07:30 Newscast, March 29th, 2017

Louisiana is seeing an uptick in skimming devices at gas pumps. That’s according to Ag Commissioner Mike Strain, who heads the Weights and Measures division. Strain says his inspectors are finding one or two skimmers a week, and more consumers are alerting his office to help track down the devices…:
Cut 4 (10) “Secret Service”
He urges the public look for signs of forced entry on card readers before you pay at a gas pump and also run the card as credit, not debit.

Governor John Bel Edwards has released his legislative proposals seeking to improve K-12 education. Among the many items on the agenda is a bill carried by Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil that would prohibit corporal punishment for students with disabilities. Also included is legislation that would give schools who have dealt with disasters the flexibility they need in adjusting instructional times.

Get ready for another round of severe weather. It’ll start in North Louisiana this afternoon, and move south ending in New Orleans Thursday night. State Climatologist Barry Keim.
Cut 8 (08) “damaging winds”

According to the Violence Policy Center, Louisiana has the 10th highest rate of black homicide victimization in the country. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

 

06:45 Sportscast, March 29th, 2017 ***Correction***

The LSU football team is now more than halfway done with Spring Football and Quarterback Danny Etling says he’s feeling a lot more comfortable in the Tigers new offense. He believes he’s already seen an improvement in his game with Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada teaching him how to become a better passer…:
Cut 17 (18) “grow with it”
The spring game kicks off at 7pm on April 22.

Will Wade has made first hire as LSU basketball coach, with former North Texas head coach Tony Benford joining his staff. Benford, who will serve as assistant coach, comes to LSU after five years as the head coach of the Mean Green, and a career of over 25 years in NCAA Division I basketball. In that career, Benford’s recruited and coached 11 NBA draft picks.

Tulane made it a tough baseball game for LSU last night as the Green Wave rallied from a 3 point deficit to defeat the Tigers 7-6 on a windy night in Baton Rouge. LSU Junior catcher Michael Papierski ripped a grand slam into left field to lift the No. 6 Tigers to a 5-2 lead in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough. The Green Wave’s Jake Willsey homered twice, and Lex Kaplan added a two-run home run.

UL-Lafayette launched two home runs and held a hot-hitting McNeese baseball team to just two hits on the night to take down the Cowboys, 3-1, and snap a 16-game home winning streak yesterday evening in Lake Charles.

The ULM baseball team could not keep up with host Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night as the teams combined for 20 total hits, but the Warhawks fell 12-3 to the Bulldogs in the first of two midweek meetings between the two schools this season.

In the NBA, the Pelicans return to the Smoothie King Center for a 7pm tipoff against Dallas. The Mavericks are in a similar position as the Pels going into tonight’s contest — trailing the last playoff spot by 4.5 games in the Western COnference.

 

 

06:45 Sportscast, March 29th, 2017

The LSU football team is now more than halfway done with Spring Football and Quarterback Danny Etling says he’s feeling a lot more comfortable in the Tigers new offense. He believes he’s already seen an improvement in his game with Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada teaching him how to become a better passer…:
Cut 17 (18) “grow with it”
The spring game kicks off at 7pm on April 22.

Will Wade is close to making his first hire as LSU basketball coach, with former North Texas head coach Tony Benford expected to join his staff, according to Tiger Rag Magazine. In his career, Benford’s recruited and coached 11 NBA draft picks.

Tulane made it a tough baseball game for LSU last night as the Green Wave rallied from a 3 point deficit to defeat the Tigers 7-6 on a windy night in Baton Rouge. LSU Junior catcher Michael Papierski ripped a grand slam into left field to lift the No. 6 Tigers to a 5-2 lead in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough. The Green Wave’s Jake Willsey homered twice, and Lex Kaplan added a two-run home run.

UL-Lafayette launched two home runs and held a hot-hitting McNeese baseball team to just two hits on the night to take down the Cowboys, 3-1, and snap a 16-game home winning streak yesterday evening in Lake Charles.

