LRN PM Newscall Monday April 11

Two children were killed in Livingston Parish after being hit being struck by an apparent drunk driver. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 1 (31)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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The man who is accused of shooting and killing former-Saints defensive end Will Smith is claiming he was not the aggressor. Michelle Southern has more…

CUT 2 (30)  “I’m Michelle Southern”

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Baton Rouge Police are looking to arrest another gunman in the shooting that killed two Southern University students and injured another man. 22-year-old Ernest Felton has already been arrested and charged with Attempted Second Degree Murder and Illegal Use of a weapon. Sgt. Don Coppola says investigators are working to determine who fired the gun killing the two women.

CUT 3 (08)  “young ladies”

Coppola says gunfire was exchanged between Felton and the 24-year-old injured victim after the victim drove up to the social gathering at the apartment complex. He says investigators believe the women were not the intended targets of the shooting.

CUT 4 (08)  “gunfire exchange”

Coppola says they’re confident they will be making another arrest in the near future. He says the victims were 19-year-old Lashunte Benton of Lake Charles and 19-year-old Annette January of Indiana.

CUT 5 (04)  “hospital”

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State Police say two children are dead after a fatal wreck on a highway in Livingston Parish last night. Trooper Bryan Lee says impairment is suspected on the part of two of the four vehicles involved. Lee says the two children killed were ages four and six and they were standing on the road as adults were attempting to remove a garbage compactor from the road…

CUT 6 (09) “those vehicles”

Lee says the vehicle that struck the five people on the side of the road was driven by 26-year-old Jerry Ervin of Holden, who is believed to have been impaired. He says they also believe 50-year-old Travis Rose of Denham Springs was drunk and left the garbage compactor in the road after it fell out of his truck.

CUT 7 (09) “no insurance”

Lee says the two children, four-year-old Samuel Shropshire and six-year-old Khaiden Ramsey were pronounced dead at the scene. He says 34-year-old Michelle Ramsey, a 16-year-old male, and a 15-year-old female were transported to a hospital with serious injuries after being struck by Ervin.

CUT 8 (08) “this week”

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Today Governor John Bel Edwards declared April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Louisiana. According to Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana, there were over 12-thousand victims of child abuse and neglect in 2014, the latest year statistics are available. State Police Major Doug Cain says kids are our most important resource, and everyone needs to do what they can to them.

CUT 9 (12) “look into it”

Pinwheels lined the front of the state capitol as a display of child abuse prevention awareness. The pinwheel serves as a symbol for the childhood that all children deserve. Cain says the public can also get involved in raising awareness about this issue.

cut 10 (07)  “it represents”

Cain says police deal with cases of child abuse throughout the state. He says it’s something they are working to put an end to by arming law enforcement officers with the tools and training necessary to recognize and prevent abuse.

Cut 11 (11) “change it”

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A legal expert says a claim of self-defense will be hard to prove in the murder of former Saints standout Will Smith. Cardell Hayes is facing a charge of second-degree murder, but attorney John Fuller spoke with Hayes, who says he was not the aggressor in the incident. Legal Analyst Chick Foret says police will have to look at witness testimony to see exactly what happened.

cut 12 (09) “piece this together”

Police have referred to the shooting as a road rage incident. But Fuller the story is much more complex. So far police have not uncovered a weapon in Smith’s vehicle. Foret says if Hayes wants to use self-defense as a claim, it will be hard to prove unless police find that Smith had a gun.

Cut 13 (09)  “in this case”

Hayes is being held on a one million dollar bond. Foret says the investigation is still ongoing, but at this point forensic evidence seems to tell a different story than what Hayes is suggesting.

cut 14 (08)  “the defendant”

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Most parishes north of Interstate 10 are under a severe thunderstorm watch until seven o’ clock tonight. CS Ross, with the National Weather Service in Shreveport, advises people to keep an eye to the sky. He says scattered thunderstorms have the potential to produce severe weather threats.

cut 15 (07) “or two” 

Ross says they are getting reports of one inch hail in the Texarkana area and parts of northern Texas. He says the rainfall associated with these storms will be brief, but heavy.

cut 16 (05) “of rainfall”

13:30 Newscast, April 11th, 2016

A legal expert says a claim of self-defense will be hard to prove in the murder of former Saints standout Will Smith. Cardell Hayes is facing a charge of second degree murder, but his attorney says Hayes was not the aggressor in what cops are calling a road rage incident. Legal analyst Chick Forest….:
CUT 12 (09) “this together”
Hayes is being held on a million dollars bond.

