6:30 LRN Newscast December 14

Former Congressman Charles Boustany says since the new tariffs were imposed, Louisiana businesses have paid an additional 85-million dollars. Boustany, who is a spokesman for Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, says the effects of steel and soybean tariffs have begun to work their way down the economic supply chain from agriculture to the shipping industries…
cut 11 (05) “…retaliation”
Supporters of the tariffs say the economic conflict with China is the best way to force the global superpower to renegotiate a new trade deal.

For the 13th time since 1990, Louisiana is ranked 50th in America’s health rankings. Thirty-five different areas of health determine the overall ranking. Dr. Rhonda Randall with the United Health Foundation says among the areas of concern, child poverty, where Louisiana ranks last.
Cut 4 (08) “…the nation, it improved.″
Randall says they’ve also found there’s a high prevalence of frequent mental distress and a high prevalence of low birthweight.

New research from the Loyola University New Orleans Jesuit Social Research Institute finds Louisiana has the second highest rate of food insecurity in the nation and its rising faster than the rest of the country. An estimated 784-thousand residents struggle with hunger and contributing to the problem is what is known food deserts, the lack of grocery stores in low income, minority neighborhoods. Father Fred Kammer..
cut 9 (08) “…national trend”
The report concludes the state of Louisiana needs to make food policy a higher priority and offer incentives for grocery stores to open in underserved communities.

AM NEWSCALL 12/14/18

Louisiana has dropped one spot from last year’s position in America’s health rankings, with the state landing 50th for overall health.  Kevin Barnhart has more.

Cut 1 (28) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

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Despite a reputation as a food Mecca, a report out of Loyola shows large areas of the state have trouble accessing, or affording good, healthy food. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

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A former Louisiana Republican Congressman says the trade war is failing, and is starting to drag down the Louisiana economy. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (30) “I’m  Matt Doyle”

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For the 13th time since 1990, Louisiana has been ranked 50th in America’s health rankings.  The state has never been higher than 47.  Thirty-five different areas of health are factored in to determine the overall ranking.  Dr. Rhonda Randall with the United Health Foundation says among the areas of concern, child poverty, where Louisiana ranks last.

Cut 4 (08) “…the nation, it improved.″

Randall says the research also found a high prevalence of frequent mental distress.

Cut 5 (08) “…for that measure.”

Tobacco use was also a major factor that brought down the state.  Randall says while the rest of the country is seeing a drop in smoking, down to about 17% of adults smoking, Louisiana is higher than the national average.

Cut 6 (10) “…ranked 48th.”

Randall added there was some areas with encouraging numbers, including Louisiana’s immunization rates.

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A report out of Loyola says Louisiana has the second highest rate of food insecurity in the country, a result of the state’s substantial poverty, and proliferation of food deserts where residents don’t have access to, or can afford healthy food. Jesuit Social Research Institute Director Father Fred Kammer says those food deserts aren’t restricted to one area of the state.

Cut 7 (12) “…our cities.”

New Orleans and Baton Rouge were noted for having large food deserts.

Kammer says the existence of those food deserts exacerbates the already extensive pressures placed on Louisiana’s poorest residents.

Cut 8 (09) “…their family″

The report noted that equal access to quality food is also an issue in Louisiana along racial lines, where African Americans are already disproportionately affected by poverty. Kammer says you are more likely to find food deserts in low income, minority neighborhoods.

Cut 9 (08)  “…national trend” 

The report calls for the state to increase incentives for grocery stores to operate in under-served communities, including refrigeration tax breaks for small grocers to allow them to bring in healthier food.

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Former Congressman Charles Boustany says the trade war with China is failing, and Louisiana is beginning to pay the price to the tune of over 100 million dollars in costs to Bayou State businesses and consumers this year, nearly 20 million in October alone. Boustany says the trade war is a hurricane, and we’re starting to feel the first bands of bad economic weather…

Cut 10 (10)   “…get hurt”

Boustany, spokesman for Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, says the effects of steel and soybean tariffs have begun to work their way down the economic supply chain from agriculture, to the shipping industries in coastal cities.

Cut 11 (05) “…retaliation”

Supporters of the tariffs say the economic conflict with China is the best way to force the global superpower to the table, to renegotiate a trade relationship that is growing increasingly imbalanced. But the former southwest Louisiana Republican Congressman says it’s obvious the tariffs are backfiring.

Cut 12 (11)   “…escalated”

Boustany is advocating a new approach to the Chinese trade deficit, built around assembling a trade coalition to generate better leverage on the far-east superpower.

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Controversial Carolina Quarterback Cam Newton calls a gift he received from Saints defensive Cam Jordan “disrespectful.” Jordan sent Newton a broom, a reference to New Orleans sweeping the season series versus the Panthers last season. The three victories included a win in the postseason. Newton says he’s used the broom as motivation

Cut 13 (12) “…can’t wait.”

