Author Archives: Jeff Palermo

08.25.20
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6:45 LRN Sportscast August 25

The defending national champion LSU Tigers are ranked sixth in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 rankings. The Tigers received one first-place vote. Clemson is ranked number one, Ohio State is number two, but they will not play in the fall because of the coronavirus pandemic. Once the games start, AP voters will only rank teams that are playing.

What about the college football playoff? The C-F-P says they will begin issuing regular rankings on November 17th and select the four teams that will participate in the playoff on December 20th. The semifinals are still set for New Year’s Day, the Sugar and Rose Bowls will be the semis. The national title game is set for January 11th in Miami.

ULM has made it official, they will play at Army on September 12th. Cajuns Coach Billy Napier says receiver Cassius Allen has suffered what appears to be a significant knee injury.

At Saints camp, the coaches are trying to figure out who will start at center this season. It could be either last year’s second-round pick Erik McCoy or this year’s first-round draft pick Ceasar Ruiz. Either player could also play right guard. Coach Sean Payton says they don’t have a clear idea yet on who will play what position…
cut 17 (11) “…combination”
The position battle opened up after the Saints released veteran right guard Larry Warford after drafting Ruiz.

Former LSU star and Browns rookie safety Grant Delpit was carted off the field yesterday and the concern is that he injured his Achilles tendon. Shortly after Delpit got hurt, another former Tiger, starting cornerback Greedy Williams went down with a shoulder injury for the Browns.

08.25.20
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6:30 LRN Newscast August 25

Tropical Storm Laura is now expected to become a major hurricane and make landfall along the Louisiana-Texas border early Thursday morning. Governor John Bel Edwards says while Tropical Storm Marco weakened, there’s no indication that will happen with Laura…
cut 4 (07) “…rain impact”
Laura is expected to bring major impacts to southwest Louisiana. Calcasieu Emergency Preparedness director Dick Gremillion says it’s not the winds that have them most concerned…
cut 10 (11) “…several years ago”
Louisiana’s entire coastline is under a storm surge watch. Laura is currently a tropical storm as it has moved past Cuba and will grow into a hurricane today and the National Hurricane Center calls for Laura to be a Category Three storm when it makes landfall early Thursday morning.

LSU students are set to begin classes today under a New Normal. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

The state reported 622 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday and 18 new deaths. Also, the positivity rate on COVID-19 tests coming back is down to eight percent, which is an improvement.

08.24.20
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4:45 LRN Sportscast

The defending national champion LSU Tigers are ranked sixth in the AP preseason poll. The team that LSU beat in the national championship game, Clemson, is ranked number one. Ohio State, who is not playing in the fall, is ranked second. Alabama is ranked third with two first-place votes, Georgia is ranked fourth and Oklahoma is ranked fifth.

The college football playoff committee announced today that it will begin providing regular rankings on November 17th and then select the four teams for the college football playoff on December 20th. The semifinals are still set for New Year’s Day, which will be the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl. The national championship game will take place on January 11th in Miami.

ULM announces it will play at Army on September 12th. It’s the first time the Warhawks will play against one of the United States service academies.

Ragin Cajuns Coach Billy Napier says redshirt sophomore wide receiver Cassieu Allen suffered a significant knee injury on Saturday, but no word if he’s out for the season.

There’s a three-way battle for starting quarterback at Louisiana Tech. Senior Westin Elliot, redshirt sophomore Aaron Allen and graduate transfer Luke Anthony are competing for the job. Anthony was a three-year starter at Abilene Christian and says he had interest from Power Five schools, but knew La Tech was the place for him…
cut 18 (20) “…my fit”

At Saints camp, the team has released veteran linebacker Nigel Bradham, who they just signed prior to the start of training camp. Coach Sean Payton says Bradham’s release will allow some younger linebackers, like third-round pick Zack Baun, to get more reps. Payton says the team is planning to hold a scrimmage in the Superdome on Friday.

08.24.20
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LRN PM Newscall August 24

The competitive race for the 5th district Congressional seat held by a retiring Congressman Ralph Abraham sees its first TV ad buy. Brooke Thorington has the story…

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”  

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Governor Edwards responded to the new outlook for Marco and Laura, along with good pandemic news at his 1130AM press conference today. Matt Doyle has more…

cut 2 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”  

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Louisiana has caught a break with Marco as it’s barely a Tropical Storm as it’ approaches Louisiana’s coast National Weather Service Meteorologist Freddie Zeigler says wind shear and dry air has pushed all of the thunderstorm activity to Florida and Alabama…

Cut 3 (11)  “…activity”  

The forecast calls for Marco to move into Plaquemines and Lower Jefferson Parish this afternoon and then into LaFourche Parish as it continues to weaken.

Zeigler says the bigger concern is with Tropical Storm Laura which is near Cuba. Laura is expected to strengthen as it develops into a Category Two hurricane this week and make landfall along the Lousiana-Texas coast on Wednesday night, Thursday morning. Zeigler says Laura could produce a dangerous storm surge…

Cut 4 (12)“ …Gulf coast.” 

