AM NEWSCALL
Governor Edwards files a lawsuit defending his public health emergency orders against a legislative petition that seeks to terminate the emergency declaration. Matt Doyle has the story.
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It’s the last day of early voting in Louisiana and despite record turnout and COVID mitigation efforts poll workers are getting rave reviews. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”
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Louisiana had 11,000 more uninsured children in 2019 than it had in 2018, a 28 percent increase. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Governor Edwards files a lawsuit defending his authority to issue and enforce public health restrictions against a legislative petition signed by the State House that claims to have stripped him of those powers.
Edwards says the Louisiana Constitution does not allow for one chamber of the Legislature to terminate a public health emergency issued by the Governor.
The Governor also adds that the statute the petition filers rely upon requires them to consult with state health officials before filing the petition, a step Edwards says they did not take.
Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder says Attorney General Jeff Landry is prepared to defend the petition in court…
65 GOP lawmakers in the House signed the petition Friday. The Senate President says a similar petition was not floated in the Upper Chamber due to concerns that they did not have data supporting a repeal.
The Speaker hopes the petition will force Edwards to the table to negotiate over giving lawmakers more of a say-so in pandemic policy. Edwards calls it dangerous politics.
But Schexnayder says the current restrictions are hampering our economic recovery and damaging more than just the service industry…
Many Republicans support ending the statewide blanket COVID restrictions and instead having the decisions made at a parish level.
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It’s the last day of early voting in the Bayou State and Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin expects another busy day with as many as 80 thousand voters expected to cast their ballot. Due to the pandemic, three extra days and longer hours were added to the early voting period. At the end of this extended version of early voting Ardoin, predicts as many as 950-thousand Louisianans will have performed their civic duty.
Despite COVID mitigation efforts and record-breaking turnout, the average wait time to vote is approximately 25 mins. Ardoin says poll workers are doing an amazing job.
Ardoin says with approximately 200-thousand absentee ballots and three-quarters of a million in-person early voters, poll workers are ready for a well-deserved break.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 30th at 4:30 pm and the ballot must be returned by November 2nd at 4:30 pm.
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The parents of 31-year old Trayford Pellerin, the black man who was shot by police August 21st, are suing Lafayette Police for damages related to his death. Also named in the suit is Lafayette Consolidated Government and 10 police officers. Family attorney Ronald Haley says they want justice and change.
Cut 11 (12) “their investigation”
Haley says the lawsuit is the first step the Pellerin family has taken to get answers.
Pellerin was fatally shot by police who responded to a disturbance involving a man with a knife at north Lafayette gas station that night. Pellerin was in the parking lot and after a taser was used, he walked away.
Family attorney Chase Trichell says the family is not being properly informed about what happened the day Pellerin was fatally shot.
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According to a report by the Louisiana Budget Project, the state saw a 28 percent increase in uninsured children between 2018 and 2019.
LBP Policy Director Stacey Roussel says 50,000 Louisiana children went into the pandemic without health insurance, and that number is expected to rise for the 2020 report.
2019’s number of 50,000 total uninsured kids was up 11,000 from 2018.
Roussel says the data doesn’t explain why but does show the biggest losses in insured rates were from children in low-income families, families using public healthcare programs, and…
Louisiana’s child uninsured rate rose to 4.4 percent in 2019, still below the national average of 5.7 percent.
Roussel says many of the children who are going without insurance qualify for a range of federal and state programs.
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Injured LSU quarterback Myles Brennan has returned to practice. Coach Ed Orgeron says there is a chance he could play Saturday against Auburn
cut 17 (17) 100 percent ready”
Brennan reportedly tore a stomach muscle in the loss to Missouri on October 10th and missed last Saturday’s win over South Carolina.
Orgeron also announced on Monday that starting left tackle Dare Rosenthal has been suspended indefinitely. He did not give a timeline on when Rosenthal will return. Coach O says Cam Wire will continue to start at left tackle and he’s impressed with the former East Ascension star
cut 18 (21) ” second team left tackle”
LSU rushed for a season-high 276 yards in the win over South Carolina. Tyrion Davis Price had 135 yards and John Emery had 88 yards rushing. Orgeron says the plan was for both running backs to get a lot of carries