A statewide mask mandate goes into effect today. That means residents eight years and up should wear a mask when they are unable to socially distance themselves from others outside of their household. The governor has also ordered all bars closed to onsite consumption as the state has moved to third in the country for per capita coronavirus cases. Governor Edwards says based on contact tracing at least 36 outbreaks started in bars…
cut 6 (11) “….to hear them”
Assistant State Health Officer, Doctor Joe Kanter, says persons between the ages of 18 to 29 continue to see the most new cases and there’s evidence they are spreading the virus to older, sicker people
Cut 12 (07) increase in deaths”
The state is reporting over 33-hundred deaths.

LSU athletics director Scott Woodward and other SEC Commissioners meet today in Birmingham to discuss the upcoming football season. LHSAA Commissioner Eddie Bonine will speak to the House Education Committee at 10:00 AM. House Education Chairman Ray Garofalo is hopeful high school sports can be played this fall…
cut 9 (08) “….health”
Senate Education Chairman Cleo Fields has said fall sports should be canceled.

A recent study shows 73% of pet owners are concerned about returning to work and spending time away from their pets and 59% are worried their dog or cat may suffer from separation anxiety. LSU Vet School Assistant Professor of Community Practice Nancy Welborn says if you are heading back to work soon, prep your pets for that transition.
Cut 13 (08) “…then come back.”

Starting today, Lousiana residents eight years old and up are required to wear a mask when indoors and outdoors and you cannot be physically distant from others. Governor John Bel Edwards says many might not agree with this order, but he says research shows face masks can slow the spread of COVID-19…
Cut 4 (12)_ “will happen”
Some say mask mandates violate our personal liberties and others contend it does not protect you from COVID and wearing masks for long period can exasperate breathing issues. But Regional Public Health director for Acadiana, Doctor Tina Stefanski, the best way to beat the virus without closing businesses back down again is by wearing masks
Cut 11 (11) “…level of transmission”

The House Education Committee will discuss the reopening of schools in August during a 10 o’clock meeting at the state capitol today. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (27) “I’m Matt Doyle”

BESE meets tomorrow. The state’s top school board is expected to decide whether they’ll require students to wear face masks. The state education department has recommended mask wearing for students in third grade and above.

A local judge has issued a temporary restraining order against Shreveport’s mask mandate. Matt Doyle asked a legal expert if cities have the legal authority to issue these mandates…

Cut 1 (28) “…I’m Matt Doyle”  

Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to meet with Governor Edwards in Baton Rouge on Tuesday to discuss the efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19. From there, the VP will meet with higher ed leaders at Tiger Stadium regarding the return to campus and college sports.

….And Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sanky said today that the concern about the feasibility of playing football is “high to very high”

Voting for Louisiana’s Presidential Primary is today. There are also local races in 24 parishes and party committee positions. Polls are open until 8 PM.

It will be a hot weekend as heat index values will reach 110, maybe even 115 degrees. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a high-pressure system in the northern Gulf of Mexico will limit cloudiness and thunderstorms

Cut 3 (11)  “…lots of humidity”  

This stretch of hot weather will continue into early next week.

The coronavirus pandemic may have put a dent into many sectors of the economy, but the Louisiana Lottery says they’ve just finished their second-best fiscal year ever that ended on June 30th.  Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin says that’s in large part due to an uptick in scratch-off sales from April through June.

Cut 12 (05) “…in our history.”

The State Fire Marshal’s office has conducted around 3,100 coronavirus spread mitigation compliance checks between June 26 and July 5, yet there hasn’t been any penalization of the rule breakers.  State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says the lack of citations or shutdowns is a strong indicator that businesses care enough about their customers and employees to come into compliance.
Cut 10 (07) “…everything goes bad”
Browning says after a third check, if there are businesses that are blatantly defying the rules, that’s when further action will be taken, but says it has yet to come to that.
It will be a hot couple of days in the Bayou State as heat index values will reach 110, maybe even 115 degrees. State Climatologist Barry Keim says rain chances are low this weekend…

Cut 5 (10)  “…miss it”
A Caddo District Court judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the City’s implementation of a mandate requiring masks to be worn inside businesses. New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, and East Baton Rouge Parish have also issued similar mandates. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino believes they do have the authority to do so.

