After receiving 40-thousand applications, the state has temporarily suspended a 24-million dollar program to provide rental assistance. State officials say 24-million dollars can only help 10-thousand households who are behind on their rent. Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center director Cashuana Hill esimates it will take 500-million dollars to address the impending rental crisis…
cut 5 (07) “….enough”
No word on what the state is trying to do to get more funding.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three tropical waves, but none of the disturbances are a serious threat to Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a weak low pressure area south of the Texas-Louisiana border has caught the attention of forecasters….
cut 12 (07) “…southwestern Louisiana”
Keim says there’s another disturbance way out in the Atlantic and the other is over Cuba and heading towards the Gulf of Mexico. But the chances of development are low over the next five days at this time.

House Speaker Clay Schexnayder is discouraging fellow Republican legislators from supporting a petition to revoke the Governor’s coronavirus health emergency. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The back and forth between Governor Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry continued today. Landry sent another letter to Edwards criticizing him for cheering on the recent social justice protests even though they could have contributed to the latest surge in coronavirus cases. Landry is not happy the governor chose to shut down bars, but Edwards says contact tracing has shown that bars contributed to hundreds of new cases.

It took just four days before the state suspended a rental assistance program due to an “overwhelming response” after less than a week. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

The number of people hospitalized from COVID-19 is back above 15-hundred as 39 additional people had to be hospitalized because of the virus from Sunday to Monday. The state also reported 31-hundred new cases, but officials say about half of the cases are from a two-month backlog.

Governor John Bel Edwards spent his lunch hour today fasting and praying and he’ll do the same tomorrow and Wednesday. Edwards says he believes in the power of prayer and in the power of working together and being good neighbors to overcome COVID-19…
cut 8 (10) “….praying as well”
Edwards says he got the idea to pray and fast during lunch from a conference call with faith leaders. He encourages Louisiana residents to do the same.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three tropical waves….
cut 14 (07) “…up about”
That’s State Climatologist Barry Keim who says one of the tropical disturbances is in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and another one is north of Cuba. But the National Hurricane Center gives both systems a low chance of developing into a depression.

The state House Speaker is encouraging his fellow Republicans not to sign a legislative petition in circulation that would revoke the Governor’s coronavirus pandemic state of emergency. Speaker Clay Shexnayder says the executive order is just one layer of mitigation efforts and it will not loosen up restrictions put in place by local governments.

Cut 10 (08) “…won’t do that.”

The petition’s creator, Shreveport Republican Alan Seabaugh, called Shexnayder’s claims “fear-mongering”

There’s a tropical disturbance over Cuba and heading towards the Gulf of Mexico.  State Climatologist Barry Keim says this disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms should get into the Gulf tomorrow

Cut 13 (10) “…overly serious.” 

_____________________________

After less than a week the state has to temporarily suspend a rental assistance program designed to help 10,000 families after receiving over 40,000 applications. Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center Director Cashauna Hill the current mass interest in the rental assistance program is evidence of a budding crisis that is set to get much worse in the near future.

Cut 4 (12)_ “…home.”

Negotiations on potentially extending a portion of those benefits are beginning this week in Congress. Democrats want a full extension through the end of the year, Republicans are concerned about the program paying people more to remain unemployed than to work.

The state reports nearly 3,200 cases today, but with a big caveat, that just under half of them are backlogs from as long ago as May. 39 additional hospital beds have been taken up by COVID patients putting us up over 1,500 hospitalizations for the first time since May 5^th.

A 24 million dollar state program designed to provide rental assistance to low-income individuals has been temporarily suspended due to an “overwhelming response”. The program had enough funding to help 10,000 households pay three months of rent, but it received 40,000 applications. Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center Director Cashauna Hill…
Cut 3 (11) “…need is.”
Hill says 500-million dollars is likely needed to address the impending rent crisis in Louisiana.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three tropical waves, but none of the disturbances are a serious threat to Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a weak low pressure area south of the Texas-Louisiana border has caught the attention of forecasters….
cut 12 (07) “…southwestern Louisiana”
Keim says there’s another disturbance way out in the Atlantic and the other is over Cuba and heading towards the Gulf of Mexico. But the chances of development are low over the next five days at this time.

House Speaker Clay Schexnayder is discouraging his fellow Republicans from supporting an effort spearheaded by Shreveport Republican Alan Seabaugh to revoke the Governor’s coronavirus pandemic state of emergency. Schexnayer says the petition fixes nothing.
Cut 9 (10) “…all to that.”
Schexnayder adds the move could trigger overrides for ongoing executive orders tied to previous natural disasters and be a hurdle for the governor’s authority to tackle future events.

Governor Edwards will use his lunch hour to fast and pray as the state’s death toll from the coronavirus has reached 3,433. Edwards says he got the idea from a conference call with faith leaders…
cut 7 (09) “….other Louisianians”
Edwards says he’ll fast and pray for lunch through Wednesday.

Governor John Bel Edwards says he’ll use his lunchtime today, tomorrow, and Wednesday for prayer and fasting. He’s encouraging Louisiana residents to do the same

Cut 6 (11) “…passed on”

The state reported 34 more deaths on Sunday to bring the state’s total to 3,433.

Republican and Democratic Congressional leaders are expected to discuss this week on a 5th coronavirus relief funding bill.  Senator John Kennedy says it’s unclear what this round of aid may look like, but he doubts it will be as broad as past COVID stimulus bills.

Cut 7 (08) “…bills.”

