LRN Newscast 16:30 January 28, 2015

Republican Congressman Steve Scalise agrees to meet with two civil rights leaders in the aftermath of reports he spoke to a group of white supremacists in 2002…
CUT 1 (31) “reporting”

Governor Bobby Jindal says his proposed budget cuts will be presented to lawmakers, along with a list of “options” to ease some of the slashing. With the state facing a 1.6 billion dollar shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year, the Jindal administration is considering cuts for colleges, and to health care services.
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The South African energy company Sasol says it is delaying the decision to invest in a proposed gas-to-liquids plant in the Lake Charles area. LSU Center for Energy Studies Executive Director David Dismukes says you can blame falling oil and natural gas prices…
CUT 8 (10) Q: ‘oil prices’
He says other announced projects in Louisiana could be delayed as well.

It was a surprising awakening this morning for one Slidell homeowner, as he discovered a strange man asleep on his couch. The owner didn’t waste any time, as he immediately called police…
CUT 11 (09) Q: ‘further incident”
That’s Slidell Police Detective Daniel Seuzeneau, who says 31 year-old Sharrod McCullum was arrested without incident.

LRN Newscast 15:30 January 28, 2015

A final decision from Sasol on whether or not it will invest in a proposed gas-to-liquids plant in southwest Louisiana has been delayed due to tumbling oil prices.  LSU Center for Energy Studies Executive Director David Dismukes says this decision is well thought out…
CUT 6 (10) “little bit more questionable”
If it’s approved, it would be the most expensive industrial project in Louisiana history.

A Slidell homeowner got a surprise this morning, as he found a strange man asleep on his couch. When police got there, they discovered 31 year-old Sharrod McCullum had forced his way inside, and he appeared to be intoxicated…
CUT (08) Q: ‘the neighborhood”
That’s Slidell Police Detective Daniel Seuzeneau, who says the suspect was arrested without incident.
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Republican Congressman Steve Scalise agrees to meet with two civil rights leaders in the aftermath of reports the House Majority Whip spoke to a group of white supremacists in 2002. They will likely ask Scalise to help advance civil and human rights issues, like the renewal of the Voting Rights Act. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says this meeting a good idea…
CUT 3 (12) “meeting with EURO”

The State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating an intense early morning fire in Ouachita Parish that has claimed the lives of an unidentified man and woman in Calhoun. Right now, they’re trying to just get some answers…
CUT 13 (07) Q: “at this point”
That’s State Fire Marshal Butch Browning.

LRN Sportscast 16:45 January 28

The legal back and forth continues between Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson and his children and grandchildren. In a court filing, Benson explains further his decision to put his wife, Gayle, in control of the professional franchises after his death, because Renee Benson, along with Rita Leblanc and Ryan Leblanc never rose to the occassion. Meanwhile, lawyers for the estranged heirs filed court documents pushing for Mr Benson to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s annual convention is underway and the top agenda item is the controversial split of the football playoffs. New LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says he wants more time to dive into issues which created the split and work with schools on a plan that will make it more equitable for teams to win a championship…:
CUT 15 (05) “trial on”
Votes on various proposals are scheduled for Friday.

After winning two games on the road last week, the LSU men’s basketball team hosts South Carolina tonight, looking for their third consecutive win. Sophomore forward Jarell Martin is looking forward to playing in front of the home folks…
cut 30 (10) “….want to see”
Tip-off is at six o’ clock.

At seven o’ clock in the Smoothie King Center, the Pelicans, who have won four in a row, host Denver, who has lost seven straight.

The Ragin Cajuns have been picked to repeat as Sun Belt champs. Junior shortstop Blake Trahan was named as the league’s preseason player of the year. U-L-M is picked to finish ninth.

Sam Houston State has been picked to win the Southland by the league coaches. Southeastern, Northwestern, Nicholls and McNeese projected to finish in third through sixth place.

And Louisiana Tech has been picked to finish in last play in Conference USA.

