10:30 LRN Newscast

There was not a dry eye during a legislative hearing as Amy Savoie told the story of her six-year-old daughter who was killed when she was struck by a truck in the parking lot of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Slidell last year…
cut 30 (10) “…be protected”
The House Education Committee sent a bill to the House floor that requires elementary schools to establish carpool and bus line safety policies.

The House Education Committee also approved a bill mandating daily recess of at least 15 minutes for kindergarteners through fifth graders. Houma Representative Beryl Amedee says her bill would impact eleven percent of the schools in the state. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris was surprised to hear the percentage was that high…
cut 12 (06) “…the day”
The bill moves to the House floor.

State Police has released the body camera video footage of the fatal officer-involved shooting of 33-year-old Joseph Taylor. Taylor was shot multiple times after he was pulled over for a traffic violation by Shreveport police on April 23rd. The video shows officers trying to get Taylor out of his vehicle, he’s then physically forced out and wrestled to the ground and that’s when officers discovered he’s armed with a gun…
cut 5 (11) “….(sound:painful groaning)
The Caddo District Attorney will determine if the shooting was justified.

A new survey finds labor quality surpasses inflation as the number one problem facing small business owners. NFIB state director Dawn McVea says many small business owners are willing to pay higher wages to get better workers…
cut 14 (07) “….few months”

9:30 LRN Newscast

State Police released video of the fatal shooting of a driver involving a Shreveport officer last month. Kevin Gallagher has more…:

Cut 1 (31)  “I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

LSU has issued an apology on behalf of their superstar guard, Flau ‘Jae Johnson who removed a song off of social media after her lyrics referenced 9-11 and “blowing smoke just like them towers.” The university said it was not Johnson’s intent to offend or upset anyone with her lyrics and she is sorry for any misunderstanding.

A bill that would create safe zones for children near carpool and bus lines was approved by House Education Committee. The bill’s author – Slidell Representative Robert Owen says 60 children are hit by a car each week in the U.S. Supporting the bill,  Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says children’s lives are on the line.

Cut 9 (13)  “…dangerous situation.”

The bill heads to the House floor.

Labor quality surpassed inflation as the top concern in the most recent Small Business Optimism Survey. NFIB State Director Dawn McVea says 24 percent of ‘Mom and Pops’ say hiring qualified workers is an issue followed by inflation. Overall optimism decreased one point in April to 89, the 16th month in a row below the survey’s history of 98.

Cut 15 (07)  “…Main Street.”

8:30 LRN newscast

The state’s largest hospital system, Ochsner Health, reportedly plans to lay off 770 employees across its 42 hospitals and 200 urgent care and health centers in Louisiana and Mississippi. The Advocate newspaper reports most of the cuts will occur in management, administrative jobs and clerical positions.

The House Education Committee approves a bill that mandates elementary schools implement safety measures where parents pick up and drop-off their children.
Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

Legislation to require public school students, K through five, to have at least 15 minutes of recess a day advances to the full House. Houma Representative Beryl Amadee says studies show the benefits of recess and quotes the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Cut 10 (09) “… unstructured play.”
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers expressed concern this could lead to longer school days and another requirement for teachers.

State Police release police bodycam footage from the April 23rd officer-involved shooting of 33-year-old Joseph Taylor. The initial investigation reports Shreveport Police Officer Anthony Visciotti stopped Taylor’s ’94 Chevy Caprice for swerving. The officer sought to determine if the driver was impaired. At first, Taylor refuses to get out of his car…:
Cut 4 (09) “…out of here quick.”
Visciotti is assisted by other officers who physically remove Taylor from the car. A struggle ensues on the ground san that’s when an officer saw Taylor was armed with a gun and Taylor was shot multiple times.

7:30 LRN Newscast

Finding qualified employees surpasses inflation as the top concern among small businesses.
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Emotional testimony at the state capitol over a bill to add exceptions for rape and incest to the state’s abortion ban. Bill author, New Orleans Representative Delisha Boyd…
cut 28 (05) “…with that”
Pro life advocate Woody Jenkins…
cut 29 (03) “…conception”
The bill to make changes to the state’s abortion ban failed.

