Author Archives: Jeff Palermo

06.09.20
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LRN PM Newscall June 9

The Caddo Parish coroner rules that a 44-year-old man died of natural causes while in the custody of the Shreveport Police Department, but his death could possibly have been prevented. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

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Governor Edwards says Memorial Day weekend did not result in a significant increase in the transmission of COVID-19. Edwards has a few thoughts as to why…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”  

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Caddo Parish Coroner Doctor Todd Thoma says a 44-year-old man died of natural causes while in the custody of the Shreveport Police Department on April sixth, but his death could have been preventable. Thoma says Tommie McGlothen Junior died from excited delirium

Cut 3 (09)  “…stimulant use.”  

Authorities say police officers used tasers, mace, and nightsticks to control McGlothen, who also fought with another citizen before law enforcement arrived. Thoma says McGlothen’s death could have possibly prevented, but he was left in the back of a patrol vehicle for 48 minutes…

Cut 4 (10)_ “…medical care”

Thoma says the autopsy showed McGothen suffered multiple blunt force injuries from his confrontations with police and citizens, but his injuries were minor. But He says a violent confrontation with psychotic behavior can trigger excited delirium and he should have received medical care

Cut 5 (11)  “…rapidly fatal.”

Shreveport Police Chief Ben Raymond says the four officers involved in McGlothen’s arrest are on departmental leave and State Police is reviewing the case.

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A third person has died from complications of a drowning incident on Grand Isle on Friday. 33-year-old Terrell Miller of Houma died in a hospital following his attempt to rescue his fiance’s children, 9-year-old Dalvin Richardson and 8-year-old Davon Richardson. Grand Isle Police Chief Laine Landry says a day of celebration turned tragic in an instant.

Cut 6 (05) “…was Davon’s birthday.”

A 12-year-old female relative who was also rescued is expected to make a full recovery.

Over the last two weeks, there have been eleven calls for water rescues, with four fatalities. In addition to larger crowds, Landry believes there are three other contributing factors to the dangerous conditions.

Cut 7 (12) “…for beach protection.”

Landry says they are sending a clear message to beach goers about being vigilant of rough seas and strong currents.

Cut 8 (11) “…public access points.”

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It’s been two weeks since Memorial Day weekend and Governor Edwards says he’s heartened to see the state did not experience a significant surge in COVID transmission as a result of the holiday.

Edwards says they have a few theories as to why transmissions did not spike…

Cut 9 (11) “…to do.”

Many states are seeing transmission rates increase as they reopen, but Edwards says that does not appear to be the case in Louisiana outside of the Monroe Region…

Cut 10 (10) “…there.”

Louisiana saw an increase in new case growth last week but continues to see fewer hospitalizations. Edwards says that may just be a result of our significantly expanded testing capacity.

An LSU poll that showed 62 percent wear a mask always or often when leaving the house, up from just 48 percent in April. Edwards thanked residents for being responsible and masking up…

Cut 11 (07) “…as well.”

The poll indicated that 76 percent of people agree that wearing a mask is the responsible thing to do.

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An East Feliciana Parish judge has voided the first-degree murder charge of accused serial killer Ryan Sharpe as the result of a recent US Supreme Court decision that bans non-unanimous convictions. Sharpe’s Attorney Tommy Damico says his client was convicted by jurors 11 to 1 last December…

Cut 12 (12) “motion”

The First Degree Murder charge was for the killing of 48-year-old Brad DeFranceschi, one of three men Sharpe is accused of fatally shooting during a killing spree in East Baton Rouge and East Feliciana parishes in 2017. Authorities say Sharpe shot and wounded a fourth person.

A new trial has been scheduled for December. Damico says he will try to convince a new jury that his client was insane at the time of the shootings.

Cut 13 (13) “…insanity”  

Physiatrists in the first trial raised doubts that Sharpe had a mental illness.

Damico says non-unanimous jury verdicts are unjust and he’s glad the High Court’s ruling will give his client another chance.

Cut 14 (08) “…justice”

06.09.20
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2:30 LRN Newscast June 9

Caddo Parish Coroner Doctor Todd Thoma says 44-year-old Tommie McGlothen Junior’s death in the back of a Shreveport Police patrol car in April, could have been preventable. McGlothen was involved in a physical altercation with a citizen and police officers, but Thoma says McGlothen ended up dying of excited delirium…
cut 5 (11) “…rapidly fatal”
The four arresting officers have been put on departmental leave.

