6:30 AM LRN Newscast

Louisiana’s legislature reconvenes at two this afternoon to begin a 22-day special session to adjust the primary election calendar. According to the bill co-authored by Port Allen Republican Senator Caleb Kleinpeter, the dates for the primary and runoff would be pushed back 30 days. This the Supreme Court considers its ruling on the constitutionality of the state’s second majority Black congressional district…though Kleinpeter says it’s unclear when the ruling will happen.

Cut 13 (07)  “…back before Christmas.”

Governor Jeff Landry is warning SNAP recipients that they will not receive cash assistance from the government on their cards starting November 1st if the federal government shutdown continues. Jan (“yahn”) Moller, the executive director of Invest Louisiana, says this action could be avoided.

Cut 10 (11) “…still get paid.”

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A new poll finds overwhelming support for open primary elections as opposed to closed party primaries. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

LSU’s Presidential Search Committee holds its third meeting this afternoon. Piper Hutchinson, a reporter with the Louisiana Illuminator, says the committee is now moving into the final stages of selecting the university system’s next president.

Cut 4 (12) “…soon become public.”

LRN AM Newscall October 23

A new poll finds overwhelming support for open primary elections as opposed to closed party primaries. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Governor Jeff Landry is warning SNAP recipients they will not receive government cash assistance for food purchases if the federal government shutdown continues. Andre Champagne has the story.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

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The legislature begins a special session at two this afternoon. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The LSU Presidential Search Committee holds its third meeting this afternoon. Piper Hutchinson, a reporter with the Louisiana Illuminator, says with this meeting, the committee moves into the final stages of selecting the university system’s next president.

Cut 4 (12) “…soon become public.”

Hutchinson says several people have expressed interest in becoming the new leader of the LSU system.

Cut 5 (12) “…were highly qualified.”

Next Wednesday morning, the committee will conduct interviews with the candidates it invited to apply for the position and will select three finalists to recommend to the Board of Supervisors. Hutchinson says after that, a series of meetings will be held with those finalists.

Cut 6 (09) “…to vote on.”

Hutchinson says they hope to have the new president selected by Thanksgiving and have that new president begin shortly after the first of the year.

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A new statewide poll finds Louisiana residents overwhelmingly support an open primary election system over a closed party primary. Pollster John Couvillon says 69-percent of the 600 respondents favor an open primary, which is a similar percentage to when JMC Analytics and Polling asked this same question in the first quarter of this year.

Cut 7 (11) “…be coming online.”

Next year’s federal elections will be closed party primaries, which means registered Republicans and no party voters can only vote in the Republican primary and Democrats and no party voters can only vote in the Democratic primary.

Couvillon says Louisiana voters prefer the simplicity of an open party primary.

Cut 8 (06) “…who you want.”

A group called Unite America paid for the poll. Unite America promotes itself as an organization that invests in nonpartisan election reform.

In 2024, Governor Jeff Landry helped convince the Louisiana Legislature to pass legislation to switch to closed party primaries for election to federal offices and other offices like P-S-C and BESE.

A spokesperson for Landry says Unite America’s philanthropic work supports groups with strong, liberal bias, like Environmental Defense Fund, Anti-Defamation League and the Nature Conservancy.

Couvillon says the last time Louisiana went to party primaries, it didn’t last long.

Cut 9 (10)  “…quickly repealed it.”

Landry’s argument for changing to party primaries was that states that were more successful than Louisiana used that system to elect their officials.

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Governor Jeff Landry is warning SNAP recipients that they will not receive cash assistance from the government on their cards starting November 1st if the federal government shutdown continues. Jan (“yahn”) Moller, the executive director of Invest Louisiana, says this action could be avoided.

Cut 10 (11) “…still get paid.”

It’s unknown if the USDA plans to utilize contingency funds to ensure November SNAP benefits. Governor Jeff Landry blames Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the rest of the Senate Democrats who are not voting for a funding bill to re-open the federal government.

Moeller says more than 800-thousand households in Louisiana rely on SNAP benefits.

Cut 11 (09) “…of the month.” 

Moeller says instead of having a special session to change the dates of next year’s federal party primary elections, legislators should hold meetings on how they could use state dollars to pay for November SNAP benefits.

Cut 12 (06) “…get paid out.” 

There’s no guarantee the federal government will reimburse Louisiana or any other state if they use state resources to bridge the gap until the federal government reopens.

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The legislature reconvenes at two this afternoon to begin a 22-day special session to adjust the primary election calendar. According to the bill co-authored by Port Allen Republican Senator Caleb Kleinpeter, the dates for the primary and runoff would be pushed back 30 days. This comes as the Supreme Court considers its ruling on the constitutionality of the creation of the state’s second majority Black congressional district. Kleinpeter says when the Supreme Court will rule is anyone’s guess.