There was not a dry eye during a legislative hearing as Amy Savoie told the story of her six-year-old daughter who was killed when she was struck by a truck in the parking lot of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Slidell last year…
cut 30 (10) “…be protected”
The House Education Committee sent a bill to the House floor that requires elementary schools to establish carpool and bus line safety policies.

House Education also approved a bill that requires daily recess of at least 15 minutes for public school students between kindergarten and fifth grade. Houma Representative Beryl Amedee says it’s good for a child’s physical and mental health…
cut 11 (11) “…classroom”
Amedee says some schools dropped recess because of the demand on achieving a certain number of hours of instructional time.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

Former LSU Tiger and Jesuit star Foster Moreau is nearly fully recovered from cancer and now he’s a New Orleans Saint. Moreau signed with his hometown team yesterday, a reported three-year deal that will pay him 12-million dollars.

Moreau nearly signed with the Saints in March, but a physical conducted at the team’s training facility led to a Hodgkin lymphoma diagnoses. Saints analyst Mike Detillier says the 26-year-old gives the Saints a run blocking tight end with good hands…
cut 17 (13) “…receiver”
Moreau was a fourth round pick of the Raiders in 2019. He caught a career-high 33 passes for 420 yards last season and he was a teammate of current Saints QB Derek Carr in Oakland and Las Vegas.

ULM’s baseball game against Stephen F Austin was canceled last night because of the weather.

Weather delays resulted in games deep into the night in Sulphur at the state high school baseball tournament. In Division Two-select. E-D White edged St. Thomas two to one, and Vandebilt Catholic was victorious over St. Louis Catholic seven to three. DeQuincy had a dominating ten to nothing win over Logansport in a non-select Division four semi-final game. Oak Grove is heading to its third straight tite game as the Tigers topped Mangham five to four. So Oak Grove will play DeQuincy Friday afternoon.

LSU is out in the SEC softball tournament after losing to Ole Miss five to three in ten innings. Louisiana Tech is also done in the Conference USA Tournament as the Lady Techsters lost to Middle Tennessee five to four.

The 24th ranked Cajuns will begin play in the Sun Belt Tournament in Lafayette tonight against ULM. The Warhawks defeated Georgia State four to one yesterday.

In the Southland Tournament, the two top seeds won yesterday. McNeese two to one over A-and-M Corpus Christi and Southeastern Louisiana clobbered Northwestern State 13 to one in five innings.

6:30 LRN Newscast

Louisiana will continue to have one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation as the House Criminal Justice Committee voted ten to five against a bill to add exceptions for rape and incest. A bill to lessen penalties against doctors who perform abortions and require only one doctor’s opinion instead of two in order to get an abortion because of a futile pregnancy also did not pass.

State Police release body cam video of a fatal Shreveport officer-involved shooting last month. Kevin Gallagher has more…:
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

Labor quality surpassed inflation as the top concern in the latest Small Business Optimism Survey. NFIB State Director Dawn McVea says 24 percent of ‘Mom and Pops’ say filling job openings with qualified workers is their top concern followed by inflation at 23 percent.
Cut 13 (08) “…that’s down.”
McVea says finding qualified applicants has been an issue since the pandemic and a good number of small businesses have or plan to increase wages to rectify the problem.

Legislation that would require schools to establish safety policies for carpool and bus lines for K-5th graders was approved by House Education. Slidell Representative Robert Owen authored the bill in response to last year’s death of six-year-old Emma Bell Savoie who was fatally struck by a truck in the parking lot at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Slidell.
Cut 7 (10) “…too many.”
Under Owen’s bill, students must stay behind a barrier before entering the pick-up area and students under the age of 10 must be accompanied by a school employee while walking to and from a vehicle.

AM LRN Newscall May 11

State Police release body cam video of a fatal Shreveport officer-involved shooting last month. Kevin Gallagher has more…:

Cut 1 (31)  “I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

_______________________________________________

A bill that mandates new safety measures to prevent injury and death where parents pick up and drop-off their children at elementary schools statewide was approved by House Education Committee.

