8:30 LRN Newscast February 4

Louisiana Congressman Ralph Abraham, who represents much of north and central Louisiana, has only 21-thousand campaign dollars on hand and he’s up for reelection in November. Abraham has said he might not run for a fourth term. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says if Abraham does not run, the seat will not turn blue as there will be a lot of interest from Republicans….
cut 12 (11) “…field”
Qualifying for the Congressional races is in July.

North Louisiana parishes are under a marginal threat for severe weather today. About a month ago, northwest Louisiana was hit by a tornado that killed three people, but National Weather Service Forecaster C-S Ross says the threat is not as high as a month ago…
cut 5 (06) “…severe weather”
There’s a slight risk for severe weather tomorrow for much of south Louisiana and areas east of Alexandria.

New research has concluded that more than a week of the keto diet may not be beneficial. LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Public Health, Doctor Melinda Sothern, says Yale researchers put mice on a keto diet and found after a week they stored more fat than they can burn, which raises health concerns…
cut 14 (10) “…a higher diabetes risk”
Sothern says it’s still possible that the keto diet has health benefits if dosed properly.

Louisiana is pushing the feds to give 150 million dollars in matching funds to the state to help construct an elevated roadway on LA Highway 1 from Golden Meadow to the Leeville Bridge in Lafourche Parish. State Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson says a several mile-long bridge over marshlands is needed to guarantee safe passage to Port Fourchon.
Cut 7 (10) “…marshland.”
Wilson says Louisiana has already pumped over 300 million dollars into projects along that vital stretch of highway.

7:30 LRN Newscast

Congressman Ralph Abraham’s remarkably small reelection war chest has rumors flying that he will not seek a fourth term in office. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (27) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

House Speaker Clay Schexnayder has finalized committee assignments for the upcoming term. Lafayette Representative Vincent Pierre is chairman of Transportation, Baton Rouge Representative Ted James will lead Criminal Justice, Chalmette Representative Ray Garofalo is the chair of Education, and Stonewall Representative Larry Bagwell heads Health and Welfare.

The keto diet may be all the rage in trying to drop pounds, but new research shows that you might not want to be on the diet for too long. LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Public Health Melinda Sothern says after rodents were on the diet for a week, Yale University researchers discovered an increase in delta gamma t-cells.
Cut 13 (10) “…to be eliminated.”
After a week, Sothern says the rodents would eventually begin to eat more fat.

There’s a marginal risk for severe weather for northern parishes today as a strong cold front is expected to sweep across the state over the next couple of days. Forecasters say there is a slight risk for severe weather tomorrow for all of southeast Louisiana, Acadiana and areas west of Alexandria. National Weather Service Meteorologist C-S Ross…
cut 6 (05) “…tornado or two”

6:45 LRN Sportscast February 4

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks make their only visit to the Smoothie King Center as New Orleans hosts the top team in the Eastern Conference for a 6:30 tip tonight. The Greek Freak is averaging 30 points and 13 rebounds a game and Milwaukee has won five in a row on the road. The Pels are 3-and-3 since Zion Williamson’s debut.

Shareef O’ Neal the son of LSU legend Shaquille O’ Neal is interested in transferring to LSU. Shareef signed with UCLA out of high school, but he’s entered the NCAA transfer portal and spent this past weekend in Baton Rouge. But he may not make a decision on his future for at least another month.

LSU has moved up several spots in both basketball polls to number 18. The Tigers are 8-and-0 in the SEC and they’ve won ten in a row overall. They are Vanderbilt tomorrow night.

Last night, Travon Bunch had a career-high 23 points as Grambling State defeated Mississippi Valley State 90 to 65.

St. Thomas More quarterback Caleb Holstein posted on Twitter that he plans to sign with Louisiana Tech on Wednesday. Holstein just led the Cougars to a Division Two state title. During his prep career, Holstein threw for nearly 10-thousand yards and over 100 touchdowns. He’s rated by Rivals as the 34th best pro-style Q-B in the nation.

Three-star quarterback Blake Shapen from Evangel has committed to Baylor and plans to sign with Dave Aranda and the Bears on Wednesday. Several Pac-12 schools and Ole Miss are interested in the two-sport star. Shapen is also very good on the baseball diamond.

The SEC has named John McDaid as its new coordinator of football officials. McDaid will replace Steve Shaw. McDaid has 24 years of experience as an official and has been officiating SEC games since 2015. The Harvard graduate will also serve as coordinator of football officials for the Sun Belt Conference.

