58 percent of Louisiana Federation of Teachers members surveyed say they are not comfortable with school restarting next month. L-F-T president Larry Carter says part of that is because the feds and state have not done enough to make schools safe.

Cut 7 (10) “gear in school.”

Cleco announces customers who’ve had trouble paying their energy bills can get an installment plan to pay their past due amounts back over up to 18 months. Spokesperson Fran Phoenix says this offer is good for payments due from March 13^th through July 16^th, and if accepted will be added to your monthly bill as an installment.

Cut 9, 11 seconds, challenges

Cleco is also announced starting September 1^st disconnection procedures for derelict payments will resume.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will hold a 1:30 meeting about the future of K-12 education in the state. The meeting is expected to be firey and touch on topics like mandatory mask wearing for students. BESE President Sandy Holloway says they hope to have a good idea of what schools will look like by the end of the meeting.

Cut 10 (10) “…not quite sure.”

State and federal personal, partnership, and corporate income tax returns for 2019 are due Wednesday. Louisiana Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson says  if you still need extra time you can file for an extension. She says that extends the requirement to file the return, but…

Cut 15 (10) “….outstanding” 

Robinson says the turnaround for getting tax returns is right in line with the three to four-week wait you’d expect from the usual tax season despite COVID impacting the Department’s operations.

Vice President Mike Pence visits with Governor John Bel Edwards in Baton Rouge today.   Edwards says the visit comes following the selection of Baton Rouge as one of the three metropolitan areas in the nation to be selected to receive federal resources for surge testing.
Cut 4 (11)_ “…of that radar.”
Attorney General Jeff Landry will not be present as he has tested positive for coronavirus.

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers says 58-percent of teachers and parents who participated in their online survey do not feel comfortable returning to school next month. L-F-T president Larry Carter says certain precautions and mandates need to be in place to create a safe environment
Cut 6 (10) “…rights”
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education holds a vote this afternoon on whether school children should be required to wear masks.

For high school football to happen, Louisiana will need to reach Phase 4. That’s according to LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine who appeared before the House Education Committee. Rosepine Representative Charles Owen says the stark reality is that Louisiana must do a better job at mitigating the coronavirus spread…
Cut 16 (10) “…another direction” 
The state is currently is stuck in phase two, after reporting 17-hundred new cases on Monday.

Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo loses his reelection effort, ending a 19 year run in the office.  Friday Ellis, an Independent, won 52 percent of the vote while Mayo received 38 percent in a 41 percent turnout election. We asked Mayo what he thought was behind the loss…
Cut 9 (11) “…ideas.”

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meets this afternoon and they’ll make a decision on if masks should be required in most public school classrooms when schools reopen next month. BESE President Sandy Holloway says they’ve already received a lot of public input…
cut 12 (07) “…..across the state”
Education Superintendent Cade Brumley has recommended that students third grade and up should wear a face covering if possible and practical.

Also this afternoon, Vice President Mike Pence will be in Baton Rouge to discuss the state’s coronavirus response with Governor John Bel Edwards. The meeting will take place at LSU’s Tiger Stadium and Edwards says higher ed leaders will also be present to discuss fall reopening plans….
cut 5 (11) “…distance learning”
The meeting begins at 3 PM.

After 19 years in office Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo is unseated by Independent Friday Ellis. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

New Orleans Police detectives are looking for a white two-door Jeep Wrangler that may have been involved in last night’s triple shooting in the Seventh Ward that left a nine-year-old dead and two teenagers in stable condition at a local hospital. Authorities have not released any information about a possible motive.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education holds a special meeting today to approve the safety standards they want school systems to follow for the upcoming school year. BESE president Sandy Holloway says she’s received hundreds of emails in advance of today’s meeting at 1:30….
Cut 10 (10) “…not quite sure.”
State Education Superintendent Cade Brumley is recommending that students from third grade and up should wear face coverings to the greatest extent possible and practical.