Cut 2 (32)  “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

_______________________________________________

Finding qualified employees surpasses inflation as the top concern among small businesses. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 3 (30)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

_____________________________________________

State Police release police bodycam footage from the April 23rd officer-involved shooting of 33-year-old Joseph Taylor. The initial investigation reports Shreveport Police Officer Anthony Visciotti stopped Taylor’s ’94 Chevy Caprice for swerving in his lane. The officer sought to determine if the driver was impaired. At first, Taylor refuses to get out of his car; stating the officer has no probable cause…:

Cut 4 (09)  “…out of here quick.”

Visciotti is assisted on the scene by other officers, who physically remove Taylor from his car. It’s at that point the officer spies the weapon…:

Cut 5 (11)   (sound: painful groaning)”

LSP says Taylor was armed with a Glock 9mm, with an extended clip and modified to fire fully automatically. He was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. LSP Trooper Melissa Matey says Visciotti and the other officers are on administrative leave while their investigation continues…:

Cut 6 (08)  “…analyzed and reviewed.”

_______________________________________________

Legislation that would require public schools to establish safety policies for carpool and bus lines for K-5th grades was approved by House Education Committee. Slidell Representative Robert Owen says there are far too many consequences when it comes to keeping children safe while entering and exiting schools.

Cut 7 (10) “…too many.”

The bill would require students to remain behind a barrier before entering a pick-up area. It also bans students from entering the pick-up area until the vehicle is in park. An advocate for children’s safety, Amy Savoie (savoy) says his 6-year-old daughter Emma Bell Savoie was killed while attempting to cross the parking lot during dismissal time.

Cut 8 (13) “…paking lots.”

School employees would also be required to accompany students under the age of 10 in the drop-off/pick-up area of carpool and wear traffic vests.  Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says this is about establishing rules to ensure every child is safe.

Cut 9 (13)  “…dangerous situation.”

The bill heads to the House floor.

____________________________________________________

Legislation to require public school students, K through five, to have at least 15 minutes of recess a day advances to the House. Houma Representative Beryl Amadee says many studies indicated the benefits of recess and she quotes one from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Cut 10 (09) “… unstructured play.” 

Both parents and teachers have noticed with recess becoming endangered or even extinct, Amdee says and the effects have not been positive on children. But among schools that have recess educators say it gives students time to socialize.

Cut 11 (11)  “…classroom.”

The break allows students to return to the classroom with improved focus on their instruction and improves test scores. Charter schools in the state are exempt from the bill.

Amedee says the requirement would only impact 11 percent of schools in the state. Education Chair Representative Lance Harris was surprised at the number who do not have recess.

Cut 12 (06)    “…the day.” 

The bill moves to the House floor.

________________________________________

Labor quality surpassed inflation as the top concern in the most recent Small Business Optimism Survey. NFIB State Director Dawn McVea says 24 percent of ‘Mom and Pops’ say filling job openings with qualified workers is their top concern followed by inflation at 23 percent.

Cut 13 (08) “…that’s down. 

Since the pandemic, McVea says finding qualified applicants to fill job openings has been an ongoing issue and a good number of small businesses have or plan to increase wages to rectify the problem.

Cut 14 (07)  “…few months.”

Overall optimism decreased one point in April to 89, the 16th month in a row below the survey’s history of 98.

Cut 15 (07)  “…Main Street.”

_______________________________________________________

New Orleans native Foster Moreau is now a New Orleans Saints after signing a three-year, 12-million dollar contract with his hometown team. Moreau starred at Jesuit High and LSU before spending the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Raiders. Saints analyst Mike Detillier says the Black and Gold are getting a tough player

Cut  16 (13)  “…part of the game.” 

Moreau nearly signed with the Saints in March, but a physical conducted at the Saints training facility helped determine he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The 26-year-old could possibly return to the field next week. Detillier gives the Saints a run blocking tight end with good hands…

Cut 17 (13) “.receiver”

Moreau was a fourth-round pick of the Raiders in 2019. He caught a career-high 33 passes for 420 yards last season and he was teammate of current Saints QB Derek Carr in Oakland and Las Vegas.

Depth at tight end was a question mark heading into next season, Detillier says the biggest question mark remains the health of receiver Michael Thomas…

Cut 18 (14) “…three seasons”

__________________________________________________________

 

Cut 19 (24) “…might have helped.

____________________________________________________________

Cut 20 (15)  “… you stop.”  