The NFC South Rivals meet Monday night in Charlotte and then in the regular season finale. Newton says if the Panthers win those two games, he’ll send the broom back to Jordan. New Orleans has won back-to-back division titles, but Newton says the Saints franchise has more of a history of losing than winning…

Cut 14 (12) “…own too.”

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UL-Lafayette and Tulane will meet for the 29th time in football when the two teams play each other Saturday in Cure Bowl in Orlando. The Green Wave is a slight favorite as they’ve played well since former LSU quarterback Justin McMillan started directing the Green Wave offense. Cajuns Coach Billy Napier says McMillan is an effective passer…

Cut 15 (13) “…season’s went.”

The Cajuns won their last three regular season games to clinch the Sun Belt West Division. A win on Saturday and UL-Lafayette will secure a winning record after three straight non-winning seasons. Napier on he wants to end the year…

Cut 16 (12)  right now”

The Green Wave’s defense is much better than a season ago, which is a big reason why they are in a bowl game this year. Tulane Coach Willie Fritz gives credit to his defensive coordinator Jack Curtis…

 cut 17 (23) “good progress”

530PM LRN News

Former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain is reportedly under investigation for allegedly molesting several juveniles. Strain is also the target of a federal probe into public corruption involving his former work release program that he once supervised. Legal analyst Tim Meche says he’d be interested to know who leaked these latest revelations…

Cut 11 (11) “…federal corruption case.”

The ex-Abita Springs police chief served as sheriff of St. Tammany from 1996 to 2015.

Congressman Ralph Abraham says a new poll he funded shows he’s the Republican to beat Democrat John Bel Edwards in next year’s governor’s race. President of the Remington Research Group Titus Bond says they surveyed nearly 17-hundred likely voters this week and both Abraham and Edwards received 44-percent…

Cut 12 (09)   “…on support”

Edwards’ campaign says the poll is a desperate plea for credibility.

The Chackbay man who shot his neighbor a year ago over a property line dispute has been convicted of 2nd Degree Murder.  61-year-old Keith Trosclair told police it was in self-defense, but But authorities say they had reason to doubt that version of events after reports from two witnesses that Trosclair was moving towards the victim while firing, and forensic evidence that indicated the neighbor, did not pose an immediate threat when Trosclair opened fire.

Cut 4 (08) “…Mr. Trosclair″

2nd Degree Murder carries a mandatory life sentence.

Baton Rouge Police say the 18-year-old son of Alton Sterling has been arrested and faces a charge of first-degree rape involving an 8-year-old he was babysitting.  Sgt. L’Jean McKneely says Sterling was at a hospital in the time between the incident and his arrest.

Cut 8 (10) “…in parish prison.”

4:30 PM Newscast

A dispute over property lines and a driveway that lead to a fatal shooting has ended in a murder conviction.  Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain, who served as sheriff of St. Tammany from 1996 to 2015, is reportedly under investigation for allegedly molesting several juveniles. If there’s enough evidence to charge Strain, can St. Tammany D-A Warren Montgomery prosecute him? Legal analyst Tim Meche says yes.

Cut 9 (08) “…recusing himself.″

 

Baton Rouge Police say the 18-year-old son of Alton Sterling, Cameron Sterling, has been arrested and faces a charge of first-degree rape of an 8-year-old boy he was babysitting last weekend.  Sgt. L’Jean McKneely says the victim is a relative of Sterling.
Cut 7 (12) “…arrested last night”
Cameron Sterling’s father, Alton Sterling, was shot to death by police in 2016, triggering nationwide protests.
Congressman Ralph Abraham says a new poll he funded shows he’s the Republican to beat Democrat John Bel Edwards in next year’s governor’s race. President of the Remington Research Group Titus Bond says his poll shows Abraham has replaced Senator John Kennedy as the G-O-P’s favorite to beat Edwards.

Cut 13 (06) “…for governor”
Eric Holl, a spokesperson for a group working to re-elect Edwards, calls the Abraham funded poll a desperate plea for credibility as rumors swirl that other republicans plan to enter the race.

3:30 PM Newscast

Ralph Abraham’s gubernatorial campaign says a poll shows one week after announcing his intention to run for governor, the Congressman is in a dead heat with Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”  

Businesses and schools across the nation were evacuated because of bomb threats that now appears to be a hoax.  In Louisiana, State Police are aware of several threats in multiple cities.  The threats were sent via email, requesting money being paid to senders via bitcoin, some with the emails having the subject line “Think Twice.”

The Chackbay man who shot his neighbor a year ago over a property line dispute has been convicted of 2nd Degree Murder. Lafourche Parish DA’s spokesperson David Melancon says 61-year-old Keith Trosclair told police he feared for his life, and that his neighbor, who was known to open carry, threatened him.

