More than 400 days after Hurricane Laura devastated the Lake Charles area the city is still working to recover.  More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 2 (31)…I’m Dave Brannen”  

Today Governor Edwards announced that Casey Tingle has been promoted to director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, this is following the resignation of General James Waskom. The governor praised Waskom, who’d served as a director since 2016, for his tenure and wished him his best as Waskom takes medical leave until January.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board approves an application from the online sports betting site Fan Duel. As for rumors that sports wagering would be up and running as soon as this weekend, Gaming Commissioner Ronnie Johns set the record straight.

Cut  11 (12)  “… the right way.”  

The National Retail Federation estimates consumers will spend just under $1000 on holiday gifts and other purchases this year, which is comparable to 2020. But NRF Senior Director of Industry and Consumer Insights, Katherine Cullen says holiday shoppers are starting their quest for the perfect gift much earlier this year.

Cut 12 (10) “..this season.”  

And 50-percent of shoppers will begin their holiday shopping before November.

The percentage of unvaccinated individuals in Louisiana hospitals has dropped from the upper 90s to the mid-80s. Brooke Thorington asks a professional as to why the vaccine could be perceived as waning…:

CUT 01(30)      “…Thorington.”

Louisiana is the only state where fewer whites are getting COVID vaccinations than blacks or other non-whites. This offers some hope to public health officials that outreach efforts are indeed working.

Well over a year after Hurricane Laura devastated Lake Charles and the surrounding area, recovery is still a challenge. Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter says his city holds a record of sorts for disasters…:

CUT 06(07)      “…in American history.”

In 2020 alone, Lake Charles was hit by Hurricane Laura, then Delta only weeks later. Federal help has been slow in coming. Hunter says about 8-precent of his city still lives outside the area since the storms and may never return.

New Orleans Police report another shooting on Interstate 10; this one fatal. Officers say a car crash Wednesday night near the Morrison Road exit was caused by a wounded driver suffering multiple gunshots. They believe he was shot from a moving car two exits earlier. The victim died at a nearby hospital. Just days ago, a person was shot and wounded on I-10 near the Superdome.

Encouraging news on coronavirus in Louisiana; the percentage of persons hospitalized with the virus and not vaccinated is declining. At the height of the 4^th wave of COVID that number was in the high 90-percentile. Now it’s in the mid-80’s. Doctor Lucio Miele with LSU Health New Orleans says it’s another indicator of the need for booster shots because immunity naturally drops over time…:

CUT 03(10)      “…after vaccination.”

The FDA has approved a mix & match approach for using any of the three vaccines as a booster.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board unanimously approves an application from the online sports betting site Fan Duel. We are the 47^th state to approve Fan Duel. So how soon might sports betting be generally available? Gaming Commissioner Ronnie Johns…:

CUT 10(09)      “…we’ll see.”

Have you budgeted Christmas this year? The National Retail Federation says most of us will spend about $1000. But the NRF’s Katherine Cullen says – because of supply chain disruptions – about 50% of us will start holiday shopping well before November even gets here…:

CUT 14(06)      “….39-percent.”

She says about 57% of us plan to do most of our shopping online. Surprised?

One of four violent teen offenders, who attacked guards and escaped from the East Baton Rouge Juvenile Detention Center last week, is still at large. Investigators believe that Malik Williams is getting help from a girlfriend, Shamika Holloman, in staying on the lam. Cops say pinging of her cell phone shows she drove from Monroe to Baton Rouge to pick him up. Are a warrant is out for her arrest as well.

At the height of the fourth COVID wave, the percentage of those unvaccinated and in the hospital in Louisiana hovered in the upper 90s but now it’s dropped to 86-percent. Doctor Lucio Miele with LSU Health New Orleans says one factor for the percentage drop among those hospitalized and unvaccinated is the virus mutates quickly…:
CUT 04 (08) “…infecting humans.”
Miele says this also illustrates the need to for periodic COVID booster shots.

The National Retail Federation estimates consumers will spend just under $1000 on holiday gifts and other purchases this year, which is comparable to last year. But NRF Senior Director of Industry and Consumer Insights, Katherine Cullen says seniors tend to spend more on grandkids, and those playing host to holiday gatherings – as the pandemic downtrends – will of course have to pay for food…:
Cut 13 (11) “…the first time”

More than 400 days after Hurricane Laura devastated the Lake Charles area in 2020, the city is still working to recover. More from Dave Brannen…:
CUT 02 (32) “…Brannen.”

