The state enters Phase Three of the pandemic economic reopening plan tonight, but bars in most parishes will remain closed for now. Jeff Palermo has the story.

cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”  

Today the state topped 5-thousand deaths from COVID-19 with now 5032 deaths attributed to the virus. The state reported an increase of 844 cases today and hospitalizations decreased by 39 for a total of 723.

Tropical Depression 19 formed near Miami on Friday afternoon. National Weather Service Meteorologist Kevin Gilmore says the depression is set to cross south Florida early on Saturday and move northwestward over the north-central Gulf of Mexico on Monday. Gilmore says residents along the northern Gulf Coast should monitor the progress of this system.

Cut 5 (05)  “…storm status”

Cleco says it has restored power to 99% of the 140,000 customers who lost service due to Hurricane Laura. Spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says as restoration teams’ infrastructure rebuilding efforts move forward, remaining customers could be seeing the lights come on soon.

Cut 9 (08) “…another couple days.”

B-E-Ci reports they have energized the co-op’s first substation in a hard-hit area of Calcasieu Parish restoring power to 450 customers.

Governor Edwards says bars will remain closed in parishes with high incidence rates, per White House Coronavirus Guidelines for Phase three reopening, masks will still be required in businesses. So far only five parishes qualify to reopen bars and those bars will have to stop serving by 10 PM and close by 11 PM, and you can’t walk up to the bar to order…

Cut 13 (06) “seated”

No one under 21 will be allowed in any bar, and live music is still prohibited.

There’s a strong chance we’ll see a tropical depression form in the eastern Gulf of Mexico this weekend or early next week. National Weather Service Meteorologist Kevin Gilmore says there’s also a weak tropical wave in the northern Gulf of Mexico and that will help produce even more tropical moisture.

Cut 4 (07)“ …five to seven days” 

Cleco says it has restored power to 99% of the 140,000 customers who lost service due to Hurricane Laura. In Beauregard Parish, crews are bringing in specialized equipment in flooded areas to continue restoration efforts. Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says in Calcasieu Parish, there are 53 line crews working in Dequincy…

Cut 11 (06) “…is restored.”

New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell announces there will be no tailgating on city property for Sunday’s Saints season opener, and no fans in the Dome for all of September. Cantrell says many long-running city traditions are now outlawed…

Cut 15 (12) “tailgating” 

The Saints kick off at 3:25pm Sunday against Tom Brady’s Bucs.

Governor John Bel Edwards releases new coronavirus pandemic restrictions this afternoon as the state moves into Phase 3 tonight.  Maximum occupancy for most businesses will increase to 75-percent as long as they continue to social distance. The mask mandate will stay in place and for bars…

Cut 12 task force :12

The Governor also encouraged everyone to keep their eyes on the tropics because there’s a strong chance we’ll see a tropical depression form in the eastern Gulf of Mexico this weekend or early next week. National Weather Service Meteorologist Kevin Gilmore says a tropical wave is set to cross south Florida and then track across the northeastern Gulf of Mexico towards Louisiana

Cut 3 (10)  “…Wednesday”  

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says the state moving into Phase Three likely means more in-person education for K-12 students. Brumley says the state’s transition is proof schools were able to safely educate under Phase Two. He says that’s the result of high compliance, and occasionally tough decisions…

Cut 8 (09) “…of time.”

New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell announces there will be no tailgating on city property for Sunday’s Saints season opener, and no fans in the Dome for all of September. And while limited fan attendance is being allowed in other NFL stadiums, that won’t be the case for the Superdome at least through week three when the Saints return to the Dome on the 27^th.

Cut 16 (13) “…New Orleans.” 

The Saints kick off Sunday at 3:25 PM

Governor John Bel Edwards will release new coronavirus pandemic restrictions this afternoon as the state is moving into Phase 3. Edwards is expected to announce the 50-percent maximum occupancy for most businesses will increase to 75-percent as long as they continue to social distance. The mask mandate will stay in place and we’ll have to see if bars will remain closed.

Phase Three will provide public school students with more opportunities for in-person education. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (28) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

The National Hurricane Center is now giving a tropical wave off the coast of South Florida an 80-percent of developing into at least a tropical depression as it begins to move past Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico. State Climatologist Barry Keim…
cut 4 (09) “…affect us”
The disturbance is expected to track over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico this weekend and early next week as it moves toward Louisiana.

Cleco reports that it has restored power to 99-percent of the 140-thousand customers that lost power as a result of Hurricane Laura. At the peak, over 4,000 restoration workers were on the ground. Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill…
Cut 10 (06) “…history of Cleco.”
In Calcasieu Parish, there are over 900 Cleco customers still without power.

New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell announces there will be no tailgating on city property for Sunday’s Saints season opener, and no fans in the Dome for all of September. Cantrell says many long-running city traditions are now outlawed…

Cut 15 (12) “tailgating” 

The Saints kick off at 3:25 PM Sunday against Tom Brady’s Bucs.

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says the state moving into Phase Three likely means more in-person education for K-12 students. Brumley says classrooms can also open up, and some beloved extracurricular can resume as well…

Cut 7 (10) “…band.”

The Superintendent warned the transition to more in-person education won’t happen overnight, and will likely take some time to implement.

President Trump has come under fire for audio recordings of him in March privately acknowledging the danger of coronavirus at a time when he was publicly downplaying the threat. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (30)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

Cleco restores power to 99% of the 140,000 customers who lost service due to Hurricane Laura.  Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says as power infrastructure rebuilding advances, remaining customers could see the lights come on soon.

Cut 9 (08) “…another couple days.”

