There are over 16-thousand positive cases of coronavirus in Louisiana and an additional 70 deaths were reported yesterday to bring the death toll to 582. But Governor John Bel Edwards says there are signs the state is flattening the curve and credits aggressive testing…
cut 9 (08) “….75-thousand tests”
But Louisiana has ten parishes listed among the top 25 U-S counties with the highest per-capita death rate. St. John the Baptist leads the nation.

Louisiana was the first state to implement a digital driver’s license and now Louisiana is the first state that allows you to renew your driver’s license and IDs through L-A Wallet. Envoc President Calvin Fabre developed this technology and says now is a good time to try the app, especially since it’s free and OMV offices are closed…
cut 15 (05) “…right now”

Could your pets get sick from COVID-19 exposure? Brooke Thorington has the details.
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Brooke Thorington.”

A 28-year-old man wanted for questioning in connection with the fatal shooting of his 26-year-old girlfriend was fatally shot in a shootout with law enforcement in Caddo Parish. Authorities say three State Police troopers and a sheriff’s deputy were involved in the gunfight after Derek Swanson left a home he broke into yesterday afternoon. His girlfriend, Taylor Baskins, was fatally shot multiple times on Friday.

It’s been just over two weeks since the state’s stay at home order was implemented and Governor Edwards says they are seeing signs that the curve in the number of cases is starting to flatten. Edwards says another encouraging sign is that fewer patients are needing a ventilator…
Cut 7 (13) “earlier”
Edwards says the New Orleans region is no longer projected to run out of ventilator capacity or hospital beds in the next two weeks.

Some pet owners are concerned that they can get COVID-19 from their four-legged friend. But State public health veterinarian Doctor Gary Balsamo says the virus survives best on smooth surfaces, so it is a relatively low threat for animals to carry the virus in their fur…
cut 5 (09) “….porous surfaces”

Questions still remain about how the remainder of the school year will be handled, but much of the determination is left in the hands of each district. Executive Director for the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents Michael Faulk says some districts are making the effort to engage students through technology.
Cut 10 (13) “…the state standards.”
Faulk says some rural school districts are having bus drivers bring classwork to students as they drive their regular routes.

You can now renew your driver’s license through the LA Wallet app, Louisiana’s digital driver’s license. The app was designed by Envoc and President Calvin Fabre (fay-bree) says the next time you log into the app you’ll notice a new button that says “check for renewal” that checks your renewal eligibility.
Cut 13 (07) “…address.”
But the digital version will be updated in less than 24 hours.

Governor John Bel Edwards says they continue to see signs that the stay-at-home order is paying off, but he says now is not the time to start slacking on social distancing or spending a lot of time in public settings…
cut 8 (12) “…we were”
Tuesday saw the state’s highest reported one-day increase in deaths at 70, but Edwards says ventilator use is down and the number of new hospitalizations is slowing.

O-M-V locations remain closed due to COVID-19 precautions, but you can renew your driver’s license through the L-A Wallet App. Envoc President Calin Fabre (fay-bree) developed the technology and says if you renew through the app, you’ll have an up to date license available for use in less than a day…
cut 14 (07) “….license”

Schools are doing their best to keep students engaged while outside of the classroom setting. Kevin Barnhart has that story.
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

The LHSAA executive committee holds its spring meeting today. Executive Director Eddie Bonine holds out hope that spring sports can resume, but that’s dependant on the governor lifting the stay at home order.

70 percent of the people in Louisiana who have died from COVID-19 were African Americans, a group that only makes up a third of the population. LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Public Health Dr. Jim Diaz says relative to other groups African Americans are underinsured.

Cut 8 (10) “…health insurance.”

A survey from Public Policy Polling shows 68 percent of Louisianans approve of Governor Edwards’ handling of the coronavirus crisis. When asked if Governor Edwards or President Trump is doing a better job Edwards lead 46-41 percent.  UL Lafayette Poli Sci Professor Pearson Cross says that’s because the question led to a generic partisan split.

Cut 14 (09) “…support”

Landlords are not legally allowed to evict you in April due to Governor John Bel Edwards’ stay at home order.  A landlord might threaten to call police to have a tenant removed, but Staff attorney at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Hannah Adams says that is not within police jurisdiction.

