9-10-20
Experts in southwest Louisiana say clouds of mosquitoes have been so thick since Hurricane Laura that they’re killing cattle and horses. Veterinarian Craig Fontenot of Ville Platte says the swarms drain animals’ blood and animals also become exhausted from constantly moving in an attempt to avoid the biting insects. He estimates that hundreds of cattle and a few horses have been killed in his five-parish area. LSU AgCenter agents say spraying has begun to thin the hordes pushed out of marshes by the storm that made landfall Aug. 27.
A 58-year-old woman’s death in central Louisiana is the 27th attributed by the state to Hurricane Laura. The state health department said Wednesday that the woman was in a trailer home in Rapides Parish without electricity or air conditioning. The department’s news release says the parish coroner confirmed the death was storm-related. The storm is also blamed for five deaths in Texas.
U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette says Hurricane Laura did significant damage at a site holding about 30% of the nation’s store of emergency crude oil. But Brouillette said Wednesday that the three other sites were not damaged and have plenty of oil in case of an emergency. The damaged site is in West Hackberry, where Strategic Petroleum Reserve caverns hold nearly 8.2 billion gallons of crude oil in 21 huge caverns deep underground. Brouillette also says that although refineries in Lake Charles are still shut down, there’s no shortage of gasoline, jet fuel and other products.
THE FUNERAL FOR TRAYFORD PELLERIN, WHO WAS SHOT AND KILLED BY LAFAYETTE POLICE OFFICERS NEARLY THREE WEEKS AGO, WILL BE HELD THIS MORNING AT ELEVEN AT PHILADELPHIA CHRISTIAN CHURCH. CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER AL SHARPTON IS EXPECTED TO SPEAK AS WELL AS LAFAYETTE MAYOR PRESIDENT JOSH GUILLORY, WHO ACCEPTED AN INVITATION FROM THE PELLERIN FAMILY. ATTENDANCE IS BEING LIMITED TO ALLOW FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING, BUT THE SERVICE WILL BE LIVE STREAMED BY THE CHURCH. FAMILY ATTORNEY RONALD HALEY SAYS THE FOCUS WILL BE ON PELLERIN BUT ALSO THE CHANGE MANY HOPE HIS DEATH WILL INSPIRE.
THE NEW CASES FOR COVID-NINETEEN IN LOUISIANA SHOT UP YESTERDAY. THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RECORDED ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED TWENTY-TWO NEW CASES. HOWEVER, SIX HUNDRED NINETY OF THEM ARE BACKLOG CASES GOING BACK AS FAR AS AUGUST SIXTH. THERE WERE FIFTEEN ADDITIONAL DEATHS IN THE STATE YESTERDAY. HOSPITALIZATIONS DROPPED BY FIFTEEN MAKING THE TOTAL HOSPITALIZATIONS SEVEN HUNDRED EIGHTY-TWO. THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS DECREASED BY EIGHT.
THE CASE COUNT IN ACADIANA JUMPED BY THREE HUNDRED SIXTY NEW CASES, BRINGING THE TOTAL TO TWENTY FOUR THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED NINETY-NINE. THAT INCLUDES ONE HUNDRED TEN IN LAFAYETTE PARISH. THERE ARE TWO MORE DEATHS IN ACADIANA, ONE EACH IN EVANGELINE AND ST. MARY PARISHES. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS IN THE REGION IS AT SIX HUNDRED TWENTY-FOUR.
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA HAS FOUR ADDITIONAL DEATHS, TWO IN BOTH BEAUREGARD AND CALCASIEU PARISHES. THAT BRINGS THE TOTAL TO THREE HUNDRED TWELVE. THERE ARE ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN ADDITIONAL CASES IN THE REGION. SIXTY-TWO ARE IN CALCASIEU PARISH. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES ARE NOW ELEVEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED NINETY-FIVE.
A Louisiana election official says she’s worried that increased absentee mail ballots will delay tabulation of election results in November. Election Commissioner Sherry Wharton Hadskey testified in a hearing Wednesday. Voting rights advocates are seeking an expansion of mail balloting for the November and December elections to keep voters safe from COVID-19. Hadskey said that even under current policy, the expected volume of absentee mail ballots, including those for people over age 65 or those with disabilities, could mean delays in tabulating results from the November presidential election.
