Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins announced this morning he will run against Republican Senator Bill Cassidy in the November 3rd election. Perkins says he decided to run for the United States Senate because America and Louisiana are at a crossroads…
cut 6 (10) “…..head-on”
Perkins gives Cassidy a major challenger from the Democratic Party, but Cassidy holds a huge fundraising advantage as he seeks a second term.

A tropical wave producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms will move across the central Gulf of Mexico today and the National Hurricane Center gives it a medium chance to develop into a tropical cyclone over the next two days. State Climatologist Barry Keim…
cut 3 (11) “…tracking”

Governor John Bel Edwards has announced the state will remain in phase two, which means the current restrictions on businesses and the mask mandate will remain in place through at least August seventh. Edwards says his biggest concern is the upward trajectory in the number of coronavirus patients at hospitals in all regions of the state…
cut 10 (12) “…motor vehicle accident”
Louisiana is reporting 1,527 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized, the state’s highest total since May 3rd.

Local school systems have been rolling out their plans for the upcoming school year, but some parents are uneasy about sending their children back into the classroom. Coalition for Responsible Home Education Director Rachel Coleman says if you commit to homeschooling, you need to submit a form to BESE and be approved…
cut 12 (09) “….district”

Governor Edwards has made the decision to extend Phase Two coronavirus restrictions for another two weeks. That means restaurants, barbershops, retailers and churches can only allow 50-percent capacity in their buildings. Edwards says extension of Phase 2 will also keep the restrictions put in place on July 13th…
cut 9 (10) “….consumption of alcohol”
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry says they are disappointed the state remains in Phase Two for two more weeks.

There are some parents considering homeschooling as a possible option to educate their children in the middle of a pandemic. Coalition for Responsible Home Education Director Rachel Coleman says families must have a caregiver who can commit to homeschooling full time….
Cut 11 (11) “…happens.”

Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins announced this morning he’s running for U-S Senate, providing Republican Incumbent Bill Cassidy with a major Democratic challenger. The other competitive federal race for the November election will take place in the 5th district as Ralph Abraham is not running for re-election. There are several well-known republicans running and ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says Grambling State chief operating officer Martin Lemell will provide an option for Democratic voters….
cut 7 (06) “…pool”

Independent Friday Ellis has been sworn-in as the mayor of Monroe. Ellis says it’s an honor to lead the biggest city in northeast Louisiana…
cut 16 (06) “….serve you well”
Ellis says he wants the city to come together and no longer be divided by north and south Monroe.

Louisiana will remain in Phase Two through early August as the number of people hospitalized by COVID-19 continues to rise. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Qualifying for the November federal election is underway and Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins announced this morning that he will challenge Republican Incumbent Bill Cassidy in the U-S Senate race. Cassidy is seeking his second term, while Perkins, a black Democrat, is serving his first term as mayor of Shreveport.

The fifth district Congressional race officially gets underway today with the start of qualifying. Several candidates are looking to replace the retiring Ralph Abraham. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley, says there are three well-known Republicans running, Abraham’s Chief of Staff Luke Letlow, Alexandria Representative Lance Harris and Ouachita Parish Police Juror Scotty Robinson…
cut 6 (11) “….Luke”
Stockley says there is a major Democratic candidate in the race, Grambling State Executive Vice President Martin Lemelle.

A new era in Monroe city government is underway as Friday Ellis has been sworn-in as mayor….
cut 15 (11) “….of its residents”
Ellis defeated longtime mayor Jamie Mayo on July 11th.

Governor John Bel Edwards says Louisiana will remain in Phase Two for reopening of Louisiana’s economy through at least early August.
Cut 8 (08) “…go from here.”
Edwards says the number that troubles him the most is the increase in COVID-19 patients who are hospitalized. 1,527 are hospitalized, the highest it’s been since May 3rd.