Accused serial killer Ryan Sharpe will get a new trial as an East Feliciana Parish judge has voided his conviction, because it was not unanimous. Authorities say Sharpe fatally shot three people and injured another person during a 2017 shooting spree. Sharpe’s Attorney Tommy Damico believes Sharpe was insane at the time…
cut 13 (13) “…insanity”

Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas are among 14 states that are reporting their highest-ever seven-day average of coronavirus cases. Louisiana is not one of those 14 states. Governor John Bel Edwards…
cut 10 (10) “…there”
Louisiana reported over 500 new cases today and 13 additional deaths.

Since the Memorial Day weekend, four people have drowned in Grand Isle while swimming just off the beach. Police Chief Laine Landry says they’ve responded to to 11 calls for water rescues over the last two weeks and there are some contributing factors…
cut 7 (12) “….for beach protection”
Landry says they are asking beachgoers to be vigilant about the strong currents.

06.09.20
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11:40 LRN Sportscast June 9

The LSU Football team returned to its state of the art weight room today as the Tigers offseason summer conditioning program got underway now that COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted. LSU Strength and Conditioning Coach Tommy Moffitt says there will be different groups of players in the weight room until the middle of the afternoon. He says most of their student-athletes will also take summer online classes…
Cut 17 (25) “…player led practices”
The NCAA will reportedly consider a six-week practice plan for schools that would allow teams to have mandatory meetings with players and walk-throughs starting in mid-July. Coaches reportedly support the plan.

Major League Baseball continues to alienate its fan base. M-L-B offered players a return to play proposal that calls for a 76-game regular season and expanded playoffs, but the owners are asking the players to accept 75-percent of their prorated salaries. Players continue to say they are not taking any further salary reductions beyond what they agreed to in March. So it doesn’t seem the two sides are any closer to a deal.

Former LSU pitcher Eric Walker has announced he’s transferring to Oklahoma State. The right-hander from Arlington, Texas had a great freshman season but never returned to form after Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm. He entered the NCAA transfer portal in mid-April. Former LSU pitcher Chase Costello has also announced he’s transferring to Stetson.

A five-round Major League Baseball Draft begins. LSU players Daniel Cabrera and Cole Henry will probably not go in the first round, but they are expected to be drafted. Barbe’s Brody Drost is an LSU signee that could also get drafted.

06.09.20
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9:30 LRN Newscast June 9

There’s a growing movement around the country to defund law enforcement and use that money instead on community programs. But Governor John Bel Edwards, who comes from a family of law enforcement officers, says he does not agree with the Defund the Police Movement…
cut 9 (09) “….appropriate”
But Edwards says he could support legislation dealing with the selection of officers, the training and retraining of officers and their supervision.

An LSU survey conducted in late May found that 71-percent of the 757 respondents continued to stay at home instead of going to work, school or other regular activity. That’s down 10-percent from an April survey. LSU Public Policy Research Lab director Michael Henderson…
cut 12 (07) “….across the state”
Over 75-percent of the respondents say they are still uncomfortable getting on an airplane or attending a large sports or entertainment event.

The UNO Transportation Institute is conducting a study that seeks input from individuals who would use a proposed passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Research associate Tara Tolford says they plan to use this data to further refine the concept…
cut 15 (10) “….forward”
The survey can be found on UNO T-I’s Facebook page.

Week two of the special session is underway. The House Ways and Means Committee will discuss several business tax break bills. La-Politics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says during the special session, legislators will also discuss legislation that would change unemployment qualifications…
cut 5 (07) “….as well”
On Thursday, the full House will debate a spending plan for the next fiscal year.

06.09.20
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8:30 LRN Newscast June 9

An LSU study indicates 42 percent of residents know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19….
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

Louisiana reported six more COVID-19 deaths yesterday to bring the state’s death toll to 2,831. Nearly 34-thousand have recovered after testing positive and Louisiana is reporting 43-thousand cases. Governor Edwards says he’s heartened that the data is not showing a spike since the Memorial Day weekend.

George Floyd will be laid to rest today in Houston. His death during custody with Minneapolis officers has resulted in calls to overhaul police practices. Governor John Bel Edwards, who comes from a family of law enforcement officers, says the trend of unreasonable police force is troubling…
cut 8 (10) “….unacceptable”
But Edwards says he doesn’t support a movement to defund police officers.

