5:30 LRN Newscast

A school crossing guard in Livingston Parish is killed by a suspected drunk driver. 74-year-old Katy Wells was directing traffic on Highway 16 Thursday afternoon as Grays Creek Elementary School was being let out, when she was hit by a pickup truck. Sheriff Jason Ard says 64-year-old Darren Goudeau (GOO-doe) of Walker was arrested.

Cut 13 (10) “…unfortunately it does.”

If you go to the polls on the first day of early voting, you will not be voting for U.S. House. That’s because Governor Landry suspended that election in light of the Supreme Court ruling on the state’s congressional map. Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino says Landry’s quick action runs counter to historical precedent in the state.

Cut 5 (12) “…than 100 years.”

The latest poll in the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate is likely setting off alarm bells in the Bill Cassidy campaign. The poll by Emerson College and KLFY-TV shows Cassidy in third place with 21-percent support. John Fleming and Julia Letlow are neck-and-neck with 28 and 27-percent, respectively. ULM Political Science professor Pearson Cross says nearly half have an unfavorable view of Cassidy.

Cut 7 (08) “…going to grow?” 

In just one night, the Louisiana Millionaires Club added 11 new members. That’s because in Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing, a whopping 11 tickets were million-dollar winners. Chrislyn Maher (“mayor”) with the Louisiana Lottery:

Cut 9 (05)  “…just being luck.”

They were among 89 who matched the five white balls of 3, 19, 35, 51 and 67. Two others had 15 as their Powerball, and they split the jackpot.

4:30 LRN Newscast

Tragedy in Livingston Parish as a school crossing guard is killed by a suspected drunk driver. 74-year-old Katy Wells was directing traffic on Highway 16 Thursday afternoon as Grays Creek Elementary School was being let out, when she was hit by a pickup truck. Sheriff Jason Ard says Wells was a beloved member of the Livingston Parish community.

Cut 12 (10) “…in the community.”

Early voting starts Saturday in the closed party primaries – well, some of them. Governor Landry has issued an executive order suspending the U.S. House primaries following the Supreme Court decision that ruled the state’s congressional map an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino says that ruling forced Governor Landry’s hand.

Cut 3 (12) “…to take place.”

A poll of 500 likely Republican primary voters shows a very close race with early voting set to begin. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

With Mother’s Day a week from Sunday, the crawfish supply is expected to be tight given the cold snap moving through the state. As such, crawfish prices held steady this week. This weekend, you can expect to pay just under three dollars a pound for live crawfish and $5.35 a pound for boiled crawfish.

4:45 LRN Sportscast

Because of the rain a lot of teams are playing doubleheaders tomorrow, including the LSU baseball team, who will start its series against South Carolina at 1 PM tomorrow and then play game two at 6:30. LSU starting pitcher Casan Evans has been ruled out. It’s the second weekend in a row, he will not pitch after experiencing arm discomfort last weekend in Starkville.

The Ragin Cajuns also made the decision to play a doubleheader tomorrow. Game one of the double dip will start following Jonathan Lucroy’s jersey retirement ceremony, which is scheduled for 2 PM.

ULM will begin a doubleheader tomorrow at 1 PM against 12th ranked Southern Miss.

Southeastern Louisiana and Lamar are tied for first place in the Southland and the Lions and Cardinals will begin their series tomorrow at 1:05 PM. Nicholls and UNO will play a doubleheader beginning at 3 tomorrow. McNeese and Stephen F Austin will also play two starting at 3 tomorrow.

Grambling and Florida A-and-M were supposed to begin a series on Friday, but they will play a doubleheader on Saturday. The two games will be played at Louisiana Tech at one clock and the final game of the series will be played Sunday on Grambling’s campus.

 

Louisiana Tech is in Dallas for a three game series against Dallas Baptist. Both teams are tied for third place in Conference USA. Bulldogs Senior catcher Matt Houston has been on a hot streak over his last several games. Houston hit two home runs earlier this week against ULM, and Coach Lane Burroughs says that he has earned the opportunity to become an everyday player.

