2:30 LRN Newscast

Attorney General Liz Murrill’s threats to New Orleans officials is now the subject of an investigation by an Orleans Parish grand jury. During a news conference this morning, Murrill said she knew nothing beyond what had been reported by the media.

Cut 12 (09) “…I said, ‘No.’” 

Murrill had threatened to remove Mayor Helena Moreno and others from their offices over a special election for a newly-merged clerk of criminal and civil courts.

Starting tomorrow, the red snapper bag limit will be increased to five fish per person for the Fourth of July weekend. LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth says he hopes it will encourage families to get out on the water and enjoy America’s 250th birthday.

Cut 6 (12) “…that we have.”

The Secretary of State’s voter registration report for July shows that for the first time in Louisiana’s modern history there are more registered Republican voters than Democratic voters. Joe Gallinaro has the story.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

The fourth and final Central Louisiana law enforcement officer charged in connection with an immigration fraud case pleads guilty. Former Forest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. It was part of a years-long scheme in which the officers prepared bogus violent crime reports for immigrants to help them obtain U-visas.

1:30 LRN Newscast

A report on registered voters in the state shows that for the first time in modern history, there are more registered Republican voters than Democratic voters. Registered Republican voters out number Democratic voters by 23-hundred and John Couvillon of JMC Analytics and Polling says it is becoming harder for a Democrat to win a statewide office…

Cut 11 (11) “…conservative voters”

To help celebrate the Fourth of July and America’s 250th Birthday, the red snapper bag limit has been increased to five fish per angler starting tomorrow and running through Sunday. The usual bag limit for red snapper is four, and LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth says the red snapper population can support extra harvesting.

Cut 7 (12) “..bag numbers.”

 

Former Southern baseball coach Roger Cador has passed away at the age of 74.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

State Representative Gabe Firment has announced he will run for Congress as he will look to replace Julia Letlow as Louisiana’s representative in the 5th Congressional District. State Representative Michael Echols is also running and so is Misti Cordell of Monroe, who is the chair of the Louisiana Board of Regents. All three of them are Republicans and GOP state senator Stewart Cathey is also expected to join the race. The open primary is in November.

12:30 LRN Newscast

For the first time in the state’s modern history, there are more registered Republican voters than Democratic voters. That’s based on a report the Secretary of State’s office puts out at the beginning of every month. John Couvillon of JMC Analytics and Polling says Democrats were once the dominant party in Louisiana, but over time, they’ve been steadily losing party registrants…

Cut 9 (08) “…to fall”

Each party has just over one-million registered voters, with registered Republican voters outnumbering registered Democratic voters by 23-hundred.

It’s been nearly two weeks since a historic rain event in Avoyelles Parish flooded 14-thousand homes. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says storm victims should report any damage they sustained by visiting the website damage-dot-la-dot-gov…

Cut 19 (13) “…local dollars”

President Trump says Louisiana has approved to receive eight-point-six million dollars in federal disaster relief, but who is eligible for this money and how it will be distributed is unknown at this time.

 

Southern University is mourning the death of its most successful coach in the history of  Jaguars athletics. Roger Cador has died at the age of 74 after a bout with brain cancer. In his 33 seasons as head coach, Cador won 14 SWAC Championships and coached 10 All-Americans and 62 MLB draft picks. Chair of the Southern Board of Supervisors Tony Clayton says Southern will open the mini-dome on Monday to honor him…

Cut 5 (11) “…our children”

Starting tomorrow, the red snapper bag limit will be increased to five fish per person for the Fourth of July weekend. LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth hopes fishing is on your agenda this holiday weekend….

Cut 8 (12) “…out there”

11:30 LRN Newscast

Legendary former Southern University Baseball coach Roger Cador passed away of brain cancer at the age of 74 yesterday. Cador led the Jaguars baseball team for 33 years after taking over in 1984. Chair of the Southern Board of Supervisors Tony Clayton says he was an ambassador for the school and the first line of defense between kids and the real world.

Cut 3 (09) “…young men.”

A year after its invitation, Louisiana Tech officially joined the Sun Belt. The Bulldogs join in-state rivals ULM and UL-Lafayette in the conference. Both schools advocated for Tech to join the conference due to decreased travel costs and the renewal of historic rivalries. Louisiana Tech Athletic Director Ryan Ivey says they’re already seeing the impacts.