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says the state moving into Phase Three likely means more in-person education for K-12 students. Brumley says one of the biggest differences in Phase Three is relaxed school bus capacity limits.

Cut 6 (09) “…campus.”

Group sizes also can increase to 50 and choir and band is allowed once again.

There are two tropical waves that will impact Louisiana’s weather over the next few days. State Climatologist Barry Keim says an area of low pressure over the north-central Gulf of Mexico has a low chance of development, but it will still help bring rain to the Bayou State over the weekend…

Cut 3 (11)  “…five days”  

The National Hurricane Center is currently tracking six disturbances across the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

The restaurant industry welcomes today’s transition into Phase Three of economic reopening. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (26) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Eight of the state’s 28 Laura-related deaths have come as a result of excessive heat. Governor Edwards says the heat is a serious problem right now especially for those in southwest Louisiana areas that still don’t have power. He asks you to pace yourself if you’re out working to clean up your home…

Cut 13 (06) “…get in to.”

In Lake Charles temperatures will get into the low 90s this afternoon.

The state’s move into Phase 3 means relaxed occupancy restrictions on restaurants.  Louisiana Restaurant Association President Stan Harris says the expected increase from 50% to an anticipated 75% capacity is a welcomed change. Harris says the industry still faces hurdles in rebuilding the trust with patrons and workers that the dine-in atmosphere is a safe place to be.

Cut 5 (11)  “…that work there.”

Further details about what Phase Three will look like, such as the status of bars, will be provided during a press conference this afternoon.

Louisiana patients who enrolled in a Pennington Biomedical weight loss study tailored to low-income residents maintained at least a five percent decrease in body weight over a two year period. Lead researcher, Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk, says health coaches had weekly sessions with 452 patients on solving their biggest barriers to weight loss.

Cut 7 (11) “…issues”

Senator Bill Cassidy defends President Trump after an audio recording from March was released of the President saying he wanted to “play down” the coronavirus. Audio has the President privately acknowledging how deadly the virus was at a time when he was publicly comparing it to the flu. Cassidy says the President tends to speak a little loosely and in ways he sometimes regrets, but he doesn’t regret the way the nation responded.

Cut 11 (11) “…unprecedented.”

So far 6000 homeowners who had their dwelling damaged by the storm have registered to get a blue roof from the Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA.  Governor Edwards says anyone who is in need of the temporary patch job in the parishes of Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jeff Davis, and Vernon needs to act fast on signing up.

Cut 14 (10) “…cover damaged rooves.” 

Governor John Bel Edwards will provide details at 2 PM on what coronavirus restrictions will be in effect when Phase three begins later today. Edwards says the statewide mask mandate will remain in place, but we don’t know what the maximum occupancy will be for businesses. New Orleans is remaining in phase two.

President Trump has come under fire for audio recordings of him in March privately acknowledging the danger of coronavirus at a time when he was publicly downplaying the threat. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

The Pennington Biomedical Center in Baton Rouge says 452 low-income patients lost five percent of their body weight while participating in a two-year program that was tailored towards underserved residents. Researcher Doctor Peter Katzmarzyk says they had health coaches show the patients that eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive…
cut 9 (09) “….store”
The coaches also worked with patients on coping with stress and increasing physical activity.

We are two weeks away since Hurricane Laura’s landfall and the state reports that nearly 13-thousand residents are being sheltered at 42 hotels, 36 of them in New Orleans. Governor Edwards says that number is growing slightly every day…
cut 15 (09) “…4,800 Louisinans”

At two o’clock today, Governor Edwards will provide more details on what Phase three of reopening the economy will mean for businesses. Louisiana Restaurant Association President Stan Harris says they hope it means restaurants can go from 50-percent of maximum occupancy to 75-percent but he’s not sure if the bar closure order will be lifted
cut 6 (13) “….said not now”

Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy is defending the President after an audio recording from March was released that has Donald Trump saying he wanted to downplay the seriousness of COVID-19. Cassidy says Americans should pay more attention to the President’s actions.
Cut 10 (09) “phase.”

An LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center two-year weight loss program aimed at helping low-income residents finds great success. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

A free COVID-19 testing site will start Monday at the Argent Pavilion on the Louisiana Tech campus. Walk-up and drive-through testing will be conducted from 9 AM to 4 PM Monday to Friday for two weeks. You can pre-register online at Do-I-Need-A-COVID-19-Test-dot-com. Testing will be conducted by a self-administered, non-invasive nasal swab.

The restaurant industry welcomes today’s transition into Phase Three of economic reopening. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (26) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

As Kevin mentioned, Governor Edwards will provide Phase 3 details at a 2 PM press conference today. He has said that the statewide mask mandate will remain in place. And the governor was asked about the recall petition that was filed against him with the Secretary of State’s office last week. Edwards says he’s not worried…
cut 29 (03) “…one of em”
The petition will need 600-thousand signatures to force a recall election.

Low-income Louisiana patients who enrolled in a Pennington Biomedical Research Center obesity intervention program lost more weight than their counterparts who received usual care. Researcher Doctor Peter Katzmarzyk says 452 individuals took part in an intensive lifestyle intervention with a health coach and this group lost five percent of their body weight…
cut 8 (08) “…lived in”
Health officials say a weight loss of three to five percent can generate significant health benefits.

Operation Blue Roof is underway in the hurricane-damaged areas of the state as U-S Army Corps of Engineers with the help of FEMA is installing blue tarps over homes who suffered severe roof damage. Governor Edwards says so far six-thousand homeowners have registered and he’s encouraging others to sign up…
cut 14 (10) “…coveraged damaged roofs”