Governor Edwards releases a proclamation today that will officially lift the stay at home order tomorrow, which will loosen restrictions on restaurants and churches. Gyms, movie theaters, nail, and hair salons can reopen. Edwards says moving to phase one doesn’t mean life returns to pre-coronavirus. He says if people do not follow the CDC and state health department recommendations, we will be back to square one…
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Barbershops and hair salons will partially reopen Friday and the experience is expected to be drastically different. Louisiana Cosmetology Board executive director Steve Young…
Cut 4 (09)_ “…the appointed time.”
Under phase one guidelines, salons can only open at 25-percent capacity and each station has to be at least six feet apart. Young says there could be a buffer time of 15 to 30 minutes between each customer to make sure all equipment gets wiped down.

Most of Louisiana’s state parks will reopen this weekend and the state wants to make sure Louisiana residents take advantage of them. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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Even though Louisiana is moving into phase one of reopening, the LHSAA announces that offseason workouts will not begin until at least June 8th. Executive Director Eddie Bonine says the delay gives schools more time to make sure they have all the proper safety measures in place.

Louisiana’s stay at home order is set to end tomorrow and today Governor John Bel Edwards will release the official phase one reopening guidelines that he’s expecting businesses to follow. Churches and restaurants can reopen at 25-percent of their normal capacity.

But not every business can reopen tomorrow. Massage, tattoo parlors, amusement parks and bars that do not serve food must remain closed. Matt Doyle has more…
voicer 2 (30) “….I’m Matt Doyle”

Salons and barbers can welcome customers back to their business tomorrow. But under phase one guidelines, they can only open at 25-percent capacity and each station has to be at least six feet apart. Louisiana Board of Cosmetology Executive Director Steve Young says stylists are also required to wear masks…
cut 6 (05) “…be sanitized”
Young says there could be a buffer time of 15 to 30 minutes between each customer to make sure all of the equipment gets wiped down.

Eighteen of 21 State Parks reopen this weekend. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says all previously booked out of state reservations are canceled, giving Louisiana residents a chance to visit a state park…
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State Parks will begin accepting reservations tomorrow.

Governor Edwards will release a proclamation today that officially lifts the stay at home order, which will loosen restrictions on restaurants and churches and allow many retailers, gyms, movie theaters, nail and hair salons to reopen. But Edwards says the fight against the coronavirus is not over and he’s asking residents to wear maks, social distance and practice good hygiene…
cut 30 (10) “…wrong direction”
Some business advocates are frustrated that tattoo parlors, bars, and spas will not be allowed to open for business tomorrow. Assistant Health Secretary Doctor Alex Billioux cited White House guidelines recommending places like bars remain closed.
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The full Senate has approved a bill giving voters a chance to decide if they want sports betting legalized in their parish. Metairie Senator Cameron Henry says if his proposal gets full legislative approval, the proposition will appear on the November ballot
Cut 16 (13) “…moving forward.”
The proposal passed on a 29-8 vote and heads to the House for more consideration.

Congressman Ralph Abraham pens a letter to Tesla founder Elon Musk inviting the tycoon to relocate his California based company to north Louisiana. Musk reopened his Tesla production facility in spite of a local stay at home order shuttering all non-essential businesses and is facing potential legal action.
Cut 7 (11) “…What’s right.”

Hair salons, restaurants, and movie theaters can re-open tomorrow, but tattoo parlors, bars, and spas will have to wait until phase two. Assistant health secretary Doctor Alex Billioux says they have three criteria for when, and how businesses can open: The number of potential COVID contacts in a facility, how long you would have contact with a COVID case, and whether the business model could be adapted to limit contact.
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Billioux says the Phase One reopening still calls for extensive social distancing and only focuses on businesses deemed “low risk”.