The ULM baseball team could not keep up with host Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night as the teams combined for 20 total hits, but the Warhawks fell 12-3 to the Bulldogs in the first of two midweek meetings between the two schools this season.

In the NBA, the Pelicans return to the Smoothie King Center for a 7pm tipoff against Dallas. The Mavericks are in a similar position as the Pels going into tonight’s contest — trailing the last playoff spot by 4.5 games in the Western Conference.

 

 

06:30 Newscast, March 29th, 2017

Another round of severe weather is approaching the state. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the risk of tornadoes, hail and damaging winds will move from the northeastern part of Louisiana this afternoon, down into the southeast on Thursday….:
Cut 7 (06) “urban areas”
Keim says the chance for severe weather persists into Thursday night ending in New Orleans.

Louisiana has the 10th highest black homicide victimization rate in the nation, according to the Violence Policy Center. VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann says their latest state data goes back to 2014 and there were 332 African American homicide victims, resulting in a rate of about 22 per 100,000….:
Cut 10 (08) “nationwide”
About 84 percent of the victims were male, and the average age for the victims was 31.

The state Weights and Measures Division finds an uptick in skimming devices at gas pumps in Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Governor John Bel Edwards is today expected to release the details of his tax and budget reform proposals for the upcoming legislative session.

 

LRN AM NEWSCALL MARCH 28

The state Weights and Measures Division finds an uptick in skimming devices at gas pumps in Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

______________________________________

Another bout of severe weather is headed towards Louisiana. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (27) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

______________________________________

According to the Violence Policy Center, Louisiana has the 10th highest rate of black homicide victimization in the country. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

______________________________________

Louisiana is seeing an uptick in skimming devices at gas pumps. That’s according to Ag Commissioner Mike Strain, who heads the Weights and Measures division. Strain says his inspectors are finding one or two skimmers a week, and more consumers are alerting his office to help track down the devices.

Cut 4  (10) “Secret Service”

Strain says the devices were found in Avoyelles, Calcasieu, Jefferson, Lafayette, Orleans, Rapides, St. Landry, St. Tammany, and Washington Parishes. He says before you pay at a gas pump, look for signs of forced entry on credit card readers, like broken security tape, and if you find one of these devices, alert the store clerk immediately.

Cut 5  (10)  “of time”

Strain advises people to check their bank statements online weekly, or even daily, and contact your bank if you notice any unauthorized purchases. He says there are other steps motorists can take to protect their information at the gas pump.

Cut 6 (08) “PIN number”

______________________________________

Another round of severe weather is approaching the state.  State Climatologist Barry Keim says the risk of tornadoes, hail and damaging winds will move from the northeastern part of this state this afternoon, down into southeast Louisiana on Thursday.

Cut 7 (06)  “urban areas”

Keim says we are very likely to see severe weather in all parts of the state. But he says the biggest risk is in the northern parishes of Louisiana for today.

Cut 8 (08) “damaging winds”

Keim says the chance for severe weather persists into Thursday night ending in New Orleans. He says we’re in the time of year when the risk for real severe weather is there because the upper atmosphere is cold as the surface is heating up.

Cut 9 (09)  “certainly common”

_________________________________________________________

Louisiana has the 10th highest black homicide victimization rate in the nation, according to the Violence Policy Center. VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann says these findings demonstrate that black Louisiana residents are disproportionately impacted by homicide. He says their latest state data goes back to 2014 and there were 332 black homicide victims, resulting in a rate of about 22 per 100,000.

Cut 10 (08) “nationwide”

Sugarmann says Louisiana has ranked near or at the top in all 11 years the VPC has conducted this study. The report finds 87 percent of black victims in Louisiana were killed with a firearm, compared to 83 percent nationwide. He says they see similar findings ever year.

Cut 11 (08) “a gun”

About 84 percent of the victims were male, and the average age for the victims was 31. The report also finds that 80 percent were killed by someone they knew. Sugarmann hopes these results will dispel some of the rumors that blacks are always killed during criminal activity.

