3:30 LRN Newscast Feb 24

Senator Bill Cassidy stands behind his decision to vote to find former President Donald Trump guilty of inciting an insurrection on January 6th. He was censured by the state Republican Party for the move, but Cassidy says the facts show Trump was guilty…

Cut 11 (10) “…consequences.

At this morning’s Public Service Commission Zoom meeting providers warned that gas prices were far higher than usual in February and those prices will be passed on to customers. Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta asks that providers come up with a plan to not dump that full cost on customers next month…

Cut 8 (09) “…before then”

Providers also indicated that a lack of natural gas supply was the supply problems they faced last week.

Currently, it is not mandatory to send your child to kindergarten in Louisiana, but one Senator wants to change that to get more children enrolled in pre-K education. Baton Rouge Senator and Chairmen of the Senate Education Committee Cleo Fields has pre-filed legislation to make kindergarten a requirement.

Cut 3 (10)  “…the state.” 

Shirley was the sole elephant at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo for 22 years passed away Monday. Zoo Director Tom Pearson says Shirley then went to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee where she able to roam. He says about 10 years ago one of her former Monroe caretakers, Solomon James, visited on her birthday.

Cut 14 (11) “…thrilled”

Shirley was 72.

LRN PM Newscall February 24

In an effort to have children educated sooner, one lawmaker files a bill to make kindergarten mandatory in Louisiana.  Brooke Thorington explains

Cut 1 (31) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington.”  

_______________________________________

Utilities reported to the Public Service Commission this morning on last week’s winter storm response. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (29) …I’m Matt Doyle.”  

_____________________________

Currently, it is not mandatory to send your child to kindergarten in Louisiana, but one Senator wants to change that to get more children enrolled in pre-K education. Baton Rouge Senator and Chairmen of the Senate Education Committee Cleo Fields has pre-filed legislation to make kindergarten a requirement.

Cut 3 (10)  “…the state.” 

According to Louisiana’s Early Childhood and Education Commission, birth to five years of age is critical for brain development. Fields wants to aid educational outcomes for children as early as possible.

Cut 4 (11) “…first grade.” 

Fields says we need to concentrate on learning sooner so all children will have the advantage of pre-K and kindergarten education before, they walk into first grade. Fields says but first we must make kindergarten a requirement.

Cut 5  (11)  “…through twelve.” 

If the bill is approved children who turn age five on or before September 30th will be required to enroll in kindergarten.

________________________

Utility providers went before the Public Service Commission today to explain last week’s winter storm power outages and the poor communication to customers about those outages.

Entergy CEO Phillip May says Tuesday the grid faced significantly more demand than it had supply and they were given 30 minutes by a regulator to begin rolling blackouts.

Cut 6 (10) “…resort”

That super-regional regulator, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, operates an energy market in 15 states throughout the center of the country. Nearly all of those states were caught in last week’s polar vortex.

May says part of the problem last week was that they could not source enough natural gas to maintain a normal level of power production.

Cut 7 (10) “…supply”

Providers acknowledged that natural gas prices for February were far higher than they usually are, and that will be passed on to customers. Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta…

Cut 8 (09) “…before then”

______________________

Senator Bill Cassidy spoke with members of the media on a zoom conference to discuss his vote to impeach former President Donald Trump.  Despite some criticism, Cassidy says he’s at peace with his decision.

Cut 9 (08) “…people objecting”

After Cassidy’s vote, the Louisiana GOP voted to censure him, but Cassidy says that’s only a small portion of the Republican Party and that a lot of Republicans say they respect his decision.

Cut 10 (11) “…went into it” 

In regards to how this vote will impact his political career, Cassidy says honoring his constitutional oath is more important.

Cut 11 (10) “…consequesnces.

_____________________________

A former well-known Monroe staple passed away Monday at the age of 72. Shirley was the sole elephant at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo for 22 years after she arrived in 1977.  As requirements changed for keeping elephants in captivity, Zoo Director Tom Pearson says they opted to let Shirley retire.

Cut 12 (12) “ …years.” 

Pearson says since elephants are herd animals, Shirley relocated to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee where she defied the odds as the Sanctuary’s oldest elephant after her previous circus life and then her residency in Monroe.

Cut 13 (08)“…circus.”

Pearson says at the Sanctuary, Shirley was able to roam vast the grounds with other elephants and had little human interaction. He says about 10 years ago however one of her former caretakers in Monroe, Solomon James, was allowed to visit on her birthday.

Cut 14 (11) “…thrilled”

At the time of her passing, Shirley held the record for the second oldest elephant in North America.

