A second miner has been found dead following Monday’s roof collapse at the Avery Island salt mine. Don Molino has more…
cut 2 (27) …I’m Don Molino”

On his monthly call-in show, Governor Edwards says the rollout of the first coronavirus vaccine doses to states has gone smoothly. Thousands of hospital workers have received the vaccine this week. The governor hopes to begin vaccinations in nursing homes around December 28th as the Moderna vaccine is expected to receive federal approval later this week.

The House and Senate Insurance committees are meeting today discussing insurance issues from the active hurricane season that just concluded. Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Consumer Services, Jeffrey Zewe, says they’ve received over 700 consumer complaints from hurricane victims and a lot of the calls early on were over the amount of the hurricane deductible…
cut 14 (14) “…that issue”
Zewe says they still have 250 disaster complaints open.

An LSU grad student has named a previously unnamed wasp after former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. LSU AgCenter Entomologist Nathan Lord says this particular wasp was recently discovered in Asia…
cut 8 (10) “…border of Thailand”
Lord says the wasp as a tiger stripe coloration pattern on its body.

The state reported 38 more COVID 19-deaths today as the number of confirmed deaths related to the virus has increased to 6,607. The number of COVID patients in the hospital declined today to 1,584, while those needing a ventilator increased to 167.

Senator Bill Cassidy says the historic pace of COVID vaccine development, is a triumph of the Trump Administration’s Operation Warp Speed. Matt Doyle has more
Cut 1 (28) “ …I’m Matt Doyle”

A story from the Times-Picayune-New Orleans Advocate claims Lafayette native and Christian pop star Lauren Daigle was never booked to perform during Dick Clark’s Rockin New Year’s Eve celebration on A-B-C. But Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser appeared on Talk Louisiana this morning and said a letter written by New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell made sure an offer was never made…
cut 10 (10) “….on their channel”
Cantrell is upset Daigle sang at a large unpermitted event in Jackson Square last month.

There’s now a wasp named after former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. LSU Ag Center entomologist Nathan Lord says one of his grad students discovered a particular wasp that didn’t have a name so he named it after the Heisman Trophy winner…
cut 7 (10) “,…after Joe”
Lord says the wasp was found in Malaysia and they don’t how many of these type of wasps exist.

The rapid pace of vaccine development has, according to recent polls, many Americans concerned about the safety and efficacy of getting a shot. Senator Bill Cassidy says Operation Warp Speed’s success in producing a vaccine in just ten months is laudable, and if you doubt the vaccine’s safety just talk to one of the nurses that got vaccinated this week.

Cut 4 (09)   “..them”  

Cassidy says he would take the vaccine if offered but expects he is far down the priority list due to his prior infection and likely current immunity.

A new wasp species has been discovered by a grad student at the LSU Ag Center and has been named Joeburrowi, after former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.  Entomologist Nathan Lord with the LSU Ag Center says the name is appropriate due to the insect’s unique pattern.

Cut 6 (11) “…number one”

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser this morning doubled down on his comments that New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell had Lafayette pop star Lauren Daigle booted from ABC’s New Year’s Eve programming. A NOLA.com report contradicted that claim, but Nungesser says he had confirmed Daigle’s participation with ABC before Cantrell found out she was involved in the live performance from Jackson Square…

Cut 9 (09) “…New Orleans.”

The NOLA.com report has ABC and Daigle sources that claim the Grammy-winning Christian music artist was never offered a slot on the program in the first place, calling the accusations “categorically false”.

Senator Bill Cassidy says the Trump Administration’s Operation Warp Speed should be praised for producing a COVID vaccine in record time. Cassidy says the program built an innovative way to fast-track development and set a precedent for future vaccine research.
Cut 3 (08) “..months.”
The first vaccines were administered in Louisiana on Monday, just 275 days after the state suffered its first COVID death.

Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley is lobbying for public school employees to be prioritized when more COVID vaccines arrive in Louisiana.
Cut 10 (09) “…the vaccine.”
Nursing home residents and staff are next in line to get the vaccine and the governor’s office has yet to release who will be eligible to get the vaccine during the second phase of the rollout.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser accuses New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell of having Lafayette Christian pop star Lauren Daigle booted from an ABC New Year’s Eve special, but a report by NOLA.com says Daigle was never in contention for the show. Nungesser told LRN Tuesday that Cantrell opposed the thought of including Daigle in the ABC program.
Cut 7 (11) “…controversy.”
But that report, citing ABC and sources close to Daigle, says Daigle was not scheduled to play the event.

