The newest COVID-19 numbers from the Department of Health show an increase in fatalities by 60 to 1862 and case numbers are up by 341 to 28,001. Hospitalizations are down by 28 to 1601 and ventilator usage is down by 13 to 231.
The Central Police Department warns their phone lines are clogged with callers protesting the house arrest of Life Tabernacle Church Pastor Tony Spell. Spell was arrested last week for allegedly trying to hit a protestor with a church bus and violating the ban on mass gatherings. Police Chief Roger Corcoran says the parents are apparently trying to leverage the harassment campaign of jamming the phone lines into getting their son set free.
The Chief adds the ankle bracelet was ordered by a local judge.
Senator John Kennedy says he’s not in favor of rubber-stamping federal legislation to help state and local level governments cover expenses without seeing some indication as to how much revenue is expected to be lost. Kennedy thinks some mayors and governors will see spending money that they don’t have as being the new normal.
Cut 6 (10) “…do revenue projections.”
The regular legislative session is set to resume next week and the big priority for lawmakers once they return to Baton Rouge is passing a budget for next fiscal year. The session is set to end June 1st. House Appropriations Chairman Jerome Zeringue says they need the Revenue Estimating Conference to provide them with a dollar figure on how much they can spend next fiscal year…
cut 12 (10) “…have time”
Zeringue says he’s been told to expect at least a 500-million dollar drop in revenues.