8:30 am Newscast Dec. 29, 2018

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy said FEMA was mistaken when it said it could not issue or renew National Flood Insurance Program policies during a partial government shutdown.

FEMA released a statement on Friday changing their policy from a previous announcement earlier this week.

Cassidy issued a statement assuring that FEMA will start selling flood insurance policies again.

Over half a million homeowners in Louisiana currently have the flood insurance through the program.

The state’s median household income still lags 14,000 dollars a year behind the national average.

To combat this, the Economic Development Department is emphasizing growth in high skill sectors that provide higher wages.

Secretary Don Pierson says workers should get the necessary training to qualify for those higher income jobs.

Cut 5 (11) “…they need.”

More information on workforce training programs, visit laworks.net.

A new world record was set in Shreveport for the largest gumbo ever cooked, all in celebration of the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Three people are under arrest in connection with a Christmas day murder in Bastrop.

39-year-old Shwanda Robinson was murdered in her apartment around 3:30 that morning.

Now 34-year-old Tiffany Coleman, 36-year-old Anthony Walker, and 18-year-old Markeice Ethridge are facing second degree murder charges.

530PM LRN News

The Economic Development Department says 2018 was a strong year for new business taking root in the state and the agency celebrates a year-to-year drop in unemployment rate. The highlight of 2017 was DXC Technology’s announcement of 2,000 high paying tech jobs in New Orleans, and Secretary Don Pierson says 2018 was another year of substantial gains in the tech and software sectors.

Cut 4 (12) “…grow″

LSU sophomore running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is with the Tigers in Arizona one week after he and walk-on linebacker Jared Small were involved in a fatal shooting in Baton Rouge, along with Defensive back Kary Vincent Junior who is returning to the team following the death of his father, Greedy Williams and Ed Alexander are skipping the bowl game to get ready for the NFL draft. The make up for the defensive lack of depth, Coach O plans on spicing up the offense.

Cut 11 (11) “…run game.”

A new world record was set in Shreveport for the largest gumbo ever cooked, all in celebration of the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

Three people are under arrest in connection with a Christmas day murder in Bastrop. 39-year-old Shwanda Robinson was murdered in her apartment around 3:30 that morning, and 34-year-old Tiffany Coleman, 36-year-old Anthony Walker, and 18-year-old Markeice Ethridge are now facing seconds degree murder.

445 Sports LRN

Teddy Bridgewater will start at quarterback for the Saints on Sunday against the Panthers, despite Drew only needing eight more passing yards to eclipse 4,000 yards for a 13th consecutive season. The future Hall of Famer is not worried about individual awards.

 cut 17 (17)     get he” 

Brees is thought to be in a tight MVP race with Kansas City QB Pat Mahomes, who’s on pace to be the first quarterback since Payton Manning in 2013 to throw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns.

Teddy joined the Saints in pre-season after an impressive off-season in New York. He previously started in Minnesota before a career threatening 2016 practice injury.

A win would also set a franchise record for wins in a season at 14-2 on the year.

LSU sophomore running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is with the Tigers in Arizona one week after he and walk-on linebacker Jared Small were involved in a fatal shooting in Baton Rouge, and will be joined in the locker room by Defensive back Kary Vincent Junior is also with the team despite recently losing his father to a month’s long battle with pneumonia. Head Coach Ed O says he’s proud of his team, and their character in the face of tragedy.

Cut 10 (11) “…very well”

The Tigers basketball team takes on ULM tonight in Baton Rouge. The Warhawks are 7-4 on the year, and have won their last four games. Southern takes on Marquette at 7pm. Southeastern and UL-Lafayette go at it 4pm tomorrow.

Duke trashed Temple 56-27 at the Independence Bowl in Shreveport yesterday, and at the game Chef John Folse served up the now official biggest bowl of gumbo ever made, at 6,800 pounds

Cut 14 (09) “…pounds of roux.”

4:30 PM Newscast

The Economic Development Department says 2018 was a strong year for new business taking root in the state and the agency celebrates a year-to-year drop in unemployment rate. The year was headlined by major announcements from foreign firms, and Secretary Don Pierson says capital is flowing in from around the world.
Cut 3 (09) “…dollars.”

Parts of the state are recovering from a nasty night of weather as several inches of rain piled up. Those rains have authorities in St. Tammany Parish keeping an eye on a few rivers in the Covington area, which could affect residents in low lying areas. St. Tammany Emergency Management Director Dexter Accardo says because the storm hit late at night, it was tough to get an idea of exactly how much flooding they had. Then, when folks woke up, the reports started rolling in.
Cut 7 (07) “…the street”

LSU sophomore running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is with the Tigers in Arizona one week after he and walk-on linebacker Jared Small were involved in a fatal shooting in Baton Rouge. Authorities have ruled the shooting justified and Coach Ed Orgeron gave his comments on the situation

Cut 9 (11) “…totally.″

At the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl in Shreveport yesterday, a new record was set for the world’s largest gumbo ever cooked.  Chef John Folse lead a team in putting the gumbo together.  When the gumbo was official weighed, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser says it tipped the scales at just over 6800 pounds.

