State Education Superintendent Cade Brumley says classes begun this week for seven different school systems. Brumley says many schools are using a hybrid model, a split between virtual and in-person learning. Brumley says they’ve allocated over 300-million dollars in federal money to improve virtual instruction

Cut 3 (10)  “…for teachers”  

Legendary coach D-D Breaux announced today she’s retiring after 43 years as the leader of LSU women’s gymnastics program. Co-head coach Jay Clark will take over. The 67-year-old Breaux admits the past year has been difficult with the death of her mother and then the coronavirus pandemic

Cut 6 (10) “…we’re in”

Breaux is leaving on top as the Tigers are three-time defending SEC champions.

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State Treasurer John Schroder estimates about 10,000 small businesses have completed an application for Main Street Recovery grants, but they are running into a few issues though with applicants. He says some haven’t filed annual reports with the Secretary of State, many others haven’t filed their taxes, and…

Cut 9, 8 seconds, bookkeeping

Tulane researchers say an antibody treatment has shown signs in animal trials that it can be effective at preventing coronavirus from multiplying once it infects you. Tulane Internal Medicine Chair Dr. Jay Kolls says lab mice that received a protein called  MDR 504 were far less likely to see the virus replicate once infected.

Cut 10 (11) “…percent.”

Some animal toxicology studies will need to be completed before they can move to human trials.

A request for a restraining order against the Governor’s statewide closure of bars has been rejected by federal judges. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

Good news today on the corona front, Louisiana sees its lowest one day number of new cases since June 29^th today with only 1,099. Hospitalizations are also down a good bit and below 1,500 since July 19^th. Unfortunately, 17 more deaths have also been reported.

Drew Brees notable quirk where he licks his fingers throughout a game is a no-go for this season. Brees says he’s been working all offseason to break the habit given the current circumstances…

Cut 7 (12) “…of the habit’”

The Saints are back to strength and conditioning work today after the entire team tests negative for COVID-19.

Nearly 700 businesses have been found to have noncompliance on COVID spread mitigation measures, but State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says that’s only about ten percent of the total number of businesses they have even investigated.

Cut 13 (08) “…that weren’t right” 

The most common shortcomings included face mask violations, table spacing, large gatherings, exceeded capacities, and self-serve buffet dining.

Federal judges in New Orleans and Lafayette have rejected requests from bar owners for a restraining order against the Governor’s bar closure order. Those owners are suing the state over the issue. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says there’s a good legal reason why the requests were rejected.

Cut 3 (10)  “…injunction”  

The State Fire Marshal’s Office found nearly 700 businesses were not in compliance with COVID spread mitigation measures in July.  Fire Marshal Butch Browning says that only accounts for a small share of the businesses they visited.

Cut 12 (09) “…we were there.” 

The most common shortcomings included face mask violations, table spacing, large gatherings, exceeded capacities, and self-serve buffet dining.

The Saints begin strength and conditioning work today after none of their players tested positive for COVID-19 testing during extensive testing last week. Quarterback Drew Brees is ready to begin his 15th season with the Black and Gold…

Cut 6 (09) “…good at”

During training camp, Saints players, coaches, team doctors, and other personnel will stay at the Loews Hotel in New Orleans to mitigate the risk of infection.

Ochsner Health is one of 120 sites worldwide chosen to participate in phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine study with drugmaker Pfizer.  Ochsner Principal Investigator Dr. Julia Garcia-Diaz says the selection comes as a result of its expertise and history in conducting clinical trials. Another factor that brought the study to Louisiana is its status as a COVID-19 hotspot.

Cut 10 (10) “…of the vaccine.”

Nearly 700 businesses have been found to have noncompliance on COVID spread mitigation measures, but State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says that’s only about ten percent of the total number of businesses they have even investigated.

Cut 13 (08) “…that weren’t right” 

The most common shortcomings included face mask violations, table spacing, large gatherings, exceeded capacities, and self-serve buffet dining.

Bar owners in Lafayette and New Orleans suing the state over the bar closure order have a request for a restraining order against the mandate rejected. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says this decision is a blow to those filing the suits.

Cut 4 (07)_ “denied this”

The New Orleans case will be heard on the 14^th and the Lafayette case will be heard on the 17^th.

Drew Brees announces that he will still stand for the National Anthem when football resumes. Brees says he will respect the decision of his teammates who chose to kneel after saying in June that he would never approve of anyone who chooses to keel during the anthem.

Cut 8 (12) “continue to undue”

Brees faced a mountain of criticism when he said can never support anyone who disrespects the flag. He apologized.

