S ELECTION.

GROWING CONCERNS ABOUT LOSING A SECOND MAJOR STATE RACE,

KENTUCKY RECENTLY ELECTING A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR.

FOR JOHN BEL EDWARDS TO WIN, HE NEEDS A STRONG BLACK VOTER

TURNOUT AND BLACK VOTER OUTREACH HAS INTENSIFIED.

POLLS SHOW EDWARDS WITH A SLIGHT EDGE, 46 TO 48%.

THE GOP MESSAGE IS TO NATIONALIZE THE VISIT, TRUMP'S

VISIT JUNE SCORED THAT. DEMOCRATS ARE KEEPING STHAR

ISSUES ON STATE SUCCESSES. THIS WEEK TO ENSURE HIS MESSAGE

IS HEARD, THE GOVERNOR ROLLED OUT A FINAL STATEWIDE MEDIA

TOUR. THAT MEANT HE WAS IN PLACE AT

LPB STUDIOS, HOME OF LOUISIANA'S ONLY STATEWIDE NEWSCAST BEFORE

6:00 IN THE MORNING THURSDAY SO HE COULD BEAM HIS MESSAGE VIA

SATELLITE TO TV STATIONS AND MARKETS ALL OVER THE STATE.

HE APPEARED ON NUMEROUS MORNING SHOWS AND HE BEGAN A NUMBER OF

TAPED TV INTERVIEWS WITH REPORTERS FROM STATIONS

STATEWIDE. LPB HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET

THE LAST WORD FROM HIM. WE'VE MADE TREMENDOUS

PROGRESS OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS.

THE LARGEST BUDGET DEFICIT HAS BEEN DEALT WITH.

WE RAN A SURPLUS AFTER A $300 MILLION TAX CUT LAST YEAR, WE

RAN A SURPLUS. WE ARE INVESTING IN GAGS,

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM IS DONE. WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE OF A RECENT

CRIME REPORT FROM 2018. EVERYTHING I HAVE DONE, ANDRE,

HAS BEEN ON A BIPARTISAN BASIS TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MAJOR GOALS.

MOST OF THOSE THINGS REQUIRES A 2/3 VOTE IN THE LEGISLATURE.

THAT IS THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS GOING FORWARD.

I'M OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, CONTINUE TO MAKE

PROGRESS AND STRENGTHEN OUR STATE.

ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 16, POLLS OPEN 7:00 A.M. AND CLOSE

AT 8:00 P.M. BETWEEN 2012 AND 2014 VOTER

TURNOUT AMONG THOSE OF AND OLDER FELL 16 POINTS, BUT TURNOUT

AMONG THOSE 18 TO 29 FELL 25 POINTS.

IN AN AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA SHOWS THOSE NUMBERS CONTINUE TO DROP.

WE TALKED WITH STUDENTS AND A PROFESSOR AND LOCAL AUTHOR ABOUT

SOME OF THE REASONS WHY MANY YOUNG PEOPLE AREN'T ENGAGED.

ON A BRISK FALL MORNING, STUDENTS FILL THE SIDEWALKS OF

THE LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS FOR MANY POLITICS THE

FARTHEST THING FROM THEIR MINDS. STUDENT ATHLETE WHITNEY FOREMAN

IS FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS. I'M WAY TOO BUSY.

I PLAY VOLLEYBALL. I FOCUS ON SCHOOL AND MY SPORT.

I HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY. LSU SENIOR OF KANSAS CITY

LIKE MANY YOUNG PEOPLE GET THEIR NEWS, POLITICAL OR OTHERWISE

FROM SOCIAL MEDIA. I SEE IT ON TWITTER AND WILL

LOOK IT UP AND READ ABOUT IT. IT IS OBVIOUS THE POLITICAL

CLIMATE IS TERRIBLE. BRITTANY WIMBERL AND OTHERS

SAY WHEN THEY DO TUNE IN THEY ARE IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF BY

