LRN PM Newscall April 17

Oilfield services giant Schlumberger has announced plans to lay off approximately 11,000 additional employees due to the reduction in oil prices. Eric Gill has more…

CUT 1 (29) “reporting”

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A new poll on the Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire says Governor Bobby Jindal has the best favorability rating among all the presidential hopefuls. Jeff Palermo reports…

CUT 2 (24) “reporting”

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Oilfield services giant Schlumberger has announced plans to lay off approximately 11,000 additional employees due to the reduction in oil prices. LSU Economist Loren Scott says oil companies are dealing with oil prices roughly half of what they were a year ago and they’re asking these service companies for a break in the fees they charge…

CUT 3 (06)  “what’s going on”

He says the drop in oil prices has led to a decline in exploration and production, mainly on land rigs. When those rigs aren’t drilling, there is less need for service companies. Scott believes a majority of these layoffs will occur in states that depend on drilling on land…

CUT 4 (10)  “and Pennsylvania”

In January, Schlumberger announced they were reducing their workforce by 9,000 employees. There is some land drilling in northwest and eastern Louisiana. But Scott says since most of Louisiana’s oil and gas jobs are offshore, the extent of the layoffs should be less here…

CUT 5 (08)  “planning horizons”

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A new poll on the Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire says Governor Bobby Jindal is someone to keep an eye on after receiving the best favorability rating out of all the presidential hopefuls. Tom Jensen with Public Policy Polling says Jindal’s favorability rating was 43-percent. He says it really stuck out on this poll…

CUT 6 (09)  “him back in”

Jensen says Jindal has recently been excluded from their Republican presidential polls after consistently polling in last place. He says these new favorability numbers could see Jindal’s name thrown back in the mix…

CUT 7 (10) “where he is

Jindal will speak this weekend at the Republican Leadership Summit in New Hampshire which features other potential presidential candidates. Jensen says Jindal’s stock could rise even more if he touts his conservative agenda at this event…

CUT 8 (08)  “conservative principles”

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Four to six inches of rain fell during a two hour period Thursday afternoon in Alexandria, flooding about 50 homes. Police also say there were numerous car crashes and the fire department participated in about 50 water related rescues. Lance Escude, with the National Weather Service, says more rain is on the way

CUT 9 (10)  “to redelop”

Escude says the southern half of the state remains under a flash flood watch through Saturday afternoon…

cut 10 (08) “definitely possible”

Escude says it looks like this rainy weather pattern will end Sunday as rain chances decrease on that day

cut 11 (06)  “dry out”

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The former Knight Oil Tools employee that authorities say was involved in a conspiracy to plant drugs on another person has turned himself in. Captain John Babin, with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s office, says Russell Manual is the fourth person to be arrested as part of this investigation….

cut 12 (11)  “intimidating witness”

Authorities say Manual, along with a state trooper and a Lafayette Sheriff’s deputy, who have both been arrested, were involved in a plot to have Brian Knight arrested on drug charges. Babin says Knight’s brother Mark, the former CEO of Knight Oil Tools, was also arrested this week….

cut 13 (09)  “the appropriate manner”

An arrest warrant was issued for Manual earlier this week and Babin says he eventually gave himself up to the authorities

cut 14 (05) “eventually booked”