13:30 Newscast, July 24th, 2017

Prices at the pump are slowly going back up due to high demand this summer. AAA fuel analyst Don Redman expects prices will continue to climb as we get closer to Labor Day, and refineries struggle to keep up…:
Cut 4 (11) “a gallon”
The current statewide average is about $2.08 a gallon, up about 10 cents from the prior year.

Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie has released a statement about his decision to retire. He expressed appreciation to several people, and said that unfortunately he’s in a situation that will not serve the police department or the citizens of Baton Rouge. The mayor has said since taking office she would like to see a new leader at BRPD in the Alton Sterling shooting aftermath. She’s named Lt. Johnathan Dunnam as interim and says he is not going to apply for the permanent position.

The Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office says an arrest has been made in the fatal hit and run crash last night in Rayne. They say 42-year-old Ivy Roger had been charged with driving while intoxicated five times before, and he was booked after hitting a bicyclist and fleeing the scene of the crash. Sheriff K. P. Gibson..:
Cut 10 (10) “to confirm it”
The victim, 61-year-old Ricky Joyner, died at the scene.

A poll on the October State Treasurer’s race finds it to be a wide open contest among well-funded Republicans Angele Davis, Neil Riser and John Schroder. The survey was done by John Couvillon with JMC Analytics:
Cut 25 (06) “front runner status”
He says he found 60 percent of voters are undecided. There is a major Democrat in the race, New Orleans attorney Derrick Edwards. Couvillon says in the horse race portion of the survey, Edwards polled at 18%.

 

12:30 Newscast, July 24th, 2017

High demand is driving up prices at the pump…:
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston-Broome says Carl Dabadie has notified her of his retirement as Baton Rouge Police Cheif. Weston Brooom had said since she took office that she’d like a new face at the department in the aftermath of the Alton Sterling shooting. Political Analyst and Baton Rouge radio host Clay Young says Dabadie probably had had enough…:
Cut 7 (11) “time to move on”
Lt. Johnathan Dunnam has been named interim chief.

A Rayne man, with a history of DWI arrests, is behind bars after police say he hit a man on a bicycle while driving intoxicated. Acadia Parish Sheriff K. P. Gibson says 61-year-old Ricky Joyner of Rayne was pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver, 42-year-old Ivy Roger, was nowhere to be found…:
Cut 9 (08) “with assistance”
Roger was booked into the Acadia Parish Jail charged with hit and run, operating a vehicle under suspension and vehicular homicide. DWI charges are pending.

USA Today’s Dan Wolken says former LSU head coach Les Miles is extremely interested in the head coaching vacancy at Ole Miss. Miles has reportedly made his interests known to influential Ole Miss boosters.

 

11:40 LRN Sportscast July 24th

The Saints open training camp later this week. Starting left tackle Terron Armstead will miss all of camp and is not expected back on the field until at least October because of a torn labrum in his shoulder. Head Coach Sean Payton appeared on a New Orleans radio station this morning and said the team is deeper at left tackle than probably any of the years he’s been with the Saints. But Payton says it’s devastating that defensive tackle Nick Fairley will not play this season, because of a heart condition.

In recruiting news…Rummel wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has verbally committed to Florida. Chase also considered LSU and TCU.

The USA Today’s Dan Wolken says former LSU head coach Les MIles is extremely interested in the head coaching vacancy at Ole Miss. Miles has reportedly made his interests known to influential Ole Miss boosters. Miles is 63-years-old and has made it no secret that he would like to coach at another Power Five school again.

Lafayette native Andrew Stevenson becomes the 73rd former LSU Tiger to make the Major Leagues. Stevenson appeared in his first major league game after he was called up from Triple-A by the Washington Nationals. Stevenson played for the Tigers from 2013 to 2015 and was drafted in the second round by the Nationals in 2015. He came in as a pinch hitter yesterday and stayed in the game to play in left field and went 0-for-2 in the Nats six to two win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Former LSU All-American golfer Sam Burns finished tied for sixth at this weekend’s PGA Barbasol Championship. The Shreveport native had three straight rounds of five-under 66s to finish 18-under par for the tournament. Bruns is expected to turn pro in September.

