1:30 LRN Newscast

The Louisiana Department of Health this week confirmed a case of measles in the New Orleans area. All we know about the patient is that the patient is a child who became exposed during international travel. LDH says on April 17th while infected, the patient visited the Kenner Target and Walmart stores. State Epidemiologist Theresa Sokol says if you were at either store that day, closely monitor yourself for any symptoms.

Cut 9 (13)  “…the rash appears.”

LDH says the patient was partially vaccinated.

The LSU baseball team will look to turn its season around starting this afternoon as the Tigers travel to Starkville for a three-game series against 15th-ranked Mississippi State. Coach Jay Johnson says the Bulldogs present another tough test for his team.

Cut 29 (09)  “…to be awesome.”

First pitch has been moved up to 3 p-m because of the potential of severe weather in Starkville tonight.

 

A measure to crack down on marijuana use near school facilities advances to the Senate. The full House passed Pollack Representative Gabe Firment’s bill on a vote of 59-to-34. It would increase the penalty for smoking marijuana within two-thousand feet of a school facility to up to a year in prison and a fine of up to one-thousand dollars. Firment said marijuana use near schools is getting out of control.

Cut 30 (11) “…little meaningful consequence.”

The bill heads to the Senate for more discussion.

Festival International which has music groups from around the world will create great vibes in downtown Lafayette this weekend. Vice President of Communications at Lafayette Travel, Jesse Guidry, says Festival International is not just a music festival…

Cut 5 (10) “…arts and craft.”

12:30 LRN Newscast

Governor Landry and Baton Rouge law enforcement will hold a press conference at 2 PM to provide an update on yesterday’s fatal shooting at the Mall of Louisiana that killed a 17-year-old student from Lafayette Parish and injured five others. Baton Rouge police chief T.J. Morse says at 1:22 yesterday afternoon, two groups of people got into an argument, and gunfire erupted.

Cut 12 (12) “…the cross fire.”

The 17-year-old girl who was fatally shot has been identified as Martha Odom and she attended Ascension Episcopal.

Two of the state’s largest teacher unions are supporting Constitutional Amendment 3 on the May 16th ballot. Louisiana Federation of Teachers president Larry Carter says the measure would provide a permanent salary increase for educators and school employees….

Cut 6 (14) “…permanent pay.”

Early voting for this election begins May 2nd.

 

It’s another big weekend of festivals and Festival International is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Andre Champagne has more…

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

The NFL draft got underway last night with the Saints selecting Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson with the eighth overall pick. Tyson has great hands and can play all three wide receiver positions. But the 21-year-old has also battled injuries during his career. The Saints have two draft selections tonight and five more on Saturday.

11:40 LRN Sportscast

The Saints selected wide receiver Jordan Tyson out of Arizona State with the eighth overall pick last night, which adds another weapon to quarterback Tyler Shough’s arsenal. Tyson caught 61 passes for 711 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games with the Sun Devils last season. Coach Kellen Moore says Tyson has several skills that stood out.

Cut 29 (08): “we’re fired up.”

The draft continues at six this evening with the second round, in which the Saints have the tenth pick.

The Kansas City Chiefs moved up three spots to number six to take former LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. He becomes the second-highest LSU DB selected in the draft and the ninth defensive back in program history to be selected in the first round. According to Spotrac, Delane’s rookie contract is worth $41.9 million with $26.9 million guaranteed.

Former Tigers Garrett Nussmeier, Harold Perkins Jr. and AJ Haulcy will all await to hear their names being called tonight.

The LSU baseball team will look to turn its season around starting this afternoon as the Tigers travel to Starkville for a three-game series against 15th-ranked Mississippi State. Coach Jay Johnson says the Bulldogs present another tough test for his team.

Cut 17 (10)  “…to be awesome.”

First pitch has been moved up to 3 p-m because of the potential of severe weather in Starkville tonight.

Louisiana Tech baseball opens a pivotal three-game home series against Missouri State tonight. The Bears rank second in Conference USA and 11th nationally with 76 home runs and counting. Head coach Lane Burroughs says his team must do a good job of limiting the long ball this weekend.

Cut 19 (10) “…play good baseball.”

First pitch in Ruston is set for 6 p.m.