Qualifying for the federal elections begins today and Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who is up re-election, will face a major Democratic challenger. Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins announced this morning he’s getting into the race. LSU-Shreveport Political Science Professor Jeffrey Sadow says Perkins is in his first term as mayor of the state’s third-largest city…
cut 4 (09) “…this office”

Homeschooling is seeing a surge in interest as many parents are not comfortable sending their kids back to classrooms. Matt Doyle has tips for first-time homeschoolers…
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

The United Daughters of the Confederacy have reached an agreement with Caddo Parish to remove a 30-foot high Confederate monument from the courthouse grounds to private land. The parish has already set aside 500-thousand dollars to disassemble the monument and move to another location. The Caddo Parish Commission voted in 2017 to move the statue.

Governor John Bel Edwards has announced the state will remain in phase two, which means the current restrictions on businesses and the mask mandate will remain in place through at least August seventh. Edwards says his biggest concern is the upward trajectory in the number of coronavirus patients at hospitals in all regions of the state…
cut 10 (12) “…motor vehicle accident”
Louisiana is reporting 1,527 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized, the state’s highest total since May 3rd.

Friday Ellis begins his first full day as the mayor of Monroe today. Ellis says he has high hopes for the city…
cut 14 (11) “…honoring those commitments”
Ellis defeated former mayor Jamie Mayo in the July 11th election.

Qualifying for the November election begins today with election watchers keeping a close eye on who shows up for the Senate race and the open 5th district Congressional seat. Matt Doyle has more…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

And we are just getting word that Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins has decided to enter the U-S Senate race and challenge Republican Incumbent Bill Cassidy.

Qualifying for the November ballot begins at 8 AM tomorrow and as of now, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy does not face a major Democratic challenger, but Outgoing State Democratic Party Director Stephen Handwerk says we may be surprised by a prominent member of the party signing up this week due to the high level of energy in the party right now…

Cut 5 (08)  “…MIA”

Antoine Pierce, a Baton Rouge progressive activist, and New Orleans teacher Peter Wenstrup are the two announced Democrats so far.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference has made the decision to move its fall sports, including football, to the spring. Grambling President Rick Gallot says the decision protects the health of their student-athletes

Cut 6 (10) “…deadly virus”

New Orleans Fire Chief Tim McConnell says one of the bodies that has been trapped in the Hard Rock Hotel collapse site is likely to be recovered by the end of the week and the other by the middle of next week. McConnell says the rubble is very delicate and potentially dangerous to recovery workers.

Cut 10 (13) “…that could change.”

It’s been ten months since the construction site partially collapsed, killing three.

The National Hurricane Center has upgraded the chance of development for a tropical wave currently over western Cuba and making its way into the Gulf. State Climatologist Barry Keim says there’s a medium chance the disturbance will develop into a tropical depression over the next five days.

Cut 13 (06) “…Mexico.” 

Governor Edwards announces that the state will remain in Phase Two for at least another two weeks.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference has made the decision to move its fall sports, including football, to the spring. Grambling President Rick Gallot says the decision protects the health of their student-athletes

Cut 6 (10) “…deadly virus”

The SWAC is planning to have a seven-game football.

Qualifying for the November ballot begins at 8 AM tomorrow and as of now, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy does not face a major Democratic challenger. Outgoing State Democratic Party Director Stephen Handwerk says there’s a lot of energy in the party right now. He noted more Democrats voted in the recent Presidential Primary than Republicans.

Cut 5 (08)  “…MIA”

New Orleans Fire Chief Tim McConnell says one of the bodies that has been trapped in the Hard Rock Hotel collapse site is likely to be recovered by the end of the week and the other by the middle of next week. McConnell says the rubble is very delicate and potentially dangerous to recovery workers.

Cut 10 (13) “…that could change.”

It’s been ten months since the construction site partially collapsed, killing three.

The National Hurricane Center has upgraded the chance of development for a tropical wave currently over western Cuba and making its way into the Gulf. State Climatologist Barry Keim says there’s a medium chance the disturbance will develop into a tropical depression over the next five days.
Cut 13 (06) “…Mexico.” 
The system is set to move into the central Gulf tomorrow, and the northwestern Gulf Thursday and Friday.