LRN Newscast 14:30 January 28, 2015

Sasol announces they are delaying a final investment decision on building a gas to liquids plant in the Lake Charles area…
CUT 2 (32) “reporting”

Officials from Grambling will be meeting with the Louisiana State Board of Nursing next month to rule on the school’s undergraduate program. Grambling’s nursing program has not maintained an 80 percent pass rate for students taking their state exams exams. Grambling currently has about 200 students in the program.
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Republican House Majority Whip and Jefferson Parish Congressman Steve Scalise will be meeting with two civil rights leaders in the aftermath of him speaking to a group of white supremacists in 2002. Political analyst Clancy Dubos thinks the meeting next month with former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, who’s the President of the National Urban League, and Wade Henderson, the President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights could help him….
CUT 5 (07) Q: ‘a good thing’

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating an early morning fire in Ouachita Parish that has claimed the lives of two people in Calhoun…
CUT 12 (11) Q: “this mobile home”
That’s State Fire Marshal Butch Browning, who adds the fire was extremely intense.

PM LRN Newscall January 28

Republican Congressman Steve Scalise agrees to meet with two civil rights leaders in the aftermath of reports Scalise spoke to a group of white supremacists in 2002. Eric Gill has more…

CUT 1 (31) “reporting”

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Sasol announces they are delaying a final investment decision on building a gas to liquids plant in the Lake Charles area. Michelle Southern reports.

CUT 2 (32) “reporting”

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

Republican Congressman Steve Scalise agrees to meet with two civil rights leaders in the aftermath of reports that the House Majority Whip spoke to a group of white supremacists in 2002. The pair want to ask Scalise to help advance civil and human rights issues, like the renewal of the Voting Rights Act. Political analyst Clancy Dubos thinks this is a good move for the Congressman…

CUT 3 (12)  “meeting with EURO”

Dubos says this is a step Scalise can take to put some action behind the words he said in regards to the controversy. The Congressman has acknowledged it was a mistake to speak to the group and has apologized. Dubos feels Scalise has been sincere in his remarks since the news came out…

CUT 4 (11)  “in all forms”

The House Majority Whip will meet with former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League, and Wade Henderson, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, next month. Dubos says Scalise should use this meeting as a real chance to communicate…

CUT 5 (07)  “a good thing”

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

Sasol says it’s delaying a final decision on whether or not it will invest in a proposed gas-to-liquids plant in southwest Louisiana. The South African energy company says they’re holding off on the 14 billion dollar phase of the project due to tumbling oil prices. LSU Center for Energy Studies Executive Director David Dismukes says not a surprise, considering the massive scope of the project with…:

CUT 6 (10)  “little bit more questionable”

Sasol has already approved an $8.1 billion ethane cracker in Westlake but right now the company says they are working to conserve as much money as possible in the wake of falling oil prices. There are several other announced industry sites out there in Louisiana and Dismukes says the farther one is away from completion, the more likely a similar delay will take place:

CUT 7 (08)  “locked in”

If Sasol green-lights this GTL plant, it would be the most expensive industrial project in Louisiana history, totaling $22 billion when combined with the cracker. Dismukes says this decision is reflective of what’s happening with the entire energy industry

CUT 8 (08) “oil prices”

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

Slidell Police say a homeowner woke up this morning to find something quite unusual in his home. Detective Daniel Seuzeneau says the homeowner immediately called police and responding officers found 31-year-old Sharrod McCullum sound asleep on the victim’s sofa…

CUT 9 (08)  “he was at”

The officers woke McCullum up and were able to arrest him without incident. Seuzeneau says the suspect appeared to be intoxicated. He says authorities discovered that McCullum forced entry through the rear door of the residence…

cut 10 (08)  “the neighborhood”

McCullum faces one count of simple burglary and one count of criminal damage. Seuzeneau says other charges could be filed in the near future. He admits it’s funny, but scary at the same time to wake up and find a stranger sleeping in your house…

cut 11 (09)  “further incident”

