Are the dominoes starting to fall on whether we’ll have a college football season or not? The Big Ten has announced that if there is a season, they’ll only play conference games. Sports Illustrated college football writer Ross Dellenger says concern is growing on whether there will be a season…
cut 16 (10) “…of it all”
Dellenger says the athletic directors from the 14 SEC schools are scheduled to meet in Birmingham on Monday. Dellenger doesn’t expect the SEC to make a decision regarding the upcoming college football season anytime soon, but there are several options on the table, including waiting until 2021…
cut 18 (06) “…spring season”
SEC Football Media Days were scheduled for next week, but dates have not been set up on when they will be held virtually.

The Saints are giving their season ticket holders the ability to opt out of the 2020 season. For fans who have already paid for their tickets, they can either request a refund or just roll it over to the 2021 season. If season ticket holders do opt out, they can keep their season ticket holder status for 2021. No decision has been made on whether fans will be allowed in the Superdome to watch games, but if fans are allowed in the Dome it would be a small percentage of total capacity.

According to court papers, Zion Williamson’s stepfather accepted a 400-thousand dollar payment from a marketing agent prior to the start of his only season at Duke. Williamson is involved in a court battle with Gina Ford, who claims Zion breached their marketing agreement when he decided to sign with CAA. Williamson’s attorney has responded by saying the court papers are fradulent.

And a big happy birthday to the longtime voice of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Dave Nitz turns 78-years-old today.

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers wants it a requirement for everyone inside a school campus to wear a mask when classes resume next month. LFT President Larry Carter says their members are serious about a mandatory facemask policy and they are putting their money where their mouth is to make it happen…
Cut 11 (09) “…give out”

The state reports 1,042 people are hospitalized as a result of COVID-19. That’s the highest it has been since May 15th. Governor John Bel Edwards says some hospitals also report a low supply of Remdesivir, which is an approved therapeutic drug for severely ill COVID patients
Cut 8 (12) “…on that”
Edwards says hospital leaders have also told him staffing has become a problem, with hospital personnel testing positive for COVID-19.

Voting for Louisiana’s Presidential Primary is tomorrow. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says workers at the polling locations will regularly wipe down voting machines, hand sanitizer will be available and masks are recommended. Ardoin says they also have enough poll workers to support the voting locations…
Cut 13 (09) “…on Election Day.”
Polls are open from 7 AM to 8 PM.

Pennington Researchers are testing out a new smartphone app that can tell how many calories a meal contains just by taking a picture of the plate of food in front of you. Co-principal investigator Doctor Corby Martin says they are looking for about 150 individuals to test out the app…
cut 5 (12) “…like we hope”
For more information go to Pennington’s website.

State contact tracing data has identified 16 outbreaks linked to restaurants leading to at least 68 known cases. Assistant health secretary, Doctor Alex Billioux, says compliance checks are happening, but he’s unaware if any business has been cited
Cut 4 (10)_ “…is done”
That data has also identified that Bars lead the way with 36 outbreaks that have produced at least 393 cases.

33 percent of pet owners say their pets have been packing on pounds alongside them. LSU Vet School Assistant Professor of Community Practice Nancy Welborn says pet obesity is a serious issue, and to counter it you should know the appropriate daily caloric intake for your pet and take a quarter portion of that in kibble and feed it to them throughout the day.
Cut 8 (06) “…makes them happy.”

Ohio State and North Carolina have suspended their voluntary workouts because of positive COVID-19 cases, but LSU Coach Ed Orgeron says the virus is under control among his players. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

According to the U-S-A Today, Teurlings Catholic offensive lineman Jacob Lemaire has spent four days in the intensive care after being infected with COVID-19 and developing pneumonia. Lemaire’s mother tells the USA Today that her son is on oxygen, but he’s doing really well.

Through contact tracing, the state has identified the settings where they’ve seen the most coronavirus outbreaks. Bars lead the way with 36 outbreaks that’s produced at least 393 cases. Assistant health secretary, Doctor Alex Billioux, says the bar setting presents a lot of challenges to manage
Cut 3 (11) “…other speak”

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron says coronavirus cases involving his players are under control as his team goes through voluntary workouts. At one time LSU reportedly had at least 30 players in quarantine, but in an interview on WWL Radio, Orgeron said that was inaccurate
Cut 12 (10) “…control”
The Big 10 announced today that they’ll only play conference games this fall.

33% of pet owners say their pet has gained weight during the quarantine. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

New Orleans Senator Karen Carter Peterson is stepping down as chairwoman of the Louisiana Democratic Party. She’s led the party for the last eight years. Candidates to replace Peterson have emerged. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James says he may run and Lafayette lawyer Katie Bernhardt has already announced her candidacy. An election is set for August 29th.

