AM Newscall 07/21/2020

Louisiana Restaurant revenue is set to take a major hit from the pandemic, a hit that could translate into hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue for state and local government. Matt Doyle has more.

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More than a third of Louisiana residents lack access to an adequate food source because of the pandemic unemployment rates. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

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If you’re seen wearing a mask while in New Orleans you could be given a raffle ticket worth 10,000 dollars. Matt Doyle has the story.

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The Louisiana Restaurant Association predicts a 25-30 percent drop in restaurant revenue for 2020 due to the pandemic.

LRA CEO Stan Harris says they projected 11 billion dollars for the year before the pandemic, generating over a billion dollars in state and local taxes. That’s no longer the case…

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The National Restaurant Association is projecting a 240 billion dollar nationwide impact to revenue for 2020.

LSU Economist Dr. Loren Scott says the industry is particularly vulnerable because demand is currently being dictated by the public’s level of comfort in going out to eat.

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Harris previously predicted 25 percent of state restaurants could permanently close due to the pandemic. Scott says much of that is linked to problems making rent.

Cut 6 (08) “…right now.”

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A study shows more than a third of Louisiana residents are food insecure, meaning they lack access to an adequate food source during the pandemic.  Center for Planning Excellence is behind the analysis and CEO Camille Manning-Broome says the state has had a half million people fall into this category since the pandemic started.

Cut 7 (13) “…of this pandemic.”

Manning-Broome says nearly half of the newly food insecure communities are small towns and unincorporated rural areas, but metropolitan areas are also feeling the burden.

Cut 8 (08) “…a humanitarian crisis.”

Food insecurity has increased dramatically since the pandemic began in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, where approximately 65% of residents line in food-insecure communities.  Manning-Broome says federal relief is needed to help address the issue.

Cut 9 (10) “…our food banks.”

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People who chose to mask up in New Orleans could be given a raffle ticket for a 10,000 dollar drawing.

The project is being led by several city Mardi Gras Krewes, and Krewe of Red Beans founder Devin De Wulf says the idea was inspired by his time as a teacher where he learned about the power of positive reinforcement.

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The 10,000 dollars comes from the savings account of the Krewe. De Wulf says they were hoping to save up enough to get a Krewe HQ, but felt this was a more worthy cause.

De Wulf says they will be focusing on parts of the city where the virus has hit the hardest using Department of Health data…

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De Wulf says if they see you in the city being a responsible citizen and masking up…

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The program started Monday and will continue until August 3rd. The drawing will be held on August 4th.

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Baton Rouge Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting that killed a domestic violence suspect at his Tigerland apartment early Monday morning. The identities of the officers and the deceased have not been released, but a portion of the body cam footage has been released.

Cut 13 (11) “…got a gun *bang*.” 

Four officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave. A K-9 officer injured in the gunfire is in stable condition.

The suspect was wanted on a warrant obtained in May and the said they officers had tracked him down to the apartment complex after a tip given to CrimeStoppers. Chief Murphy Paul says during the incident, officers saw the man appeared from a rear room, the officers retreated from the apartment while giving loud verbal commands.

Cut 14 (09) “…fired striking him.”

Paul says all of the officers had their body cameras activated and a snippet of the footage was released after family of the deceased reviewed the video.

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More footage may be released at a later time.