Workers are back at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to continue building rockets for the Artemis Program, which aims to put the first woman on the moon by 2024. Michoud Director Robert Champion says technicians returned Monday.
Cut 4 (10)_ “…project.”
Champion says they are still under 25 percent of their full production capacity, but they are still on schedule.

A House Committee has rejected a bill that would have allowed all registered voters to vote by mail. There’s a push to allow eligible voters to vote by mail to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, but Denham Springs Representative Valerie Hodges is confident safety protocols can be put in place so voters can still safely go to the polls…
cut 13 (09) “….to vote”

Senator Bill Cassidy introduces legislation that would deliver $500 billion in emergency funding to states and local governments. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (29) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Cal-Maine Foods in St. Helena Parish is donating nearly 600-thousand eggs to five food banks. General Manager Corey Davis says they had an excess of eggs because schools and restaurants have been closed…
cut 16 (10) “…with them”

A legislative effort to allow all registered voters in the state to vote by mail fails to get out of a House Committee. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is expected to vote on a new Superintendent of Education today. Jefferson Parish Superintendent Cade Brumley, Assistant Superintendent for the department of education Jessica Baghian and former St. James Parish superintendent Lonnie Luce (loose) are the three finalists.

Senator Bill Cassidy wants to help state and local governments who face significant budget cuts because of a downturn in revenues. Cassidy and Democratic New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez have co-introduced the SMART Act which provides 500-billion dollars in emergency funding to states and communities. Cassidy says Louisiana’s tax revenue has taken a hit of 42-percent and points to all of the tourism dollars lost…
cut 8 (11) “….in Lafayette etc”

Cal-Maine Foods in St. Helena Parish has donated 600-thousand eggs to five food banks in Louisiana. General Manager Corey Davis says they were able to make this donation, becuase they had an excess of eggs…
cut 15 (13) “….customers”
Cal-Maine will distribute the eggs by the end of the month.

NASA’s Michoud Assembly Center in New Orleans East is slowly ramping up production again after an extended closure due to the pandemic. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

The head of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board says the reopening of riverboat casinos and video poker truck stops are off to a really good start. Ronnie Jones says a few casinos reported crowds like you would see on a Friday instead of a Monday.

Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy has formally introduced his legislation that would provide 500-billion dollars to state and local governments who are losing tax revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cassidy says the President has indicated his support for the measure, but there are hurdles to clear to get the bill to his desk. He says the faster the money gets to local and state governments, the better…
cut 9 (09) “….have to do”
The Edwards administration believes right now they can avoid deep budget cuts, based on the federal money they’ve already received.

Cal-Maine Foods, based out of Pine Grove, donates nearly 600,000 eggs to food banks in Louisiana. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says Cal-Maine had an excess and wanted to donate it, so they rolled in with two tractor-trailer trucks with 1,560 cases of eggs each in tow…
Cut 14 (03) “…people”
Strain says that’s 23,400 dozen cartons of eggs.

Forbes Magazine reports Mercedes Benz will not renew its naming rights deal with the Superdome when it ends in 2021. UNO Senior Associate Dean and Marketing Professor, Paul Hensel, says during these tough economic times it will not be easy to find a new naming rights sponsor, but a company will emerge that believes it’s a good investment
Cut 13 (12) “events too”
The Mercedes Benz Superdome is scheduled to host its next Super Bowl in 2024. But it will have a different name by then. Mercedes-Benz became the Superdome’s first naming rights sponsor in 2011 and the 10-year deal is worth a reported 50-to-60 million dollars.

Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas teamed up with Raising Cane’s today to provide front-line workers throughout the New Orleans area with three-thousand meals. Way to go Can’t guard Mike.

Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin says he anticipates NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will make a decision in the first two weeks of June on whether 2019-20 season will resume. Play was halted with 18 games left in the regular season and the Pels 3.5 games back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Griffin says when the season resumes, the schedule will likely look different
Cut 18 (26) “…schedule”
It’s been reported the NBA is looking at resuming the season by holding games in Las Vegas and Orlando. But Griffin says the league has not dismissed the option of games played at NBA arenas across the country.

