11:40 LRN Sportscast September 21

For only the second time in his career, Saints All-pro wide receiver Michael Thomas will miss his second game as he’s out with an ankle injury for tonight’s contest versus the Las Vegas Raiders. New Orleans tight end Jared Cook says it’s next man up…
cut 17 (16) “…about that”
Cook led the team in receptions last week with five catches for 80 yards. Expect Alvin Kamara to be a bigger part of the passing game. He also had five catches last week and Emmanuel Sanders will need to be more of a factor, after catching three passes in his Saints debut last week. Kick-off is at 7:15.

Former Pelican Anthony Davis drained a three-pointer at the buzzer as Lakers defeated Denver 105 to 103 last night to take a two games to nothing lead in the Western Conference Finals. A-D had 31 points.

The 19th ranked Ragin Cajuns rallied back from a two-touchdown deficit to beat Georgia State 34-31 in overtime to improve to 2-0. Elijah Mitchell rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns to help spark the comeback. Coach Billy Napier says they needed Mitchell, because overall they were not consistent enough on offense
Cut 18 (17) “…play better”
Mitchell has been named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week.

Louisiana Tech quarterback Luke Anthony is one of eight quarterbacks named as a Star of the Week by the Manning Award. Anthony threw three second-half touchdown passes to help the Bulldogs overcome a 17-point deficit to beat Southern Miss 31-30.

And NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was introduced today as the new head football coach at Jackson State.

10:30 LRN Newscast September 21

Four Shreveport police officers have been indicted on negligent homicide and malfeasance charges for their roles in the death of 44-year-old Tommie McGlothen Junior, who died in police custody last April. The family attorney for McGlothen, James Carter, says McGlothen was left in a police vehicle for 48 minutes after an intense physical encounter with officers…
cut 13 (11) “…beat him”
Caddo District Attorney James Stewart says McGlothen’s death was preventable. Shreveport Police Chief Ben Raymond has declined to comment on the indictments.

Pineville Police say one of their officers was ambushed last night while leaving his patrol car at a shopping center. Officials say the officer was shot in the leg and was transported to the hospital. Pineville police are looking for the shooter.

State lawmakers could vote as early as today to call themselves into a special session. Jim Shannon on what legislators will consider…
Cut 1 (31) “…Jim Shannon”

Meanwhile, families can visit loved ones in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities as a result of new federal guidance. Outdoor visitation is allowed and indoor visitation can take place in parishes with no more than 10-percent test positivity. AARP State Director Denise Bottcher…
cut 12 (06) “…one time”

LRN Newscall September 21

State employer payroll taxes are likely to go up and unemployment benefits likely to go down next year due to the depleted state unemployment trust fund…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

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The state is working to implement new federal guidelines to allow visitations at nursing homes. Brooke Thorington has more

Cut 2 (31) “…Brooke Thorington” 

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Four Shreveport cops are indicted on negligent homicide charges in the April death of a 44-year-old mentally ill man. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 3 (32)  “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

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Researchers at Baton Rouge General say a taste test may predict how vulnerable a person is to severe illness from COVID-19. Doctor Henry Barham, a rhinologist, says they have found that people who have trouble detecting certain bitter flavors are at a higher risk for developing more symptoms…

Cut 4 (08)“ …would do” 

The loss of taste and smell are hallmark symptoms of COVID-19 patients.

Barham says their initial study involved 100 people who had COVID. He says the second study that’s ongoing involves five-thousand people as they try to determine if a taste test can predict COVID-19 severity…

Cut 5 (09)  “…on now.”

Barham also notes that as people get older they lose the ability to taste as well…

Cut 6 (11) “…the big one.”

Barham says even if you test out as a “supertaster” you should still get the vaccine once it becomes available.

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The unemployment trust fund has dropped below 100 million dollars and that will likely mean reduced benefits for recipients and higher taxes on businesses next year. Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Dejoie says if the trust fund is below 100 million in 2021, the maximum weekly benefit will drop to 221 dollars from the current 247 dollars, but…

Cut 7 (04) “…benefits.”

Dejoie says when it comes to higher taxes on employers each employer has their own experience rating with the trust fund so…

Cut 8 (09) “…significantly.”

Dejoie says because of the dual-threat to both the unemployed and employers it’s vital that Congress include unemployment trust fund relief in the next pandemic relief bill.

Cut 9 (09) “…COVID”

The Revenue Estimating Conference meeting is set to meet September 30th to discuss and verify the status of the trust fund.

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Governor John Bel Edwards says the state is implementing new federal guidelines that lifts the ban on nursing home visits. State Director of the Louisiana AARP Denise Botcher says new guidance from the feds allows nursing homes to conduct outdoor visitation with social distancing…

Cut 10 (10) “…to Louisiana families.”