Vice President Mike Pence will be in Baton Rouge later today to discuss the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Pence will meet with Governor John Bel Edwards and other health and education officials at LSU’s Tiger Stadium at 3 PM…
cut 6 (10) “…that fine university”

Tomorrow is Tax Day, federal and state taxes are due on July 15th. Federal taxes are normally due on April 15th, while State taxes are traditionally due on May 15th, but the tax filing deadlines were pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic….
cut 14 (11) “….tax day”
That’s Louisiana Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson who says they are still waiting on a lot of returns.

Jamie Mayo is in his last few days as mayor of Monroe after losing his re-election bid on Saturday night. He’s served as Monroe’s mayor since 2001. Mayo says it’s disappointing, but…
cut 7 (12) “….years”
Independent Friday Ellis won Saturday’s election with 52 percent of the vote.

Vice President Mike Pence visits Baton Rouge this afternoon. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The S-E-C’s 14 athletic directors met in person in Birmingham, Alabama yesterday to discuss the upcoming football season and Commissioner Greg Sankey says they’ll hold off on making any decisions until late July. But Sankey says the current circumstances related to COVID-19 must improve.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will meet to decide whether teachers and most students will need to wear face masks while in school. State Education Superintendent Cade Brumley has recommended face maks for students third grade and above. BESE President Sandy Holloway says if they do enact a face mask requirement, how do you handle those who are not in compliance…
cut 11 (09) “…walk through this”
Today’s BESE meeting is at 1:30.

After 19 years as the mayor of Monroe, Jamie Mayo is preparing to leave his office as his re-election bid was unsuccessful. Mayo says he’s proud of his time as mayor and points to the state’s finances as one of his accomplishments…
cut 8 (10) “….A minus”
Independent Friday Ellis won Saturday’s election, receiving 52-percent of the vote.

Vice President Mike Pence visits with Governor John Bel Edwards in Baton Rouge today. Edwards says the visit comes following the selection of Baton Rouge as one of the three metropolitan areas in the nation to be selected to receive federal resources for surge testing.
Cut 4 (11)_ “…of that radar.”
The Governor and the VP will meet at LSU’s Tiger Stadium with education and health officials.

State and federal individual and corporate income tax returns for 2019 are due tomorrow. The original due dates were in April and May, but Louisiana Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson says the pandemic inspired the state and feds to push the filing date back…
Cut 13 (12) “….15th”

LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine has told the House Education Committee that in order for high school football games to be played, the state has to reach Phase Four of its reopening. According to the LHSAA guidelines, the only two sports that can compete against other schools in Phase Two are cross country and swimming. Basketball, soccer and wrestling all need to be in phase four too. Volleyball can hold competitive matches in phase three. And Bonine says if some athletic events are able to proceed, they might do so without fans, but that creates other problems…
cut 18 (12) “….the gate”

The state reports just over 1700 new COVID-19 cases, bring the total to just shy of 80,000. The presumed recovered number updated every Monday is now at 46,334. Hospitalizations increase to 1,308.

This sustained rise in cases prompted the Governor’s weekend order mandating face mask use inside all businesses and public facilities. The order comes with a few exemptions from wearing a mask, including people with certain medical conditions. Edwards says he is relying on businesses to help with encouraging individuals to mask up.

Cut 4 (07)_ “…they are trespassing.”

Some Republican legislators are frustrated with the declaration. Oil City Representative Danny McCormick says Governor Edwards did not consult with them about the decision and is not responsive to lawmakers concerns about his unilateral decision-making process when it comes to the pandemic.

Cut 8 (08) “…Governor”

State Education Superintendent Cade Brumley tells the House Education Committee that reopening schools next month during a pandemic will be a monumental task, but they’ve provided local school systems with guidance on how it can be done. Brumley says it all starts with good hygiene

Cut 9 (10) “…possible”

A decision will be made at tomorrow’s BESE meeting as to whether or not masks will be mandated.

