8:30 LRN Newscast July 21

A study from the Center for Planning Excellence finds one in three residents live in food-insecure communities. Center for Planning Excellence CEO Camille Manning-Broome says the number of Louisiana residents living in food insecure communities has increased by over 500-thousand since the pandemic began.
Cut 7 (13) “…of this pandemic.”
Manning-Broome says their report also finds that nearly half of newly food insecure communities are small towns and unincorporated rural areas.

The Louisiana Restaurant Association predicts a 25-30 percent drop in restaurant revenue for 2020. President Stan Harris says they projected 11 billion dollars in revenues for the year before the pandemic, generating over a billion dollars in state and local taxes. That’s no longer the case…
Cut 4 (06)_ “…operation.”

The investigation continues today in yesterday’s early morning fatal officer-involved shooting in Baton Rouge of a domestic violence suspect at an apartment complex in Tigerland. Chief Murphy Paul says the suspect had a weapon…
cut 14 (09) “….fired striking him”
The four officers involved have been placed on administrative leave and the suspect has been identified as 51-year-old Vincent Harris, who was wanted for an alleged machete attack on his girlfriend.

If you wear a mask in New Orleans, you could win 10-thousand dollars. Several Mardi Gras Krewes are handing out raffle tickets to people they see wearing a mask and one of the raffle tickets could be worth 10-thousand dollars. Krewe of Red Beans founder Devin De Wulf says they will focus on parts of the city that have been hit hard by the virus…
cut 11 (05) “…of the love”
The drawing will be held on August 4th.

7:30 LRN Newscast July 21

A new study from the Center for Planning excellence finds that more than one in three Louisiana residents live in food-insecure communities due to COVID-19 and the number of Louisiana residents living in food insecure communities has increased by over 500-thousand since the pandemic began. Center for Planning Excellence CEO Camille Manning-Broome says more federal assistance is needed…
cut 9 (10) “….our food banks”
Expanded Federal unemployment benefits are set to expire July 31st if Congress doesn’t act.

Baton Rouge Police has released dramatic body camera video of yesterday’s fatal shooting of a domestic violence suspect in Tigerland…
cut 13 (11) “…bang”
The four officers involved in the shooting are on administrative leave, while the suspect who was fatally shot has been identified as 51-year-old Vincent Harris, who was wanted for an alleged machete attack on his girlfriend.

Revenues are down for Louisiana restaurants. which could translate into hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue for state and local governments. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 1 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

Southern and Grambling State will not play football in the fall. The SWAC has moved the football season to the spring, with preseason camp beginning in January. The plan is to play six conference games and each school would also have an option to play a non-conference contest. There’s also hope Grambling and Southern can hold the Bayou Classic in the spring.

6:45 LRN Sportscast July 21

Southern and Grambling State will not play football this fall. The Southwestern Athletic Conference had made the decision to move the football season to the spring, with pre-season training beginning in January. The plan is to play six conference games and each school would also have an option to play a nonconference game. There’s also the hope Grambling and Southern can play each other in the Bayou Classic in the spring.

The NFL and its players’ association appear to be getting closer to reaching an agreement on health and safety protocols so that players can report for training camp. The NFL is reportedly willing to eliminate all preseason games, giving players more time to ramp up for the regular season. The league also said they would test players daily for the first two weeks of training camp. If the positivity rate is below five-percent, then testing would go to every other day. Veterans are expected to report for training camp next week.

The Monroe News-Star reports that Louisiana Tech has had ten positive COVID-19 cases involving football, basketball, and volleyball players. Tech officials say three of the ten student-athletes have recovered, while the other seven are in self-quarantine.

Louisiana Football Coaches Association president Dwain Jenkins, who is the coach of the Lutcher Bulldogs, says 90 of their 156 members voted to start the season as close to on time as possible or in October. The LFCA sent a survey to coaches and there was an option to swap fall and spring sports, but Jenkins says that’s the last option for many coaches. California is delaying its high school football season to December or January.

The Pelicans’ first scrimmage is tomorrow night versus Brooklyn. It will be streamed on the team’s website. So will Saturday’s scrimmage against Denver. The final tune-up before the re-start is a week from tonight against Milwaukee. Fox Sports New Orleans will televise that game.

6:30 LRN Newscast

More than a third of Louisiana residents lack access to an adequate food source because of the number of unemployed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

About 280-thousand unemployed Louisiana residents are receiving expanded unemployment benefits from the federal government. The 600-dollar weekly supplements are set to expire on July 31st if Congress does not act. Governor Edwards holds a press conference today at 2:30. His Phase two order expires Sunday.

Baton Rouge Police have released some of the body cam video of yesterday’s morning’s fatal shooting of a domestic violence suspect at an apartment in Tigerland…
cut 30 (03) “…got a gun”
The video cuts off there. Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul says he spoke to the family of the man who died before releasing the video…
cut 15 (11) “…of public safety”
Police also released a screenshot from one of the body cameras where it appears the suspect is pointing a gun out of the door of the apartment.