State parks, historic sites and state museums reopen this weekend under phase one guidelines. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says park rangers and attendants will be there to greet visitors…
cut 15 (11) “…back to Louisiana”

Are you ready to get your hair cut or nails done? Remember you are not the only one as these facilities re-open tomorrow. Kevin Barnhart reports appointments will likely be needed…
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After most of Tuesday was consumed by lawsuit reform arguments the Legislature managed to get some other issues moving through the process Wednesday. Legislation banning handheld use of mobile devices while driving clears the Senate and is headed to the House.

And the full Senate also overwhelmingly passed a bill giving voters a chance to decide if they want sports betting legalized in their parish. Metairie Senator Cameron Henry says if his proposal gets full legislative approval, the proposition will appear on the November third ballot

AM Cut 16 (13) “…moving forward.”

Henry says if residents in a parish vote for this proposition, then the legislature will decide how it will be taxed and regulated during the 2021 fiscal session…

AM Cut 17  (14) “…you on it” 

While the House Appropriations Committee awaits a budget proposal from Governor Edwards lawmakers are planning what they hope will be an expedient path to passage. The proposal must include a billion dollars in cuts due to the COVID and oil related deficits, and House Appropriations Chairman Jerome Zeringue says the unfortunate reality of a billion-dollar deficit is that our constitution is clear on where those cuts must come from…

Cut 12 (11) “…do.”

A balanced budget must be passed by the start of the next fiscal year, July 1^st.

Zeringue says crafting that budget is difficult because right now we don’t know how much federal aid the state will get, or how we can use it.

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Thursday a slate of minimum wage and equal pay for women bills will be taken up by a House Committee that is known for routinely shooting down such efforts.

Lawmakers are hoping to knock out a balanced budget for the next fiscal year before the regular session ends June 1^st despite a billion-dollar projected deficit. House Appropriations Chairman Jerome Zeringue says there are 50-50 odds that the budget debate will require a June special session, but not for the usual partisan reasons.

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Governor Edwards has indicated that any budget passed this session for the next fiscal year will likely need to be revised in October.

Senator Bill Cassidy says more needs to be done to address the developmental damage being done to children who are missing out on critical days of school. Cassidy says all of the country’s vaccine work is currently focused on adults, but children need a vaccine too.

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Cassidy raised these questions with Trump Administration health officials.

The idea of axing Mardi Gras 2021 in New Orleans has been discussed, but in Lafayette, the outlook is to stick to business as usual.  President and CEO of the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission Ben Berthelot says if guidance is issued on how to best handle Mardi Gras closer to Carnival season, those measures will be taken.

Cut 5 (09)  “…and welcoming people.”

Fat Tuesday falls on February 16 in 2021.

The United Way is asking families how is the COVID-19 crisis impacting them financially? Louisiana Association of United Ways President Sarah Berthelot says you can go to launitedway.org to complete the ten-minute survey. She hopes to receive several hundred responses from every region of the state.

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Berthelot says they launched the survey on Tuesday and they’ve already had about one-thousand respondents.

House Appropriations Chairman Jerome Zeringue says the odds of crafting a balanced budget for the next fiscal year that includes a billion dollar deficit thanks to COVID-19 and the oil price crash without a special session are about 50-50. Zeringue says crafting that budget is difficult because right now we don’t know how much federal aid the state will get, or how we can use it. Without federal aid higher ed and health care could face steep cuts…

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Louisiana received 1.8 billion in COVID-19 response funding from the feds with the requirement that it only be spent on direct response to the pandemic.

Louisiana reports 612 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the largest single day jump since May 1^st, but state officials are cautioning that the bulk in new reporting is largely due to a testing logjam. One confirmed positive trend is that the state has now dropped below 1,200 COVID hospitalizations for the first time since March.

The Louisiana Association of United Ways is asking residents to complete their ten-minute online survey to find out how COVID0-19 is impacting families financially. Jeff Palermo has the story

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Senator Bill Cassidy says the feds need to dedicate more resources to figuring out how we can get kids back in school. He says younger students are losing critical time in the classroom, and parents are struggling with them at home…

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