6:30 A.M. LRN Newscast 09/04/2020

As many make plans for Labor Day Weekend Governor John Bel Edwards implores citizens of the state to remain diligent when it comes to social distancing so the state will continue to see a decline in COVID-19 cases numbers. In the past, two weeks after holiday gatherings the state has seen a spike in cases.
Cut 4 (11)“ …away from them.”

LSU Health Shreveport is reporting encouraging results from the first round of findings in its participation in a clinical trial trying to determine if nitric oxide can treat COVID-19 patients with mild and moderate symptoms. Principal investigator at LSU Health Shreveport, Dr. Keith Scott…
Cut 10 (11) “…it’s been administered.”

A House committee meets this morning to discuss the future of fall high school sports. Matt Doyle spoke with the Committee Chairman…
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

530 PM LRN News

The state now reports 19 deaths related to Laura as two more fatalities are by the Department of Health linked to heat exhaustion in Rapides Parish.

Hurricane Laura is estimated to be an eight-to-nine billion-dollar insured loss event, the second-highest in the state’s history only behind Katrina.  Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says to make sure you’re not left out of the coming deluge of settlements, present before and after photos of your house’s damage to your insurance company.

Cut 11 (13) “…out to you.”

Governor John Bel Edwards says despite the devastation he’s optimistic about the recovery.

Cut 3 (11)  “…to go”  

Beauregard Parish is still reeling from Laura, 80 percent of Parish households are still without power, 17,900 in total. Sheriff Mark Herford says there are hundreds of linemen working in the parish right now…

Cut 7 (10) “…back up”

49-year-old George Burns of Melder was shot by a Rapides Parish Sheriff SWAT marksman during a standoff after Burns allegedly barricaded in a home and fired at deputies after he called police threatening to kill himself. Rapides Sheriff Chief of Staff Carnline says it’s a sad situation and appears to be a family-related incident related to Burns’ estranged wife, but…

Cut 14 (12) “…often” 

4:30 LRN Newscast Sept 3

It’s been one week since Hurricane Laura made landfall in Cameron Parish and cut a line of devastation from Lake Charles to Ruston. The Public Service Commission reports 211-thousand customers are still without power, down from the post-Laura peak of 615,000. Governor Edwards warns many of those are still in the hardest-hit areas.

Cut 4 (07)“ …restored” 

Nearly all of Winn, Beauregard, Calcasieu, and Cameron Parishes are still without power.

Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford says some areas of his parish could be without power for close to a month. He says Beauregard is your typical quiet rural parish, but there’s a lot of activity taking place now.

Cut 8 (11) “…do something”

Hurricane Laura is estimated to be an eight-to-nine billion-dollar insured loss event, the second-highest in the state’s history only behind Katrina.  Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says with the mass amount of claims coming into insurers, policyholders need to file as soon as possible.

Cut 9 (07) “…resolve your claim.”

49-year-old George Burns of Melder was shot by a Rapides Parish Sheriff SWAT marksman during a standoff after Burns allegedly barricaded in a home and fired at deputies. After retreating from the home with Burns’ family Rapides Sheriff Chief of Staff Tommy Carnline says deputies called in the SWAT team and negotiators to try to talk Burns down, but it wasn’t working, and Burns began firing at law enforcement.

Cut 13 (11) “…Burns”

Burns is in stable but critical condition.

3:30 LRN Newscast Sept 3

Hurricane Laura is estimated to be an eight-to-nine billion-dollar insured loss event. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

cut 2 (25) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

The Lafayette city-parish government is suing the person behind a satirical Antifa Facebook event page which had authorities respond to events this summer in River Ranch and at the Acadiana Mall. The lawsuit, filed Monday, alleges the hoaxes have cost taxpayers a considerable amount of money because law enforcement had to investigate each event. The defendant, 28, year-old, John Merrifield, says the social media posts have been taken out-of-context.

