8:30 AM Newscast

According to AAA, in 2019, Louisiana households spent about 13% of their income filling up at the pump.  AAA fuel analyst Don Redman says there were savings compared to 2018 as households saved nearly $46 a month.

Cut 6 (07) “…almost $550.”

While prices saw an uptick earlier in 2020 due to concerns over an Iranian conflict, Redman says coronavirus fears are driving prices down again, so we may see savings this year over last year.

Fears from the Coronavirus could roll over into putting dents into Louisiana’s tourism industry.  UNO Professor of Economics Dr. Janet Speyrer says travelers may cut out nonessential trips due to being unaware of where other travelers may be coming from and their potential to be infected.

Cut 12 (10) “…in the US.”

 

New Orleans State Senator Troy Carter files a bill that will ban “hate-related” throws at Mardi Gras parades. Earlier this month a father was stunned when his son caught a racially-themed throw at the Mystic Knights of Adonis parade in Gretna. When Carter learned a young boy caught a throw, which was a caricature of a black man holding a watermelon with a noose around his neck, less than two weeks later he filed the bill for the session that opens March 9th.
Cut 4 (11) “…of Mardi Gras.”
If the thrower cannot be identified, then the organization would be fined for the offense.
Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans scores a 2.6 million dollar grant to help expand capacity. The money was won in part because of the work of Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves, who sits on the House Subcommittee on Aviation. Graves says over a million people came to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, and projects like these keep the money flowing into Louisiana.
Cut 11 (09) “…impact”
Louis has received nearly $10m in grants since November of last year.