Phase Two of the economic reopening starts today. Some businesses reopen for the first time since March, while occupancy increases for others. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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Colorado State University forecasters have upgraded the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season from above-average expected activity to very active. Matt Doyle has more.
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The number of George Floyd protestors in New Orleans swelled last night after Wednesday’s tear-gassing of an allegedly violent crowd near the Crescent City Connection. Matt Doyle was there…
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The state moves into Phase Two of the economic reopening today. The change means establishments that previously were allowed to operate at 25% occupancy will now see that increased to 50% capacity. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says things will look a bit different at restaurants and churches.
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Movie theatres, gyms, shopping malls, museums, barbershops and salons will all be able to increase capacity to 50% with social distancing. Casinos and video poker establishments can increase to 50% capacity, limited to 75% of their gaming positions.
Bars without food permits are opening at 25% capacity, but Browning says there are still going to be restrictions on live entertainment.
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Browning says businesses where a service is rendered to a client with a long amount of time in close contact will also open with some guidance on virus spread mitigation.
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Phase Two will last at least 21 days.
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Colorado State University ups its projections for the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season from above-average to very active.
CSU forecaster Jhordanne Jones says they now expect 19 named storms before the season closes, up from 16, along with now nine hurricanes, up from eight.
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Expected major hurricanes remained at four.
Jones says this season is still being driven by the lack of an influential El Nino, and it appears that will be the case for this season.
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The Gulf Coast and East Coast of the US combined now have a 70 percent chance of suffering a major hurricane. When looking at just the Gulf Coast…
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Thousands of protestors marched through New Orleans last night a day after police used tear gas to disperse a protest Wednesday.
The march was ultimately peaceful but began with an ultimatum from organizers that future actions could turn violent if the city did not meet their demands to defund New Orleans police and increase funding for social programs.
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The march was noticeably larger than Wednesday’s, and organizers often worked commentary about income inequality, the military, and capitalism into their speeches about police brutality.
One speaker says George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis Police should be a wakeup call to those who’ve ignored previous pleas for racial justice.
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Law enforcement kept a good distance away from the protestors who often broke into chants of f— the police, and occasionally f— Drew Brees.
The march worked its way from City Hall through a black working-class neighborhood before ending at the Orleans Parish Criminal Court. Chants of “say his name, George Floyd” rang out, along with…
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Organizers vowed to return with another march tonight.
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Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser announces the reopening of Louisiana’s welcome centers under Phase Two guidelines today as the state is ready to start accommodating travelers. Nungesser says there will be a strict cap on the occupancy of the lobbies at any one time, along with more frequent cleanings.
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Welcome centers have been closed since March 16th.
Nungesser says welcome center staff will be equipped with masks.
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Overnight facilities at Chicot State Park in Ville Platte, Lake Bistineau in Doyline, and Bayou Segnette in Westwego will remain closed. Nungesser says a promotional deal for overnight stays at state parks was so popular with locals, the offer will now be up for grabs for out of state visitors.
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That code can be used at louisianastateparks.reserveamerica.com.
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The NBA season will resume on July 31st with 22 teams playing in Orlando at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex. The Pelicans are one of the 22 teams. Before the playoffs start, each team will play eight regular-season games. Jake Madison the publisher of the Locked on Pelicans Podcast says by playing a few regular season games, the league can recoup some of the money it lost when the season was halted in March
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Training camp for the 22 teams who will resume play will begin on June 30th and they’ll leave on July seventh for Orlando. The regular season resumes July 31st. Madison says this will give players plenty of time to get back in game shape
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The goal for the Pelicans is to get in the 16-team playoff. They need to make up ground on the Grizzlies who occupy the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Madison expects New Orleans to play Memphis twice during the final eight games…
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