Cut 11 (12) “…of the schedule.”

A West Monroe man who spent 27 years on death row for the convicted murder of his ex-girlfriend’s toddler in 1993 has been released. Jimmie Duncan’s conviction was reversed by the Louisiana Supreme Court, and now prosecutors must decide to retry or dismiss the case. Duncan’s attorney Ann Ferebee says prosecutors are now on the clock.

Cut 14 (10) “…they tell us.”

Justices upheld a lower court’s decision to toss out Duncan’s 1998 conviction citing flawed forensic practices used to convict him.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office has released body cam footage that shows Reverend Tony Spell calling his neighbor’s son a slur, days after the pastor was arrested in the beating of the 20 year old man. Two days following that widely publicized incident deputies say they were called out on a noise complaint by the neighbor because Spell was mowing his lawn at 4am. That’s when words were exchanged and caught on tape.

10:30 LRN Newscast

Louisiana Tech is officially a member of the Sun Belt Conference…

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

Also on this day, UNO officially becomes LSU New Orleans as the school moves from the U-L System to the LSU System. UNO interim chancellor Jeanette Weiland says she’s ready to get the word out about LSU New Orleans as part of an effort to boost enrollment…

Cut 6 (10) “…learning as well”

 

A West Monroe man who spent 27 years on death row for the death of his ex-girlfriend’s 23-month old daughter is a free man after the Louisiana Supreme Court agreed with a lower court decision that prosecutors used flawed evidence to convict Jimmie Duncan in 1998. When Duncan was convicted, prosecutors convinced a jury that Duncan sexually assaulted Haley Oliveaux before she died in a bath tub. But newer evidence suggests Haley likely died from a seizure while in the tub.

The Ouachita District Attorney’s Office could try to prosecute Haley Duncan, but one of his attorneys, Ann Ferebee, says it will be up to the prosecution to decide how to proceed…

Cut 15 (10) “…other facts”

Ferebee says if prosecutors seek to try him for negligent homicide, they’d be wasting their time, since Duncan has already served three times the maximum prison sentence for that charge.

9:30 LRN Newscast

A West Monroe man who spent 27 years on Angola’s Death Row is officially a free man after a ruling by the Louisiana Supreme Court this week. The state’s highest court agreed with a lower court’s decision that the forensic evidence used to convict Jimmie Chris Duncan of sexually assaulting and killing his former girlfriend’s toddler was flawed.

Duncan was convicted in 1998, and he’s now 57-years-old. One of his attorneys, Ann Ferebee, says the Ouachita Parish District Attorney’s office could prosecute him again…

Cut 13 (11) “…those would be”

Based on the evidence that has been presented in the case after his conviction, it’s believed the girl that Duncan was accused of killing died from a seizure while taking a bath.

A Louisiana Sports legend has passed away. Former Southern baseball coach Roger Cador has died at the age of 74 after a bout with brain cancer.  He led the Jags to 14 SWAC titles.

 

Most of the people who sustained damage from Tropical Storm Arthur had flood damage. But Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says there were some who suffered property damage from tornadoes and high winds. Temple says these storm victims will have to pay a named storm deductible, and in these cases, he encourages storm victims to file a claim, even if the damage is less than your deductible…

Cut 9 (08) “….every 12 months”

It was a year ago that Louisiana Tech accepted an invite to the Sun Belt Conference and today the Bulldogs officially join the league.  Louisiana Tech agreed to an over eight-million-dollar exit fee with Conference USA. Athletics Director Ryan Ivey says it’s a short-term financial hit.

Cut 12 (11) “…here early on.”

The school will save millions in travel costs by playing more regional opponents.

08:30 LRN Newscast

UNO is now LSU New Orleans as the school rejoins the LSU system today. Before Katrina, UNO had had an enrollment of 17-thousand, and now is at about 6,000. Interim chancellor Jeanette Weiland says the campus has a lot to offer:
Cut 5 (11) “have everything here”
LSU New Orleans will still be the Privateers with a fresh new purple and gold logo.

