08:30 Newscast, January 9th, 2016

Folks are rushing to get their Powerball tickets ahead of tonight’s drawing worth an estimated $800 million dollars. UNO Mathematics chair, Dr. Tumulesh (Too-muh-lesh) Solanky (soe-LAWN-key), says the odds of one person winning the jackpot is about one in 292-million. He reminds players that certain numbers aren’t luckier than others…:
cut 13 (07) “the best”
Ticket sales are cut off at 9pm.

For the second day in a row, the US Army Corps of Engineers have issued a delay in the tentative opening of the Morganza Spillway in Pointe Coupee Parish — they now say it would not happen before Wednesday, January 13th. Spillways are released to alleviate flood threats due to rising water levels on the Mississippi River. New river forecasts suggest that triggers for opening the Morganza gates will be met Wednesday instead of Tuesday. The Bonnet Carre Spillway, which controls the river coming into New Orleans, will open at 10am tomorrow.

An LSU professor was arrested and booked on 98 charges including public payroll fraud, theft, forgery and malfeasance in office for allegedly faking travel vouchers in order to obtain funds. 45-year-old Todd Shupe of Baton Rouge is accused of collecting reimbursements by forging multiple students’ signatures in an amount totalling $16,478. Shupe worked at the Louisiana Forest Products Development Center at the LSU AgCenter. He posted $98,000 bond.

President Barack Obama will be visiting Baton Rouge Thursday for the first time as commander-in-chief. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says the recent election of Democrat John Bel Edwards in the governor’s race could have played a role in the president scheduling a visit to the capital city…:
CUT 7 (09) “in the state”
Edwards will be sworn in as governor at noon on Monday.

 

17:30 LRN Newscast January 8

President Barack Obama will speak in Baton Rouge on Thursday. Eric Gill has more…
cut 2 (29) “..I’m Eric Gill”

Powerball retailers are busy spitting out tickets in advance of Saturday night’s record 800-million dollar jackpot. If you are lucky enough to win, Metairie CPA Jennifer Bordes says there is no financial incentive if you take the lump sum or payments over several decades…:
cut 14 (08) “…an attorney”
The cash value of the jackpot is 496-million dollars.

We’re now up to five universities across Louisiana that have told students not to bring their hoverboards to campus. It’s because the electric skateboards have been known to burst into flames while charging. Southeastern Louisiana University spokesperson Rene Abadie….
cut 9 (10) “…the campus”
LSU, UL Lafayette, and Nicholls are other univerisities who have banned hoverboards.

Governor Bobby Jindal, along with Governor-elect John Bel Edwards participated in a Unified Command Group meeting to get an update on the imminent flooding of the Mississippi and the Atchafalaya Rivers. US Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Ricky Boyett says the Bonnet Carre spillway will open Sunday at 10am, and the Morganza possibly on Tuesday…
CUT 5 (07) “in this are”
Jindal stressed the need for residents in the Morganza Spillway to have a game plan in place.

16:30 LRN Newscast Jan 8

The rising Mississippi River has led to the US Army Corps of Engineers to open the Bonnet Carre Spillway in St. Charles Parish on Sunday 10 AM. Corps spokesperson Ricky Boyett says this will prevent major flooding in New Orleans…
cut 3 (10) “…in New Orleans”
Boyett says it looks like the Morganza Spillway will also have to be opened, but Tuesday is the earliest that will happen.

President Barack Obama will be in Louisiana on Thursday as he’s planning to speak in Baton Rouge two days after he delivers the State of the Union….
cut 6 (08) “….president’s policies”
That’s LSU political science professor Robert Hogan. A spokesperson for John Bel Edwards says the new governor is hoping to have a face-to-face meeting with the commander in chief.

Bobby Jindal’s two terms as governor ends on Monday as Governor-elect John Bel Edwards is sworn in. U-L-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says one of Jindal’s lasting legacies will be his education reforms…
cut 30 (05) “…evaluating”
But Cross says Jindal leaves office with low approval ratings, because of budget cuts to higher ed and a failed run for President that had him out of the state for much of 2015.