6:30 LRN Newscast February 4

5th district Louisiana Congressman Ralph Abraham reports only having 21-thousand dollars in his campaign war chest and he’s up for re-election this year. It fuels speculation Abraham will not seek a fourth term. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says when Abraham was first elected, he pledged to serve just three terms, but…
cut 11 (11) “…pledge”

There’s a marginal risk for severe weather for the northern parishes of the state later today. National Weather Service Meteorologist C-S Ross…
cut 4 (10) “…front near freezing”
Expect scattered showers this morning and then thunderstorms in the afternoon and into the evening. The severe weather threat shifts to southeast Louisiana, Acadiana and a part of central Louisiana tomorrow.

Louisiana officials are seeking 150 million dollars in federal funding to help construct an elevated roadway heading to Port Fourchon. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Matt Doyle”

AM Newscall 02/04/2020

Louisiana officials are seeking 150 million dollars in federal funding to help construct an elevated roadway heading to Port Fourchon. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Matt Doyle”

_________________________________________

Congressman Ralph Abraham’s remarkably small reelection war chest has rumors flying that he will not seek a fourth term in office. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle” 

____________________________________________

A new study from Yale University shows the ketogenic diet may not be beneficial if followed for more than a week.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 3 (32)  “…I’m Kevin Barnhart” 

____________________________________________

Northern parishes are preparing for the possibility of severe weather with a cold front that is moving into the state tonight and into tomorrow morning.  National Weather Service Shreveport meteorologist CS Ross says along the front, a band of showers and thunderstorms have developed.

Cut 4 (10) “…front, near freezing.”

Ross adds that a light wintry mix has not been ruled out for late Wednesday night, into early Thursday morning.

A significant storm system moved through the state in early January that resulted in a deadly tornado outbreak, but Ross says while the possibility of tornado outbreaks exists, this isn’t the same scenario and is only considered a marginal risk.

Cut 5 (06) “…of severe weather.”

Although the risk is still present in other parts of the state, Ross says it decreases the further south the front travels.

Cut 6 (05) “…tornado or two.”

_____________________________

Louisiana is pushing the feds to give 150 million dollars in matching funds to the state to help construct an elevated roadway on LA Highway 1 from Golden Meadow to the Leeville Bridge in Lafourche Parish.

Louisiana Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson says the plan is to construct a several mile-long bridge structure over the marshlands to guarantee safe passage to Port Fourchon.

Cut 7 (10) “…marshland.”

Louisiana has already pumped over 300 million dollars into projects along that vital stretch of highway.

It doesn’t take much to make the current drive through that several mile stretch precarious, and Wilson says that’s not acceptable given Port Fourchon’s economic importance to the oil industry, and…

Cut 8 (11) “…disasters.”

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise is currently lobbying US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao for the funds.

HB 578 last year OK’d 150 million dollars in state funding for the project that Wilson says was planned as leverage for getting the federal matching funds. He’s optimistic about their chances.

Cut 9 (10) “…dollars”

There’s about 400 million dollars of work left to do, so if the federal matching funds are approved the state would still need to find some additional gap funding to finish the job.

____________________

Congressman Ralph Abraham, fresh off a primary loss in last year’s gubernatorial race, only has 21,000 dollars in his reelection war chest, sparking speculation he’s considering not running again this year.

ULM Poli Sci Professor Joshua Stockley says 21,000 dollars is a remarkably low number for someone to run a reelection campaign with…

Cut 10 (10) “…campaign”

Abraham ran in 1st place during last year’s gubernatorial primary within his congressional district.

One item that may be holding Abraham back from running for a fourth term is a campaign promise he made not to serve more than three terms. However…

Cut 11 (11) “…pledge”

Stockley notes that would be two pledges broken if so, the other being a promise to donate his congressional salary to charity.

If Abraham were to sit it out there’s no real fear by the GOP the seat could go blue, but Stockley says it would attract massive interest from Republicans…

Cut 12 (11) “…field”

Abraham has two challengers so far, Republican Ouachita Parish Police Juror Scotty Robinson, and Democrat Sandy “Candy” Christophe. Neither has over 20,000 dollars on hand.

_____________________________________

The keto diet may be all the rage in trying to drop pounds before the summer, but new research from Yale University show that you might not want to be on the diet for too long.  LSU Health New Orleans Professor of Public Health Melinda Sothern says after rodents were on the diet for a week, researchers discovered an increase in delta gamma t-cells.

Cut 13 (10) “…to be eliminated.”

After a week, Sothern says the rodents would eventually begin to eat more fat than they could metabolize and then store fat after a week.

Cut 14 (10) “…a higher diabetes risk.”

Sothern says perhaps the keto diet has health benefits if dosed properly, adding more research needs to be done on humans to see if the same response occurs with delta t-cells versus those in animals.

Cut 15 (12) “…a longer response.”

