Author Archives: Jeff Palermo

05.28.20
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LRN PM Newscall May 28

Governor Edwards has the final say on whether voters will decide if they want sports betting legalized in their parish. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

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A Senate Committee approves legislation allowing concealed carry permit holders to bring a gun in a house of worship with the pastor’s permission, but without having to inform the congregation. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Matt Doyle” 

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Legislation is heading to the governor’s desk that will ask voters on November 3rd if sports betting should be legalized in their parish. Metairie Senator Cameron Henry says if a parish approves the referendum, then lawmakers will vote next year on the regulation and taxation of sports wagering, which will be controversial

Cut 3 (05)  “…should go”  

An effort to legalize sports betting failed in the legislature last year. Henry says by putting the issue before the voters, lawmakers can then decide how they should vote when the sports betting and taxation bills come before them in 2021…

Cut 4 (09)_ “…pass the tax”

Supporters say sports betting is already happening and if it was legal than the state can tax the activity to generate revenue. Opponents say legal sports betting will produce more problem gamblers, which ends up costing taxpayers.

Henry says the ballot question will ask voters if sports wagering activities and operations should be permitted in your parish. He says lawmakers will determine next year where sports bets can be taken

Cut 5 (05)  “…next step”.

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A bill that removes many restrictions on who can be prescribed medical marijuana is nearing final legislative passage. New Iberia Senator Fred Mills says the treatment has helped many, including former Governor Kathleen Blanco. Mills says Blanco’s daughter said the medical cannabis gave her mom a few more good days before she died…

Cut 6 (06) “ …little while”

On a 28-to-six vote, the Senate approved the measure that would allow a state-licensed doctor to recommend the treatment for any debilitating health conditions. Mills assured the Senate this was not an effort to legalize recreational marijuana…

Cut 7 (04) “…medcinal issue” ”

Under current law, cannabis can only be used to treat a specific list of diseases or disorders that includes cancer, seizures, Parkinson’s, and PTSD. Mills says this legislation removes those restrictions…

Cut 8 (10) “…to you””

Before the bill goes to the governor’s desk, the House will need to approve Senate changes to the measure.

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Governor John Bel Edwards is encouraged by the state’s recent COVID-19 numbers, but as for a decision on Phase Two reopening that will have to wait. Edwards says the data is still being analyzed, but it’s encouraging to see the number of hospitalizations has fallen below 800

Cut 9 (10) “…decision is”

He hopes to make the announcement on June 1st on possible movement to Phase Two, Phase One is currently in effect until June 5th.

The number of patients who are hospitalized dropped by another 37 on Thursday to 761.

Edwards says based on the number of positive cases of those who have been tested and the fact that you can be an asymptomatic carrier it is so important that we all wear masks.

Cut 10 (10) “…everybody else”

Edwards says the state has made great progress going from number two in the country to number nine of COVID-19 cases per capita because so many have cooperated with guidelines, but we must continue to do so.

Cut 11 (11) “…my mother-in-law”

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A House-approved bill allowing a concealed handgun permit holder to bring a gun into a church without informing the congregation heads to the Senate floor for final passage.

Lake Charles Senator Mark Abraham began the hearing by addressing one of most commonly cited concerns related to the bill…

Cut 12 (09) “…firearms”

The legislation still requires a concealed carrier to ask the pastor or other leader of the house of worship for permission to carry while on the premises.

Louisiana Shooting Association President Dan Zelenka says it will make churches a safer place.

Cut 13 (09) “to speak”  

Churches can currently allow concealed carry, but the congregation must be informed who is carrying. Bill sponsor Representative Bryan Fontenot says that requirement made carriers a target.

Church Attorney Andrew Wilson spoke against the bill. He says the measure would call for anti-carry churches to post large “no gun signs”, ruining church atmospheres.

Cut 14 (11) “…afraid”

Wilson also cited scripture quoting Jesus as saying weapons should not be deployed to protect his followers.

Reverend John David Andrew, speaking on behalf of the Episcopal Dioceses of Louisiana, says this bill endangers the safety of students going to schools attached to churches…

Cut 15 (09)“ targets”

The Senate Judiciary C reported the bill to the floor on a 4-1 vote.

