Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is entering the state this week. Matt Doyle has the story.

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The state health department reported 65 more COVID-19 deaths today. Jeff Palermo has the latest coronavirus numbers…

cut 2 (30) ….I’m Jeff Palermo.”  

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For the first time in 44 years, the Independence Bowl will not be played in Shreveport on Saturday. The I-Bowl could not find an opponent for Army who accepted a bid to play in the bowl game. I-Bowl spokesperson Erik Evenson says it’s crushing that this annual holiday tradition can not happen this year

Cut 3 (10)  “..didn’t happen.”

Army was set to play a school from the Pac-12, but Evenson says five teams from that league decided not to play in a bowl game this season, reducing their options

Cut 4 (07 )  “.line-up”  

Evenson says they tried to find a school outside of the Pac-12 to play Army, but no luck

Cut 5  (11) “…slots” 

Fans who purchased tickets, can request a re-fund or roll over the purchase to next year’s game. BYU is set to play in next year’s game against a school from Conference USA.

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The Louisiana Department of Education plans to use eight million dollars provided by the state legislature to purchase new computers for public school students. Superintendent Cade Brumley on how the funding originated.

Cut 6 (11) “…spring semester.”

The department just received news of the funding and Brumely says they are working on a plan to purchase and distribute 23,000 Chromebooks to school systems by next Spring.

Cut 7 (12) “…in the field.”

Brumley says students and educators have made incredible pivots throughout the pandemic and while virtual learning has certainly come a long way since March, they still have several hurdles to overcome.

Cut 8 (11) “…and deserve.”

Brumley says the Chromebooks have touchscreen technology which makes them more accessible for a wider range of students and easier use for younger students.

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Louisiana will receive nearly 80,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine over the next three days. About 36,000 of those will head to nursing homes and the remaining 44,000 will be sent to tier two hospitals and medical first responders. Assistant State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter celebrates the news…

Cut 9 (10) “… us.”

Last week the state received about 40,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine and is expecting just under 30,000 this week. Those are reserved for frontline healthcare workers.

Moderna will now be in circulation with the Pfizer vaccine. Kanter says right now you won’t really have a choice which one you get to take but the truth is they’re both just as effective and safe…

Cut 10 (09) “…vaccine.”

Both vaccines have 94 to 95 percent rates of effectiveness. The Moderna vaccine requires a booster shot 28 days later versus Pfizer, which requires a booster 21 days later.

Kanter says the difference between the two is that the Moderna vaccine is easier to transport than its Pfizer cousin because it doesn’t have to be kept nearly as cold.

Cut 11 (08) “..after that.”

Vaccinations of nursing home residents are expected to begin sometime next week.

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After sunset tonight you’ll definitely want to take a look at the western skies and view a phenomenon dubbed the Christmas Star.  LSU Professor of Astronomy Dr. Tabetha Boyajian (boy-ah-gin) says it’s not actually a star but planets Jupiter and Saturn aligning closer together, they will appear within a tenth of a degree from each other.

Cut 12 (10) “…to see.” 

The best viewing of the so-called Christmas Star is tonight after dusk, but it will be visible until the 25^th. Dr. Boyajian explains the Christmas connection.

Cut 13 (12)“…it’s planets.”

Dr. Boyajian says you won’t need a telescope to view the once in a lifetime event and try to find a location without tall trees, buildings, and bright lights for best viewing.

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If you miss it tonight you won’t have another chance until 2080.

Governor Edwards is asking residents to cancel any holiday plans with extended family members. Matt Doyle has the story.

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A Grant Parish Representative tore into the insurance industry for what he says is a concerted effort to lowball customers on their hurricane damage settlements. Matt Doyle has the story.

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Looking to “Reboot Your Career?” The Louisiana Community and Technical College System is helping many do just that and in fields looking for workers. Brooke Thorington has more

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Governor Edwards asks Louisiana residents not to gather outside their household for Christmas this year.

Edwards says if you are planning on having a regular Christmas, you are making a big mistake. He says every single parish in the state is experiencing incredibly high levels of community spread.

Cut 4 (09) “…contagious.”