WHAT THEY SEE AND HEAR. THE PRESIDENT, I DON'T LIKE

WHAT HE SAYS MAINLY BECAUSE WHAT I SEE ON THE COMMERCIALS ARE

NEGATIVE AGAINST THE GOVERNOR. JUST LIKE MANY IN HIS

GENERATION, JAMES MARTEN SPENDS MORE TIME ON HIS PHONE THAN

WATCHING TV. HE IS CAUTIOUS ABOUT WHAT HE

FINDS IN HIS NEWS FEED. I DON'T BELIEVE ANYTHING I

SEE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. I BELIEVE EVERY COMPANY HAS

SOMEWHAT OF AN AGENDA. WHATEVER I'M LOOKING AT ON MY

FEED, I KNOW IF I'M GOING TO TAKE IT TO HEART I HAVE TO

DOUBLE CHECK IT. MARTIN ADMITS HE IS NOT

INTERESTED. I'M OVERALL UNINFORMED.

I DIDN'T EVEN VOTE THIS PAST GOVERNOR ELECTION BECAUSE I

DIDN'T FEEL CONFIDENT OR INFORMED ENOUGH TO MAKE A SOLID

DECISION. IT IS NOT HIGH ON MY PRIORITY

LIST. ANOTHER SOPHOMORE AGREES.

I FIND A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE DON'T PAY TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO

IT. I THINK THE CHALLENGE IS NOT

GETTING THEM TO PAY ATTENTION, BUT MAYBE JUST SORTING IT OUT

AND FIGURING OUT WHAT IS IMPORTANT, WHAT IS NOT

IMPORTANT, HOW MUCH EMPHASIS WE PUT ON THIS OR THAT.

ROBERT MANN IS A PROFESSOR AND POLITICAL HISTORIAN.

PART OF HIS JOB IS MAKING SURE STUDENTS CAN SEPARATE SOCIAL

MEDIA FACT FROM FICTION. WHAT WE DO HERE IS HELPING

THEM FIGURE OUT WHAT IS REAL, WHAT IS NOT.

TESTING, UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS A GOOD SOURCE, WHAT IS NOT A GOOD

SOURCE. WHAT CAN YOU BELIEVE?

WHAT CAN'T YOU BELIEVE? LOOK, WE ALL HAVE THOSE

PROBLEMS. I FALL FOR STUFF MYSELF.

AMERICANS, SMART PEOPLE ARE FALLING FOR FAKE NEWS ON

FACEBOOK. A LOT OF RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA.

HE SAYS MANY OF HIS JOURNALISM STUDENTS ARE VERY

INTERESTED IN POLITICS AND OFTEN ENLIGHTEN HIM.

A LOT OF TIMES THEY GIVE ME INFORMATION I DON'T HAVE.

IT IS SURPRISING. I FOLLOW THE NEWS CLOSELY AND

THEY TELL ME ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED AND SHOWING ME A

VIDEO CLIP OR SENDING ME A STORY THAT I MISSED.

HE SAYS BECAUSE OF THE WAY MANY YOUNG PEOPLE GET THEIR NEWS

AND INFORMATION, THEY MAY BE ABLE TO BYPASS A LOT OF THE

MUDSLINGING. A LOT OF STUDENTS ARE NOT

SEEING THE SPOTS, THEY ARE NOT SEEING THE SAME MESSAGES WE ARE.

SOMETIMES THEY ARE NOT SEEING THE MESSAGES AT ALL OR THEY ARE

SEEING THEM ONLINE AND MAY BE SEEING SOMETHING COMPLETELY

DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE ARE SEEING BECAUSE OF THE ABILITY TO

MICROTARGET ONLINE. CANDIDATES HAVE GOTTEN

SOPHISTICATED TO TARGETING YOU. HE SAYS POLITICIANS HAVE

HISTORICALLY STRUGGLED WITH REACHING YOUNG VOTERS AND THAT

COULD BE THE REASON MANY YOUNG PEOPLE DON'T VOTE AND ARE LESS

ENGAGED. THE CANDIDATES DON'T SPEAK TO

YOUNG PEOPLE. IT IS A SELF-FULFILLING

PROPHESY. POLITICIAN KNOW YOUNG PEOPLE

GENERALLY DON'T VOTE, FOR A LOT OF REASONS, SO THEY DON'T TALK

TO THEM. AND YOUNG PEOPLE NOTICE THE

CANDIDATES DON'T TALK TO THEM SO BECAUSE OF THAT, THEY DON'T

VOTE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT COMES FIRST

THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG, BUT BOTH ARE TRUE.

