LRN PM Newscall June 30

Lawmakers anticipated when they passed sports betting legislation in the spring it would be online in time for the football season. But it’s not a quick process. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (31) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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315 million dollars in federal American Rescue Plan aid will be distributed to 290 small and midsized Louisiana communities. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (29) …I’m Matt Doyle.”  

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Legal sports betting in Louisiana might not happen before the start of the football season. Louisiana Casino Association Executive Director Wade Duty says the Gaming Control Board must finalize the rules and issue licenses and they do not have a chairman at the moment.

Cut 3 (12)  “…regulatory side.”

The Gaming Control Board is not expected to meet again until July 15th, but Duty says the Governor’s office has indicated they wish to name a new chairman sooner than later. In spite of that Duty says there are other factors that must be completed before sports wagering is online.

Cut 4 (12) “…kinds of things”

Duty says while a fall timeline is still likely for sports betting, realistically it won’t be until after the football season begins.

Cut 5  (08) “…online. ” 

Lake Charles Republican Senator Ronnie Johns is said to be one of the contenders for the post.

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290 small and midsized Louisiana municipalities have been awarded over 315 million dollars in American Rescue Plan COVID economic relief funds.

Louisiana Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says there are few strings attached to these federal dollars.

Cut 6 (12) “…revenue loss”

Major cities and municipalities like New Orleans, Shreveport, St. Tammany Parish, and other larger communities are not included in this relief because they already received funds directly from the feds.

The funds are being allocated based on population. Dardenne says for example the city of Baker is receiving five million dollars while the Village of Noble will receive 1.6 million dollars.

Cut 7 (10) “…didn’t happen.”

Dardenne says this is an unprecedented amount of money coming from the federal government to localities in response to the pandemic.

Cut 8 (10) “…wisely.”

About half of the funds will be delivered this month and the other half will be delivered next June.

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KIK Consumer Products and Governor Edwards announced today a $170-million investment in a chlorine manufacturing plant in Calcasieu Parish. The dedication of the new Westlake facility is on the site of the previous plant that was destroyed 10 months ago when it caught on fire during Hurricane Laura. KIK COO, Jeff Schmitt….

Cut 9 (10) “…with us.”

Schmitt says construction of the BioLab facility which will manufacture chlorine-based sanitizer wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of their employees.

Cut 10 (12) “…were before.”

Edwards says the project will create 82 direct jobs and retain 19 existing jobs…

Cut  11 (12) “….stronger” 

The original plant was constructed in 1979 and the new facility is expected to be completed in 2022. The project will create 82 direct jobs

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The state health department says in the week after registration began for the two-point-three million dollar lottery incentive, COVID-19 vaccinations rose by 14-percent. State Health Officer Doctor Joe Kanter says it’s too early to say if the lottery is the reason for the modest bump, but admits every new vaccination is harder to get

Cut 12 (09) “…another”

Kanter says about 35-percent of the state is fully vaccinated and 38-percent have initiated the series. Those are some of the lowest percentages in the country…

Cut 13 (10) “…flat”

Kanter says there’s a push to increase the vaccination rate as the Delta variant continues to spread quickly. It is more contagious than other strains and it’s affecting mostly people who are unvaccinated. Kanter says word of mouth is the other way they can boost vaccination rates

Cut 14 (10) “…you trust”