LRN AM Newscall September 27

Five teens are facing several charges after they were allegedly caught on video damaging Christmas trees on a farm in St. Tammany Parish. Michael Farrar has the story…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Michael Farrar”

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Now that the Senate has decided not to vote on the healthcare bill, US Senator John Kennedy says it’s time to focus on tax reform. Jeff Palermo reports…:

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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A state lawmaker wants a legislative hearing to discuss state funding for the New Orleans Saints after multiple players refused to stand for the national anthem. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 3 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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5th District Congressman Ralph Abraham will hold a listening session on Friday morning at Rayville High School to receive input from farmers and ag leaders on what they want included in the 2018 Farm Bill. Abraham wants to know what is working and what could be improved.

Cut 4  (10) “right”

The Farm Bill is the primary legislation that sets the agriculture and food policy for the country. Abraham says cotton was left out of the mix in this current Farm Bill and that industry has suffered major hits because of it.

Cut 5  (10)  “jump over”

State Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain and the Louisiana Farm Bureau President Ronnie Anderson will attend the listening session. Abraham says it’s likely that cotton will be represented again under this new legislation. He says he’s optimistic significant changes will be made under the guidance of new Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

Cut 6 (10) “a dollar”

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Five teenagers are accussed of damaging over 50 Christmas trees at the Shady Pond Farm in St. Tammany Parish. Owner Clarke Gernon says 10 trees were destroyed during Labor Day weekend and the perpetrators came back last weekend, but this time the state forestry department set up motion-detection cameras and the vandalism was caught on video

Cut 7 (09)  “flexible pole”

Gernon says three of the suspects are from Pearl River, one from Lacombe and another from Mississippi. Investigators say the suspects said they were bored and smoking marijuana when they decided to wrestle the trees. Gernon says the teens caused six-thousand dollars worth of damage by snapping each tree’s base

Cut 8 (09) “doing this”

Four of the teens face criminal damage to property, which is a felony. Gernon says his Shady Pond Farm has been vandalized about 20 times over the years and hopes this will put a stop to the mutilation of his trees

Cut 9 (08)  “animal abuse”

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Now that Senate GOP leaders have decided not to vote on a bill that would repeal Obamacare, Louisiana’s Junior Senator John Kennedy says it’s time for Congress to focus on tax reform. He says cutting taxes is the only thing that will get the economy moving again…:

Cut 10 (10)  “our economy”

Kennedy says citizens are taxed on just about every single thing they do, and over-regulation is strangling the economy. He says his goal is to implement tax cuts, both for middle class Americans and for businesses, by November…:

Cut 11 (08) “economy roar”

Kennedy says those who disagree with him feel like the more money you throw at government, the better it will be able to take care of people. He says people need to be able to take care of themselves…:

Cut 12 (09) “we throw at it”

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Another lawmaker has voiced her disapproval of multiple Saints players refusing to stand for the national anthem. Denham Springs Representative Valarie Hodges wants to examine the team’s agreement with Louisiana that contains state subsidies. She’s called for a discussion to take place during next month’s legislative budget meeting. Hodges supports the players’ right to protest…

Cut 13 (10) “right place”

Hodges says the American flag is not a political symbol for NFL players to use to protest. She says it’s un-American to see players kneel, some with their fists in the air.

Cut 14 (10) “these players”

Hodges says all of the naming rights of the Mercedes Benz Superdome and the funds from concessions go to the Saints, not to the state. She says the NFL’s rules state that the players are required to stand and respect the flag.

Cut 15 (10) “non-patriotism”

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LSU’s new punter is not the average student-athlete. Zach Von Rosenberg is 27-years-old. He joined the football team as a walk-on in 2016 after spending six years in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system. Von Rosenberg was a standout pitcher at Zachary High, but never made it to the majors. Now he’s trying to help LSU football win and be a good teammate

Cut 16  (12)  “doing my job”

Von Rosenberg replaced Josh Growden this past week as the Australian struggled. Von Rosenberg punted twice for a solid 45-yard average. He admits he was nervous for his first punt in the home opener

Cut 17 (20)  “special moment” 

Rosenberg had a chance to play baseball at LSU in 2009, but elected to sign a professional baseball contract. But his pro career fizzled out and now he’s chasing another dream…

Cut 18 (14) “from baseball” 

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After a tough loss at South Carolina last Saturday, Louisiana Tech returns home to host South Alabama. The Jaguars are 1-3 and just fired their offensive coordinator, as they rank 109th in total offense. But don’t tell Bulldogs Head Coach Skip Holtz that the Jags are not a good football team…

Cut 19 (14)   year ago“

Louisiana Tech enters the game with a 2-2 record. In the one point loss to the Gameocks, the Bulldogs had just 80 yards of rushing. Holtz says he wants to see a better ground game this Saturday….

cut 20 (17)  “the ball”