UNTIL YOUNG PEOPLE GET MORE INVOLVED, MORE ACTIVE AND START

VOTING AT A HIGHER PERCENTAGE, THE POLITICIAN WON'T PAY MUCH

ATTENTION TO THEM. LPB WILL RUN ELECTION

RESULTINGS ONCE THE POLLS CLOSE. YOU CAN SEE THE LATEST RESULTS

COMING IN AS THEY HIT THE SCREEN.

YOU SEE THE BIG PICTURE THERE OF THOSE EARLY VOTING NUMBERS.

SOME PEOPLE ARE VOTING. 115,000 MORE PEOPLE HEADED TO

THE POLLS EARLY COMPARED TO THOSE WHO VOTED EARLY IN THE

PRIMARY. POLLSTER AND POLITICAL

STRATEGIST JOHN COUVILLON OF JMC ANALYTICS AND POLLING HAS BEEN

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS. HERE'S HIS UPDATE FOR THE FULL

EARLY VOTING. 115,000 MORE PEOPLE HAVE

VOTED EARLY. I THINK YOU WILL CRACK 500,000

TOTAL EARLY VOTES. THAT MEANS IT IS THE HIGHEST

EARLY VOTING TURNOUT EVER IN A NON-PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

BY COMPARISON, 385,000 VOTERS WENTZ TO THE POLLS EARLY IN THE

OCTOBER PRIMARY. THE THING THAT HAS BEEN

INTERESTING ABOUT THE RUNOFF EARLY VOTING, IT HAS REMAINED

MORE HEAVILY DEMOCRATIC. NUMBER TWO, WHEN I LOOKED AT

THOSE WHO ACTUALLY EARLY VOTED, THERE WERE 60,000 QUOTE-UNQUOTE

NEW VOTERS. THEY DID NOT PEARPT IN THE

PRIMARY. MORE BLACK VOTERS TURNED OUT

COMPARED TO THE PRIMARY AND THE FINAL TALLY IS 31% BLACK, 6%

HIGHER IN THE PRIMARY. IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN A

SIX-POINT DIFFERENCE FOR EDWARDS.

THE WAY I LOOK AT IT IS THIS, THERE HAS BEEN SPINNING GOING ON

TO THE POINT THAT THE DEMOCRATS ARE FRONT LOADING THE TURNOUT.

WHAT I HAVE SEEN IS IT IS CONSISTENTLY BENEFITING THE

DEMOCRATS, IT IS MARGE NHL FOR EDWARDS ON ELECTION DAY.

HE BELIEVES 52% OF THE ELECTORATE WILL GO TO THE POLLS.

DO YOU THINK WHOEVER WINS, THE FINAL NUMBERS --

I THINK IT WILL BE IN TWO TO THREE POINTS.

THE EARLY VOTING HAS EXCEEDED 500,000 PEOPLE.

BESIDES THE GOVERNOR'S RACE, VOTERS WILL DECIDE SECRETARY OF

STATE AND BESE RUNOFF RACES SENATOR JOHN KENNEDY WHO

GAINED NATIONAL ATTENTION AT A TRUMP RALLY SAYING NANCY PELOSI

MUST BE DUMB, STRUCK A DIFFERENT ACCORD AT THE BATON ROUGE PRESS

CLUB. HE TALKED ABOUT THE 2020 CENSUS

IMPORTANCE. A GROWING NUMBERS OF

AMERICANS WHO SAY THEY ARE NOT GOING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE

CENSUS. AMONG THOSE MOST LIKELY TO SAY

THEY WILL SKIP IT, FIRST CATEGORY, YOUNG ADULTS 18 TO 29

YEARS OLD, ABOUT 34% WHEN SURVEYED SAY THEY ARE NOT GOING

TO PARTICIPATE. AFRICAN-AMERICANS ABOUT 26%.

