Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine trials are taking place in Louisiana to see how children 5 to 11 years old react to the medication.  More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 3 (32)  “…I’m Dave Brannen.” 

The New Orleans City Council voted unanimously Thursday to raise the minimum wage for city workers to $15-per-hour minimum beginning Jan. 1st. This will be a first in the state and reportedly Shreveport is considering a $13 minimum wage.

Economist Loren Scott is out with his annual economic outlook of where Louisiana’s economy is headed. He tells us his team expects the state to add 110-thousand jobs over the next two years.

Cut 4 (11) “…to then shutdown.”

So, in essence, Scott says the state should get all of the jobs it lost due to the pandemic shut down by the end of 2023.

A joint survey led by researchers at LSU and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls shows that most Americans routinely take precautions against COVID, except when they are at home. LSU Sociology professor and co-director of the study Wesley Shrum says a large majority of those surveyed comply with the 32 specific precautions listed to help prevent catching COVID.

Cut 7 (07) “…pandemic.”

A disturbing viral Tik Tok video of an 18-year old Covington High School student attacking and injuring a teacher is making the rounds. Covington Police Sgt. Edwin Masters says during the investigation they learned of the video challenge and because of recent legislation which can also hold a person who knowingly films a crime responsible, the female student directly involved in the altercation might not be the only one charged.

Cut 7 (07) “…forthcoming.”  

TikTok issued a statement that the rumored ‘slap a teacher’ trend is an insult to teachers and any such video will be removed from their platform.

Lafayette Police have made an arrest in the Wednesday night shooting death that took place in the 100-block of Essie Street. The suspect has been identified as 53-year-old Brian Keith Babineaux of Lafayette. Babineaux is charged with 2^nd Degree Murder and was transported to the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center for booking.

A nine-year-old boy in southeast Louisiana suffered serious injuries after he was hit yesterday by a dump truck after getting off a school bus in Belle Chasse. State Police Trooper Ross Brennan says 61-year-old Gregory Valentine of Donaldsonville approached the rear of the bus that had its stop signs extended and flashing lights activated

Cut 12 (09) “..nine  year old child”  

Brennan says the child continues to receive treatment at a local hospital.

The Louisiana Coastal Protection Restoration Authority says it has completed a multi-million-dollar project to enhance the presence of the Brown Pelican on Rabbit Island in Southwest Louisiana. Project Manager Todd Baker tells us the effort has been much more successful than expected.

Cut 9 (09) “….next this year” 

Governor John Bel Edwards has now received his annual flu shot and a booster for his previous two Pfizer Covid-19 shots.  More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Dave Brannen.”

If you plan to hunt or fish Sunday or Monday and don’t have a license you need to purchase one before then because the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries website will be undergoing maintenance. The website expects to have things up and working by Tuesday the 12^th.

Attorney General Jeff Landry says Louisiana will receive just over $325-million from a legal settlement with several pharmaceutical firms over the manufacturing and marketing of opioids. The funds will be used to help those who suffer from opioid abuse. Landry says local governments will decide how to allocate the funds in their particular area, but the distribution must meet a certain criteria.

Cut 5 (08) “…treatment on addicts.”

Baton Rouge commercial pilot and Navy veteran Luke Mixon is running for Senate in an effort to unseat the state’s junior senator John Kennedy in 2022. Mixon says he’s frustrated with the partisan politics in DC and Louisiana is not getting their fair share of natural disaster assistance.

Cut 10 (12)  “…bickering (x2).” 

A state police helicopter crashed in Ascension Parish this afternoon.  The pilot who was the only passenger sustained minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital. State Police spokesperson Captain Nick Manale says the pilot experienced mechanical issues while approaching an airstrip in Gonzales.

Healthcare workers in Shreveport and Monroe are taking Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport, St Mary Medical Center, and Ochsner LSU Health Monroe to court over mandates by those facilities to be vaccinated. Plaintiff attorney Jimmy Faircloth says the lawsuits request a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on the Ochsner vaccine mandate.

Cut  11 (09)  “…to opt-out.”  

He says Ochsner’s vaccine mandates are “an unlawful forced choice; not a free choice.”

Louisiana has joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s “Race to Zero” campaign. Governor Edwards says investments have already been made in Louisiana by companies looking to develop renewable energy and he says there’s interest in using the Gulf of Mexico to produce wind energy…

Cut 14 (11) “…already have” 

Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s spokesman Brennan Matherne tells us today that more than five weeks after Hurricane Ida, only about one-third of the debris from the storm has been picked up. It’s one of the frustrations that residents are facing.

Cut 5 (09) “…or vice versa.”

Matherne says huge piles of debris along the parish’s highways are still causing issues for residents and motorists.

As recovery efforts continue in Lafourche Parish after Hurricane Ida, Sheriff’s spokesman Brennan Matherne says things are getting better for some, while others are still struggling with little things that are piling up. That includes educational needs.

Cut 3 (12) “….a half weeks.”

Sixteen hospitals in the state that deliver babies have met new standards designed to improve the state’s poor maternal death rate. Medical Director of the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative Dr. Veronica Gillespie-Bell says they are working to reduce maternal death rates in which hypertension and hemorrhage are the leading causes.

Cut 6 (12) “…and outcomes.” 

A wedding attended by about 150 people in Abbeville is drawing more attention to such gatherings being potential super-spreader events for the coronavirus.  More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Dave Brannen.” 

The number of COVID patients in the hospital has fallen below 700 statewide, which is the lowest total since July 18th when the fourth surge was just starting to ramp up. The Louisiana Department of Health reports 82-percent of hospitalized patients are unvaccinated.

Disaster relief funding has been approved by Congress and Senator Bill Cassidy says there’s about $600-million allotted for southwest Louisiana. As for Hurricane Ida funding, Cassidy estimates there’s around a billion for the state.

