9:30 LRN Newscast February 20

In New Orleans, mourners are placing flowers at the spot where a woman lost her life last night when a float in the Nyk parade ran over her. A preliminary report from the NOPD says the woman might have been reaching for beads. The Orleans Parish coroner has yet to release the victim’s name.

Teacher unions are upset Governor John Bel Edwards did not include a line item in his budget proposal that would direct the state legislature to give teachers a pay raise for a second consecutive year. On his monthly Ask the Governor Show, Edwards says his budget includes 39-million dollars for public schools and he’s hoping school systems will use some of that money to pay teachers more. Edwards also says he wanted to invest more into education, but the Revenue Estimating Conference has yet to approve an official revenue number for the upcoming budget.
Cut 12 (11) “… like.”

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has added its first electric car to its vehicle fleet. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Brooke Thorington”

The Humane Society of Louisiana is asking for the public’s help in finding the person responsible for throwing a dog food bag that contained eight puppies into Bayou Portage from a bridge in St. Martin Parish. Jeff Dorson says the pups will be up for adoption from the Every Paw Animal Rescue in Evangeline Parish.
cut 9 (110 “…available for adoption.

8:30 LRN Newscast Feb 20

A woman was killed during the Krewe of Nyx Parade last night in New Orleans after she was run over by a float. Witnesses say the woman was trying to cross in between a tandem float and she apparently tripped over the hitch connecting the two sections and fell to the ground before being caught under the back half of the float. Her identity has not been released.

Governor Edwards responded to the controversy over his decision not to include a specific teacher pay raise in his budget, saying he is confident there will ultimately be a raise in this year’s legislative session. Edwards says his plan to have teachers being paid the southern regional average by the end of the term hasn’t changed.

Cut 11 (10) “…to do”

Many teachers were shocked at the non-inclusion of a pay raise saying the Governor had broken a campaign promise.

Senator Bill Cassidy officially kicks off his run for a second term in Washington DC. Cassidy says he will continue to push for the use of fracking in the natural gas industry that has provided prosperity and helped improve air quality.  He adds under Trump’s economy, the US has become energy dominant.

Cut 14 (09 ) “…some place else ”

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality adds the first all-electric car to its vehicle fleet. DEQ’s first Electric Vehicle is a Chevy Bolt. DEQ Spokesperson Gregory Langley says the car offers an EPA-estimated 259 miles of range on a single charge, nearly 10-percent more than previous models. But most importantly it’s good for the environment.

Cut 5 (08)  “…generating electricity.”

7:30 LRN Newscast Feb 20

In New Orleans, a woman was run over and killed by a float in the middle of the Krewe of Nyx parade Wednesday night. The accident happened near Magazine Street and Valence. Witnesses say the woman stepped in between the front float and back float of a tandem float, was struck by the second float and killed. The victim’s identity has not been released.

A teacher pay raise may not be in the budget right now, but Governor Edwards is confident educators will get an increase by the end of the session.

Cut 3 (31)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

The Humane Society of Louisiana is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of a person who threw a bag containing eight puppies from a bridge into Bayou Portage in St. Martin Parish on Sunday.  Humane Society of Louisiana executive director Jeff Dorson says the person behind the tossing could face up to eight felony counts, one for each pup, with a fine of $5,000 to $25,000 and possible prison time of 1 to 10 years for each count.

Cut 8 (13) “…would be fatal.”

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality adds the first all-electric car to its vehicle fleet. DEQ’s first Electric Vehicle is a Chevrolet Bolt. DEQ Spokesperson Gregory Langley says they hope to add more EVs to the fleet but…

Cut 4 (10) “…great deal.”

 

6:45 LRN Sportscast

For just the third time this century Nicholls beat LSU in baseball as the Colonels doubled up the Tigers four to two last night in Thibodaux. Sophomore left-hander Tyler Theriot was terrific on the mound as he threw 5.1 innings of shutout baseball. He struck out seven. Brayden Joubert had a solo home run for the Colonels. Meanwhile, LSU pitching walked eight, hit four other batters and the Tigers defense also made a couple of errors in the field.

Also on the baseball diamond last night, Little Rock defeated Grambling six to four and Tulane topped the Ragin Cajuns nine to six. U-L Lafayette could not recover from falling behind eight to anything after two innings.