Cut 13 (07)  “…back before Christmas.”

Kleinpeter says even though Governor Landry scheduled the session for 22 days, he expects it to gavel out sine die much sooner.

Cut 14 (08) “…just in case.”

New Orleans Democratic Representative Candace Newell (new-ELL) also expects the session to be done well before the November 13th deadline. She has concerns about moving the calendar.

Cut 15 (12) “…in the process.”

There’s also the possibility that someone may file a bill that would do away with the closed primary and go back to an open primary, which would eliminate the primary and runoff altogether and go straight to Election Day on November 3rd, 2026. Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser says he’s in favor of that – and so is Newell.

Cut 16 (08) “…the closed primaries.”

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The Saints return to New Orleans to host their divisional rival with the Buccaneers on Sunday. Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield did not hide his hatred for the team in black and gold.

Cut 17 (09) “…don’t like them.”

Saints head coach Kellen Moore responded to Mayfield’s comments by saying he understands how big the rivalry is, and he expects Sunday to be a fun matchup.

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ULM is coming off a frustrating 37-14 loss to Troy on Saturday, falling to 3-and-4 on the year. Head coach Bryant Vincent says the Warhawks are not giving up on the season, and the team will continue to bring the fight each game.

Cut 18 (14) “…were thinking wrong.”

The Warhawks travel to Hattiesburg on Saturday to face Southern Mississippi at 2:30 p.m.

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During the weekly SEC teleconference, LSU head coach Brian Kelly gave an update on junior linebacker Whit Weeks’ availability heading into Saturday’s matchup with number-three Texas A&M.

Cut 19 (14) “…in the week.”

The Tigers are 0-and-5 when Whit Weeks does not play or start. LSU senior defensive tackle Bernard Gooden practiced on Tuesday but did not do everything.

LSU 6-foot-7 sophomore tight end Trey’Dez Green has totaled 193 yards and two touchdowns in his last two games. Green spent time playing with the LSU basketball team last year but made the transition to just football this year. Kelly says Green has done all the things necessary to break out this season.

Cut 20 (17) “…-playing the game.”

 

5:30 LRN Newscast

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser is urging the legislature to scrap the closed primaries and go back to open primaries. California, Washington and Alaska are the only states in which all candidates of all parties appear on the same ballot for federal races. Nungesser says if all states followed their lead, the rhetoric would be toned down considerably on Capitol Hill.

Cut 5 (12) “…of the country.”

Authorities are investigating the mysterious death of a young woman from Wisconsin who was found dead on the I-10 Twin Spans in an apparent hit-and-run. St. Tammany Parish Coroner Christopher Tape says Edashia Caraway was in New Orleans for the NBA Youngboy concert.

Cut 6 (12) “…second vehicle stops.”

The group Agenda for Children says the poverty rate among children in Louisiana is currently the highest in the nation at 19-percent. Data and Research Director Teresa Falgoust (FAAL-goo) says living in poverty will often lead to other adverse effects for kids as they get older, so it’s very important that the cycle be broken. 

Cut 11 (09) “…et cetera.”

The Louisiana Tech football team rallied back from down 13 at halftime, but they couldn’t finish the job as they lost to Western Kentucky, 28-27 in double overtime. The Bulldogs have lost two in a row, but defensive back Cedric Woods from Monroe says adversity will only make them stronger.

Cut 13 (12)  “…help us grow.”

Tech is now 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Conference USA.

4:45 LRN Sportscast

The Pelicans begin their season tonight as New Orleans travels to Memphis to face the Grizzlies. The Pelicans have ten new players on this year’s roster. Veteran guard Jordan Poole says the preseason games helped the team get more into a rhythm.

Cut 18 (21) “…put everything together.”

Tipoff in Memphis is at 7 p.m.

Louisiana Tech is now 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Conference USA after last night’s 28-27 overtime loss to Western Kentucky. Tech has lost two in a row, but defensive back Cedric Woods from Monroe says the adversity they are facing will only make them stronger…

Cut 13 (12)  “…help us grow.”

Southern named former Alcorn State head coach and current co-offensive coordinator Fred McNair as the interim head coach. McNair, who’s the older brother of the late NFL quarterback Steve McNair, says he’s looking forward to helping turn things around for the rest of the season.

Cut 19 (15) “…at the end.”

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, New England Patriots linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson and Cleveland Browns safety Grant Delpit were named the AFC Offensive, Defensive and Special teams Players of the Week after their week 7 performances. It’s the first time in NFL history that all three conference players of the week were college teammates. Chase, Chaisson and Delpit were all key contributors to LSU’s 2019 national championship team.