Cut 20 (11) “…every day now.”

Rain has also postponed softball tournaments…the LHSAA softball semifinals are tomorrow and championship games will be Saturday. In the Southland Tournament in Lake Charles…Northwestern State tries to avoid elimination when they take on Stephen F Austin at 11 AM and McNeese meets Nicholls in a winner’s bracket game.

3:30 LRN Newscast

A new poll on the Republican U.S. Senate primary shows State Treasurer John Fleming leading the field with 28-percent of the vote, followed by Julia Letlow at 27-percent and Bill Cassidy at 21-percent. Emerson College and KLFY-TV conducted the survey; and Pearson Cross, who teaches political science at ULM, says this is an extremely close race with 22-percent undecided.

Cut 6 (04) “…be shut out.”

Cross says the poll is bad news for Cassidy, because the two-term incumbent Senator is trailing his two challengers with early voting starting Saturday.

 

Governor Landry’s executive order that suspended the U-S House elections has prompted lawsuits in an effort to get the courts to rule that the Congressional primaries should go on as scheduled. Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino says the only requirement from federal law is that the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November is the only mandatory election day….

Cut 4 (07) “…congressional elections”

A beloved crossing guard in Livingston Parish is killed by a suspected drunk driver. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein

Pop star and Louisiana native Britney Spears has been charged with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. This charge stems back to her arrest in March when she was allegedly driving fast and erratically on U-S 101 near her home in California. Following that arrest, the 44-year-old from Kentwood checked herself into a treatment facility.

2:30 LRN Newscast

A poll of 500 likely Republican primary voters has John Fleming with a slight lead over Julia Letlow in the Senate Republican Primary. Bill Cassidy is a few percentage points back of Fleming and Letlow in the survey conducted by Emerson College and KLFY-TV in Lafayette. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says according to the poll, only 15-percent of the respondents have an unfavorable opinion of Fleming…

Cut 8 (10) “….feeling the effects”

Wednesday was a historic night for the Louisiana Lottery as eleven players in the state matched five numbers in the Powerball game and won either one or two million dollars. Louisiana Lottery spokesperson Chrislyn Maher…

Cut 10 (11) “…million dollar prize.

 

A House bill that would eliminate vehicle inspection stickers is nearing final passage. The bill’s author, Stonewall Representative Larry Bagley, says it’s inconvenient for drivers to have to get a vehicle inspection sticker every year or two.  But Davey Quinn of Hammond says passage of Bagley’s bill will result in more uninsured motorists, vehicles with tinted windows darker than they should be and vehicles not fit for the road.

Cut 28  (10) “…the people first.”

Despite Quinn’s strong objection the House approved bill heads to the Senate floor for approval.

Sad story out of Denham Springs as beloved school crossing guard, 74-year-old Katy Wells was killed while directing traffic by an alleged drunk driver. Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard…

Cut 14 (12) “,,,when we drive”

LRN PM Newscall May 1

A poll of 500 likely Republican primary voters shows a very close race with early voting set to begin Saturday. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

____________________________________________

A beloved crossing guard in Livingston Parish is killed by a suspected drunk driver. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

____________________________________________

With early voting starting tomorrow, we’re expecting a ruling today on a federal lawsuit challenging the suspension of Louisiana’s U.S. House elections following Wednesday’s Supreme Court decision ruling the state’s congressional map an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino says that ruling forced Governor Landry’s hand.

Cut 3 (12) “…to take place.”

The lawsuit states that the Supreme Court did not order the election to be postponed and that absentee ballots have already been cast. Ciolino points out that according to federal law, the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November is the only mandatory election day.

Cut 4 (07) “…for congressional elections.”

Ciolino says Landry’s quick action in postponing the U.S. House election runs counter to historical precedent in the state.

Cut 5 (12) “…than 100 years.”

____________________________________________

A new poll on the Republican U.S. Senate primary shows State Treasurer John Fleming leading the field with 28-percent of the vote, followed by Julia Letlow at 27-percent and Bill Cassidy at 21-percent. Emerson College and KLFY-TV conducted the survey; and Pearson Cross, who teaches political science at ULM, says this is an extremely close race with 22-percent undecided.

