The death toll for COVID-19 related deaths in the state surpasses 1,000 fatalities with 1013 deaths, it’s the largest single-day addition since the outbreak began. The total number of cases is at 21,518. Louisiana’s presidential primary and other general spring elections will be delayed again. This time pushing from June to July and August.

National Weather Service indicates at least seven tornadoes ravaged north Louisiana and that number is expected to grow. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

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There’s activity underway again at the PMAC on LSU’s campus but it’s not the norm. Ashley Arceneaux, Chief of Staff for the President of LSU says the LSU community is working together to support medical providers and the facility has become a production center for PPE with locally donated materials.

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Arceneaux says the billboard vinyl is donated by Lamar Advertising and Circle Graphics.

Covington Representative Mark Wright joins Oil City Representative Danny McCormick in calling for the stay at home order to end April 30th as currently scheduled. The Northshore Republican says businesses should be allowed to implement rules that allow for partial reopening, including dine-in options for restaurants.

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The state’s COVID-19 death toll surpasses 1,000 fatalities with 129 additional deaths. Today’s report is the largest single-day addition of deaths since the COVID-19 outbreak began. The total number of cases is at 21,518. Louisiana’s presidential primary and other general spring elections are slated to be delayed again. This time pushing back from June to July and August.
The National Weather Service has confirmed at least seven tornadoes ravaged north Louisiana on Easter Sunday. N-W-S Meteorologist Brad Bryant says the most powerful twister started in West Monroe and traveled for about eight miles.  Bryant says tornadoes also impacted Northwest Louisiana in De Soto Parish.

Cut 7 (09) “…up embedded tornadoes.”

Unlike neighboring Mississippi, Louisiana had no fatalities from the storm activity.
Oil producing nations agree to cut production by 9.7 million barrels in an effort to cool a worsening price war, but one expert warns it’s not nearly enough to save the state’s oil industry…

Cut 1 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

Governor Edwards says they have evidence Louisiana residents did not take the stay at home order seriously last weekend…
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The beef industry is feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as meat processing plants are slowing down because of sick workers…
cut 13 (08) “…lengths of time”
Chair of the Louisiana Beef Industry Council Amelia Kent says it’s raising concerns we could see a beef shortage.

LSU Health New Orleans has enrolled its first patient in a clinical trial that will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine alone or with Azithromycin as a treatment for COVID-19. Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Meredith Clement says they hope to enroll 600 patients…
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Clement says there is some evidence that these medications can shorten the disease and decrease the amount of virus in respiratory samples.

The National Weather Service has confirmed at least seven tornadoes ravaged north Louisiana on Easter Sunday. N-W-S Meteorologist Brad Bryant says the most powerful twister started in West Monroe and traveled for about eight miles.
Cut 6 (10) “…low-end EF-3 damage.”
Officials are amazed the twisters did not kill anyone in Louisiana.

Governor Edwards is set today to declare that school campuses will remain closed for the remainder of the term that ends May 20^th. The order is expected to advise local districts offer distance learning, but Council for a Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin says if kids start out behind in the fall, steps need to be taken to help them catch up or they may face life long consequences.

Cut 12 (10) “…in the fall.”

Only 39 of the 69 school districts offer distance learning currently.

The curve of new case growth for COVID-19 in Louisiana continues to flatten, which has sparked a wave of interest in the possibility of reopening the state after the stay at home order ends April 30^th. Edwards says that decision will be made by a team of experts…

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Many meat producers are warning that supply chain issues are imminent and it could only be a matter of time before you start noticing empty shelves at the meat section of your local grocery store. Chair of the Louisiana Beef Industry Council Amelia Kent says sick workers are leading to closed plants, and the disruption is trickling back to the farm level as cattle are coming out of feed yards having no way to advance into harvesting.

Cut 14 (09) “…to do so.”

She adds the demand for meat has been increasing as well as more people grill at home.

OPEC and Russia reach an agreement with the US to cut production of 9.7 million barrels of oil a day in an effort to stop the ongoing rapid oil price collapse. But LSU Center for Energy Studies Executive Director David Dismukes warns it’s just not enough of a reduction to save oil prices…

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Oil is hovering in the low 20s today.

The Governor indicates a proclamation is coming today that will keep schools closed for the remainder of the school year. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

There are 17 days left in the governor’s stay at home order which expires on April 30th. Edwards says it’s too early to know if he’ll relax the order, so that some businesses can resume operations. Two republican state lawmakers are pushing to re-open the state on May 1st.

Saudi Arabia, Russia and other oil-producing nations have agreed to cut production by nearly 10-million barrels as demand is significantly down, along with prices. But LSU Center for Energy Studies Executive Director David Dismukes says unforunately this announcement will not prevent a loss in oil sector jobs…
cut 6 (07) “…effectively”

And we could also be looking at a beef shortage. Several meat processing plants have closed because of sick workers and demand is up, with many people grilling at home during the stay at home order. Louisiana Beef Industry Council Chairperson Amelia Kent says consumers will start to notice at their local grocery store….
cut 15 (11) “….ordinalrily would be”

Oil producing nations agree to cut production by nearly ten million barrels on May 1st, but one expert says it’s not enough to save the state’s oil industry…
Cut 1 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

The beef industry is feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as meat processing plants are slowing down because of sick workers…
cut 13 (08) “…lengths of time”
Chair of the Louisiana Beef Industry Council Amelia Kent says it’s raising concerns we could see a beef shortage.

