16:45 LRN Sportscast May 20th

Based on released court records from a deposition, Saints and Pelicans Owner Tom Benson says his daughter and grandchildren “tried to kill him” during a confrontation at the Mercedes Benz Superdome. The deposition took place at the end of March and Benson gave that answer when he was asked why he was looking to remove control of his sports franchises from Renee Benson and Rita Benson LeBlanc.

An evidence hearing in the criminal case against the man suspected of killing retired Saints defensive end Will Smith has been pushed back to June 1st. Attorneys met in court today and said they are still waiting for the final work to be done on the autopsy report. Cardell Hayes is facing a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of Smith.

It’s a big recruiting weekend for LSU as they host the Bayou Picnic. Quarterback Myles Brennan from Mississippi who has committed to LSU will be on campus. So will one of the state’s top wide receiver prospects, Amite’s Devonta Smith.

After bad weather halted the start of the big SEC series between LSU and Florida, the two teams will try again tonight at Alex Box Stadium. Last night’s game was suspended in the third inning. There was no score and it will resume tomorrow morning at 11 AM. Tonight’s game is the regularly scheduled game two and Jared Poche will be on the hill for the Tigers.

ULM and UL Lafayette will complete their game from last night that was cut short in the 5th inning because of strong thunderstorms. The Warhawks led 1-0 when the contest was halted. They’ll also play the regularly scheduled game two contest.

Elsewhere…Louisiana Tech will look to repeat its impressive performance from last night when they defeated 16th ranked Rice 12-2. Game two is at 6 PM in Ruston.

In the Southland…Southeastern Louisiana looks to remain in first place as they visit Central Arkansas. Northwestern and Nicholls can clinch series victories in their respective series.

In the SWAC Tournament…Southern outscored Alcorn 11-10 today and the Jaguars will play Alabama State at 6 PM.

15:30 Newscast May 20,2016

A new rule from the White House will go into effect on December 1 and would force employers to pay workers overtime if they work more than 40 hours a week and make less than about $47-thousand a year. LSU Economist Stephen Barnes says employees will be affected in a many ways depending on their pay scale and work load.
CUT 4 (12) “work done”

The governor has signed two pro-life bills into law, one measure requires doctors performing abortions to be board certified and the second increases the wait time for a woman to receive an abortion from 24 to 72 hours. Louisiana Right to Life Legislative Director Deanna Wallace says this is a victory for women in the state and is thankful Governor John Bel Edwards signed these two bills into law.
Cut 13 (06) “against women”

 

Governor John Bel Edwards’ daughter Samantha is getting married tomorrow to Jonathan Ricau. The wedding ceremony will be held in Amite at St. Helena Catholic Church and the reception is later at the Governor’s Mansion. Edwards says everything is going as planned and Samantha is very excited.
CUT 9 (07) “the aisle”

Samantha is the oldest daughter of the governor and First Lady Donna.

Police say someone wrecked a stolen 18-wheeler in Caddo parish early this morning. Caddo Parish Sheriff Spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says a call came in around 6 am from someone saying an 18-wheeler had flipped over on I-49 North at Louisiana Highway Two.
CUT 6 (06) “its side”

Chadwick says the big rig was stolen from a truck stop in Texarkana, Arkansas, just before the crash, and the theft is under investigation.

14:30 LRN Newscast May 20th

This week the White House announced a new overtime rule regarding pay for salary employees. The Obama administration says starting December 1st individuals who work more than 40 hours a week must make at least 47-thousand dollars a year. LSU economist Stephen Barnes says employees should like this new rule…
cut 5 (09) “….about that”
The organization that represents small businesses says this will result in entry-level management positions disappearing and those employees falling back into hourly jobs.

According to gas-buddy-dot-com, the statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is up to a $2.05 that’s a six-cent increase over the last week. But Gasbuddy’s Greg Laskoski says prices in Louisiana are still down almost 40-cents from this time last year…
cut 15 (08) “…this summer’
Governor John Bel Edwards has signed into law two pro-life meaures, one of them would require a woman to wait 72 hours instead of 24 hours before they can get an abortion after visiting a clinic and the second new law says all doctors that perform abortions in Louisiana are board certified…
cut 12 (08) “…that way”
That’s Louisiana Right to Life Legislative Director Deanna Wallace.

