Today is the first day of early voting and long lines have already been reported at polling sites. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says 201-thousand mail ballots have been requested and the deadline to do so is October 30th and they must be returned by the end of the day on November 2nd…
cut 6 (10) “…be counted”

So far the state has seen 495 reported cases of COVID in K-12 students and just over one-thousand cases among school staff since the school year began. There’s been a concern about school-based outbreaks causing major community spread, but Assistant State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says that hasn’t been the case.
Cut 10 (08) “…feared.”
Kanter credits teachers for keeping their classrooms safe.

Governor Edwards says he refuses to acquiesce to the vast majority of House-backed legislative efforts that aim to limit his broad authority to order public health restrictions. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Fair Wayne Bryant has been released from Angola after serving 24 years of a life sentence for stealing a pair of hedge clippers. The 63-year-old Bryant received the life sentence under the state’s habitual offender law. The state’s parole board granted his release after the Chief Justice for the Louisiana Supreme Court called Bryant’s life sentence grossly disproportionate to the crime.