05.28.20
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11:40 LRN Sportscast May 28

We are a step closer to legalized sports betting in Louisiana as the state legislature has given final legislative approval to a measure that would ask voters on the November third ballot if sports wagering should be legal in their parish. Metairie Senator Cameron Henry says if one or more parishes approve the referendum, then next year lawmakers will determine taxation, regulation and where sports bets can be placed…
cut 5 (05) “…next step”
Supporters say sports betting is already happening and if it was legal than the state can tax the activity to generate revenue. Opponents say legal sports betting will produce more problem gamblers, which ends up costing taxpayers.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association is investigating ten schools for allegedly holding summer workouts before the June eighth start date. Executive Director Eddie Bonine declined to name the schools, but schools found in violation face fines and their coaches could be suspended.

Dates and times for Saints preseason games have been set and we’ll see if they actually get played. The Black and Gold will kick off the preseason in Los Angeles on Friday, August 14th. 9 PM is the start time. The next week, New Orleans travels to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers on Sunday night. In week three of the preseason, New Orleans hosts Houston on Saturday, August 29th. The Saints conclude the preseason on Thursday night, September third against the Miami Dolphins.

The Sun Belt Conference has announced that the New Orleans Bowl will no longer have the first choice on which team from the Sun Belt will play in their bowl game. Commissioner Keith Gill says a variety of ESPN operated or owned bowl games will get that first selection and the New Orleans Bowl will hold the second selection.

Northwestern State pitcher Kyle Swanson has been named the Southland Conference Baseball Student-Athlete of the Year. The Texas native graduated with perfect 4.0 GPA in health and human performance and had a 1.04 ERA in seven appearances and four saves in 2020.

05.28.20
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10:30 LRN Newscast May 28

A mysterious illness linked to COVID-19 in young adults and children claims its first life in Louisiana. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

A private memorial service is under way at this hour on the Southeastern Louisiana University campus for State Trooper George Baker, who died early this week from injuries he sustained during a police chase in Hammond last week. Trooper Baker is survived by his wife Heather, daughter Harper, his parents, sisters and extended family.

Legislation is heading to the governor’s desk that will ask voters on November 3rd if sports betting should be legalized in their parish. Metairie Senator Cameron Henry says if a parish approves the referendum, then lawmakers will vote next year on the regulation and taxation of sports wagering, which will be controversial
Cut 3 (05) “…should go”
Henry says the ballot question will ask voters if sports wagering activities and operations should be permitted in your parish.

The Louisiana House is set to take up legislation today that would set aside 200 million from the 1.8 billion dollar federal CARES Act to provide small business grants. N-F-I-B State Director Dawn Starns says many small businesses are still at risk of going under.
Cut 13 (09) “…to be”
Governor Edwards opposes the effort because the money state lawmakers want to use is, should go to local governments according to the federal government.

05.28.20
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9:30 LRN Newscast May 28

The state health department says it’s seen 13 cases and the death of a young person from multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which is a condition that develops in coronavirus patients under the age of 21. Governor Edwards says the development is concerning, but fatal outcomes are rare…
cut 9 (08) “…care”
M-I-S-C is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed.

Humanities organizations are eligible for emergency relief grants to help pay for operational expenses. Executive Director for the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, Miranda Restovic, says so far 42 organizations have received funding…
cut 11 (10) “…private sector”
For more information go to l-e-h-dot-org.

A Senate-approved bill that would prohibit a driver from holding a cell phone gets rejected in the Louisiana House. Brooke Thorington has more…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Brooke Thorington”

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association is investigating ten schools for allegedly holding summer workouts before the June eighth start date. The LHSAA says they’ve received information about six schools in the New Orleans area, two from the Lafayette area, and two north Louisiana schools allegedly held organized practices supervised by coaches. Executive Director Eddie Bonine declined to name the schools.

05.28.20
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8:30 LRN Newscast May 28

Louisiana reports its first death from a rare disease believed to be caused by COVID-19 in children and young adults. Governor Edwards says the state has reported 13 cases…
Cut 7 (08) “…discharged.”
Edwards says multisystem inflammatory syndrome can occur up to four weeks after a young person gets COVID-19 and it causes some body parts to become inflamed.

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities has joined forces with the Helis Foundation to provide emergency relief grants to humanities organizations with awards ranging from three-thousand to 20-thousand dollars. L-E-H executive director Miranda Restovic says the grants are for operational expenses…
cut 12 (08) “…utilities”
For more information visit l-e-h-dot-org and the deadline is June 30th.