The Louisiana Restaurant Association estimates that 25-percent of their restaurants will close this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Economist Doctor Loren Scott says the industry is vulnerable because demand is dictated by the public’s level of comfort in going out to eat…
cut 5 (09) “…..to it”

4:45 LRN Sportscast

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees has joined a social media campaign that features several players calling on the NFL to follow the advice of health experts when it comes to safely playing football during the coronavirus pandemic. Brees and the other players used the hashtag We Want to Play. Veterans will report to training camp next week and the NFL and its players association have not reached an agreement on the proper protocols to promote player safety.

The Monroe News-Star reports that Louisiana Tech has had ten positive COVID-19 cases involving football, basketball and volleyball players. Tech officials say three of the ten student-athletes have recovered, while the other seven are in self-quarantine.

SWAC athletic leaders meet this afternoon to discuss the fall sports season. The league could decide to delay the start of the season, move football to the spring or cancel the football season.

LSU’s Jacoby Stevens and Derek Stingley are on the Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list. The award goes to the nation’s best defensive back in college football. ULM’s Corey Straughter is also on that list.

Louisiana Football Coaches Association president Dwain Jenkins, who is the coach of the Lutcher Bulldogs, says 90 of their 156 members voted to start the season as close to on time as possible or in October. There was also the option to swap fall and spring sports, but Jenkins says that’s the last option for many coaches. California made the decision today to move the start of its football season and other fall sports to December or January.

The Pelicans’ first scrimmage is Wednesday night versus Brooklyn. That game will be streamed on the team’s website. So will Saturday’s scrimmage against Denver. The final tune-up before the re-start is a week from tonight against Milwaukee. Fox Sports New Orleans will televise that game.

LRN PM Newscall July 20

A state rental assistance program is temporarily suspended due to an “overwhelming response” after less than a week. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”  

____________________________

House Speaker Clay Schexnayder is discouraging fellow Republican legislators from supporting a petition to revoke the Governor’s coronavirus health emergency. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

_____________________________

A 24 million dollar state program designed to provide rental assistance to low-income individuals has been temporarily suspended.

The program had funding to help 10,000 families, but 40,000 applications were received. Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center Director Cashauna Hill…

Cut 3 (11)  “…need is.”  

The program was available to those making under 15,000 dollars a year and would provide three months of rental assistance to those eligible.

Hill says the mass interest in the rental assistance program is evidence of a budding crisis that is set to get much worse in the near future.

Cut 4 (12)_ “…home.”

Negotiations on potentially extending a portion of those benefits are beginning this week in Congress. Democrats want a full extension through the end of the year, Republicans are concerned about the program paying people more to remain unemployed than to work.

Hill says estimates show that to address the impending rent crisis the state would need 500 million dollars.

Cut 5 (07)  “…enough.”

LFHAC is among 52 social service agencies and advocates from around the state who signed a letter sent to Governor Edwards calling for more funding for rental assistance.

______________________

Governor John Bel Edwards says he’ll use his lunchtime today, tomorrow, and Wednesday for prayer and fasting. He’s encouraging Louisiana residents to do the same…

Cut 6 (11) “…passed on”

The state health department reported 34 more deaths on Sunday to bring Louisiana’s death toll to 3,433. Edwards says he got the idea for three days of fasting and prayer during a conference call with faith leaders…

Cut 7 (09) “other Louisianians”

Edwards says he believes in the power of prayer and in the power of working together and being good neighbors to overcome COVID-19…

Cut 8 (10) “…praying as well”

_______________________

House Speaker Clay Schexnayder is discouraging his fellow Republicans from supporting an effort spearheaded by Shreveport Republican Alan Seabaugh to revoke the Governor’s coronavirus pandemic state of emergency.  Schexnayder says the petition fixes nothing.

Cut 9 (10) “…all to that.”

Schexnayder adds the move could trigger overrides for ongoing executive orders tied to previous natural disasters and be a hurdle for the governor’s authority to tackle future events.

Schexnayder says the executive order is just one layer of mitigation efforts and it will not loosen up restrictions put in place by local governments.

Cut 10 (08) “…won’t do that.”

The recently enacted statewide mask mandate has once again brought attention back to the petition.  Schexnayder says he understands the inconvenience of wearing masks, but adds this petition will not remove the mandate.

Cut 11 (12) “…going to bed.”

Seabaugh has responded calling the House Speaker’s claims about the petition’s consequences inaccurate fear-mongering.

_________________________________________________________

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three tropical waves, but none of the disturbances are a serious threat to Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a weak low-pressure area south of the Texas-Louisiana border has caught the attention of forecasters

Cut 12 (07) “…southwestern Louisiana.”

There’s another disturbance in the middle of the Atlantic and the other is over Cuba and heading towards the Gulf of Mexico. Keim says this disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms should get into the Gulf tomorrow

Cut 13 (10) “…overly serious.” 

