Today is the first day casinos and video poker parlors can open since the governor ordered them closed in mid-March. State Police had to approve each casino’s spread mitigation procedures and operators are looking at whether they can still break even with occupancy limits in place. Casino Association of Louisiana executive director Wade Duty says not every casino will open today.
Cut 4 (06)_ “…them to open.”
Diamond Jacks Casino and Hotel in Bossier City has announced a permanent closure due to market conditions.

The CDC warns physicians to be on the lookout for a possibly COVID-linked illness that has impacted over a hundred children across the country. Ochsner Lafayette Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Katherine Lindle says the symptoms do not look like COVID-19 in adults.
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Lindle says they have seen a handful of cases in Louisiana.

The full Senate is scheduled to tackle two major bills today, one being tort reform aimed at reducing auto insurance rates and the other revoking local governments’ ability to sue oil companies for coastal damages. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says there are enough votes in the upper chamber to pass tort reform…
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But Pinsonat says the bill that would prevent parishes from suing oil companies because of coastal damages might not have enough votes to pass.

There are three weeks left in the legislative session and the top priority is passing a budget. The Edwards administration provided lawmakers with a budget proposal late on Friday and it uses federal dollars and rainy day money to prevent deep budget cuts.