Baton Rouge Police say another arrest will almost certainly be made in the shooting incident which took the lives of two 19-year-old Southern University women. Sgt. Don Coppola says they’ve already arrested 22-year-old Ernest Felton for the attempted murder of an injured male victim. He says investigators believe the women were not the intended targets of the shooting…:
CUT 4 (08) “gunfire exchange”
The victims are 19-year-old Lashunte Benton of Lake Charles and 19-year-old Annette January of Indiana.

State Police say two children are dead after a fatal wreck on a highway in Livingston Parish last night. Trooper Bryan Lee says impairment is suspected on the part of two of the four vehicles involved. Lee says the two children killed were ages four and six and they were standing on the road as adults were attempting to remove a garbage compactor from the road..:
CUT 6 (09) “those vehicles”
He says the driver of that vehicle is suspected of being impaired as is the driver of the vehicle who lost the garbage compacter, 50-year-old Travis Rose of Denham Springs. So far Rose is the only charged in the vehicular homicides.

Northern and Central Louisiana could get hit with more heavy rain, as the National Weather Service issues a Severe Thunderstorm Watch. Forecaster CS Ross advises people to keep an eye to the sky today and tomorrow…:
cut 15 (07) “or two”

 

 

12:30 Newscast, April 11th, 2016

New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison says he visited with the wife of former Saints player Will Smith Sunday. Smith was shot to death in an apparent road rage incident and Cardell Hayes is booked in the murder. Harrison says Smith’s wife, Racquel, was also shot and injured…:
CUT 1 (08) “tough time”
Hayes is being held on a million dollars bond.

A 4-year-old and a 6-year-old were killed in a four vehicle fatality crash in Livingston Parish Sunday evening, and State Police say impairment is a suspected factor. They say a man dropped a trash compactor in a roadway, left it there and returned home. 34-year-old Michelle Ramsey and another vehicle stopped to try to remove the object, when a drunk driver drove through hazard triangles and crashed into five people. The 2 young Ramsey children died on the scene. 4 others were seriously injured, including the impaired driver. The man who dropped the trash compactor was located at his home impaired and was arrested on many charges including vehicular homicide.

Today Governor John Bel Edwards declared April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Louisiana. State Police Major Doug Cain says kids are our most important resource, and everyone needs to do what they can to them…:
CUT 9 (12) “look into it”
According to Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana, there were over 12-thousand victims of child abuse and neglect in 2014, the latest year statistics are available.

An 85-year-old man was killed as he tried to cross the interstate in Westlake, according to cops. They say Walter J. Kibodeaux of Sulphur was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

11:40 LRN Sportscast April 11

The Saints and their fans are mourning the death of former defensive end Will Smith. Smith and another man exchanged words after a fender bender involving their vehicles in New Orleans on Saturday night. Police say the other man pulled out a gun and fatally shot Smith. Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief played with Smith and says he’s been dealing with a lot of different emotions…
cut 16 (14) “…how could this happen”
New Orleans Police have yet to establish a motive for the murder. Twenty-eight-year-old Cardell Hayes has been charged with second-degree murder and his attorney John Fuller says Hayes was not the aggressor during the altercation and believes toxicology reports on all of the individuals involved could shed light on the behavior of some of the participants.

Former LSU golfer Smylie Kaufman finished tied for 29th at the Masters after he shot a nine over-par 81 on Sunday. Kaufman teed off in the last group on Sunday with Justin Spieth, but Spieth ran into trouble on the par-3 12th hole, where he quadruple bogeyed and finished in second behind the winner Danny Willett.

In college football news…the NCAA has banned the creation of any new bowl games for at least the next three years. There are currently 40 bowl games and last season, three 5-and-7 teams received bowl bids because there wiere not enough eligible teams to fill all 80 slots.

The LHSAA has told high schools no more walk-up music for hitters at baseball and softball games. It’s because there were complaints about “explicit content” that were in some of the songs.

