Phase Two of the economic reopening starts today. Some businesses reopen for the first time since March, while occupancy increases for others. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

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Colorado State University forecasters have upgraded the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season from above-average expected activity to very active. Matt Doyle has more.

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The number of George Floyd protestors in New Orleans swelled last night after Wednesday’s tear-gassing of an allegedly violent crowd near the Crescent City Connection. Matt Doyle was there…

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The state moves into Phase Two of the economic reopening today. The change means establishments that previously were allowed to operate at 25% occupancy will now see that increased to 50% capacity. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says things will look a bit different at restaurants and churches.

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Movie theatres, gyms, shopping malls, museums, barbershops and salons will all be able to increase capacity to 50% with social distancing. Casinos and video poker establishments can increase to 50% capacity, limited to 75% of their gaming positions.

Bars without food permits are opening at 25% capacity, but Browning says there are still going to be restrictions on live entertainment.

Cut 5 (12) “…a restaurant situation.”

Browning says businesses where a service is rendered to a client with a long amount of time in close contact will also open with some guidance on virus spread mitigation.

Cut 6 (12) “…give business owners.”

Phase Two will last at least 21 days.

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Colorado State University ups its projections for the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season from above-average to very active.

CSU forecaster Jhordanne Jones says they now expect 19 named storms before the season closes, up from 16, along with now nine hurricanes, up from eight.

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Expected major hurricanes remained at four.

Jones says this season is still being driven by the lack of an influential El Nino, and it appears that will be the case for this season.

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The Gulf Coast and East Coast of the US combined now have a 70 percent chance of suffering a major hurricane. When looking at just the Gulf Coast…

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Thousands of protestors marched through New Orleans last night a day after police used tear gas to disperse a protest Wednesday.

The march was ultimately peaceful but began with an ultimatum from organizers that future actions could turn violent if the city did not meet their demands to defund New Orleans police and increase funding for social programs.

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The march was noticeably larger than Wednesday’s, and organizers often worked commentary about income inequality, the military, and capitalism into their speeches about police brutality.

One speaker says George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis Police should be a wakeup call to those who’ve ignored previous pleas for racial justice.

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Law enforcement kept a good distance away from the protestors who often broke into chants of f— the police, and occasionally f— Drew Brees.

The march worked its way from City Hall through a black working-class neighborhood before ending at the Orleans Parish Criminal Court. Chants of “say his name, George Floyd” rang out, along with…

Cut 12 (07) “*I can’t Breath*x5.”

Organizers vowed to return with another march tonight.

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Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser announces the reopening of Louisiana’s welcome centers under Phase Two guidelines today as the state is ready to start accommodating travelers.  Nungesser says there will be a strict cap on the occupancy of the lobbies at any one time, along with more frequent cleanings.

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Welcome centers have been closed since March 16^th.

Nungesser says welcome center staff will be equipped with masks.

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Overnight facilities at Chicot State Park in Ville Platte, Lake Bistineau in Doyline, and Bayou Segnette in Westwego will remain closed.  Nungesser says a promotional deal for overnight stays at state parks was so popular with locals, the offer will now be up for grabs for out of state visitors.

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That code can be used at louisianastateparks.reserveamerica.com.

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The NBA season will resume on July 31st with 22 teams playing in Orlando at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex. The Pelicans are one of the 22 teams. Before the playoffs start, each team will play eight regular-season games. Jake Madison the publisher of the Locked on Pelicans Podcast says by playing a few regular season games, the league can recoup some of the money it lost when the  season was halted in March

Cut 16 (16)  of  the league” 

Training camp for the 22 teams who will resume play will begin on June 30th and they’ll leave on July seventh for Orlando. The regular season resumes July 31st. Madison says this will give players plenty of time to get back in game shape

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The goal for the Pelicans is to get in the 16-team playoff. They need to make up ground on the Grizzlies who occupy the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Madison expects New Orleans to play Memphis twice during the final eight games…

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New Orleans Police fired tear gas into a large group of George Floyd protestors last night after the crowd allegedly began planning to assault a line of officers. NOPD Chief Shaun Ferguson says they have video evidence of an effort by some in the crowd to break through the police line guarding the Crescent City Connection and get onto the bridge. Ferguson says after rolling one tear gas canister and firing another from a launcher the crowd began dispersing.

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Tracks for Cristobal still have the entire state still in the cone of uncertainty for an estimated early Monday morning landfall. That’s prompted officials to issue a flash flood watch for all of southeast Louisiana until Tuesday morning. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the forecast calls for up to ten inches of rain in the watch area…

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There are no flood watches posted for southwest Louisiana.