State officials are concerned that adding a post-Christmas surge on top of our current post-Thanksgiving surge could start to overwhelm our healthcare capacity.

He also shot down the idea that you can have a safe, multigenerational gathering by having everyone involved take a COVID test beforehand…

Cut 5 (12) “..tested.”

The current Phase Two order is set to expire Friday. Edwards says to expect, at the very least, that the current level of restrictions will be extended into 2021…

Cut 6 (07) “…for sure.”

A White House Coronavirus Task Force report shows overall test positivity appears to be decreasing in Louisiana even as total numbers of new cases hold steady.

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As the first COVID vaccine is being administered to frontline healthcare workers, the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office warns of vaccine scams where con-artists play on your anxiety about the pandemic.  AG spokesperson Cory Dennis says the fraudsters are making false claims like…

Cut 7 (11)  “…after that.”

Dennis says scams about COVID testing, treatments, and personal protective equipment have been ongoing during the pandemic and they fear fraudsters offering too good to be true offers with the vaccine is next.

Cut 8 (11) “…in stone”

Dennis warns scam-artists will contact you by phone, text, email, or even showing up at your door claiming to be from the government.

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The AG’s Office urges you to contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud at 1-866-720-5721 if you’ve been a victim of such frauds or visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus

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Freshman Pollock Representative Gabe Firment says there’s a lot of “disturbing” evidence that home insurance companies are shortchanging customers with hurricane damage on their settlement offers.

Firment says there’s a concerted effort by insurers to cut costs by giving you less than you are owed. It starts by replacing traditional adjusters with technology.

Cut 10 (07) “…remotely.”

Firment is a 20-year veteran insurance adjuster who is in his freshman year.

He says another technique he’s seeing insurance companies employ is to send customers lowball settlement offers and then make the appeals process a nightmare.

Cut 11 (10) “…disaster.”

2020 was the most expensive year for Louisiana home insurers since 2005.

Firment says the problem is really prevalent once your claim moves from the local level up to corporate headquarters.

Cut 12 (06) “…disturbing.”

One example he noted was insurance companies only compensating contractors pre-hurricane prices on materials purchased post-storm. He says everyone in a hurricane zone knows prices shoot up after a hurricane strikes.

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The Louisiana Community and Technical College System is helping residents who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic with a program called “Reboot Your Career.” LCTCS System President Dr. Monty Sullivan says unemployment claims at record levels Sullivan says being able to offer options for those who’ve lost their jobs is vital.

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Before the end of the year, Sullivan says 1,500 workers will have completed the program.

Cut 14 (12) “…to have.” 

As for costs, Sullivan says it varies by program, the CARES funding acts as a performance-based reimbursement to community colleges and technical schools, so the courses are discounted for participants.

As for finding a job once you’ve been trained, Sullivan says that’s also part of the program.

Cut 15 (12)“…with placement.”

Industries looking for workers where training is offered are health care, transportation and logistics, information technology, manufacturing and construction.

For more information about the program visit the Louisiana Community and Technical College website and search for Reboot Your Career.

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The LSU Tigers avoided a losing season by outscoring Ole Miss 53-48 on a wet afternoon in Tiger Stadium. Coach Ed Orgeron is glad they finished a difficult season with two victories

Cut 16 (16) “…keep working”

The 2020 Tigers were hurt by a large number of entering the NFL after winning a national championship and then the Bayou Bengals lost several more players who decided opt out either before this year started or during the season. Orgeron is hoping he can convince a bunch of players to return this season…

cut 17 (16) “…we’ll see.”

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The Saints battled the Kansas City Chiefs in the Superdome on Sunday, but the Super Bowl champs still came away with a 32-29 victory. New Orleans Quarterback Drew Brees looked rusty in his first game in four weeks completing 15 of 34 passes, but Coach Payton points to the one for 11 on third down

cut  18 (27) “…third downs.”

Kansas City had the ball for 41 minutes as Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns. Payton was proud of how his defense competed…

cut 19 (18) “…Kansas City team.”

Brees threw three touchdowns, he was also intercepted once and the 19 incompletions stood out. The future hall of famer has confidence they’ll play better this Friday against Minnesota…

cut 20 (21) “….to that.”