12:30 LRN Newscast Oct 22

Saturday marks the 21st edition of the DEA’s Drug Takeback event. Brian Singleton of the agency says you’ll be able to drop off a variety of unwanted prescription drugs at the time, no questions asked.

Cut 4 (07) “…out of it.”

The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and for a list of locations Visit takebackday.dea.gov

 

Louisiana is the only state where the percentage of Blacks vaccinated for COVID is higher than whites. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation 51-percent of Blacks are vaccinated compared to 49-percent of whites. Assistant Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health Kim Hood says their hard work to remove barriers for minorities to get vaccinated has shown results.

Cut 9 (07) “…proud of it.”

But Hood says their work is far from over due to the state’s overall low vaccination rate.

A planned 450-million-dollar renovation to the Ceasars’ Superdome in the Big Easy is at least temporarily hobbled financially. The state has only committed two-point-five-million of 90-million dollars in funding for the project, leaving State Treasurer John Schroder looking for direction from the legislature.

Cut 6 (09) “…of New Orleans.” 

He says so far there’s no definitive answer to that question, though the door was left open earlier by the Edwards administration to funnel that much state money into the project.

And the state reports 681 new OCIVD-19 cases and 342 hospitalizations.