4:45 LRN Sportscast August 3

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees says he will still stand for the National Anthem prior to football games this season, but he will respect the decision of his teammates who kneel after saying in June he would never approve of anyone who takes a knee during the anthem
Cut 8 (12) “continue to undue”
Brees faced a mountain of criticism for his kneeling during the anthem comments in June. He quickly apologized and the 41-year-old says he now understands the anthem protests were not about disrespecting the flag.

The U-L Lafayette football program is broken hearted over the death of assistant offensive line coach D-J Looney. The former Mississippi State football player died from a heart attack following a team workout on Saturday at Cajun Field. Looney was just 31-years-old.

If the Pelicans want to reach the Western Conference playoffs, they need to beat Memphis tonight. New Orleans is 0-2 since the NBA restarted and they’ve committed a total of 38 turnovers in the two games. Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson blames over passing…
cut 30 (18) “…our losses”
Tip off is at 5:30.

The NCAA Board of Governors is expected to discuss tomorrow whether they should cancel fall championships because of COVID-19. The Nicholls Colonels have been in the FCS playoffs the last three years and Athletic Director Johnathan Terrell says the plan is to still have a fall season
cut 18 (15) “….for us”

230 PM LRN News

Bar owners who sued the state in federal courts in Lafayette and New Orleans over the bar closure order have their request for a restraining order against the closures rejected. The New Orleans case will be heard on the 14th and the Lafayette case will be heard on the 17th. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino doesn’t expect they’ll have much success…

Cut 5, 11 seconds, deferential

The Governor’s order restricts bars from serving customers on-premise but does allow for customers to buy to-go drinks. 

Nearly 700 businesses were found to be not in compliance with COVID spread mitigation measures upon inspection by the State Fire Marshal in July. Fire Marshal Butch Browning says when confronted with the issues though most businesses worked to fix their problems, but…

Cut 14 (10) “…that we make.”

Drew Brees notable quirk where he licks his fingers throughout a game to help him grasps the ball is going to be a no-go for this season. Brees says he’s been working all offseason to break the habit given the current circumstances…

Cut 7 (12) “…of the habit’”

The Saints are back to strength and conditioning work today after the entire team tests negative for COVID-19.

Ochsner Health is one of 120 sites worldwide chosen to participate in phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine study with drugmaker Pfizer.  Ochsner Principal Investigator Dr. Julia Garcia-Diaz says an exact timeline is unclear, but don’t expect the vaccine to be available anytime soon.

Cut 11 (11) “…and social distance.”

Globally, the study aims to enroll up to 30,000 participants.  

LRN PM Newscall August 3

A request for a restraining order against the Governor’s statewide closure of bars has been rejected by federal judges. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

____________________________

Ochsner Health has been selected to participate in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trial. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

cut 2 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

_____________________________

Federal judges in New Orleans and Lafayette have rejected requests from bar owners for a restraining order against the Governor’s bar closure order. Those owners are suing the state over the issue.

Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says there’s a good legal reason why the requests were rejected.

Cut 3 (10)  “…injunction”  

The Governor’s order restricts bars from serving customers on-premise but does allow for customers to buy to-go drinks. To-go drinks have been banned in New Orleans.

The New Orleans case will be heard on the 14th and the Lafayette case will be heard on the 17th. Ciolino says this decision is a blow to those filing the suits.

Cut 4 (07)_ “denied this”

Ciolino does not expect the plaintiffs to have much success going forward.

Cut 5 (11)  “…deferential”

______________________

The Saints begin strength and conditioning work today after none of their players tested positive for COVID-19 testing during extensive testing last week. Quarterback Drew Brees is ready to begin his 15th season with the Black and Gold…

Cut 6 (09) “…good at”

During training camp, Saints players, coaches, team doctors, and other personnel will stay at the Loews Hotel in New Orleans to mitigate the risk of infection.

Brees says part of his preparation for the upcoming season included breaking the habit of licking his fingers, which he would do repeatedly throughout the game

Cut 7 (12) “…of the habit’”

Brees also says he’ll continue to stand for the national anthem to honor those who have served and died for our country. But he will respect the decision of his teammates who chose to kneel after saying in June that he would never approve of anyone who takes a knee during the anthem

Cut 8 (12) “continue to undue”

Brees faced a mountain of criticism for his kneeling during the anthem comments in June. He quickly apologized and the 41-year-old says he now understands the anthem protests were not about disrespecting the flag.