Ouachita Parish deputies arrest a West. Monroe man for allegedly drugging & raping a teen at a Monroe motel. 49-year-old Chase Paul is accused of taking the girl from church to the inn, where he allegedly gave her Xanax and forced himself on her. He’s been booked into the Ouachita Parish jail.

The percentage of unvaccinated individuals in Louisiana hospitals has dropped from the upper 90s to the mid-80s. Brooke Thorington asks a professional as to why the vaccine could be perceived as waning.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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More than 400 days after Hurricane Laura devastated the Lake Charles area the city is still working to recover.  More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 2 (31)…I’m Dave Brannen”  

______________________________________

At the height of the fourth COVID wave, the percentage of those unvaccinated in the hospital in Louisiana hovered in the upper 90s but now it’s dropped to 86-percent.   Doctor Lucio Miele with LSU Health New Orleans says it’s another indicator of the need for booster shots because immunity naturally drops over time.

Cut 3 (10) “….two weeks after vaccination”

Another factor for the percentage drop among those unvaccinated in the hospital with COVID is because Miele says we have a much more infectious virus now.

Cut 4 (08) “…infecting humans.”

The declining percentage over time Miele says reinforces the need for booster shots, much like annual flu shots that are advised yearly. Miele says the booster shot could help us avoid a scenario in which…

Cut 5 (09) “…a year ago.”

Currently, only the Pfizer vaccine has received emergency use authorization from the FDA for booster shots. It’s expected that the same will happen in the next few days for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

__________________________________

Well over a year after Hurricane Laura ripped apart Lake Charles and the surrounding area, many folks there still haven’t recovered from the onslaught of the storm. Mayor Nic Hunter says they hold a record of sorts for disasters.

Cut 6 (07) “…in American history.” 

He says about eight percent of his city’s population is still residing outside the area and believes some of them will never come back.

He says that area of the state is still playing the waiting game for the much needed supplemental disaster aid to assist in the continued efforts to try and get his city back to a sense of normalcy.

Cut 7 (06) “….Laura hit yesterday.”  

Hunter is taken back by the lack of a quick federal response to the needs of Laura victims.

Cut 8 (10) “…or 30 years.”

__________________________________________

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board approves an application from the online sports betting site Fan Duel. The board unanimously approved the application this morning which makes Louisiana the 47^th state to approve Fan Duel. Tammy Hop an auditor with the Louisiana State Police Gaming Division gave a report to the commission concerning their projected revenue.

Cut 9 (10) “…in Louisiana.”

As for when sports betting will be widely available in the state, Gaming Commissioner Ronnie Johns says it’s the number one question he gets from the media and says Hurricane Ida forced the gaming division of state police to shift their focus briefly to recovery, but he remains optimistic on the timeline but chose not to give a specific date.

Cut 10 (08)  “…we’ll see.” 

So far only 13 of the 20 casinos in Louisiana have applied for a license to allow sports wagering. Currently, only Paragon Casino, south of Marksville is the only outlet with legalized sports wagering operating. As for rumors that sports wagering would be up and running as soon as this weekend, Johns set the record straight.

Cut  11 (12)  “… the right way.”  

______________________________________________

The National Retail Federation estimates consumers will spend just under $1000 on holiday gifts and other purchases this year, which is comparable to 2020. But NRF Senior Director of Industry and Consumer Insights, Katherine Cullen says holiday shoppers are starting their quest for the perfect gift much earlier this year.

Cut 12 (10) “..this season.”  

Cullen says the survey indicates that seniors plan to spend more on gifts for their grandchildren this year and those hosting gatherings anticipate spending more on food this year if the pandemic continues to see a downward trend.

Cut 13 (11) “…first time.”

And because of anticipated supply chain disruptions, Cullen says 50-percent of shoppers will begin their holiday shopping before November.

Cut 14 (06) “…39-percent,” 

Cullen says 57-percent of shoppers play to shop online for their holiday purchases, that’s down from 60-percent in 2020, and a quarter of shoppers plan to shop locally this year.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board approves an application from the online sports betting site Fan Duel. The board unanimously approved the application this morning which makes Louisiana the 47^th state to approve Fan Duel. Tammy Hop an auditor with the Louisiana State Police Gaming Division gave a report to the commission concerning their projected revenue.

Cut 9 (10) “…in Louisiana.”

More than a year after Hurricane Laura tore up Lake Charles and the surrounding area, many folks there still haven’t recovered from the onslaught of the storm. Mayor Nic Hunter says about eight percent of his city’s population is still residing outside the area and believes some of them will never come back. He says that area of the state is still playing the waiting game for much-needed supplemental disaster aid to assist in the continued efforts to try and get his city back to a sense of normalcy.