NEIGHBORS OF OURS WITH A FAMILY INCOME OF LESS THAN $30,000,

ABOUT 24% SAY THEY ARE NOT GOING TO PARTICIPATE.

HISPANIC AMERICANS AND HISPANICS WHO ARE IN OUR COUNTRY BUT ARE

NOT YET CITIZENS, 21%. LOOK, I UNDERSTAND DISTRUST OF

GOVERNMENT. AS BAD AS IT LOOKS SOMETIMES

FROM THE OUTSIDE, YOU SHOULD SEE IT FROM THE INSIDE, BUT THIS IS

IMPORTANT. AND I HOPE YOU WILL HELP US

PUBLICIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF ALL AMERICANS INCLUDING AND

ESPECIALLY LOUISIANANS TO ANSWER THE CENSUS.

THERE IS BIG NEWS ABOUT THE SUPERDOME THIS WEEK.

THE COMMISSION APPROVED A CONTRACT TO KICK OFF THE FIRST

PHASE OF A MASSIVE RENOVATION OF THE MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME.

PRICE TAG $450 TO $500 MILLION. AFTER THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN NEW ORLEANS THIS SEASON.

THE GOVERNOR AND A CHAIRMAN FOR THE DOME COMMISSION ARE BEAMING

ABOUT WHAT IS TO COME. I EXPECT IT TO BE SUCH A GOOD

DEAL FOR THE STATE THAT EVERYBODY, REGARDLESS OF WHERE

THEY LIVE AROUND THE STATE OF LOUISIANA ARE GOING TO BE

EXCITED ABOUT IT. LOOK, NEW ORLEANS IS IMPORTANT

TO THE STATE. AND EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT.

AND ON OCCASION YOU HAVE TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT NEW INVESTMENTS.

ESPECIALLY IN SOMETHING LIKE A FACILITY LIKE THE SUPERDOME

WHERE YOU NEED IT TO BE COMPETITIVE, NOT JUST FROM THE

ASPECT OF THE SAINTS, EVERY TIME WE IMPROVE IT WE ARE MORE

COMPETITIVE WITH BOWL GAMES AND OTHER FUNCTIONS YOU CAN GET

THERE. THE FAN EXPERIENCE IS SOMETHING

WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT, TOO. AND HOW WE ARE GOING TO UPGRADE

THAT FAN EXPERIENCE AT THE SUPERDOME AND, YOU KNOW, FIRST

OF ALL, I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE STARTED BY SAYING WHAT A

WONDERFUL FACILITY THAT HAS BEEN FOR THE STATE OF LOUISIANA FOR A

LONG TIME. THIS IS A MULTIPHASE,

MULTIYEAR PROJECT THAT TOTALS $450 MILLION.

SO WE ARE GOING TO BE MOVING PIECES AROUND AND IN THIS CASE

WE HAVE THE COMMISSARY INVOLVED IN THIS PHASE.

WE DECIDED TO MOVE IT TO ANOTHER PHASE, HOPEFULLY TO SAVE SOME

MONEY AND BE MORE COST EFFECTIVE.

SO THIS INITIAL PHASE WILL BE CLOSE TO $53 MILLION.

INVOLVE THE TEARING OUT OF THE WALKWAYS, THE INTERIOR RAMPS

INSIDE THE SUPERDOME, WHICH IS ABOUT 80,000 SQUARE FEET.

THIS IS IS A SIGNIFICANT STEP IN KEEPING THE SAINTS HERE FOR

ANOTHER 30 YEARS. THEY ARE A PARTNER IN THIS

PROJECT. THEY ARE PUTTING UP REAL MONEY

TO HELP US RENOVATE THE SUPERDOME.

OBVIOUSLY, MRS. BENSON AND THE SAINTS LOVE NEW ORLEANS.