Cut 12 (09) “the offender”

_________________________________________________________

Mining and lodging jobs in Louisiana, which includes the oil and gas sector, saw over the month gains for the first time since October 2014. That’s according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission who says employment in this employment sector rose by 200 from January to February. LSU economist Dr. Loren Scott says the primary reason for this is the slowdown of job loss in the Houma and Lafayette areas.

Cut 13 (09) “in half”

Scott says any job gains that have occurred in the oil and gas sector have taken place in northwest Louisiana. He says the Haynesville Shale rig count has doubled.

Cut 14 (10) “up there”

The report finds employment in the private sector rose by 57-hundred over the year, its first increase since August 2015. Scott says big industrial gains in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles are helping to drive up overall job gains.

Cut 15 (07) “oil patch”

______________________________________________

The LSU football team is now more than halfway done with Spring Football and Quarterback Danny Etling says he’s feeling a lot more comfortable in the Tigers new offense. Etling says he’s been working closely with new offensive coordinator Matt Canada….

Cut 16 (12) “ball too”

Etling believes he’s already seen an improvement in his game with Canada teaching him how to become a better passer

Cut 17 (18)  “grow with it”

Starting running back Derrius Guice has been limited in spring practice by an ankle injury, but that’s allowed back-up Darrell Williams to get more reps with the first team. Coach Ed Orgeron says Williams is having one fo the most improved springs of anyone on the team. The former John Ehret star says he’s ready for a big senior season…

Cut 18 (12)      “…of the game“

Williams also likes what he sees from LSU’s new offense…

Cut 19 (10)   “gonna be nice”

LRN Newscast 18:30 March 28th

A state audit looking at water rates found many rural communities are not receiving enough revenue to maintain water systems. This leads to poor drinking water according to State Health Officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry. He says bigger cities seem to be fine, but the smaller towns have failing systems…:
Cut 9 (10) “be replaced”
He hopes this audit makes residents realize drinking water is a key part of our heath.

Louisiana is seeing an uptick in skimming devices at gas stations. That’s according to Ag Commissioner Mike Strain, who regulates gas pumps. Strain says his inspectors are finding one or two skimmers a week, and more consumers are alerting his office to help track down the devices.
Cut 4 (10) “Secret Service”
Legislation has been filed for the upcoming session that would up the cigarette tax by 22-cents to $1.30 a pack.
Voicer 1 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Southeastern Louisiana’s mascot Roomie is getting a makeover. Erin Cowser with SLU says Roomie’s current costume is a little over 7 years old, and the average lifespan of a mascot’s look is 6 to 10 years. She says they don’t want to totally change it up…:
Cut 15 (07) “a pushover”

1730 Newscast March 28

A state audit finds water rates in rural communities don’t bring in enough revenue to cover the cost of the water system, leading to poor quality water. The EPA finds Louisaian would need to spend over 5 billion on drinking water infrastructure in the next 20 years, but State Health Officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry says many people don’t want to pay more to fix the problem.

Cut 10 (08) “too high”

Louisiana’s drinking water infrastructure receives a D plus rating from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Smokers could see cigarette taxes go up again, if a bill by West Monroe Representative Frank Hoffman is approved in the regular session. Hoffman says the money generated by the proposed 22 cent hike would go into the general fund.

Cut 7 (09) “cigarette would”

Louisiana school districts decided not to move forward with a proposal to get high speed internet access because of a lack of information. Executive Director of the Louisiana School Boards Association Scott Richard says they could revisit the plan in the future, but proposed federal funding cuts for rural internet access are raising concerns.

Cut 5 (07) “been proposed”

Only 11 out of 69 districts agreed to the initial proposal.

A bill by Shreveport Representative Thomas Carmody would prevent state and local governments from removing military monuments. He says the bill does allow municipalities to maintain the memorials.

Cut 12 (07) “tended to”

The bill would also protect controversial confederate monuments.

