LRN PM Newscall July 30

Bar owners have filed a federal lawsuit in an effort to get a federal judge to block Governor Edwards’s order that limits bars to takeout and delivery orders. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

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Protestors caravanned in cars around Senator Bill Cassidy’s Baton Rouge office demanding the Senator back an extension of the expiring 600-dollar a week federal unemployment payments. Matt Doyle was there…

cut 2 (31) “I’m Matt Doyle”  

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Several bar owners in Acadiana have filed a federal class-action lawsuit against Governor Edwards over his emergency order that bans onsite consumption at bars. Attorney Jimmy Faircloth is representing the plaintiffs and he says bar owners have been signaled out

Cut 3 (06)  “…to why”  

A spokesperson for Edwards says the governor has taken both legal and necessary action to protect the health of Louisiana residents by prohibiting on-premise consumption at bars. The state health department has traced 464 confirmed coronavirus infections to 41 bars.

Faircloth points out that’s a small fraction of the total known cases in Louisiana…

Cut 4 (08)_ “there’s not”

Faircloth is asking a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the governor’s bar order closure. Motions have been filed in both the Western and Eastern districts of Louisiana’s federal court system.

He says several of these bar owners met with the governor to find out why casinos are allowed to remain open, but a small bar owner can’t have ten patrons inside their establishment

Cut 5 (10)  “…for you”

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A handful of protesters rallied outside Senator Bill Cassidy’s Baton Rouge office demanding that the federal government continues to pay unemployed individiduals 600-dollars a week.

Republicans say the weekly unemployment benefits should be cut to 200 dollars a week. Power Coalition organizer Kaitlyn Joshua says the payments are badly needed by many

Cut 6 (06) “…suffering.”

Cassidy has said there needs to be a greater focus on moving unemployed people into available jobs. Augustine, an unemployed worker, says he can not find a job that pays the rent.

Cut 7 (06) “…do that’”

The Democrat-backed HEROES Act would extend the 600 dollar payments through the year, but a House Democratic leader recently said the caucus is not “600 dollars or bust”.

This is the last week for the 600-dollar weekly unemployment benefit. Joshua says with thousands still unemployed, the program must continue

Cut 8 (10) “Louisiana”

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State Police is investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting that happened last night in Lake Charles. Trooper Derek Senegal says Lake Charles police officers responded to an alleged carjacking and when officers located the vehicle, a pursuit ensued and ended when the suspect crashed into a house

Cut 9 (07) “…suspect.”

Senegal says the suspect has been identified as 37-year-old William Joseph Latour the Third…

Cut 10 (05) “…were injured.”

Senegal says the investigation is ongoing, but they know the suspect was armed…

Cut 11 (06) “…of the firearm.”

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For the third day in a row, the state reports under 2,000 new COVID cases, and the number of COVID patients declined for a third consecutive day. At his coronavirus briefing, Governor Edwards said this is a positive sign.

Cut 12 (08) “…trend.” 

It’s been over two weeks since the Governor ordered bars statewide to close and required mask usage while inside businesses.

Unfortunately, while hospitalizations are down deaths have seen a big increase in recent days. Edwards says that’s due to our spike in cases over the past few weeks.

Cut 13 (09) “…so forth” 

42 additional deaths were reported today.

Edwards warned that despite this positive trend downward every parish still has an R0 (R-naught) above one.

Cut 14 (10) “…grow”