THEY AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE. WE ARE HONORED TO KEEP THEM IN

LOUISIANA FOR THE FORSEEABLE FUTURE.

WHEN YOU ALREADY RANK ONE OF THE BEST VENUES IN ALL OF NFL, WE

ARE PRETTY CLOSE TO BEING THERE NOW.

WHAT THIS DOES IS WE LOOK TO THE FUTURE TO THE NEXT 30 OR 40

YEARS. THIS WILL KEEP US IN COMPETITION

WITH SOME OF THESE BIG EVENTS WE ARE ALWAYS BIDDING ON.

AS IT RELATES TO THE SUPERDOME NOW AND THE EXPERIENCE OUR FANS

HAVE FLOW, WE ARE UP AT THE TOP OF THE MARK.

YES, DO OUR CONCOURSES NEED TO BE LARGER?

CERTAINLY. DO WE NEED MORE BATHROOMS IN THE

FACILITY? ABSOLUTELY.

DO WE NEED MORE ADA SEATING IN THIS BUILDING?

ABSOLUTELY. WE NEED TO DO THOSE KINDS OF

THINGS IN THIS FACILITY TO BRING IT UP TO CURRENT STANDARDS.

AS WE SALUTED AND HONORED VETERANS ON VETERANS DAY, I

PLANNED TO VISIT WITH A GROUP OF VETERANS TO SAY THANK YOU.

WE CAN NEVER THANK THEM ENOUGH. WHAT I LEARNED IS THESE GUYS

HAVE NEVER STOPPED SERVING. THEY ARE WORKING TO END THE

WIDOW'S TAX. THE ONE THING THAT CONNECTS

US ALL IS WE WERE IN THIS ONE ORGANIZATION THAT VERY FEW

OTHERS HAVE BEEN A PART OF. THE CONNECTION THAT REGINALD

BROWN SPEAKS OF IS THE ONE THAT CAN BE FORGED BY MEN AND WOMEN

WHO CHOOSE THE LIFE OF SERVICE TO AMERICA IN THE ARMED FORCES.

I FOUND SOMETHING THERE AND IT WAS TOUGH AND RIGOROUS, IT

WAS SOMETHING MAGIC ABOUT GETTING THINGS DONE.

WAYNE RADER IS A RETIRED ARMY COLONEL, SHELBY HARGROVE IN THE

ROTC ARMY RESERVES. MILITARY GIVES YOU LOTS OF

OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU DON'T GET ANYWHERE ELSE.

THE MILITARY GIVES YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO FORM ABILITIES

THAT YOU DON'T GET IN CIVILIAN LIFE.

ONE MISSION THEY ARE WORKING ON WITH GREAT HELP OF THEIR

GROUP THE MILITARIES OFFICERS ASSOCIATION IS SOMETHING KNOWN

AS THE WIDOW'S TAX. THEY TELL ME IT KEEPS THOUSANDS

OF MILITARY FAMILIES FROM COLLECTING WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY

THEIRS AND THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING FOR YEARS.

THERE IS A LAW THAT PROHIBITS INDIVIDUALS FROM DRAWING BOTH

THEIR SURVIVOR BENEFIT FROM THEIR RETIRED SERVICE MEMBERS

SPOUSE AND THE SURVIVOR INSURANCE BENEFIT.

AND THE SURVIVOR SPOUSE PAYS A PREMIUM FOR THIS BENEFIT.

SO IT'S ONE OF THE FEW CASES THAT ANYONE KNOWS OF WHERE A

COUPLE IS PAYING A BENEFIT -- PAYING A PREMIUM FOR A BENEFIT

AND THEN THEY CAN'T ACCEPT THE BENEFIT, THEIR RETIREMENT PAID

BENEFIT IS REDUCED BECAUSE OF THAT IF THEIR SPOUSE DIES.

