The State Superintendent of Education wants public school employees to receive priority in the second phase of COVID vaccinations…
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Today there is a joint meeting of the House and Senate insurance committee where they’ll discuss insurance issues related to the hurricanes. Senate Insurance Chairman Kirk Talbot says health insurers will also be on hand to answer questions about the pandemic’s impacts on the industry…
cut 14 (06) “….permiums”

Thousands of frontline healthcare workers have received their COVID-19 vaccine. In Shreveport, Ochsner-LSU Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Lewis participated in the trial, where half received the vaccine, the other half a placebo.
Cut 4 (10) “…of days.”
Lewis even though this COVID vaccine was produced in record time, it’s safe and better than the alternative of getting extremely sick from the coronavirus.

The early signing period begins today for college football teams. LSU hopes to sign as many as 15 commitments. Coach Ed Orgeron says last Saturday’s win over Florida convinced a few commits the program is on the right track…
cut 17 (07) “…before this game”
LSU is hoping to sign five-star defensive tackle Maason Smith from Terrebonne.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s vendetta against a Lafayette Christian pop star cost the city and state a slot on ABC’s New Year’s Eve programming. Matt Doyle has more.
cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

But a report from the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate says Daigle was never booked to perform during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve and the television show still plans to feature New Orleans during the telecast, but with a different celebrity emcee.

Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley is lobbying for public school employees to be prioritized when more COVID vaccines arrive in Louisiana.
Cut 10 (09) “…the vaccine.”
Nursing home residents and staff are next in line to get the vaccine and the governor’s office has yet to release who will be eligible to get the vaccine during the second phase of the rollout.

There have been polls that show many Americans will elect not to get the vaccine. Safety is one concern. Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport Doctor David Lewis says Operation Warp Speed provided vaccine developers with unlimited resources to develop a vaccine to counter the pandemic, but standard FDA safety protocol is enforced.
Cut 5 (10) “…manufacturers.”

As COVID vaccinations are underway for frontline healthcare workers, they are also overwhelmed with a third wave of patients, Brooke Thorington has more.
cut 1 (28) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

The state reported 50 more COVID-19 deaths yesterday, bringing the total number of confirmed coronavirus deaths to 6,577. The number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital increased by 70 to 1,597. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases is up to 252-thousand.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser claims New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has ruined a potential worldwide promotion for all Louisiana cities for writing a letter to Dick Clark Productions asking them not to include Christian pop star and Lafayette native Lauren Daigle on their Rockin New Year’s eve television show…
cut 9 (07) “….great opportunity”
Nungesser says Daigle was set to perform from New Orleans on New Year’s eve, but the Lt. Governor says she was pulled from the show. But a NOLA-dot-com report says Daigle was never booked for the show.

Louisiana education superintendent Cade Brumley believes school staff should be among the first group of people to receive the coronavirus vaccine as the vaccine rollout ramps up. Brumley says if teachers are in class, students are at class and parents are at work…
cut 12 (07) “….single day”
The governor’s office says the state plans to follow CDC’s guidelines on who receives priority.

Thousands of health care workers have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Health officials say the vaccination does produce brief side effects. Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport Doctor David Lewis says in addition to soreness at the site of injection, recipients could experience joint aches and pains, exhaustion, headache, and low-grade fever…
cut 6 (05) “….small risk”
Lewis anticipates the general public will begin receiving vaccinations next spring.

Both the House and Senate Insurance Committees meet at the State Capitol today to discuss insurance issues that have developed in the wake of an active hurricane season. Senate Insurance Chairman Kirk Talbot says members of the public are invited to the 10 AM meeting in Baton Rouge to speak about their issues…
cut 15 (07) “….will be”

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser accuses New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell of having Lafayette Christian pop star Lauren Daigle booted from an ABC New Year’s Eve special, but a report by NOLA.com says Daigle was never in contention for the show. Nungesser told LRN Tuesday that Cantrell opposed the thought of including Daigle in the ABC program.
Cut 7 (11) “…controversy.”
But that report, citing ABC and sources close to Daigle, says Daigle was not scheduled to play the event.