It’s the final home game of the season tonight for the Pelicans, who host the Chicago Bulls. Neither team is heading to the playoffs.

11:30 Newscast, April 11th, 2016

The New Orleans Police Department says there are no new updates in the case of the shooting death of former Saints player Will Smith. The suspect in the case, Cardell Hayes, faces second degree murder charges after police say he rear ended Smith’s vehicle and then shot and killed him after an argument. Hayes is being held on a million dollars bond. His attorney claims his client did not start the fight and looks forward to the details of the case coming out.

Baton Rouge Police are looking to arrest another gunman in the shooting that killed two Southern University students and injured another man. 22-year-old Ernest Felton has already been arrested and charged with attempted second Degree murder in the case. Sgt. Don Coppola says investigators are working to determine who fired the gun killing the two women…:
CUT 3 (08) “young ladies”
He believes the 19-year-old women were caught in a crossfire.

Even though lawmakers weren’t able to raise enough to fill the budget hole for next fiscal year which still needs $750 million dollars, it looks like we may end the financial year that ends June 30th with a surplus. State Treasurer John Kennedy says it could happen if tax increases that came out of the special session generate more than what the legislative fiscal analysts predicted…:
Cut 15 (09) “as well”
He says tn December, the state revenues were down 15-percent, but now revenues are only down 6-percent.

The Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office arrests a man accused of shooting a killing another man. They say 54-year-old Lorenzo Zeigler of Calhoun allegedly shot the victim, 26-year-old Mario Wiley following an argument. Zeigler is charged with second degree murder.

Longtime WWL radio analyst Hokie Gajan, who has been battling cancer, has been moved into intensive care according to the station.

 

10:30 LRN Newscast April 11

Bond has been set at one-million dollars for 28-year-old Cardell Hayes. He’s the man accused of fatally shooting former Saints star Will Smith after the two men were involved in a minor car accident. Hayes attorney John Fuller claims his client was not the aggressor in what police have called a road rage incident.

Baton Rouge Police are looking to arrest an additional gunman in connection with a fatal shooting that claimed the lives of two students who attended Southern University. Authorities have already charged 22-year-old Ernest Felton, who is a former member of the Southern football team, with attempted second-degree murder.

Covington Police have called a one PM press conference to announce an arrest has been made in the death of a 17-year-old who was found in a flooded ditch last month. The coroner’s office has suspected that the teenager from Mandeville died after using synthetic marijuana, also known as “Mojo.”

State Treasurer John Kennedy says there’s been a rise in state revenues as a result of increased tax collections…
cut 14 (06) “….personal income”
Kennedy says it’s possible if revenues continue to rise, the state could end up with a surplus once the fiscal year ends on June 30th, despite Louisiana facing a huge shortfall prior to the special session.

The first woman to enlist in the infantry in the US Army is a native of Natchitoches Parish. Emelie Gunn has more…
voicer 1 (30) “…I’m Emelie Gunn”

09:30 Newscast, April 11th, 2016

A lawyer for the man accused of killing former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith says the public will have a much different opinion about what happened once all the facts come to light. 28-year-old Cardell Hayes is charged in the murder which cops say appeared to be sparked by road rage. He is being held on a million dollars bond.

Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s not sure when a call will be made for a second special session to address next fiscal year’s $750 million dollar deficit. He says not enough revenue was raised during the last special session to close the budget gap and lawmakers must find a way to keep critical programs open…:
CUT 9 (06) “to begin with”
So far two credit rating agencies have downgraded Louisiana’s credit rating.

Lafayette Police arrest a man in connection with an accidental shooting that claimed the life of a Baton Rouge man. They say 21-year-old Kenneth Mills is charged with negligent homicide in the death of Colin Norwood who is also 21.

A man is under arrest in connection with a shooting that left two Southern University students dead and another man injured near LSU Sunday. According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, say 22-year-old Ernest Felton allegedly exchanged gunfire with the male victim when 19-year-old Annette January and Lashuntae Benton were caught in the crossfire and killed. Felton is charged with attempted second degree murder and investigators are still working to determine who is responsible for the shooting deaths of the women.

