11:30 Newscast, March 24th, 2015

A study examining the state’s film tax credit program finds that it created nearly 13-hundred jobs in Louisiana, but cost the state 171-million dollars last fiscal year. LSU Economist Loren Scott conducted the study for the state department of economic development and he says it shows that the film tax credit program costs more than it brings in…:
CUT 9 (10) “film industry”
In the upcoming session lawmakers are expected to look at several bills which seek to reform the film tax credit program.

A Franklin Parish woman was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to second degree cruelty to a juvenile after her 20-month-old daughter fell out of her moving car last June. Authorities say 24-year-old LaSasha Allen placed her daughter in an unrestrained position and opened the car door while rounding a curve, allowing her daughter to fall out. The child received multiple injuries, including a skull fracture.

Republican Congressman Charles Boustany announces that a contract has been awarded to build a new VA clinic in Lafayette. Last year, Boustany passed legislation authorizing the construction of new clinics in Lafayette and Lake Charles. Boustany says this is a great day for Lafayette veterans…:
CUT 6 (11) “long overdue”
The Lafayette clinic will be built on Ambassador Caffery Parkway and is expected to be completed 18 months after construction begins.

The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office says a Bossier City man is accused of stealing from his employer and selling the items on eBay. They say 60-year-old Michael Thompson returned about $2300 worth of stolen constrution items to his company but said everything else had been sold on the online aucotion site. He is charged with theft.

 

10:30 Newscast, March 24th, 2015

A Franklin Parish woman was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to second degree cruelty to a juvenile after causing her 20-month-old daughter to fall out of her moving car last June. District Attorney Mack Lancaster says he’s satisfied with the sentence handed down to 24-year-old LaSasha Allen of Winnsboro…:
CUT 3 (10) “appropriate sentence”
The child sustained multiple injuries, including a broken arm and skull fracture.

State Police say a single vehicle crash in Calcasieu Parish claimed the life of a passenger who was not wearing a seat belt and resulted in the arrest of the driver for vehicular homicide. An investigation revealed 34-year-old Randall Laird II of Lake Charles ran off a road at a curve and hit a tree. 44-year-old Molly Frank of Iowa died. Laird was arrested for DWI and vehicular homicide.

Today, a grand jury considers the case against a Terrebonne Sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed 14-year-old Cameron Tillman last September. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

A 30-year-old Baton Rouge heroin user will get at least 6 years in prison for giving his girlfriend a dose that killed her. DA Hillar Moore says now two families including the accused, Brandon Eirick, are ruined because of this…:
CUT 15 (09) “deadly consequences”

 

09:30 Newscast March 24, 2015

LSU President and Chancellor F King Alexander says he’s waiting for a plan to gain traction that will minimize potentially deep budget cuts to higher ed. Scott Carwile has the story…

cut 2 (31) “reporting”

State Police say a Marksville woman has been arrested for theft after an audit of the Office of Motor Vehicles revealed missing funds. Authorities say 33-year-old Angelle Temple allegedly stole money from OMV offices in Rapides and Avoyelles Parishes totaling more than $7,000. Temple is charged with felony theft, injuring public records, and malfeasance in office.

Multi-millionaire New York real estate heir Robert Durst, who is accused of killing Susan Berman 15 years ago in California and is facing weapons and drug charges in New Orleans, has been denied bond. New Orleans criminal defense lawyer Chick Foret doesn’t think the district attorney in Los Angeles minds that Durst is in Louisiana…

cut 12 (10) “convicted on”

Durst’s attorney Dick DeGuerin says his client was arrested illegally on March 14th.

A 30-year-old Baton Rouge heroin user will spend at least 6 years in prison on charges related to the death of his girlfriend from a fatal overdose. East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore says since the evidence showed that Brandon Eirick purchased and supplied Leah Hutchinson with the heroin that lead to her death, he was charged…

cut 14 (11) “negligent homicide”

Moore hopes a sentence like this will be an example of the consequences of being associated with this deadly drug.

08:30 Newscast March 24, 2015

LSU President and Chancellor F King Alexander says Governor Bobby Jindal’s proposed budget for next fiscal year will only provide LSU with 30-million dollars in state funding, a reduction from 110-million dollars this fiscal year. He says students and alumni need to speak up loudly against this type of cut…

cut 9 (06) “not being passive”

He says if the legislature doesn’t restore the massive cut to higher education in the proposed budget, 2,000 classes will be cancelled and every LSU employee will have to be furloughed.