Cut 6 (13) “…basis.”

If the mandate were to be implemented non-compliant businesses could potentially be shut down while the state remained in Phase Two.

The coronavirus pandemic may have put a dent into many sectors of the economy, but the Louisiana Lottery says they’ve just finished their second-best fiscal year ever that ended on June 30th.  Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin says the ability to avoid interrupting player’s routines while other aspects of life were on hold contributed to captivating their audience.

Cut 14 (07) “…do for entertainment.”

Voting for Louisiana’s Presidential Primary is today. There are also local races in 24 parishes and party committee positions. It will be a hot one for casting your ballot as heat index values will reach 110, maybe even 115 degrees. State Climatologist Barry Keim says this stretch of hot weather will continue into early next week and it will be quite warm for outdoor activities in the morning…
Cut 4 (11)_ “    low 70s” 
A Caddo District Court judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the City’s implementation of a mandate requiring masks to be worn inside businesses. New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, and East Baton Rouge Parish have also issued similar mandates. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says mask mandate opponents will have a hard time arguing against the mandates in potential court proceedings.
Cut 8 (10) “…box”
If the mandate were to be implemented non-compliant businesses could potentially be shut down while the state remained in Phase Two.

The State Fire Marshal’s office has conducted around 3,100 coronavirus spread mitigation compliance checks between June 26 and July 5, yet there hasn’t been any penalization of the rule breakers.  State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says that’s because businesses are correcting shortcomings after the first visit.Browning says after a third check, if there are businesses that are blatantly defying the rules, that’s when further action will be taken, but says it has yet to come to that.

Cut 11 (07) “…exceeded our expectations.”

The coronavirus pandemic may have put a dent into many sectors of the economy, but the Louisiana Lottery says they’ve just finished their second-best fiscal year ever that ended on June 30th.  Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin says that’s in large part due to an uptick in scratch-off sales from April through June.Many lottery retailers such as grocery and convenience stores were deemed essential and stayed open, which Chopin says was vital in maintaining player activity.

Cut 13 (08) “…have become inaccessible.” 

A local judge has issued a temporary restraining order against Shreveport’s mask mandate. Matt Doyle asked a legal expert if cities have the legal authority to issue these mandates…

Cut 1 (28) “…I’m Matt Doyle”  

Voting for Louisiana’s Presidential Primary is today. There are also local races in 24 parishes and party committee positions. Workers at the polling locations will regularly wipe down voting machines, hand sanitizer will be available and masks are recommended. If you are hoping to get your hands on the state’s famous “I Voted” stickers, you are out of luck this election as they won’t be given out because of COVID-19. Polls are open from 7 AM to 8 PM.

The State Fire Marshal’s office has conducted around 3,100 coronavirus spread mitigation compliance checks between June 26 and July 5, yet there hasn’t been any penalization of the rule-breakers.  State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says that’s because businesses are correcting shortcomings after the first visit.

Cut 9 (10) “…consider penalizing somebody.”

It will be a hot weekend as heat index values will reach 110, maybe even 115 degrees. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a high pressure system in the northern Gulf of Mexico will limit cloudiness and thunderstorms

Cut 3 (11)  “…lots of humidity”  

This stretch of hot weather will continue into early next week

A Caddo District Court judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking Shreveport’s implementation of a mandate requiring masks to be worn inside businesses. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino believes the city will have success in court because governments are afforded a lot of leeways when it comes to this kind of policy.

Cut 7 (09) “…health.”

The suit triggering the restraining order was filed on behalf of five Shreveport businesses, but one of those businesses announced on social media they were unaware of the suit, and had not agreed to participate in it.

Louisiana reported more than 26-hundred new COVID-19 cases today. That’s the most ever in a single day for the Bayou State that didn’t include backlog cases since the pandemic started. The state’s death toll is up to 3,272 and hospitalizations rose by 75.