Ochsner Health is one of 120 sites worldwide chosen to participate in phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine study with drugmaker Pfizer.  Ochsner Principal Investigator Dr. Julia Garcia-Diaz says the selection comes as a result of its expertise and history in conducting clinical trials.

Cut 9 (09) “…of that endeavor.”

Bar owners who sued the state in federal courts in Lafayette and New Orleans over the bar closure order have their request for a restraining order against the closures rejected. The New Orleans case will be heard on the 14^th and the Lafayette case will be heard on the 17^th. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino doesn’t expect they’ll have much success…

Cut 5, 11 seconds, deferential

The Governor’s order restricts bars from serving customers on-premise but does allow for customers to buy to-go drinks. 

Nearly 700 businesses were found to be not in compliance with COVID spread mitigation measures upon inspection by the State Fire Marshal in July. Fire Marshal Butch Browning says when confronted with the issues though most businesses worked to fix their problems, but…

Cut 14 (10) “…that we make.”

Drew Brees notable quirk where he licks his fingers throughout a game to help him grasps the ball is going to be a no-go for this season. Brees says he’s been working all offseason to break the habit given the current circumstances…

Cut 7 (12) “…of the habit’”

The Saints are back to strength and conditioning work today after the entire team tests negative for COVID-19.

Ochsner Health is one of 120 sites worldwide chosen to participate in phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine study with drugmaker Pfizer.  Ochsner Principal Investigator Dr. Julia Garcia-Diaz says an exact timeline is unclear, but don’t expect the vaccine to be available anytime soon.

Cut 11 (11) “…and social distance.”

Globally, the study aims to enroll up to 30,000 participants.  

A request for a restraining order against the Governor’s statewide closure of bars has been rejected by federal judges. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

Good news today on the corona front, Louisiana sees its lowest one day number of new cases since June 29^th today with only 1,099. Hospitalizations are also down a good bit and below 1,500 since July 19^th. Unfortunately, 17 more deaths have also been reported.

Ochsner Health is one of 120 sites worldwide chosen to participate in phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine study with drugmaker Pfizer. Ochsner Principal Investigator Dr. Julia Garcia-Diaz says the state’s status as a COVID hotspot made it an attractive option for the trial.

Cut 10 (10) “…of the vaccine.”

Drew Brees announces that he will still stand for the National Anthem when football resumes. Brees says he will respect the decision of his teammates who chose to kneel after saying in June that he would never approve of anyone who chooses to keel during the anthem

Cut 8 (12) “continue to undue”

Brees faced a mountain of criticism when he said can never support anyone who disrespects the flag. He apologized and the 41-year-old says he now understands that kneeling during the anthem was never about disrespecting the flag.

Federal judges in New Orleans and Lafayette have rejected requests from bar owners for a restraining order against the Governor’s bar closure order. Those owners are suing the state over the issue. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says there’s a good legal reason why the restraining order requests were rejected.

Cut 3, 10 seconds, injunction.

The Governor’s order restricts bars from serving customers on-premise.

Ochsner Health has been selected as one of only 120 clinical investigation sites across the globe to participate in a phase 3 clinical trial of a vaccine with Pfizer and BioNTech.  Ochsner Principal Investigator Dr. Julia Garcia-Diaz says the selection comes as a result of its expertise…

Cut 9 (09) “…of that endeavor.”

LSU football season ticket holders are being asked for their feedback on attending a game at Tiger Stadium this fall.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart” 

A state health department study finds that in 2017 black mothers were twice as likely to die compared to white mothers from pregnancy-related issues. State Perinatal Medical Director Dr Veronica Gillispie-Bell says that systemic racism and health disparities like access to care and economics play a role.

Cut 13 (10) “…the longest.” 

Congressman Clay Higgins and three other candidates are signed up for the 3^rd Congressional District Race. Matt Doyle spoke with each…

Cut 1 (43) “I’m Matt Doyle”

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LSU football season ticket holders are being asked for their feedback on attending a game at Tiger Stadium this fall. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart” 

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The Louisiana Health Department has looked back at the deaths of pregnant women in 2017 and finds most of them could have been preventable. Brooke Thorington has more

Cut 3 (31)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington”  

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Three candidates have signed up to take on incumbent Congressman Clay Higgins in the 3^rd District November race.

Former oil driller Rob Anderson, a Democrat, is in the running. He criticized Higgins opposing renewable energy funding. Anderson says Louisiana could be leading the way in green energy…

Cut 4 (08)_ “…fuels”

Anderson says if elected he would put more of a focus on securing funding and repair for the I-10 Bridge, a point Higgins also highlighted.

Democrat and Mount Olive Baptist Church Pastor Braylon Harris says Higgins’ temperament is not a good fit for the current times. He says his background in community work has trained him to be diplomatic.