Twenty-three-year-old Texan Jordan Speith won the British Open by three shots over Matt Kuchar. Speith has now three legs of a career Grand Slam and can win them all next month when he plays in the PGA Championship.

11:30 Newscast, July 24th, 2017

Gas prices are on the rise in the Bayou State. Don Redman with AAA says gas prices in June were the lowest we’ve seen all year, which is unusual for the summer months. He says we’re already seeing an uptick in prices at the pump…:
Cut 3 (09) “statewide”
Redman says that’s almost 10 cents higher than the prior year.

Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie has submitted his letter of retirement. It’s not a huge surprise as Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome had said since she took office that new leadership was needed at BRPD in the wake of the Alton Sterling shooting. She said Monday that Dabadie is an honorable man…:
Cut 6 (10) “to law enforcement”
Weston-Broome ran a campaign on the promise that she’d appoint a fresh face to the department that would help ease tensions between people and police officers.

As you might expect, a poll on the state Treasurer’s race shows the lack of a front-runner. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Louisiana’s FastStart workforce training program has been named the best in the nation by Business Facilities magazine for a record eight years in a row. LED Secretary Don Pierson…:
Cut 25 (07) “in Louisiana”
He says Louisiana may be small but we have a big impact.

 

10:30 Newscast, July 24th, 2017

Business Facilities names Louisiana Economic Development’s FastStart the best workforce training program in the country. Jeff Palermo has more:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office says an arrest has been made in the fatal hit and run crash last night in Rayne. They say 42-year-old Ivy Roger had been charged with driving while intoxicated five times before, and he was booked after hitting a bicyclist and fleeing the scene of the crash. The victim, 61-year-old Ricky Joyner, died at the scene.

The Department of Children and Family Services launches the Quality Parenting Initiative, aimed at improving the foster care system. Assistant Director for Child Welfare Renda Hodnett says DCFS will expect more of foster parents…:
Cut 15 (10) “child’s future”
On any given day, there are more than 4,000 Louisiana children in foster care.

A professor at LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health says it’s never a good idea to carry your cell phone to the bathroom. Dr. James Diaz says fecal oral transmission to inanimate objects occurs when individuals don’t wash their hands after leaving the bathroom…:
Cut 8 (09) “by touch”
Diaz suggests using an antiseptic to clean your phone screen on a regular basis.

 

09:30 Newscast, July 24th, 2017

As you might expect, a poll on the state Treasurer’s race shows the lack of a front-runner….:
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Police in New Orleans say one of their officers who was off-duty but working a private-paid detail at the time, was shot in the leg around 1am. NOPD believe at least one person, possibly a juvenile, fired the shot into the officers car where he was sitting, then fled the scene. The injured policeman was listed in good condition at University Medical Center.

Louisiana’s FastStart workforce training program has been named the best in the nation by Business Facilities magazine for a record eight years in a row. LED Secretary Don Pierson says the state is also in an incredible position when it comes to job growth…:
Cut 6 (11) “of our state”
Business Facilities also ranked Louisiana third for infrastructure, seventh for cost of doing business, ninth for exports and economic growth potential, and tenth for industrial electricity rates.

Experts say it’s a bad idea to bring your cell phone with you to the bathroom, and the reason is gross. Dr. James Diaz with LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health says there’s risk that fecal matter could get on the phone because some people don’t wash their hands, and there’s always the chance it would fall into the toilet…:
Cut 9 (09) “like cholera”

 

08:30 Newscast, July 24th, 2017

A poll on the State Treasurer’s race finds it to be a wide open contest. The October 14th election features three well-funded Republicans, Angele Davis, Neil Riser and John Schroder. There is a major Democrat in the race, New Orleans attorney Derrick Edwards. JMC Analytics pollster John Couvillon says in the horse race portion of his survey, Edwards polled at 18-percent, which is higher than the three GOP candidates…:
Cut 12 (10) “make the runoff”
60 percent of voters are undecided.

Louisiana’s FastStart workforce training program has been named the best in the nation by Business Facilities magazine for a record eight years in a row. LED Secretary Don Pierson say we may be small but we’re standing out in a big way…:
Cut 5 (12) “Louisiana Economic Development”

An LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health Professor warns smart phones carry more bacteria than the bathroom. Emelie Gunn has more…”
Cut 2 (27) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Monroe chef Cory Bahr was eliminated last night on the 8th episode of Food Network Star. It ultimately came down to a challenge in which the contestants had to engage with a live stream while cooking, and Bahr struggled to do both at the same time. There will be no watch party on July 30 at Flying Tiger Brewery in Monroe.