The full House is set to discuss this morning a proposal that would take 200-million in federal CARES dollars to set up a small business grant program. The 200-million would come from 811-million dollars that the federal government designated for local governments. NFIB Director Dawn Starns likes the proposal…
cut 16 (09) “….possible”
But Governor Edwards says the feds could allocate additional funds dedicated to businesses in the future, but may not offer any more for local governments, so….
cut 15 (05) “…do that’
The measure has already passed the Senate and is awaiting action in the House this morning.

05.28.20
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7:30 LRN Newscast May 28

Governor John Bel Edwards says 13 children have been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome and one of the individuals has died from the rare illness that’s related to the coronavirus. Edwards explains what happens to a child who is diagnosed with this condition…
cut 8 (11) “….causes it”
He says hospitals have been alerted and children with the syndrome can get better with appropriate medical care.

A proposal to ban drivers from holding a hand-held cell phone has failed in the House after passing the Senate earlier in the session. New Orleans Representative Gary Carter is worried the legislation would lead to a bias against African-American motorists…
cut 5 (10) “…really disturbing”
The House killed the measure on a 40-59 vote.

Today the House considers legislation that would direct a portion of the state’s federal CARES Act money towards small business grants. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 3 (29) “…Matt Doyle”

The Louisiana House has given final legislative approval to a measure that gives voters a chance to decide if sports wagering should be legal in their parish. The referendum will appear on the November 3rd ballot. If a parish votes yes, the legislature will decide next year on taxation and determine where and how bets can be taken. The state’s licensed casinos and race tracks are likely locations.

05.28.20
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6:45 LRN Sportscast May 28

Dates and times for Saints preseason games have been set and we’ll see if they actually get played. The Black and Gold will kick off the preseason in Los Angeles on Friday, August 14th. 9 PM is the start time. The next week, New Orleans travels to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers on Sunday night. In week three of the preseason, New Orleans hosts Houston on Saturday, August 29th. The Saints conclude the preseason on Thursday night, September third against the Miami Dolphins.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association is investigating ten schools that have allegedly started summer workouts before the June eighth start date. The LHSAA says they’ve received reports involving six schools in the New Orleans area, two from the Lafayette area, and two north Louisiana schools. Executive Director Eddie Bonine declined to name the schools, but if they violated this rule, they face fines and the coaches could be suspended.

The NBA continues to discuss how it should finish its season. Dallas Owner Mark Cuban has suggested an expanded playoff format. ESPN reports that Cuban recommends the league should re-start its season with five to seven regular-season games than the top ten teams in each conference would qualify for the playoffs. The teams that qualify for the playoffs with the worst records would have play-in games, before the traditional start of a 16-team NBA postseason featuring the best of seven-game series format.

Today, the Major League Baseball Players Association will reportedly deliver a counterproposal to the owners’ economic plan that called for the top players in the game taking the largest pay cuts. The M-L-B-P-A is disappointed by that offer and they will reportedly recommend no pay cut and playing more than 82 games as the owners have suggested. The belief is a deal needs to be reached soon in order to begin a second spring training in mid-June.

05.28.20
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6:30 LRN Newscast May 28

The Louisiana House has rejected a proposal that would have banned handheld cell phone use while behind the wheel. The measure failed on a 40-59 vote. New Orleans Representative Gary Carter voted against the legislation over concerns it could lead to racial profiling
Cut 4 (10)_ “without cause.”
Other lawmakers complained the bill was an infringement on our individual rights.

The House reconvenes today at 10 AM and they’ll discuss a proposal to create a 200-million dollar grant program for small businesses. The money would come out of the 811-million dollars the state has received through the federal cares act. But Governor John Bel Edwards says that money needs to be set aside to help local governments cover revenue losses…
cut 14 (11) “….require it”

A mysterious illness linked to COVID-19 in young adults and children claims its first life in Louisiana. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Louisiana reported 21 more COVID-19 deaths yesterday to bring the state’s death toll to 2,617. But the number of patients hospitalized continues to fall it’s now at 798, a decline of 33 from the day before. One-hundred patients are hospitalized.

05.27.20
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4:45 LRN Sportscast

The Saints have reportedly added some depth to their offensive line as they’ve inked 28-year-old James Hurst to a one year deal. The Ravens released Hurst after six seasons in Baltimore. He’s played in 90 games in his NFL career and has made 44 starts at multiple positions on the o-line, except at center. But he’s suspended for the first four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Crescent-City sports-dot-com reports the LHSAA is investigating four New Orleans-area schools for holding summer workouts. The association has said that summer practices can not take place until June eighth and schools who violate this rule could face sanctions. The report did not name the schools that are under investigation.