Cut 6 (04) “…be shut out.”

Cross says it’s bad news for Cassidy, because the two-term incumbent Senator is trailing his two challengers with early voting starting Saturday. He says in the survey of 500 likely Republican primary voters, nearly half of them have an unfavorable view of Cassidy.

Cut 7 (08) “…going to grow?”

Cross says only 15-percent of the respondents have an unfavorable view of Fleming, which is a big factor in why he leads this poll.

Cut 8 (09) “…feeling the effects.”

_____________________________________________________

In just one night, the Louisiana Millionaires Club added 11 new members. That’s because in Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing, a whopping 11 tickets were million-dollar winners. Chrislyn Maher (“mayor”) with the Louisiana Lottery says it’s an exciting occasion.

Cut 9 (05)  “…just being luck.”

Maher says the odds of winning the million-dollar prize is less than one in 11-million.

Cut 10 (11) “…million-dollar prize.”

Those five white balls are drawn from a drum containing 69 of them, hence the long odds. Mayer says of those 11 millionaires, five of them doubled their prize to two-million dollars with the Power Play.

Cut 11 (10) “…it was two.”

Those 11 lucky players were among 89 across the country, including 19 in Indiana, who matched the five white balls of 3, 19, 35, 51 and 67. Had any one of them picked 15 as their Powerball, they would have joined players in Indiana and Kansas in splitting the 143-million-dollar jackpot.

_______________________________________________________________

Tragedy in Livingston Parish as a school crossing guard is killed by a suspected drunk driver. 74-year-old Katy Wells was directing traffic on Highway 16 in Denham Springs Thursday afternoon as Grays Creek Elementary School was being let out for the day, when she was hit by a pickup truck. Wells was killed on impact. Sheriff Jason Ard says Wells was a beloved member of the Livingston Parish community.

Cut 12 (10) “…in the community.”

Sheriff Ard says 64-year-old Darren Goudeau (GOO-doe) of Walker was arrested and is charged with vehicular homicide and DWI.

Cut 13 (10) “…unfortunately it does.”

Ard says he hopes this incident will get people to re-evaluate their behavior on the roadways.

Cut 14 (12) “…when we drive.”

 

1:30 LRN Newscast

With the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Louisiana’s congressional map, legislative leaders say they will approve a new map before the session is required to end on June 1st. Four Republicans and two Democrats currently make up Louisiana’s U.S. House delegation. LaPolitics-dot-com Publisher Jeremy Alford says Wednesday’s historic Supreme Court ruling gives legislative leaders a chance to pass a map that would add to the number of Republicans in the U.S. House.

Cut 15 (06) “…five one map.”

Governor Landry has issued an executive order that has suspended the U-S House elections as a result of this week’s Supreme Court Decision. Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino says usually the does not respond that fast to a ruling from the nation’s highest court…

Cut 5 (12) “….than 100 years”

 

A new poll from Emerson College and KLFY-TV on the U-S Senate Republican primary shows John Fleming and Julia Letlow are statistically tied, while Bill Cassidy trails his challengers by a few percentage points. ULM political science professor Pearson Cross says in the survey of 500 likely Republican primary voters, nearly half of them have an unfavorable view of Cassidy…

Cut 7 (08) “..gonna grow.”

The Louisiana Lottery reports there are eleven new millionaires in the Bayou State as result of Wednesday’s Powerball drawing. Spokesperson Chrisyln Maher says six people won one million dollars with Powerball match-5 winning tickets and five people won two-million with Powerball match-5, plus the Power play…

cut 11 (10) “…it was two”

12:30 LRN Newscast

With early voting starting tomorrow, we’re expecting a ruling today on a federal lawsuit challenging the suspension of Louisiana’s U.S. House elections. Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino says the Supreme Court ruling on the state’s congressional districts forced Governor Landry’s hand.