Zeigler says they also expect Laura to be a big storm, which means a large portion of the region could be impacted…

Cut 5 (08)  “…wind field”

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Retiring Congressman Ralph Abraham’s former Chief of Staff Luke Letlow is the first candidate in the 5th Congressional District race to hit the TV airwaves with ads.

Letlow is reporting a strong 500,000 dollars raised so far in the race. ULM Poli Sci Professor Joshua Stockley says its certainly early for a campaign to start TV ads…

Cut 6 (07) “…risk”

Nine candidates are contending for the vacant seat in the ruby-red district that encompasses large swaths of the northeast and central portions of the state.

Letlows two major Republican opponents are state lawmaker Lance Harris and Police Juror Scotty Robinson. Stockley says Letlow is flexing his frontrunner status.

Cut 7 (12) “…their own.”

The three are likely contending to be the strong favorite in a run-off race with a Democratic candidate.

Stockley says there is some risk in running ads so early in the season considering everyone is distracted by hurricane season, the pandemic, and the Presidential Election.

Cut 8 (11) “October”

The race is on the November 3rd Presidential ballot, and a likely run-off is set for December 5th.

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A police pursuit on LA Highway 82 in St. Mary Parish ends in a fatal crash, leaving two people dead. A Patterson Police officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by 39-year-old Joseph James of Franklin, but Trooper Thomas Gossen says the driver fled, reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.

Cut 9 (11) “…in the hospital.”

46-year-old Warren Joe Hines and 17-year-old Markqel James, both of Franklin were identified as the passengers. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

A toxicology sample was obtained from the driver. Gossen says it is unclear what motivated James to evade police.

Cut 10 (09) “…with disastrous consequences.”

Gossen says the crash is a grim reminder of the importance of being properly restrained.

Cut 11 (07) “…important as well.”

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Governor Edwards says Louisiana is set to dodge the first of what was thought to be a one-two punch from Marco and Laura.

Edwards says projections of strong tropical storm conditions from Marco in southeast Louisiana appear unlikely to become reality.

Cut 12 (08) “…Florida”

Some storm surge along the southeast coast is still expected but rain totals and heavy winds from Marco are projected to be at best localized.

Edwards says with Marco fizzling the state is turning its attention to Laura and taking the storm very seriously ahead of its projected Wednesday night landfall in southwest Louisiana.

Cut 13 (13) “…aircraft” 

Laura is projected to be a strong category two at landfall, but Edwards warns conditions are ripe for it to develop into a major category three hurricane.

The Governor did have some good news: last week the state saw the positivity rate of COVID tests continue to drop.

Cut 14 (09) “left”

Despite the recent decline in COVID transmission Edwards says Louisiana is still around 15th in the nation for cases per capita and positivity.

Edwards says those bracing for impact from Laura in southwest Louisiana need to recognize the virus is still very much present as they make their plans.

Cut 15 (10) “shelter” 

08.24.20
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11:40 LRN Sportscast August 24

LSU is ranked sixth in the AP preaseason poll that was released today. Clemson is ranked number one. Ohio State, who is not even playing this fall is ranked second, followed by Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma. Florida is ranked eight, Auburn is 11th and Texas A-and-M is ranked 13th.

A three-way battle for starting quarterback is ongoing during Louisiana Tech’s preseason camp. It’s between redshirt sophomore Aaron Allen, graduate transfer Luke Anthony and redshirt senior Westin Elliot. Elliot has been on campus since 2017 and says whoever wins the job will lead the Bulldogs to victories…
cut 17 (19) “…to win”

The Saints have made a surprise move. ESPN’s Adam Schefter says the Black and Gold have cut veteran linebacker Nigel Bradham. He signed with New Orleans in the summer after spending the past four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. Bradham was competing for playing time as Alex Anzalone and Kiko Alonso are coming back from injuries.

Quarterback Drew Brees did not practice yesterday as he got the day off. The 41-year-old worked on throwing the deep ball during the offseason with his personal trainer, Todd Durkin. Coach Sean Payton says he’s seen a difference
cut 20 (25) “ throwing motion”

08.24.20
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10:30 LRN Newscast August 24

The center of Tropical Storm Marco is about 50 miles southeast of the mouth of the Missisippi River, but it has weakened from yesterday when it was a hurricane. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the bigger concern is Tropical Storm Laura near Cuba and he says the storm will strengthen as it heads to the Gulf of Mexico…
cut 14 (13) “…Wednesday evening”
Keim says Laura is expected to be at least a Category Two hurricane when it makes landfall along the Gulf Coast.

Governor Edwards is asking residents not to become complacent, just because Marco has weakened. He’s also grateful President Trump has approved the state’s request for federal assistance…
cut 8 (10) “…support”

Entergy Louisiana has restoration crews in place as the state braces for the impacts of Marco and Laura. Customer Service Vice President Melanie Stewart says there are many complexities that come with preparing for two different storms
Cut 10 (13) “…3400 restoration workers..”

State Police continues to investigate Friday’s fatal police shooting in Lafayette that resulted in the death of 31-year-old Trayford Pellerin. Investigators say Pellerin was armed with a knife and tried to enter an occupied conveinence after disobeying commands from several police officers. NAACP Lafayette President Mardja Broussard notes this is the third Lafayette Police officer-involved shooting in the last five months…
cut 6 (08) “….front yard”
Protests have taken place the last two nights with only a small number of arrests.

