Governor Edwards plans to increase enforcement efforts on non-compliant businesses as coronavirus cases continue to surge. Kevin Barnhart has the story…
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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The UL System will take a 28 million dollar net hit to revenue this fiscal year, and is planning for a five percent total drop in revenue for the fiscal year starting July 1st. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Governor Edwards is demanding businesses comply with coronavirus restrictions as the state reported another 13-hundred cases today. Earlier this month, the governor loosened capacity restrictions on businesses and re-opened bars. The governor says that decision has not lead to a spike in cases…
Cut 3 (10) ”…it eventually stopped.”
Businesses who have employees that come in contact with customers are required to wear masks. And Edwards says the public should be wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing, and washing hands frequently.
Edwards has said since the pandemic started the state can not enforce its way to compliance, but he’s planning to take a more heavy-handed approach.
Cut 4 (12)_ “…these mandates.”
Edwards has paused the state’s re-opening, extending the Phase 2 guidelines for another 28 days as the number of hospitalizations has risen to 700. The governor says the state office of public health, A-T-C and state fire marshal deputies will conduct robust compliance checks when they get complaints…
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The UL System is anticipating a five percent loss of revenue by the end of the 2021 fiscal year. President Jim Henderson says they can absorb that kind of reduction and still supply a quality education, but if the COVID pandemic were to get any worse that may be difficult.
The worst-case scenario they’ve drawn up shows a 150 million dollar loss in revenue due to drastic declines in enrollment and the cancellation of sports.
Henderson says some of the loss is due to enrollment from students who are delaying entering college. He says they are being upfront about what expectations should be.
For the current fiscal year ending June 30th, the UL System is set to suffer a 28 million dollar net loss.
Henderson says the pitch for students uncertain of returning is still the same, a 14-percent annual rate of return on their degree from a U-L system school.
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Blaine Kern, Sr., who was widely considered Mr. Mardi Gras, has died. He was 93. Kern was the founder of Blaine Kern Artists, which designs, builds, and stages most of the region’s largest carnival parades. Mardi Gras expert Arthur Hardy remembers Kern as a key figure in the history of Mardi Gras.
Kernbuilt his first Mardi Gras float on the back on a mule-drawn wagon with his father in 1932 and is credited for turning Mardi Gras float building into a multi-million dollar business. Hardy says Kern’s energy and creativity did not slow down in the later years of his life.
Cut 10 (10) “…just didn’t stop.”
Hardy says Kern had the ability to engage and captivate people.
Cut 11 (07) “…quite a promoter.”
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Louisiana is closing in on 55-thousand coronavirus cases after reporting 13-hundred new cases today. Assistant health secretary Alex Billioux says the vast majority in new cases is coming from community spread. He says more people are showing up to emergency room departments with COVID-19 symptoms
Billioux says the percentage of tests that are positive is eight-percent, the federal goal is to keep it below 10-percent.
Cut 13 (09) “…increases there”
91-percent of the cases are also tied to community spread rather than congregate settings like nursing homes. He says in order to stop the surge in cases, Louisiana residents should wear masks in the public and maintain social distancing…
Cut 14 (07) “…neighbors safe.”
Due to a planned power outage of the L-D-H’s office in New Orleans, the state will not update its coronavirus cases on Saturday.
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