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, there have been eleven outbreaks at food processing plants and 16 outbreaks in industrial settings.

And it’s taking longer and longer to get test results back these days as private labs run out of reagent to test samples collected at testing sites. Governor Edwards says he’s heard of delays of over ten days and those delays could be hampering spread mitigation efforts…

Cut 11 (09) “quarantining”

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.”  

There’s a report out that current Louisiana Democratic Party Chairwoman and New Orleans Senator Karen Carter Peterson will not seek another term as head of the Bayou State Dems. There’s no information right now as to why she’s not seeking reelection, but the Crescent City firebrand has occasionally clashed with the Governor on social issues, and recently made a controversial move to block the reappointment of Ronnie Jones to the head of the Gaming Control Board.

The state adds 1843 new COVID positive tests today at an alarming 13 percent positive rate for all tests conducted, notably above the ten percent level the feds want to see. 20 more people have been hospitalized as well, along with 16 new COVID deaths being reported.

This recent nationwide explosion in cases has led to a real problem for COVID testing, labs are running out of reagent to test materials gathered at testing sites. Governor Edwards says that’s leading to long delays in people getting their results back.

Cut 10 (12) “…than that.”

And LSU Coach Ed Orgeron says he’s ordered his players to stay away from bars and nightclubs to keep from the team experiencing another cluster of cases again…

Cut 13 (07) “…go no more” 

But says reports that 30 players had to quarantine were inaccurate.

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  the same issues that weight gain can cause in people can show up in animals as well.

Cut 7 (07) “…things like that.”

Welborn recommends knowing the appropriate daily caloric intake for your pet and taking a quarter portion of that in kibble and feed it to them throughout the day.

Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields’ call for K-12 athletic activities to be suspended due to COVID-19 has created a stir with some folks in the athletic community pushing back against the suggestion, saying it is too early to make that call. Houma Representative Tanner Magee is backing those opinions and sent a letter to BESE saying canceling school sports could jeopardize athlete’s ability to go to college…

Cut 9 (09) “…far more detrimental.”

The LHSAA says they are fully committed to the safe return of high school sports, and Governor Edwards says it’s too early to make that call.

LSU Football Head Coach Ed Orgeron says the COVID outbreak in the team is under control and earlier reports that at least 30 players had to quarantine as a result of it were inaccurate.

Cut 12 (10) “…control”

He’s optimistic the season will start on time September 5th.

____________________ 

Pelicans Coach Alvin Gentry was officially cleared to join the Pelicans in the Orlando Bubble yesterday and boarded the flight with the team heading over. Gentry was filmed moments before getting on the plane, having a bit of fun with the rumors that he would not be able to attend due to his age… 

Cut 30, 12 seconds,  

Gentry, who is 65 was deemed fit but Pels defensive guru and assistant head coach Jeff Bzdelick, who is 67, will not be joining the team due to non-age related factors.  

The Pels will enter a multi-day quarantine upon landing. They’ll be staying at Disney’s Yacht Club resort hotel for the duration, which, if they manage to snag a playoff spot, could be over two months. The season restarts July 30th against the Jazz.  

Ohio State and North Carolina are shutting down offseason workouts due to reported clusters of COVID cases. This temporary pause impacts all sports at both schools. The Ivy League has also decided to shutdown their fall season for 2020.  

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”  
The state has also identified eleven outbreaks at food processing plants and 16 outbreaks at industrial settings.
The surge in demand for COVID testing is leading to long delays on results for many, sometimes as long as a week or more. Governor Edwards says early in the pandemic the problem was getting enough test kits. These days they’ve got the kits, but not the reagents to test samples collected at testing sites.
Cut 9 (10) “…receiving”
Edwards says the delays make it even more paramount that you
self-isolate for 14 days if exposed to the virus.

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.”

Welborn recommends knowing the appropriate daily caloric intake for your pet, then take a quarter portion of that in kibble and feed it to them throughout the day.

Hard seltzers have made an impact on the alcohol industry and some local craft brewers have hopped on board the trend.  Founder of Acadiana-based Bayou Teche Brewing Karlos Knott …

Cut 13 (12) “…doing the same.” 

The boozy sparkling water saw a sales growth of 73% between spring and fall last year.

Louisiana crossed the 70,000 COVID-19 case mark yesterday as Governor Edwards announces we’re number five in the nation in per capita new positive tests. Despite the recent spike and a string of local governments issuing mandatory mask-wearing orders Edwards says he’s still not backing a statewide mandate. Mandates aside though he says it is still the right thing to do…

Cut 10 (09) “…important”

This recent spike in cases prompted a letter by Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields to BESE President Sandy Holloway asking for fall K-12 sports activities to be canceled. That letter provoked a backlash from many, including Houma Representative Tanner Magee who sent his own letter to Holloway sayings Fields doesn’t speak for the entire legislature.

Cut 7 (07) “…the legislature felt.”

Governor Edwards told reporters yesterday it’s too early to make that kind of call.

A OnePoll survey of Americans finds two-thirds of Americans admit to gaining weight since the pandemic began with most saying its due to snacking. This despite data suggesting COVID impacts those who are overweight more. LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Public Health Melinda Sothern says the trend isn’t surprising due to the amount of upheaval people have faced since March.

Cut 4 (08)_“…for you”

69 percent of respondents said the increased snacking was due to boredom.