U-N-O’s Transportation Institute has launched a new survey that seeks input from potential riders of a proposed rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. A 2010 survey indicated 39,000 riders a month may use a train that connects the two cities, but UNO researcher Tara Tolford says those numbers could change should the proposed stop-offs be built.
Cut 14 (11) “…study”
To take the survey go to the U-N-O T-I Facebook page.

06.09.20
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7:30 LRN Newscast June 9th

Governor Edwards says police reforms are needed, but he does not support the movement to defund police departments…
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Shaun Ferguson has apologized for his officers firing so-called rubber bullets at protesters on the Crescent City Connection last week. The chief says their special operations division was not authorized to use the anti-riot rounds and an investigation is underway.

A new LSU poll of 757 Louisiana residents found 42 percent of respondents know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and 23 percent know someone who has died from it. LSU Public Policy Lab director Michael Henderson says this shows the widespread impact of the virus.
Cut 10 (06) “…people who have.”
The survey also found Louisiana residents are uncomfortable with many activities outside of the home. 77-percent do not want to get on an airplane.

Week two of the special session is underway at the State Capitol and lawmakers will begin debating several tax break proposals for businesses. La-Politics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford expects a bitter partisan brawl over the prospect of tax cuts, while the state faces revenue shortfalls. He pointed to comments from staet Representative Ted James, a Democrat from Baton Rouge…
Cut 6 (05) “…proposals”
The special session is set to end June 30th.

06.09.20
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6:45 LRN Sportscast June 9

LSU football begins offseason workouts today as the national champs can lift weights and perform conditioning drills on campus for the first time since spring practice was halted in March. LSU strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffit says about 85-percent of the players stayed in great shape. He says over the next two weeks they’ll do three days a week of hard training and two days of functional training on specific muscle groups
Cut 16 (16) groups differently”

NFL players will not be allowed inside team training facilities until training camp starts next month. The NFL has sent a memo to teams asking them to reconfigure their locker room space so that lockers are six feet apart.

Major League Baseball continues to alienate its fan base. M-L-B offered players a return to play proposal that calls for a 76-game regular season and expanded playoffs, but the owners are asking the players to accept 75-percent of their prorated salaries. Players continue to say they are not taking any further salary reductions beyond what they agreed to in March. So it doesn’t seem the two sides are any closer to a deal.

Former LSU pitcher Eric Walker has announced he’s transferring to Oklahoma State. The right-hander from Arlington, Texas had a great freshman season but never returned to form after Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm. He entered the NCAA transfer portal in mid-April.

When the NBA season resumes in Orlando on July 31st, the Pelicans will battle Memphis, Portland, Sacramento, and San Antonio for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. But the Spurs will not have forward LaMarcus Aldridge. He will miss the remainder of the season after having surgery on his right shoulder.

06.09.20
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6:30 LRN newscast June 9

Governor John Bel Edwards says Louisiana should consider police reforms in next year’s legislative session. Cities and states across the country are taking up changes to policing policy in the wake of George Floyd protests. Edwards says he spoke with Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields about what could be done in Louisiana…
Cut 7 (11) “…scrutiny.”
But Edwards says he does not support defunding police departments.

This week in the special session, lawmakers will dig into the nuts and bolts of the budget and start the debate on economic relief bills for businesses. The special session started last Monday and LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford is surprised by the slow start despite a mountain of work.
Cut 4 (10) “…filed.”
The House Civil Law committee will discuss tort reform this morning.

A survey of 757 Louisiana residents during the final days of May finds that 42-percent of the respondents know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and 23-percent know someone who has died from complications. LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab director Michael Henderson says the data shows the disparities between Black and White Louisianans on exposure to the novel coronavirus…
cut 11 (10) “….for white residents”
Forty percent of black residents know someone who has died from complications of COVID-19, compared to 17 percent of white residents.

06.08.20
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4:45 LRN Sportscast June 8

LSU football will begin its voluntary workout program tomorrow. When players arrived on campus last week they took an antibody test. Senior associate athletic trainer Shelly Mullenix says a positive antibody test will warrant a PCR test. Mullenix says if any player tests positive for the coronavirus, a doctor will determine if that person needs to go to the hospital or self isolate in a dorm room…
cut 14 (05) “….the spread”
Mullenix says they will not administer daily coronavirus tests, instead, players will have daily temperature checks and they’ll also monitor for symptoms.