____________________________________________

Ochsner Health is one of 120 sites worldwide chosen to participate in phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine study with drugmaker Pfizer.  Ochsner Principal Investigator Dr. Julia Garcia-Diaz says the selection comes as a result of its expertise and history in conducting clinical trials.

Cut 9 (09) “…of that endeavor.”

All participants accepted into the study will be randomized to receive either the vaccine or a placebo in the form of two shots, with a 50/50 distribution between the two.  Neither the patients nor the investigators will know what they have received.

Garcia-Diaz says another factor that brought the study to Louisiana is its status as a COVID-19 hotspot.

Cut 10 (10) “…of the vaccine.”

Globally, the study aims to enroll up to 30,000 participants.  Ochsner will enroll a limited number of randomized participants selected from an existing pool of candidates who have previously expressed interest in COVID-19 research.

Garcia-Diaz says an exact timeline is unclear, but don’t expect the vaccine to be available anytime soon.

Cut 11 (11) “…and social distance.”

___________________________

The State Fire Marshal’s Office found nearly 700 businesses were not in compliance with COVID spread mitigation measures in July.  Fire Marshal Butch Browning says that only accounts for a small share of the businesses they visited.

Cut 12 (09) “…we were there.” 

The most common shortcomings included face mask violations, table spacing, large gatherings, exceeded capacities, and self-serve buffet dining.

Browning says the 10 percent mark is indicative of how seriously businesses are taking spread mitigation efforts when compared to standard safety checks.

Cut 13 (08) “…that weren’t right” 

Browning says when they do find a violation, most of the businesses are willing to work with the state to correct it…

Cut 14 (10) “…that we make.”

The Louisiana Department of Health has revoked the food permit for Firehouse BBQ in Livingston Parish as the Denham Springs restaurant reviews to enforce the state’s mask mandate. Firehouse BBQ posted on its Facebook page that remains open, despite the state’s effort to shut them down.

1:30 LRN Newscast

The state health department reports the number of coronavirus patients in Louisiana hospitals has fallen below 15-hundred for the first time since July 19th. The state also reported 17 more deaths and nearly 11-hundred more cases. The number of suspected active cases is 42-thousand.

Ochsner Health has been selected to participate in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trial. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
cut 2 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The State Fire Marshal’s Office found nearly 700 businesses who were not in compliance with COVID spread mitigation measures in July. Fire Marshal Butch Browning says it’s a small share of the businesses his deputies visited.
Cut 12 (09) “…we were there.”
Browning says it’s good to see that 90-percent of the businesses they visit are taking the spread mitigation efforts seriously.

The Saints begin strength and conditioning work today after none of their players tested positive for COVID-19 during extensive testing last week. Quarterback Drew Brees is ready to begin his 15th season with the Black and Gold
Cut 6 (09) “…good at”
During training camp, Saints players, coaches, team doctors and other personnel will stay at the Loews Hotel in New Orleans so they are sequestered from the public.

1230 PM LRN News

A request for a restraining order against the Governor’s statewide closure of bars has been rejected by federal judges. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

Good news today on the corona front, Louisiana sees its lowest one day number of new cases since June 29th today with only 1,099. Hospitalizations are also down a good bit and below 1,500 since July 19th. Unfortunately, 17 more deaths have also been reported.

Ochsner Health is one of 120 sites worldwide chosen to participate in phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine study with drugmaker Pfizer. Ochsner Principal Investigator Dr. Julia Garcia-Diaz says the state’s status as a COVID hotspot made it an attractive option for the trial.

Cut 10 (10) “…of the vaccine.”

Drew Brees announces that he will still stand for the National Anthem when football resumes. Brees says he will respect the decision of his teammates who chose to kneel after saying in June that he would never approve of anyone who chooses to keel during the anthem

Cut 8 (12) “continue to undue”

Brees faced a mountain of criticism when he said can never support anyone who disrespects the flag. He apologized and the 41-year-old says he now understands that kneeling during the anthem was never about disrespecting the flag.

1130 AM LRN News

Federal judges in New Orleans and Lafayette have rejected requests from bar owners for a restraining order against the Governor’s bar closure order. Those owners are suing the state over the issue. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says there’s a good legal reason why the restraining order requests were rejected.

Cut 3, 10 seconds, injunction.

The Governor’s order restricts bars from serving customers on-premise.

Ochsner Health has been selected as one of only 120 clinical investigation sites across the globe to participate in a phase 3 clinical trial of a vaccine with Pfizer and BioNTech.  Ochsner Principal Investigator Dr. Julia Garcia-Diaz says the selection comes as a result of its expertise…

Cut 9 (09) “…of that endeavor.”