In addition to outdoor visits, nursing homes in parishes with no more than 10 percent test positivity and without any new onset of COVID cases in the last 14 days can allow indoor visitation.

Botcher says the inability to visit in person has been a difficult period for families when phone calls and virtual visits have been the only option.

Cut 11 (12) “…in person.”

Botcher says visitors will be required to wear face coverings, wash their hands, and social distance.

Cut 12 (06) “…one time.”

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A Caddo Parish grand jury indicts four Shreveport cops on negligent homicide charges linked to the April death of a mentally ill man, 44-year-old Tommie McGlothen Jr. Officers arrested McGlothen April 5th and after McGlothen was handcuffed video revealed that he was severely beaten and tased, and left for 48 minutes without aid. Family attorney James Carter…

Cut 13 (11) “…beat him.”

Video shows McGlothen, apparently handcuffed, on the ground resisting while officers beat him with a baton, kicked him, punched him, and tased him as he screams. After no longer moving the beating continues, and he is then stood upon his knees and kicked into the ground, lifted back up, and slammed into a squad car.

McGlothen was in an altercation with a homeowner when officers arrived, and Carter says police were well aware of his condition due to incidents from earlier that day…

Cut 14 (09) “…unfortunate.”

A coroner’s report showed McGlothen had a broken nose, jaw, and heavily swollen face after the encounter. The report also came to the conclusion that McGlothen’s death was likely preventable, although not the direct result of the beating, but of “Excited Delirium”.

Carter says it’s unconscionable that police would beat Mr. McGlothen so severely, and then just leave him handcuffed in the back of a car…

Cut 15 (07) “…to happen.”

Treona McCarter, Brian Ross, D’Marea Johnson, and James LeClare were also charged with malfeasance. Police Chief Ben Raymond has declined comment on the indictments.

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The Saints will look to improve to 2-0 tonight when they face the Raiders in their new stadium in Las Vegas. New Orleans All Pro receiver Michael Thomas will not play because of a high ankle sprain. Quarterback Drew Brees says the Black and Gold have a next man up mentality

Cut 16 (14) “…do have” 

Tight end Jared Cook agrees it’s next man up….

Cut 17 (16) “…about that” 

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The 19th ranked Ragin Cajuns rallied back from a two touchdown deficit to beat Georgia State 34-31 in overtime to improve to 2-0. Elijah Mitchell rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns to help spark the comeback. Coach Billy Napier says they needed Mitchell, because overall they were not consistent enough on offense

Cut 18  (17) “…play better” 

Quarterback Levi Lewis threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns, but he was also intercepted twice. The Cajuns were also just 3 of 14 on third downs and allowed 223 yards rushing. But Napier says the most important thing is that they are 2-0

Cut 19  (19) “…the most”    

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Louisiana Tech was without six starters and 20 players from their two-deep because of COVID-19, but still rallied back from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to beat Conference USA rival Southern Miss 31-30. The Bulldogs scored the game tying touchdown in the final seconds and added the extra point for the win. Coach Skip Holtz says he’ll never forget this victory

cut 20 (20) “…competed tonight”

6:45 LRN Sportscast September 20

The Saints will look to improve to 2-0 tonight when they face the Raiders in their new stadium in Las Vegas. New Orleans All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas will not play because of a high ankle sprain. Quarterback Drew Brees says the Black and Gold have the next man up mentality
Cut 16 (14) “…do have”
The latest report on Thomas is that he’ll miss two to four weeks with an ankle injury.

Yesterday in the NFC South, Dallas rallied from a 20-0 deficit to stun the Altanta Falcons 40-39. Louisiana native Dak Prescott rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another one. Prescott finished with 450 passing yards for the Cowboys.

Former LSU star Leonard Fournette rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns as Tampa Bay topped Carolina 31-17. The Bucs are 1-and-1, the Panthers are 0-2.
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Louisiana Tech was without six starters and 20 players from their two-deep because of COVID-19, but rallied back from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to beat Conference USA rival Southern Miss 31-30 on Saturday. The Bulldogs scored the game-tying touchdown in the final seconds and added the extra point for the win. Coach Skip Holtz says he’ll never forget this victory
cut 20 (20) “…competed tonight”
The Bulldogs host Houston Baptist on Saturday.

The Ragin Cajuns remain ranked 19th in the AP poll after a come from behind overtime win over Georgia State on Saturday. U-L Lafayette is 2-0 and will host Georgia Southern for its home opener Saturday.

LSU is ranked sixth in the AP Poll and open the season Saturday versus Mississippi State.

4:45 LRN Sportscast September 18

There will be two college football games played in Louisiana on Saturday and one of them will have fans inside their stadium. ULM will host Texas State on Saturday night and Malone Stadium will operate at 25-percent capacity. Athletic Director Scott McDonald…
cut 16 (16) “….from others”
Tailgating and RV parking is not allowed in campus lots.