 

07:30 Newscast, July 24th, 2017

Louisiana’s FastStart workforce training program has been named the best in the nation by Business Facilities magazine for a record eight years in a row. LED Secretary Don Pierson…:
Cut 4 (07) “in Louisiana”
Pierson says per capita, Louisiana attracts more jobs and major projects than any other state.

It’s anyone’s race in the October 14th State Treasurer’s election, according to a new survey by JMC Analytics pollster John Counvillon. There are three well-funded Republicans going for the job; Angele Davis, Neil Riser and John Schroder. Couvillon says the biggest number from his poll is the undecided, which is at 60-percent…:
Cut 11 (12) “they were”
There is a major Democrat in the race, New Orleans attorney Derrick Edwards who polled at 18-percent.

The Department of Children and Family Services launches a program aimed at improving the foster care system. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says it’s the new Quality Parenting Initiative that means foster parents do everything for a child that a birth parent would do…:
Cut 14 (12) “all the time”
Walters says this initiative is about allowing foster parents to act more as parents instead of temporary caregivers.

A professor at LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health says it’s never a good idea to carry your cell phone to the bathroom. Dr. James Diaz says what gets spread to our phones can get on a lot of other things we touch…:
Cut 7 (10) “your hands”
He says a smart phone can contain more bacteria than the bathroom itself.

06:45 Sportscast, July 24th, 2017

Former LSU outfielder Andrew Stevenson received a Major League call-up Sunday from the Washington Nationals, and made his MLB debut in the series finale with the Diamondbacks in Arizona’s Chase Field. The Nationals had 6-2 victory in the game. Stevenson, who started in 154 games in center field during his college career, earned 2015 first-team All-SEC and third-team All-America honors at LSU, and he was a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. He went 0 for 2 yesterday.

4-star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase committed to Florida over LSU and TCU on Sunday following a visit to Gainesville. The prospect out of Rummel is No. 21 in his position for the 2018 recruiting class on the 247Sports composite rankings. The service also ranked Chase as the No. 5 recruit in Louisiana in the Class of 2018. Chase can make his verbal commitment official in December during the NCAA’s newly implemented early signing period.

Sun Belt Media Day kick off today in New Orleans inside the Mercedes Benz Superdome. The UL-Lafayette football team was picked to finish 5th overall in the 2017 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll. ULM was chosen to finish ninth. Defending SBC co-champion Appalachian State is the favorite to win the conference championship for the second consecutive year. The Sun Belt’s annual media day begins Sunday.

Former LSU golf star Sam Burns spent the entire day on the leaderboard Sunday at the PGA Tour Barbasol Championship. The Shreveport native, who is expected to turn pro in September, finished the 72 holes in a tie for 6th. After the final round, Burns sent out a tweet thanking fans for their support on a great final day of the tour which was also his 21st birthday. As a professional, Burns would have earned more than $113,000 yesterday.

In the British Open, it was Jordan Spieth claimed the win by three shots closing with a 1-under 69.

06:30 Newscast, July 24th, 2017

Business Facilities names Louisiana Economic Development’s FastStart the best workforce training program in the country. Jeff Palermo has more:
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A poll on the October State Treasurer’s race finds it to be a wide open contest among well-funded Republicans Angele Davis, Neil Riser and John Schroder. The survey was done by John Couvillon with JMC Analytics:
Cut 10 (06) “front runner status”
He says he found 60 percent of voters are undecided.

The Department of Children and Family Services launches a program aimed at improving the foster care system. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says they want to raise expectations for foster parents and caregivers through the new Quality Parenting Initiative…:
Cut 13 (11) “a relative”
On any given day, there are more than 4,000 Louisiana children in foster care.

Cops have identified the 61-year-old Livingston Parish man who was found dead Sunday near Walker. They say Rick McBride appears to have suffered a fatal gunshot wound, and officials are still trying to determine what happened, and who is responsible.