Today, a grand jury will convene to hear the case against a Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a 14-year-old last September. The Sheriff’s Department says Deputy Preston Norman fired in self-defense after Cameron Tillman appeared to be holding a gun. Relatives of others who were at the abandoned house with Tillman say he was not holding a weapon. Legal analyst Tim Meche says the big question here is whether it was necessary for Norman to fire in order to protect human life…

cut 6 (07) “for doing so”

Testimony could last until tomorrow.

In the latest in the continuing Robert Durst matter, the multi-millionaire New York real estate heir was denied bond in court in New Orleans. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 3 (30) “reporting”

A Franklin Parish woman was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to second degree cruelty to a juvenile after her 20-month-old daughter fell out of her moving car last June. Authorities say 24-year-old LaSasha Allen placed her daughter in an unrestrained position and opened the car door while rounding a curve, allowing her daughter to fall out. The child received multiple injuries, including a skull fracture.

07:30 Newscast March 24, 2015

LSU President and Chancellor F King Alexander says, if the legislature doesn’t restore the massive cut to higher education that’s proposed in Governor Bobby Jindal’s budget, 2,000 classes will be cancelled and every LSU employee will have to be furloughed. Alexander says says there are numerous plans floating around that seek to prevent huge cuts to higher ed, but it’s unclear if any of them will receive the support of the legislature and the governor…

cut 8 (09) “revenue generation”

Alexander says the proposed budget provides LSU with 80-million dollars less in state funding than this fiscal year.

Today, a Terrebonne Parish grand jury will consider the case against a sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed 14-year-old Cameron Tillman last September. The Sheriff’s Department says Deputy Preston Norman fired in self-defense after Tillman appeared to be holding a gun. Legal analyst Tim Meche says the grand jury will hear evidence and testimony, possibly from Norman, himself…

cut 4 (05) “his weapon”

Relatives of others who were at the abandoned house with Tillman say he was not holding a weapon.

Robert Durst, the multi-millionaire New York real estate heir facing weapons and drug charges, was denied bond in a New Orleans court. Durst is also accused of killing Susan Berman 15 years ago in California. New Orleans criminal defense lawyer Chick Foret says says the New Orleans case will be first…

cut 11 (09) “gets to LA”

Durst’s attorney Dick DeGuerin says his client was arrested illegally on March 14th and it was orchestrated to coincide with the HBO documentary “The Jinx.”

A 30-year-old Baton Rouge heroin user will spend at least 6 years in prison on charges related to the death of his girlfriend from a fatal overdose. East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore says Brandon Eirick pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin…

cut 13 (10) “death of his girlfriend”

Moore says the evidence showed that Eirick purchased the heroin earlier in the day, and he and Leah Hitchinson shot each other up.

06:45 Sportscast March 24, 2015

In second round NIT action, Louisiana Tech sailed past Texas A&M 84-72. Alex Hamilton lead the way for the Bulldogs with 25 points followed by Kenneth Smith with 16. Tech sank 11 three pointers in eliminating the Aggies from postseason play. The Dunkin’ Dawgs advance to the quarterfinals where they travel to Philadelphia to take on Temple Wednesday night. Tipoff is at 8PM and you can watch on ESPN2.

In the College Basketball Invitational, the ULM Warhawks trailed by 20 points early in the second half, but fought their way bak to a 71-69 victory over Mercer. Tylor Ongwae lead all scorers with 27 and Majok Deng added a double-double: 14 points and 14 rebounds. The Warhawks advance to the CBI semi-finals where they will host Vermont tomorrow night at 7PM.

UL-Lafayette will host Evansville Thursday night in quarter-final action in the CollegeInsider-dot-com Tournament. The Purple Aces come into the match-up with a 21-12 record while the Cajuns stand at 22-13. This is the first CIT game UL-Lafayette has hosted this tournament.

The number one ranked LSU baseball team will resume its rivalry with Tulane tonight at Turchin Stadium in New Orleans. The Fighting Tigers are 21-and-3 overall, while the Green Wave are 17-and-7. LSU Coach Paul Mainieri says he’s been impressed how Tulane is playing this year, under first year head coach David Pierce…

cut 16 (13) “good about themselves”

It should be an emotional game for LSU hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Andy Cannizaro, who is a former all-american shortstop at Tulane and helped the Green Wave reach the College World Series in 2001.

The Tigers are ranked number one in five of the six major college baseball polls. Collegiate Baseball is the only hold out. They have Texas A-and-M ranked ahead of the Tigers.

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis spoke at the NFL owners meetings in Arizona and said reports that New Orleans has quarterback Drew Brees on the trade block are completely untrue. Loomis says he’s not sure how those rumors got started.