Edit

5:30 LRN Newscast and Legislative Report May 10

L.R. 5:30 (17) 8:30 (20)

Legislation to add exceptions for rape and incest to the state’s abortion ban failed in the House Criminal Justice Committee this morning. Katie Hunter Lowery with Louisiana Survivors for Reform testified about her own rape that she’s still processing. If she had become pregnant as a result, she said at least then she had the choice.

Cut 11 (14)  “…through violence.”

Lafayette OB/GYN Dr. Damon (cut-ah-hee) Cudihy spoke in opposition to the bill. He said it’s the rapist who should be subjected to the death penalty, not the unborn child, and that abortion doesn’t remove the trauma of rape.

Cut 12 (10) “…an abortion.” 

The state’s abortion bill remains unchanged.

A bill to prohibit the instruction or discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools passed in the House after an hour-long debate. Critics refer to the legislation as the “Don’t Say, Gay Bill.” Former teacher and New Orleans Representative Candace Newell spoke in opposition to the bill. She says merely prohibiting the discussion tells trans and gay students they don’t matter.

Cut 15 (10)  “…against them.”

Chalmette Representative Ray Garofalo supported the bill and says teachers should only be teaching the basics, reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Cut  16 (12)  “…the students.” 

The bill passed in the House 67 to 28 and advances to the upper chamber.

 

4:45 LRN Sportscast

The Saints announced today they signed former LSU Tiger and Jesuit Blue Jay Foster Moreau. The deal is reportedly for three years and 12 million dollars plus incentives.

The tight end from New Orleans was on the verge of signing with the Black and Gold in March but a physical resulted in him being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Moreau’s recovery is going so well there is a chance he could be back on the field next week. Saints begin OTAs on May 23rd.

Moreau was a fourth round pick of the Raiders in 2019. He caught a career-high 33 passes for 420 yards last season and he was teammate of current Saints QB Derek Carr in Oakland and Las Vegas.

In college baseball last night, second-ranked LSU pounded Northwestern State 14-4, LA Tech scored five in the seventh inning to beat the Cajuns 12 to 8 and McNeese defeated Nicholls seven to three. Today, ULM is at Stephen F Austin for a 6:30 first pitch.

The LSU men’s basketball team has officially signed four players out of transfer portal. Three of them are natives of the Baton Rouge area. Tigers Coach Matt McMahon was a guest on Tiger Rag Radio last night and says these players have the ability to score….
cut 18 (24) “….this past season”
LSU is also expected to add six-foot-ten center Hunter Dean from Mandeville. Dean averaged nine points and six rebounds a game for George Washington last season.

LSU softball was eliminated from the SEC Tournament today as they lost five to three in eleven innings to Ole Miss. The 14th ranked Tigers are 40-15, we’ll find out if that’s good enough to host a regional.

4:30 LRN Newscast May 10

A bill to add the exceptions of rape and incest to the state’s abortion ban failed in the House Criminal Justice Committee this morning. Bill author New Orleans Representative Delisha Boyd told committee members her own mother was raped for years by someone almost twice her age and pregnant at 15…:

CUT 09(10)      “…by a predator.”

Debbie Melvin, of Thibodeaux, spoke in opposition to the bill. She said the act of abortion is yet another trauma rape victims would endure…:

CUT 10(09)      “…to her.”

After lengthy discussion, the committee voted 10-to-5 to halt the bill’s progress; meaning it is likely dead for the remains of the session.

 

A bill requiring a person found guilty in fatal DUI cases to pay restitution to the surviving children of the victims until they reach 18 was approved by the House Criminal Justice Committee.  Supporting the bill was Shelby Strong, whose husband was killed by an impaired driver. She says there needs to be something in place to compensate families…:

CUT 08(11)      “…and myself.”

That bill proceeds to the House floor.

Gunned down while getting chicken. New Orleans Police say a man was shot while in his car in the parking lot of a Church’s Fried Chicken on St. Claude Avenue; a well-traveled part of town. The yet-un-named victim was taken to a hospital where he died. NOPD is seeking leads in the case.

State Police are investigating a non-fatal officer-involved shooting early this morning in Bunkie. Details are sketchy as yet, but troopers ask that anyone who may have seen what happened or even recorded it contact them right away.