230 PM LRN News

Senator Bill Cassidy responds to the State GOP’s decision to censure him over his vote to convict former President Donald Trump. He says the facts showed the President was guilty of attempting to incite an insurrection and he had a constitutional duty to vote in favor of conviction. Cassidy says he’s taken a lack of flak for the decision, but also received a lot of support.

Cut 10 (11) “…went into it” 

Utilities spoke at this morning’s Public Service Commission meeting and explained why they had the string of power outages that impacted 131,000 customers at the winter storm event’s peak. Entergy CEO Phillip May says they saw historic demand coupled with lower supply due to weather impacts on natural gas providers…

Cut 7 (10) “…supply”

Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields wants to mandate that children attend kindergarten in Louisiana. Fields proposed legislation that would do just that for the upcoming spring session and says beginning the education process earlier in children’s lives is crucial for their development, and this is a good first step…

Cut 5  (11)  “…through twelve.” 

If the bill is approved children who turn age five on or before September 30th will be required to enroll in kindergarten.

Monroe’s beloved 72-year-old elephant Shirley passed away Monday at the Louisiana Purchase Botanical Gardens.  Zoo Director Tom Pearson says Shirley had a rough life until she was rescued from the circus. Afterward, she spent time at sanctuaries in Tennessee and Monroe…

Cut 13 (08)“…circus.”

1:30 LRN Newscast

Utilities reported to the Public Service Commission this morning on last week’s winter storm response. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (30) …I’m Matt Doyle.”  

Senator Bill Cassidy spoke with members of the members to discuss his vote to impeach President Donald Trump.  Despite some criticism, Cassidy says he’s at peace with his decision.

Cut 9 (08) “…people objecting”

It is not mandatory to send your child to kindergarten in Louisiana, but Chairman of the Senate Education Committee Senator Cleo Fields is filing legislation to change that. Researchers say birth to five years of age is critical for brain development so Fields wants children to learn sooner than later.

Cut 4 (11) “…first grade.” 

Fields then wants to work towards making Pre-K mandatory.

A former well-known Monroe staple passed away Monday at the age of 72. Shirley was the sole elephant at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo for 22 years after she arrived in 1977.  As requirements changed for keeping elephants in captivity, Zoo Director Tom Pearson says they opted to let Shirley retire.

Cut 12 (12) “…years.” 

1230 PM LRN News

At this morning’s Public Service Commission Zoom meeting providers warned that gas prices were far higher than usual in February and those prices will be passed on to customers. Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta asks that providers come up with a plan to not dump that full cost on customers next month…

Cut 8 (09) “…before then”

Providers also indicated that a lack of natural gas supply was the supply problems they faced last week. 

Senator Bill Cassidy stands behind his decision to vote to find former President Donald Trump guilty of inciting an insurrection on January 6th. He was censured by the state Republican Party for the move, but Cassidy says the facts show Trump was guilty…

Cut 11 (10) “…consequences.

In an effort to have children educated sooner, one lawmaker files a bill to make kindergarten mandatory in Louisiana.  Brooke Thorington explains

Cut 1 (32) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington.”  

1140 Sportscast 2/24

The LSU men’s basketball team lost to the Georgia Bulldogs last night 91-78.  The Tigers shot just 26 percent from three-point range and 59 percent from the foul line.  Here’s coach Will Wade on the performance.

Cut 25 (25) “as we’ve had”

The Pelicans will take on the Detroit Pistons tonight at 7.  The Pels are 13-17 on the season while the Pistons are 9-22.

Southeastern Louisiana and McNeese will face off on the hardwood tonight at 7, and Northwestern will host Stephen F. Austin.

Tonight, the LSU baseball team will travel to Lafayette to take on the Ragin Cajuns.  LSU is 2-1 after their opening weekend series against Air Force and Tech, while ULL sits at 3-1 after a weekend series versus Tulane and a win against Louisiana Tech last night.  LSU coach Paul Mainieri says that for now freshman Jordan Thompson will start at third base as he replaces Will Hellmers, who has struggled in the field.

Cut 18 (17) “gonna happen”

The Tulane baseball team took down UNO last night by a score of 7-1.  Shortstop Collin Burns went 2-4 at the plate with 3 RBI’s while freshman right-hander Zach Devito was credited with the win.  The Green Wave improved to 2-2 after the win while UNO also sits at 2-2.

The ULM baseball team will play its season opener tonight against Northwestern St.

11:30 LRN Newscast Feb 24

Utility providers went before the Public Service Commission today to explain last week’s power outages and the poor communication to customers about those outages. Entergy CEO Phillip May says Tuesday the energy grid faced significantly more demand than it had supply and they were given 30 minutes by a regulator to begin rolling blackouts.