Keim says we are moving closer to the heart of the hurricane season and it’s not a surprise to see tropical activity pick up

Cut 14 (07) “…up about.”

2:30 LRN Newscast July 20

After receiving 40-thousand applications, the state has temporarily suspended a 24-million dollar program to provide rental assistance. State officials say 24-million dollars can only help 10-thousand households who are behind on their rent. Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center director Cashuana Hill esimates it will take 500-million dollars to address the impending rental crisis…
cut 5 (07) “….enough”
No word on what the state is trying to do to get more funding.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three tropical waves, but none of the disturbances are a serious threat to Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a weak low pressure area south of the Texas-Louisiana border has caught the attention of forecasters….
cut 12 (07) “…southwestern Louisiana”
Keim says there’s another disturbance way out in the Atlantic and the other is over Cuba and heading towards the Gulf of Mexico. But the chances of development are low over the next five days at this time.

House Speaker Clay Schexnayder is discouraging fellow Republican legislators from supporting a petition to revoke the Governor’s coronavirus health emergency. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The back and forth between Governor Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry continued today. Landry sent another letter to Edwards criticizing him for cheering on the recent social justice protests even though they could have contributed to the latest surge in coronavirus cases. Landry is not happy the governor chose to shut down bars, but Edwards says contact tracing has shown that bars contributed to hundreds of new cases.

1:30 LRN Newsast

It took just four days before the state suspended a rental assistance program due to an “overwhelming response” after less than a week. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

The number of people hospitalized from COVID-19 is back above 15-hundred as 39 additional people had to be hospitalized because of the virus from Sunday to Monday. The state also reported 31-hundred new cases, but officials say about half of the cases are from a two-month backlog.

Governor John Bel Edwards spent his lunch hour today fasting and praying and he’ll do the same tomorrow and Wednesday. Edwards says he believes in the power of prayer and in the power of working together and being good neighbors to overcome COVID-19…
cut 8 (10) “….praying as well”
Edwards says he got the idea to pray and fast during lunch from a conference call with faith leaders. He encourages Louisiana residents to do the same.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three tropical waves….
cut 14 (07) “…up about”
That’s State Climatologist Barry Keim who says one of the tropical disturbances is in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and another one is north of Cuba. But the National Hurricane Center gives both systems a low chance of developing into a depression.

11:30 LRN Newscast

A 24 million dollar state program designed to provide rental assistance to low-income individuals has been temporarily suspended due to an “overwhelming response”. The program had enough funding to help 10,000 households pay three months of rent, but it received 40,000 applications. Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center Director Cashauna Hill…
Cut 3 (11) “…need is.”
Hill says 500-million dollars is likely needed to address the impending rent crisis in Louisiana.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three tropical waves, but none of the disturbances are a serious threat to Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a weak low pressure area south of the Texas-Louisiana border has caught the attention of forecasters….
cut 12 (07) “…southwestern Louisiana”
Keim says there’s another disturbance way out in the Atlantic and the other is over Cuba and heading towards the Gulf of Mexico. But the chances of development are low over the next five days at this time.

House Speaker Clay Schexnayder is discouraging his fellow Republicans from supporting an effort spearheaded by Shreveport Republican Alan Seabaugh to revoke the Governor’s coronavirus pandemic state of emergency. Schexnayer says the petition fixes nothing.
Cut 9 (10) “…all to that.”
Schexnayder adds the move could trigger overrides for ongoing executive orders tied to previous natural disasters and be a hurdle for the governor’s authority to tackle future events.

Governor Edwards will use his lunch hour to fast and pray as the state’s death toll from the coronavirus has reached 3,433. Edwards says he got the idea from a conference call with faith leaders…
cut 7 (09) “….other Louisianians”
Edwards says he’ll fast and pray for lunch through Wednesday.

9:30 LRN Newscast July 20

The Baton Rouge Police Department is investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting in Tigerland early this morning. B-R-P-D says officers were looking for a suspect in the area and that suspect is now dead. A K-9 officer was also injured. More details are expected to be released later today.

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry is celebrating the tort reform legislation signed into law by Governor John Bel Edwards aimed at lowering auto insurance rates. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

Assistant health secretary Doctor Alex Billioux says a case study out of Missouri shows how effective masks can be in preventing the spread of the coronavirus. The CDC says because two hairstylists in Missouri wore their masks, none of their customers and co-workers got the virus. Billioux says masks are critical in order to keep businesses open
cut 6 (09) “…..impact”
Ochsner’s chief medical officer says wearing masks may be likely until at least the summer of 2021.

If you are self quarantining, but still looking to get your daily workouts in, LSU Health New Orleans Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Doctor Melinda Southern, says, unfortunately, there are several workouts online that can pose a risk to your health. She highly recommends you search for reputable online instruction, sites like…
Cut 11 (12) “…are effective.”