4:30 LRN Newscast

Authorities are investigating the mysterious death of a Wisconsin tourist. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

A 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl are dead in what New Orleans Police are calling a murder-suicide. Witnesses say the man was pacing the girl’s neighborhood for an hour this morning; and when the girl stepped outside to go to her bus stop, the man shot her several times before turning the gun on himself. The relationship between the two is unclear at this time.

With the legislature debating whether to push the closed primaries back a month with a Supreme Court decision looming, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser says he’d like to go back to open primaries. Nungesser says open primaries yield a more representative government, while closed primaries usually leave general election voters a choice between two extremists.

Cut 4 (13) “…are left out.”

The group Agenda for Children says the poverty rate among children in Louisiana is the highest in the country at 19-percent – far above the national average of 13-percent. Data and Research Director Teresa Falgoust (FAAL-goo) says the lack of affordability of child care is one reason behind that big number.

Cut 10 (13) “…economic well-being.”

3:30 LRN Newscast

A 26-year-old woman from Wisconsin who was in New Orleans for a concert at the Smoothie King Center is dead and authorities are trying to figure out what happened. State Police found the body of Edashia Caraway on the I-10 Twin span. St. Tammany Parish coroner Christopher Tape says the manner of death is homicide from a hit-and-run. Tape says she traveled to Louisiana alone…

Cut 7 (04) “…27th birthday”

Tape says it’s a mysterious death as they don’t know how she ended up on the Twin Span. Caraway was in NOLA for the NBA Youngboy concert.

Poverty among children in Louisiana is on the rise. The group Agenda for Children says the poverty rate among children in Louisiana is 19-percent – currently the highest in the country. That’s also far above the national average of 13-percent. Data and Research Director Teresa Falgoust (FAAL-goo) says economic factors are a major reason behind the spike.

Cut 9 (11)  “…Louisiana as well.”

 

As the legislature gets set to debate the primary schedule for next year’s federal elections, the lieutenant governor leaves no doubt on what he thinks about party primaries.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

A special session begins tomorrow. It’s expected to be a short session as legislators are seeking to push back the dates of the party primary elections for Senator Cassidy’s seat and U-S House races. Currently, the first party primary is in April and it will likely be pushed back at least a month in case the Supreme Court rules the current Congressional map is unconstitutional.

LRN PM Newscall October 22nd

As the legislature gets set to debate the primary schedule for next year’s federal elections, the lieutenant governor leaves no doubt on where he stands on the issue. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Authorities are investigating the mysterious death of a Wisconsin tourist. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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With the legislature set to debate the status of the primaries starting tomorrow, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser leaves no doubt as to where he stands on the whole thing – if it was up to him, he’d scrap the closed primaries altogether and go back to open primaries. Nungesser says closed primaries are a major reason why the political climate in this country is as bad as it’s ever been.

Cut 3 (10) “…vote for you.”

Nungesser says whereas open primaries yield a more representative government, closed primaries usually leave general election voters a choice between two extremists.

Cut 4 (13) “…are left out.”

Nearly every state in the country has party primaries for federal offices; California, Washington and Alaska are the only states in which all candidates of all parties appear on the same ballot. Nungesser says if all states followed their lead, the rhetoric would be toned down considerably on Capitol Hill, and things would actually get done for the benefit of the American people.

Cut 5 (12) “…of the country.”

Nungesser says more than 70-percent of Louisianans favor open primaries, and the legislature should listen to them and scrap the closed primaries.

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Authorities are investigating the mysterious death of a young woman from Wisconsin who was found dead on the I-10 Twin Spans in an apparent hit-and-run. St. Tammany Parish Coroner Christopher Tape says Edashia Caraway was in New Orleans for the NBA Youngboy concert.

Cut 6 (12) “…second vehicle stops.”

Caraway was to have flown home Tuesday morning, instead that morning State Police responded to a report of a body on Twin Spans at approximately mile marker 26 eastbound. Tape says Caraway traveled to Louisiana alone.

Cut 7 (04) “…27th birthday” 

Tape says Caraway perished of multiple blunt force injuries due to a vehicle-versus-pedestrian impact. The manner of death is homicide from hit and run. The coroner says State Police and other law enforcement agencies are trying to determine how she ended up on the Twin Span…

Cut 8 (05) “…of peoples.”

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Poverty among children in Louisiana is on the rise. The group Agenda for Children says the poverty rate among children in Louisiana is 19-percent – currently the highest in the country. That’s also far above the national average of 13-percent. Data and Research Director Teresa Falgoust (FAAL-goo) says economic factors are a major reason behind the spike, especially when it comes to attachments to the labor force.

