6:45 LRN Sportscast

Not a great first game for Bo Pelini, who began his second stint as LSU’s defensive coordinator on Saturday with the Tigers giving up 623 passing yards. The Tigers tried to play man-to-man coverage, but couldn’t keep up with the Mississippi State receivers or the running back coming out of the backfield. It didn’t help that LSU cornerback Derek Stingley missed the game, because of a non-COVID-19 illness. Stingley could return to practice today and play on Saturday.

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron says Stingley’s replacement Jay Ward missed a couple of weeks during the preseason because of an injury. The Tigers other starter at corner, Cordale Flott, got picked on a lot. Orgeron says they still have confidence in this group…
cut 18 (15) “….and practicing”
LSU is at Vanderbilt on Saturday.

The Saints are 1-and-2 but at least running back Alvin Kamara is off to a great start after a down year last season. Through three games this season, he has 153 rushing yards on nearly five yards a carry and 285 yards through the air with six total touchdowns. Kamara also had an impressive 52-yard touchdown catch in Sunday night’s loss to Green Bay, where he broke five different tackles. Coach Sean Payton says Kamara is a tough player who refuses to go down…
cut 20 (16) “….tackle”
The Saints are in Detroit this Sunday. The Lions ended an 11-game losing streak with a win at Arizona this past weekend.

ULM is off to an 0-3 start and they’ll have to play the rest of the season without cornerback Corey Straughter. The preseason All-Sun Belt selection announced on Twitter that he needs surgery on his wrist.

6:30 LRN Newscast September 29

The special session is underway and lawmakers will look to begin advancing legislation that will give them more of a say in coronavirus rules. Covington Representative Mark Wight has a bill to limit the amount of time a state of emergency declaration can go without legislative approval…
cut 1 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Former Louisiana Governor Mike Foster has entered hospice care. Foster served as the state’s governor from 1996 to 2004. He is 90-years-old.

Louisiana Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson says there are 22-million dollars available for the Frontline Worker Rebate Program, which had 50-million dollars available to spend. Robinson says over 110-thousand eligible workers have received their money…
cut 14 (03) “….rebates”
The Frontline Worker Rebate Program provides a 250- dollars payment to eligible workers who had to work during the economic shutdown in the spring. Robinson says thousands of people need to respond to additional information before they get their cash.

The Louisiana Attorney General’s office says they’ve seen a 200-percent increase in online sexual predator cases since the pandemic started. Louisiana Internet Crimes against Children Commander Corey Bourgeois says they are trying to keep up with the reported cases…
cut 9 (12) “…office”

4:45 LRN Sportscast September 28

The Saints have a two-game losing streak for the first time since 2017 after losing to Green Bay 37-30 last night. New Orleans Quarterback Drew Brees threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns, but he says mistakes keep costing them…
cut 4 (12) “…opportunities”
The Saints had nearly 400 yards of total offense but also settled for three field goals.

LSU Quarterback Myles Brennan threw for 345 yards and three touchdowns, but he was also intercepted twice and sacked seven times in the Tigers 44-34 defeat to previously unranked Mississippi State. Brennan says they don’t want to get used to losing…
cut 18 (09) “..period”
LSU is at Vanderbilt on Saturday.

The Cajuns had a dramatic victory on Saturday as Nate Snyder hit a 53-yard field goal with no time left to give U-L Lafayette a 20-18 win over Georgia Southern. The Cajuns won despite not having several starters and reserves available because of COVID-19 and injuries. Coach Billy Napier says this game will serve as a great learning tool for these young adults…
cut 20 (25) “…game of football”
Napier is optimistic they’ll have more players available for their next game, an October 7th matchup with Appalachian State.

La Tech quarterback Luke Anthony has been named the Conference USA Offensive player of the week. Anthony threw for five touchdowns and ran for another in the Bulldogs 66-38 win over Houston Baptist.

LRN PM Newscall September 28

One month has passed since Hurricane Laura’s landfall on southwest Louisiana and the impacted communities have been working nonstop to get the area back to normal. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (28) “…Kevin Barnhart.”  

____________________________

Louisiana’s Republican Congressional Delegation has nothing but good things to say about President Trump’s nomination to the Supreme Court, Metairie native Amy Coney Barrett. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 2 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”  

_____________________________

The Saints have their first two-game losing streak since 2017 as they lost to Green Bay 37-30 last night. A Taysom Hill fumble in the fourth quarter turned the momentum in the Packers favor, plus New Orleans committed eight penalties. Coach Sean Payton says his team is facing a bit of gut check

Cut 3 (08)  “the truth”  

Alvin Kamara had a huge game for the Black and Gold with 197 yards from scrimmage, including a 52-yard touchdown catch that saw him break five tackles. Quarterback Drew Brees threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns, but he says mistakes keep costing them

Cut 4 (12)“ opportunities” 

It’s the second straight week the Saints defense gave up more than 30 points. They failed to force a turnover last night, only had one sack and gave up a couple of big passing plays. Saints Safety Malcolm Jenkins says the mistakes they are making can be corrected…

Cut 5 (12)  “haven’t been” 

_________________

It has been one month since Hurricane Laura made landfall, bringing widespread destruction to southwest Louisiana.  President of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury Tony Guillory says most people have gotten electricity back, but the next big hurdle is getting people housed.