Cut 4 (11)_ “…they can handle.”

Allstate says auto insurance policyholders will see a rebate on their April and May premiums due to the lack of driving during the coronavirus pandemic. Real Reform Louisiana, Executive Director Eric Holl says tech companies are showing data that driving is down an average of 55-percent across the state and in some of the more populated areas like New Orleans driving is down as much as 75-percent, Holl says fewer cars means fewer accidents.

Cut 10 (12) “…go down”

Governor Edwards says despite today’s record high reported death total of 70 the general data suggests we are flattening the curve of new infections, and it appears the stay at home order is working to stave off a nightmare scenario where the New Orleans region will run out of ventilators.

A poll shows 66 percent of the state approves of Governor Edwards. It’s a remarkable jump from his approval numbers last year, but UL Lafayette Poli Sci Professor Pearson Cross says you can pin a lot of it on the “rally around the flag” polling effect of a public emergency.

Cut 13 (12) “…that point”

70 percent of the people in Louisiana who have died from COVID-19 were African Americans, a group that only makes up about 32 percent of the state’s population. LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Public Health Dr. Jim Diaz says one reason is that the virus is most prevalent in the New Orleans area.

Cut 6 (08) “pandemic”

Real Reform Louisiana praises Allstate Insurance for offering “Shelter in Place Paybacks” for their car insurance customers due to the number of reduced drivers on the roads. Real Reform Louisiana Executive Director Eric Holl explains what Allstate customers can expect.

Cut 9 (11) “…last month.″

Holl says tech companies are showing data that driving is down an average of 55-percent across the state and in some of the more populated areas like New Orleans driving is down as much as 75-percent.

Landlords can not legally evict tenants due to Louisiana’s stay-at-home order through April 30^th. Staff attorney at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Hannah Adams says tenants have legal protection from a landlord’s retaliation for not paying rent.

Cut 3 (11)  “…from the home.”  

70 percent of the people in Louisiana who have died from COVID-19 were African Americans, a group that only makes up a third of the population. LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Public Health Dr. Jim Diaz says one reason is that COVID-19 is particularly dangerous for this demographic is that they are more likely to be a risk for certain underlying conditions that are untreated.
Cut 7 (12) “…conditions.”

A survey from Public Policy Polling shows 68 percent of Louisianans approve of Governor Edwards’ handling of the coronavirus crisis. UL Lafayette Poli Sci Professor Pearson Cross says the splits show a surprising 56 to 25 percent approval/disapproval from state Republicans when asked how he’s handling the crisis.
Cut 12 (07) “…as well.”

Landlords may not be able to legally evict tenants due to Louisiana’s stay-at-home order through April 30th, but that doesn’t excuse someone from paying rent nor allow landlords permission to retaliate.  Staff attorney at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Hannah Adams says it is important to have some sort of documentation on hand showing that you reside at the address in the event that you are accused of not being a tenant.
Cut 5 (12)  “…you live there.”
Allstate says auto insurance policyholders will see a rebate on their April and May premiums due to the lack of driving during the coronavirus pandemic. Real Reform Louisiana, Executive Director Eric Holl says Allstate is setting the example and he’s asking Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon to encourage other insurance companies to do the same because now is not the time to be overcharging customers for car insurance they aren’t using.
Cut 11 (11) “…not driving”

The state reports 70 new COVID deaths today, the new single-day high for fatalities, along with now having over 16,000 confirmed cases, and just under 2,000 COVID hospitalizations. Of those hospitalized a fourth of those patients are on ventilators.

70 percent of those killed by COVID-19 in Louisiana are African Americans, who only make up 32 percent of the population. Matt Doyle asked a medical expert why that is…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle” 

Real Reform Louisiana praises Allstate Insurance for offering rebates to their customers due to reduced driving. Real Reform Louisiana Executive Director Eric Holl says tech companies are showing data that driving is down an average of 55-percent across the state and in some of the more populated areas like New Orleans, driving is down as much as 75-percent, Holl says fewer cars means fewer accidents.