The State Fire Marshal’s office has conducted around 3,100 coronavirus spread mitigation compliance checks between June 26 and July 5, yet there hasn’t been any penalization of the rule breakers.  State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says that’s because no businesses have so far been repeat offenders when reinspected after guidance is given on how they can come into compliance. Browning says the lack of citations or shutdowns is a strong indicator that businesses care enough about their customers and employees to come into compliance.

Cut 10 (07) “…everything goes bad”

Browning says after a third check, if there are businesses that are blatantly defying the rules, that’s when further action will be taken

It will be a hot weekend as heat index values will reach 110, maybe even 115 degrees. State Climatologist Barry Keim says on top of that rain chances are low this weekend…

Cut 5 (10)  “…miss it”

Despite a high number of compliance checks, the State Fire Marshal’s office has not cited or shut down a single business for not following COVID mitigation requirements. Why is that?

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

AG Jeff Landry pens an open letter asking BESE not to require students to wear masks once classes resume next month. In the letter he calls masks a tremendous distraction and a potential mandate crossing the line on liberty. Mask requirements so far appear to be being made on a district by district basis.

A Caddo District Court judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the City’s implementation of a mandate requiring masks to be worn inside businesses. New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, and East Baton Rouge Parish have also issued similar mandates. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino believes they do have the authority to do so.

Cut 6 (13) “…basis.”

If the mandate were to be implemented non-compliant businesses could potentially be shut down while the state remained in Phase Two.

It will be a hot weekend as heat index values will reach 110, maybe even 115 degrees. State Climatologist Barry Keim says this stretch of hot weather will continue into early next week and it will be quite warm for outdoor activities in the morning…

Cut 4 (11)_ “    low 70s” 

The State Fire Marshal’s office has conducted around 3,100 coronavirus spread mitigation compliance checks between June 26 and July 5, but no penalties have been handed down. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says that’s because businesses are correcting shortcomings after the first visit.
Cut 9 (10) “…consider penalizing somebody.”
Browning says the lack of citations is an indicator that businesses care enough about their customers and employees to be in compliance.

It will be a hot weekend as heat index values will reach 110, maybe even 115 degrees. State Climatologist Barry Keim says a high pressure system in the northern Gulf of Mexico will limit cloudiness and thunderstorms
Cut 3 (11) “…lots of humidity”

A judge has issued a temporary restraining order against Shreveport’s mask mandate. Matt Doyle asked a legal expert if cities have the legal authority to issue these mandates…
Cut 1 (28) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

The Saints are offering their season ticket holders the opportunity to opt out of the 2020 season. Fans can either request a refund or just roll the money over to the 2021 season. If a season ticket holder opts out, they can still renew season tickets for 2021, without having to go on the team’s waiting list. No decision has been made yet on fans inside the Dome this year.

The State Fire Marshal reports that no businesses have been penalized as a result of COVID compliance checks because so far they haven’t had any repeat offenders once state workers advise companies on how to come into compliance. Butch Browning says if that does happen, after a third check, if there are businesses that are blatantly defying the rules, that’s when further action will be taken…

Cut 11 (07) “…exceeded our expectations.”

Between June 26 and July 5 3,100 checks were made.

A Caddo District Court judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the City’s implementation of a mandate requiring masks to be worn inside businesses. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says the law is on the city’s side in this dispute…

Cut 8 (10) “…box”

The coronavirus pandemic may have put a dent into many sectors of the economy, but the Louisiana Lottery says they’ve just finished their second-best fiscal year ever that ended on June 30th.  Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin says that’s in large part due to an uptick in scratch-off sales from April through June.

Cut 12 (05) “…in our history.”

Multi-state jackpots such Powerball and Mega Millions ended the year down by about $66 million due to a 12-month drought of jackpots exceeding $400 million.

It will be a hot weekend as heat index values will reach 110, maybe even 115 degrees. State Climatologist Barry Keim says rains chances are also pretty low this weekend…

Cut 5 (10)  “…miss it”

This stretch of hot weather will continue into early next week.