Saints Coach Sean Payton responded to the heartbreaking loss in the NFC Championship like many of us after a bad break-up. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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Gueydan High School students in Vermilion Parish are back in class after an extended weekend thanks to a bat infestation. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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Saints head coach Sean Payton spoke publicly today for the first time since one of the darkest days in the history of Louisiana sports, the NFC Championship loss against the LA Rams now known as the Bayou Burglary. Payton says for the first 24 hours he was angry, but in the days that followed, he resorted to coping in isolation.
Cut 3 (10) “…it’s probably sugar.”
Payton says teams encounter disappoints throughout the season, but as tough as this one is, they’ll get past it.
Payton says he’s proud of his team’s season after winning 14 games. He adds he has spoken with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in the time since the game, but the conversation was brief.
Cut 5 (11) “…and any statement.”
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NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell addressed the controversial NFC Championship no-call today at a press conference, saying he understands the fans’ frustrations, and that it was a “play we want to have called”. The commish noted the competition committee will consider rules changes over the summer addressing no-calls, but…
Despite admitting it was a missed call, Goodell says he’s confident officiating in the NFL is better now than it has ever been.
Goodell noted that suggestions that no-calls should be challengeable have been met with significant resistance in the past, due to the complicated and unforeseen consequences of such a significant expansion of officiating oversight.
Saints coach Sean Payton sits on the competition committee.
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The eastbound side of the I-210 Bridge in Lake Charles will be shut down for the next several month while it undergoes extensive repair work starting at 9PM today. In the meantime, traffic will be maintained in both directions, but on the westbound side. DOTD spokesperson Tammy York says drivers approaching the structure should expect some new traffic diversions.
Vehicles wider than 11 feet, 18-wheelers, and buses will not be allowed on the bridge during this portion of the construction.
York says they’ll be installing a guardrail, constructing an inspection deck, and tearing up huge portions of concrete to get the bridge ready for the future.
York is asking the public to try to avoid the bridge if at all possible in the meantime to keep traffic moving at a reasonable pace for those who rely on the structure every day.
Cut 11 (10) “to be”
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Gueydan High School in Vermilion Parish reopened today following a two-day closure for a bat infestation. The initial bat sightings lead school leaders to believe it was a small problem, but Vermilion Schools Superintendent Jerome Puyau says they learned there were about 600 bats inhabiting the school.
Cut 12 (09) “…clusters of hundreds.”
Puyau says an expert had to be brought in to identify how the bats got into the area, as well as to execute a protocol for getting the bats out, as these types of bats are endangered.
After surveying the amount of bat droppings in the area where the bat colonies were located, Puyau says it is estimated the bats had been in the school for the better part of a decade.
Cut 14 (13) “…open that space.”
ULM has also seen the closure of Sugar Hall as the result of bats in the buildings AC vents.