8:30 LRN Newscast Feb 5

President Trump will deliver his State of the Union address tonight. It comes after a contentious government shutdown centered on his demands for border wall funding. Senator John Kennedy expects the President will touch on three major topics.
Cut 13 (12) “…Jong Un.”
The speech will take place in the democratic-controlled House of Representatives.

The US Supreme Court is expected this week to consider whether Louisiana can enforce a state law requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolino says a ruling in favor could signal a major shift in the court’s views on abortion related issues….
cut 7 (12) “….precedent”
Supporters of the law say admitting privileges are a necessary requirement, while opponents argue it’s an onerous burden.

Governor Edwards’ re-election campaign has released two new digital ads and the message is one voters will hear a lot…
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office arrests an Arnaudville woman accused of stealing graveside flowers from a Cecilia cemetery and then selling them online. Following a complaint, deputies identified and located 42-year-old Rhonda Lagrange. Major Ginny Higgins says a warrant allowed deputies to search the suspect’s home…
cut 10 (08) “…she’s taken”
Higgins says previous Facebook posts gave investigators the knowledge Lagrange sold the items she stole.

7:30 LRN Newscast February 5

President Trump delivers his State of the Union address tonight as a February 15th deadline looms on border wall funding. But Senator John Kennedy expects the president will also address his economic policies…
cut 14 (11) “…government”

But Governor John Bel Edwards’ re-election campaign has released two new digitals ads with the message being the state is better off now compared to how it was when he took office. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says it’s an absolute must for Edwards to start campaigning now, before his opponents begin to target him.
Cut 4 (10) “…to raise taxes.”
Edwards’ two announced Republican challengers are Ralph Abraham and Eddie Rispone.

A 2014 Louisiana law requiring abortion clinics to have admitting privileges will be a test case on how the newly constituted US Supreme Court will rule on abortion cases…
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

A North Carolina man suffering from A-L-S died in a freak car fire after receiving tickets to the Super Bowl from the New Orleans’ Team Gleason Foundation. Ed Cushman was heading to the game, when his brother noticed smoke coming from the vehicle. When he got out, the minivan burst into flames and the brother could not rescue Cushman.

6:45 LRN Sportscast February 5

The Pelicans battled hard last night but came up short and fell to the Indiana Pacers 109-107. New Orleans struggled from three-point territory as they were 9-of-38. Another good game from the former number three overall pick Jahlil Okafor as he led all scorers with 25 points and 13 rebounds…
cut 30 (15) “…playing hard”
All-Star Anthony Davis did not play again because of a finger injury, but Coach Alvin Gentry say A-D has been cleared to practice. But Gentry gave no timetable on when Davis will return to game action.

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday and the Lakers have reportedly upped their offer for Davis. There’s a belief New Orleans would receive better offers if they waited until the summer to trade Davis.

LSU moved down two spots to number 21 in the latest A-P poll. The Bayou Bengals 10-game winning streak was snapped over the weekend. The Tigers gave up 13 3-pointers and turned it over 21 times on Saturday in a 90-89 defeat to Arkansas. Tremont Waters committed a critical turn over in the final minute, with LSU up by one point. Coach Will Wade says the Tigers have to play smart in order to win close games…
cut 17 (13) “…especially at home”
Waters is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. He’s averaging 19 points, six assists, four rebounds and 2.5 steals a game in SEC play. The Tigers are at Mississippi State tomorrow.

The long time Voice of Louisiana Tech Dave Nitz is headed to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as he will receive the 2019 Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism. Nitz is in his 44th season as the radio voice of La Tech sports.

6:30 LRN Newscast Feb 5

Governor Edwards is telling voters the state is better off since he took office three years ago and the economy is growing. That’s the message released by his re-election campaign in digital ads. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says expect to see return fire from the GOP candidates…
cut 5 (08) “…of accomplishments”
Congressman Ralph Abraham and businessman Eddie Rispone are the two Republican announced candidates.

A 2014 state law that puts another restriction on abortions in Louisiana will be a test case on where the new U-S Supreme court stands on abortion. Loyola University Law Professor Dane Ciolino says the nation’s highest court will determine whether the state’s admitting privilege law should have a full blown hearing. Ciolino says the Supreme Court previously rejected Texas’ admitting privilege law…
cut 8 (09) “…effect”

The President will give his State of the Union tonight at 8PM. Matt Doyle talked to Senator John Kennedy about the speech…
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Matt Doyle”

A dense fog advisory is in effect until 10 AM from Alexandria down to the coast.

4:45 LRN Sportscast Feb 4

Saints fans promised to boycott the Super Bowl and they followed through with that threat as the overnight television rating showed only a quarter of the TVs in the New Orleans market had the game on. The 26.1 rating is half of what the rating was for last year’s Super Bowl.

Dennis Allen is reportedly signing a three-year contract to stay as the defensive coordinator of the Saints. Cincinnati had interest in Allen, who took over a struggling Saints defense and improved it dramatically.

