7:30 LRN Newscast Sept 25

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has launched an official impeachment inquiry into President Trump over allegations the President sought information from the leader of Ukraine that could be used against political rival Joe Biden. Republican Senator John Kennedy says the president was talking to Ukraine’s president about corruption and the 600-thousand dollar salary that Biden’s son received for sitting on the board of a Ukrainian oligarch gas company…
cut 8 (07) “…doubt it”
Kennedy also alleges that Biden’s law firm received substantial payments from the oligarch as well.

LSU economist, Doctor Loren Scott, predicts the state will add additional 53-thousand jobs over the next two years, with most of the new employment opportunities coming along and south of I-10…
cut 6 (04) “…the state
Scott says the Shreveport area could see 600 more jobs thanks to the Port of Caddo-Bossier and the National Cyber Research Park.

In the first 20 days of enforcement, at least 20 restaurants have been cited for the violation of the seafood labeling law requiring businesses to disclose if their shrimp and crawfish products are imported. Department of Health spokesperson Bob Johanessen says the citations are considered a minor violation.
Cut 13 (10) “…that they consume.”
Johanessen says LDH is providing restaurants with educational materials that will help them comply with the new law.

The state health department has seen an uptick in flu cases. Assistant State Health officer Doctor Joseph Kanter says the formal start of the season is usually in October, but the flu bug is getting an early start this year…
cut 12 (13) “….have a third”
Kanter urges residents to get their flu shot now.

6:45 LRN Sportscast Sept 25

Fourth-ranked LSU is using the bye week to tighten up on defense. Coach Ed Orgeron says they’ll use the extra practice time to experiment with moving cornerback Kristian Fulton from outside corner to covering up the slot receiver…
cut 30 (07) “…this week”
The Tigers next game is a week from Saturday at home against Utah State.

After winning its Conference USA opener by beating F-I-U, Louisiana Tech hits the road this weekend to visit a winless Rice team. Bulldogs coach Skip Holtz is telling his team not to overlook the Owls…
cut 16 (20) “…this team”
Tech had 565 yards of offense in last Friday’s win over F-I-U, but Holtz is not happy with settling for three field goals in the red zone.

The Saints begin preparations today for their big Sunday night matchup against the Cowboys. Teddy Bridgewater should have more confidence in this game after leading the Black and Gold to a road win in Seattle.

In the Southland Conference, Nicholls has one more non-conference game left as the Colonels are at Texas State. Southeastern Louisiana looks to improve to 2-0 in league play as they visit Northwestern State. McNeese will host Sam Houston State. The Cowboys lost their Southland opener last weekend and they are 2-and-2 on the season. Cody Orgeron has started all four games at quarterback for the Pokes, completing less than 60-percent of his passes for 678 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. McNeese Coach Sterling Gilbert says Cody is giving it his best…
cut 19 (20) “…he is”
Kick-off between McNeese and Sam Houston is at 6:00.

6:30 LRN Newscast Sept 25

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has started an official impeachment inquiry into the President’s alleged attempts to pressure Ukraine into investigating Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son. US Senator John Kennedy says we’ll find out more about the allegations today, but no result may satisfy Democrats who desperately want an impeachment.
Cut 7 (11) “years”
President Trump says he’ll release a transcript of the conversation with the Ukraine leader that sparked the allegations.

Health officials are seeing an early start to flu activity. A school in St. Landry Parish let classes out early yesterday because of the number of flu cases. Assistant State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter says get your flu vaccine
Cut 10 (11) “…its right now.”

The Louisiana Health Department cracks down on restaurants serving imported shrimp and crawfish and not properly disclosing the product’s origin. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (28) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is reopening the recreational red snapper season for the next two weekends as the quota on the amount of red snapper that can be caught in a year still has not been reached.

4:45 LRN Sportscast September 24

LSU has three receivers ranked in the top 50 in receiving yards, led by Ja’Marr Chase who has 397 yards receiving. He’s second in the nation in receiving yards per game, with 132 yards a contest. Remember he didn’t play against Northwestern State. Coach Ed Orgeron says they knew the sophomore from Rummel would have a breakout season…
cut 17 (12) “…of player”
Coach Ed Orgeron appeared this morning on the radio show “Off the Bench” which is based out of Baton Rouge and said that linebacker Michael Divinity will miss a couple of weeks after suffering a leg injury in the win over Vanderbilt. And wide receiver Terrace Marshall will be back toward the latter part of the season, after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured foot. LSU’s next game is Saturday, October 5th at 11 AM against Utah State.

The Ragin Cajuns lead the nation in rushing yards with 1,295 and 18 touchdowns. UL-Lafayette ia also second in yards per carry. Trey Ragas is averaging 10 yards a carry, while Raymond Calais is averaging 9.5 yards an attempt. Coach Billy Napier says it’s an unselfish group…
cut 19 (21) “…our team”
The Cajuns are on the road this Saturday when they visit Georgia Southern for a 5 PM kickoff.

The Saints will return to practice tomorrow to get ready for Sunday night’s big home game against Dallas Cowboys. New Orleans will attempt to cut down on the penalties, they were flagged 11 times in the win at Seattle.