Cut 7 (06) “….Laura hit yesterday.”  

At the height of the fourth COVID wave, the percentage of those unvaccinated in the hospital in Louisiana hovered in the upper 90s but now it’s dropped to 86-percent.   Doctor Lucio Miele with LSU Health New Orleans says the declining percentage over time reinforces the need for booster shots, much like annual flu shots that are advised yearly. Miele says the booster shot could help us avoid a scenario in which…

Cut 5 (09) “…a year ago.”

The National Retail Federation estimates consumers will spend just under $1000 on holiday gifts and other purchases this year, which is comparable to 2020. But NRF Senior Director of Industry and Consumer Insights, Katherine Cullen says holiday shoppers are starting their quest for the perfect gift much earlier this year.

Cut 12 (12) “..this season.”  

At the height of the fourth COVID wave, the percentage of those unvaccinated in the hospital in Louisiana hovered in the upper 90s but now it’s dropped to 83-percent.   Doctor Lucio Miele with LSU Health New Orleans says it’s another indicator of the need for booster shots because immunity naturally drops over time.

Cut 3 (10) “….two weeks after vaccination”

Well over a year after Hurricane Laura ripped apart Lake Charles and the surrounding area, many folks there still haven’t recovered from the onslaught of the storm. Mayor Nic Hunter is taken aback by the lack of a quick federal response to the needs of Laura victims

Cut 8 (11) “…or 30 years.”

After several AT&T customers lost service during Hurricane Ida, a representative from the company told PSC commissioners they are asking customers to call them to report outages so they can issue credits. Stephanie Doiron with AT&T told commissioners that determining who was with and without service after Ida made landfall isn’t that easy because of the multiple services they provide, like cable, internet, and phone service.

Cut 14 (08)  “…provide credits.”

PSC Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, who represents a large portion of southeast Louisiana, says putting the burden on the customer to report the outage for credit is not the ideal way to handle the problem and he told them he wouldn’t be surprised if they lost customers over this.

Saturday’s LSU-Ole Miss game features a matchup of two coaches who have a lot of respect for each other. Rebels Coach Lane Kiffin was a young assistant coach with LSU’s Ed Orgeron when the two were on USC’s staff in the early 2000s. Kiffin says he learned a lot from Orgeron…
cut 20 (16) “…he does”
When Kiffin was the head coach at Tennessee and USC, he hird Orgeron to be an assistant coach on his staff. Coach O took over as the interim coach of the Trojans in 2013 when Kiffin was fired.

Multiple LSU players went on Twitter to deny the report Orgeron would have girlfriends at practice and their children would take part in team drills. Andre Anthony, Neil Farrell, Glen Logan, Myles Brennan and others say it’s Fake News.

The Ragin Cajuns seek their 12th straight Sun Belt Conference road victory tonight when they face Arkansas State in a game that will be shown on ESPN U. The Red Wolves are 1-and-5 but Cajuns Coach Billy Napier calls them a dangerous team
Cut 16 (20) “expect that”
Kick-off is at 6:30.

Also tonight, Tulane, who is 1-and-5, is at 21st ranked SMU.

Basketball, the Pelicans dropped their season opener, a 117 to 97 defeat to the 76ers. University of Illinois transfer Adam Miller, who was expected to be a big part of the LSU men’s basketball team, has reportedly torn his ACL and is out for the year. The Cajuns are picked to finish second in the Sun Belt coaches poll, while ULM is picked to finish last.

The percentage of unvaccinated individuals in Louisiana hospitals has dropped from the upper 90s to the lower 80s. Brooke Thorington asks a professional as to why the vaccine could be perceived as waning.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Well over a year after Hurricane Laura ripped apart Lake Charles and the surrounding area, many folks there still haven’t recovered from the onslaught of the storm. Mayor Nic Hunter says they hold a record of sorts for disasters.

Cut 6 (07) “…in American history.” 

After several AT&T customers lost service during Hurricane Ida, a representative from the company told PSC commissioners they are asking customers to call them to report outages so they can issue credits. But PSC Commissioner Eric Skrmetta says AT&T should be proactive instead.

Cut 13 (08) “…they were out.”

Among the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Ida last August, Lafourche Parish continues on the road to rebuilding. Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson says the progress is slow but steady. He says temporary housing solutions for storm victims are beginning to be a reality…:

Cut 10 (10)  “…gonna come in.” 

Chaisson says storm debris removal is also moving along at a pace,