The Lake Charles region has fewer than two dozen ICU beds available as the area has been slammed by rising COVID-19 cases. Region Five Regional Public Health Medical Director Lacey Cavanaugh says 67 of their 89 ICU beds are in use…

Cut 12 (11) “…shortages.”

Lake Charles, Jefferson Davis, and Cameron Parish all have a COVID incident rate of over 240 per 100,000, some of the highest in the state.

State and federal personal, partnership, and corporate income tax returns for 2019 are due Wednesday State Education Superintendent Cade Brumley provides the House Education Committee with the guidelines on reopening schools safely…

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

The Lake Charles region is running low on ICU beds as COVID cases stack up with only 22 beds still available. Region Five Regional Public Health Medical Director Lacey Cavanaugh says part of the issue is Lake Charles recent spike in cases began earlier than the rest of the state’s.

Cut 14 (10) “…Memorial Day”

Governor Edwards’ statewide mask mandate is now in effect and all people entering a business or public building must wear masks when social distancing is not an option. The move has generated a lot of controversy with some Republican lawmakers threatening action against the order. One of those is Oil City Representative Danny McCormick who says the order is an assault on people’s liberty and overreach by the Governor, who is making these decisions without input from lawmakers.

Cut 7 (08) “people.”

But Governor Edwards told residents over the weekend that if they don’t like the mandate, that’s fine, but they still gotta mask up. Edwards says the mandate if followed, will save lives.

Cut 5 (12)  “…me, criticize me.”

Only three parishes are exempt from the mandate due to the per capita infection rate, but mask-wearing is still very much encouraged.  Grant, Red River, and West Feliciana parishes have fewer than 100 cases per 100,000 people.

Governor Edwards’ statewide mask mandate is now in effect.  The new order comes following the state reporting some of the highest new daily case counts of the pandemic.  Edwards says the timing of when mask-wearing is required is clear.

Cut 3 (05)  “…distant from others..”  

The order comes with a few exemptions from wearing a mask, including people with certain medical conditions.

Opponents of the Governor’s statewide mask mandate say Governor Edwards should not have the authority to make decisions like this by himself. Oil City Representative Danny McCormick is a signee of a Legislative effort to suspend the Governor’s public health emergency declaration. He says Edwards’ order is an attack on liberty.

Cut 6 (10) “…rights”

State Education Superintendent Cade Brumley tells the House Education Committee that reopening schools next month during a pandemic will be a monumental task, but they’ve provided local school systems with guidance on how it can be done. Schools have been closed to in-classroom instruction since Governor Edwards shut down campuses last March. Brumley admits the long time away from the classroom has produced some level of learning loss

Cut 11 (11) “…and math.”

The Lake Charles region has fewer than two dozen ICU beds available as the area has been slammed by rising COVID-19 cases. Lake Charles, Jefferson Davis, and Cameron Parish all have a COVID incident rate of over 240 per 100,000, some of the highest in the state. Region Five Regional Public Health Medical Director Lacey Cavanaugh says that’s causing hospitalizations to pile up.

Cut 13 (09) “…closely.” 

How will the state enforce its new mask mandate? Kevin Barnhart has the details…

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

Some Republican legislators are frustrated with the declaration. Oil City Representative Danny McCormick says Governor Edwards did not consult with them about the decision and is not responsive to lawmakers concerns about his unilateral decision-making process when it comes to the pandemic.

Cut 8 (08) “…Governor”

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley laid out the thought process for returning to school next month. He says one positive coronavirus case will not shut down a school, but several cases could lead to a temporary closure

Cut 10 (07) “   through this” 

Brumley also says they are also recommending face masks for students in grades three through 12. BESE is meeting tomorrow to discuss whether that is going to be a mandate or just a recommendation for districts.

The Lake Charles region has fewer than two dozen ICU beds available as the area has been slammed by rising COVID-19 cases. Region Five Regional Public Health Medical Director Lacey Cavanaugh says 67 of their 89 ICU beds are in use…

Cut 12 (11) “…shortages.”