The state health department reports the number of coronavirus patients in Louisiana hospitals has fallen below 15-hundred for the first time since July 19th. The state also reported 17 more deaths and nearly 11-hundred more cases. The number of suspected active cases is 42-thousand.

Ochsner Health has been selected to participate in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trial. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
cut 2 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The State Fire Marshal’s Office found nearly 700 businesses who were not in compliance with COVID spread mitigation measures in July. Fire Marshal Butch Browning says it’s a small share of the businesses his deputies visited.
Cut 12 (09) “…we were there.”
Browning says it’s good to see that 90-percent of the businesses they visit are taking the spread mitigation efforts seriously.

The Saints begin strength and conditioning work today after none of their players tested positive for COVID-19 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 so they are sequestered from the public.

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.” 

We are three months away from election day and Congressman Clay Higgins is facing three challengers in his re-election effort. Matt Doyle spoke with each…
cut 1 (43) “….I’m Matt Doyle”

The state has reported 58-more people died in Louisiana from COVID-19 since Friday. The number of coronavirus patients in the hospital dropped by a dozen.

LSU football season ticket holders will receive an online form from the university this week asking them if they want to attend games in Tiger Stadium this season. LSU ticket manager Brian Broussard says if fans choose to opt-out, they have three options as to what can happen with the money they already paid…
cut 10 (12) “….a full refund”

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees is set to begin his 15th season with the Black and Gold. In preparation for what will be a unique season, the 41-year-old has worked on not licking his fingers as he normally does throughout a game…
cut 7 (12) “…of the habit”
The Saints begin conditioning work today. So far zero players have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Louisiana Health Department reported 58 more COVID-19 deaths on Sunday. The number of people hospitalized since Friday has declined slightly. The state is expected to surpass 120-thousand cases today and Governor Edwards is expected to announce tomorrow that Louisiana will remain in Phase two , as the current order expires Friday.

The Louisiana Health Department has looked back at the deaths of pregnant women in 2017 and finds most of them were preventable…
Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

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.

The Saints have reportedly completed their intital rounds of COVID-19 testing and there were zero positive tests for players. So that means conditioning work begins at the team’s training facility. Quarterback Drew Brees is ready to begin his 15th season with the Black and Gold…
cut 6 (09) “….good at”
Brees says he’s been able to break a habit of licking his fingers, because of COVID-19.

Southwest Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins is facing three challengers on the November ballot as the Republican Representative seeks a third term in office. One of his challengers is Mount Olive Baptist Church Pastor Braylon Harris. The Democrat says Higgins temperament is not a good fit for the current times and he says his background in community work has trained him to be diplomatic…
cut 5 (11) “…direction”
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”

LSU football season ticket holders are being asked for their feedback on attending games at Tiger Stadium this fall. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

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.

Southwest Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins is facing three challengers as he seeks re-election in November. There are two Democratic challengers. One of them is former oil driller Rob Anderson, who criticizes Higgins for opposing renewable energy funding. Anderson says Louisiana could lead the way in green energy…
cut 4 (08) “….fuels”
The other Democratic candidate is Mount Olive Baptist Church Pastor Bryalon Harris. There’s also a third-party candidate, Libertarian Brandon Leleux. He’s running on Libertarian like ideas
cut 6 (08) “….they want”
Higgins calls the November election a crucial turning point for our country as he says the left keeps pushing a socialist agenda.

The Louisiana Department of Health finds that 80-percent of pregnancy-related deaths of women are preventable. L-D-H reviewed 65 deaths in 2017 and the most common causes of deaths were homicide, cardiovascular and coronary conditions, motor vehicle crashes, and accidental overdose. State Perinatal Medical Director Doctor Veronica Gillispie-Bell says pregnant women need to have better access to care and guidance to seek resources…
cut 12 (10) “…community resources”

LSU will attempt to find out this week how many fans want to watch games in person if fans are allowed in Tiger Stadium. LSU ticket manager Brian Broussard says they are sending an online questionnaire to their season ticket holders…
cut 9 (13) “….fans get tickets”
But the governor’s office says it’s purely speculative at this point on what the capacity guidelines might look like when the season kicks off in late September.

Southwest Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins is facing three challengers as he seeks re-election. Matt Doyle spoke with each candidate…
Cut 1 (43) “I’m Matt Doyle”

The state has reported 58-more people died in Louisiana from COVID-19 since Friday. The number of coronavirus patients dropped by a dozen.

LSU is asking its season ticket holders if they want to watch football games inside Tiger Stadium this season. LSU ticket manager Brian Broussard says they plan 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’s office says it would be purely speculative to say how many fans will be allowed in Tiger Stadium when the season starts in late September.

Meanwhile, ULM will need to find two new opponents to replace Arkansas and Georgia since the SEC will play a conference only schedule this year. Warhawks athletics director Scott McDonald says they still plan to play 12 games…
cut 15 (10) “…those slots”

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.”

______________________

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.” 

____________________________

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”   

___________________

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.