The state reported 429 new coronavirus cases today to bring Louisiana’s total 41,562. Assistant health secretary Alex Billioux says seeing more cases is not enough for them to be concerned that the spread of the disease is getting out of hand

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The state is reporting 613 people are hospitalized. That’s a decline of 134 since May 25th.

Senator Bill Cassidy believes a coronavirus vaccination will be ready by October.   Cassidy says he’s been in talks with one of the companies working on a vaccine and feels confident that a product could help resume events with large gatherings this fall.

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Cristobal has been downgraded to a tropical depression as the system has moved into southern Mexico. But State Climatologist Barry Keim says the National Hurricane still predicts Cristobal will move back into the Gulf of Mexico tomorrow night and then it will head towards Louisiana’s coast
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A flash flood watch is in effect for all of southeast Louisiana until Tuesday morning.

New Orleans Police fired tear gas into protestors last night after the crowd allegedly began planning to assault a line of officers. NOPD Chief Shaun Ferguson says social media videos back up their claim that some elements were organizing an effort to break through police lines and get onto the Crescent City Connection bridge.
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Ferguson also disputed claims that officers fired pellets or other projectiles into the crowd.

The state reported 429 new coronavirus cases today to bring Louisiana’s total 41,562. The Bayou State has been reporting around 400 cases every day this month. Assistant health secretary Doctor Alex Billioux says we continue to see hundreds of new cases every day because of an increase in testing…

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On Thursday, Louisiana recorded nine-thousand new tests and nearly five percent came back positive.

Senator Bill Cassidy believes a coronavirus vaccination will be ready by October.   Cassidy says he spoke with one of the companies working on a vaccine and is confident one of them could be available by November.Cassidy says if studies indicate the product is effective and it receives the green light from regulators, there will be an ample supply ready. If not, he feels confident that other manufacturers will find a solution.

Cut 5 (08)  …Hepatitis B vaccine.”

New Orleans Police fired tear gas into a large group of George Floyd protestors last night after the crowd allegedly began planning to assault a line of officers. NOPD Chief Shaun Ferguson says they have video evidence of an effort by some in the crowd to break through the police line guarding the Crescent City Connection and get onto the bridge. Ferguson says after rolling one tear gas canister and firing another from a launcher the crowd began dispersing.

Cut 7 (11) “…individuals”

Tracks for Cristobal still have the entire state still in the cone of uncertainty for an estimated early Monday morning landfall. That’s prompted officials to issue a flash flood watch for all of southeast Louisiana until Tuesday morning. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the forecast calls for up to ten inches of rain in the watch area…

Cut 10 (04) “…watch on”

There are no flood watches posted for southwest Louisiana.

Senator Bill Cassidy believes a coronavirus vaccination could be completed by October, and accessible to the public by the end of the year. Cassidy says if studies indicate the product is effective and it receives the green light from regulators, there will be an ample supply ready.

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Antsy Louisianans crowded state parks these past two weekends with 20,000 people visiting, the highest numbers since 2008. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser thanked Louisianans for supporting their local tourism economy and says despite the pandemic they’re hard at work winning back the big conferences the state is used to.

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The truckers voted 80%-20% to move the conference after the state offered free catered seafood and an authentic Louisiana jazz band to change locations.

Cristobal has been downgraded to a tropical depression as the system has moved into southern Mexico. But State Climatologist Barry Keim says the National Hurricane still predicts Cristobal will move back into the Gulf of Mexico tomorrow night and then it will head towards Louisiana’s coast
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A flash flood watch is in effect for all of southeast Louisiana until Tuesday morning.

New Orleans Police fired tear gas into protestors last night after the crowd allegedly began planning to assault a line of officers. NOPD Chief Shaun Ferguson says social media videos back up their claim that some elements were organizing an effort to break through police lines and get onto the Crescent City Connection bridge.
Cut 6 (09) “…officers.”
Ferguson also disputed claims that officers fired pellets or other projectiles into the crowd.

The state sees 13 news COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 2,772. Total cases: 41,562… up 429. Senator Bill Cassidy believes a coronavirus vaccination will be ready by October.   Cassidy says he’s been in talks with one of the companies working on a vaccine and feels confident that a product could help resume events with large gatherings this fall.

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Cassidy says if the product receives the green light from regulators, there will be 200 million doses ready the next day.

