During a visit to LSU’s campus, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Doctor Deborah Birx says the changes made to Louisiana’s COVID-19 mitigation measures saved lives. Birx says two and a half months ago, 80-percent of the parishes had over a ten-percent positivity rate on coronavirus tests taken, but there’s been a decline in new cases since the mask mandate
Cut 12 (05) “…masks work”
On July 11th, Governor Edwards called for a statewide mask mandate.

Louisiana Senator John Kennedy says the Constitution does not prohibit the Senate from confirming a Supreme Court Justice nominee, even though we are 41 days away from a presidential election. Kennedy sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee and says he’s not looking for a judge to be a politician in robes…
Cut 8 (08) “…ought to be”
President Trump has said he’ll nominate a new Supreme Court Justice on Saturday.

The vast majority of Entergy Louisiana customers in southwest Louisiana have now had their power restored. Matt Doyle has the story.
cut 2 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

The Louisiana Democratic Party is accusing Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin of voter suppression and gross incompetence because the voter registration portal on the Secretary of State’s website was down for several hours yesterday, which was National Voter Registration Day. Ardoin says the website issues were the result of maintenance and he calls it an unfortunate error.

President Donald Trump says he will announce his nomination for the recently vacated US Supreme Court seat by Saturday. Once that announcement is made Senator John Kennedy says a confirmation won’t be speedy…

Cut 7 (10)“ …we’re ready” 

Kennedy says his understanding of the constitution indicates there is nothing that should stop the current Senate from moving ahead with a confirmation before inauguration day. Democrats, citing precedent set in 2016, say the next justice should be picked by the winner of the November election.

Only 2,500 Entergy Louisiana customers in Cameron and Calcasieu parishes remain without power just under a month after Laura devastated southwest Louisiana. Spokesperson Brandon Scardigli says restoring power to the hard-hit area has been a monumental task.

Cut 9 (10) “…time”

It was just Monday when Crimestoppers was offering a 5,000 dollar reward for information leading to an arrest in the “ambush” of a Pineville Police Officer, but that offer is no longer valid as it appears the officer actually shot himself, and then made up the story about an ambush to cover it up. Deputy Chief of Pineville P-D Darrell Basco says an investigation showed Officer John Goulart Jr. was lying.

Cut 4 (09)“ office” 

Goulart has been booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center and is on administrative leave.

Louisiana Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says 400 mystery seed specimens were sent to Louisiana two months ago, and 16,000 were received nationwide but we still don’t know exactly who sent them, or why. Strain says the feds are working to make sure something like this never happens again.

Cut 12 (09) “…plants”

The upcoming special session will see a major debate over the reopening of Louisiana’s economy. Many GOP lawmakers have vocally condemned the Governor for acting unilaterally on pandemic restrictions, but Edwards says you can’t manage a public health crisis by committee…
Cut 13 (10) “…council”
But Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder believes the governor’s coronavirus rules have created an imbalance of power.

A Pineville police officer who alleged Sunday night that he had been ambushed and shot is now under arrest for allegedly shooting himself and then lying about it. Deputy Chief of Pineville P-D Darrell Basco says the incident was investigated and they now believe Officer John Goulart Jr. filed a false report.
Cut 3 (10) “shot him”
Goulart has a gunshot wound in his leg and placed on administrative leave.

Louisiana Senator John Kennedy says the November election should not stop President Trump from naming a Supreme Court Justice nominee. Jim Shannon has the story…
cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jim Shannon”

Today is the last day for residents in 21 parishes impacted by Hurricane Laura to apply for disaster food stamp assistance. The program called D-SNAP can help families who don’t regularly receive food stamps buy groceries because they’ve lost income or power for an extended period of time because of the storm. More information can be found on the Department of Children and Family Services website.