A CDC investigation into an incident in Missouri shows the effectiveness of masks. Health officials say two hairstylists tested positive for the coronavirus, but none of their 136 customers and co-workers got the virus, because everyone involved wore a mask. The hairstylists spent on average over 15 minutes within six feet of their customers, which is considered “close contact”, and would warrant a self-quarantine order. Louisiana Assistant Health Secretary Dr. Alex Billiouxsays it’s a remarkable discovery…

Cut 5 (04)  “…evidence.”

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry is celebrating the tort reform legislation signed into law by Governor John Bel Edwards that aims to lower auto insurance rates.  LABI President Steven Waguespack says the measure will lead to lower claims, lower settlements, and lower insurance rates for commercial drivers.

Cut 13 (11) “…solution in place.” 

The Baton Rouge Police Department is investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting in Tigerland early this morning. B-R-P-D says officers were looking for a suspect in the area and that suspect is now dead. A K-9 officer was also injured. More details are expected to be released later today.

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry is celebrating the tort reform legislation signed into law by Governor John Bel Edwards aimed at lowering auto insurance rates. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

Assistant health secretary Doctor Alex Billioux says a case study out of Missouri shows how effective masks can be in preventing the spread of the coronavirus. The CDC says because two hairstylists in Missouri wore their masks, none of their customers and co-workers got the virus. Billioux says masks are critical in order to keep businesses open
cut 6 (09) “…..impact”
Ochsner’s chief medical officer says wearing masks may be likely until at least the summer of 2021.

If you are self quarantining, but still looking to get your daily workouts in, LSU Health New Orleans Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Doctor Melinda Southern, says, unfortunately, there are several workouts online that can pose a risk to your health. She highly recommends you search for reputable online instruction, sites like…
Cut 11 (12) “…are effective.”

A CDC investigation into an incident in Missouri shows the effectiveness of masks. Health officials say two hairstylists tested positive for the coronavirus, but none of their 136 customers and co-workers got the virus, because everyone involved wore a mask. Louisiana Assistant Health Secretary Dr. Alex Billioux.
Cut 4 (08)_ “…masks.”
The two COVID positive workers, who were asymptomatic, were working while awaiting their test results.

Discussions will continue on Capitol Hill this week on whether Congress should approve another coronavirus relief bill. There’s still a lot up in the air as to the details of the next package. Senator John Kennedy says he is confident the one House Democrats crafted, the three trillion dollar HEROES Act, will not hit the President’s desk.
Cut 9 (07) “…virus”

White House Guidelines call for gyms to be closed down in high coronavirus transmission states like Louisiana. Brooke Thorington on how to transition your workout to the home if gyms close again.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

Governor Edwards is asking Louisianians to participate in three days of fasting and prayer during lunchtime starting today. Edwards says he wants everyone to use this time to pray for the sick, the caretakers and the families of those who are grieving over the deaths of loved ones. The state has surpassed 91-thousand cases and 34-hundred deaths.

Republican and Democratic Congressional leaders are expected to discuss this week a 5th coronavirus relief funding bill. Senator John Kennedy says it’s unclear what this round of aid may look like, but he doubts it will be as broad as past COVID stimulus bills.
Cut 7 (08) “…bills.”
Kennedy says he’s concerned about the rate of spending on COVID economic bills and he says the only way for the economy to survive is for Americans to get back to work.

Assistant health secretary Doctor Alex Billioux says a CDC investigation in Missouri involving two hairstylists who tested positive shows the effectiveness of masks in preventing the spread of the coronavirus. Billioux says the hairstylists wore masks and none of their 136 customers and co-workers they were in close contact with ended up testing positive…
cut 5 (04) “…evidence”

Louisiana Association of Business and Industry President Stephen Waguespack says the tort reform bill signed by Governor John Bel Edwards will help begin the process of rebuilding Louisiana’s insurance markets. Waguespack says Louisiana has had one of the highest auto insurance rates in the country long enough…
cut 15 (07) “…will change that”
Supporters say the tort reform bill will change the state’s civil litigation system and result in fewer lawsuits filed because of car accidents and reduce the damages awarded.

White House Coronavirus guidelines call for gyms to be closed in high transmission coronavirus states like Louisiana. Governor Edwards has yet to make that decision, but if gyms are ordered closed again, LSU Health New Orleans Clinical Exercise Physiologist Dr. Melinda Southern says there are exercises you can do at home to continue to do to stay in shape.
Cut 10 (08) “stability exercises.”

The governor’s office has announced the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program is temporarily suspended due to overwhelming response. Over 40-thousand renters filled out applications in less than four days and there’s currently only 24-million in federal dollars available, which is only enough to assist about 10-thousand tenants.

Assistant Health Secretary Dr. Alex Billioux points to a CDC investigation out of Missouri that shows the effectiveness of masks. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (28) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

Congress returns to work today and lawmakers will begin discussing another round of coronavirus aid. Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy is concerned about the rate of spending on COVID economic bills and he says the only way for the economy to survive is for Americans to get back to work.
Cut 8 (11) “…careful.”

There are many individuals who are self quarantining for two weeks after they were exposed to someone with COVID-19 or have tested positive and are asymptomatic and still looking to keep their regular workout routine, without going to the gym. LSU Health New Orleans Clinical Exercise Physiologist Doctor Melinda Southern says if you don’t have gym equipment at home, use basic furniture…
cut 12 (10) “….the wall”