LRN PM Newscall Sept 25

A Shreveport woman is arrested for impersonating a licensed nurse at a nursing home, using the identity of a woman with the same name. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

________________________________

14 years ago today Hurricane Rita rocked southwest Louisiana. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

cut  2 (30) “Kevin Barnhart”  

________________________________________

Nationally, the number of children living in concentrated poverty has gone down, but new data shows 27,000 more kids living in poverty in Louisiana from 2013 to 2017 than the previous five year period.  Annie E. Casey Foundation Associate Director Scot Spencer says Louisiana is one of ten states to see a rate increase.

Cut 3 (06) “…to 20%.”

Concentrated poverty is when 30% or more of an area is living in poverty, which Spencer says increases the likelihood of a lack of access to things to potentially improve someone’s life.

Cut 4 (11) “…to be kids.”

Spencer says often, concentrated poverty can be an inescapable multi-generational cycle.

Cut 5 (10) “…in concentrated poverty.”

African American and American Indian children are seven times more likely to live in concentrated poverty.  Latino children are nearly four times more likely to live in concentrated poverty.

_________________________________________

A Shreveport nursing home social worker is under arrest for posing as a licensed nurse for over 1,000 hours using the identity of an LPN with her same name.

Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Detective Mike King says while pretending to be a nurse, 59-year-old Sandra Martin took on some vital, and potentially dangerous roles…

Cut 6 (07) “…called in”

She allegedly treated over 100 patients during her time as a nurse.

Martin was already being paid more than the facility’s licensed nurses in her current position, and King says they suspect she posed as a nurse to cash in on some overtime opportunities.

Cut 7 (08) “…social worker.” 

Upon being arrested, King says Martin admitted to working as a nurse, but refused to answer further questions and demanded a lawyer.

King says as of now it does not appear that her fraudulent nursing led to any complications or injuries, but it certainly had the potential lead to disaster.

Cut 8 (11) “ really south”

Martin has been charged with forgery, making false statements concerning employment in nursing, and violating the law on professions and occupations.

______________________________

14 years ago today, Hurricane Rita made landfall in southwest Louisiana.  The storm often is overshadowed by Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall about four weeks earlier. State climatologist Barry Keim says Rita was a Category 5 storm n the Gulf.

Cut 9 (11)  “…quite a punch”

Keim says Rita produced a storm surge of 17.8 feet, making it the second-highest storm surge measured in Louisiana in over a century.

Cut 10 (07) “…St. Bernard Parish.”

Keim says 95% of homes and businesses in Cameron Parish were destroyed and combined with the damage sustained by Hurricane Katrina in the weeks earlier, much of the Louisiana coastline was left devastated.

Cut 11 (09) “…state of Louisiana.” 

____________________________

Two Thibodeaux residents allegedly stole their grandmother’s identity and used it to go on a spending spree racking up over 5,000 dollars’ worth of bills.

State Police Senior Trooper Jesse LaGrange says 30-year-old Megan Hebert and 31-year-old Roger Thibodaux conspired to rip off their grandma by stealing her personal information and…

Cut 12 (10) “…online”

State Police were informed of the situation by Assumption Parish Sheriffs, the jurisdiction where the victim lived.

LaGrange says the situation is a good reminder for folks to keep a close eye on their bank account and credit statements.

Cut 13 (11) “…their name.”

The two face serious charges as a result of the alleged scheme.

Cut 14 (11) “as well.”

Hebert was arrested earlier this month, while Thibodaux was snagged a few days back.

2:30 LRN Newscast Sept 24

The Caddo Sheriff’s office says they arrested 59-year-old Sandra Martin after treating over 100 patients while posing as a registered nurse. Detective Mike King says Martin used the identity of another Sandra Martin to convince a nursing home she was a licensed practical nurse. King says thankfully none of the patients saw a decline in their condition because of Martin’s scheme…
cut 8 (11) “…really south”
King says they suspect Martin posed as a nurse to cash in on overtime opportunities. She was originally hired as a social worker.

14 years ago today, Hurricane Rita made landfall in southwest Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says Rita’s storm surge was nearly 18 feet…
cut 10 (07) “…St. Bernard Parish”
Keim says 95-percent of homes and businesses in Cameron Parish were destroyed.

The Annie E Casey Foundation released a new report today that said 20-percent of children in Louisiana live in concentrated poverty and the Bayou State was one of 10 states to see an increase in the number of kids in concentrated poverty. Annie E Casey Foundation Director Scot Spencer says the increase could be attributed too…
cut 4 (11) “…to be kids”

State Police say two cousins in their 30s from Thibodaux admitted to stealing their grandmother’s identity, so they can buy thousands of dollars worth of items with fraudulent credit cards. Senior Trooper Jesse LaGrange says the situation is a good reminder to keep a close eye on your bank account and credit statements…
cut 13 (11) “…their name”
30-year-old Megan Hebert and 31-year-old Roger Thibodaux have been booked on numerous charges.