Cut 3 (11) “..his life”
The property line in question centered on a driveway. 2nd Degree Murder carries a mandatory life sentence.

Baton Rouge Police say the 18-year-old son of Alton Sterling has been arrested and faces a charge of first-degree rape.  Cameron Sterling is accused of taking a child into a bedroom, locking the door, then raping the 8-year-old boy he was babysitting last weekend.  Sgt. L’Jean McKneely says a relative made contact with authorities.

Cut 6 (10) “…information they gave.”

McKneely says the victim is a relative of Sterling.

4:45 LRN Sportscast December 13

The Pelicans got 44 points last night from Anthony Davis in a 118 to 114 win over Oklahoma City, who has the best record in the Western Conference. Julius Randle added 22 points and 12 rebounds and Jrue Holiday had 20 points and 10 assists. Coach Alvin Gentry says it was a good effort by his team that’s struggled to find consistency…
cut 30 (14) “…get done”
New Orleans gets a bit of a break, they don’t play again until Sunday against the Miami Heat.

After losing 84-72 last night to 24th ranked Houston, the LSU Tigers will stay on the road. Coach Will Wade’s team heads to Las Vegas to face St. Mary’s on Saturday night. It was a missed opportunity last night for the Tigers, they had a 25-point lead, but went through a significant scoring drought in the second half.

LSU continues preparations for its first ever appearance in the Fiesta Bowl where they’ll play U-C-F. Tigers tight end Foster Moreau says he’s excited for the opportunity to play in a New Year’s Six bowl game…
cut 18 (12) “….forward to”
The Athletic reports there’s growing talk among movers and shakers to expand the college football playoff from four to eight teams. But there are reports the SEC would not go along with any proposal that would end the SEC championship game.

Saints fans will keep an eye on tonight’s Thursday night NFL game as Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs host Phillip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers. Mahomes and Rivers are two of the favorties to win the NFL MVP award, along with Drew Brees.

The Saints will visit Carolina on Monday night. It’s a must win situation for the Panthers, who are 6-and-7 and on the verge of missing the playoffs. Carolina also lost three games to New Orleans last season.

LRN PM Newscall December 13

A dispute over property lines and a driveway that lead to a fatal shooting has ended in a murder conviction.  Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

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Ralph Abraham’s gubernatorial campaign says a poll shows one week after announcing his intention to run for governor, the Congressman is in a dead heat with Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”  

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The Chackbay man who shot his neighbor a year ago over a property line dispute has been convicted of 2nd Degree Murder. Lafourche Parish DA’s spokesperson David Melancon says 61-year-old Keith Trosclair told police he feared for his life, and that his neighbor, who was known to open carry, threatened him.

Cut 3 (11) “..his life”

The property line in question centered on a driveway.

But authorities say they had reason to doubt that version of events after reports from two witnesses that Trosclair was moving towards the victim while firing, and forensic evidence that indicated the neighbor, did not pose an immediate threat when Trosclair opened fire.

Cut 4 (08) “…Mr. Trosclair″

Law enforcement says Saunders weapon was still holstered when they arrived on the scene.

Melancon says it was a tragic, and completely avoidable murder.

Cut 5 (09) “…own hands”

2nd Degree Murder carries a mandatory life sentence.

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Baton Rouge Police say the 18-year-old son of Alton Sterling has been arrested and faces a charge of first-degree rape.  Cameron Sterling is accused of taking a child into a bedroom, locking the door, then raping the 8-year-old boy he was babysitting last weekend.  Sgt. L’Jean McKneely says a relative made contact with authorities.

Cut 6 (10) “…information they gave.”

McKneely says the victim is a relative of Sterling.

Cut 7 (12) “…arrested last night”

McKneely says Sterling was at a hospital in the time between the incident and his arrest.

Cut 8 (10) “…in parish prison.”

Cameron Sterling’s father, Alton Sterling, was shot to death by police in 2016, triggering nationwide protests.

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Former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain is reportedly under investigation for allegedly molesting several juveniles. The ex-Abita Springs police chief served as sheriff of St. Tammany from 1996 to 2015. If there’s enough evidence to charge Strain, can St. Tammany D-A Warren Montgomery prosecute him? Legal analyst Tim Meche says yes..

Cut 9 (08) “…recusing himself.″

Meche says as long as Montgomery doesn’t show any bias in one direction or the other, his office should be able to handle the case if there are charges against Strain. The reports indicate the F-B-I is also part of the investigation into the sexual abuse allegations. Meche says these type of cases are usually tried locally…

Cut 10 (10) “…state court.”