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The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating an early morning fire in Ouachita Parish that has claimed the lives of two people. Fire Marshal Butch Browning says the fire occurred around 5AM this morning at a mobile home in Calhoun…

cut 12 (11)  “this mobile home”

The identities of the man and woman who perished in the fire have not been released. The mobile home shared property with a house that is believed to belong to the father of one of the victims. Browning says the fire that destroyed the mobile home was very intense…

cut 13 (07)  “at this point”

Browning says officials are still working to determine the exact cause of the fire. He stresses it’s a very active investigation and information is very limited at this time…

cut 14 (07)  “in Louisiana”

13:30 Newscast January 28th, 2015

Sasol says they’re holding off on the 14 billion dollar gas to liquids plant phase due to tumbling oil prices. The energy giant says it’s working to conserve as much money as possible right now. LSU Center for Energy Studies Executive Director David Dismukes says there are several announced industry sites still out there in Louisiana and the farther one is from completion, the more likely it is a similar delay will take place…:
CUT 7 (08) “locked in”
If Sasol would have green-lighted this GTL plant it would have been the most expensive project in Louisiana history coming to a total of $22 billion when combined with the cracker.

A blaze in Ouachita Parish this morning claimed the life of the two occupants according to the State Fire Marshal’s office. They say the father of one of the victims heard a loud noise and called firefighters but by the time they got there the Calhou mobile home was complteley enfulged in flames. The cause remains under investigation.

Republican Congressman Steve Scalise has agreed to a meeting with two civil rights leaders in the aftermath of reports that Scalise spoke to a group of white supremacists in 2002. The Congressman has acknowledged it was a mistake to speak to the group and has apologized. Political analyst Clancy Dubos feels Scalise has been sincere in his remarks since the news came out…:
CUT 4 (11) “in all forms”
The pair want to ask Scalise to help advance civil and human rights issues, like the renewal of the Voting Rights Act.

Saints and Pelicans Owner Tom Benson has responded to a lawsuit filed by his daughter and two grandchildren. In a court filing, Benson says for years he attempted to groom Renee Benson and his two grandchildren to take over the professional franchises once he dies, but they never rose to the task. He adds the decision for his wife to take control of the teams following his death was a deliberate and reasoned decision.

 

12:30 Newscast January 28th, 2015

Sasol says it will delay a decision on whether or not it will make the final announced investment into the proposed gas-to-liquids plant in southwest Louisiana. LSU Center for Energy Studies Executive Director David Dismukes says this decision is reflective of the entire industry starting to re-evaluate its thinking..:
CUT 8 (08) “oil prices”
The company says they are working on a plan to conserve money in the wake of falling oil prices.

Slidell Police say a man is behind bars accused of breaking into someone’s home to rob it, but passing out drunk on the couch. Detective Daniel Seuzeneau says the homeowner called police around 5:30 this morning and responding officers found 31-year-old Sharrod McCullum sound asleep in the living room…:
CUT 9 (08) “he was at”
McCullum faces one count of simple burglary and one count of criminal damage.

Republican Congressman Steve Scalise has agreed to a meeting with two civil rights leaders in the aftermath of reports that Scalise spoke to a group of white supremacists in 2002. Eric Gill has more…:
CUT 1 (31) “reporting”

Tonight’s Powerball drawing is up to $261 million dollars according to the American Automobile Association.

 

11:30 Newscast January 28th, 2015

Sasol says it will delay a decision on whether or not it will make the final announced investment into the proposed gas-to-liquids plant in southwest Louisiana. The South African energy company says they’re holding off on the 14 billion dollar phase of the project due to tumbling oil prices. LSU Center for Energy Studies Executive Director David Dismukes says this was a massive project to begin with…:
CUT 6 (10) “little bit more questionable”
Sasol has already approved an $8.1 billion dollar ethane cracker in Westlake but right now says they are working to conserve as much money as possible in the wake of falling oil prices.

