12:30 LRN Newscast

The board that investigates alleged ethics violations against public officials has new restrictions to abide by. That’s due to a new law as a result of the passage of House Bill 674 by New Iberia Republican Beau Beaullieu (BOW-lee-ay), who says officials have complained for years about the egregious nature of ethics investigations – especially during campaign season. 

Cut 6 (07) “…in a campaign.”

The bill sailed through both houses of legislature, with only two Republican senators voting against it. However, the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana has expressed criticism. PAR President Steven Procopio says among his concerns is a provision that the board of ethics has to determine that the investigation is not too expensive, either for the board or for the person it’s investigating.

Cut 8 (06) “…you were investigating.”

However, Procopio says the legislature did address PAR’s biggest concerns by the time the bill got to Governor Landry’s desk.

Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart passed away at 90 years old after suffering a cardiac arrest last month at his home in Baton Rouge. Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

11:30 LRN Newscast

Protestors will gather in Lafayette Square in downtown New Orleans this evening to demand a stop to the ICE raids across the country. It’s the culmination of a tour of ICE detention facilities in Louisiana that the group dubbed “detention alley.” Siti Pulcheon, whose mother is an immigrant, says she could see the anguish in the faces of the people being held.

Cut 6 (11) “…here or elsewhere”

Governor Landry signed a series of bills yesterday aimed at reforming DOTD. During a bill signing ceremony, Landry said the reforms aim to make DOTD more effective and accountable, restoring public trust and maximizing taxpayer value.

Cut 9 (12)  “…for the people.”

A new era of college athletics has arrived. Schools can now pay athletes directly, thanks to revenue sharing in the NCAA. Kace Kieschnick has more.

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

President Trump nominates Jefferson Parish Attorney David Courcelle for U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana. He would oversee federal prosecutions over a 13-parish region, which would include New Orleans. His nomination is subject to confirmation by the Senate.

10:30 LRN Newscast

Civil rights activists and faith leaders will come together in downtown New Orleans this evening to demand a stop to ICE raids and the release of immigrant workers who have not committed any crimes. Siti Pulcheon (SEE-tee PUHL-shin), a child of an immigrant mother, says what’s going on is inhumane.

Cut 4 (11) “…in horrible conditions.”

The rally at Lafayette Square starts at 5:30.

Governor Landry signs a series of bills yesterday in a ceremony at the Capitol to reform DOTD. Among them is one that creates a pair of offices. The Office of Project Delivery will ensure the timely completion of DOTD projects, and the Office of Transformation, led by the deputy secretary, will set performance indicators to enhance efficiency.

Cut 8 (08) “…over the horizon.”

This is the time of year that West Nile Virus starts to ramp up, and Dr. Alma Roy, the director of LSU’s Vector-Borne Disease Diagnostic Lab, says this year could be a busy one.

Cut 13 (09)  “…season this year.”

It’s a new day in collegiate athletics; as starting today, revenue sharing launches across the country. Schools can now pay up to 20.5-million dollars of athletics revenue directly to athletes. The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander says revenue sharing will leave LSU’s athletics department eight-million dollars in the hole this year; but through additional revenue streams, they hope to balance the budget by 2027.

Cut 11 (12) “…dollars a year.”

LRN AM Newscall July 1

A rally will be held in downtown New Orleans this evening to call attention to immigration crackdowns that’s happening across the country, including in Louisiana. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Yesterday, Governor Jeff Landry signed a series of bills to reform the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

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A new era of college athletics has arrived. Schools can now pay athletes directly, thanks to revenue sharing in the NCAA. Kace Kieschnick has more.

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

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With immigration raids ramping up across the country, activists have been holding protests outside ICE detention facilities throughout what’s been dubbed Louisiana’s “detention alley.” And their journey culminates with a rally in New Orleans this evening. Service and care workers will be joined by civil rights activists and faith leaders in Lafayette Square to demand the release of immigrant workers who have not committed any crimes. Siti Pulcheon (SEE-tee PUHL-shin), a child of an immigrant mother, says what’s going on is inhumane.

Cut 4 (11) “…in horrible conditions.”

Yesterday, the group held demonstrations outside ICE processing centers in Basile and Jena. Pulcheon says the conditions inside those facilities are deplorable.

Cut 5 (11) “…solitary confinement.”

Pulcheon says during the rally, you could see the anguish in the faces of the people being held in the detention facilities.

Cut 6 (11) “…here or elsewhere”

The rally starts at 5:30.

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Governor Jeff Landry signed a series of bills to reform Louisiana’s Department of Transportation and Development yesterday. HB 640 established the Office of Louisiana Highway Construction to manage five-thousand miles of non-federal aid roads, aiming to improve project delivery.

Cut 7 (10) “…the private sector.”

The Office of Project Delivery was created to ensure the timely completion of DOTD projects. Landry says the Office of Transformation, led by the deputy secretary, will set performance indicators to enhance efficiency.

Cut 8 (08) “…over the horizon.”

These reforms aim to make DOTD more effective and accountable. Landry emphasized restoring public trust and maximizing taxpayer value.

Cut 9 (12)  “…for the people.”