AM Newscall, March 24th, 2015

Today, a grand jury considers the case against a Terrebonne Sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed 14-year-old Cameron Tillman last September. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

______________________________________

LSU President and Chancellor F King Alexander says he’s waiting for a plan to gain traction that will minimize potentially deep budget cuts to higher ed. Scott Carwile has the story…

Cut 2 (31) “reporting”

______________________________________

In the latest in the ongoing Robert Durst matter, the multi-millionaire New York real estate heir was denied bond in court in New Orleans. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 3 (30) “reporting”

______________________________________

Today, a grand jury will consider the case against a Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed 14-year-old Cameron Tillman last September. The Sheriff’s Department says Deputy Preston Norman fired in self-defense after Tillman appeared to be holding a gun. Legal analyst Tim Meche says the grand jury will hear evidence and testimony, possibly from Norman, himself…

cut 4  (05)  “his weapon”

Relatives of others who were at the abandoned house with Tillman say he was not holding a weapon. Testimony could last until tomorrow. Meche says there are two keys to this grand jury investigation: Norman’s ability to articulate the reasons he fired and the demeanor of the prosecutor…

Cut 5  (11)  “little more fair”

The FBI is also looking into this case. Meche says it’s difficult to predict what the grand jury will decide. But he says if the case is presented fairly, it should turn out in Norman’s favor. Meche says the big question here is whether it was necessary for Norman to fire in order to protect human life…

Cut 6 (07)  “for doing so”

______________________________________

LSU President and Chancellor F King Alexander says 2,000 classes will be cancelled and every LSU employee will have to be furloughed if the legislature doesn’t restore the massive cut to higher education that’s proposed in Governor Bobby Jindal’s budget. Alexander says he and five members of the LSU Board of Supervisors recently met with Jindal about the dire situation

CUT 7 (09)  “it would win”

Alexander says says there are numerous plans floating around that  seek to prevent huge cuts to higher education. But it’s unclear if any of them will receive the support of the legislature and the governor

Cut 8  (09)  “revenue generation” 

Alexander says the proposed budget for next fiscal year will only provide LSU with 30-million dollars in state funding, a reduction from 110-million dollars this fiscal year. He says students and alumni need to speak up loudly against this type of cut

Cut 9 (06)  “not being passive”

______________________________________

In the latest in the ongoing Robert Durst matter, the multi-millionaire New York real estate heir was denied bond in court in New Orleans. Durst, who is accused of killing Susan Berman 15 years ago in California, is facing weapons and drug charges in The Big Easy. New Orleans criminal defense lawyer Chick Foret says bond hearings determine flight risk which Durst certainly is:

Cut 10 (08) “bond jumping”

Foret says now the DA has to decide what they will formally charge Durst with. The multi-millionaire will remain in jail pending the disposition of those charges. Durst’s attorney Dick DeGuerin says his client was arrested illegally on March 14th and it was orchestrated to coincide with the HBO documentary “The Jinx.” Foret says the New Orleans case will be first…:

cut 11 (09) “gets to LA”

Foret says the guns/drug charges will likely be a harder fight than even the murder case in LA and if the 71-year-old is sentenced to 20, 15 or even 10 years it would essentially be a life sentence because of his condition and age. He doesn’t think the DA in Los Angeles minds that Durst is in Louisiana…:

cut 12 (10)  “convicted on”

____________________________________________

A 30-year-old Baton Rouge heroin user will spend at least 6 years in prison on charges related to the death of his girlfriend from a fatal overdose. East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore says Brandon Eirick pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin…:

Cut 13 (10)  “death of his girlfriend”

Moore says the evidence showed that Eirick purchased the heroin earlier in the day, and he and Leah Hitchinson shot each other up. He says since the Eirick supplied Hitchinson with the heroin that lead to her death, he was charged…:

Cut 14 (11) “negligent homicide”

Law enforcement have raised concerns about the explosion of heroin use. Moore hopes a sentence like this will be an example of the consequences of being associated with this deadly drug. He says now the lives of two families have been completely wrecked because of this…:

Cut 15  (09)  “deadly consequences”

____________________________________________

The number one ranked LSU baseball team will resume its rivalry with Tulane tonight at Turchin Stadium in New Orleans. The Fighting Tigers are 21-and-3 overall, while the Green Wave are 17-and-7. LSU Coach Paul Mainieri says he’s been impressed how Tulane is playing this year, under first year head coach David Pierce

Cut 16  (13)  “good about themselves”

It should be an emotional game for LSU hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Andy Cannizaro, who is a former all-american shorstop at Tulane. He helped the Green Wave reach the College World Series in 2001. Mainieri is interested to see how Tulane fans will react to Cannizaro

Cut 17 (14)  “baseball history”

Looks like LSU has found a new lead-off hitter. Senior Chris Sciambra was inserted into the line-up on Friday and drove in four runs in game two against Arkansas and then had four hits in the series finale. Mainieri is proud the Baton Rouge native is able to contribute…

Cut 18 (19) ”  our team ‘

____________________________________________

 

17:30 Newscast, March 23, 2015

It looks like the price at the pump will continue to make our wallets happy. The American Automobile Association reports a gallon of regular on average statewide is $2.22. AAA fuel analyst Don Redman says even the US Department of Energy predicts the national average won’t get above $2.50 for the entire year…:
CUT 7 (07) “a gallon”
Redman says the falling price at the pump can, in part, be attributed to a robust supply.