Governor Edwards weighed in on tort reform legislation that’s headed to his desk, indicating he’s not a fan of the River Ridge Senator Kirk Talbot’s bill proponents say would lower auto insurance rates by implementing lawsuit reform. The legislation cleared the Legislature without a veto-proof majority Monday, losing several supporters on the last day due to changes made to the bill over the weekend…

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One of the changes made just before the bill was introduced Monday afternoon drew a rebuke from the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, saying the unclear wording could allow people who only suffered minor injuries to collect significant settlements.

New Orleans Senator Karen Carter Peterson’s decision to use a rarely invoked power to block Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Jones from being reappointed has sparked the ire of Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser who says it is a case of a lawmaker holding a grudge for being hit with a summons for entering a casino unlawfully last year.

Cut 12 (08) “think its retaliation.”

A Louisiana State Police trooper issued Peterson a misdemeanor summons for violating a self-imposed casino ban when she gambled at L’Auberge Casino in Baton Rouge in February 2019.

Speaker Clay Schexnayder and Senate President Cortez form a joint organization to promote their agenda for the special session. Leading Louisiana Executive Director Lionel Rainey says the Governor has a big platform right now and the public deserves to hear a clear message from legislative leaders.

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Tropical Storm Cristobal is slowly moving inland over eastern Mexico, but it’s expected to get back into the Gulf of Mexico and start heading north on Friday. The National Hurricane Center forecasts the storm will stay at tropical storm strength when crossing the Gulf of Mexico, but State Climatologist Barry Keim says conditions for reaching hurricane strength are favorable.

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Landfall along the Louisiana coast is possible Sunday night or early Monday morning
Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser says the failure to reappoint Ronnie Jones as the chairman of Louisiana’s Gaming Control Board appears to be bad blood.  Jones has held the position since 2013.  Nungesser thinks it is a case of a lawmaker holding a grudge from being summons for entering a casino unlawfully last year.

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Some courts are set to resume operations in Phase Two and with that the resumption of evictions.  Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center Executive Director Cashauna Hill says if the court agrees that you should be removed from your home then you will be given a certain amount of time to leave. If a tenant does not leave within the prescribed time period…

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Hill warns that landlords have attempted to force residents out of their homes before the process is complete and that’s illegal.

The Louisiana Speaker of the House and Senate President form a joint organization aimed at promoting a unified message about the work both chambers are doing.  Leading Louisiana Executive Director Lionel Rainey says the organization will be promoting legislation like the 300 million dollar small business grant fund that was sent to the Governor’s desk.

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The Louisiana Speaker of the House and Senate President form a joint organization aimed at promoting a unified message about the work both chambers are doing. Leading Louisiana Executive Director Lionel Rainey says the Governor has a big platform right now and the public deserves to hear a clear message from legislative leaders.

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Some courts are set to resume operations in Phase Two and with that the resumption of evictions. Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center Executive Director Cashauna Hill says evictions are a legal process that cannot proceed without a court hearing…

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Landlords with federally backed mortgages will not be able to file for evictions until August 24^th.

Landfall of Tropical Storm Cristobal along the Louisiana coast is possible Sunday night or early Monday morning. 

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Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser bemoans what he labeled a politically motivated decision by New Orleans Senator Karen Carter Peterson to block Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Jones’ reappointment. Nungesser says the timing of the retaliation could not be worse.

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Current forecasts show Tropical Storm Cristobal could be headed for the Louisiana coast in a few days, and State Climatologist Barry Keim says a landfall along the Louisiana coast is possible Sunday night or early Monday morning

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Cristobal is currently moving over Mexico, but is expected to enter the Gulf and turn north on Friday. The projection cone for landfall is still quite wide.

Evictions could be set to restart in some places once the state enters Phase Two. Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center Executive Director Cashauna Hill says if a court rules that you must leave your home, then know you will be given a few days to remove your possessions. During that time your landlord cannot change the locks, shut off your power, or turn off your water…

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The Louisiana Speaker of the House and Senate President form a joint organization aimed at promoting a unified message about the work both chambers are doing. Leading Louisiana Executive Director Lionel Rainey says there’s a lot of vital bills set to be discussed this special session and interested members of the public should follow them on social media for updates.

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Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser says the failure to reappoint Ronnie Jones as the chairman of Louisiana’s Gaming Control Board appears to be bad blood related to New Orleans Senator Karen Carter Peterson’s frustration with the way she was treated following an incident where she was spotted in a casino. Peterson has a gambling addiction. Nungesser says the timing of the retaliation could not be worse as everyone needs to be pulling in the same direction to get the state back where it needs to be.

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A Louisiana State Police trooper issued Peterson a misdemeanor summons for violating a self-imposed casino ban when she gambled at L’Auberge Casino in Baton Rouge in February 2019.