April 2020

Report: Half of parish has responded to census

Nearly half of the parish has responded to the U.S. Census, according to the latest figures.

As of April 25, the parish showed a response rate of 48.3 percent, in line with a statewide response rate of 48.1 percent.

“Nationally, we reached the 50 percent milestone over the weekend, so half of the households in our nation have responded — that’s nearly 74 million responses,” said U.S. Census Bureau Partnership Specialist Kelly Courville. “As a state, Louisiana is lagging a little, so it’s still important that we keep the message out there.”

5 tips for teaching children financial literacy

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(StatePoint) If you have school-age children, you are probably one of the many parents facing the challenge of educating your kids at home. While there are countless learning options available— from virtual music classes to videos about zoo animals—financial literacy is one important subject that should not be overlooked.

Keeping personal information safe during a pandemic

(StatePoint) Americans are spending more time at home, which means they’re likely spending more time online. While their attention is focused on staying healthy, they shouldn’t forget to stay vigilant about cybersecurity either.

How to use protective masks, gloves the right way

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Personal protective equipment is well-known and utilized often within the health care community and various other industries. It only is in recent months that personal protective equipment, or PPE, became something the general population learned more about as the COVID-19 outbreak took hold in the western hemisphere.

Texas, Ohio among many states to take steps toward reopening

(AP) - Restaurants opened up to dine-in patrons in at least three states Monday and the governor of Texas allowed movie theaters, malls and eateries to start letting customers trickle into their establishments later this week.

Across the country, an everchanging patchwork of loosening stay-home orders and business restrictions took shape Monday.

Health officials ready new guidelines as restrictions ease

WASHINGTON (AP) — Businesses should close break rooms. Restaurants should consider disposable menus and plates. Schools should have students eat lunch in their classrooms.

These are some of the recommendations offered in new federal plans designed to help restaurants, schools, churches and businesses safely reopen as states look to gradually lift their coronavirus restrictions.

Man charged in drive-by shooting at ‘Duck Dynasty’ estate

WEST MONROE (AP) — A man was arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting at the Louisiana estate of “Duck Dynasty” star Willie Robertson.

Daniel King Jr. was booked into a correctional center after two homes in West Monroe were struck by gunfire on Friday afternoon, the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Saturday. No one was injured in the shooting, authorities said.

Small business loan program restarts, runs into snags

NEW YORK (AP) — The second round of loan applications for the government’s small business relief program has been slowed by computer issues at the Small Business Administration.

Lenders complained Monday that they couldn’t get their applications into the SBA system known as ETran that processes and approves loans. The agency said it notified lenders Sunday that it was limiting the number of applications any lender could submit at once.

COVID-19 UPDATE

As of press time Friday, 57 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed within Jeff Davis Parish with five deaths. According to the Louisiana Department of Health, 767 parish residents have been tested for the virus.

Banning elective procedures but protecting abortion

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Governor Tom Wolf closed the schools in Pennsylvania for the rest of the academic year. That’s his prerogative, I suppose, and I know there are legions who support his decision. There are certainly those who think he has taken the right steps in keeping our children, teachers, administrative personnel and technical staff safe from the Corona virus.