11:30 LRN Newscast

The teenager killed in yesterday’s shooting at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge is identified as 17-year-old Martha Odom. She attended Ascension Episcopal School in Lafayette. She was shot in the chest, and two of her classmates were among five wounded. FMOL Health President Chuck Spicer:

Cut 11 (10) “…we lost one.”

Baton Rouge Police will hold a news conference at two this afternoon to update the investigation.

Legislation to mandate five-day school weeks, with exceptions, is now just one House vote away from landing on Governor Landry’s desk. It comes amid a string of school districts, including East Feliciana, which are moving to four-day school weeks. East Feliciana Superintendent Keisha Netterville says the length of the school week should be determined by local officials.

Cut 9 (09)  “…to the work.”

If you’re a fan of music from all around the world, Lafayette is the place to be this weekend, as this is Festival International weekend. Jesse Guidry, the vice president of communications at Lafayette Travel, says Festival International is one of Lafayette’s biggest tourist attractions every year, and visitors do more than attend the festival.

Cut 4 (05) “…around Lafayette.”

More than 50 countries are represented, and over 500 musicians are at this weekend’s cultural celebration.

The Saints used the eighth overall pick in the NFL Draft to select Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. Tyson says he can’t wait to team up with Chris Olave to give Tyler Shough an added target.

Cut 16 (06) “…to be ugly.”

In nine games with the Sun Devils last season, Tyson caught 61 passes for 711 yards and eight touchdowns. The draft continues at six this evening with the second round, in which the Saints have the tenth pick.

10:30 LRN Newscast

We now know the name of the 17-year-old who died in yesterday’s shooting at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. Martha Odom attended Ascension Episcopal School in Lafayette. Two of her classmates were injured in the shooting; they were innocent bystanders as an argument between two groups escalated into gunfire. Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse says five people have been arrested.

Cut 13 (09)  “…charge people involved.”

A measure to crack down on marijuana use near school facilities advances to the Senate. Gabe Firment’s bill would increase the penalty for smoking marijuana within two-thousand feet of a school facility to up to a year in prison and up to a one-thousand dollar fine. Denise Marcelle took issue with the fact that this bill comes amid an increasing push to decriminalize marijuana.

Cut 6 (09) “…in other states.”

If you want to listen to music from around the world, Festival International in downtown Lafayette is the place to do it this weekend. Jesse Guidry, the Vice President of Communications at Lafayette Travel, says over 50 countries are represented and over 500 musicians are at this weekend’s cultural celebration…

Cut 3 (08) “…to behold.”

The Saints selected Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson with the eighth overall pick in the NFL Draft. While an explosive receiver, Tyson does have a history of injuries. Tyson says he will work extra hard to stay healthy as he takes the leap to the next level.

Cut 15 (15) “…best shot possible.”

The second round begins at six this evening; the Saints have the tenth pick.

9:30 LRN Newscast

The second fatal mass shooting this week in Louisiana erupted at the Mall of Louisiana yesterday afternoon. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

The owner of the Bossier City home where the man who killed eight kids last Sunday died is now facing federal firearms charges. The Justice Department says 54-year-old Michael Mayence had several firearms inside the home while being subject to a domestic violence injunction.

A bill seeking to put an end to the trend of rural school districts moving to a four-day school week is now just one House vote away from landing on Governor Landry’s desk. The House Education Committee approved the Senate-passed bill on a 10-to-3 vote. Jennifer Thornton, the principal of Slaughter Elementary School in East Feliciana Parish, urged the committee to vote against it, saying teachers approve of the four-day week.

Cut 10 (08) “…sacrificing instructional quality.”

“With the eighth pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the New Orleans Saints select Jordyn Tyson, wide receiver, Arizona State.” In nine games with the Sun Devils last season, Tyson caught 61 passes for 711 yards and eight touchdowns. Tyson says he will add a lot to the Saints this season.

Cut 14 (11) “…story came from.”

8:30 AM LRN Newscast

A bill aiming to crack down on marijuana use near schools advances to the Senate. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The House Education Committee has approved a Senate-passed bill that looks to stop the trend of school districts moving to a four-day school week. Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell says adding hours to a school day so that everyone can have a three-day weekend does not mean better learning.