Cut 12 (12)   “…by 1000 pounds.” 

Nungesser says to seal in the record, all of the gumbo had to be eaten.  About 11,000 bowls were served to those in attendance.

330PM LRN News

Residents in low lying areas near the Tchefunte River are being asked to consider evacuating as river in St. Tammany swell with water from last night’s storm. St. Tammany Emergency Management Director Dexter Accardo says it’s not a parish-wide threat, but folks in the Covington area need to keep an eye on their nearby rivers.

Cut 6 (12) “…and all”

He says the local rivers are expected to crest in different areas between this afternoon and Sunday morning.

The Economic Development Department says 2018 was a strong year for new business taking root in the state and the agency celebrates a year-to-year drop in unemployment rate, But, the state’s median household income still lags 14,000 dollars a year behind the national average. Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson says they will keep emphasizing growth in high skill sectors that provide higher wages and make sure workers get the necessary training.

Cut 5 (11) “…they need.”

LSU sophomore running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is with the Tigers in Arizona one week after he and walk-on linebacker Jared Small were involved in a fatal shooting in Baton Rouge, and they’ll be joined by Defensive back Kary Vincent Junior, who is also with the team, despite the death of his father, Kary Vincent Senior, who died at the age of 49 after a months-long battle with pneumonia. Coach O says in the face of tragedy these players have shown great character.

Cut 10 (11) “…very well”

At the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl in Shreveport yesterday, a new record was set for the world’s largest gumbo ever cooked. Chef John Folse says they started the process at 10pm the night before the game to have it ready by 9am.  He says onions, celery, garlic and bell pepper alone was 600 lbs, with no shortage of Louisiana seafood and even some gator meat.

Cut 14 (09) “…pounds of roux.”

Proceeds from the sale of the gumbo, just over $50,000, went toward the Fisher House.

LRN Pm Newscall Updated Information on St. Tammany flooding situation

Unemployment is down from last year, and state Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson credits more foreign investment and tech jobs…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

_____________________________________________

A new world record was set in Shreveport for the largest gumbo ever cooked, all in celebration of the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

_____________________________________________

The Economic Development Department says 2018 was a strong year for new business taking root in the state and the agency celebrates a year-to-year drop in unemployment rate. The year was headlined by major announcements from foreign firms, and Secretary Don Pierson says capital is flowing in from around the world.

Cut 3 (09) “…dollars.”

The highlight of 2017 was DXC Technology’s announcement of 2,000 high paying tech jobs in New Orleans. Pierson says 2018 was another year of substantial gains in the tech and software sectors.

Cut 4 (12) “…grow″

But, the state’s median household income still lags 14,000 dollars a year behind the national average. Pierson says they will keep emphasizing growth in high skill sectors that provide higher wages and make sure workers get the necessary training.

Cut 5 (11) “…they need.”

More information on workforce training programs, visit laworks.net.

_________________________________________

Parts of the state are recovering from a nasty night of weather as several inches of rain piled up. Those rains have authorities in St. Tammany Parish keeping an eye on a few rivers in the Covington area, which could affect residents in low lying areas. St. Tammany Emergency Management Director Dexter Accardo.

Cut 6 (12) “…and all”

Accardo says because the storm hit late at night, it was tough to get an idea of exactly how much flooding they had. Then, when folks woke up, the reports started rolling in.

Cut 7 (07) “…the street”

Accardo says they’re watching the river stage for three rivers. He says they are expected to crest in different areas between this afternoon and Sunday morning. He says of particular concern are the Tchefuncte and Bogue Falaya Rivers.

Cut 8 (09) “…area”

St. Tammany officials have asked residents in low-lying areas near the Tchefuncte River to consider a voluntary evacuation.

_______________________

LSU sophomore running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is with the Tigers in Arizona one week after he and walk-on linebacker Jared Small were involved in a fatal shooting in Baton Rouge. Authorities have ruled the shooting justified and Coach Ed Orgeron gave his comments on the situation

Cut 9 (11) “…totally.″

Defensive back Kary Vincent Junior is also with the team, despite the death of his father, Kary Vincent Senior, who died at the age of 49 after a months-long battle with pneumonia. Orgeron says the team is getting through these tough times, because of good character…

Cut 10 (11) “…very well”

LSU is missing several players on defense. Greedy Williams and Ed Alexander are skipping the bowl game to get ready for the NFL draft. Defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko is injured and cornerback Kelvin Joseph is suspended. So the Tigers might have to rely heavily on their offense to beat U-C-F. Orgeron says they put in a few new wrinkles on offense

Cut 11 (11) “…run game.”

_____________________________

At the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl in Shreveport yesterday, a new record was set for the world’s largest gumbo ever cooked.  Chef John Folse lead a team in putting the gumbo together.  When the gumbo was official weighed, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser says it tipped the scales at just over 6800 pounds.