A lot of the attention on hurricane recovery in southwest Louisiana has been on Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes, but Beauregard Parish also took a significant hit from the Category Four storm. Sheriff Mark Herford says 85-percent of the parish is without power, but you will not go hungry…

Cut 6 (12) “…people here.”

49-year-old George Burns of Melder was shot by a Rapides Parish Sheriff SWAT marksman during a standoff after Burns allegedly barricaded in a home and fired at deputies. Rapides Sheriff Chief of Staff Tommy Carnline says deputies responded to a call from a suspect threatening to kill himself. Carnline says when deputies entered the home…

Cut 12 (09) “…of aggravated arson.”

Burns is in stable, but critical condition.

2:30 LRN Newscast Sept 3

Governor Edwards says about 212,000 households are still without power a week after Laura made landfall. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Matt Doyle”  

The state surpasses a total of 150-thousand COVID-19 cases today, up by 884.  Total fatalities… 4858, up 17.  Hospitalizations drop by 22 to 851, the lowest since July. Ventilator use is 128, down by 4.

It’s been a week since Hurricane Laura made landfall in Cameron Parish and cut a line of devastation from Lake Charles to Ruston. Governor John Bel Edwards says as of this morning nearly 12-thousand people are being sheltered by the state, nearly all in hotels, and he’s concerned about what would happen if out of state evacuees were to return right now.

Cut 5 (09)  “…demand”

The Governor asks anyone being sheltered out of state to remain out of state for the time being.

Hurricane Laura is estimated to be an eight-to-nine billion-dollar insured loss event, the second-highest in the state’s history only behind Katrina.  whether it is tarping a roof, removing a tree, or whatever actions that need to be done, Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon recommends taking whatever remedial steps can be taken to minimize the loss.

Cut 10 (08) “…connection therewith.”

 

1:30 PM Newscast

It’s been one week since Hurricane Laura made landfall in Cameron Parish and cut a line of devastation from Lake Charles to Ruston. The Public Service Commission reports 211-thousand customers are still without power, down from the post-Laura peak of 615,000. Governor John Bel Edwards warns many of those still out are in the hardest-hit areas.

Cut 4 (07)“ …restored” 

Nearly all of Winn, Beauregard, Calcasieu, and Cameron Parishes are still without power.

Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford says some areas of his parish could be without power for close to a month. He says Beauregard is your typical quiet rural parish, but there’s a lot of activity taking place now.

Cut 8 (11) “…do something”

 

Hurricane Laura is estimated to be an eight-to-nine billion-dollar insured loss event, the second-highest in the state’s history only behind Katrina.  Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says with the mass amount of claims coming into insurers, policyholders need to file as soon as possible.

Cut 9 (07) “…resolve your claim.”

Whether it is tarping a roof, removing a tree, or whatever actions that need to be done, Donelon recommends taking whatever remedial steps can be taken to minimize the loss.

And when you do hire contractors for repairs, State Licensing Board for Contractors spokesperson Brad Hassert recommends verifying someone is a licensed contractor. Hassert says it will mostly be unlicensed workers that will try to trick people out of money and one of the ways they do so is by asking for a large amount of payment upfront.

Cut 14 (11) “…question for me.” 

License verification can be done online at lslbc.louisiana.gov.

12:30 PM Newscast

It’s been one week since Hurricane Laura made landfall in Cameron Parish and cut a line of devastation from Lake Charles to Ruston.  Governor John Bel Edwards says no storm has ever maintained so much strength across so much of the state but despite the damage, he’s optimistic about the recovery.

Cut 3 (11)  “…to go”  

The Public Service Commission reports 211-thousand customers are still without power, down from the post-Laura peak of 615,000.

A lot of the attention on hurricane recovery in southwest Louisiana has been on Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes, but Beauregard Parish also took a significant hit from the Category Four storm. Sheriff Mark Herford says there are hundreds of linemen working on getting the electricity and they deserve a pat on the back

Cut 7 (10) “…back up”

 

Hurricane Laura is estimated to be an eight-to-nine billion-dollar insured loss event, the second-highest in the state’s history only behind Katrina.  Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says anyone who took photos of their property before the storm should also take photos of the damage caused by the storm for comparison by an adjuster.