Cut 8 (05) “…in the afternoon.”

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A teenager is dead and five others are wounded following a shootout next to the food court at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. Sources say the person who died from his injuries was a 17-year-old. Three of the victims are seniors at Ascension Episcopal High School in Lafayette Parish. Authorities say they were innocent bystanders.  Baton Rouge police chief T.J. Morse says it all began yesterday afternoon when two groups of people got into an argument, and that’s when gunfire erupted.

Cut 12 (12) “…the cross fire.”

An arrest has been made in a 30 year old homicide in Lafayette Parish, the 1994 stabbing death of then 47 year old John Perry Meche. The break in the case happened as Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s detectives reviewed the case, working with the Acadiana Crime Lab which was able to make DNA from the cold case.  We’re told 60 year old Clinton Dronet is charged with Second Degree Murder in the case.

7:30 AM LRN Newscast

A teenager is dead and five others are wounded following a shootout next to the food court at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. Most of the victims were taken to Our Lady of the Lake. FMOL Health President Chuck Spicer:

Cut 11 (10) “…we lost one.”

Baton Rouge police chief T.J. Morse says five people were taken into custody.

A measure that would increase the penalty for smoking marijuana within two-thousand feet of a school facility to up to a year in prison and a one-thousand dollar fine has advanced to the Senate. The full House passed Pollack Representative Gabe Firment’s bill, but Marrero Representative Kyle Green says some people live within that zone.

Cut 5 (11) “…law enforcement officer.”

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House Education approves a Senate-passed bill that’s attempting to stop the growing number of school systems moving to a four-day school week. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

If you’re making plans for the weekend and thinking crawfish might be in your future, you should know the price of mudbugs dropped 25 cents per pound this week.  According to the Crawfish App, which tracks real-time pricing from more than one-thousand businesses, consumers can expect to pay amount @2.79 per pound for live crawfish and $5.46 per pound for boiled crawfish this weekend.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

The Saints used the eighth overall pick in last night’s draft to take Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson, who caught 61 passes for 711 yards and 8 touchdowns for the Sun Devils last season. Tyson says he can’t wait to team up with Chris Olave to give Tyler Shough an added target.

Cut 16 (06) “…to be ugly.”

Tyson is six-two, 203 pounds. He’s known as a great route runner who can go up and get 50-50 balls.

The Kansas City Chiefs moved up three spots to number six to take former LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. Delane is excited to play for the Chiefs who have won three Super Bowls since the 2019 season…

Cut 28 (14) “…ready to go”

The second round of the draft is tonight at 6 PM.

 

Stormy weather is expected in Starkville tonight, so LSU’s first game of the weekend series against Mississippi State has been moved up to three PM. The Tigers have lost six straight SEC games and with 12 league games left, time is running out for LSU to turn its season around. Coach Jay Johnson…

Cut 18 (19) “….how we play”

LSU has not missed the NCAA Tournament since 2011.

In other action this weekend, La Tech hosts Missouri State. ULM hosts James Madison, the Ragin Cajuns are at Arkansas State. Northwestern State faces Stephen F Austin, McNeese takes on UTRGV and Grambling hosts Alcorn.

6:30 AM LRN Newscast

The second fatal mass shooting this week in Louisiana erupted at the Mall of Louisiana yesterday afternoon. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Federal prosecutors have charged the man whose home Shamar Elkins fled to Sunday after shooting and killing eight children in Shreveport.  The U-S Attorney’s Office has charged 54 year old Michael Mayence with illegally possessing a firearm while being subject to a domestic violence injunction.

————————–

A measure to crack down on marijuana use near school facilities advances to the Senate. The full House passed Pollack Representative Gabe Firment’s bill on a vote of 59-to-34. It would increase the penalty for smoking marijuana within two-thousand feet of a school facility to up to a year in prison and a fine of up to one-thousand dollars. Firment said marijuana use near schools is getting out of control.

Cut 4 (11) “…little meaningful consequence.”

A bill seeking to put an end to the trend of rural school districts moving to a four-day school week continues to advance at the state capitol. The House Education Committee has approved the Senate-passed bill. Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell says it’s better for students and families if kids are at school five-days a week.

Cut 7 (05) “…back on Monday.”