Cut 6 (08) “…next biggest issues.”

Hurricane Laura made landfall as a Category 4 storm around 1AM on August 27th.

Guillory says streets are cleared of debris, with much of it being pushed to roadsides.  About 120 trucks are being utilized for debris pickup.

Cut 7 (09) “…back through again.”

Guillory says the blue roofs are now a normal site around the area, a constant reminder to locals of the damage done, long after the national spotlight has moved on.

Cut 8 (12) “…forget about you.”

________________________

Enrollment at Natchitoches based Northwestern State University is up five percent this year to a record 11,447 students.

Demons President Nick Maggio says the 136-year-old institution is thriving and seeing gains across the board.

Cut 9 (10) “classes”

Maggio says prospective students are responding well to the University’s focus on promoting a curriculum that prepares them for in-demand jobs, and jobs of the future…

Cut 10 (12) “…sciences”

Maggio says Northwestern was well prepared for pandemic due to its robust online class offerings that have been a big hit with non-traditional students.

Cut 11 (07) “…levels”

____________________________________________________

Louisiana’s Republican Congressional delegation is thrilled with President Trump’s decision to nominate Metairie native Amy Coney Barrett for a seat on the U-S Supreme Court. Senator Bill Cassidy says Barrett is incredibly well-qualified and she walks the talk and D-C Democrats fear that

Cut 12 (11) “…besides themselves”

Cassidy’s main opponent in the US Senate race, Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins, has said the Senate should not vote on a justice nominee until next year. But Cassidy says the Senate should move forward since the American people elected a Republican President and the Senate has a Republican majority

Cut 13 (10) “…to do”

Benton Congressman Mike Johnson met Barrett at a student leadership event in 1988 when they were high school. Johnson says Judge Barrett is a female version of Justice Antonin Scalia, who served on the court for 30 years until his death in 2016

Cut 14 (12) “…same mold”

1:30 LRN Newscast September 28

Louisiana’s Republican Congressional delegation is thrilled with President Trump’s decision to nominate Metairie native Amy Coney Barrett for a seat on the U-S Supreme Court. Senator Bill Cassidy says Barrett is incredibly well-qualified and she walks the talk and D-C Democrats fear that
cut 12 (11) “…besides themselves”
Cassidy is running for re-election and his main opponent, Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins, has said the Senate should not vote a successor to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg until next year.

Entergy Louisiana estimates the cost to repair the damage done to their equipment by Hurricane Laura is around one-point-four billion dollars. Entergy CEO Phillip May says they are exploring avenues to minimize as much as possible passing on recovery costs to customers…
cut 14 (09) “…our customers”

One month has passed since Hurricane Laura’s landfall on southwest Louisiana and the impacted communities have been working nonstop to get the area back to normal.
Cut 1 (28) “…Kevin Barnhart.”

Over in Opelousas, police have charged 24-year-old Maleke Guillory with two counts of negligent homicide after he fatally shot his pregnant girlfriend during an argument. The victim, 31-year-old Tyana Thomas was five-months pregnant.

And the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s office is investigating the death of a two-year-old, who was found dead yesterday afternoon in a vehicle in a mobile home community. No other details have been released.

11:40 LRN Sportscast September 28

The Saints have their first two-game losing streak since 2017 as they lost to Green Bay 37-30 last night. A Taysom Hill fumble in the fourth quarter turned the momentum in the Packers favor, plus New Orleans committed eight penalties. Coach Sean Payton says his team is facing a bit of a gut check…
cut 3 (08) “…the truth”
Alvin Kamara had a huge game for the Black and Gold with 197 yards from scrimmage, including a 52-yard touchdown catch that saw him break five tackles. But It’s the second straight week the Saints defense gave up more than 30 points. They also failed to force a turnover last night, only had one sack, and gave up a couple of big passing plays.

Tampa Bay moved into first place in the NFC South with a 28-10 win over Denver. Carolina won its first game, beating the Chargers 21-16 and the Falcons blew another double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and lost to 3-and-0 Bears.

No surprise here but Mississippi State Quarterback K-J Costello has been named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week after setting a league record with 623 passing yards against LSU in a 44-34 win upset win for the Bulldogs. The Tigers played without All-American cornerback Derek Stingley Junior, because of a non-COVID illness that put him in the hospital on Friday. Coach Ed Orgeron says they tried to play man-to-man defense with an inexperience secondary
Cut 16 (20) “…obviously”

Ragin Cajuns kicker Nate Snyder is the Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the week. His 53-yard field goal as time expired helped U-L Lafayette improve to 3-0 with a 20-18 victory over Georgia Southern. Cajuns linebacker Lorenzo McCaskill was named the Sun Belt defensive player of the week.