A reason why John Bel Edwards is a pro-life governor is his daughter Samantha. Mr. Edwards and his wife Donna were told Samantha would be born with spina bifda, but they decided against an abortion. Tomorrow Samantha gets married to Jonathan Ricau and the governor couldn’t be prouder…
cut 10 (09) “…might be”
The reception will take place at the governor’s mansion.

Updated and corrected version of the LRN PM Newscall May 20th

he White House has announced that a new rule goes into effect December 1 that requires employers to pay workers who make less than $47-thousand a year over time if they work more than 40 hours a week. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 1 (31)  “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed two pro-life bills into law. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 2 (31)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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

A new rule from the White House goes into effect on December 1 that would require employers to pay their workers overtime if they work more than 40 hours a week and make less than about $47-thousand a year. This would affect about 35% of salaried workers. LSU Economist Stephen Barnes says this will impact business owners more than anyone.

CUT 3 (10)  “fairly painful”

Critics says this is too drastic of a change for employers. Barnes says employees will be affected in a variety of ways depending on their pay scale and their work load.

CUT 4 (12)  “work done”

The new threshold will be updated every 3 years, and the Labor Department estimates this could result in an additional $12 billion in pay for workers over the next 10 years. Barnes says some workers may feel more pressure to get more work done in a 40 hour period. But he says for the most part, workers should enjoy this.

CUT 5 (09)  “about that”

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

Authorities say someone crashed a stolen 18-wheeler in Caddo parish early this morning. Caddo Parish Sheriff Spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says they got a call around 6am from someone saying an 18-wheeler had overturned on I-49 North at Louisiana Highway Two.

CUT 6 (06) “its side”

Chadwick says the 18-wheeler was stolen from a truck stop in Texarkana, Arkansas, just before the crash, and the theft is still under investigation. She says the driver who stole the 18-wheeler has not been located.

CUT 7 (06) “as well”

Chadwick says she doesn’t understand why someone would steal an 18-wheeler because it would not be very low key.

CUT 8 (12) “no idea”

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

Governor John Bel Edwards’ daughter Samantha is getting married tomorrow to Jonathan Ricau. The wedding ceremony will be in Amite at St. Helena Catholic Church and the reception will follow a few hours later at the Governor’s Mansion. Edwards says the planning is going well and Samantha is excited.

CUT 9 (07) “the aisle”

Samantha and Jonathan met in 2012 and both graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University. She is the oldest daughter of the governor and First Lady Donna. Edwards says it’s a miracle he gets to walk Samantha down the aisle.

cut 10 (09)  “might be”

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

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed two pro-life bills into law, one measure increases the wait time for a woman to receive an abortion to 72 hours and the second requires doctors performing abortions to be board certified. Louisiana Right to Life Legislative Director Deanna Wallace says the legislation increasing wait time gives women more of a chance to reach out before being forced to have an abortion if they don’t want to have one.

Cut 11 (10) “unborn children”

Wallace says the bill  to require an abortionist to be board certified or under the direct supervision of a board certified physician is common sense legislation to protect the health and safety of women. She says currently all doctors that perform abortions in Louisiana are board certified, this just codifies that standard of care.

cut 12 (08) “that way”

Wallace says this truly is a victory for women in the state. She says she’s thankful Governor John Bel Edwards signed these two bills into law.

Cut 13 (06)  “against women”

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

As we approach a big travel weekend, motorists can expect to see prices at the pump up more than 6 cents from the prior week. Senior Petroleum Analyst Gregg Laskoski from GasBuddy.com says they’ve got the current statewide average for a gallon of regular at about $2.06…:

cut 14 (07)  “Memorial Day weekend”

Laskoski says prices haven’t been this low since 2008. He says even though we’re seeing these increases, prices in Louisiana are still down almost 40 cents from this time last year…:

cut 15 (08) “this summer”

13:30 Newscast, May 20th, 2016

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed two pro-life bills into law. One increases the wait time for a woman to receive an abortion to 72 hours. Louisiana Right to Life Legislative Director Deanna Wallace says the law will give women more of a chance to reach out before having an abortion if they don’t want to have one…:
Cut 11 (10) “unborn children”
The second new law requires doctors performing abortions to be board certified.

