Jim Beam Column: It’s News People Can Use – American Press

The once-controversial REAL ID Louisiana driver’s license will go into effect on May 7, 2025 for anyone planning to fly domestically. The aim is to prevent would-be terrorists from using fake IDs when boarding flights, as they did on four flights on September 11, 2001 (September 11, 2001).

The Lawyer reminded readers Wednesday that REAL ID cards are identified by a gold circle at the top of the card and a white star in the middle.

The Transportation Security Administration said REAL ID is a coordinated effort across the country to ensure that driver’s licenses are authentic and people are who they say they are when they get the driver’s license.

Dan Casey, commissioner of the state Office of Motor Vehicles, said, “The May 7, 2025 compliance date is less than six months away. If you are seeking an extension or need a duplicate, we strongly encourage you to consider becoming REAL ID compliant.”

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Although new treatments have improved lung cancer survival rates, Louisiana residents continue to have one of the highest lung cancer death rates in the country. The state is ranked 43rd^approx according to the American Lung Association of the 47 reporting states.

According to The Advocate, lung cancer is a brutal killer in Louisiana, accounting for 27% of all cancer deaths in the state. This means that more than 2,300 people lose their lives every year.

Louisiana’s rate is high because of a lack of preventative care, high smoking rates, less money being spent to get people to quit smoking, pollution and problems with insurance covering newer, more effective treatments.

The state spends about $4.6 million on tobacco prevention programs, less than 10% of the $59.6 million recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state collects about $436 million annually in tobacco revenue.

The government needs to spend more to convince smokers to quit, and smokers also need to receive early diagnosis.

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Residents at a senior living community in Baton Rouge attended a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of two brand new backup generators that will provide residents with power during storm outages. When demand is high, electricity is also available to surrounding districts as an energy source.

According to The Advocate, the generators are the result of a partnership between Entergy and Cypress Pinchback developer Partners Southeast.

The CEO of Partners said of residents: “Now their medicines and food will no doubt be refrigerated. Their cell phones, chairs and scooters are charged. Your air conditioner will be cold. Your rooms are heated. Your power will be turned on.”

An Entergy vice president said there will be outages, “and so we can work with our more vulnerable communities, senior housing, medical facilities and the infrastructure that the community needs to get back up and running after the storm – that’s really important.” .” us.”

Let’s hope again that this is just the beginning of more reliable electricity for more Louisianans.

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The Advocate also reported that the clock is ticking for the U.S. Senate to pass a bill that will roll back provisions that cut Social Security benefits for 2.8 million public employees across the country, including about 90,000 in Louisiana.

When the Senate returns to work, it will have just 12 days to approve these benefits and many other important items. U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy of Louisiana support the legislation.

U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge and co-author of the bill that passed the House, said support in the Senate is strong enough to “quickly right this tragic wrong….”

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Louisiana is making it easier for non-college graduates to find jobs, the paper says: “There are 1 million people in Louisiana who have the skills and experience to qualify for higher-paying jobs, but they are being held back, because they don’t have a job.” have a university degree.

Kenny Nguyen, a Baton Rouge business owner, and the state are working together to eliminate unnecessary graduation requirements. Lawmakers passed a bill that would ban agencies from requiring a four-year degree or more than three years of work experience for state jobs.

Arizona, California, Colorado and Connecticut are also looking at ways to increase access to public service jobs for non-graduates.

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Yes, there is definitely some news that people can take advantage of.

Jim Beamthe retired editor of the American Presshas been reporting on people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or [email protected].