In college basketball last night, Tulane snapped a nine-game losing streak with an 80-72 win over SMU. Georgia upset 13th ranked Auburn 65-55. So, LSU, Auburn, and Florida are in a three-way tie for second place, two games back of Kentucky for first place. LSU is at South Carolina on Saturday.

In the NFL, owners will gather in New York today to discuss the status of labor negotiations with the NFL Players Association. The NFL Network reports A new labor agreement could expand the regular season to 17 games, starting in 2022, but several players have spoken out about expanding the regular season. A new C-B-A could also expand the number of teams that make the playoffs from 12 to 14 and only the top team from each conference would get a first-round bye.

Back to basketball…it’s been a tough season for ULM, but they had a nice win on the road last night as the Warhawks defeated Arkansas State 66-52. Tyree White led the way with 18 points.

McNeese lost its fifth straight falling to U-I-W 65-59. Nicholls ended Northwestern State’s four-game winning streak as the Colonels beat the Demons 73-69. Nicholls is 12-4 in the Southland and in second place. The Demons are in fifth place and the Cowboys fall to eighth place.

6:30 LRN Newscast Feb 20

New Orleans police confirm a woman was killed during the Nyx Parade last night on Magazine Street. Witnesses say the woman stepped in between the front float and back float of a tandem float, was struck by the second float and killed. It happened about halfway through the parade and the first 20 floats continued on the parade route.  Bands and other walking groups were rerouted around the scene and then continued to parade, the remaining floats, however, did not.  The victim’s identity has not been released.

Governor Edwards addressed the controversy over his decision not to include a specific teacher pay raise in his budget, saying he is confident there will ultimately be a raise in this year’s legislative session. Edwards says he has not deprioritized K-12 education, noting his budget includes 39 million dollars in new education spending.

Cut 10 (12) “…a pay raise.”

The Humane Society of Louisiana is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of a person who threw a dog food bag containing eight puppies from a bridge into Bayou Portage in St. Martin Parish on Sunday.  Humane Society of Louisiana executive director Jeff Dorson says a nearby fisherman saw the man toss what appeared to be litter into the water.

Cut 7 (12) “…in the sack.”

Dorson says the person behind the tossing could face up to eight felony counts, one for each pup.

AM Newscall 02/20/2020

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality adds the first electric car to the vehicle fleet. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Brooke Thorington”

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Authorities are on the hunt for the person that threw a bag full of puppies into Bayou Portage in St. Martin Parish. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart” 

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A teacher pay raise may not be in the budget right now, but Governor Edwards is confident educators will get an increase by the end of the session. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (30)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

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The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality adds the first all-electric car to it’s vehicle fleet. DEQ’s first Electric Vehicle, or EV, is a Chevrolet Bolt. LDEQ Spokesperson Gregory Langley says they hope to add more EVs to the fleet but…

Cut 4 (10) “…great deal.”

Langley says the EV offers an EPA-estimated 259 miles of range on a single charge, nearly 10-percent more than previous models. But most importantly it’s good for the environment.

Cut 5 (08)  “…generating electricity.”

DEQ hopes by setting the example of having the first EV that other departments will follow their lead along with citizens of the Bayou State.  Langley says the car performs well for a passenger vehicle.

Cut 6 (10) “…the environment.”

The car will be easy spot it on the road with its custom wrap and DEQ logo.

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The Humane Society of Louisiana is offer a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of a person who threw a dog food bag containing eight puppies from a bridge into Bayou Portage in St. Martin Parish on Sunday.  Humane Society of Louisiana executive director Jeff Dorson says a nearby fisherman saw the man toss what appeared to be litter into the water.

Cut 7 (12) “…in the sack.”

Dorson says the person behind the tossing could face up to eight felony counts, one for each pup, with a fine of $5,000 to $25,000 and possible prison time of 1 to 10 years for each count.

Cut 8 (13) “…would be fatal.”

The puppies are in the care of Every Paw Animal Rescue in Evangeline Parish and Dorson says the opportunity to adopt the pups will be coming soon.

Cut 9 (11) “…available for adoption.″

____________________

Governor Edwards addressed the controversy over his decision not to include a specific teacher pay raise in his budget, saying he is confident there will ultimately be a raise in this year’s legislative session.

Edwards says he has not deprioritized K-12 education, noting his budget includes 39 million dollars in new education spending.

Cut 10 (12) “…a pay raise.”

Many teachers were shocked at the non-inclusion of a raise, saying the Governor had broken a campaign promise, but Edwards says his plan to get to the southern regional average by the end of the term hasn’t changed.