Louisiana reported 18-hundred more coronavirus cases today and hospitalizations also rose by 20. The state reported 16 more deaths. The state has reported 151-thousand test for this month, but the huge surge in testing has led to delays in people getting their results back. Governor John Bel Edwards says they are working on trying to speed up the process…
cut 10 (11) “…longer that”

The state health department has also released a list of where they are seeing the most outbreaks in the community and leading the way its bars, followed by restaurants and industrial settings. Assistant health secretary Doctor Alex Billioux has this advice…
cut 5 (12) “….protect your family”

As cases continue to climb in several states, the concern grows that the college football season will be delayed, shortened or possibly moved to the spring. LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron says his players will be ready for any scenario…
cut 14 (09) “>…go play”
Orgeron says his football team has seen a low number of cases after a spike that occurred in June that was tied to players going to off campus bars.

People aren’t the only ones packing on the pounds during the pandemic as 33% of pet owners say their pet has gained weight during quarantine, according to a study out of the state of Washington. LSU Vet School Assistant Professor of Community Practice Nancy Welborn says pets are receiving extra TLC from their owners.
Cut 6 (10) “…of how often.”

Governor Edwards says over the last eight days Louisiana has tested over 100-thousand people creating a back log at the testing labs. Assistant Health Secretary Doctor Alex Billioux says if you are waiting on your results and were exposed to someone who has COVID-19, stay home for 14 days
Cut 11 (10) “…not going out”
Concern is growing high school sports will be canceled in the fall. But Over 60 lawmakers have co-signed a letter sent to the state’s public school education leaders requesting that students return to the classroom and student athletes return to the playing field in the fall. Houma Representative Tanner Magee says sports helps students stay in school and keeps kids in shape…
cut 8 (07) “…maintain their balance”

A recent poll shows post-pandemic snacking is on the rise for Americans and that’s leading to people packing on the pounds. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Matt Doyle”

A report out of Ohio says the LIbby Glass plant in Shreveport will cease operations soon, which would result in the loss of 450 jobs. Last month Libbey Incorporated declared bankruptcy. They are one of the largest table glass and stemware manufactures in the world, but COVID-19 has resulted in less demand for their product.

Governor John Bel Edwards says the state is heading in the wrong direction in its battle to stop the spread of COVID-19, but he is not contemplating a statewide mask mandate. But Edwards says you should wear a mask when interacting with others outside of your home
Cut 10 (09) “…important”
The state health department reports over 70-thousand coronavirus cases since the pandemic started and one-thousand COVID patients are hospitalized.

Shreveport now has a mask mandate in place, which prompted Oil City Representative Danny McCormick to post a Facebook video criticizing government ordered mask requirements. McCormick equates the mask mandates to the Holocaust…
cut 5 (07) “…in Nazi Germany”
Edwards called McCormick’s analogy nonsense and sad.

Authorities say a West Monroe man wanted for shooting at a State Trooper during an attempted traffic stop was killed early this morning during a gun battle with law enforcement at a motel in Monroe. Master Trooper Michael Reichardt says they’ve been looking for 31-year-old Erroll Johnson since the first shooting incident on Sunday…
cut 7 (12) “…shot”
No troopers were injured during the exchange of gunfire.

Hurricane researchers at Colorado State have increased their projected storm total for this year from 19 to 20 as we’ve already seen five named storms this year. Jhordanne Jones says sea surface temperatures are above normal and there’s no El Nino to suppress storm development…
cut 14 (09) “…hurricane activity”

Does a mask mandate have any parallels to Nazi Germany? One Louisiana lawmaker releases a video that is raising eyebrows. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

Governor John Bel Edwards said today that the state is heading in the wrong direction in its battle to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The state has surpassed 70-thousand cases and the number of people hospitalized is now over one-thousand. Edwards continues to ask businesses and the public to follow spread mitigation restrictions.

31-year-old Erroll Johnson was shot dead in Monroe early this morning by State Police troopers. Master Trooper Michael Reichardt says they have looking for Johnson since Sunday when he allegedly fired shots at Trooper during a traffic stop near Calhoun…
Cut 6 (09) “…that time.”
Reichardt says they learned Johnson was staying at a Monroe motel and he was gunned down in an exchange of gunfire.

Colorado State University has increased its predicted storm total for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, increasing the number of named storms from 19 to 20. CSU forecaster Jhordanne Jones says while we’ve seen smaller storms pop up so far, the season’s peak may pack a bigger punch.
Cut 12 (09) “…August to October.”