As pool season kicks off this Memorial Day weekend, the state health department wants to remind you to pay attention to children around the water, especially after the state reports a staggering increase in child drownings. Brooke Thorington explains.
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AAA is expecting a major rebound in Memorial Day travel. Erik Piccoli has the story.
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COVID numbers have fallen significantly and with that, some things are starting to return to normal, like riverboat paddle wheeler cruises up the Mississippi River. Matt Doyle has more…
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Louisiana is up 127,400 total jobs from the trough of the pandemic in April 2020 to April 2021.
Louisiana Workforce Commission chief economist Julian Hwang says the state economy is rebounding and we’re up to 1.7 million non-farm jobs in Louisiana with employers looking to add even more…
The state also added 1,600 new private-sector jobs from March to April.
LWC says that Baton Rouge and New Orleans make up over half of the jobs that have been gained at 33,300 and 43,500 jobs respectively. Hwang says the food industry played a major part in this increase…
Hwang says the heavy hit leisure and hospitality had the biggest gains in employment year to year at 62,400 added jobs.
The trade sector is up 27,300 jobs year-to-year and education and health are up 19,400.
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Child drownings increased by sixty percent in Louisiana last year according to the state health department. The number of infant and child drownings, ages zero to fourteen in 2020 was 24, which is up from 15 in 2019. State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says pediatric drownings in the state have been an ongoing issue.
The CDC says Louisiana has the fourth-highest drowning rate from children in the U-S and drowning remains the third leading cause of death for children ages one to fourteen.
Kanter says when you look at individual drownings there are a couple of things in common.
Cut 8 (08) “…separates the pool.”
A second trend Kanter says is when a single person is not assigned to act as a lifeguard at a gathering when children are swimming and the task falls by the wayside when it’s assumed all adults are watching.
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Kanter recommends checking fences and gates around your pool regularly, have children wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets, and never leave children unattended in any body of water.
According to the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance, the industry reported a historic increase of 24% in 2020.
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AAA forecasts a 60-percent increase in the number of Americans traveling this Memorial Day weekend compared to last year’s holiday. Spokesperson Don Redman says more than 37 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home with 12 million traveling by car.
Cut 10 (06)”… with a vengeance.”
Redman says those traveling by car can expect gas prices to be the most expensive since 2014. He says the average price in Louisiana for a gallon of regular gasoline is just about 2.70 an hour.
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Redman advises travelers the cost of a car rental is higher than normal.
Cut 12 (09)”…them 125 dollars.”
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With restrictions loosened riverboat cruises have resumed and tourists heading up the Mississippi River from New Orleans are back to visiting historic sites like Rosedown Plantation on their voyage north.
Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser met with 150 of the first tourists to resume the riverboat stops at Rosedown. He says reviving these riverboat cruises is a key part of bringing tourism back…
This year ships are set to dock in New Orleans, Vacherie, White Castle, Darrow, St. Francisville, and Baton Rouge.
Nungesser says this year eight ships from two cruise lines will dock at sites in Louisiana every day.
In 2022 Viking River Cruises will become the third cruise line to offer Mississippi Voyages.
Nungesser says everyone he’s talked to says voyages aboard the boutique luxury paddle wheelers are some of the best cruises they’ve ever taken.
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The LSU baseball team is back in Baton Rouge after they were ousted quickly from the SEC Tournament. The tigers are on the bubble in terms of getting into the NCAA tournament as they finished with a 13-17 mark in SEC play. Here’s coach Paul Mainieri on if his team deserves a spot in the NCAA tournament.
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Despite LSU’s conference record, the team is ranked 24th in the RPI. Mainieri hopes the selection committee will take that into consideration.
Cut 17 (14) “…in the 20s as well.”
LSU lost a lot of close games this season and Mainieri says if his team could’ve won a few of them they would have a better shot at making it to a regional