Strain is also the target of a federal probe into public corrpution involving his former work release program that he once supervised. Two of Strain’s former deputies are facing federal charges. Meche says it’s curious to find out who leaked the sexual abuse investigation to the media and why

Cut 11 (11) “…federal corruption case.”

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Congressman Ralph Abraham says a new poll he funded shows he’s the Republican to beat Democrat John Bel Edwards in next year’s governor’s race. President of the Remington Research Group Titus Bond says they surveyed nearly 17-hundred likely voters this week and both Abraham and Edwards received 44-percent…

Cut 12 (09)   “…on support”

Eric Holl is a spokesperson for a group working to re-elect Edwards. Holl calls the Abraham funded poll a desperate plea for credibility as rumors swirl that other republicans plan to enter the race. Bond says his poll shows Abraham has replaced Senator John Kennedy as the G-O-P’s favorite to beat Edwards

Cut 13 (06) “…for governor”

Bond says their survey found that 47-percent of Democrats polled say they are open to voting for another candidate….

Cut 14 (11) “…liberal of his party”

230PM LRN News

There are reports of bomb threats across the state at this hour, including multiple reports of bomb threats at Baton Rouge banks that were received via email according to BRPD. This may be a part of a nationwide string of email bomb threats that were found in cities as far away as Boise, Idaho, and Chicago.

Former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain is reportedly under investigation for allegedly molesting several juveniles. The ex-Abita Springs police chief served as sheriff of St. Tammany from 1996 to 2015. Legal analyst Tim Meche says if there’s enough evidence for a charge, the case will likely be tried locally.

Cut 10 (10) “…state court.”

Baton Rouge Police say the 18-year-old son of Alton Sterling has been arrested and faces a charge of first-degree rape.  Cameron Sterling is accused of raping an 8-year-old boy he was babysitting last weekend.

The Chackbay man who shot his neighbor a year ago over a property line dispute has been convicted of 2nd Degree Murder.  61-year-old Keith Trosclair told police he feared for his life during a confrontation with the victim, but Lafourche Parish DA’s spokesperson David Melancon says that was contradicted by forensic evidence.

Cut 4 (08) “…Mr. Trosclair″

Law enforcement says Saunders weapon was still holstered when they arrived on the scene.

Congressman Ralph Abraham says a new poll he funded shows he’s the Republican to beat Democrat John Bel Edwards in next year’s governor’s race. President of the Remington Research Group Titus Bond says they surveyed nearly 17-hundred likely voters this week and both Abraham and Edwards received 44-percent…

Cut 12 (09)   “…on support”

The only other declared candidate is Republican Eddie Rispone.

1:30 PM Newscast

Baton Rouge Police say the 18-year-old son of Alton Sterling has been arrested and faces a charge of first-degree rape.  Cameron Sterling is accused of taking a child into a bedroom, locking the door, then raping the 8-year-old boy he was babysitting last weekend.  Sgt. L’Jean McKneely says the victim is a relative of Sterling.

Cut 7 (12) “…arrested last night”

Former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain is reportedly under investigation for allegedly molesting several juveniles. The ex-Abita Springs police chief served as sheriff of St. Tammany from 1996 to 2015. If there’s enough evidence to charge Strain, can St. Tammany D-A Warren Montgomery prosecute him? Legal analyst Tim Meche says yes..

Cut 9 (08) “…recusing himself.″

A dispute over property lines and a driveway that lead to a fatal shooting has ended in a murder conviction.  Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

The secretary of state’s office diverted more than $90 thousand dollars from computer upgrades to pay its portion of a sexual misconduct settlement involving former Secretary of State Tom Schedler.  A spokesperson for the current Secretary of State says none of the funds were obtained by making cuts to anything having to do with cybersecurity.

1230PM LRN News

The Chackbay man who shot his neighbor a year ago over a property line dispute has been convicted of 2nd Degree Murder. Lafourche Parish DA’s spokesperson David Melancon says 61-year-old Keith Trosclair told police he feared for his life, and that his neighbor threatened him.

Cut 3 (11) “..his life”

But authorities presented forensic evidence and witness testimony that indicated the victim was not an imminent threat.

Baton Rouge Police say the 18-year-old son of Alton Sterling has been arrested and faces a charge of first-degree rape.  Cameron Sterling is accused of taking a child into a bedroom, locking the door, then raping the 8-year-old boy he was babysitting last weekend.  Sgt. L’Jean McKneely.

Cut 6 (10) “…information they gave.”

McKneely says the victim is a relative of Sterling.

Google’s annual Year in Search released and shows what Louisianans want to look at online. Connor Ferrill has the story.

Cut 1 (28) “I’m Connor Ferrill.”

There are reports federal and local investigators are looking allegations former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain sexually abused at least four teenagers.  According to WWL-TV, the investigation is over a year long.