Cantrell reportedly sent a letter to the organizers of “New Year’s Rockin Eve” celebration last week saying that Daigle should not be rewarded with national media exposure after she performed during an unpermitted worship rally in Jackson Square last month.

The man who has filed a lawsuit against State Police alleging a Trooper beat him with a Flashlight spoke publicly for the first time yesterday about the incident that occurred outside of his Monroe home in May of 2019. Aaron Bowman says he feared for his life…
cut 5 (09) “…flashlight”
Trooper Jacob Brown was arrested last week, but Bowman’s attorneys are asking for the body cam video to be released.

Senator Bill Cassidy says a group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers have reached an agreement on COVID relief legislation. One of the bills would boost federal unemployment benefits and Cassidy says there’s also a 160-billion dollar bill that would provide state and local governments with financial aid…
cut 9 (08) “…funding”
It remains to be seen if there’s enough support to pass both bills.

Imagine being able to perform a COVID self-test at home and finding out the results within minutes. Researchers at Tulane University have created just that, a test that uses your own smartphone to give you results. Dr. Tony Hu, Chair of Biotechnology Innovation at Tulane says the saliva-based test has a 97-percent accuracy rate.
cut 13 (08) “…or negative.”
The test must receive FDA approval first.

LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center is hoping to begin recruitment in February or March for a groundbreaking study into why some people benefit from exercise more than others. Director of Biomedical Imaging Dr. Owen Carmichael says many who exercise do not see results. The study hopes to figure out the genetics behind that.
Cut 10 (10) “…out with.”
The study is a national effort that will take place at five sites across the country, Baton Rouge being one of them.

Governor John Bel Edwards says the state will receive 39-thousand COVID-19 vaccines this week and another 40-thousand shots will arrive next week. Frontline healthcare workers in Jefferson Parish, Shreveport, and Alexandria received the vaccination yesterday.

Aaron Bowman, a Black man from Monroe, and his attorneys are calling for justice and transparency in what they say is police brutality. Brooke Thorington explains
Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Tulane says its researchers have developed a rapid COVID-19 saliva test that can be read by a smartphone app. Chair of Biotechnology Innovation at Tulane, Doctor Tony Hu, says the test must still receive F-D-A approval, but he says once approved…
cut 14 (07) “…everyone has”
Hu and his associated developed a test platform where small amounts of the SARS Covid virus RNA can be detected in saliva.

The Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge has received a grant to participate in a study on why exercise makes some people healthier than others. Director of Biomedical Imaging at Pennington, Doctor Owen Carmichael, says at the end of the study they hope to tailor exercise programs to individuals…
cut 11 (10) “….versa”
Carmichael hopes to recruit participants in February or March.

The first round of the coronavirus Pfizer vaccine is being distributed throughout the state. Frontline health care workers at Ochsner Health’s Jefferson Highway main campus, Shreveport’s Willis-Knighton Medical Center, and CHRISTUS St. Frances Hospital in Alexandria were the first to receive the vaccinations.

A 748 billion dollar COVID relief bill has taken shape in D.C. after extensive negotiations involving a bipartisan group of lawmakers. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

Aaron Bowman and his attorneys gathered on the state Capitol steps to demand justice and transparency after state trooper Jacob Brown was arrested last week for excessive force during Bowman’s arrest in May of 2019. Baton Rouge Attorney Ronald Haley says Bowman, a black man, was beaten in the head with a police-grade flashlight outside of his Monroe home.
Cut 4 (11) “…spectators.”
Brown was arrested last week for battery and malfeasance in office.

The Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge hopes to begin recruiting in February or March for a study to look at why exercise benefits some people more than others. Director of Biomedical Imaging Doctor Owen Carmichael says they’re looking for participants from all age groups with folks of varying levels of physical fitness…
cut 12 (09) “…things”
The research is the result of a grant from the National Institute of Health.