AS MANY AS 65,000 MILITARY WIDOWS ARE IMPACTED, MISSING OUT

ON $12,000 A YEAR TAX FREE. FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS,

QUITE A FEW YEARS, CONGRESS HAS ENTERTAINED THIS CHANGE TO THIS

LAW, BUT HAS NEVER PASSED IT. AND THEY SAID IT IS BECAUSE THEY

DON'T HAVE THE $2 MILLION TO $3 MILLION IT WOULD TAKE TO FUND

IT. WHICH IS KIND OF STRANGE BECAUSE

WE FIND HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO OFUND OTHER THINGS

WHEREAS IT IS A CASE FOR US WHERE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILY

MEMBERS ARE NOT BEING FULLY TAKEN CARE OF BECAUSE OF THIS.

HOW DO YOU RESPOND? HOW DO YOU REACT TO SOMETHING

THAT SEEMS LIKE IT SHOULD BE DONE IN SUCH A BETTER WAY AND

SORT OF AN OBVIOUS CLEAR CUT HELPFUL WAY, BUT IT IS NOT?

WE UNDERSTAND POLITICS IS POLITICS.

WE TRY TO BE EVEN KEELED ABOUT THAT.

EVEN THOUGH WE ARE AN OFFICER ORGANIZATION, THE ORGANIZATION

KNOWS THAT WE DON'T EXIST UNLESS WE TAKE CARE OF THE ENTIRE

FORCE. SO THERE'S A LOT OF LEGISLATION

THAT HAPPENS IN WASHINGTON THAT AFFECTS MILITARY PAY AND

ALLOWANCES. SO THERE'S A LOT OF ADVOCACY TO

TRY TO GET THOSE BILLS PASSED TO HELP THE CURRENT SERVING

MILITARY AND THEIR SPOUSES BECAUSE THAT IS A KEY COMPONENT

OF KEEPING OUR MORALE UP IN THE ACTIVE FORCE TO ENSURE THAT OUR

FAMILIES ARE BEING TAKEN CARE OF WHILE WE ARE DEPLOYED AND DOING

WHAT WE NEED TO DO FOR THE COUNTRY.

THEY SAY NOW FINALLY IN JUST THE PAST RECENT MONTHS THERE HAS

BEEN MOVEMENT IN WASHINGTON TO CHANGE THE ARCHAIC LAW, BUT IT

HASN'T HAPPENED YET. THEY CONTINUE THEIR FIGHT TO

SERVE WITH TEAMWORK, BROTHERHOOD AND UNITY.

THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE, TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, TO BE PART OF

A TEAM THAT REALLY IS COMMITTED TO A QUALITY OF LIFE THAT IS

PRETTY EXTRAORDINARY IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN VERY,

VERY SPECIAL, I THINK TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US HERE AT THIS

TABLE. THOSE GUYS ARE EXTRAORDINARY.

WE THANK THEM FOR THEIR SERVICE. THAT IS OUR SHOW THIS WEEK.

REMEMBER, YOU CAN WATCH ANYTHING LPB ANYWHERE TIME WITH OUR BRAND

NEW APP. DOWNLOAD FROM OUR APP STORES.

PLEASE FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM.

FOR ALL OF US AT LOUISIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING, I'M ANDRE

MOREAU. I'M NATASHA WILLIAMS.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, THAT'S THE "STATE WE'RE IN."

SUPPORT COMES FROM -- ENTERGY PROVIDES MUCH MORE THAN

POWER. WE SUPPORT SCIENCE AND

ENGINEERING AT LOCAL SCHOOLS TO BUILD A BRIGHTER PATH TO BETTER

JOBS AND HELP PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION BECAUSE TOGETHER, WE

POWER LIFE. ENTERGY.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE FRED B. AND RUTH B.

ZIEGLER FOUNDATION AND THE ZIEGLER ART MUSEUM LOCATED IN

JENNINGS CITY HALL. THE MUSEUM FOCUSES ON EMERGING

LOUISIANA ARTISTS AND IS AN HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CENTER

FOR SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA. AND THE FOUNDATION FOR

EXCELLENCE IN LOUISIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING WITH SUPPORT FROM

VIEWERS LIKE YOU.