Junior college defensive end Soni Fonua has committed to LSU and is expected to sign with the Tigers on Wednesday. Fonua is from Utah and played the last two seasons at Mesa Community College in Arizona.

The long time Voice of Louisiana Tech Dave Nitz is headed to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Nitz will receive the 2019 Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism and will be enshrined in the Hall this summer. Nitz is in his 44th season as the radio voice of La Tech sports.

New England’s uninteresting 13-3 win over Los Angeles denied veteran Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth from winning a Super Bowl ring. But the former LSU and West Monroe star says he will not allow this loss to define him…
cut 30 (22) “…moving forward”
Whitworth says he’s yet to decide if he’ll return for a 14th season.

LSU basketball fell two spots to number 21 in the AP Top 25 poll. The Tigers 10-game winning streak ended Saturday with a one-point loss to Arkansas. LSU is at Mississippi State on Wednesday.

The Pelicans host Indiana tonight. ESPN is reporting the Lakers have offered a new package to New Orleans for Anthony Davis. It reportedly includes multiple young players, draft picks and salary cap relief.

LRN PM Newscall February 4

Senator Bill Cassidy files legislation to make drug cartels pay for a Southern border wall. Jeff Palermo has the story..

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Super Bowl ratings cratered last night in New Orleans as only a quarter of households bothered watching a game many Who Dats considered illegitimate…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”  

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Republican Senator Bill Cassidy files legislation that would take money seized from drug cartels and us it to pay for a southern border wall. Cassidy says instead of having Americans pay for the wall, let it be Mexican cartels

Cut 3 (11) “…buy guns”

Cassidy says the more they secure the border, the more illicit money they will capture. Congressional leaders have been debating for weeks on how to fund a border wall, Cassidy says this legislation could break the logjam…

Cut 4 (10) “way forward″

Another government shutdown is looming in a couple of weeks, if funding is not secured for a Southern border wall. He says the Department of Treasury Forfeiture Fund averages 842-million dollars annually and his proposal is to issue bonds in order to make billions of dollars for immediate improvements to border security…

Cut 5 (10) “…go forward”

_________________________________________________

Who Dats turned off the Super Bowl in record numbers as boycott parties raged across New Orleans. The Nielsen rating for the New Orleans market was a 26.1. LSU Assistant Professor of Digital Advertising Jun Heo, says it’s a huge drop off from last year’s rating of 53.

Cut 6 (11) “…off”

Nielsen estimates about 165,872 households had the game on last night in the New Orleans market.

National ratings cratered during this year’s 13-3 snoozer that featured a widely panned half time performance and only six points through three quarters. The 44.9 national rating was the lowest in a decade, and Heo says local resentment likely played a part.

Cut 7 (10) “…about it” (2x)

It’s reportedly the lowest Nielsen ratings for a Super Bowl in New Orleans ever, and Heo says that’s likely cause for concern at the local CBS affiliates, and those who bought air time with them, who just a three weeks ago expected a huge television audience with the Black and Gold in the Super Bowl…

Cut 8 (08) “campaign”

It cost 5.2 million dollars to air a 30 second commercial nationally, and there were 92 ads run in total.

_______________________

For the second quarter of fiscal year 2019, the Louisiana Lottery has seen an uptick in contributions to the state treasury, transferring over $53.9 million towards K-12 public education in the state.  Louisiana Lottery spokesperson Dustin Annison says that’s nearly a $10 million increase from this time last year.

Cut 9 (08) “…we had last year.″

Annison says the record-breaking Mega Millions jackpot from autumn had a big impact on the numbers.

Cut 10 (08) “…was huge for us.”

Annison says the year-to-date contributions of $94.6 million have exceeded what the Louisiana Lottery had budgeted and expected to give to the state by $16.8 million.

Cut 11 (09) “…a lot more.”

_______________________________

The Baton Rouge area saw three separate fatal motorcycle wrecks in a span of less than 24 hours, including one involving an on-duty police officer. Motorcycle Awareness Campaign spokesperson Scotty Drake says motorcyclists need motorists to be actively aware and watching for those on two wheels.

Cut 12 (07)   “…not the motorcyclist.”

Drake says the death of the law enforcement officer is another reminder that motorists need to be more aware of motorcycles.  Cpl. Shane Toddy of the Baton Rouge Police Department was killed Friday after colliding with a pickup truck while riding with a funeral procession.

Cut 13 (10) “…then this.”

Drake says motorcyclists are often doing the best they can to be noticed when sharing the roadways, as well using their training to keep an eye out for those not looking for them.

Cut 14 (12) “…just see us.”

