Even though COVID cases numbers indicate the state is on the downside of the Omicron surge State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter urges residents to wear N95 masks when they are in crowds to avoid transmission. Free N95 masks are being distributed at the following locations.

Cut 9 (06) “…Walgreens locations.”

St. Martin Parish Senator Fred Mills files a bill requiring nursing homes to have emergency power incase of a disaster or other emergency situations. While most long-term care facilities have such back up power in place, he wants it on the books and to cover specifics

Cut 5 (12) “…long-term power disruption.”

The bill is in response to the tragic evacuation to a warehouse during Hurricane Ida that claimed 15 lives.

A report from NOAA shows parts of Louisiana and Texas could see Gulf of Mexico waters rise 16 to 18 inches by 2050. Natalie Snider, Associate Vice President at the Environmental Defense Fund, says Louisiana is taking an aggressive approach to combat the rise in sea level…

Cut 14 (11)  “…the right direction.”
Judges in Acadia, Lafayette, and Vermilion parishes are participating in a pilot program in 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.”
Alcohol is involved in 40-percent of all traffic fatalities in Louisiana.