Cut 10 (12) “…go down”

A survey from Public Policy Polling shows growing support for Governor Edwards. When asked if Governor Edwards or President Trump is doing a better job, Edwards leads 46-41 percent. UL Lafayette Poli Sci Professor Pearson Cross says that’s because the question led to a generic partisan split.

Cut 14 (09) “…support”

70 percent of the COVID-19 fatal cases in Louisiana are African Americans. LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Public Health Dr. Jim Diaz says a major factor is  the community spread of the virus in the New Orleans area.
Cut 6 (08) “pandemic”

Landlords may not be able to legally evict tenants due to Louisiana’s stay-at-home order through April 30th, but knowing your legal protections from retaliation is important…
Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Allstate says auto insurance policyholders will see a rebate on their April and May premiums because of the lack of driving during the coronavirus pandemic. Real Reform Louisiana, which is pushing for lower auto insurance rates, applauds the move. Executive Director Eric Holl…
cut 9 (11) “…they paid”
Holl hopes other insurance providers offer similar rebates.

According to a public policy poll, 68-percent of respondents approve of the job Governor John Bel Edwards is doing when it comes to handling the COVID-19 crisis. U-L Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says it’s a big jump from the 51-percent Edwards received in November when he was re-elected…
cut 13 (12) “….that point”

Louisiana reports 70 new COVID deaths today, the new single day high for fatalities, along with now having over 16,000 confirmed cases, and just under 2,000 COVID hospitalizations, 519 of those patients being on ventilators. Two thirds of the cases are still being reported in the New Orleans region, but Shreveport/Bossier and Baton Rouge have a growing caseload. Tensas Parish remains the only parish to not to have a reported case.

The ongoing crisis is crippling the economy and putting a growing number of Americans out of a job, depriving them of the ability to pay their rent. Staff attorney at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Hannah Adams says the Governor made it illegal to evict people at least through April, and if your landlord is threating to call the police and have you evicted, just know that’s not within their jurisdiction.

Cut 4 (11)_ “…they can handle.”

Texas is maintaining it’s policy of quarantining visitors from out of state that cross into Texas, and having troopers stop some drivers at the border with Louisiana. Governor Edwards says restricted travel is playing a big part in lowering transmission rates, which is why he isn’t faulting Texas’s governor for screening some drivers who cross state lines.

Cut 15 (12)“…just not.”

A survey from Public Policy Polling shows 68 percent of Louisianans approve of Governor Edwards’ handling of the coronavirus crisis and 66 percent now approve of his job performance overall. UL Lafayette Poli Sci Professor Pearson Cross says the splits show a surprising 56 to 25 percent approval/disapproval from state Republicans when asked how he’s handling the crisis.

Cut 12 (07) “…as well.”

Edwards’ overall approval sits at 49 percent among Republicans.

New federal projections have cut Louisiana’s estimation of total COVID-19 deaths by over 50%. Initial projections said 1,800 Louisianans would die of the disease. The current model estimates 800 fatalities. But Governor John Bel Edwards says now is not the time to get complacent.

Cut 14 (12) “answer.”

Attorney Jeff Landry announces Louisiana is receiving 8,000 packs of azithromycin, and 75,000 hydroxychloroquine tablets, a treatment that some speculate could help treat COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malarial that is now used to treat other conditions such as Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis. There’s fear those patients could find the drugs in short supply, but…

Cut 9 (12) “…hydroxycloroquine″

The ACLU is suing Oakdale Federal Prison for the release of inmates that are most at-risk for COVID-19. ACLU of Louisiana executive director Alanah Odoms Hebert says in order for the facility to be compliant with the CDC’s social distancing guidelines, the prison needs to be relieved of some of the 1,800 inmates.  US Attorney General William Barr issued a directive last week to reduce prison populations, but the ACLU feels the process is going too slow.

Cut 11 (12) “…de-densify that facility.”

Landlords may not be able to legally evict tenants due to Louisiana’s stay-at-home order through April 30th, but that does not excuse someone from paying rent.  Staff attorney at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Hannah Adams says tenants have legal protection from a landlord’s retaliation for not paying rent.

Cut 3 (11)  “…from the home.”