10:30 LRN Newscast September 28

The Saints have their first two-game losing streak since 2017 as they lost to Green Bay 37-30 last night. A Taysom Hill fumble in the fourth quarter turned the momentum in the Packers favor, plus New Orleans committed eight penalties. Coach Sean Payton says his team is facing a bit of gut check…
cut 3 (08) “…the truth”
The Saints will look to rebound this Sunday in Detroit.

Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry says his office is looking into the six-day suspension a fourth-grade student received in Jefferson Parish after he was seen on webcam moving a BB gun during virtual class instruction. Landry says virtual classes are public spaces and do not have the same restrictions as physical school property…
cut 12 (08) “….precedent”
The Jefferson Parish Public School System is not commenting on the discipline the student received.

State lawmakers begin a 30-day special session tonight. The governor’s COVID-19 restrictions and whether the state legislature should have input will be a significant focus of the session.

Legislators will also discuss the unemployment trust fund, which is set to run out of money next week. Once it goes bankrupt, businesses face higher taxes, and unemployment recipients will see a smaller weekly check.

Governor Edwards has suggested using unspent dollars from the small business Main Street Recovery Grant program, but Senate President Page Cortez says all of those dollars are accounted for…
cut 9 (09) “….trust fund”

Legislators will also discuss Hurricane Laura Recovery. Jeremy Alford is the publisher of LA-Politics-dot-com…
cut 5 (06) “…area”
The special session is set to last 30 days.

9:30 LRN Newscast September 28

A 30-day special session begins tonight as lawmakers will spend the next month discussing whether they should have more of a say in the governor’s COVID-19 restrictions. Republican lawmakers are concerned over how the restrictions are impacting businesses. Senator Fred Mills chairs the Senate Health and Welfare Committee…
cut 6 (13) “….possible”

Attorney General Jeff Landry is investigating whether the Jefferson Parish School system violated the constitution by suspending a fourth-grader after a teacher saw the child move a BB gun during virtual instruction. Woodmere Elementary 4th grader Ka Mauri Harrison was suspended for six days.
Cut 10 (09) “…care.”
The Jefferson Parish school system says the illegal carrying, possession, or use of a firearm within the boundaries of school property is a crime.

Hurricane Laura is estimated to be the costliest storm in Entergy Louisiana’s history, $1.4 billion dollars in damage to the company’s infrastructure. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

Taysom Hill’s fumble in the fourth quarter was a costly one for the Saints as they fell to the Green Bay Packers 37-30. New Orleans 1-and-2 and they have their first two-game losing streak since 2017. And the LSU Tigers fell 14 spots in the latest A-P Poll to number 20 after they were upset by Mississippi State 44-34.

8:30 LRN Newscast September 28

Lawmakers return to Baton Rouge tonight to begin the second special session of the year. The depleted unemployment trust fund, the governor’s coronavirus restrictions, and Hurricane Laura recovery are the three major stated reasons for the session. LaPolitics.com Publisher Jeremy Alford says other issues will also be discussed.
Cut 4 (10)“ …topics”
But the issue that will see the most heated debate is the restrictions in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Senate Health and Welfare Chairman Fred Mills says lawmakers will hear from experts and involved parties on how the state’s public health response can be improved…
cut 7 (09) “…compromise”
The session can last no more than 30 days.

Attorney General Jeff Landry is investigating the six-day suspension of a fourth-grader for moving a BB gun in his room during virtual class instruction. Landry says the Jefferson Parish Public School system has overreacted and it also might be a violation of his constitutional rights…
cut 11 (12) “….speech”
Ka Mauri Harrison returned to class last Thursday after his suspension.

Entergy Louisiana estimates the cost to repair the damage done to their equipment by Hurricane Laura is around one-point-four billion dollars. Entergy CEO Phillip May says they are exploring avenues to minimize as much as possible passing on recovery costs to customers…
cut 14 (09) “…our customers”
For a ten year period after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Entergy customers had a surcharge on their bill to pay for those restoration costs.

7:30 LRN Newscast September 28

The second special session of the year begins this evening with lawmakers authorized to tackle a wide range of topics over the next 30 days. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

The Saints have lost two in a row for the first time since 2017 as they lost to the Green Bay Packers 37-30 last night. A Taysom Hill fumble in the fourth quarter gave the Packers the momentum they needed to leave the Superdome with a victory. The Saints continue to commit too many penalties as there were eight of them called against the Black and Gold.

The LSU Tigers fell 14 spots in the AP Poll to number 20 after their shocking 44-34 upset loss to Mississippi State. Bulldogs Quarterback K.J. Costello threw for an SEC record 623 yards and five touchdowns. LSU Safety Jacoby Stevens called it an embarrassing performance
Cut 15 (11) “…show up today”
LSU is at Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry says his office is looking into the six-day suspension a fourth-grade student received in Jefferson Parish after he was seen on webcam moving a BB gun during virtual class instruction. Landry says virtual classes are public spaces and do not have the same restrictions as physical school property…
cut 12 (08) “….precedent”
The Jefferson Parish Public School System is not commenting on the discipline the student received.