Cut 11 (13) “…out to you.”

Donelon says with the mass amount of claims coming to insurers, policyholders need to file as soon as possible.

The state surpasses a total of 150-thousand COVID-19 cases today, up by 884.  Total fatalities… 4858, up 17.  Hospitalizations drop to 851, the lowest since July 2, down 22. Ventilator use is a 128, down by 4.

11:30 LRN Newscast September 3

Entergy Louisiana expects it will be about two to three weeks before power is available to customers in the Lake Charles area. CEO Phillip May says the infrastructure damage was substantial.
Cut 7 (08) “…destroyed”
May expects crews will energize the first of its transmission lines into Lake Charles in two weeks. The Public Service Commission reports 212-thousand customers in Louisiana are without power.

A lot of the attention on hurricane recovery in southwest Louisiana has been on Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes, but Beauregard Parish also took a significant hit from the Category Four storm. Sheriff Mark Herford says 85-percent of the parish is without power, but you will not go hungry…
cut 6 (12) “…people here”

LSU interim president Thomas Galligan says the university has reported 366 COVID-19 cases since August 15th. In addition to a symptom tracker feature, Galligan says the LSU website has a COVID dashboard that will be updated Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 4 PM.
Cut 4 (10)“ …from a person.”
Galligan says four student organizations are under investigation after videos surfaced showing them holding large parties.

Louisiana is seeking poll workers for the fall election. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says there are some volunteer positions, but Ardoin says you can also make a little money by working on election day…
cut 12 (07) “….pay is”
Citizens who are interested should go to electionworker.sos.la.gov.

10:30 LRN Newscast September 3

LSU has reported 366 COVID-19 cases since August 15th. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The Louisiana Sheriffs Association has endorsed President Donald Trump. The sheriffs say Mr. Trump has repeatedly sided with law and order.

Facebook reportedly removed a post from Congressman Clay Higgins when he threatened to shoot armed protesters that cause problems in Lafayette. Congressman Cedric Richmond has called the post dumb and reckless.

Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin is recruiting poll workers for the November and December elections. Ardoin says the risks associated with exposure to COVID-19 have led them to expand their efforts to recruit more young people…
cut 11 (08) “….commissioners”
Poll workers help set up polling locations, verify voters’ registration and explain voting procedures and how to use the machines and it does pay.

Many people are looking for a contractor after damage was done to their home by Hurricane Laura. Louisiana State Licensing Board of Contractors Compliance Director Brad Hassert says use a credit card when paying, so you have a documented paper trail of compensation…
cut 15 (11) “….with them possibly”

9:30 LRN Newscast September 3

Facebook reportedly took down a post by Congressman Clay Higgins where he threatened to shoot armed protesters in Lafayette. There’s been civil unrest in Lafayette since the fatal police shooting of Trayford Pellerin. Fellow Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond says Higgins’ post was dumb and reckless. Higgins says he was giving fair warning.

Hurricane Laura has opened the door for unlicensed contractors to make a quick buck without doing the work they were hired to do. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (27) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Entergy says they have a storm team of 83-hundred workers in southwest Louisiana to rebuild a grid severely damaged by Hurricane Laura. CEO Phillip May says they estimate it will be two to three weeks before power is available in the Lake Charles area and the says the company is also aggressively exploring other ways to jump-start the power flow…
cut 8 (09) “…locations”
Meanwhile, Cleco says power has been restored to 81-percent of its customers. Eleven-thousand Rapides Parish Cleco customers are still in the dark.

LSU is reporting 366 COVID-19 cases involving students, faculty and staff. LSU interim president Thomas Galligan on what factors they are monitoring to help them determine when they may have to go back to online classes…
cut 6 (12) “….in the area” (2x)