Attorney General Jeff Landry says 28 milion dollars in line of credit for a Superdome renovation will be held up until the Saints allow season ticket holders to opt out for the year and not lose their place.

Cut 10 (10) “… the entire time.”

The comments came at a State Bond Commission meeting where members voted to withhold the line of credit in retaliation for the Black and Gold’s vaccine proof policy.

Louisiana appears to be on track to offer casino and racetrack based sports betting sometime in September after an emergency ruling by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. Chairman Ronnie Johns…

Cut 6 (10) “…this quickly” 

The state’s largest healthcare system notes a slight decrease in COVID hospitalizations, but the situation remains dire. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (31) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

Vaccination numbers perked up over the last week, now just a touch under 40 percent of everyone in the state has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, about 1.8 million people. 48 percent of the state has received at least one dose, about 2.2 million. Louisiana still ranks amongst the least vaccination states in America. 

A 28 million dollar line of credit for Superdome renovations was paused by the State Bond Commission in retaliation of the Saints’ vaccine ticket policy. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 2 (40)…I’m Matt Doyle.”

For the first time in 16 days, the state health department reported a small decline in the number of COVID patients in the hospital statewide. It’s still above three thousand. The number of patients needing a ventilator to breathe increased by 28 to 476.

Governor John Bel Edwards visited the U-L Lafayette campus this afternoon to get an update on the state’s Shot for 100-dollar COVID-19 vaccine initiative. The first 75-thousand college students who get vaccinated on a college campus receive a 100-dollar VISA card. Edwards says it’s very important to get this age group vaccinated…
cut 13 (11) “…too”

There’s a chance you could place a sports bet at a riverboat, land-based or racetrack casino near you starting next month as the Louisiana Gaming Control Board approved emergency rules so that casinos can begin applying for a license next week. Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns…
cut 8 (11) “…very quickly”
An industry source says regulators could hand out licenses to casinos as early as mid-September.

The State Bond Commission voted to pause funding on a 28 million dollar line of credit for renovations to the Superdome due to the Saints’ vaccination policy. This morning the Saints backtracked on not allowing refunds for unvaccinated season ticket holders, but if fans cancel they lose their season ticket position. Attorney General Jeff Landry says he won’t support releasing these funds until that policy is changed.

Cut 9 (08) “…were in.”

Cut 9, 8 seconds, were in

The commission also voted in favor of withholding financing for any New Orleans construction projects tapped for funding by the Legislature in retaliation for the citywide vaccine proof mandate. Governor Edwards’ Executive Counsel Matthew Block voted against, noting it’s not just the city that isn’t getting paid….

Cut 12, 11 seconds, moment

Casinos will likely be able to start offering sports betting sometime in mid-September after an emergency ruling by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. A month ago, Chairman Ronnie Johns was named chairman of the Gaming Control Board and the number one question he’s been asked is when legal sports betting is coming to Louisiana.

Cut 7 (06) “…it’s coming”  

The ruling takes effect Monday, but it will likely take a few weeks for applications to be vetted.

5,500 new COVID cases and 58 new COVID relates deaths were reported today but hospitalizations slightly fell and there’s some evidence this 4^th COVID surge is slowing down. Ochsner CEO Warner Thomas says we’re not out of the woods yet, and there’s still a troubling trend…

Cut 5 (12) “…seen there”

The state reports 5,550 new COVID cases today and a slight decrease in those hospitalized with COVID-related issues, the count now stands at 3,013, down from nine from Wednesday. 91-percent of the current patients are unvaccinated.  The state also noted 58 more COVID fatalities.

Even with a slight decline in hospital patients, Ochsner Health CEO Warner Thomas says nonemergency surgeries are still having to be postponed but they aren’t all elective, they are procedures impacting those with cancer and heart disease and those needing organ transplants.