Cut 5 (11) “…December.”

A wedding of 150 attendees in Abbeville on September 25^th has been confirmed as a COVID outbreak. State health department Region 4 Medical Director Dr. Tina Stefanski says the best way to protect yourself in group gatherings like a wedding is to get vaccinated, especially if you are elderly or have underlying health conditions.

Cut 9 (09)  “…your best protection.”

All attendees are encouraged to get tested and quarantine to prevent spreading.

Astra Zeneca’s first-of-its-kind preventative antibody treatment is seeking emergency use authorization.  Assistant Dean for Translational Science at LSU Health New Orleans, Doctor Lucio Miele says AZD7442 will not be marketed as a substitute for the vaccines but more of an ancillary for those who are unable to be vaccinated because they have cancer or a compromised immune system…

Cut 11 (09) “…the vaccine.”

A Baton Rouge medical center is leading the nation in using innovative robotic technology to diagnose lung cancer. Baton Rouge General pulmonologist Dr. Michael Sanchez says the new Monarch Platform can mean earlier, more accurate detection of lung cancers and it can move in ways a human guiding a scope simply cannot.

Cut 15 (05)  “…lot more precision.”

The long-anticipated disaster relief funding receives passage in DC. Kevin Gallagher has more

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

A Marksville casino will be the first venue to open sports betting in the Bayou State. “The Draft Room” at Paragon Casino will allow bets to start being placed at 3 pm today. Other casinos are expected to follow once state police have approved their operations.

If you attended a September 25^th wedding in Abbeville state health officials say you need to be tested for COVID. LDH says several people have since developed Covid symptoms and tested positive for the virus.  Dr. Tina Stefanski, medical director for Region 4 of the Office Public Health says there’s concern that some 150 wedding attendees could further spread what has been an all too often deadly virus.

Cut 8 (10) “…home get tested.”

Another offering in the fight against COVID is seeking Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA. Astra Zeneca’s first-of-its-kind antibody treatment is used as a preventative. Assistant Dean for Translational Science at LSU Health New Orleans, Doctor Lucio Miele says data from AZD7442 is promising.

Cut 10 (06)  “…months.” 

The company won’t be marketing the drug as a substitute for the vaccine

Republican Senator John Kennedy is expected to have a new challenger for re-election with Democrat Luke Mixon of Baton Rouge announcing he’s throwing his hat in the ring.  Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says Mixon has his work cut out for him in an attempt to unseat Kennedy.

Cut 9 (09) “…officials in Louisiana.” 

The 42-year-old Mixon will face off against Kennedy in the 2022 election

Monday’s Facebook outage has some thinking the social media platform was hacked. But Host of Tech Gumbo Haggai Davis says the company was doing an internal system upgrade to the Border Gate Protocol, which acts like the post office to send you to facebook.com and the six-hour outage was reminiscent of a Three Stooges episode.

Cut 7 (11) “…down.”  

Louisiana’s only Democratic congressman is optimistic that a deal will be reached soon on a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill and more partisan legislation to allocate three-point-five-billion on social spending.  More from Dave Brannen.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Dave Brannen.”

The Louisiana Department of Health says a September 25^th wedding in Abbeville is linked to a COVID outbreak and all 150 attendees should considered themselves exposed and seek COVID testing. Unvaccinated attendees should quarantine until October 9^th.

US Naval Academy graduate and former fighter pilot Luke Mixon is seeking to unseat Republican Senator John Kennedy next year. 42-year-old Mixon is the first Democrat to announce his candidacy against the state’s junior senator. Mixon a commercial pilot who lives in Baton Rouge says Kennedy isn’t representing the state’s interests in DC.

Baton Rouge’s Our Lady Of the Lake hospital announces a huge investment in a new regional cancer treatment center. More from Kevin Gallagher.

Cut 3 (30)  “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.” 

The state has launched a temporary housing program that will result in trailers, mobile homes, and even shipping containers being sent to the hardest-hit areas of Hurricane Ida by the end of the week. GOHSEP Deputy Director Casey Tingle says to apply for trailers go to ida-sheltering-la-dot-com…

Cut 8 (09) “…housing today.”

FEMA is paying for the program.

Louisiana Democratic Congressman Troy Carter is sounding optimistic that a compromise is within reach on infrastructure and social spending bills in DC. On the subject of expanding broadband that’s included in the social spending bill, he believes it’s an important matter to address.

Cut 6 (10) “…don’t have it.”

Louisiana Democratic Congressman Troy Carter is sounding an optimistic note that a compromise is within reach on infrastructure and social spending bills. He talks about one of the projects in the 1.2-trillion-dollar infrastructure bill that’s important to our state.

Cut 4 (07) “…to advance us.”

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is working in conjunction with FEMA to speed up the process to get those without shelter travel trailers. GOHSEP Deputy Director Casey Tingle says FEMA is still working on their program of direct housing that includes travel trailers, mobile homes, and certain types of leases.

Cut 9 (09)  “…implement it.”

Tingle says you can register online for assistance at IdaShelteringLA.com

Our Lady Of the Lake hospital in Baton Rouge announces plans to build a $100-million cancer center in the Capital City. OLOL President and CEO Scott Wester says site selection is underway and they expect to break ground on the cancer center in early 2022.

Cut 10 (13)  “…all cancer patients.” 

LSU has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a better freezing process for organs awaiting transplant to make them viable for more than four hours. While there’s been much progress in freezing things like embryos, LSU Mechanical Engineer Professor Ram Devireddy (Dev-ah-ready) says he doesn’t see the techniques he’s testing being used for at least another five years.

Cut 15 (09)  “…quite there yet.”

The grant is for $433-thousand.