_____________________

11:30 LRN Newscast February 4

Who Dats turned off the Super Bowl in record numbers. The New Orleans market had a rating of 26.1. LSU Assistant Professor of Digital Advertising Jun Heo, says it’s a huge drop off from last year’s rating of 53.
Cut 6 (11) “…off”
Nationally, the Super Bowl hit a 10-year low.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy has filed legislation that would allow the federal government ot use illegal drug money seized at the border to build a physical barrier along the Southern border. Congressional leaders have been debating for weeks on how to fund a border wall, Cassidy says this legislation could break the logjam…
cut 4 (10) “…way forward”
Another federal government shutdown is looming in a couple of weeks, if funding is not secured for a Southern border wall.

The first batch of medical marijuana grown in Louisiana has been approved by the state department of agriculture, but the grower working with LSU, G-B Sciences, wants to have a steady stream of the product, before it’s available at pharmacies around the state. There’s hope the product can be available in the summer, but LSU Vice President for Agriculture, Doctor Bill Richardson, says he can’t commit to a date just yet…
cut 5 (09) “…we hope”
The legislature approved legislation in 2015 that opened the doors for medical marijuana to be legally distributed.

A Shreveport mother received a 30-day jail sentence because she allowed her two children to miss for a year a and a half. Caddo parish prosector Wilbert Pryor says the kids are in the custody of a family member and attending schools, trying to catch up with their classmates…
cut 15 (07) “…they should be in”
Pryer says 35-year-old Fathimah Slack was arrested in November.

11:40 LRN Sportscast February 4

The Super Bowl. The overnight rating for the New Orleans market was a dismal 26.1, which is the lowest ever for the Big Easy and the lowest of any market in the country. There were second line parades, concerts and viewing parties to re-watch the Saints Super Bowl victory over the Colts, instead of watching the Patriots win their sixth Super Bowl title.

New England’s uninteresting 13-3 win over Los Angeles denied veteran Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth from winning a Super Bowl ring. But the former LSU and West Monroe star says he will not allow this loss define him…
cut 30 (22) “…moving forward”
Whitworth says he’s yet to decide if he’ll return for a 14th season.

Dennis Allen is reportedly signing a three-year contract today to remain as the defensive coordinator of the Saints. Cincinnati had interest in Allen, who has led the turn around of the Saints defense, which was one of the worst in the NFL, when New Orleans was going through three consecutive seven and nine seasons.

Junior college defensive end Soni Fonua has announced his commitment to the LSU football program and is expected to sign with the Tigers on national signing day this Wednesday. Fonua is from Utah and played the last two seasons at Mesa Community College in Arizona.

The LSU basketball team had its 10-game winning streak on Saturday with a one-point loss to Arkansas. The Tigers now face a tough stretch of games, starting Wednesday at 22nd ranked Mississippi State.

And Grambling State’s Shakyla Hill is the first Division One player to have two quadruple-doubles in a season. Hill had 21 points, 16 rebounds, 13 assists and 10 steals in Grambling’s 20 point win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff.

9:30 LRN Newscast Feb 4

The first batch of medical marijuana grown in Louisiana has been approved by the state department of agriculture, but the grower working with LSU, G-B Sciences, wants to have a steady stream of the product, before it’s available at 10 specific licensed pharmacies around the state. There’s hope the product can be available in the summer, but LSU Vice President for Agriculture, Doctor Bill Richardson, says he can’t commit to a date just yet…
cut 5 (09) “…we hope”
The legislature approved legislation in 2015 that opened the doors for medical marijuana to be legally distributed.

Super Bowl 53 only received a television rating of 26.1, which according to NOLA-dot-com’s Jeff Duncan is the lowest of any market and the lowest ever in New Orleans. Nationally, the overnight rating was 44.9, which was the lowest for a Super Bowl since the Steelers beat the Cardinals in 2009.

A Shreveport woman received a 30 day prison sentence after she allowed her kids to play hooky from school for over a year….
Voicer 3 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The San Diego Zoo kids channel is now available at the Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge. It’s closed-circuit television adventure channel and San Diego Zoo kids spokesperson Debra Erickson says the animal-oriented shows help with the healing process…
cut 9 (11) “…were ill”

8:30 LRN Newscast Feb 4

The first batch of medical pot from GB Sciences and the LSU AgCenter has passed muster, and the program is set to begin full scale production soon…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

The Boycott Bowl in New Orleans turned out to be a great success as thousands took to the streets for second-line parades, producing a Mardi Gras like atmosphere. Many were waving yellow towels in response to the missed pass interference call in the NFC Championship game. Many analysts say the Saints would have given the Patriots a better game.

The San Diego Zoo kids channel is now available for patients at the Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge. It’s a closed-circuit television adventure channel produced for hospitals that serve pediatric patients and their families. San Diego Zoo Global spokesperson Debra Erickson says the channel is also producing content at the Baton Rouge Zoo with animals native to the Bayou State…
cut 8 (10) “….next few weeks”

Super Bowl 53 in Atlanta is in the history books and 2024 is the next time New Orleans will host the NFL’s championship game. But Greater New orleans Sports Foundation President and CEO Jay Cicero says New Orleans will play host to several big sporting events between now and then…
cut 12 (11) “…final four”