PM Newscall March 31

Texas tightens restrictions on travelers from Louisiana.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

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A Central pastor is charged with six counts of violation of the Governor’s emergency order after continuing to hold services with congregations of over 1,100.  Matt Doyle has the story.

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AARP Louisiana is holding a Telephone Town Hall Meeting Wednesday to answer seniors concerns about the coronavirus. State Director Denise Bottcher says Dr. Benjamin Springgate with LSU Health Sciences will be on the call to answer health-related questions.

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Bottcher says LaVonda Dobbs of 211 will also be on the call to speak about services that are available to seniors.

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Bottcher says they wanted to hold the Telephone Town Hall for not just members but everyone, especially people in outlying areas of the state, to make sure they are aware of resources during this critical period

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The call is open for anyone to participate in. To do so you call 1-877-229-8493. It will take place at 10:10 am.

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Due to Louisiana’s hotbed of COVID-19 cases, Texas’s Governor is attempting to mitigate the spread with a mandate requiring a quarantine for Louisiana travelers coming into the Lone Star State. Louisiana State Police Trooper Dustin Dwight says the mandate does not close the border.

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The 14 days will be done at a quarantine station of the traveler’s choosing and they can only leave for medical treatment. Travelers can also quit the quarantine any time they want and head back to Louisiana.

Dwight says Louisiana travelers need to fill out a form from Texas Department of Public Safety before embarking on their trip.

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Dwight says anyone who has a previously scheduled medical trip along with a few other exemption statuses can skip the quarantine.

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Dwight adds that he has not heard about any checkpoints at the Texas line.

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Legal ramifications have come down on Rev. Tony Spell, the pastor at the helm of the Life Tabernacle Church in Central that has repeatedly defied the Governor’s ban on large gatherings with congregations regularly exceeding 1,100.  Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran says Spell has now been summoned.

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Spell has not been jailed for his actions.  Corcoran says they’ve tried to give Spell warnings before and attempted to resolve the manner by other means throughout the week.

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Corcoran says the public’s health and safety should priority number one and Spell’s continued actions were directly working against that.

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Another service is still on the schedule for Tuesday night.

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Governor John Bel Edwards plans to extend his stay at home order until April 30th, which means schools will remain closed for at least the next month. The academic year is scheduled to be completed in May. Edwards says acting state superintendent Beth Scioneaux is working to develop a plan

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The Advocate reports that a survey finds that 39 of Louisiana’s 69 school districts are offering online instruction.

The state has already waived standardized tests for this year, but what if school does not resume this year. How can you decide if a child should be promoted to the next grade or if they are eligible to graduate high school?  Edwards says the state department of education is trying to figure out those questions…

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Legislators returned to the state capitol today, introduced some bills and left about an hour later. It’s unclear when they’ll return. House Speaker Clay Schexnayder says because of the uncertainty around the COVID-19 outbreak, they are not setting a return date

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The 2020 legislative session must conclude by June 1st and a budget must be approved by July 1st. The House and Senate chambers were not full today and the legislators present practiced social distancing. Schexnayder says at this point it’s better to keep flexible on a return date

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