Cut 5 (11)  “…direction”

Democratic candidates won roughly thirty percent of the vote in the 2018 election.

Restaurant manager Brandon Leleux, a Libertarian, is the only third-party candidate in the running. He says he’s running on Libertarian ideas like…

Cut 6 (08) “…they want”

Higgins says his constituents know him well and he’s got a record of being unwavering about his core conservative principles since winning the seat in 2016.

Cut 7 (13) “…or not.”

Higgins won the 2018 race with 55 percent of the vote in a first-round that featured another Republican that also received twelve percent of the vote.

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LSU is polling season ticket holders to get an idea of how many of them still want to watch football inside Tiger Stadium this season.  LSU ticket manager Brian Broussard says they are planning to have fans in attendance, but to get an idea on how many season ticket holders want to attend games this year, they are sending them an online questionnaire this week.

Cut 8 (12) “…up of tickets.”

The governor, state and local health officials will have final say on how many fans can be inside Tiger Stadium.  The governor’s office says it would be purely speculative to say what kind of capacity guidelines there will be for gatherings and events in two months and any state guidance would come in late September.

Broussard says it is unclear if there will be any tickets available for fans that are not season ticket holders.

Cut 9 (13) “…fans get tickets.”

Broussard says for those season ticket holders choosing to opt out of attending games in person, there will be three options as to what can happen with the money already paid.

Cut 10 (12) “…a full refund.”

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A state health department study finds that most pregnancy-related deaths of women in 2017 were preventable. State Perinatal Medical Director Dr Veronica Gillispie-Bell says 65 total deaths were reviewed and 80-percent could have been prevented.

Cut 11 (09) “…system side.”

The most common cause of death that that was not pregnancy-related was homicide, followed by motor vehicle crashes and accidental overdose. In researching the homicides among pregnant women, they found that many were connected to intimate partner violence.

Gillispie-Bell says pregnant women need to have better access to care and guidance to seek resources.

Cut 12 (10) “…community resources.”

The study also finds that in 2017 black mothers are twice as likely to die compared to white mothers and far more likely to die of pregnancy-related issues. Gillispie-Bell say that systemic racism and health disparities like access to care and economics play a role.

Cut 13 (10) “…the longest.” 

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The SEC’s decision to play only conference games this season, leaves ULM with two holes on their football schedule and the school will miss out on a reported three-point-two million dollars. That’s how much the school would have received for playing Arkansas and Georgia. ULM athletic director Scott McDonald still wants to talk with those schools

Cut 14 (11) “…their obligations.”

McDonald does not believe ULM will lose out on that money. He says if the school doesn’t play those two games, the Warhawks are still committed to a 12 game schedule…

Cut 15 (10) “…those slots.” 

If the Big 12 decides to go to a conference only schedule, Louisiana Tech could lose its game with Baylor? Could we see ULM and Tech play each other in football. McDonald says he’s open to the discussion

Cut 16 (15) “other conferences” 

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Nicholls will not have the opportunity to play LSU in Tiger Stadium in October, because the SEC’s new conference only schedule. Colonels athletic director Jonathan Terrell says he’s disappointed for their student-athletes…

cut 17  (16) “…national champions” 

Nicholls also lost its season opening opponent Mississippi Valley State, because the SWAC moved its season to the spring. The NCAA Board of Governors is expected to discuss tomorrow whether they should cancel the fall championships because of COVID-19. The Colonels have been in the FCS playoffs the last three years and Terrell says the plan is to still have a fall season

Cut 18  (15) “…for us”   

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cut 19 (24) “…liviliehood”  

cut 20 (30) “  of the season”  

Twitter has banned the account of former KKK leader and state lawmaker David Duke for violating the platform’s rules on hate speech. Duke was already banned from Youtube and Tyler Bridges, Author of The Rise and Fall of David Duke, says…

Cut 8 (12) “twitter”

Duke famously ran for Governor against Edwin Edwards in 1991, and last ran for office in 2016, getting 58,000 votes in a campaign for the Senate seat that was won by John Kennedy.

Governor Edwards tells Louisiana residents not to expect major changes with the Phase Two coronavirus guidelines as he expects to extend the mask mandate and bar closure order next week. The current order expires next Friday and Edwards it will likely be extended for another two weeks

Cut 3 (11)  “…current data”  

LSU football coach Ed Orgeron looks forward to playing a ten-game SEC schedule this season. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

cut 2 (32) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

The state has stopped reporting COVID-19 numbers on Saturdays to allow labs to catch up on backdated numbers. Since Tuesday new COVID cases have been below 2,000 a day, and hospitalizations have on average declined, but deaths are ticking up a good bit, a lagging indicator of the mid-July surge.