16:30 LRN Newscast March 28th

Shreveport Representative Thomas Carmody has filed legislation that would prevent state and local governments from taking down military monuments and that would include the statues of Confederate generals. Carmody says he represents many military veterans and since Louisiana has always been known for its support of the armed forces, he wants to demonstrate that commitment through this bill…
cut 13 (11) “…our behalf”
It’s unclear how much support in the legislature Carmody has for this legislation.

Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne told the House budget writing committee that Governor Edwards is seeking an additional 400-million dollars in revenues so the state can spend more money on public education, TOPS and roads. But Republicans on the panel prefer to reduce spending.

A plan to make sure all Louisiana school districts would have the opportunity to obtain high speed internet was scraped over funding concerns. Executive Director of the Louisiana School Boards Association, Scott Richard, says the deal would have meant districts partner with the Board of Regents in exchange for getting internet for free, but the wording was confusing..:
Cut 4 (08) “already receive”
Richard hopes school systems will have an opportunity to pursue this going forward when they are more clear on the details of the deal.

Southeastern Louisiana is updating the look of its mascot Roomie and you can go to the school’s website to vote on what it should look like. There’s two different options and one design shows Roomie without any clothes…
cut 16 (07) “…go commando”
That’s Erin Crowser with S-L-U, who says voting will continue on Southeastern’s website through April 4th.

16:45 LRN sportscast March 28th

The NFL approves a new rule that prohibits players from leaping over the line of scrimmage to block field goals and extra points. If you remember last season, the Saints lost a tough game against Denver when they had an extra point blocked when the Broncos Justin Simmons hurdled over the center and got his hands on the kick and it was return for two points.

At the NFL owners meetings, when asked about acquiring Patriots restricted free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler, Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis said they are kicking the tires and that’s the way to describe it. Loomis also believes the Saints can remain a high powered offense, even though they traded away Brandin Cooks. He points to the Jimmy Graham trade a couple of years ago.

The Pelicans ended a three-game road trip last night with a 108-100 loss to Utah. New Orleans is back in action on Wednesday as they host Dallas. Just eight games left in the regular season and the Pels are 4.5 games back of Portland for the final playoff spot in the West.

At Alex Box Stadium tonight, LSU hosts Tulane. Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri expects a spirited contest…
cut 18 (15) “…of the game”
Tulane won both match-ups between these teams last year.

Also tonight, McNeese, who is undefeated at home this season, hosts the Ragin Cajuns and ULM travels over into Lincoln Parish to visit Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs are struggling, while the Warhawks have won three of their last four.

Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham reports new LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade is close to hiring former North Texas head coach Tony Benford as a new assistant coach. Benford was recently fired by North Texas. He’s been an assistant at Marquette, Nebraska, Arizona State and New Mexico. In his career, he’s recruited and coached 11 NBA draft picks.

15:30 Newscast March 28,2017

The state conducted an audit finding Louisiana’s drinking water systems aren’t producing enough revenue to keep up with the infrastructure leading to poor drinking water. Michelle Southern has more…
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

Seven former Iberia Parish Sheriff’s deputies have been sentenced to prison after being convinced of beating inmates in the parish jail. The men face sentences from six months to four years behind bars. Sheriff Louis Ackal was acquitted last year even though many of his former deputies testified against him stating he ran a corrupt department.

 
Legislation has been filed for the upcoming session that would up the cigarette tax by 22-cents to $1.30 a pack. West Monroe Representative Frank Hoffman says this would create more money and create a healthier Louisiana. He expects positive results because there has been success with similar measures in the past.
Cut 8 (08) “with that”

The money generated from the increase would go into the general fund.

A plan that would provide all school districts in the state with high speed internet has been thrown out. Executive Director  of the Louisiana School Boards Association, Scott Richard, says the Board of Regents didn’t give districts much information or time to commit to a plan. He says everyone wants to have high speed internet access but many were hesitant due to funding uncertainties.
Cut 3 (10) “this endeavor”