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A new era of college athletics begins, as revenue sharing launches across the nation today. Schools can now pay up to 20.5-million dollars of athletics revenue directly to athletes. The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander says LSU will spend around 75-percent of that on football, 15-percent on men’s basketball and five-percent on women’s basketball. That leaves a small percentage for some of LSU’s other marquee sports like baseball, gymnastics and track and field, but Alexander says officials plan on paying every sport and finding other NIL opportunities.

Cut 10 (12) “…an athlete.”

The expense from revenue sharing will leave LSU’s typically profitable athletics department in a projected eight-million-dollar deficit this fiscal year. Wilson says the administration intends to focus less on cutting expenses and more on increasing revenue through sponsorships like corporate logos that will be coming to Tiger Stadium this season. Alexander says they hope to have a balanced budget by 2027.

Cut 11 (12) “…dollars a year.”

The NCAA will police revenue sharing cap limits with the new College Sports Commission. NIL deals over 600 dollars will also be reviewed by the NIL Go board to determine whether they serve a valid business purpose and fall within a reasonable range of compensation. LSU has been outspent by its competitors so far in the NIL era; but with the shift away from collective-based bargaining, Alexander says officials believe the Tigers can offer just as much as other schools.

Cut 12 (13) “…programs these days.”

LSU spent 5.5-million dollars out of its Bayou Collective on the football roster last year, compared to Ole Miss’ over 10-million-dollar investment and Ohio State’s near 20-million-dollar payout.

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This is the time of year that West Nile Virus starts to ramp up, and Dr. Alma Roy, the director of LSU’s Vector-Borne Disease Diagnostic Lab, says this year could be a busy one.

Cut 13 (09)  “…season this year.”

So far this year, West Nile Virus has been detected in 14 parishes, with Livingston Parish reporting the state’s first human case last month. Dr. Roy says West Nile is not the only virus that mosquitos can transmit to humans.

Cut 14 (15) “…eastern equine encephalitis.”

Roy says while St. Louis encephalitis and eastern equine encephalitis are not as common as West Nile Virus, they are both just as dangerous.

Cut 15 (11) “…people very ill.”

5:30 LRN Newscast

One Orleans Parish Jail escapee from six weeks ago remains on the loose. 27-year-old convicted murderer Derrick Groves is the last one still at large following Friday’s capture of Antoine Massey. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has a blunt message for Groves.

Cut 3 (10) “…turn yourself in.”

A 50-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to Graves’ capture remains on the table.

Governor Jeff Landry signed several bills to address Louisiana’s insurance crisis this morning. Among them is SB 61, which forces insurance companies to tell customers if they’re raising rates based on credit scores.

Cut 6 (05) “…know about it.”

Other bills Landry signed include one that bans hand-held cell phone use while driving and one that prohibits advertising expenses in rate filings.

Recent polls show that voters are largely unhappy with Governor Landry and the legislature. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says a poll he conducted just prior to the session found that the number of people who felt that the state was going in the right direction was rather low.

Cut 10 (11) “…they just weren’t.”

Karlos Knott of Arnaudville is the new King of Louisiana Seafood. He won the title with his entry of a Roman-style pizza with butter poached Louisiana shrimp.

Cut 13 (12)  “…open-faced sandwiches.”

Knott will represent Louisiana in the 21st annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans on August 2nd.

12:30 LRN Newscast

One Orleans Parish Jail escapee from six weeks ago remains on the loose. 27-year-old convicted murderer Derrick Groves is the last one still at large following Friday’s capture of Antoine Massey. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has a blunt message for Groves.

Cut 3 (10) “…turn yourself in.”

The 50-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to Groves’ capture is still on the table.

A new king of Louisiana seafood is crowned.

Cut 12 (08) “…Arnaudville, Louisiana.”

Karlos Knott’s winning entry was a Roman-style pizza with butter poached Louisiana shrimp. As the newly anointed King of Louisiana Seafood, Knott will represent Louisiana in the 21st annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans on August 2nd.

Governor Jeff Landry signed multiple bills into law today to combat Louisiana’s ongoing insurance crisis.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

And now, a look at today’s commodities.

LRN PM Newscall June 30

Nine down, one to go. The search continues for the last remaining fugitive from the Orleans Parish jailbreak. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Governor Jeff Landry signed multiple bills into law today to combat Louisiana’s ongoing insurance crisis.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

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One Orleans Parish Jail escapee from six weeks ago remains on the loose. 27-year-old convicted murderer Derrick Groves is the last one still at large following Friday’s capture of Antoine Massey. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has a blunt message for Groves.

Cut 3 (10) “…turn yourself in.”

State Police Superintendent Colonel Robert Hodges says the 50-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to Groves’ capture is still on the table.

Cut 4 (10) “…for that reward.”

Groves was among ten inmates who escaped from the Orleans Parish Jail during the early morning hours of May 16th. Sheriff Susan Hutson says work is ongoing to harden and modernize the jail so that something like this does not happen again.

Cut 5 (10) “…the entire community.”

