9-4-20
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday urged people sheltering in hotels in Texas to stay there if possible, because Louisiana is having difficulty finding available hotel rooms to house more evacuees. Edwards, at a news conference in Baton Rouge, said more than 92,000 people had registered for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency by midday Thursday. Nearly 12,000 people were being sheltered by the state, largely in hotels. Edwards said he doubts the state could quickly absorb another 2 to 4,000 people into hotels in the state as a result.
BUSINESSES ACROSS ACADIANA ARE LENDING A HELPING HAND TO VICTIMS OF HURRICANE LAURA. SYLVIA MASTERS TELLS ABOUT WHAT ONE BUSINESS IS DOING IN ABBEVILLE.
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AN AUTOPSY OF TRAYFORD PELLERIN FUNDED BY PELLERIN’S FAMILY FOUND NO EVIDENCE HE WAS STRUCK BY A TASER OR SHOWED ANY DEFENSIVE BRUISES OR MARKS THAT WOULD ASSOCIATED WITH A SCUFFLE. PELLERIN WAS SHOT TEN TIMES BY LAFAYETTE POLICE OFFICERS AS HE ATTEMPTED TO ENTER A CONVENIENCE STORE WIELDING A KNIFE. LAFAYETTE MAYOR PRESIDENT JOSH GUILLORY HAS SAID POLICE OFFICERS TRIED TO SUBDUE PELLERIN WITH TASERS BEFORE THE SHOOTING. COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER JAMIE ANGELLE SAYS THEY ARE AWAITING THE OFFICIAL AUTOPSY RESULTS FROM THE CORONER’S OFFICE. HE SAYS THE ATTORNEYS FOR PELLERIN’S FAMILY DID NOT RELEASE THEIR REPORT OR IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE INFORMATION.
Gov. John Bel Edwards is asking a federal judge to order Louisiana’s elections chief to broaden the use of absentee-by-mail voting for the fall elections because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Democratic governor filed the request Wednesday in an ongoing lawsuit by voting rights advocates seeking to widen mail-in balloting options for the Nov. 3 and Dec. 5 elections. Republican Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin proposed an emergency plan with a limited expansion of absentee-by-mail voting for those confirmed to have COVID-19. Edwards intends to block the plan leaving U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick to decide the election operating rules.
THE CROWLEY CITY COUNCIL FAILED TO ADOPT A BUDGET BY THE SEPTEMBER FIRST DEADLINE AND THE CITY IS NOW OPERATING ON FIFTY PERCENT OF LAST YEAR’S BUDGET. THAT MEANS THE COUNCIL HAS SIX MONTHS TO ADOPT A BUDGET BEFORE FINANCES BECOME A PROBLEM. COUNCIL MEMBERS COMPLAINED ABOUT THE MAYOR GIVING THEM THREE WEEKS NOTICE RATHER THAN THE THREE TO FOUR MONTHS THEY NORMALLY GET, THAT A BUDGET SUMMARY WAS NEVER ISSUED AS REQUIRED BY STATE LAW, AND THAT THE MAYOR NEVER MET WITH DEPARTMENT HEADS. SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS TOLD KLFY TV THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT MAYOR TIM MONCEAUX’S HEALTH AND HIS ABILITY TO PERFORM HIS DUTIES.
THE NUMBER OF NEW COVID-NINETEEN CASES CONTINUES TO BE HIGH IN LOUISIANA BUT HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE WAY DOWN. TODAY LOUISIANA HAD FORTY-THREE FEWER PATIENTS IN HOSPITALS, BRINGING THE TOTAL DOWN TO EIGHT HUNDRED EIGHT. THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS HAS DROPPED TO UNDER ONE HUNDRED WITH THIRTY-TWO FEWER. THE NUMBER OF NEW CASES IS AT EIGHT HUNDRED TWENTY-EIGHT. THE TOTAL IS NOW ABOVE ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-ONE THOUSAND, THERE ARE FOURTEEN MORE DEATHS IN THE STATE.
FOR THE SECOND DAY IN A ROW, ACADIANA RECORDED FOUR MORE DEATHS. THEY WERE RESIDENTS OF ACADIA, LAFAYETTE, ST. MARY AND VERMILLION PARISHES. THE TOTAL IS NOW UP TO SIX HUNDRED THIRTEEN. THERE ARE EIGHTY-TWO NEW CASES OF COVID-NINETEEN IN ACADIANA, INCLUDING THIRTY-SEVEN IN LAFAYETTE PARISH. THE TOTAL IS NEARING TWENTY-FOUR THOUSAND.
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA HAD ONE ADDITIONAL DEATH WHICH WAS IN CALCASIEU PARISH. THE TOTAL HAS EDGED UP TO THREE HUNDRED ONE. THERE ARE TWENTY-EIGHT NEW CASES IN THE REGION, INCLUDING TWENTY-SEVEN IN CALCASIEU PARISH. THE TOTAL IS ELEVEN THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED FORTY-SEVEN.
