Attorney General Jeff Landry sends a letter to LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine urging the association to allow the football season to begin. Jeff Palermo has the story.
Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”
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Louisiana is no longer in the “red” zone for COVID case growth according to the White House. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Hurricane Laura was a destructive storm, but the damage to crops is not as severe as feared. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says about 27-percent of the rice crop was not harvested, but most of the sugarcane is salvageable
Strain says about 45-percent of the cotton crop was in the boll stage, which makes it susceptible to strong winds and rain. A total damage estimate will take a couple of weeks.
He says the lack of electricity in many areas is an issue. He says they are trying to get rice dryers turned back on and poultry houses cool
A poultry fuel hotline has been established to assist farmers by putting them in direct contact with a fuel distributor. That number is area code (225) 952-8158.
Strain says another impact from Laura is the number of farm buildings and equipment that’s been destroyed…
Cut 5 (05) “…live stock facilities.”
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Attorney General Jeff Landry sends a letter to Louisiana High School Athletic Association director Eddie Bonine to say it is time to turn on the Friday night lights and play high school football. Landry says people need high school football to take their minds off of current events.
The current plan calls for high school football to kick off in October, but only if the state is in Phase Three of economic reopening.
Landry says any concerns about legal liability can be worked around in a creative manner to protect the schools and the students that are playing ball.
The latest extension of Phase Two restrictions has kept state high school football players from suiting up for full padded practices to prep for the upcoming season.
Landry says participation in high school football is voluntary, with players and spectators aware of the virus risk, adding his office is ready to meet with LHSAA officials to hammer out any legal concerns.
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Governor Edwards announces the state is now in the “yellow” zone for COVID case growth after weeks of being in the “red” zone according to the feds.
Edwards says that means as a whole the state is now below 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over the last seven days and below ten percent positivity. He warns that could change…
Despite the progress, Edwards says the White House is still recommending the state maintain the bar closure and mask-wearing mandate.
While the state as a whole is doing better Edwards says there are still hotspot areas…
The White House report says East Baton Rouge, Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes have the highest number of new cases over the last three weeks.
Despite this good news, Edwards says the combination of hurricane evacuations and school reopenings could reverse our progress. Even worse…
Yesterday the state reported only 4,000 new tests. Throughout the rest of August the state averaged nearly 20,000 new tests a day.
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The fuel situation in hurricane-ravaged Vernon Parish is tight. Sheriff Sam Craft says power is out across the parish and many residents are driving to Alexandria for fuel and supplies.
Craft says people are seeing long lines at the few locations in operation.
Long lines are common at fueling stations that are operational. Craft says it’s led to arguments between desperate customers…