PINEVILLE, Louisiana, March 25 -- Cleco, a regulated electricity utility company, issued the following news release: Cleco reminds customers to be on alert for fraudulent phone calls, text messages and emails, as well as in-person scammers posing as Cleco representatives who are looking to take advantage of customers amid fears around COVID-19, the coronavirus. "While we haven't received any reports of customers being contacted by scammers, we do know that scammers use opportunities like the c  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, March 27 -- Entergy issued the following news release: With so many customers telecommuting and people depending on grocery stores, hospitals and other vital services, it is more important than ever for Entergy to keep the power and gas flowing to the people who are depending on us to provide reliable, affordable energy. To do this safely, Entergy urges the public to stay away from utility employees and contractors working in the field. Social distancing of six feet is   more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, March 26 -- Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-Louisiana, issued the following news: Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that his request for a statewide Major Disaster Declaration in response to the spread of COVID-19 in Louisiana was approved by President Donald Trump last night. The declaration allows the federal government to provide additional support for state and local agencies in dealing with this growing public health emergency. "I want to thank President Trump for his qui  more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, March 23 -- Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-Louisiana, issued the following news: Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a statewide Stay at Home order that goes into effect at 5 p.m. Monday, March 23, to further fight the spread of COVID-19 in Louisiana, as the number of confirmed cases have topped 800 and spread to more than half of our parishes. * Click here (https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/Proclamations/2020/JBE-33-2020.pdf) to read the Governor's statewide Stay at Home order. * C  more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, March 26 -- Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-Louisiana, issued the following news: Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the interim appointment of Edward Dustin Bickham as Deputy Secretary over the Office of Juvenile Justice. Bickham replaces Dr. James Bueche, who resigned from the Office of Juvenile Justice. "I appreciate Dusty Bickham stepping up to lead the Office of Juvenile Justice during this important time for the agency and our state," Gov. Edwards said. Deputy Secretary Bi  more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, March 25 -- Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-Louisiana, issued the following news: Gov. John Bel Edwards reminded the people of Louisiana that a statewide Stay at Home order will go into effect at 5 p.m. tonight Monday, March 23, to further fight the spread of COVID-19 in Louisiana. The number of cases in Louisiana is now 1,172, resulted in 34 deaths, and spread to 41 of our 64 parishes. Gov. Edwards announced these additional mitigation measures at a press conference yesterday.  more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, March 25 -- Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-Louisiana, issued the following news: Gov. John Bel Edwards is requesting a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Louisiana as the number of cases of COVID-19 grows and the state's efforts to combat the spread of illness intensifies. The declaration would allow the federal government to provide additional support for state and local agencies in dealing with this growing public health threat. "It is still impossible to know e  more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, March 27 -- Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-Louisiana, issued the following news: Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday signed a proclamation outlining additional measures for COVID-19 response in Louisiana, including provisions related to first responders, law enforcement and granting emergency authority to the insurance commissioner, among other things. Click here to read the proclamation (https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/Proclamations/2020/37-JBE-2020-Provision-for-First-Respo  more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, March 23 -- Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-Louisiana, issued the following news: Gov. John Bel Edwards sent a letter and video message to healthcare workers across the state thanking them for their tireless and dedicated work in helping Louisianans through the COVID-19 crisis. In addition, Gov. Edwards released a new PSA intensifying his message about the need for everyone to do their part in slowing the spread of coronavirus and heeding all of the precautions to stay safe and  more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, March 27 -- Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry issued the following news release: Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has joined with 32 of his fellow state attorneys general in urging Amazon, Facebook, Ebay, Walmart, and Craigslist to more rigorously monitor price gouging practices by online sellers using their services. "We want the business community and American consumers to know that we endeavor to balance the twin imperatives of commerce and consumer protec  more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, March 26 [TNSgrants] -- Louisiana State University issued the following news release: Now that half the world is confined to using the Internet for work, ordering food, and staying abreast of the latest news, long loading times can mean an even greater sense of frustration for consumers stressed by the coronavirus. That same frustration applies to companies on the other side of the supply chain whose sales are affected by latency. LSU Computer Science and Engineering As  more

AUSTIN, Texas, March 27 -- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference at the State Capitol where he issued an Executive Order mandating a self-quarantine of 14 days for individuals traveling to Texas as their final destination through an airport from the Tri-State Area of New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut as well as the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. This Executive Order is consistent with the guidance of Dr. Anthony Fauci and   more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, March 24 -- Tulane University issued the following news release: As the potential severity of coronavirus (COVID-19) became clear, Tulane University sought out ways to keep the Tulane community healthy. Among them was suspending all on-campus classes and reducing the concentration of students on the uptown campus for the remainder of the semester. Recognizing that such a move could raise challenges for students who demonstrate financial need and other vulnerable groups o  more