The Governor’s Office is holding a statewide blood drive today amid a supply shortage following Hurricane Harvey. Tina Martinez with LifeShare Blood Centers says because of the hurricane’s destruction, many communities have not been able to donate blood to support the medical needs of local patients:
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Blood drive locations have been set up in all the major Louisiana cities, and donors can also go by any LifeShare location to contribute.

As of the latest update, now-Cat 4 Hurricane Irma is forecast to move between the Central Bahamas and the North Coast of Cuba today. A turn toward the northwest is expected by late Saturday, and on the track — Irma should move near the Florida Keys and southern Florida Peninsula Sunday morning. Maximum sustained winds are near 150 mph.

Meanwhile, the forecast in Louisiana looks absolutely perfect through much of next week. Humidity is down and morning lows are in the mid-upper 50s, while afternoon highs will only reach the low to mid 80s.

Louisiana’s two US senators were among the 80 who voted to support federal funding for Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts. Halen Doughty has more…:
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No. 10 Florida State has canceled its home game Saturday against ULM because of impending Hurricane Irma. Florida Governor Rick Scott ordered all colleges in the state closed through Monday.

For the first time since Hurricane Harvey, gas prices did not go up overnight. The current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $2.40, which is 13 cents higher than the prior week.