No bills have been filed for the special session that lawmakers have called that’s set to begin Monday. Republicans are looking to roll back some of the governor’s coronavirus restrictions, like getting bars back open. But John Bel Edwards says if the virus is too prevalent there are some things you just can’t do…
cut 15 (09) “….the virus”

Democrats say the winner of the November presidential election should be the one who names a new justice to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Supreme Court seat. But Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy says the U-S Constitution is clear on this issue…
cut 6 (12) “…Senate votes”
The President is expected to announce a nominee on Saturday.
400 “mystery seed” specimens were mailed to Louisiana residents two months ago and an analysis of the specimens revealed some good news. Matt Doyle spoke with Ag Commissioner Mike Strain.
Cut 2 (31) “…Matt Doyle”

The Calcasieu Parish School Board says they plan to re-open between 10 to 15 schools next week. The board believes most schools can be reopened by the third week of October. In Calcasieu, power has been restored to 92-percent of the customers.

Officials say over 16,000 “mystery seed” specimens were sent out to residents nationwide two months ago, but they appear to be mostly harmless. Louisiana Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says the feds are working to make sure something like this never happens again.

Cut 12 (09) “…plants”

The upcoming special session will see a major debate over the reopening of Louisiana’s economy. Since the summer, many GOP lawmakers have vocally condemned the Governor for acting unilaterally on pandemic restrictions,

A legislative petition circulated early in the summer seeking to override the Governor’s public health emergency but was not successful.

Critics have attacked the Governor for issuing broad statewide orders instead of allowing parishes to set their own criteria for the reopening of businesses. Edwards countered…

Cut 14 (11) “critical.”

Families whose children receive free or reduced-price lunches in school have only one week left to apply for Pandemic-EBT cards. The cards were authorized to make up for the missed meals children did not receive when schools closed in March. Louisiana Department of Education spokesperson Ted Beasley says  this is money for families that need it most.

Cut 6 (10) “…all day”

To apply go to Louisianabelieves.com.

LSU’s season opener against Mississippi State will certainly feel and sound different on Saturday as Tiger Stadium, which holds 100-thousand fans, will be limited to just 25-thousand because of the coronavirus. But Safety Jacoby Stevens says the smaller crowd will not damper enthusiasm…..

cut 16 (22) “….upcoming Saturday”

400 “mystery seed” specimens were mailed to Louisiana residents two months ago and a carefully analysis of the specimens revealed some good news. Matt Doyle spoke with Ag Commissioner Mike Strain.
Cut 2 (30) “…Matt Doyle”
Families whose children receive free or reduced-price lunches in school have only one week left to apply for Pandemic-EBT cards. The cards were authorized to make up for the missed meals children did not receive when schools closed in March. Louisiana Department of Education spokesperson Ted Beasley says families of those 264,000 students are leaving a lot of money on the table.
Cut 5 (08) “dollars”
State Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, who was set to be fired for his role in the death of a Black man in police custody, has died from injuries sustained in a single-car crash near Monroe. The FBI is investigating whether Hollingsworth and other troopers covered up how Ronald Greene of West Monroe died in May of 2019. President of Metropolitan Crime Commission Rafael Goyeneche saysState Police originally reported that Greene died in a high speed chase, but his family says they’ve uncovered evidence that shows Greene may have been assaulted by Troopers who attempted to arrest him. Goyeneche wonders why this new information is coming out over a year later…
Cut 8 (09) “…May 2019 incident”
And believe it or not college enrollment at LSU is up during this pandemic. LSU’s fall enrollment is up by nearly 2000 students. To 34290.

A State Trooper who was set to be fired for his role in the death of a black man while in police custody has died from injuries sustained in a single-vehicle car crash. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 1 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”
Families whose children receive free or reduced-price lunches in school have only one week left to apply for Pandemic-EBT cards. The cards were authorized to make up for the missed meals children did not receive when schools closed in March. Louisiana Department of Education spokesperson Ted Beasley says families of 500,000 students have applied so far…
Cut 4 (06)“ … the first time”