Now that the Louisiana Supreme Court has upheld the reversal of former death row inmate Jimmie Duncan’s murder conviction, prosecutors must decide whether to retry or dismiss. The West Monroe man spent 27 years on death row in the 1993 death of his ex-girlfriend’s toddler. His attorney Ann Ferebee says prosecutors are now on the clock..:
Cut 14 (10) “they tell us”
Justices upheld a lower court’s decision to toss out Duncan’s 1998 conviction citing flawed forensics practices used to convict him.

A grand jury is reportedly reviewing a criminal complaint against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill. Sources say the complaint stems from a dispute over the Orleans Parish Clerk of Court’s office after Murrill warned local officials they could lose their positions under the state’s usurper laws.

Louisiana Tech is officially a Sun Belt Conference member. Kace Kieschnick has more…:
Cut 2 (35) “I’m Kace Kieschnick”

07:30 LRN Newscast

President Donald Trump has approved 8.6 million dollars for the state in response to a disaster declaration request from Governor Jeff Landry following Tropical Storm Arthur impacts. State Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says many with damage don’t have flood insurance and should start by documenting damage online at disaster.la.gov…:
Cut 8 (14) “or local dollars”
That’s disaster.la.gov.

The University of New Orleans is no more. The school rejoins the LSU system today and is now LSU New Orleans. Interim chancellor Jeanette Weiland says the LSU brand will help boost enrollment as their affordable tuition rates attract more students…:
Cut 4 (08) “on that lane”
The school will remain The Privateers, but instead of blue and silver, the new logo is purple and gold.

Now that the State Supreme Court has upheld the decision to overturn a West Monroe man’s first-degree murder conviction in the death of his girlfriend’s daughter, what’s next in the case?
Cut 3 (35) “I’m Andrew Greenstein”

Louisiana Tech officially joins the Sun Belt Conference today. Tech Athletic Director Ryan Ivey expects to compete for conference championships right away and welcomes the pressure of a new conference…:
Cut 10 (09) “compete moving forward”

06:30 LRN Newscast

The White House has approved 8.6 million dollars for Louisiana in disaster relief following the impact of Tropical Storm Arthur. Governor Landry had requested the assistance for Pointe Coupee, St. Tammany, Avoyelles, Terrebonne, St. Landry, and Lafourche Parishes.

Meanwhile the Louisiana Department of Insurance are in Avoyelles helping residents impacted by flooding from the historic rainfall the tropical system brought with it. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says most of the residents did not have flood insurance…:
Cut 7 (10) “14-thousand homes”
He continues to encourage residents to document all damage and submit it through the special website: disaster.la.gov.

A Louisiana sports legend has passed away. Former Southern player and baseball coach Roger Cador has died at the age of 74 after a bout with brain cancer.

The University of New Orleans is now LSU New Orleans, as the school officially moves to the LSU system today. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
Cut 1 (32) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office has released body cam footage that shows Reverend Tony Spell calling his neighbor’s son a slur, days after the pastor was arrested in the beating of the 20 year old man. Two days following that widely publicized incident deputies say they were called out on a noise complaint by the neighbor because Spell was mowing his lawn at 4am. That’s when words were exchanged and caught on tape.

5:30 LRN Newscast

Just over 512-thousand people showed up to vote in the U.S. Senate runoff elections. Political consultant and pollster Greg Rigamer says historically, Louisiana will have at least one-million people vote in the mid-term elections, and it will be interesting to see if the state can achieve that number in November with all of the bickering between the two national parties.

Cut 7 (12) “..locally.”

A former LSU running back is arrested for allegedly causing a crash that killed a 94-year-old man and his 69-year-old daughter-in-law. Investigators say 39-year-old Richard Murphy was driving 58 miles an hour in a 30 mile-an-hour zone when he ran a red light back on June 14th and caused the wreck. Corporal Sondra Watts says Murphy is facing several charges, including driving with a suspended license.

Cut 14 (08) “…degree vehicular injuring.”

Louisiana Tech officially joins the Sun Belt tomorrow, and Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker says the city is just as excited as the Bulldogs. Kace Kieschnick has more.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

Check your mailboxes in the next few days, because you might have money coming to you. The state treasurer’s office says it has mailed out an additional 1.7-million dollars in unclaimed money. The office used a data match to update addresses to find people who that money belongs to.