In surprising news, State Treasurer John Kennedy says we may end this fiscal year with a surplus. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

08:30 Newscast, April 11th, 2016

A memorial at the site where former New Orleans Saint Will Smith was shot and killed is getting bigger with flowers and sports memorabilia. New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison says 28-year-old Cardell Hayes is charged with murder in the incident that could have been sparked by road rage:
CUT 12 (10) “as such”
Bond for Hayes is set at $1 million dollars and according to a warrant read in court, Smith was shot in the back and side.

Governor John Bel Edwards says a second special session is needed to address next fiscal year’s $750 million dollar shortfall. He says lawmakers need to stabilize the budget, and they need to do it sooner rather than later…:
Cut 8 (05) “Louisiana is”
They plan to present a proposed budget to lawmakers tomorrow for next fiscal year.

After all the concerns about the budget crisis, State Treasurer John Kennedy says Louisiana may actually end this fiscal year with a surplus. In December, the state revenues were down 15-percent, but now revenues are only down 6-percent, according to Kennedy…:
Cut 13 (10) “this year”
He attributes this move to an increase in tax collections.

A woman from northwest Louisiana becomes the first in the nation to enlist in an infantry combat position in the US Army. 25-year-old Grace Barnett says patriotism runs in her blood and is excited about the challenge that lies ahead:
Cut 5 (10) “at me”
She says she hopes to be an example for other women.

 

07:30 Newscast, April 11th, 2016

Bond has been set for $1 million dollars for Cardelle Hayes, the man accused of killing former Saints player Will Smith over the weekend in an apparent road rage incident. According to a warrant read in court last night, Smith was shot in the back and side. New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison says it’s too early to tell in the investigation if Hayes and Smith knew each other…:
cut 11 (08) “right now”
Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief told WWL Radio an argument should never turn into a gunfight and this incident gives New Orleans black eye…:
CUT 1 (06) “like this”

Also according to WWL Radio, former Saints and LSU running back Hokie Gajan is in intensive care as his battle with cancer intensifies. The color analyst for the Black and Gold has been facing a dire diagnoses since late last year.

Louisiana is still facing a 750-million budget deficit and Governor John Bel Edwards is expected to call another session. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

A Natchitoches Parish woman is the first female to enlist in an infantry combat position in the U.S. Army. 25-year-old Grace Barnett of Robeline, who was in law enforcement, says it’s a great honor to serve her country on the front lines…”
cut 4 (10) “larger scale”

 

06:45 Sportscast, April 11th, 2016

Police in New Orleans continue to investigate the fatal shooting incident which claimed the life of Will Smith, a much-loved former player with the Saints. Investigators believe 28-year-old Cardell Hayes killed Smith in an apparent road rage incident. New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison says Hayes is charged with second-degree murder…:
cut 12 (10) “as such”
Hayes’ bond is set at $1 million dollars.

Support has been pouring in from the Saints and their fans as they mourn this tragic incident. On WWL radio, Offensive tackle Zach Strief, who played with Smith, hopes the killing leads to a change within New Orleans…:
Cut 17 (09) “is it take”

Meanwhile WWL is also reporting that former Saints player and current color analyst Hokie Gajan, who is battling cancer, is in intensive care.

In college baseball, NO. 14 LSU dropped the SEC series finale to second-ranked Vanderbilt 7-6, Saturday. The Tigers won the first two and has won its last two conference series and five of its past six games.

26th ranked UL-Lafayette picked up a 13-9 win over Georgia Southern to clinch the series on Sunday. Southeastern Louisiana falls to Northwestern State 3-2.

Louisiana Tech defeated WKU 3-1 and picked up the series over the Hilltoppers. McNeese State completed a Southland sweep over UNO following a 13-3 victory Sunday. Nicholls State got an 8-3 victory over Incarnate Word and take the series. ULM fell to UT-Arlington 8-4 on Sunday, to end its shot for the sweep. Grambling beat Southern 16-11 in SWAC action as the Tigers swept the Jags.

Former LSU golf star Smylie Kaufman wrapped up his debut appearance at the Masters by tying for 29th place on the final leaderboard at 7 over par. Englishman Danny Willett got the green jacket after defending champ Jordan Spieth crashed and burned.