Cut 3 (12) “…to take place.”

In just one night, the Louisiana Millionaires Club added 11 new members. That’s because in Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing, a whopping 11 tickets were million-dollar winners. Chrislyn Maher (“mayor”) with the Louisiana Lottery:

Cut 9 (05)  “…just being luck.”

They were among 89 who matched the five white balls of 3, 19, 35, 51 and 67. Two others had 15 as their Powerball, and they split the 143-million-dollar jackpot.

Inspection station owners are not happy the state legislature is poised to pass legislation to eliminate the need for vehicle owners to get an inspection sticker. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

With next Sunday being Mother’s Day, the crawfish supply is expected to be tight given the recent cold snap that moved through the state. As such, crawfish prices held steady this week. This weekend, you can expect to pay just under three dollars a pound for live crawfish and $5.35 a pound for boiled crawfish.

11:40 LRN sportscast

No LSU baseball game tonight because of the rain,  instead they will play a doubleheader tomorrow at 1 PM and 6:30 Saturday.  LSU will look to snap a nine-game SEC losing streak. LSU has had trouble winning close games and they blew leads in all three losses to Mississippi State last weekend. Coach Jay Johnson believes that could change soon…

Cut 18 (19) “….season so far”

South Carolina comes into the series 7-and-14 in the SEC and they’ve won two of their last three series. S-L-U, McNeese and Nicholls all won on the opening day of the Southland Tournament.

In softball…LSU blanked Auburn three to nothing, the Cajuns lost to South Alabama four to nothing, La Tech swept a doubleheader from UTEP.

 

Louisiana Tech is in Texas to take on Dallas Baptist in a pivotal three-game series. The Patriots rank first in Conference USA and fifth nationally in home runs with 91. Coach Lane Burroughs says DBU can play small ball too…

Cut 19 (14) “…an offensive standpoint.”

Tech and D-B-U are in a three-way tie for third place in Conference USA.

ULM is at 12th ranked Southern Miss. That series will begin Saturday as the two teams will play a doubleheader. The Ragin Cajuns host Georgia State. They will also play a doubleheader tomorrow start after the Jonathan Lucroy Jersey Retirement Ceremony which is at 2 PM.

Southeastern Louisiana is at Lamar in a battle for first place in the Southland. That’s another series that will start Saturday with a doubleheader.

Grambling wraps up its home schedule by hosting Florida A-and-M.

11:30 LRN Newscast

A new poll on the Republican US Senate primary shows State Treasurer John Fleming leading the field with 28-percent of the vote, followed by Julia Letlow at 27-percent and Bill Cassidy at 21-percent. Emerson College and KLFY-TV conducted the survey and Pearson Cross who teaches political science at ULM says this is an extremely close race with 22-percent undecided…

Cut 6 (04) “….shutout”

Cross says the poll is bad news for Cassidy, because the two-term incumbent Senator, is trailing his two challengers with early voting starting on Saturday.

 

With the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Louisiana’s congressional map, legislative leaders say they will approve a new map before the session is required to end on June 1st. LaPolitics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says a session that was coasting along could experience some turbulence over the next few weeks.

Cut 14 (10) “…a fast track.”

Alford says GOP lawmakers will look to add a Republican to Louisiana’s House delegation by passing a map that would give Republicans a chance to win five of the state’s six Congressional districts.

 

One of the more popular bills of the legislative session is close to final passage. Its Stonewall Representative Larry Bagley’s bill to eliminate the inspection sticker and replace it with a QR code that would cost drivers six dollars a year. Owners of inspection stations say they play a vital role in identifying uninsured drivers and safety hazards that a vehicle may have. But Bagley says the inspection is no longer needed…

Cut 7 (09) “…safety issue here”

The House approved bill is heading to the Senate floor for approval.

According to Gas Buddy, the average regular gas price in Louisiana is $3.83 a gallon. Chief Petroleum analyst for Gas Buddy, Patrick DeHaan says this latest surge in gas prices is connected to the rising cost of oil.

Cut 12 (10) “…prices going up.”