Cut 6 (11) “…resort”

Regulator, Midcontinent Independent System Operator, operates in 15 states throughout the center of the country and most of those were impacted by the storm.

 

Currently, it is not mandatory to send your children to kindergarten in Louisiana, but Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields wants to change that to get more children enrolled in pre-K education.

Cut 3 (10)  “…the state” 

Oil City Representative Danny McCormick introduces legislation that would allow Louisianans to carry a concealed handgun without a permit. Currently to concealed carry in Louisiana, you need to take a nine-hour course and pay a $125 fee for a five-year license. Proponents of the license argue it provides gun owners with vital training. McCormick says training is good, but the mandate is not.

Cut 11 (07) “…anything.”

To assist the citizens of Shreveport as the city enters a second week with a collapsed water system Speaker of the House Clay Schexnayder along with other lawmakers helped collect 150-thousand bottles of water.

Cut 4 (13)“…issues.”

The storms last week paralyzed the city’s water system which serves approximately 200-thousand citizens.

10:30 LRN Newscast Feb 24

Entergy and Cleco and other utility provider officials are meeting with the Public Service Commission discussing last week’s lengthy power outages and rolling blackouts due to the historic winter weather. P-S-C member Foster Campbell says customers were understandably frustrated, while others are profiting…

Cut 14 (10) “…11.5 percent.” 
The PSC is expected to propose an investigation into the winter storm outages and allegations that natural gas providers took advantage of the situation to jack up prices.

The trend of homeschooling continues to grow across the nation and increased by 4-percent in Louisiana in the last year. President of Homeschool Louisiana Christopher Chin says he believes the pandemic and more awareness about homeschooling are responsible.

Cut 7 (10)  “…scrambling.”

An Oil City lawmaker proposes legislation that would do away with the need to have a concealed carry permit to carry a concealed handgun. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (29)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

One Senator wants to make Kindergarten mandatory in Louisiana. Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields pre-filed the legislation this week for the upcoming session in April in an effort to improve educational outcomes for children. If the bill is approved children who turn five on or before September 30th will be required to enroll in kindergarten.

9:30 LRN Newscast February 24

The Public Service Commission is meeting and they are discussing the two winter storm events that knocked out power for tens of thousands. Entergy, Cleco, SWEPCO, and a handful of co-ops will explain to the P-S-C what happened. Commissioner Foster Campbell says the objective is accountability.
Cut 13 (06) “…there.”
MISO, the super-regional power authority that ordered the statewide rolling blackouts last week, will also be on hand to report to the PSC.

State lawmakers have sent 150-thousand bottles of water to Shreveport as the city remains under a boil advisory order. Louisiana House Speaker Clay Schexnayder says legislators wanted to help out…
cut 5 (10) “….about”
In Alexandria, the city-wide boil advisory has been lifted.

The number of students that are homeschooled in Louisiana increased by 4-percent in the last year. Brooke Thorington talks to a homeschool advocate about the growing trend.
Cut 2 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

LSU says by Fall 2021 the vast majority of university operations are expected to return to normal as long as vaccinations proceed as expected. In a statement on the school’s website, LSU interim president Thomas Galligan says that means a majority of courses will be delivered face to face again.

8:30 LRN Newscast February 24

Entergy, Cleco, and other utility providers will go before the Public Service Commission to discuss last week’s power outages. P-S-C member Foster Campbell believes more could have been done to prevent the outages…
cut 15 (12) “…..huge profits”
The New Orleans City Council has already moved forward with an investigation after learning Entergy New Orleans cut three times more power than asked when they did rolling blackouts on Mardi Gras night.

Several areas of the state are still waiting for clean drinking water to come out of their faucets. Louisiana House Speaker Clay Schexnayder says it’s an issue the legislature will need to address…
cut 6 (11) “….systems” (2x)

Oil City Representative Danny McCormick has filed legislation that would allow Louisianans to carry a concealed handgun on their person without needing a concealed carry permit. Currently, you need to take a nine-hour course and pay a 125 dollar fee for a five-year license. McCormick says that mandate infringes on constitutional rights.
Cut 10 (09) “…government”
Proponents of a concealed handgun permit say gun-safety training should be a requirement.

The latest data shows the number of children who are being homeschooled has increased four-percent over the last year. President of Homeschool Louisiana Christopher Chin anticipates some of those new to homeschooling will return to the classroom post-pandemic, he also fees some will choose to stay…
cut 9 (10) “…giftings”