6:30 LRN Newscast February 16

The state continues to see a decrease in the number of COVID cases as health officials say the Omicron variant surge is declining however the data still indicates a high transmission rate in Louisiana. State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says the state’s positivity rate has dropped to 9-percent.
Cut 7 (10) “…days of January. “
The state’s overall fully vaccinated rate is 52-percent and Kanter says 58-thousand people received their first shot last month.

Judges in Acadia, Lafayette, and Vermilion parishes are participating in a pilot program that is an effort to keep impaired drivers off the road. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Executive Director Lisa Freeman says judges in those parishes will screen individuals convicted for a first or second offense DWI for substance abuse or a mental health disorder…
cut 10 (09) “….down the road”

A new federal government report predicts sea levels could rise as much as a foot over the next 30 years, which raises the level of urgency to protect Louisiana’s coastline…
cut 3 (32) “….I’m David Grubb”