Cut 11 (10) “…to do”

Edwards notes teachers received a 1,000 dollar pay raise last session, just over 100 million dollars in new yearly spending.

The Governor says he wanted to invest more into education and a potential raise, but the Revenue Estimating Conference has yet to approve an official revenue number for the upcoming budget.

Cut 12 (11) “… like.”

_____________________________________

Senator Bill Cassidy officially kicks off his run for a second term in Washington DC.  Among the issues Cassidy says will be a priority in his time in office is facing the challenges presented from disasters in Louisiana and using what we learn to help the rest of the nation.

Cut 13 (12) “…the same thing.”

Cassidy says he will continue to push for the use of fracking in the natural gas industry that has provided prosperity and helped improve air quality.  He adds under Trump’s economy, the US has become energy dominant.

Cut 14 (09 ) “…some place else ”

Cassidy says compared to when he started his term, more people are optimistic now about the world for future generations. He adds that now is the time to pull together and meet the challenges ahead.

Cut 15 (11) “…you very much.”

530PM LRN News

Senator Bill Cassidy officially announces his run for a second term.  So far, Cassidy does not face any major Democratic challengers, but  U-L Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says Cassidy will probably have to put together a little bit of a campaign.

Cut 12 (06) “…point at least.”

Baton Rouge Democrat Antoine Peirce is the only Democrat to announce he is running against Cassidy.

Louisiana is ranked in the bottom third of states for internet connectivity and infrastructure, and lobbying group 5G Action Now says the Trump Administration’s plan to expand nationwide 5G would fix that. Spokesperson Ian Prior says nearly 40 percent of state residents surveyed complain about the lack of high-speed internet in rural areas, but with 5G…

Cut 9 (08) “…LTE″

A 77-year-old Baton Rouge man turned himself in to authorities Tuesday once autopsy results revealed his special needs son died as a result of internal bleeding on Valentine’s Day.  Ellsworth Hull is charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of his son 40-year-old Derrick Christophe. Baton Rouge Police Sgt L’Jean McKneely says Friday’s beating was not the first.

Cut 6 (12) “then died”

McKneely says Hull confessed to beating his son.

Three people are under arrest after over $600,000 in drugs are found during a Rapides Parish traffic stop on US Highway 165 near Woodworth. Trooper Casey Wallace says when the trooper was questioning those riding in the 2020 Chevy Suburban, State Police called the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office to assist in the arrests and seizure.

Cut 3 (10)  “…a lot of drugs.”  

4:30 PM Newscast

A Baton Rouge man is charged with second degree murder in the Valentine’s Day beating death of his special needs son. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington” 

The Humane Society of Louisiana is offer a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of a person who threw a dog food bag containing eight puppies from a bridge in Bayou Portage in St. Martin Parish on Sunday. A fisherman reportedly retrieved the bag, thinking it was litter, but he found the 3 to 5-day-old puppies inside. The puppies are currently receiving treatment and are expected to be okay.

Louisiana is ranked in the bottom third of states for internet connectivity and infrastructure, and lobbying group 5G Action Now says the Trump Administration’s plan to expand nationwide 5G would fix that. Spokesperson Ian Prior says the US is currently in a race with China to develop the first nationwide 5G network.
Cut 10 (07) “…technology”
The plan is currently opposed by many Democrats and Senator John Kennedy, who are concerned about it including a 15 billion dollar payout to foreign companies to speed up the process of expansion.
Three people are in jail after over $600,000 in drugs are found during a Rapides Parish traffic stop on US Highway 165 near Woodworth. Trooper Casey Wallace says heroin and fentanyl demand are two relatively new drug issues to the area, which is driving the street value up.
Cut 5 (10)  “…really really hard.”

37-year old Archie Louis Carter, Jr. and passengers 31-year old Isiah Jones and 33-year old Anthony Manuel were arrested.

445 LRN Sports

LSU’s annual Spring Football Game will be April 18th but it will not take place in Tiger Stadium. Instead, LSU will hold the scrimmage at Southern University’s Mumford Stadium. Executive Deputy Athletic Director Verge Ausberry says that’s because they are replacing the turf inside Death Valley…

Cut 16  (14)  …be completed”  

Ausberry says to play the Spring Game at Southern, LSU had to get permission from the SEC to play the game there.