Governor Edwards extends the state’s current Phase Two order and COVID health restrictions for another two weeks as Louisiana reports another 1,700 cases today, along with the highest level of hospitalizations since early May.

This spike in cases across most of the southern US has led the Southwestern Athletic Conference to call it quit on all sports, including football, for the fall. The current plan is to come back and play those seasons in an abridged form in the spring, but Grambling President Rick Gallot says the virus will dictate if football can be played

Cut 7 (09) “vaccine”

Southern University Athletics Director Roman Banks says the league is still deciding what the schedule will look like, but they know they’ll play Grambling and once a date is set, they’ll talk with Bayou Classic and New Orleans officials

Cut 9 (07) “…site.”

Qualifying for the November ballot begins at 8 AM tomorrow and as of now, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy does not face a major Democratic challenger. Outgoing State Democratic Party Director Stephen Handwerk says there’s time for a prominent Democrat to get in the race.

Cut 3 (11)  “…race”  

Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins’ name has come up as a possible challenger.

New Orleans Fire Chief Tim McConnell says one of the bodies that has been trapped in the Hard Rock Hotel collapse site is likely to be recovered by the end of the week and the other by the middle of next week. McConnell says Rescue workers had thought that it was going to be possible to recover the two bodies last week, but more hurdles got in the way that could have an impact on the current timeline too… weather.

Cut 12 (09) “…with bad weather.” 

The National Hurricane Center is giving a disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms near Cuba a medium chance of developing into a tropical depression over the next five days as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico. State Climatologist Barry Keim says sea surface temperatures are prime for development…
cut 14 (09) “….problem”
That being said Keim does not expect the system to develop into a hurricane.

New Orleans Fire Superintendent Tim McConnell is optimistic they will recover the remains of two New Orleans construction workers who died when the Hard Rock Hotel construction site collapsed last October. McConnell says they hope to get to one of the bodies by the end of the week and other by July 29th….
cut 11 (10) “…for a living”

The Southwestern Athletic Conference has made the decision to postpone fall sports, including football, to the spring. Southern University Athletics Director Roman Banks says by the time 2021 gets here, he’s hopeful scientists are closer to a vaccine and there are fewer COVID-19 cases…
cut 8 (12) “…responsible’
The postponement will mean the Bayou Classic will be played in the Spring, instead of Thanksgiving weekend.

Qualifying begins tomorrow for Louisiana’s U-S Senate race. Republican Bill Cassidy is seeking his second-term and at this moment, the doctor from Baton Rouge does not face a serious Democratic challenger. Louisiana Democratic Party executive director Stephen Handwerk says there will be Democratic candidates on the ballot…
cut 4 (03) “….yet”
Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins is a rumored candidate.

The state reported 36 more COVID-19 deaths today to bring the state’s death toll to just under 35-hundred. The 36 deaths recorded over the last 24 hours is the highest since May 22nd, when the state reported 39 deaths. Governor John Bel Edwards will hold a press conference at 2:30. The state’s Phase 2 coronavirus order expires on Sunday.

It’s been ten months since the Hard Rock Hotel collapse and the bodies of two workers might finally be recovered from the rubble within a matter of days. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (25) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The National Hurricane Center now gives a tropical wave over western Cuba a 40-percent of developing into at least tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico this week. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a hurricane hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system tomorrow to get a better idea of what this disturbance is doing…
cut 15 (06) “…wrong”
Gradual development of this system is possible as it moves west-northwest during the next few days.

Tomorrow begins the three-day qualifying period for the federal election in November. A well-funded opponent from the Democratic party has yet to emerge to challenge Republican Senator Bill Cassidy. Louisiana Democratic Party executive director Stephen Handwerk believes they’ll have a formidable candidate…
cut 5 (08) “….M-I-A”
Handwerk was a guest this morning on Talk Louisiana with Jim Engster.