LSU football season ticket holders are being asked for their feedback on attending a game at Tiger Stadium this fall.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart” 

A state health department study finds that in 2017 black mothers were twice as likely to die compared to white mothers from pregnancy-related issues. State Perinatal Medical Director Dr Veronica Gillispie-Bell says that systemic racism and health disparities like access to care and economics play a role.

Cut 13 (10) “…the longest.” 

11:40 LRN Sportscast August 3

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees is set to begin his 15th season with the Black and Gold. In preparation for what will be a unique season, the 41-year-old has worked on not licking his fingers as he normally does throughout a game…
cut 7 (12) “…of the habit”
The Saints begin conditioning work today. So far zero players have tested positive for COVID-19.

LSU football season ticket holders will receive an online form from the university this week asking them if they want to attend games in Tiger Stadium this season. LSU ticket manager Brian Broussard says if fans choose to opt-out, they have three options as to what can happen with the money they already paid…
cut 30 (12) “….a full refund”

Nicholls will not have the opportunity to play LSU in Tiger Stadium in October, because the SEC’s new conference only schedule. Colonels athletic director Jonathan Terrell says he’s disappointed for their student-athletes…
cut 17 (16) “…national champions”

Meanwhile, ULM will need to find two new opponents to replace Arkansas and Georgia since the SEC will play a conference only schedule this year. Warhawks athletics director Scott McDonald says they still plan to play 12 games…
cut 15 (10) “…those slots”

10:30 LRN Newscast August 3

We are three months away from election day and Congressman Clay Higgins is facing three challengers in his re-election effort. Matt Doyle spoke with each…
cut 1 (43) “….I’m Matt Doyle”

The state has reported 58-more people died in Louisiana from COVID-19 since Friday. The number of coronavirus patients in the hospital dropped by a dozen.

LSU football season ticket holders will receive an online form from the university this week asking them if they want to attend games in Tiger Stadium this season. LSU ticket manager Brian Broussard says if fans choose to opt-out, they have three options as to what can happen with the money they already paid…
cut 10 (12) “….a full refund”

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees is set to begin his 15th season with the Black and Gold. In preparation for what will be a unique season, the 41-year-old has worked on not licking his fingers as he normally does throughout a game…
cut 7 (12) “…of the habit”
The Saints begin conditioning work today. So far zero players have tested positive for COVID-19.

9:30 LRN Newscast August 3

The Louisiana Health Department reported 58 more COVID-19 deaths on Sunday. The number of people hospitalized since Friday has declined slightly. The state is expected to surpass 120-thousand cases today and Governor Edwards is expected to announce tomorrow that Louisiana will remain in Phase two , as the current order expires Friday.

The Louisiana Health Department has looked back at the deaths of pregnant women in 2017 and finds most of them were preventable…
Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

The SEC’s decision to play only conference games this season leaves ULM with two holes on their football schedule and the school will miss out on a reported three-point-two million dollars. That’s how much the school would have received for playing Arkansas and Georgia. ULM athletic director Scott McDonald still wants to talk with those schools
Cut 14 (11) “…their obligations.”
McDonald does not believe ULM will lose out on that money.

The Saints have reportedly completed their intital rounds of COVID-19 testing and there were zero positive tests for players. So that means conditioning work begins at the team’s training facility. Quarterback Drew Brees is ready to begin his 15th season with the Black and Gold…
cut 6 (09) “….good at”
Brees says he’s been able to break a habit of licking his fingers, because of COVID-19.

8:30 LRN Newscast August 3

Southwest Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins is facing three challengers on the November ballot as the Republican Representative seeks a third term in office. One of his challengers is Mount Olive Baptist Church Pastor Braylon Harris. The Democrat says Higgins temperament is not a good fit for the current times and he says his background in community work has trained him to be diplomatic…
cut 5 (11) “…direction”
Higgins says his constituents know him well and he’s got a record of being unwavering about his core conservative principles since winning the seat in 2016…
cut 7 (13) “….or not”

LSU football season ticket holders are being asked for their feedback on attending games at Tiger Stadium this fall. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

A state health department study finds that most pregnancy-related deaths of women in 2017 were preventable. State Perinatal Medical Director Dr Veronica Gillispie-Bell says 65 total deaths were reviewed and 80-percent could have been prevented.
Cut 11 (09) “…system side.”
The most common cause of death that that was not pregnancy-related was homicide, followed by motor vehicle crashes and accidental overdose.