Life Tabernacle Church Pastor Tony Spell is arrested for aggravated assault, improper backing, plus two outstanding bench warrants. Police allege Spell backed a bus in the direction of a protester in front of his suburban Baton Rouge church Sunday. Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran says Spell wanted to be arrested at his church this morning with a press conference, but that wasn’t going to happen.
Congressman Garret Grave is optimistic Congress will approve additional funding for a program designed to help small businesses maintain payroll. The 350 billion dollar program ran out of cash just 13 days after it began dispersing money earlier this month, and Graves says now many businesses can’t access the funds.
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Some elective medical procedures will be allowed to proceed starting Monday. State Health Officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry says the state is allowing time sensitive medical surgeries to be conducted, which includes abortion.
It’s the first relaxing of the statewide stay at home order to be announced, with other relaxed restrictions likely to be announced after the order ends April 30th.
Nasal swabs for COVID-19 testing are now being 3-D printed at LSU Health Shreveport. The swabs, which are a crucial part or the testing kit, have been in short supply. Molecular and cellular physiology professor Dr. Steven Alexander hopes the extra swab availability will lead to an expansion of testing eligibility.
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Alexander says they hope to produce nearly 1,000 swabs daily.