If you win the 800-million dollar Powerball tomorrow, you’ll probably leave the country for awhile for a nice vacation. But what’s your odds of winning this massive prize. UNO Mathematics chair Doctor Tumules (Too-muh-lesh) Solanky (soe-LAWN-key) says its 1 in 292 million. But your odds do improve, if you buy more tickets…
cut 12 (08) “…292 million”
The cash value of the jackpot is 496-million.

15:30 Newscast, January 8th, 2016

Today Governor Bobby Jindal held a Unified Command Group meeting with state leaders and response officials to get updates on the imminent flooding of the Mississippi and the Atchafalaya Rivers. Governor-elect John Bel Edwards, who takes office Monday, was also present. The US Army Corps of Engineers says the Bonnet Carre spillway will open Sunday at 10am, and the Morganza possibly on January 12th…:
CUT 5 (07) “in this are”
Jindal stressed the need for residents to have a game plan in place.

President Barack Obama is visiting Baton Rouge next week and is expected to highlight Louisiana’s new Edwards’ administration plan to expand Medicaid. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan believes President Obama will will use Louisiana as an example to get more states to jump on board…:
CUT 8 (09) “of his administration”
Mr. Obama will be in Baton Rouge on January 14th.

There’s more than $800 million dollars out there in tomorrow night’s Powerball drawing — the largest jackpot in US history. Jennifer Bordes, a CPA in Metairie, issues a word of advice for any winners…:
CUT 15 (10) “estate tax”

The popular hoverboards are banned on the campuses of LSU, UL-Lafayette, Nicholls and Southeastern. The self balancing, 2 wheeled motorized scooter has been blowing up in some cases while charging, and riders have been known to fall off hoverboards and break bones or get concussions. Southeastern Louisiana University spokesperson Rene Abadie says the rule may not be set in stone…:
Cut 11 (05) “certainly”

 

14:30 Newscast, January 8th, 2016

President Barack Obama will be visiting Baton Rouge next week for the first time as commander-in-chief. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says a visit to Louisiana is a bit of a surprise since we’ve not always been supportive of President Obama’s policies. says the recent election of Democrat John Bel Edwards in the governor’s race could have played a role in the president scheduling a visit to the capital city…:
CUT 7 (09) “in the state”
The president will visit the Capital City Thursday, January 14th.

The Army Corps of Engineers say they will be opening the Bonnet Carre spillway starting 10am Sunday to alleviate flood threats due to the rising Mississippi River. As far as the Morganza Spillway in Pointe Coupee Parish, Corps spokesperson Ricky Boyett says they are closely monitoring the river to see if it reaches the level required to open the flood gates…:
CUT 4 (07) “12th of January”

If you got a hoverboard for Christmas, you’ve probably already found out there’s a bit of a learning curve to figuring out how to ride it. So many injures have been reported from hoverboard incidents that four state universities have banned the devices from campus. Southeastern spokesman Rene Abadie says hoverboard batteries have been known to combust and start fires while charging, so they don’t want them in S-L-U housing units…:
cut 10 (10) “the rider”
Hoverboards are also prohibited at LSU, UL-Lafayette and Nicholls.

Tomorrow night’s already historic jackpot was raised this morning to $800 million dollars. UNO Mathematics chair, Dr. Tumulesh (Too-muh-lesh) Solanky (soe-LAWN-key), says there is no evidence that some numbers are luckier than others…:
CUT 13 (07) “the best”
The odds of one person winning the jackpot is about one in 292-million.

 

13:30 Newscast, January 8th, 2016

The Powerball jackpot is now the largest in US history at a whopping estimated 800 million dollars. UNO Mathematics chair, Dr. Tumulesh (Too-muh-lesh) Solanky (soe-LAWN-key), says the odds of one person winning the jackpot is about one in 292-million. He says obviously the more tickets you buy, the better your chances are…:
cut 12 (08) “292 million”
The cash value is 496 million for tomorrow night’s drawing, and Metairie CPA Jennifer Bored says if you happen to hit the big prize, there is no financial incentive if you take the lump sum or the annuity…:
CUT 14 (08) “an attorney”

There were reports that Mississippi State had offered its defensive coordinator position to LSU defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, but Fox Sports college football insider Bruce Feldman says that’s the not case and Orgeron really wants to stay at LSU.