Governor Bobby Jindal says he won’t announce whether or not he’s running for president until after the 2015 legislative session which begins April 13th and ends June 11th. UL-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross fully expects Jindal will throw his hat into the ring…:
CUT 5 (07) “after that”
Texas Senator Ted Cruz officially announced today he’ll seek the Republican presidential nomination.

Friends and family gathered in Hammond today to say farewell to a Louisiana National Guardsman who died in a helicopter crash in Florida. 37-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 4 George Wayne Griffin Jr of Delhi’s funeral started in Hammond and he will be buried in Lafayette with full military honors. Four Louisiana National Guardsmen died in the crash.

Former New Orleans Saints safety Darren Sharper has made a “global” plea deal with prosecutors in 4 states where he is accused of drugging and raping women and sentencing started today. He’ll reportedly serve 9 years behind bars. Legal analyst Doug Sunseri says this type of plea deal means Sharper has agreed to one punishment for all charges…:
CUT 13 (07) “four jurisdictions”
He says this is a good move on the part of Sharper who could get life on a conviction and it’s also smart on the victim side because rapes are hard to prove without a reasonable doubt.

 

LRN Sportscast 16:45 March 23

Former Saints Star Darren Sharper has reached a plea deal with authorities in Louisiana and three other states in which he’s accussed of drugging and raping women. There’s a report he’ll receive a 20-year prison sentence in Louisiana, but only serve nine years. Legal analyst Doug Sunseri says Sharper has agreed to what is known as a global plea deal, which means he essentially agreed to one punishment for all of the charges…
cut 13 (07) “….four jurisdictions”
Sharper’s legal troubles are not over, he still faces federal drug charges in New Orleans and a hearing on those charges is scheduled for April 6th.

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis spoke at today’s NFL owners meetings in Arizona and said reports that New Orleans has quarterback Drew Brees on the trade block are completely untrue. Loomis added he’s not sure how those rumors got started. Brees is 36-years-old and has two years left on a five-year contract.

The LSU Tigers are ranked number one in five of the six major college baseball polls. Collegiate Baseball is the only one where they are not ranked number. They have Texas A-and-M ranked ahead of the Tigers.

In college basketball…Louisiana Tech is at Texas A-and-M for a second round N-I-T match-up that can be seen on ESPN at six P-M. The Aggies are one of the better defensive teams out of the SEC. Bulldogs Coach Michael White says tonight’s game could be low scoring…
cut 18 (12) “….College station”
ULM will play Mercer tonight in the quarterfinals of the CBI. Tip-off is at six o’ clock from Macon, Georgia.

The Ragin Cajuns will host a C-I-T quarterfinal contest on Thursday. An opponent has yet to be determined. And in the SEC….Mississippi State has hired former UCLA Coach Ben Howland.

LRN Newscast 16:30 03-23-15

Governor Bobby Jindal says he will wait until the legislative session ends in June before announcing whether he will enter the race for President…
CUT 1 (29) “reporting”

The millionaire accused of killing a female friend in California 15 years ago will be staying put in Louisiana. Seventy-one year-old Robert Durst was in court today for a bond hearing on weapons charges, a week after he was discovered at a New Orleans hotel under a fake name, with a gun, passport and a large amount of cash. He had been sent to a prison’s mental health unit, as jail officials said he was a suicide risk.
————————————-
Former New Orleans Saints safety Darren Sharper, who entered a global plea deal to resolve sexual assault charges in four states including Louisiana, was sentenced today. Legal Analyst Doug Sunseri says this is likely a good move for Sharper, because if he were convicted on one of these crimes he could get life in prison…
cut 14 (08) “took the plea deal”
Sharper will get 8 years in jail in Nevada and he was sentenced to 9 in Arizona.

Gas prices are once again starting to fall. The current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $2.22 which is down three cents from this time last week, according to the American Automobile Association…
CUT 6 (09) “spring transition”
That’s AAA fuel analyst Don Redman with that forecast.