Hard Seltzer sales were up 73% between spring and fall last year, and those numbers have inspired the Louisiana craft brewers to hop on the trend with locally inspired offerings. Founder of Acadiana-based Bayou Teche Brewing Karlos Knott says the growth in popularity and the sustained market share indicate that hard seltzers in the craft beer industry are not just another fad.

Cut 15 (10) “…quite a bit.” 

Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Field’s letter to BESE requesting they cancel K-12 fall sports has created quite a stir, and some pushback. Houma Representative Tanner Magee joined that pushback, sending a counter letter to BESE President Sandy Holloway asking her to reject that request for a number of reasons, one being that canceling sports could become an obstacle in seeing kids continue their education following high school.

Cut 9 (09) “…far more detrimental.”

Governor Edwards was asked about the controversy at a Wednesday press conference where he announced Louisiana is now fifth in the nation in new per-capita COVID cases. Edwards says he understands the concern, but it’s too early to make that kind of decision.

Cut 12 (12) “…more”

The LHSAA says they are fully committed to the safe return of high school sports in the fall.

A OnePoll survey shows two-thirds of Americans have added weight since the pandemic began due to their schedules being disrupted, and boredom leading to more snacking. LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Public Health Melinda Sothern says we’ve got to fight that trend, especially since COVID hits the overweight harder, and the best way to beat the munchies is to avoid keeping snacks in your house or to replace them with healthy alternatives. Also, learn to tell the difference between when you want and need something.

Cut 6 (11) “…hungry”

Acadiana based Bayou Teche Brewing is joining the growing number of craft brewers hopping on the hard seltzer trend. Founder Carlos Knott says data suggests the hard seltzers are here to stay so they’re adding blackberry lemonade, tangerine, mango peach, and some seasonals…

Cut 14 (11) “…really good beer.”

Louisiana is now fifth in the nation in per capita COVID-19 cases and over one-thousand people are in the hospital battling the virus…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo” 

Houma Representative Tanner Magee asks BESE to reject a request by Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields to cancel K-12 athletics through December. Magee says canceling sports would impact public health…

Cut 8 (07) “…maintain that balance.”

Two-thirds of Americans admit to packing on the pounds since the pandemic began according to a recent OnePoll survey. LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Public Health Melinda Sothern says that’s largely due to the disruption of their normal routine, but we’ve got to begin breaking that cycle because COVID tends to be worse in people who are overweight.

Cut 5 (09)  “…inflammation”

20 percent of Louisiana COVID fatalities were obese, 37 percent had diabetes, and 62 percent had hypertension.

Hard seltzers have made an impact on the alcohol industry and some local craft brewers have hopped on board the trend.  Founder of Acadiana-based Bayou Teche Brewing Karlos Knott …

Cut 13 (12) “…doing the same.” 

The boozy sparkling water saw a sales growth of 73% between spring and fall last year.

Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields’ call for K-12 athletic activities to be suspended due to COVID-19 has created a stir with some folks in the athletic community pushing back against the suggestion, saying it is too early to make that call. Houma Representative Tanner Magee is backing those opinions and sent a letter to BESE President Sandy Holloway requesting that the board does not consider that recommendation, saying it was important to offer a counterbalance to a recent initiative scrap sports through December. 

Cut 7 (07) “…the legislature felt.” 

Magee says among the reasons to continue moving forward with sports is to motivate many of students to stay in school.  

Governor Edwards weighed in on the hot topic, saying he feels it is too early to make a decision like that.  

Cut 12 (12) “…more” 

The LHSAA released a statement late Wednesday afternoon that said they are fully committed to the safe return of high school sports in the fall. 

____________________ 

Pelicans Coach Alvin Gentry was officially cleared to join the Pelicans in the Orlando Bubble yesterday and boarded the flight with the team heading over. Gentry was filmed moments before getting on the plane, having a bit of fun with the rumors that he would not be able to attend due to his age… 

Cut 30, 12 seconds,  

Gentry, who is 65 was deemed fit but Pels defensive guru and assistant head coach Jeff Bzdelick, who is 67, will not be joining the team due to non-age related factors.  

The Pels will enter a multi-day quarantine upon landing. They’ll be staying at Disney’s Yacht Club resort hotel for the duration, which, if they manage to snag a playoff spot, could be over two months. The season restarts July 30th against the Jazz.  

Ohio State and North Carolina are shutting down offseason workouts due to reported clusters of COVID cases. This temporary pause impacts all sports at both schools. The Ivy League has also decided to shutdown their fall season for 2020.  

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. 

Houma Representative Tanner Magee submits a letter to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Sandy Holloway requesting that the board does not consider a recommendation to cancel high school sports at this time.  Magee says it was important to offer a counter balance to a recent initiative scraping sports through December. 

Cut 7 (07) “…the legislature felt.” 

Senate Education Chairman Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge had asked BESE to suspend fall sports for K-12 schools because of COVID-19. 

Louisiana’s craft beer industry is branching out into the hard seltzer business. Kevin Barnhart has the story. 

Cut 3 (32)  “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”   

(Commodities, or) 

A OnePoll survey of Americans finds two-thirds of people admit to gaining weight since the pandemic began with most saying its due to snacking. LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Public Health Melinda Sothern says that’s not surprising… 

Cut 4 (08)_“…for you”