The US Army Corps of Engineers announces plans to begin diverting river water from the Mississippi into Lake Pontchartrain. Jeff Palermo has the details…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

LSU legendary quarterback Bert Jones has been elected to the 2016 College Football Hall of Fame Class, the National Football Foundation announced today. The Ruston Rifle becomes the ninth former LSU player named to the College Football Hall of Fame. He finished fourth in the 1972 Heisman Trophy Race. Jones graduated from LSU in 1983 with a degree in Business Administration.

 

LRN PM newscall January 8

The US Army Corps of Engineers announces plans to begin diverting river water from the Mississippi into Lake Pontchartrain. Jeff Palermo has the details…

CUT 1 (30)  “I’m Jeff Palermo”

================

The White House announces that President Barack Obama will make his first trip to Baton Rouge as president on Thursday, January 14th. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 2 (29)  “I’m Eric Gill”

===================

Due of recent changes in river forecasts, the US Army Corps of Engineers has announced the timeline for opening the Bonnet Carre and Morganza Spillways has changed. The opening of the Bonnet Carre will now begin at 10AM Sunday. Corps spokesperson Ricky Boyett says the Bonnet Carre allows them to control the Mississippi River coming into New Orleans…

CUT 3 (10)  “in New Orleans”

Opening the spillways will alleviate flood threats due to rising water levels on the Mississippi River. As far as the Morganza Spillway in Pointe Coupee Parish, Boyett says they are closely monitoring river levels to see if they reach the level required to open the flood gates…

CUT 4 (07)  “12th of January”

He says no decision has been made at this time but there’s is a strong possibility of opening the Morganza on January 12th. Boyette says there is one driving force behind their decisions to open the spillways…

CUT 5 (07)  “in this area”

============================

The White House announces that President Barack Obama will make his first trip to Baton Rouge as president next week. The president will visit the Capital City Thursday, January 14th, two days after his State of the Union address. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says it’s not uncommon for the president to hit the road after the State of the Union…

CUT 6 (08) “president’s policies”

He says a visit to Louisiana is a bit of a surprise since the state has not always been supportive of President Obama’s policies. Hogan says the recent election of Democratic John Bel Edwards in the governor’s race could have played a role in the president scheduling a visit to Baton Rouge…

CUT 7 (09) “in the state” 

President Obama is expected focus on state gains in the past seven years, including a drop in the unemployment rate and new aid for Louisiana’s early childhood education programs. Governor-elect Edwards has stated that Medicaid expansion is one of the top priorities for his administration. Hogan believes President Obama will use Louisiana as an example to get more states to jump on board…

CUT 8 (09) “of his administration”

============================

Four Louisiana universities have banned the use of hoverboards on campus due to safety concerns. LSU, U-L Lafayette, Nicholls, and Southeastern have all decided these devices are a hazard because they have been found to burst into flames while charging and cause injuries to riders. Southeastern Louisiana University spokesperson Rene Abadie…

CUT 9 (10)  “the campus”

Abadie says hoverboard batteries have been known to combust and start fires while charging, so they don’t want them in S-L-U housing units because of the fire hazard.

cut 10 (10)  “the rider”

Abadie says riders have also been known to fall off hoverboards and break bones or get concussions, which is an additional safety concern. He says these policies are put in place with the general interest of the safety of their students.

Cut 11 (05) “certainly”

============================

The Powerball jackpot is now the largest in US history estimating at a whopping 800 million dollars. UNO Mathematics chair, Dr. Tumulesh (Too-muh-lesh) Solanky (soe-LAWN-key), says the odds of one person winning the jackpot is about one in 292-million. He says the more tickets you buy, the better your chances are.

cut 12 (08) “292 million”

The cash value of the jackpot is 496 million dollars. Dr. Solanky says when people pool their money to buy a lot of tickets, the odds of winning keep getting better. He says the jackpot numbers are completely random, so certain numbers aren’t luckier than others.

cut 13 (07)  “the best”

