According to the personal finance website WalletHub, 43 percent of shoppers are participating in comfort buying during the pandemic. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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Republican lawmakers are looking to revoke Governor John Bel Edwards emergency declaration that would revoke the state’s stay at home order. Jeff Palermo has the story..
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Raising Cane’s CEO Todd Graves predicts many of the restaurant industry changes made due to the coronavirus outbreak will stick around long after the virus fades.
Graves says the industry is notorious for having workers come in even when sick, and that’s unlikely to be the case going forward. He also pointed to additions like sneeze guards in drive-throughs…
Graves adds sanitation and food safety practices implemented during this time are also likely to be maintained due to public demand.
Restaurant dining rooms are closed and takeout orders are now booming. Graves says once the tables open back up he expects many customers will keep these new habits…
Graves says Cane’s is back to full projected sales but many restaurant owners he talks to who don’t have a drive-through are at about 50 percent. He says long-term the biggest fear is…
Graves made the comments on Talk Louisiana.
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About 58 million Americans are spending more money now than before social distancing according to the personal finance website WalletHub. While some overspending may be attributed to stockpiling essentials, WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzales says many shoppers are “comfort-buying” online.
Cut 6 (09) “…to social isolation.”
Of those who have engaged in comfort buying, 63 percent are keeping their purchases below $150. Around 60 percent of people aged 30-44 report comfort buying compared to just 32 percent over the age of 59.
Gonzales says in terms of the non-essential purchases, most of it is related to entertainment.
Cut 7 (13) “…people buying toys.”
Gonzales says deliveries are causing anxiety for shoppers.
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Republican lawmakers who are upset with Governor Edwards extending the stay at home order until May 15th are looking at overriding the emergency declaration. Shreveport Representative Alan Seabaugh says state law allows lawmakers to revoke a governor’s disaster order if a majority of the House or Senate agree to a written petition
Seabaugh believes they can get 53 lawmakers in the House to sign the petition since there are 69 Republicans in the lower chamber. He says Edwards could not veto and the petition can prevent the governor from issuing an even more restrictive order for the next 60 days
The governor’s executive counsel has sent a letter to legislative leadership informing them that rescinding the governor’s order would threaten billions of dollars in federal funding to Louisiana, plus re-opening schools and change unemployment provisions.
The governor’s stay at home order is designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but Seabaugh says it’s also forcing people into poverty, especially in parishes that are reporting a small number of cases…
Cut 11 (09) “…of New Orleans.”
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Governor Edwards met with President Donald Trump today in the Oval Office and afterwards praised the federal government’s commitment to supply Louisiana with enough test kits so that it can test at least 200,000 individuals a month for the coronavirus. Edwards says that’s a critical piece in their COVID-19 response efforts
Edwards is hopeful the state can begin a phase one reopening of the economy on May 16th.
Based on the state’s latest update, at least 155-thousand people have been tested.
It was six months ago when the President made several trips to Louisiana urging Republican voters to vote Edwards out of office. But both men are on the same page now and feel good about the direction Louisiana is heading
Edwards personally thanked the president for helping to provide federal resources in the early stages in the state’s fight against the spread of COVID-19