1:30 LRN Newscast Sept 24

14 years ago today, Hurricane Rita made landfall in southwest Louisiana. State climatologist Barry Keim says Rita was a Category 5 storm in the Gulf.
Cut 9 (11) “…quite a punch”
Keim says Rita produced a storm surge of nearly 18 feet, making it the second-highest storm surge measured in Louisiana in over a century.

Two Thibodeaux residents allegedly stole their grandmother’s identity and used it to go on a spending spree racking up over 5,000 dollars’ worth of bills. State Police Senior Trooper Jesse LaGrange says 30-year-old Megan Hebert and 31-year-old Roger Thibodaux conspired to rip off their grandma by stealing her personal information and…
Cut 12 (10) “…online”
Hebert and Thibodaux are both in jail.

A Shreveport woman is arrested for impersonating a licensed nurse at a nursing home, using the identity of a woman with the same name. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso say members of motorcycle gang based in Texas are responsible for stealing two ATM machines in Westlake. Mancuso says the suspects stole over 150-thousand dollars and in both cases, a stolen forklift was used to take the money on two separate weekends over the summer. Authorities have arrested five people and searching for two others.

11:40 LRN Sportscast September 24

LSU has three receivers ranked in the top 50 in receiving yards, led by Ja’Marr Chase who has 397 yards receiving. He’s second in the nation in receiving yards per game, with 132 yards a contest. Remember he didn’t play against Northwestern State. Coach Ed Orgeron says they knew the sophomore from Rummel would have a breakout season…
cut 17 (12) “…of player”
Coach Ed Orgeron appeared this morning on the radio show “Off the Bench” which is based out of Baton Rouge and said that linebacker Michael Divinity will miss a couple of weeks after suffering a leg injury in the win over Vanderbilt. And wide receiver Terrrace Marshall will be back toward the latter part of the season, after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured foot. LSU’s next game is Saturday, October 5th at 11 AM against Utah State.

The Sun Belt Conference names Ragin Cajuns running back Elijah Mitchell as its Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week. The Erath native rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns in U-L Lafayette’s road win over Ohio. Coach Billy Napier says a great offseason is paying off for Mitchell
Cut 18 (18) “can do”
The Cajuns rank first in the nation in total rushing yards, with 1,295 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Louisiana Tech senior kicker Bailey Hale is the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week. Hale was five-for-five on field goals in the Bulldogs 43-31 win over FIU.

Nicholls is tied for 12th in the latest STATS FCS Top 25 poll, while Southeastern Louisiana has moved up two spots to number 19. The Lions are at Northwestern State Saturday, while the Colonels are at Texas State.

9:30 LRN Newscast

So what will the gubernatorial candidates do if elected this fall? They answered that question during a forum at the Baton Rouge Press Club. Republican Congressman Ralph Abraham…
cut 11 (11) “….and budget reform”
Fellow GOP challenger Eddie Rispone says his focus will be creating jobs, while Governor Edwards wants to invest more dollars into early childhood education.

The race for insurance commissioner is a statistical dead heat according to a poll taken late last week by JMC Analytics and Polling. Pollster John Couvillon says Republican challenger Tim Temple has a new hard-hitting ad against the incumbent, Jim Donelon…
cut 5 (08) “….the wheel”
Couvillon says the race is far from over as 58-percent of the respondents are undecided.

An LSU Health New Orleans researcher finds that a common Diabetes medication is effective in treating cancerous tumors in mice. Biochemistry Professor Dr. Suresh Alahari says certain cancers lack a protein known as Nischarin, and Metformin, the diabetes treatment, activates an enzyme that can help neutralize those cancers.
Cut 7 (06) “…growth”
Metformin is already a proven commodity, and Alahari is excited about the prospect of it being used to treat ailments like breast and ovarian cancer, and possibly even Alzheimer’s.

Louisiana has received a “D” grade from Truth in Accounting because of a debt burden of 22-billion dollars. Truth in Accounting CEO Sheila Weinberg says the state does not have available money to pay billions of dollars in pension and health care benefits costs…
cut 14 (09) “…retiree healthcare benefits.”
The report says Louisiana would need 17-thousand dollars from each of its taxpayers to pay all of its bills.

8:30 LRN Newscast Sept 24

The candidates for Governor discussed their top priority if elected. Kevin Barnhart has the details.
Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Tiger Truck Stop Manager Pamela Bossier says Casper the Camel is on antibiotics after the animal was bitten in the testicles by a Florida woman who was trying to retrieve her dog from the camel’s fenced-in living area. The couple from Florida is facing misdemeanor charges that include criminal trespassing.

A new poll shows the race for Insurance Commissioner is at a statistical dead heat with Republican incumbent Jim Donelon at 22 percent and GOP challenger Tim Temple at 20 percent. JMC Analytics pollster John Couvillon says 58 percent of voters are undecided.
Cut 4 (07) “…incumbent.”
Donelon is seeking a fourth consecutive full term, while Temple is a political newcomer.

A Louisiana researcher has found that a drug called metformin, which diabetes patients take, has shown to be effective in mice who have cancerous tumors. LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine biochemistry professor, Doctor Suresh Alahari, says he’ll continue testing by implanting human breast cancer tissue in mice…
cut 9 (09) “….tissue”
Alarhai says unfortunately we are several years away from human trials.