A man who cops say was trying to break into someone’s home during the severe storms last night in West Baton Rouge Parish, was shot and killed by the homeowner during the invasion. Detectives say investigators believe 32-year-old Kelly Cline was shot once with a handgun after allegedly breaking into the mobile home during loud booming thunderstorms. They believe that the shooting was justified as self-defense.

The White House has announced that a new rule goes into effect December 1 that requires employers to pay workers who make less than $47-thousand a year over time if they work more than 40 hours a week. Jeff Palermo has more…:
CUT 1 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

As we approach a big travel weekend, motorists can expect to see prices at the pump up more than 6 cents from the prior week. Senior Petroleum Analyst Gregg Laskoski from GasBuddy.com says they’ve got the current statewide average for a gallon of regular at about $2.06…:
cut 14 (07) “Memorial Day weekend”.
Still he says prices haven’t been this low since 2008.

 

12:30 Newscast, May 20th, 2016

A new rule from the White House goes into effect on December 1 that would require employers to pay their workers overtime if they work more than 40 hours a week and make less than about $47-thousand a year. This would affect about 35% of salaried workers. LSU Economist Stephen Barnes says this will impact business owners more than anyone…:
CUT 3 (10) “fairly painful”
Critics says this is too drastic of a change for employers.

More than 20,000 Entergy customers remain without power after severe storms with damaging winds took down power lines and trees overnight. They say they are bringing in additional restoration workers to help get everybody back up but in most cases customers may not get their power back until late tonight and possibly even tomorrow.

Gas prices appear to have shot back up over the last week. AAA says the current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $2.05 cents, up from $2.00 the prior week.

Strange story out of Caddo Parish. Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Cindy Chadwick says they located an 18-wheeler that had crashed on I-49 this morning, and later learned it had been stolen from Texarkana. She says the driver who jacked the Mac Truck has not been located…:
CUT 7 (06) “as well”
She says she has no idea what would possess someone to steal an 18-wheeler because it’s not exactly low profile.

Federal court documents released reveal that Saints and Pelicans Owner Tom Benson said in a deposition that Renee and Rita LeBlanc Benson tried to kill him. Benson said that after he was asked why he was seeking to remove his daughter and granddaughter from having control of his sports franchises.

 

11:40 LRN Sportscast May 20th

Big win for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs last night as they cooked the 16th ranked Rice Owls 12-2. It’s the most runs the Owls have given up in a Conference USA game this year. Chase Lunceford hit hits 9th home run of the season and had three hits on the night. Catcher Brent Diaz had a triple and drove in five runs. Tech is now 17-11 in Conference USA. The 17 league wins is a program record. The series continues tonight in Ruston.

After last night’s game was suspended in the third inning because of severe weather, LSU and Florida will try to restart their series tonight at 6 PM. Jared Poche will pitch tonight for the Tigers. Last night’s game suspended in the third inning, will be picked up again tomorrow morning at 11 AM and Game 3 of the series will be a seven inning contest starting at 3:30 PM.

ULM and UL Lafayette’s series has been postponed until 4 PM today. Bad weather halted game one of the series in the 5th inning with the Warhawks leading 1-0. So they’ll resume the game at 4 PM and then play game two of the series shortly after the conclusion of game one.

Federal court documents released reveal that Saints and Pelicans Owner Tom Benson said in a deposition that Renee and Rita LeBlanc Benson tried to kill him during a confrontation in a Mercedes Benz Superdome Suite. Benson made that statement after he was asked why he was seeking to remove his daughter and granddaughter from having control of his sports franchises. The Benson family remains in a succession battle over who will control the Saints and Pelicans once Mr. Benson passes away.

Southeastern Louisiana’s lead in the Southland is down to a half-game over Sam Houston State after the Lions lost to Central Arkansas 13-5 last night. Northwestern State is third place as the Demons blanked Abilene Christian two to nothing. Adam Oller improved to 8-0 on the season after pitching six shutout innings.

Nicholls kept its hopes alive to make the Southland Tournament by beating UNO 5-4. McNeese thumped Washington State 10-2.