Police in Slidell have arrested a man for allegedly breaking into someone’s home to rob it, then passing out drunk on the couch. They say the homeowner woke up this morning and found 31-year-old Sharrod McCullum sound asleep in his living room. The suspect is booked with simple burglary and criminal damage to property.

Republican Congressman Steve Scalise has agreed to a meeting with two civil rights leaders in the aftermath of reports that Scalise spoke to a group of white supremacists in 2002. The pair want to ask Scalise to help advance civil and human rights issues, like the renewal of the Voting Rights Act. Political analyst Clancy Dubos thinks this is a good move for the Congressman…:
CUT 3 (12) “meeting with EURO”
Scalise has acknowledged it was a mistake to speak to the group and has apologized.

The State Fire Marshal’s office says a fire destroyed a home in Ouachita Parish this morning and two adult occupants were found dead inside. They say firefighters were dispatched to the Calhoun residence around 5am. The investigation into the cause of the blaze is an active one.

 

11:40 Sportscast January 28

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s annual convention is underway and the main agenda item is the current split of the football playoffs. LHSAA Executive Director, Eddie Bonine, believes since he’s new on the job, the best course of action is to stay with the split football playoffs for another year, to give him more time to work on a better solution…
cut 14 (09) “thing right”
The LHSAA voted in 2013 to split the football playoffs, because of concerns private schools had certain advantages over public schools.

Saints and Pelicans Owner Tom Benson has responded to a lawsuit filed by his daughter and two grandchildren. In a court filing, Benson says for years he attempted to groom Renee Benson and his two grandchildren to take over the professional franchises once he dies, but they never rose to the task. He adds the decision for his wife to take control of the teams following his death was a deliberate and reasoned decision.

After picking up two wins on the road last week, LSU is home tonight to take on South Carolina at six P-M. The Tigers are 4-and-2 in the league and a win tonight, puts them in a four-way tie for second place. The Gamecocks are one and five in the SEC.

The Pelicans are seeking their fifth straight win of the season tonight when they host the Denver Nuggets. Meanwhile, Denver is trying to avoid it’s eighth straight defeat. Tip-off from the Smoothie King Center is at 7 PM.

McNeese State released its 2015 football schedule today. The Cowboys will kick-off the season at LSU on September fifth and return home the next week to play against Incarnate Word. The Pokes will play five home games, including a match-ups with Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State in October.

Louisiana Tech has been picked to finish in last place in Conference USA by the league’s baseball coaches.

U-L Lafayette has been picked to repeat as softball champions in the Sun Belt.

10:30 Newcast January 28th, 2015

More and more women are buying guns and becoming involved with firearms according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. They found gun shops saw a 74 percent increase in the number of female customers in 2013. Barret Kendrick, who is a firearms trainer in Covington, says three years ago he’d just see one or two females in a CCP class…:
CUT 8 (08) “during that time”
He says many of his female students come in scared of guns but end up really enjoying the training course and having fun.

Sasol announces they are going to delay a final investment decision on building a gas to liquids plant in the Lake Charles area. The South African energy giant cites the collapse in oil prices as the reason. But Sasol has already begun another project in Westlake which is an $8.1 billion dollar ethane cracker. The company says they are working on a plan to conserve money in the wake of falling oil prices.

Governor Bobby Jindal is not commenting on specifics right now regarding the looming budget cuts for higher education in Louisiana. The Governor was asked about the state’s difficult fiscal situation while in Lafayette for a groundbreaking of a new high-tech business. Jindal says they’ll do everything they can to mitigate the impact on higher education, but he’ll once again ask lawmakers to balance next year’s fiscal budget without raising taxes.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s annual convention is underway and the item at the top of mind is the current controversial split of the football playoffs. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says he wants more time to dive into issues which created the new system and work with schools on a plan that will make it more equitable for teams to win a championship…:
CUT 15 (05) “trial on”
The vote will take place on Friday.