Instead of helping others with disaster aid from the 2016 floods, 39-year-old Jessica Cooper finds herself in an ICU bed at Baton Rouge General suffering from COVID. Cooper is a single mom from Lake Charles. She wasn’t vaccinated because it would require her to be off medication for several weeks in order for the vaccine to be effective.
Cut 4 (12) “…attacks quick.”
For the first time in 16 days, the state health department yesterday 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. The state reported 58 more deaths and the death toll has reached 11,851.

In 2001, the Louisiana Legislature created the LA 4 Early Childhood program and now in 2021, data shows attending at least one year of pre-k can help a student even into their high school years….
cut 8 (12) “….kids”
That’s Council for a Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin who says all students, regardless of race or gender, showed long-term benefits by participating in LA 4.

CLECO is explaining why their utility bills are higher than usual this summer. CLECO President Shane Hilton says a rate increase went into effect July 1st and the utility provider is paying for the costs associated the damage done by ice storms and last year’s hurricanes and there’s no federal mechanism to recover those costs…
cut 11 (08) “…our customers”