Cut 4 (09) “…our system” 

Thomas says they have had to redeploy approximately 800 staff throughout the system to handle the influx of COVID patients which is another reason for postponing surgeries.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board approves emergency rules that would allow casinos to offer sports betting to their patrons starting on Monday. Chairman Ronnie Johns says the goal all along was to make sure legal sports wagering in Louisiana was up and running prior to the start of the football season…

Cut 6 (10) “…this quickly” 

The emergency rules approved by the board will give riverboat and land-based casinos and racetracks the ability to take sports bets starting on Monday.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is canceling National Hunting and Fishing Day events that were scheduled across the state for September 25^th. LDWF spokesperson Ed Pratt says the current COVID situation caused them to cancel the event, but he hopes that next year we will be in a much better situation.

Cut 9 (08) “…good time.”

The Saints change course on their refund policy, now saying that people who refuse to be vaccinated or COVID tested before games can get a refund for their season tickets. Those seeking a refund have until August 24^th at 4 PM to reach out to a ticket representative to request a refund.

Healthcare experts say the drug Ivermectin should not be used to treat COVID because it’s ineffective against the disease. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

The Biden Administration says they will pull federal funding from nursing homes that don’t have fully immunized staff. AARP State Executive Director Denise Bottcher applauds the president’s decision in an effort to protect residents and other staff members from COVID exposures from unvaccinated employees.

Cut 13 (10) “…nursing home”

The Louisiana Nursing Home Association released a statement saying that once CMS releases the guidance, facilities will comply, as doing so is required to continue caring for residents who qualify for Medicare and Medicaid.

Oschner CEO Warner Thomas says we’re starting to see a slight dip in the number of COVID-related hospitalizations, as they have 1,028 COVID patients currently in beds across their system.

Cut 3 (12) “…in New Orleans.” 

Governor John Bel Edwards says there are now ten times as many people in the hospital with COVID today than there were to start July. The over 3,000 hospitalized is about the size of his hometown of Amite.

Cut 11 (07) “…for me.”

The just under 12,000 total statewide COVID deaths would be enough to all but wipe out cities like Mandeville, Crowley, Bogalusa, Minden, or Morgan City. The governor made the comments on his monthly call-in radio show.

President Biden says nursing homes could lose federal funding if they do not make it mandatory for staff to be vaccinated against COVID. Louisiana AARP director Denise Bottcher applauds the decision…

Cut 14 (11) “…lives.”

Healthcare experts say Ivermectin should not be used to treat COVID as it is wholly ineffective against the disease. LSU Health New Orleans Chief of Community Medicine Dr. Ben Springgate says don’t take it unless you got parasitic worms.

Cut 4 (09) “…humans.”

The use of Ivermectin for COVID has been propagated by social media.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has opted to cancel National Hunting and Fishing Day events scheduled for September 25^th. LDWF spokesperson Ed Pratt says it was a tough decision to make but one that was in the best interest of the public to do so.

Cut 8 (12) “…workers.” 

Prat says they are hopeful the event can take place in 2022.

Governor John Bel Edwards says it is frustrating to hear that some people are not taking the vaccine because it is still under emergency use authorization. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

Attorney General Jeff Landry believes the state should withhold state funding to the Saints because of the team’s ticket policy. The NFL franchise is not offering ticket holders refunds or the ability to opt-out if they refuse to get vaccinated or get a negative COVID test before attending games in the Dome.

President Biden says nursing homes risk losing federal money if they do not mandate the COVID vaccine for their employees. State AARP Director Denise Bottcher says this is good news for those who have loved ones in Louisiana nursing homes…
cut 15 (09) “…be in”
The Louisiana Nursing Home Association says once C-M-S releases the guidance, facilities will comply, in order to care for residents who have Medicare and Medicaid.

Health care officials are encouraging the public not to take Ivermectin to either treat or prevent COVID. Some COVID patients have turned to Ivermectin, which is used to treat parasitic worms in people. But LSU Health New Orleans Chief of Community Medicine Doctor Ben Springgate says Ivermectin is not designed to treat COVID…
cut 6 (10) “…see that”