Cut 9 (11)  “…Louisiana as well.”

Falgoust says the lack of affordability of child care is another reason why so many kids in Louisiana live in poverty today.

Cut 10 (13) “…economic well-being.”

Falgoust says living in poverty will often lead to other adverse effects for kids as they get older, so it’s very important that the cycle of poverty be broken. 

Cut 11 (09) “…et cetera.”

Agenda for Children says rising prices and the expiration of pandemic-era policies have plunged an additional 80-thousand kids into poverty in Louisiana in the last three years.

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The Louisiana Tech football team rallied back from a 13-point halftime deficit but lost to Western Kentucky 28-27 in double overtime. The Bulldogs got back into the game when Devin Gandy returned a kick to start the second half for a touchdown, but the Bulldogs could not score touchdowns on two trips to the Red Zone in the fourth quarter. Coach Sonny Cumbie…

Cut 12 (12) “…boils down too.”

The Bulldogs are now 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Conference USA. Tech has lost two in a row, but defensive back Cedric Woods from Monroe says the adversity they are facing will only make them stronger…

Cut 13 (12)  “…help us grow.”

Tech’s next game is against Sam Houston on Halloween night .

2:30 LRN Newscast

With the legislature set to debate pushing the dates back for next year’s party primaries , Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser leaves no doubt as to where he stands – if it was up to him, he’d scrap the closed primaries altogether and go back to open primaries. Nungesser says closed primaries are a major reason why the political climate is as bad as it’s ever been.

Cut 3 (10) “…vote for you.”

The federal elections next year will be a party primary and legislators are looking to push them back a month, because the Supreme Court could rule the current Congressional map as unconstitutional.

A tourist from Wisconsin was found dead on the I-10 Twin Span Tuesday morning. 26-year-old Edashia Carway was in New Orleans for the NBA Youngboy concert. St. Tammany Parish coroner Christopher Tape says The manner of death is homicide from hit and run. The coroner says State Police and other law enforcement agencies are trying to determine how she ended up on the Twin Span…

Cut 8 (05) “…of peoples.”

The trip to New Orleans was a birthday gift from her family as she was set to turn 27 today.

The group Agenda for Children says the poverty rate among children in Louisiana is 19-percent – currently the highest in the country. The national average is 13-percent. Data and Research Director Teresa Falgoust says living in poverty will often lead to other adverse effects for kids as they get older, so it’s very important that the cycle of poverty be broken.

Cut 11 (09) “…et cetera.”

A starter on LSU’s defense last season is no longer on the football team…

Cut 28 (08) “…no longer on the roster”

That’s LSU Coach Brian Kelly on today’s SEC coaches teleconference. Ashton Stamps started every game at cornerback last season, but has been a back-up this season.

1:30 LRN Newscast

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser is urging the legislature to scrap the closed primaries and go back to open primaries. California, Washington and Alaska are the only states in which all candidates of all parties appear on the same ballot for federal races. Nungesser says if all states followed their lead, the rhetoric would be toned down considerably on Capitol Hill.

Cut 5 (12) “…of the country.”

Authorities are investigating the mysterious death of a young woman from Wisconsin who was found dead on the I-10 Twin Spans in an apparent hit-and-run. St. Tammany Parish Coroner Christopher Tape says Edashia Caraway was in New Orleans for the NBA Youngboy concert.

Cut 6 (12) “…second vehicle stops.”

The group Agenda for Children says the poverty rate among children in Louisiana is the highest in the country at 19-percent – far above the national average of 13-percent. Data and Research Director Teresa Falgoust (FAAL-goo) says the lack of affordability of child care is one reason behind that big number.

Cut 10 (13) “…economic well-being.”

The Louisiana Tech football team rallied back from a 13-point halftime deficit but lost to Western Kentucky 28-27 in double overtime. The Bulldogs got back into the game when Devin Gandy returned a kick to start the second half for a touchdown, but the Bulldogs could not score touchdowns on two trips to the Red Zone in the fourth quarter. Coach Sonny Cumbie…

Cut 12 (12) “…boils down too.”

12:30 LRN Newscast

With the legislature debating whether to push the closed primaries back a month with a Supreme Court decision looming, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser says he’d like to go back to open primaries. Nungesser says open primaries yield a more representative government, while closed primaries usually leave general election voters a choice between two extremists.

Cut 4 (13) “…are left out.”

Poverty among children in Louisiana is on the rise. The group Agenda for Children says the poverty rate among children in Louisiana is currently the highest in the country. Data and Research Director Teresa Falgoust (FAAL-goo) says economic factors are a major reason.

Cut 9 (11)  “…Louisiana as well.”

Authorities are investigating the mysterious death of a Wisconsin tourist. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”