530PM LRN News

Iberville Sheriff Brett Stassi says his deputies have arrested 54-year-old Galen Marcantel for a horrific elder abuse in a case where it’s suspected Marcantel was taking advantage of an older, infirm woman. Marcantel had allegedly been living with the woman for many months and had barred the victim’s family from checking up on her…

Cut 8 (08) “…individual.”

The Governor’s Office for Elderly Affairs reported 1,739 caregiver neglect cases across the state last year.

Former St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister passed away. The public servant also had stints as the State GOP Chairwoman, and President Bush’s 2004 Louisiana Reelection Campaign Chair. St. Tammany Superintendent Trey Folse knew her well, and says his daughter looked up to Brister…

Cut 9 (11) “…family.”

A Texas woman is arrested in Bossier Parish, accused of stealing an ambulance from Dallas.  The chase began when Louisiana State Police intitiated a traffic stop near the Texas border. Trooper Brent Hardy says  the one tool 19-year-old Kendall Tyson probably could have used to cut through the traffic was not used during the pursuit.

Cut 5 (06) “…the lights on.”

Tyson is charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated flight, resisting by false information, misrepresentation during booking, DWI, and driving without a license.

New Orleans native and former LSU Tiger Tyrann Mathieu is a Super Bowl champion today as he helped Kansas City beat San Francisco 31-20 in last night’s Super Bowl in Miami. Mathieu is anxious to defend their title, having taken home the trophy in KC for the first time in five decades.

Cut 14 (09) “…(laugh).

4:30 PM Newscast

Pat Brister, one of St. Tammany Parish’s most accomplished public servants has passed away at the age of 73. St. Tammany Superintendent Trey Folse says during her eight-year tenure as Parish President, which ended after her reelection defeat last year, she was a strong champion for quality public schools.
Cut 10 (11) “of life.” 
Brister had stints as the State GOP Chairwoman, and President Bush’s 2004 Louisiana Reelection Campaign Chair

New Orleans native and former LSU Tiger Tyrann Mathieu is a Super Bowl champion today as he helped Kansas City beat San Francisco 31-20 in last night’s big game in Miami. Mathieu had six tackles for K-C and the veteran safety was a pivotal player during the Chiefs championship run.
Cut 12 (12) “.   accept the challenges” 
A stolen ambulance from Texas is located in Louisiana.  Trooper Brent Hardy says State Police located the vehicle driven by 19-year-old Kendall Tyson of Dallas on Interstate 20 about eight miles into the state, then they attempted a traffic stop….that’s when Tyson then kicked up the speed.
Cut 3 (08)  “…encountering slow traffic.” 
The traffic enabled authorities to bring the chase to a stop in Bossier Parish.  Tyson faces DWI and a handful of other charges.

A Plaquemine man is arrested for elder abuse after authorities say they discovered a woman in her 70s in a home lying in a hospital bed covered in filth and animal feces. Iberville Sheriff Brett Stassi says neighbors reported not having seen the woman for months. When deputies arrived to investigate, they arrested 54-year-old Galen Marcantel after discovering…

Cut 6 (09) “…the house.”

3:30 PM Newscast

Pat Brister, one of St. Tammany Parish’s most accomplished public servants has passed away. Brister just completed two terms as Parish President, but also had stints as the State GOP Chairwoman, and President Bush’s 2004 Louisiana Reelection Campaign Chair. Brister also helped in the creation of Safe Haven St. Tammany, a mental health center founded in 2018. St. Tammany Superintendent Trey Folse knew her well.
Cut 11 (10) “…president”
Brister was 73.
A stolen ambulance from Texas is located in Louisiana.  Trooper Brent Hardy says State Police located the vehicle driven by 19-year-old Kendall Tyson of Dallas on Interstate 20, attempted a traffic stop, then pursued her for 13 miles at high speeds before heavy traffic helped bring the chase to a stop.
Cut 4 (08) “…Bossier maximum jail.”

Iberville deputies arrest a Plaquimine man for elder abuse after neighbors reported not having seen the victim in months. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Matt Doyle” 

State Fire Marshal deputies arrest a 20-year-old Louisiana Tech student who admitted to having lit trash on fire inside of a building next to a dorm out of boredom. In the morning hours of January 20th, the Louisiana Tech Police Department requested the assistance of the SFM in the investigation of a fire in a building next to Hale Hall dormitory. Gavin B. Jones, 20, was booked into the Lincoln Parish Jail on one count of Simple Arson.

4:45 LRN Sportscast Feb 3

The Honey Badger is celebrating a Super Bowl Championship today. New Orleans native and former LSU Tiger Tyrann Mathieu helped Kansas City rally back from a 10-point deficit to beat San Francisco 31-20 in Super Bowl 54. Mathieu and the K-C defense helped spark the comeback…
cut 13 (11) “…progressed”
Its Kansas City’s first NFL championship in 50 years and a parade is scheduled for Wednesday.