Tulane is also at home Saturday as they will host Navy at 11 AM. No fans will be allowed inside Yulman Stadium, but the game will be on ABC.

The 19th ranked Cajuns visit Georgia State as they look to build off last week’s historic win over Iowa State. La Tech kicks off its season at Southern Miss. The Bulldogs will play two Q-Bs, Aaron Allen and Luke Anthony.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports there is a little glimmer of hope that wide receiver Michael Thomas can play Monday in Las Vegas against the Raiders, despite a high-ankle sprain. Schefter reports Thomas felt fantastic at practice yesterday and the Saints are pleased and surprised by his progress. New Orleans is a 5.5 point favorite on Monday.

LSU fans have to wait another week to see their team play, but they can watch Coach Ed Orgeron on 60 Minutes on Sunday. Coach O’s special assistant Derek Ponamsky says the C-B-S show will give viewers a personal look at Coach O and and his mother Coco who lives in Larose…
cut 7 (13) “…for the viewer”
Ponamsky says between the 60 minutes feature and his new book Flip the Script, LSU fans will get a better idea of the inner workings of Coach O.

LRN PM Newscall September 18

CBS’s 60 Minutes will showcase LSU’s Coach Ed Orgeron on Sunday night to a nationwide audience. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

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Under an election plan the state was ordered to follow by a federal judge it is unlikely we will know the results of the November 3rd election that night…

cut 2 (28) “I’m Matt Doyle”  

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A Tropical Depression in the southern Gulf of Mexico is close to tropical storm strength and there’s a chance it could become a hurricane late Sunday night, early Monday morning. National Weather Service Meteorologist Donald Jones says there’s not a lot of confidence in the forecast track

Cut 3 (12)  “…few days.”  

The current forecast track shows the system crawling up the Texas coastline towards Louisiana as a tropical storm.

Jones says the system is disorganized and moving slowly…

Cut 4 (11)“ …end up” 

Once it reaches tropical storm strength, it will be called Tropical Storm Beta as we’ve reached the Greek Alphabet for named storms. Jones says the winds in the central Gulf of Mexico that would direct the storm are very weak…

Cut 5 (12)  “few days ”

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Coach Ed Orgeron will get the national spotlight when the LSU coach’s story is told on Sunday night on CBS’s 60 minutes.  Special assistant to the head coach Derek Ponamsky says production was originally set to take place in March with spring practice but got pushed back to the summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cut 6 (11)  “…dealing with COVID.”  

Ponamsky says not only will viewers get a more personal look at Coach O, but they’ll get to meet his mother, Coco.

Cut 7 (13)“ …for the viewer.” 

Ponamsky says between this feature on 60 minutes and his new book Flip the Script that will be coming out in a few weeks, LSU fans will get a better idea of the inner workings of Coach O.

Cut 8 (10)  “…these two things.”

60 Minutes airs Sunday night at 6:30 on CBS.

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Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin warns under the election plan the state was ordered to adopt by a federal judge it is unlikely we will know the full results of the November 3rd election until the next day.

The order calls for Louisiana to adopt the election plan used in the summer. Ardoin says that will likely mean a significant increase in absentee ballots.

Cut 9 (12) “…strange times”

The summer plan allowed people to request absentee ballots if they or someone in their household were high-risk COVID individuals, or if they were diagnosed with, or feeling symptoms of COVID-19.

Battleground states are moving to expansive absentee ballot programs, making it also unlikely we’ll know who the next President is November 3rd. Ardoin explains why…

Cut 10 (09) “…process”

Less than one percent of all voters in the summer elections utilized COVID-excuse absentee ballot forms.

Ardoin says while the delay is unfortunate he’d rather report accurate results than fast results.

Cut 11 (04) “…election.”

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August revenues for Louisiana’s riverboat casinos and one land-based casino were down 31% compared to August 2019.  Every casino took in less money than August 2019 with only one taking in more than July 2020, El Dorado Resort in Shreveport.  Louisiana Casino Association executive director Wade Duty…

Cut 12 (10) “…in gaming revenue.”

Harrah’s in New Orleans was down 9% from July to August and 49% from August 2019.

Duty says moving Phase Three really didn’t move numbers into the green either, as Phase Two restrictions remained in place for casinos.

Cut 13 (11) “…hours of service.”

Future revenues face additional hurdles as Hurricane Laura rocked the Lake Charles gaming industry. Duty says Isle of Capri will be offline for an extended period because of damage to their facility.  Others have reopened, but face staffing issues due to displacement.

Cut 14 (12) “…other support services.”