Cut 12 (12)   “…by 1000 pounds.” 

Nungesser says to seal in the record, all of the gumbo had to be eaten.  About 11,000 bowls were served to those in attendance.

Cut 13 (10) “…by 1000 pounds.”

Chef John Folse says they started the process at 10pm the night before the game to have it ready by 9am.  He says onions, celery, garlic and bell pepper alone was 600 lbs, with no shortage of Louisiana seafood and even some gator meat.

Cut 14 (09) “…pounds of roux.”

Proceeds from the sale of the gumbo, just over $50,000, went toward the Fisher House to help house military families of patients in military and VA hospitals.

2:30 LRN Newscast December 28

The state is trying to dry out today after yesterday’s drenching rain. About a foot of rain fell in Washington Parish, which has St. Tammany emergency management director Dexter Accardo concerned about river flooding…
cut 8 (09) “…Covington area”
More rain is in the forecast for this weekend.

The state economic development department is calling 2018 another successful year for new jobs. At the end of 2017, DTX Technology announced plans to bring two-thousand high tech jobs to new Orleans and Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson says 2018 was another year of substantial gains in the tech and software sectors…
cut 4 (12) “…grow”

A new world record has been set in Shreveport for the largest gumbo ever cooked, all in celebration of the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The LSU football team is holding its first practice in Arizona today as it gets ready for its Fiesta Bowl matchup with Central Florida. Coach Ed Orgeron says they’ve tried to improve the offense during the bowl practices…
cut 11 (11) “…run game”

1:30 LRN Newscast December 28

Unemployment is down from last year, and state Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson credits more foreign investment and tech jobs…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

FEMA announces it will not issue or renew flood insurance policies during the partial federal government shut down. This impacts those individuals selling or buying a home that’s required to have flood insurance. The governor’s office says over 501-thousand Louisiana homes depend on flood insurance.

Thursday’s heavy rain event resulted in several homes taking in water. St. Charles Parish President Larry Cochran says about 30 homes expeirenced flooding in Norco, Montz, Destrehan and New Sarpy. About a foot of rain fell in Washington Parish, which resulted in some property damage and in St. Tammany, parish emergency management director Dexter Accardo says low lying roads are covered by water…
cut 7 (07) “…the street”

Louisiana Chef John Folse and a team of cooks set a Guiness world record for the largest pot of gumbo, 68-hundred pounds. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser was in Shreveport to witness it and he says it contained 983 pounds of shrimp, 590 pounds of catfish and hundreds of pounds of crab, alligator and oysters, plus rice spices and broth…
cut 13 (10) record books”:
The previous record was 58-hundred pounds.

12:30 PM Newscall

The Economic Development Department says 2018 was a strong year when it came to new business taking root in the state, and celebrates the year to year drop in unemployment rate. The year was headlined by major announcements from foreign firms, and Secretary Don Pierson says capital is flowing in from around the world.

Cut 3 (09) “…dollars.”

Parts of the state are recovering from a nasty night of weather as several inches of rain piled up. Those rains have authorities in St. Tammany Parish keeping an eye on a few rivers in the Covington area, which could affect resident’s in low lying zones. St. Tammany Emergency Management Director Dexter Accardo.

Cut 6, 11 seconds, and all

At the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl, a new record was set for the world’s largest gumbo ever cooked.  Chef John Folse lead a team in putting the gumbo together.  When the gumbo was official weighed, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser says it tipped the scales at just over 6800 pounds.
Cut 12 (12)   “…by 1000 pounds.” 
Nungesser says to seal in the record, all of the gumbo had to be eaten.  About 11,000 bowls were served to those in attendance.

11:40 LRN Sportscast December 28

LSU sophomore running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is with the Tigers in Arizona one week after he and walk-on linebacker Jared Small were involved in a fatal shooting in Baton Rouge. Authorities have ruled the shooting justified and Coach Ed Orgeron gave his comments on the situation…
cut 9 (11) “….totally”
The Tigers will face U-C-F on New Year’s Day.

LSU hosts ULM tonight in the final non-conference basketball game of the year for both teams. The Tigers are 9-3, while the Warhawks are 7-4 and led by Wichita State transfer Daishon Smith who is averaging 18 points a game and shooting 46-percent from three-point territory. Tip time is at 7.

Also tonight, the Pelicans will look to end a five game losing streak when they host Dallas. Nikola Mirotic and Elfrid Payton remain out with injuries.

Saints veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is expected to see snaps on Sunday against Carolina as Quarterback Drew Brees is not expected to play the whole game. Bridgewater was a former starter in Minnesota and has been ready for his chance in New Orleans…
cut 18 (19) “…stay ready”
Saints tight end Ben Watson says after this season he’s retiring. Ending a 15-year career. The 38-year-old has caught 33 passes and two touchdowns this season. Ex-LSU Tiger Kyle Williams has also announced his retirement. The Ruston native has spent 13 seasons as a defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills. Williams was on LSU’s 2003 national championship team and is a fan favorite in Buffalo.