The state health department has published a list of nursing home facilities with confirmed COVID-19 cases. Louisiana is reporting just over four-thousand total cases in nursing homes, along with 987 resident fatalities. Governor Edwards has issued formal prevention measures for all adult residential facilities going forward…
cut 5 (09) “….so forth”

PPE production work at LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center has completed and about 100 school employees helped produce 21-thousand gowns and 10-thousand face shields for frontline healthcare workers over a 30-day period. Director of Economic Development at LSU Greg Trahan says they are proud of their work…
cut 8 (08) “….challenges like that”
The project also produced over two-thousand gallons of hand sanitizer.

If your child received free or reduced-price meals at school, you could receive an EBT card to make up for those lost meals due to school closures. Brooke Thorington explains.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

Forbes Magazine reports Mercedes Benz will not extend its naming rights deal with the Superdome in New Orleans, which means the iconic arena will have a new name after the current deal ends in 2021. Mercedes-Benz also has a naming rights deal with the Atlanta Falcons new stadium and reportedly doesn’t need two stadiums in the NFC South named after the high-end automobile company.

Governor Edwards is optimistic Louisiana can move to phase two of reopening of the economy in early June. Edwards says they are watching COVID-like symptoms being reported to emergency rooms, the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and testing capacity
cut 6 (11) “…that decision”
Edwards says he plans to announce a decision on June 1st.

If you had a child who received free or reduced-priced meals at a public school, then you are eligible for 285-dollars per child to offset the loss of meals when schools closed. Department of Education spokesperson Sydni Dunn says the application is available at Louisiana-believes-dot-com…
cut 12 (09) “….your card”

LSU is returning the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to normal after using it to produce personal protection equipment. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The National Weather Service says it was an EF-3 tornado that touched down north of Church Point on Sunday night and reached peak wind speeds of 150 miles per hour and 100 yards wide. The twister traveled four miles and killed a 26-year-old woman. Nine others were injured. There’s a marginal risk for severe weather across central Louisiana and northwest Louisiana tonight.

Legislation that seeks to reduce auto insurance rates by changing the state’s legal system clears the Senate on a veto-proof 29-8 vote. River Ridge Senator Kirk Talbot says his measure would result in more jury trials and other reforms that aim to limit damage claims against insurance companies and other businesses. Talbot says these reforms will lead to at least a 10-percent savings for motorists…
Cut 13 (10) “…accordingly”
Tort reform is a major priority of Republican lawmakers and business lobbying groups. But Democratic Senator Jay Luneau of Alexandria opposes the bill. He says the wording of the legislation does not guarantee a rate cut.
cut 15 (10) “…raise rates”
The measure heads to the House for more debate.

If your child received free or reduced-priced meals at school, but lost out on those meals because of school closures then your family could receive financial assistance under a new USDA program. State department of education spokesperson Syndi Dunn says about 600-thousand students are eligible for what is called a Pandemic EBT card that has up to 285-dollars on each card…
cut 11 (09) “…SNAP program”
To apply, go to Louisiana-believes-dot-org.

LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center has wrapped up its PPE production operation. Director of Economic Development at LSU Greg Trahan says in a month they created more than 20-thousand gowns for frontline healthcare workers…
cut 7 (06) “….10,000 face shields”
Over one million square feet of billboard vinyl was used to make gowns and roughly 100 employees assisted in the project.

The Louisiana Senate has approved a tort reform bill that supporters say will reduce auto insurance rates by 10-percent. The Bayou State has some of the highest auto insurance rates in the country and Senate Bill 418 makes significant changes to Lousiana’s legal system that would result in a decrease in lawsuits involving auto accidents. River Ridge Senator Kirk Talbot says his bill will result in more companies writing auto insurance policies in Louisiana…
cut 14 (05) “…go down”
But Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau, who is also a lawyer, argued the bill makes it more difficult for people to get in a courtroom and have their case resolved. And Luneau says it fails to address the real reasons behind our high auto insurance rates…
cut 16 (07) “…of us”
The measure heads to the House for more consideration.

State health officials say they are investigating 100 coronavirus cases at three crawfish farms in Acadiana. Assistant health secretary Doctor Alex Billioux says it’s the state’s first cluster of cases at a workplace…
cut 6 (09) “…settings”
L-D-H is not identifying the farms impacted, but Billioux says the outbreak involves migrant workers.

Louisiana public school students who received free or reduced-priced meals at school can now receive 285-dollars per child to offset the loss of those meals due to school closures. State Education Department spokesperson Syndi Dunn says Louisiana has been approved by the USDA to issue Pandemic EBT cards to help feed about 600-thousand students…
Cut 10 (08) “…debit card.”
You can apply at Louisiana-believes-dot-com.