GET DAILY REPORT FREE
Baton Rouge riverboat cruises holding steady despite COVID-19 surge
The number of passengers on riverboat cruises that stop in Baton Rouge seems to be holding steady, even as the delta variant of the virus has driven COVID-19 numbers up in the state and city.
Absent shot mandate, LSU students urged to get vaccine and wear masks
LSU students will have to wear masks in classrooms and at campus events this fall to help fight the spread of COVID-19, but won't...
Survey: US small businesses nearing pre-pandemic levels prior to fourth surge
American small businesses were nearing pre-pandemic levels of sales and profits despite difficulty hiring new workers prior to the latest surge in COVID-19 cases.
That’s...
LSU faculty petition seeks return to online, hybrid classes for fall
A group of LSU faculty members, outraged over the university’s refusal to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations, is petitioning LSU President William Tate to reinstitute online and hybrid instruction for the upcoming fall semester.
SBA giving break to borrowers appealing PPP decisions
The Small Business Administration is changing its policy that forces Paycheck Protection Program borrowers in the process of appealing forgiveness decisions to begin paying...
As more employers mandate vaccines, legal questions arise
With the massive FMOL health system, parent to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, its affiliate, FranU, and Baton...
Louisiana reaches record high for COVID hospitalizations
Louisiana's COVID-19 hospitalizations surged to record levels today, with 2,112 largely unvaccinated people in hospital beds struggling and hospital leaders describing facilities overrun with...
News alert: FMOL system mandates vaccines for all employees
The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, which owns Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge and four other hospitals around the state, announced this morning it will mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for all team members, employed providers, residents, students in clinical rotations, contract staff, and volunteers.
SBA makes it rain for strippers, not ballerinas
How did a strip club qualify for a federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant when the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre didn’t?
The ballet company’s leadership is...
Edwards reinstates indoor mask mandate amid COVID surge
Gov. John Bel Edwards today reinstated a statewide mask mandate for indoor locations, including schools and colleges, as the state struggles with a fast-growing...
Baton Rouge General running COVID nasal spray clinical trial
Researchers at Baton Rouge General are studying whether a new at-home nasal spray can prevent COVID-19.
The clinical trial is launching at the same time...
Big businesses altering plans in the face of delta variant
Big businesses are rethinking their plans with the delta variant of the coronavirus spreading across the country and hospitalizations rising again. Some are delaying...
Edwards stops short of mask mandate, warns that’s next amid COVID spike
Gov. John Bel Edwards today announced he is “seriously considering” implementing another mask mandate in Louisiana, as COVID-19 cases soar, with hospitalizations and deaths reaching heights last seen in March 2020. Edwards urged all residents, whether vaccinated or not, to wear masks when indoors in public places and maintain social distancing.
CDC: ‘War has changed’ as a result of delta variant
New evidence showing the delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox and may be more dangerous than other versions has prompted U.S. health officials...
Vaccine mandate still not likely at LSU
It doesn’t appear LSU students will face a vaccine mandate when they return to classes this fall, even as the delta variant is causing a fourth COVID-19 spike in the state.
Baton Rouge restaurant workers going back to masks
The masks are back on at some Baton Rouge restaurants as the delta variant of the virus has caused a fourth spike in cases.
Most...
State cutting off federal unemployment aid beginning Saturday
Louisiana is stopping federal pandemic unemployment aid for its residents Saturday, ending the benefits for about 200,000 people and cutting the payments to thousands...
What limiting elective surgeries means for Our Lady of the Lake
Our Lady of the Lake is postponing some elective surgeries for the next three weeks in order to slow its surgery schedule and keep as many beds free for the growing number of COVID-19 patients entering the hospital.
Wasted COVID vaccine doses spike in Louisiana amid hesitancy
As coronavirus vaccine interest plummeted in Louisiana, the state saw a spike in the number of wasted shots, with more than 79,000 vaccine doses...
SBA’s online PPP forgiveness portal opens Aug. 4
The Small Business Administration’s previously announced online Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness portal will open on Aug. 4. The new platform aims to make...