The SEC has named John McDaid as its new coordinator of football officials. McDaid will replace Steve Shaw. McDaid has 24 years of experience as an official and has been officiating SEC games since 2015. The Harvard graduate will also serve as coordinator of football officials for the Sun Belt Conference.

LSU men’s basketball has won 10 straight and they are 8-0 in the SEC for the first time since 1981. LSU’s Javonte Smart on trying to win back-to-back regular-season titles…
cut 20 (10) “…continue to win”
The Bayou Bengals moved up four spots and are ranked 18th in the A-P Top 25 and six spots in the coaches poll to 18th. LSU visits Vanderbilt on Wednesday. The Commodores are winless in league play. On Saturday, LSU is at 11th ranked Auburn, who just beat Kentucky over the weekend.

Louisiana Tech has moved into a tie with North Texas for first place in Conference USA after beating Old Dominion on Saturday. The Bulldogs are at Western Kentucky for a pivotal game on Thursday night.

Tonight in college hoops, Grambling is at Mississippi Valley State. The Pelicans host Milwaukee tomorrow.

LRN PM Newscall February 3

Iberville deputies arrest a Plaquimine man for elder abuse after neighbors reported not having seen the victim in months. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Matt Doyle” 

_____________________

Former St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister has passed away at the age of 73. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

cut  2 (29) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

___________________________

A Texas woman is arrested in Bossier Parish, accused of stealing an ambulance from Dallas.  Louisiana State Police located the stolen ambulance on Interstate 20, about eight miles into the state and attempt a traffic stop.  Trooper Brent Hardy says that’s when 19-year-old Kendall Tyson then kicked up the speed.

Cut 3 (08)  “…encountering slow traffic.” 

The traffic enabled authorities to bring the chase to a stop.  Hardy says her troubles didn’t slow down there.

Cut 4 (08) “…Bossier maximum jail.”

Hardy says the one tool she probably could have used to cut through the traffic was not used during the pursuit.

Cut 5 (06) “…the lights on.”

Tyson is charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated flight, resisting by false information, misrepresentation during booking, DWI, and driving without a license.

_______________________

A Plaquemine man is arrested for elder abuse after authorities say they discovered a woman in her 70s in a home lying in a hospital bed covered in filth and animal feces.

Iberville Sheriff Brett Stassi says neighbors reported not having seen the woman for months. When deputies arrived to investigate, they arrested 54-year-old Galen Marcantel after discovering…

Cut 6 (09) “…the house.”

Marcantel has been charged with cruelty to persons with infirmities.

The house was allegedly home to 14 cats and two dogs, and Stassi says it appears they may have been treated better than the victim was.

Cut 7 (08) “…consumption.”

The Sheriff adds this is not the first home authorities have had to remove animals from that Marcantel owned.

Marcantel had allegedly been living with the woman for many months and had barred the victim’s family from checking up on her. Stassi says he was clearly taking advantage of her condition.

Cut 8 (08) “…individual.”

The Governor’s Office for Elderly Affairs reported 1,739 caregiver neglect cases across the state last year.

_________________________________

Pat Brister, one of St. Tammany Parish’s most accomplished public servants has passed away. Brister just completed two terms as Parish President, but also had stints as the State GOP Chairwoman, and President Bush’s 2004 Louisiana Reelection Campaign Chair. St. Tammany Superintendent Trey Folse knew her well, and says his daughter looked up to Brister…

Cut 9 (11) “…family.”

She also served as a parish Councilwoman and Ambassador to the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women.

Folse says during her eight-year tenure as Parish President, which ended after her reelection defeat last year, she was a strong champion for quality public schools.

Cut 10 (11) “of life.” 

Brister was diagnosed with breast cancer ten years ago.

Brister also helped in the creation of Safe Haven St. Tammany, a mental health center founded in 2018.

Cut 11 (10) “…president”

Brister was 73.

______________________

New Orleans native and former LSU Tiger Tyrann Mathieu is a Super Bowl champion today as he helped Kansas City beat San Francisco 31-20 in last night’s Super Bowl in Miami. Mathieu had six tackles for K-C and the veteran safety was a pivotal player during the Chiefs championship run

Cut 12 (12) “.   accept the challenges” 

Mathieu tweeted after the game that he can’t wait to hear from his dad, who is in prison serving a life sentence for second-degree murder.

Mathieu and the Chiefs found themselves down 20-10 in the fourth quarter, but the defense helped spark a comeback and a 21-0 run by Kansas City…

Cut 13 (11) “…progressed”

Its Kansas City’s first NFL championship in 50 years. Many analysts say this could be the start of a dynasty as Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes just completed his third season. Mathieu is anxious to defend their title

Cut 14 (09) “…(laugh).”