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Governor Jeff Landry sat at his desk today and signed a number of bills to address Louisiana’s insurance crisis. Landry signed SB 61 that forces insurance companies to tell customers if they are raising rates based on credit scores.

Cut 6 (05) “…know about it.”

Landry says, finally, Louisiana was able to pass a distracted driver bill, saying that it’s one of the biggest things that it could do to lower premiums.

Cut 7 (09) “…less lawsuits.”

Landry vetoed a medical transparency bill last year that he says even though it was worked on by both sides, it was ultimately a bad bill and says they can do better.

Cut 8 (08) “…amounts paid.”

Landry says all these bills are for the people of Louisiana that should drive down insurance rates.

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Recent polls show that voters are largely unhappy with Governor Landry and the legislature. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says voters are particularly turned off by the bickering between Landry and Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple, especially since they’re both from the same political party.

Cut 9 (07)  “…the insurance commissioner.”

Pinsonat says he conducted a poll just prior to the start of this year’s legislative session, and he found that the number of people who felt that the state was going in the right direction was rather low.

Cut 10 (11) “…they just weren’t.”

Pinsonat says what’s especially telling is that the discontent with Republican legislators is coming from within their own party.

Cut 11 (14) “…unhappy with Republicans.”

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A new king of Louisiana seafood is crowned.

Cut 12 (08) “…Arnaudville, Louisiana.”

Karlos Knott’s winning entry was a Roman-style pizza with butter poached Louisiana shrimp.

Cut 13 (12)  “…open-faced sandwiches.”

After being crowned the winner, Knott said seafood has been a big part of his life.

Cut 14 (11) “…was always seafood.”

As the newly anointed King of Louisiana Seafood, Knott will serve as a Louisiana ambassador for seafood for the next year, and he will represent Louisiana in the 21st annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans on August 2nd.

11:30 LRN Newscast

With people hitting the road for their Fourth of July vacations all week long, the roadways are going to be quite busy. In fact, Triple-A is expecting 12-million people to hit the road in the Gulf region alone. As such, Don Redman with Triple-A says one thing you will not want to do when traveling over the next two weeks is procrastinate.

Cut 6 (11) “…smooth for you.”

The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled Kelly Orgeron, the ex-wife of former LSU football coach Ed Orgeron, is entitled to more than eight-million of the coach’s 17-million-dollar buyout. Legal analyst Franz Borghardt says the couple filed for divorce just 43 days after Coach O signed what proved to be his final LSU contract.

Cut 7 (07) “…is income.”

The search continues for the last remaining fugitive who escaped from the Orleans Parish Jail back in May. A 50-thousand-dollar reward is still on the table for information leading to the capture of Derrick Groves. Friday afternoon, the ninth escapee, Antoine Massey, was captured in New Orleans.

Hurricane season is a month old; and so far, we’ve had two short-lived tropical storms – including Tropical Storm Barry, which made landfall south of Tampico, Mexico, last night. LSU Climatologist Dr. Jill Trepanier (tre-PAN-yer) explains why.

Cut 10 (15) “…of the Atlantic.”

If you’re hoping that it stays this way for the rest of hurricane season, Trepanier says don’t hold your breath. Activity in the tropics will certainly ramp up in September.

10:30 LRN Newscast

Triple-A says it expects more than 72-million people to head out of town for the Fourth of July holiday. Don Redman with Triple-A says you can expect heavy traffic – not just this week, but next week as well.

Cut 5 (12) “…on the roadway.”

With hurricane season now a month old, we’ve now had two short-lived tropical storms and no hurricanes. LSU Climatologist Dr. Jill Trepanier (tre-PAN-yer) notes that at this time last year, a major hurricane was taking aim at the Texas coast, and it was more than a month before we had another named storm.

Cut 12 (14) “…that it works.”

The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled former LSU football coach Ed Orgeron’s ex-wife is entitled to half of his 17-million-dollar buyout. Kace Kieschnick has more.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

LSU, meanwhile, is seeing a record freshman enrollment; and as such, it needs to find places to house those students. The school, therefore, is moving forward with plans to build a 215-million-dollar dorm complex that will house an additional 12-hundred students. The dorms are expected to open in the fall of 2027.

9:30 LRN Newscast

Nine down, one to go. After six weeks on the run, Orleans Parish Jail escapee Antoine Massey was captured Friday afternoon in New Orleans. With his capture, that leaves Derrick Groves as the last remaining escapee still on the loose. A 50-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to Groves’   capture is still on the table.

Another holiday weekend is approaching – in fact, some are saying it’s already here. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

The Louisiana Supreme Court rules that the ex-wife of former LSU football coach Ed Orgeron is entitled to more than eight-million of his 17-million-dollar buyout. Legal analyst Franz Borghardt says barring any unexpected loopholes or reasoning, this ruling in favor of Kelly Orgeron will likely be final.

Cut 9 (08)  “…family law.”

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 was inducted in a ceremony in Natchitoches Saturday night. Among the inductees was former LSU offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth, who played in the NFL for 16 seasons, culminating his career with a win in Super Bowl 56. Whitworth says he shared the support he grew up with in Louisiana in his career.

Cut 15 (14) “…be successful.”