Tomorrow NFL owners are scheduled to vote on an alternative to the onside kick. The proposal says teams should have the option of trying to convert on fourth and 15 after a score instead of going for an onside kick. In the last two years, less than 10-percent of onside kicks succeeded.

Tulane right-hander Braden Olthoff has been named a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. The California native was 4-0 in four starts with a 0.32 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 28 innings. Northwestern State right-hander Logan Hoffman was also named to the second team. The junior from Canada did not allow a run in 28 innings of work and finished with a 4-0 record.

LSU pitchers Devin Fontenot and Jaden Hill were named 2020 third-team All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball. Fontenot was 1-0 with 0.90 ERA and four saves. Hill allowed just one hit in 11.2 innings. Louisiana Tech center fielder Parker Bates was also named a third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. The senior from Tyler, Texas hit .422 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs.

Former LSU basketball player Skylar Mays has been named the H Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year. It’s the highest academic honor an SEC athlete can receive.

05.27.20
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LRN PM Newscall May 27

Two named storms have formed before the June 1st start of the hurricane season. Matt Doyle spoke to an expert about what that could mean for the rest of the year…

Cut 1 (27) “…I’m Matt Doyle”  

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The Louisiana Department of Education is helping ensure childcare centers reopen safely, Brooke Thorington explains.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington” 

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The second named storm of 2020 formed today prior to the official start of the 2020 hurricane season beginning June 1st. State Climatologist Barry Keim says this is highly unusual.

Cut 3 (12)  “…87′.”  

Tropical Storm Bertha formed today off the coast of the Carolinas.

Keim warns that history shows storm activity this early in the year is often a harbinger of a busy season to come. Looking back at the other five years recorded since 1851…

Cut 4 (12)_ “…season.”

One of those years was 2012 when southeast Louisiana was slammed by Hurricane Isaac.

This is the third time since 2012 we’ve had two named storms form before the season started, so what’s behind the recent trend?

Cut 5 (08)  “…idea”.

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The House Natural Resources Committee has approved legislation that would terminate lawsuits filed by parishes that seek compensation from oil companies for contributing to coastal land loss. The bill’s author, Houma Senator Michael Fesi, says these types of lawsuits should be filed by the state

Cut 6 (10) “ …the coast”

Former state senator and current director of the Port of Iberia Craig Romero says the lawsuits are a big problem for an oil and gas industry that’s already seen a big downturn as a result of a COVID-19 pandemic

Cut 7 (08) “…60 years ago”

According to the Advocate, seven parishes have filed suit against oil and gas companies. Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng says the timing is curious as they are close to reaching a settlement

Cut 8 (08) “…going on.”

St. Benard Parish president Guy McInnis says if you don’t want to get sued then don’t pollute. He also questions the timing of trying to pass this legislation during a global pandemic

Cut 9 (11) “…paying for it”

Similiar legislation has also passed out of a Senate committee, but never received a vote on the Senate floor. Fesi’s bill still needs full House and Senate approval before the regular session ends June 1.

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The Louisiana Department of Education has announced every childcare provider in the state will receive free supplies to help ensure a healthy reopening following the COVID-19 outbreak. Assistant Superintendent Jessica Baghian says the state worked with vendors to acquire supplies for 16-hundred childcare providers

Cut 10 (07) “…providers”

The supplies include no-touch thermometers, masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, soap, and other cleaning products. The supplies were purchased with federal emergency relief funds.

Bagian says they used guidance from the Office of Public Health to choose which supplies to purchase for the childcare centers.

Cut 11 (07) “…like bleach”

Dedicated federal funds were made available to purchase the supplies and Bagian says the first round has already been distributed to open centers.

Cut 12 (12) “…and family”

Baghian says the department feels an obligation to support childcare providers and they want them to reopen safely as the economy reopens.

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Louisiana reported 443 new coronavirus cases today to bring the state’s total number of cases to 38,497. But Governor John Bel Edwards says the state continues to make progress in its battle against COVID-19

Cut 13 (10) “number two”  

Edwards says the number of active coronavirus cases is about 10-thousand and that figure has remained steady over the last month or so. He adds 28,700 have been estimated to recover.

The governor says the state is also getting closer to its goal of testing 200-thousand people this month…

Cut 14 (12) “…of May”

Edwards says the number of COVID-19 patients who are ventilators and in the hospital continues to decline. He says as of Wednesday 798 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized…

Cut 15 (10)“ decreasing”