Governor Edwards says he could make an announcement on a possible move to Phase Three as early as today. Edwards says he’s waiting on state-specific recommendations from the White House Coronavirus Task Force…
Cut 10 (06) “…data.”
Governors from around the country are scheduled to meet with the task force this afternoon. The current Phase Two COVID restrictions expire on Friday. The state reported 250 coronavirus cases yesterday, but the number of the tests reported was one-fourth what is typically reported.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will begin accepting applications on Monday from fishermen and others in the industry who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. LDWF Biologist Director Jason Duet (do-A) says there are 14-point-six-million dollars in federal money available…
cut 13 (11) “….dot gov”
The deadline to submit applications on October 26th.

Lake Charles residents feel forgotten by the national media as they struggle to recover from a Category Four hurricane. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Louisiana Tech’s season opener at Baylor has been postponed after dozens of Tech players tested positive for the coronavirus.

Entergy Louisiana expects it will be about two to three weeks before power is available to customers in the Lake Charles area. CEO Phillip May says the infrastructure damage was substantial.
Cut 7 (08) “…destroyed”
May expects crews will energize the first of its transmission lines into Lake Charles in two weeks. The Public Service Commission reports 212-thousand customers in Louisiana are without power.

A lot of the attention on hurricane recovery in southwest Louisiana has been on Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes, but Beauregard Parish also took a significant hit from the Category Four storm. Sheriff Mark Herford says 85-percent of the parish is without power, but you will not go hungry…
cut 6 (12) “…people here”

LSU interim president Thomas Galligan says the university has reported 366 COVID-19 cases since August 15th. In addition to a symptom tracker feature, Galligan says the LSU website has a COVID dashboard that will be updated Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 4 PM.
Cut 4 (10)“ …from a person.”
Galligan says four student organizations are under investigation after videos surfaced showing them holding large parties.

Louisiana is seeking poll workers for the fall election. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says there are some volunteer positions, but Ardoin says you can also make a little money by working on election day…
cut 12 (07) “….pay is”
Citizens who are interested should go to electionworker.sos.la.gov.

LSU has reported 366 COVID-19 cases since August 15th. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The Louisiana Sheriffs Association has endorsed President Donald Trump. The sheriffs say Mr. Trump has repeatedly sided with law and order.

Facebook reportedly removed a post from Congressman Clay Higgins when he threatened to shoot armed protesters that cause problems in Lafayette. Congressman Cedric Richmond has called the post dumb and reckless.

Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin is recruiting poll workers for the November and December elections. Ardoin says the risks associated with exposure to COVID-19 have led them to expand their efforts to recruit more young people…
cut 11 (08) “….commissioners”
Poll workers help set up polling locations, verify voters’ registration and explain voting procedures and how to use the machines and it does pay.

Many people are looking for a contractor after damage was done to their home by Hurricane Laura. Louisiana State Licensing Board of Contractors Compliance Director Brad Hassert says use a credit card when paying, so you have a documented paper trail of compensation…
cut 15 (11) “….with them possibly”

Facebook reportedly took down a post by Congressman Clay Higgins where he threatened to shoot armed protesters in Lafayette. There’s been civil unrest in Lafayette since the fatal police shooting of Trayford Pellerin. Fellow Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond says Higgins’ post was dumb and reckless. Higgins says he was giving fair warning.

Hurricane Laura has opened the door for unlicensed contractors to make a quick buck without doing the work they were hired to do. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (27) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Entergy says they have a storm team of 83-hundred workers in southwest Louisiana to rebuild a grid severely damaged by Hurricane Laura. CEO Phillip May says they estimate it will be two to three weeks before power is available in the Lake Charles area and the says the company is also aggressively exploring other ways to jump-start the power flow…
cut 8 (09) “…locations”
Meanwhile, Cleco says power has been restored to 81-percent of its customers. Eleven-thousand Rapides Parish Cleco customers are still in the dark.

LSU is reporting 366 COVID-19 cases involving students, faculty and staff. LSU interim president Thomas Galligan on what factors they are monitoring to help them determine when they may have to go back to online classes…
cut 6 (12) “….in the area” (2x)

Entergy Louisiana expects it will be about two to three weeks before power is available to customers in the Lake Charles area. CEO Phillip May says the infrastructure damage sustained in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes was substantial.
Cut 7 (08) “…destroyed”
May expects work crews will energize the first of its transmission lines into Lake Charles in two weeks and while transmission lines are being rebuilt, other crews will work to restore substations and the distribution system.

LSU Interim President Thomas Galligan says four student organizations are under investigation for violating coronavirus safety rules…
cut 5 (10) “…misconduct”
Videos have surfaced of large student parties. Galligan says he has seen the clips and there will be repercussions from the school.

Following the devastation of Hurricane Laura, there could be scammers looking to make a quick buck on storm repairs. State Licensing Board for Contractors Compliance Director Brad Hassert says you can verify if a person is a licensed contractor by visiting la-contractor-dot-org…
Cut 13 (10) “…and in place.”

Louisiana is seeking poll workers for the fall election. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says there are some volunteer positions, but Ardoin says you can also make a little money by working on election day…
cut 12 (07) “….pay is”
Citizens who are interested should go to electionworker.sos.la.gov. To be a poll worker you must be at least 17 and registered to vote and attend a training course.

The number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital is down to 873. That’s the lowest it’s been since July 4th. Louisiana reported 20 more COVID-19 deaths yesterday bringing the state’s death toll to 4,841.

LSU has reported 366 COVID-19 cases since August 15th…
cut 1 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

In a couple of weeks, the state health department will begin reporting COVID-19 cases by campus on their website dashboard.

Just how bad is the damage to Entergy’s infrastructure in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes? Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May says he’s worked in the industry for 35 years and the most destruction he’s seen was 560 towers down statewide at one time. May says what Laura did in southwest Louisiana is unbelievable…
cut 9 (08) “….the ground”
The company expects it will be two to three weeks before power is available to customers in the Lake Charles area.

The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors is telling storm victims to be on the lookout for fraudulent contractors. State Compliance Director Brad Hassert says if a contractor asks for a large payment upfront that should be a red flag…
cut 14 (11) “…question for me”

It was a week ago today Hurricane Laura made landfall as a destructive Category Four storm. Calcasieu and Cameron Parish residents will have to wait for another two to three weeks for power to be restored. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Cleco says they still have 31-thousand customers without power, nearly half of those outages are in Rapides Parish.

And the number of Laura-related deaths has increased to 17. The state health department reports two Beauregard Parish residents died from heat-related illnesses.

LSU interim president Thomas Galligan says the university has reported 366 COVID-19 cases since August 15th. In addition to a symptom tracker feature, Galligan says the LSU website has a COVID dashboard that will be updated Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 4 PM with the latest data.
Cut 4 (10)“ …from a person.”
Galligan says four student organizations are under investigation after videos surfaced showing them holding large student parties.

The state is pushing to hire more poll workers ahead of the upcoming November 3rd election. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says you have to be a registered voter in Louisiana who does not need assistance, take a training course, be at least 17, and have availability…
cut 10 (07) “…early voting”
Visit electionworker.sos.la.gov.