Officials say over 16,000 “mystery seed” specimens were sent out to residents nationwide two months ago, but they appear to be mostly harmless. Louisiana Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says you still shouldn’t handle or plant the seeds and should report receiving any mystery seed packages to Ag and Forestry.
Strain says in Louisiana we’ve received over 400 mystery seed specimens. Nationwide we’ve seen them come in from 44 different countries…
Cut 11 (04) “…identified.”
The upcoming special session will see a major debate over the reopening of Louisiana’s economy. Since the summer, many GOP lawmakers have vocally condemned the Governor for acting unilaterally on pandemic restrictions, but Edwards says you can’t manage a public health crisis by committee…
Cut 13 (10) “…council”

State Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, who was set to be fired for his role in the death of a Black man in police custody, has died from injuries sustained in a single-car crash near Monroe. The FBI is investigating whether Hollingsworth and other troopers covered up how Ronald Greene of West Monroe died in May of 2019. President of Metropolitan Crime Commission Rafael Goyeneche says State Police has done a poor job investigating…
Cut 7 (08) “…answers.”

Officials say over 16,000 “mystery seed” specimens were sent out to residents nationwide two months ago, but they appear to be mostly harmless. Louisiana Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says we still don’t know exactly who sent the mystery seeds to people in the US, UK, and Caribbean, but…
Cut 10 (11) “…seeds.”
Republicans will attempt to roll back some of Governor Edwards’ public health restrictions in the upcoming special session, but Edwards isn’t sweating it…
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

A 30-day special session called by lawmakers will begin on Monday and one of the topics up for discussion is the governor’s coronavirus executive orders. Governor Edwards says he’s used public health experts and the White House Coronavirus Task Force to guide the state’s response to the pandemic. He says there’s evidence the measures they’ve taken are working. But House Speaker Clay Schexnayder says they are not working for everyone.
Cut 4 (10)“ …that are not”
Since the summer many GOP lawmakers have vocally condemned the Governor for acting unilaterally on pandemic restrictions, but Edwards says you can’t manage a public health crisis by committee.
cut 13 (10) “…council”
A push to override the Governor’s public health emergency with a petition was not successful earlier in the summer.

The Main Street Recovery Grant program has obligated more than half of its 275 million dollar fund so far. Matt Doyle has the story.
cut 2 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle”

The NFL has reportedly fined Saints Coach Sean Payton and Raiders Coach John Gruden for failing to wear face coverings during last night’s game. Payton and Gruden will see 100-thousand docked from their pay and two organizations are also receiving a 250-thousand dollar fine. New Orleans also lost the game 34-24 yesterday.

Legislators have voted to enter a special session Monday that will run for the next 30 days. The session has 70 items on the call and mostly breaks down into Hurricane Laura relief questions, efforts to undo the Governor’s current COVID restrictions, and the dwindling unemployment trust fund. House Speaker Clay Schexnayder says in March the fund had one-point-one billion dollars, but now has less than 100-million dollars and when it runs out of money, a higher payroll tax on businesses will kick in…

Cut 5 (11)  “on them ”

More than 170 million dollars in Main Street Recovery Grants have been obligated so far from the small business assistance program’s 275-million-dollar fund. State Treasurer John Schroder says within that 275-million-dollar program was a promise to dedicate at least 40 million to women, minority, and veteran-owned businesses. They’ve hit that mark, and… 

Cut 9 (05) “…dollars”

It was announced last week that four Shreveport police officers have been indicted on negligent homicide charges for their role in the death of Tommie Mcglothen, who died last April in police custody. Today the Louisiana Law Enforcement Association issued a statement expecting the officers to be exonerated. Executive Director Christ Stewart…

cut 8 (04) “…vindicated”

Stewart says the public has not seen all of the facts in the case.

Has father time finally caught up to 41-year-old Saints QB Drew Brees? Through two games the legend has looked off, missing throws he used to nail with ease and barely pushing the ball down the field. When asked point-blank about that narrative Brees responded…

Cut 12 (08) “…us win”

Brees’ “air yards”, the distance his average pass travels before being caught, sits at just 4.8. That’s the lowest of his career through the first two games of a season.