1:30 LRN Newscast

Under an election plan the state was ordered to follow by a federal judge it is unlikely we will know the full results of the November 3rd election that night…
cut 2 (28) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Governor Edwards says the state is implementing new guidelines on nursing home visits after receiving new guidance from the federal government. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will allow nursing homes to conduct outdoor visitation with social distancing and indoor visitation can take place in parishes with no more than 10-percent test positivity.
A Tropical Depression in the southern Gulf of Mexico is close to tropical storm strength and there’s a chance it could become a hurricane late Sunday night, early Monday morning. National Weather Service Meteorologist Donald Jones says there’s not a lot of confidence in the forecast track
Cut 3 (12) “…few days.”
The current forecast track shows the system crawling up the Texas coastline towards Louisiana next week as a tropical storm.

August revenues for Louisiana’s riverboat casinos and one land-based casino were down 31% compared to August 2019. Only one casino reported higher revenues in August than the previous month, El Dorado Resort in Shreveport. Louisiana Casino Association executive director Wade Duty…
Cut 12 (10) “…in gaming revenue.”

11:40 LRN Sportscast September 18

Former LSU Q-B Joe Burrow set a rookie record last night by completing 37 passes in a game, but his Bengals still lost to in-state rival Cleveland 35-30. Burrow was 37 of 61 for 317 yards and three touchdowns. But he also had a critical fumble that led to a Cleveland touchdown.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports there’s a glimmer of hope that wide receiver Michael Thomas will play Monday night when the Saints visit the Raiders in Las Vegas. Schefter says Thomas felt fantastic at practice yesterday and the team is pleased and surprised by his progress.

The high school football community is mourning the death of junior Remy Hidalgo. The Denham Springs linemen collapsed at practice on Tuesday and died this morning at a New Orleans hospital. In a Facebook post, Remy’s mother says this is not fair and she just wants her son back.

Two college football games will be played in Louisiana tomorrow. ULM will host Texas State with Malone Stadium filled with fans up to 25-percent capacity. Warhawks Athletics Director Scott McDonald says getting to this point has been a real challenge…
cut 18 (15) “….play”
In New Orleans, Tulane will open its home schedule by hosting Navy at 11 AM on ABC Television. No fans will be allowed in Yulman Stadium.

Lousiana Tech is at Southern Miss, who has a new coach after losing its season opener. Scotty Walden has taken over for Jay Hopson. Bulldogs Coach Skip Holtz doesn’t expect Walden to make drastic changes to what Southern Miss likes to do…
cut 20 (19) “….they have”

9:30 LRN Newscast September 18

Governor John Bel Edwards has changed his Phase 3 executive order to allow bars and restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages until 11 PM, instead of 10 PM. There’s only a handful of bars that are open in the state. Chad Monceaux opened City Bar in Crowley on Wednesday and says the eleven o’clock cutoff is still a problem…
cut 9 (07) “…laughs”
The governor’s office says four parishes have opted in to allow on-site consumption of alcohol, but that number grew last night with St. James, St. John and St. Charles opting in.

The state will see cooler and dryer air as a cold front sweeps across Louisiana today. State Climatologist Barry Keim says summer weather is not over with yet, but this is a welcomed break.
Cut 4 (12)“ …in the 80s.”

The 2021 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame induction class features one of the best receivers to play for the Saints, LSU’s most decorated player on defense, and a college basketball legend. Hall of Fame Chairman Doug Ireland says the Saints all-time leading receiver Marques Colston will be enshrined in June…
Cut 10 (10) “…in New Orleans.”
Also going into the Hall are LSU legends Glenn Dorsey and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.

ULM will host the first college football game in Louisiana with fans tomorrow night when the Warhawks host Texas State. Athletic Director Scott McDonald says Malone Stadium will operate at 25-percent capacity…
cut 17 (13) “….football”
Kick-off is at 6:30.

8:30 LRN Newscast September 18

Bars in a limited number of parishes have begun inviting patrons back for the first time in months. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (28) “I’m Matt Doyle”

As you heard Matt say, restaurants and bars that are allowed to open must serve its last drink by 11 PM. When the Phase 3 order came out last week, 10 PM was last call, but Edwards has announced he’s giving these establishments another hour. Bars must still close at 11 PM.

Sad news report, Remy Hidalgo, the Denham Springs football player who collapsed during practice on Tuesday has died at a New Orleans hospital.

The first day of Fall is Tuesday and it will feel more like fall starting today as a cold front moves through the state, which will lower our temperatures and humidity. But there’s also a Tropical Depression in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the forecast models have this system eventually growing into a hurricane, but a Texas landfall seems most likely at this point…
cut 6 (11) “….the next week”

LSU legends Mahmoud Abdul Rauf and Glenn Dorsey are entering the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as they will go in as the Class of 2021. Hall of Fame Chairman Doug Ireland says Dorsey was a two-time All American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2007…
cut 11 (09) “….senior year”
The Saints all-time receiver Marques Colston will also be enshrined in June.