Governor Edwards is expected to issue a new proclamation today that will keep school campsuses closed for the remainder of the academic year, which usually ends around May 20th. The order is expected to provide information to local school districts on how to proceed while educating students from a distance. Council for a Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin…
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Nearly 720-thousand students have been out the classroom since the middle of March.

The governor did a driving tour of tornado damage in the Monroe area yesterday. Edwards says he practiced social distancing…
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Entergy says about five-thousand customers are still without power along the I-20 corridor.

Governor Edwards is expected to issue a proclamation today that will call for schools to be closed for the remainder of the academic year. The school term is scheduled to end May 20th and distance learning will be held to finish the school year. But only 39 of the 69 school districts offer online learning. Council for a Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin says there are other ways to still educate…
cut 11 (12) “….into the home”

Oil prices saw a minor increase after OPEC and other oil producers agreed to reduce production. LSU Center for Energy Studies Executive Director David Dismukes says the price increase appears to be short-lived…
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The National Weather Service says it was an EF-3 tornado that hit Monroe on Easter Sunday with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. At least 200 homes in the Monroe area were damaged and several hundred people have been displaced. Governor John Bel Edwards toured the storm damage yesterday and says it was a miracle no one was killed.

Edwards also discussed the coronavirus pandemic during a Monday afternoon press conference. The governor is concerned we will see a new wave of COVID-19 cases if people do not follow the stay at home order…
cut 2 (28) “..I’m Matt Doyle

Governor John Bel Edwards says the curve has been flattening, but it will not stay that way if residents ignore the stay at home order as they did over the Easter weekend. Edwards says the Unacast Social Distancing Dashboard tracks movement by cell phone GPS data and Louisiana is not performing well…
Cut 7 (07) “…moving around.”

A lot of people apparently got together over the Easter Weekend for crawfish or maybe a backyard barbeque. Did you have trouble finding beef? Chairperson of the Louisiana Beef Industry Council Amelia Kent says the coronavirus has closed some meat plants. Kent says the disruption is trickling back to the farm level as cattle coming out of feed yards are having no way to advance into harvesting.
Cut 14 (09) “…to do so.”

The Governor indicates a proclamation is coming today that will keep schools closed for the remainder of the school year. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

Families and businesses are picking up the pieces following a tornado outbreak on Easter.  President of the Ouachita Parish Police Jury Shane Smiley says the devastation is widespread.

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the sytem killed 11 in Missisipi, while Louisiana escaped without any fatalities, but it did do an estimated 25-30 million in damages at the Monroe Regional Airport. Congressman Ralph Abraham says he saw debris littered runways, destroyed buildings, and the remains of small jets poking out from under a collapsed hangar. The airport is closed today and Abraham says it could be some time before it gets back up and running.

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Abraham says they’ve reached out to both state and federal officials to begin the process of getting aid for the airport and other businesses that have been destroyed.

Thousands in north Louisiana are without power a day after powerful storms ripped through the region. Entergy Louisiana spokesperson David Freese warns some customers may not have their power back on until later this week due to the extensive amount of damage to infrastructure.

Cut 11 (09) “…restoration.”

At the Sunday afternoon peak, 26,500 customers were without power, but that number has come down over the last 24 hours. SWEPCO is reporting eight-thousand of its Louisiana customers are without power as well. It may take until Wednesday afternoon before most of their Shreveport customers have electricity.

Louisiana residents who are receiving unemployment should see a substantial increase in assistance starting today. Governor Edwards says previously unemployed workers were only eligible for up to 247-dollars from the state

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That additional 600 dollars comes courtesy of the feds.

Governor Edwards took a tour this afternoon of the widespread damage in Ouachita Parish, one of five parishes in north Louisiana reporting storm damage. Edwards says two tornadoes touched down in Ouachita Parish and he says it’s a miracle that no one in Louisiana died from these twisters.

But the governor says 8-thousand structures are without power in Ouachita Parish. Matt Doyle reports it will take time to restore the electricity…
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A suspected tornado did an estimated 25-30 million in damages at the Monroe Regional Airport. Congressman Ralph Abraham says he saw debris littered runways, destroyed buildings, and the remains of small jets poking out from under a collapsed hangar.
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Abraham says his office has reached out to the White House to begin the process of getting aid for the airport and other damaged businesses.

The state health department reported 44 more COVID-19 deaths today, bringing the total number of deaths to 884. There are over 21-thousand positive cases. Louisiana does not report on how many people have recovered from the coronavirus. Governor Edwards says capturing that information is difficult
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And Edwards says Louisiana residents receiving unemployment should see a 600-dollar increase in assistance starting today as a result of the federal stimulus bill approved by Congress.