Today is the first day casinos can open since a state ordered closure in mid-March. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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Movie theaters can reopen under Phase One guidelines, but most stay closed. Brooke Thorington explains.
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Ochsner says its treating three children in Louisiana for an illness the CDC believes is linked to COVID-19 infection. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Today is the first day casinos and video poker parlors can open since the governor ordered them closed in mid-March. State Police had to approve each casino’s spread mitigation procedures and operators are looking at whether they can still break even with occupancy limits in place. Casino Association of Louisiana executive director Wade Duty says not every casino will open today.
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Diamond Jacks Casino and Hotel in Bossier City has announced a permanent closure due to market conditions from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, the casino brings in $7.5 million to the state and $1.5 million to Bossier City in tax revenue. More than 300 will be without a job.
Duty says getting fully staffed is tricky.
Cut 5 (12) “…taken other positions.”
Casinos are allowed to open with 50% of their gaming positions in operation, but an over occupancy limit of 25-percent. Duty says they are optimistic players will visit Louisiana casinos and they should get out of state visitors too.
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Movies theaters are allowed to welcome customers back under the Governor’s Phase One reopening plan, however, most of the marquees remain dark. President of the Tristate Independent Theatre Association, Adam Holland says theatres didn’t know when Phase One would actually go into effect until the announcement on May 11th and they also have to coordinate with studios for product.
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Due to a lack of new releases to show and business procedures that must be implemented to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Holland says most theaters will open next month.
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Holland says when theaters do reopen, you’ll see some changes like sneeze guards at the concession stand and more ushers.
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Holland is confident the industry will survive because many people still like to watch movies in a theaters.
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The CDC warns physicians to be on the lookout for a possibly COVID-linked illness that has impacted over a hundred children across the country.
Ochsner Lafayette Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Katherine Lindle says the symptoms do not look like COVID-19 in adults.
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Lindle says other symptoms include rrashes and inflamed tongues that look like strawberries.
Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome appears to take hold in many patients after their initial COVID-19 infection has passed. Lindle says sometimes it’s several weeks later.
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Ochsner reports having treated three such cases in Louisiana, and Lindle says fatal outcomes for children afflicted by the disease are rare.
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More than half of the reported cases have been found in New York.
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The full Senate is scheduled to tackle two major bills today, one being tort reform aimed at reducing auto insurance rates and the other revoking local governments’ ability to sue oil companies for coastal damages. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says there are enough votes in the upper chamber to pass tort reform…
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Opponents of the tort reform bill say it would not lower auto insurance rates and would make it harder for victims of negligence to be properly compensated.
The coastal land loss lawsuit legislation had strong GOP support, but Pinsonat says local leaders are pushing coastal Republicans away from the bill.
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Pinsonat says it is possible the bill will be shelved today due to a lack of votes. He says the governor does not support both of these proposals…
Cut 15 (11)“…weaken it.”
The Senate will convene today at 2 PM.
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With the return of Bo Pelini as LSU’s defensive coordinator, the Tigers will also move to a four-three defensive front. During the Tiger Athletic Foundation’s Virtual Coaches tour, Pelini said there are enough talented defensive ends on the roster to make the switch
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Pelini says they will have some schemes that are the same ones used by former defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, but there will be some new packages as well
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Pelini is excited to have Jacoby Stevens back in the defensive secondary
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