The NFL has sent a memo to every team describing what needs to be done in order to open practice facilities completely to players. A couple of interesting notes, any meeting with more than 20 people must be conducted virtually and locker rooms need to be modified so that each locker is six feet apart.

Basketball star Shaquille O’ Neal said he told the Saints players not to allow the media to divide them based on Drew Brees’ national anthem comments. Shaq who spoke to the Saints during a virtual meeting last Thursday told Peter King that media divided the Lakers in the early 2000s and it led to a break up between O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Edna Karr is mourning the loss of its first varsity head football coach Don Wattigny, who passed away Saturday at his home at the age of 81. He led the Cougars to their first state championship in football in 1993. Edna Karr also won 3A titles in 1995 and 1997. Wattigny retired after the 2002 season.

Major League Baseball Owners proposed a 76-game season to the players today, but the proposal includes a 75-percent prorated salary for players. Players are seeking to be paid fully for the games they play in.

And it was 24 years ago today that Warren Morris hit his legendary home run as LSU defeated Miami for its third national championship football.

06.08.20
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LRN PM Newscall June 8

After a sharp decline in vaccinations, state health officials urge residents to get back on track with preventative healthcare.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

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The LSU football team begins summer workouts tomorrow. Jeff Palermo has more on the national champs’ COVID-19 mitigation efforts…

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

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The Louisiana Department of Health is reminding the public to catch up on the routine vaccinations that went by the wayside due to coronavirus restrictions.  State immunization director Dr. Frank Welch says medical facilities are opened again, it’s time to get back on track.

Cut 3 (10)  “…get their vaccines.”  

State and federal data show a sharp drop in vaccine orders from January through April.

Welch says skipping vaccines can have disastrous consequences.

Cut 4 (09)_ “…something like that.”

For those that may be uneasy about entering a doctor’s office, Welch says most facilities have changed up the experience with spread mitigation efforts.

Cut 5 (12)  “…and preventative healthcare.”

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As protesters nationwide demand changes in policing policy, Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome says the city’s police union has been an obstruction to reform within the department.

Broome told Talk Louisiana that the union’s problem is that it protects bad apples…

Cut 6 (12) “…cops”

The Baton Rouge Police Union defended Officer Blane Salamoni in the wake of the Alton Sterling shooting, and Broome has previously expressed frustration with their resistance to post-Sterling police reforms.

Broome says they need greater flexibility to identify and remove bad cops from the department, and the union makes that difficult to do.

Cut 7 (08) “…here”

Broome says cops with traceable records of alarming behavior are often the ones victimizing their communities.

Cut 8 (09) “…unequal.”

The Minneapolis City Council announced veto-proof support for moving ahead with dismantling the Minneapolis Police Department in the wake of the death of George Floyd. Broome says they do not plan to pursue a similar policy.

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The 2020 dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is projected to be four times larger this year than what a task force established in 2001. LSU Marine Science Professor Nancy Rabalais estimates this year’s 77-hundred square mile dead zone is roughly the size of New Hampshire.

Cut 9 (05) “…years.”

The dead zone stretches along the bottom of the continental shelf along Texas and Louisiana.

Fertilizer from Midwest agriculture washes down the Mississippi River, exiting at the mouth forming an area of low oxygen and high nitrogen. Rabalais says the nitrogen loads have remained steady since 1980…

Cut 10 (09) “…Mexico.”

Rabalais says despite recognizing the dead zone issue, the federal government has not been able to tackle the problem.

Cut 11 (08) “…overcome.”

This year is estimated to be the 7th largest dead zone since measurements began in 1985.

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The LSU football team will have to wait one more day before starting voluntary workouts. They were scheduled to begin today, but the campus is closed because of Tropical Storm Cristobal. Senior associate athletic trainer Shelly Mullenix says when players arrived on campus last week they were given an antibody test

Cut 12 (10) “and everything”

Mullenix says they are not testing players daily for coronavirus, but they are screening for the disease. She says there are temperature checks when they enter the football operations building and coaches and players  will answer a CDC questionnaire about their health

Cut 13 (10) “…orchestrated flow”  

Mullenix says if any player tests positive for the coronavirus, a doctor will determine if that person needs to go to the hospital or self isolate in a dorm room…

Cut 14 (05) “…the spread”