Shopping malls face a major hurdle in resurgence following the coronavirus pandemic. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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Customers will be allowed to eat takeout meals outside of restaurants starting tomorrow but the Louisiana Restaurant Association says only about four percent of restaurants currently have patio dining…
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Some budget analysts suggest Louisiana could face a five percent reduction in state revenue for the next fiscal year. Matt Doyle has more.
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Shopping malls have already had a tough time competing with e-commerce, but following the pandemic, the challenge of retaining a customer base will likely grow even more. LSU marketing professor Dan Rice says several factors will contribute to how much of a hurdle the mall industry faces.
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Rice says the challenges faced by malls depends on the variety of mall structures, with enclosed malls being the most at-risk for permanent closure.
Cut 5 (10) “…restrictions are lifted.”
Rice says the malls will have to figure out ways to make their brick and mortar establishments a destination that consumers feel compelled to visit.
Cut 6 (09) “…that kind of thing.”
Governor Edwards says malls can be open for curbside pickup service beginning Friday.
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Governor Edwards is expected to provide additional guidance today ahead of tomorrow’s order allowing customers to eat take out outside of restaurants.
Louisiana Restaurant Association President Stan Harris says this hasn’t been the most cohesive launch of guidelines he’s seen, and some important questions still need to be answered.
Harris says most of the communication on this order his members have had so far has been with local officials.
Despite the lack of specificity, Harris says he is glad the state is allowing it. He says the restaurant industry is taking heavy losses and any chance to offer more services is appreciated.
Harris says only about four percent of state restaurants have patio dining.
Harris says companies are also sorting out how to partially reopen indoor dining in the near future. He says between supply chain disruptions in the meat industry and staffing questions it’s tough.
The Governor has suggested he could implement Phase One, allowing restaurants to open at 25% capacity, by mid-May.
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Early estimates show the state budget for the next fiscal year will likely have a hefty shortfall due to the COVID shutdown and the collapse of oil prices.
House Appropriations Chairman Jerome Zeringue says that equates to about a 500 million dollar budget shortfall, but at least this year’s budget shouldn’t be impacted.
A five percent revenue hit may sound low given the ongoing economic collapse but the Houma Republican says federal dollars will help soften some of the blow.
The session is set to resume Monday and Zeringue anticipates budget discussions will start the week after meaning they’ll have a brief three weeks to craft the spending plan before the session ends on June 1st.
Zeringue says the Revenue Estimating Conference will meet mid-May to hopefully provide lawmakers with a dollar on how much the state can spend. A balanced budget must be approved by July, so a special session is possible if a budget is not approved by June 1st.
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The road to recovery for Baton Rouge Police Cpl. Derrick Maglone continues who was wounded in a shootout that left another officer dead. Former State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson is Maglone’s uncle and says Maglone is able speak in short sentences.
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But Edmonson says it is the nonverbal communication that has meant the most to the family.
Cut 14 (12) “…knees were wobbling.”
While they are still respecting social distancing guidelines in visiting, Edmonson believes the interaction Maglone has had with other officers at the hospital has been helpful.
Cut 15 (11)“…about allowing that.”
Maglone was shot during a standoff on Sunday while looking for a suspect in a homicide earlier that day. A 21-year veteran of the BRPD, Lt. Glenn Hutto Jr. was killed in the shoot-out.
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After starting 70-games in his five-year NFL career. Jameis Winston is now a back-up quarterback with the New Orleans Saints. The former number one pick says it’s wise for him to spend a season learning from head coach Sean Payton and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees
Winston led the N-F-L in passing yards last season, but he also led the league in the interceptions. So during the offseason he got LASIK surgery and Winston says he also began working with physical therapist Kevin Wilk, who is one of Brees’ longtime mentors
After an up and down career, Winston is looking forward to being an understudy to Brees…