A joint meeting of the House and Senate Insurance committees is underway today to discuss hurricane insurance problems. Senate Insurance Chairman Kirk Talbot says insurers will be present to answer questions about recovery issues related to the last hurricane season.
Cut 13 (07) “…too long.”
You can stream the hearing on the Louisiana Legislature’s website.

As COVID vaccinations are underway for frontline healthcare workers, they are also overwhelmed with the third wave of patients, Brooke Thorington has more.
1 (28) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

The Iberia Parish Coroner’s office says the two Avery Island salt miners who went missing after a roof collapsed have been found dead. They are identified as 27-year-old Lance Begnaud of Broussard and 41-year-old Rene Romero of New Iberia. Cargill operates the salt mine that experienced a roof collapse on Monday.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser is blaming New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s actions for what he says ruining a potential worldwide promotion for all Louisiana cities during Dick Clark Rockin New Year’s eve broadcast. Nungesser claims Cantrell’s letter to the show’s producers kept Christian pop star and Lafayette native Lauren Daigle from performing on the show even in Jefferson Parish,…
cut 8 (08) “…back drop”
But the Times-Picayune-New Orleans Advocate says according to their sources Daigle was never booked for the show. Cantrell is upset Daigle sang at an unpermitted gathering in the French Quarter last month.

Frontline health care workers and nursing home residents are the first groups to be vaccinated and state superintendent of education Cade Brumley believes public school employees should be among the next group to get the vaccination…
cut 11 (09) “./…the state”
Governor Edwards says he will follow CDC’s guildens on who receives priority.

The State Superintendent of Education wants public school employees to receive priority in the second phase of COVID vaccinations…
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Today there is a joint meeting of the House and Senate insurance committee where they’ll discuss insurance issues related to the hurricanes. Senate Insurance Chairman Kirk Talbot says health insurers will also be on hand to answer questions about the pandemic’s impacts on the industry…
cut 14 (06) “….permiums”

Thousands of frontline healthcare workers have received their COVID-19 vaccine. In Shreveport, Ochsner-LSU Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Lewis participated in the trial, where half received the vaccine, the other half a placebo.
Cut 4 (10) “…of days.”
Lewis even though this COVID vaccine was produced in record time, it’s safe and better than the alternative of getting extremely sick from the coronavirus.

The early signing period begins today for college football teams. LSU hopes to sign as many as 15 commitments. Coach Ed Orgeron says last Saturday’s win over Florida convinced a few commits the program is on the right track…
cut 17 (07) “…before this game”
LSU is hoping to sign five-star defensive tackle Maason Smith from Terrebonne.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s vendetta against a Lafayette Christian pop star cost the city and state a slot on ABC’s New Year’s Eve programming. Matt Doyle has more.
cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

But a report from the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate says Daigle was never booked to perform during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve and the television show still plans to feature New Orleans during the telecast, but with a different celebrity emcee.

Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley is lobbying for public school employees to be prioritized when more COVID vaccines arrive in Louisiana.
Cut 10 (09) “…the vaccine.”
Nursing home residents and staff are next in line to get the vaccine and the governor’s office has yet to release who will be eligible to get the vaccine during the second phase of the rollout.

There have been polls that show many Americans will elect not to get the vaccine. Safety is one concern. Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport Doctor David Lewis says Operation Warp Speed provided vaccine developers with unlimited resources to develop a vaccine to counter the pandemic, but standard FDA safety protocol is enforced.
Cut 5 (10) “…manufacturers.”

As COVID vaccinations are underway for frontline healthcare workers, they are also overwhelmed with a third wave of patients, Brooke Thorington has more.
cut 1 (28) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

The state reported 50 more COVID-19 deaths yesterday, bringing the total number of confirmed coronavirus deaths to 6,577. The number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital increased by 70 to 1,597. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases is up to 252-thousand.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser claims New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has ruined a potential worldwide promotion for all Louisiana cities for writing a letter to Dick Clark Productions asking them not to include Christian pop star and Lafayette native Lauren Daigle on their Rockin New Year’s eve television show…
cut 9 (07) “….great opportunity”
Nungesser says Daigle was set to perform from New Orleans on New Year’s eve, but the Lt. Governor says she was pulled from the show. But a NOLA-dot-com report says Daigle was never booked for the show.

Louisiana education superintendent Cade Brumley believes school staff should be among the first group of people to receive the coronavirus vaccine as the vaccine rollout ramps up. Brumley says if teachers are in class, students are at class and parents are at work…
cut 12 (07) “….single day”
The governor’s office says the state plans to follow CDC’s guidelines on who receives priority.