11:30 Newscast, May 20th, 2016

Governor John Bel Edwards daughter Samantha is getting married tomorrow to Jonathan Ricau (Ree-Coe). The ceremony will be held in Amite at St. Helena Catholic Church and the reception is being held at the Governor’s Mansion. Governor Edwards says the planning is going well and Samantha is excited..:
CUT 9 (07) “the aisle”
Edwards says he wasn’t sure if that would ever happen when Samantha was born because she had spina bifida, so it will truly be a miracle moment for him.

Authorities say someone crashed a stolen 18-wheeler in Caddo parish early this morning. Caddo Parish Sheriff Spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says they got a call around 6am from someone saying an 18-wheeler had overturned on I-49 North at Louisiana Highway Two…:
CUT 6 (06) “its side”
Chadwick says, just before the crash, the mac truck was hijacked from a truck stop in Texarkana, Arkansas, and the driver was nowhere to be found. It’s under investigation.

Jackson Representative Kenny Havard says he’s not sorry about the amendment he brought as a joke then pulled stating strippers should be youthful and skinny. The change was tacked on to a bill targeting human trafficking saying exotic dancers should be no younger than 21. Havard says political correctness is what’s ruined our nation and he doesn’t know why so many female lawmakers are mad because he didn’t even mention women…:
CUT 14 (08) “160 pounds”
But even House Speaker Taylor Barras said on the floor that Havard should apologize to him and the entire body, especially the women.

A student of the year at Amite High was not able to walk for graduation Wednesday night because he had facial hair. School officials took Andrew Jones’ cap and gown and barred him from the stage. The schools superintendent said the rules regarding facial hair stand. Jones never made anything less than an “A” his entire four years at Amite High and his family is livid.

 

10:30 LRN Newscast May 20th

Jackson Representative Kenny Havard is not sorry for his amendment intended as a joke that said strippers in Louisiana must be young and less than 160 pounds. The amendment which was attached to a bill that raises the age of exotic dancers to 21 has received national attention. Havard says he regrets if he offended anyone, but..:
Cut 13 (07) “politically incorrect”
House speaker Taylor Barras of New Iberia said it’s ridiculous he has to ask elected officials to be respectful.

The state legislature is close to passing legislation that would lower the tuition for out-of-state college students. Supporters say this will help boost enrollment. Metairie Senator Conrad Appel sits on Senate Education and says this legislation will not result in out of state students takeing precedence over in state students…
cut 9 (06) “….Louisiana students”
American Sugar Cane League Senior Argonomist Herman Waguespack says the 2016 season looks to be a good one and could possibly surpass last year’s 1.4 million tons of raw sugar….
cut 12 (06) “…we have”
Waguespack adds that Louisiana is now one of three states in the country that produces sugar. Hawaii recently closed its last sugar mill.

For many Louisiana school children summer vacation has started or will begin next week and that means kids will use a pool or public waterway to stay cool. Baton Rouge General family practitioner, Doctor Kristen Ducote, says unfortunately drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional fatalities in kids. Ducote says its also important parents remain sober, when their children are in the water…
cut 6 (08) “….been avoided”

09:30 Newscast, May 20th, 2016

An amendment saying exotic dancers should be young and weigh no more than 160 pounds has outraged female lawmakers at the Capitol, but Jackson Representative Kenny Havard says he’s not going to apologize. He says he has a right to offend and people have a right to be offended. House speaker Taylor Barras of New Iberia spoke on the House floor about the incident. He says it seems ridiculous that he has to ask elected state officials to be respectful:
Cut 15 (12) “to determine”
Havard says we won’t apologize because political correctness has ruined the country.

Measures that would let retired state workers get an increase on their pension checks was signed into law Thursday. Starting July 1st, thousands of retired teachers, troopers and state government employees will see a boost of around $30 on the monthly payments.

A bill that would allow universities to lower their out-of-state tuition to bring in more students from other states is nearing final passage. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

This year’s sugar cane crop in Louisiana could possibly surpass last year’s 1.4 million tons of raw sugar. American Sugar Cane Senior Agronomist Herman Waguespack says the Bayou State is the second biggest producer of sugar cane in the country…:
cut 11 (05) “in production”
He says Louisiana is now one of only three states that produce sugar.