The 3-1 Tigers take on Nicholls tonight in Thibodeaux at the Ray E. Didier field. LSU is coming off of a strong 8-3 win over Southern last night in Alex Box, while Nicholls has struggled mightily out the gate at 0-3. First pitch is at 6PM.

Tonight in southland conference basketball action we have Northwestern taking on Nicholls, and McNeese plays UIW.

Last night LSU basketball lost for the fourth time in the last five games as 10th ranked Kentucky defeated the Tigers 79-76 in the PMAC last night. The Wildcats made just two three-pointers in the first half, but hit seven 3s in the second half and they shot 74-percent from the field. LSU is on the road for the next two games, at South Carolina Saturday and Florida next Wednesday.

Last night saw Southeastern fall 81-71 to Nicholls in basketball, while UNO lost a nail biter 67-66 to UIW.

Saints backup QB Taysom Hill says he’s excited to see Drew Brees return for a 20th season in the NFL after the legend contemplated retirement after the Saints bombed out of the playoffs last season. He admitted it might keep him from getting the starting job in New Orleans this year, and he does view himself as a starting QB in the league worthy of a full contract. Hill is a restricted free agent but the rumor mill is abuzz with teams claiming interest in the prospect that’s only thrown 13 professional passes. Rumored teams include New England.

PM LRN Newscall

A Baton Rouge man is charged with second degree murder in the Valentine’s Day beating death of his special needs son. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington” 

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Senator Bill Cassidy officially announces his run for a second term in DC.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

cut  2 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

___________________________

Three people are under arrest after over $600,000 in drugs are found during a Rapides Parish traffic stop on US Highway 165 near Woodworth. Trooper Casey Wallace says when the trooper was questioning those riding in the 2020 Chevy Suburban, State Police called the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office to assist in the arrests and seizure.

Cut 3 (10)  “…a lot of drugs.”  

37-year old Archie Louis Carter, Jr. and passengers 31-year old Isiah Jones and 33-year old Anthony Manuel were arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute. Wallace says while the area does see drug busts throughout the year…

Cut 4 (09) “…been having lately.”

Wallace says heroin and fentanyl demand are two relatively new drug issues to the area, which is driving the street value up.

Cut 5 (10)  “…really really hard.”

___________________________________________

A 77-year-old Baton Rouge man turned himself in to authorities Tuesday once autopsy results revealed his special needs son died as a result of internal bleeding on Valentine’s Day.  Ellsworth Hull is charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of his son 40-year-old Derrick Christophe. Baton Rouge Police Sgt L’Jean McKneely says Friday’s beating was not the first.

Cut 6 (12) “then died”

McKneely says when officers arrived on the scene Friday, they found the victim in the bathtub.

Cut 7 (11) “…results”

McKneely says the investigation showed that the victim did not die of natural causes and that’s when a warrant was filed on Hull.

Cut 8 (08)“…himself in”

McKneely says Hull confessed to beating his son.

____________________________________________________

Louisiana is ranked in the bottom third of states for internet connectivity and infrastructure, and lobbying group 5G Action Now says the Trump Administration’s plan to expand nationwide 5G would fix that.

Spokesperson Ian Prior says nearly 40 percent of state residents surveyed complain about the lack of high speed internet in rural areas, but with 5G…

Cut 9 (08) “…LTE″

Prior says the US is currently in a race with China to develop the first nationwide 5G network.

Cut 10 (07) “…technology”

The plan is currently opposed by many Democrats and Senator John Kennedy, who are concerned about it including a 15 billion dollar payout to foreign companies to speed up the process of expansion. Prior says it’s necessary.

Cut 11 (08) “deal here”

________________________

Senator Bill Cassidy officially announces his run for a second term.  So far, Cassidy does not face any major Democratic challengers, but  U-L Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says Cassidy will probably have to put together a little bit of a campaign.

Cut 12 (06) “…point at least.”

Baton Rouge Democrat Antoine Peirce is the only Democrat to announce he is running against Cassidy.

Cross says Cassidy has been strongly supportive of Donald Trump but he hasn’t tried to be the most flame-throwing Republican so it is possible that another Republican challenger could pop up.  Cross adds Cassidy has solidified himself with party establishment and they don’t have a reason to desert him.

Cut 13 (05) “…are somewhat slim .”

Cross says he foresees a path for Cassidy to hold his seat for many years to come.

Cut 14 (08) “…what I see.”

 

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Cut 15 (07) “…him to recover.”

 

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Cut 16  (12)  …dominate” 

 

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