530PM LRN News

So far early voting turnout for the primary is nearly double that of the 2015 election, and state officials say it could indicate higher than average interest in this year’s election. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says the early results are incredibly promising as people packed polling stations Saturday.

Cut 6 (09) “…thousand”

If turnout does hit the mid-40s Ardoin says they’ll still have plenty enough stickers, having printed 3.2 million.

25 years after the first riverboat set anchor in Baton Rouge the market is now struggling mightily. Baton Rouge peaked in the fiscal year ending June 2017 at $308.8 million and has slumped the last two years. Revenue has fallen to nearly one-fourth to  $235.6 million for June 2019. Chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board Ronnie Jones says bans are partly to blame.

Cut 13 (06) “…an impact.”

The Louisiana Tumor Registry adds a new interactive data visualization tool to their website. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

cut  2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

365 workers are out of a job in LaPlace after the unexpected closure of Bayou Steel in St. John the Baptist Parish. Local officials say they have not been given a reason for the closure yet, but the Governor’s office is indicating it may be tariff related as the company imports scrap recycled metals. The state says they’re working quickly to get the workers back into a job.