08.24.20
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8:30 LRN Newscast August 24

Last night saw a second straight night of protests in Lafayette over the Friday night fatal police shooting of 31-year-old Trayford Pellerin, a black man who was armed with a knife and attempted to enter an occupied convenience store.  NAACP Lafayette President Mardja Broussard believes the police could have handled this better…
cut 4 (06) “….person”
The video appears to show Lafayette police shouting for Pellerin to stop walking before they tazed him to no effect. As he began to enter a convenience store, Lafayette Police officers fired their guns. Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory released a statement that supports how the officers handled the situation. State Police continues to investigate.

Tropical Storm Marco is fizzling out, as its maximum sustained winds are at 50 miles per hour. But Tropical Storm Laura is looming and it could be a Category Two hurricane when it makes landfall Wednesday night or Thursday morning in southwest Louisiana.

There have been a lot of changes with forecasts for Tropical Storm and Marco. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the weather community has had a challenge in developing forecasts for these storms as well as figuring out how they might influence each other…
Cut 15 (08) “…things like that.”
Marco is expected to make landfall late tonight or early tomorrow morning around Terrebonne and LaFourche Parishes and skirt along Louisiana’s coast tomorrow.

There was a concern that Marco would produce significant power outages, but that concern has been reduced. But Laura could be a different story as that’s expected to a be a powerful storm. Entergy Customer Service Vice President Melanie Stewart is asking customers for patience if the lights go out,…
cut 11 (09) “….a lot of patience’

08.24.20
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7:30 LRN Newscast August 24

Tropical Storm Marco continues to weaken as it moves closer to Louisiana’s coast. Its maximum sustained winds have fallen to 50 miles per hour. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Laura is near Cuba with maximum sustained winds at 65 miles per hour and is expected to intensify as the week goes along. With more on that, here’s Matt Doyle…
cut 2 (27) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Laura is projected to make landfall late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning in southwest Louisiana. Governor Edwards provides another update at 11:30 today.

Entergy Louisiana has restoration crews in place as the state braces for the impacts of Marco and Laura. Customer Service Vice President Melanie Stewart says there are many complexities that come with preparing for two different storms
Cut 10 (13) “…3400 restorations workers..”

Tensions are high in Lafayette after Friday’s officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of Trayford Pellerin, a 31-year-old black man. Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory released a statement supporting the police officers’ actions, but NAACP Lafayette chapter President Mardja Broussard calls Guillory a racist…
cut 5 (08) “…community”
Last month, Guillory announced the closure of four rec centers that were predominantly used by African-Americans.

08.24.20
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6:45 LRN Sportscast August 24

The Saints are less than three weeks away from the season opener against Tampa Bay and so far so good when it comes to keeping COVID-19 out of the building. Coach Sean Payton says he’s even surprised that the team has stayed virus free
cut 19 (17) “…good way”
Only three players in the NFL are on the reserve-COVID-19 list.

Running back Alvin Kamara did not practice yesterday, because of a stomach illness. Right tackle Ryan Ramczyk also missed practice yesterday, but it was a veteran rest day for him. Quarterback Taysom Hill has returned to practice after he and his wife had their first child, Beau Nixon Hill. The Saints will hold another full-pad practice today.

Louisiana Tech football coach Skip Holtz calls the three-way battle for starting quarterback a healthy competition. Holtz is impressed with how much respect Aaron Allen, Luke Anthony and Westin Elliot have for each other as they compete. Redshift sophomore Aaron Allen says they push each other to get better
Cut 16 (18) “…perform better”

Conference USA has decided to move fall team sports, except for football, to the spring of 2021. The La Tech programs affected are women’s soccer and women’s volleyball. The move allows the Lady Techsters and all Conference USA schools to play for a spot in the NCAA Championships. Dates of competition and formats will be announced at a later date.

08.24.20
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6:30 LRN Newscast August 24

Louisiana is preparing for two tropical cyclones with the first landfall expected late tonight from Tropical Storm Marco. State Climatologist Barry Keim says Marco was downgraded to a tropical storm last night, but it will still bring storm surge and possible severe weather to southeast Louisiana.
Cut 13 (10) “…tomorrow afternoon.”

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Laura is gaining strength near Cuba and will quickly become a hurricane once it emerges in the Gulf of Mexico tomorrow. It’s expected to be at least a Category two hurricane, when it makes landfall near Lake Charles late Wednesday night.

Governor Edwards says President Trump has approved his request for federal assistance…
cut 8 (10) “…support”

Entergy Louisiana has 3,400 storm workers in place across the state’s coastal areas ready to restore power following the impacts of Marco and Laura….
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

It was another night of protesting in Lafayette last night as residents are upset over the police shooting on Friday night that killed Trayford Pellerin, a 31-year-old black man. Lafayette-Mayor President Josh Guillory released a statement supporting the police’s actions, but Lafayette’s NAACP leader calls Guillory a racist and Mardja Broussard demands that Guillory resigns.