Jennifer Bordes, a CPA in Metairie, advises if you win the 800 million dollar Powerball jackpot, there is no financial incentive if you take the lump sum or the annuity.

cut 14 (08)  “an attorney”

Bordes says if you go in as a group to purchase a bunch of tickets, have an agreement in writing to ensure everyone knows their role and how much was contributed. She reminds the winner that they’ll be hit with huge new taxes.

cut 15 (10)  “estate tax”

============================

12:30 Newscast, January 8th, 2016

The White House announces that President Barack Obama will make his first trip to Baton Rouge as president on Thursday, January 14th. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 2 (29) “I’m Eric Gill”

Four Louisiana universities have now banned the use of hoverboards on campus. LSU, U-L Lafayette, Nicholls, and Southeastern have all decided these devices are a hazard because they have been found to burst into flames while charging and unfamiliar riders tumble to the ground. SLU spokes woman Rene Abadie…:
CUT 9 (10) “campus”

The timeline for the opening of the Bonnet Carre and Morganza Spillways has changed due to recent changes in river forecasts. The US Army Corps of Engineers says they’ll open the Bonnet Carre beginning at 10am Sunday. Corps spokesperson Ricky Boyett says the Bonnet Carre allows them to control the Mississippi River coming into New Orleans…:
CUT 3 (10) “in New Orleans”
He says no decision has been made at this time but there’s is a strong possibility of opening the Morganza on January 12th.

The already record Powerball jackpot got another boost this morning as lottery officials raise the prize to a record $800 million dollars. The cash value is now $496 million.

 

11:40 LRN Sportscast January 8

There were reports that Mississippi State had offered its defensive coordinator position to LSU defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, but Fox Sports college football insider Bruce Feldman says that’s the not case and Orgeron really wants to stay at LSU. Orgeron has received a lot of praise for how he helped improve the Tigers defensive line this past season.

We were expecting to hear from the NCAA today about possible sanctions against UL Lafayette because of alleged recruiting violations that involved former assistant coach David Saunders. But the NCAA says they’ve postponed the release of their findings and they did not disclose when they may provide that information.

Former LSU Quarterback Bert Jones received the call he was waiting on. As he learned this morning that he’s been elected into the College Football Hall of Fame. The Ruston Rifle finished fourth in the 1972 Heisman Trophy Race.

The LSU men’s basketball team leaves for Gainesville today where they’ll play the Florida Gators tomorrow afternoon. The Tigers beat Florida twice last year, including an 18-point victory in Gainesville. Coach Johnny Jones says it’s not easy to win on the Gators home court…
cut 17 (20) “…extremely talented”

Louisiana Tech’s 39-game home winning streak is over. Old Dominion upset the Bulldogs 56-53 in the Thomas Assembly Center last night. Tech shot just 34-percent from the field.

UL Lafayette shot 32-percent from the field in a 77-57 defeat to Arkansas Little Rock. And ULM dropped its first Sun Belt game of the season as the Warhawks lost to Arkansas State 68-65 in overtime.

11:30 Newscast, January 8th, 2016

The White House announces that President Barack Obama will make his first trip to Baton Rouge as president next week. The president will visit the Capital City Thursday, January 14th, two days after his State of the Union address. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says it’s not uncommon for the president to hit the road after the State of the Union…:
CUT 6 (08) “president’s policies”
Hogan says this may be a move by the president to pat Democrats in the state on the back for working to elect John Bel Edwards as governor.

The US Army Corps of Engineers says they will open the Bonnet Carre spillway beginning 10am on Sunday, a day after originally planned due to a change in river forecasts. The Morganza Spillway is expected to open no sooner than Tuesday. The structures are being opened to alleviate flood threats due to rising water levels on the Mississippi River.

The Louisiana Lottery says the jackpot for tomorrow night’s drawing is now $800 million dollars, the largest in US history and a cash value of $496 million. As of close of business Thursday, Powerball sales in Louisiana totaled more than $22 million for this jackpot run and are expected to climb ahead of the drawing.

Bobby Jindal will end his two terms as governor when John Bel Edwards is sworn into office on Monday. Jeff Palermo has more on Jindal’s eight years in office…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”