Author Archives: Jeff Palermo

01.06.19
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LRN AM Newscall January 7

At 23 years of age, the village of Turkey Creek in Evangeline Parish has the youngest mayor in the state’s history.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

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The U.S. Surgeon General says a record 2.1 million American teenagers vape. Matt Doyle spoke with a local health expert about this epidemic.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”  

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Governor John Bel Edwards will address the Press Club today.  Kevin Barnhart speaks with political analyst Bernie Pinsonat on what we’ll expect to hear.

Cut 3 (32) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”

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Construction begins today to improve the integrity of the I-210 Prien Lake Bridge in Calcasieu Parish.  The 35-million dollar project is expected to last one year.  DOTD spokesperson Tammy York says motorists need to be prepared for a slowdown in the area.

Cut 4 (12) “…9PM to 4AM.” 

York says the first phase kicking off today is to prepare the structure for a redecking that will happen in the second phase of the project.

Cut 5 (09) “…side of the bridges.”

York recommends drivers find another route to avoid the area if possible.

Cut 6 (09) “…higher traffic volume.”

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The village of Turkey Creek in Evangeline Parish now holds the distinction of having the youngest mayor to hold the office in the history of the state.  Phillip Cavins, who is 23-years-old , says growing up, he’s always had an interest in government and politics.

Cut 7 (11) “…went in unopposed.”

Cavins says he grew up on the outskirts of city limits, and has fond memories of riding bikes, skateboarding, and playing basketball in the area.

Cut 8 (09) “…take this step.”

Cavins says the age distinction didn’t dawn on him.  Once he qualified for the position and found out he was running unopposed, someone reached out and let him know he was likely the youngest mayor in the history of the state.

Cut 9 (12) “…the same time.″

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The U.S. Surgeon General has declared teen vaping an epidemic as a report says an estimated 2.1 million middle and high school students are using the electronic cigarettes. Department of Health Assistant State Health Officer, Dr. Joseph Kanter, says just because it’s not a traditional cigarette, doesn’t mean it isn’t terrible for your health, particularly if you’re young.

Cut 10 (12)   “…and younger.”

10.7 million kids aged 12 to 17 say they’ve tried the cigarette alternative, and Kanter says even worse, two thirds of them were not aware that e-cigs were harmful to their health. Kanter says it took decades to crush teen smoking, and this new trend could see it come back.

Cut 11 (10) “…we’ve seen”

Kanter says it’s particularly disturbing considering how much leeway vape companies are given in their advertising. He says while traditional cigarettes are banned from promoting in a way that attracts kids, e-cigarette companies are specifically targeting youth.

Cut 12 (11)   “…packaging.”

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Governor John Bel Edwards addresses the Baton Rouge Press Club today as he begins the final year of his current term.  Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat expects Edwards will tout his accomplishments and also tell us his re-election message…

Cut 13 (09) “…should be reelected.”

Pinsonat says of the accomplishments, Edwards will likely highlight the stability in the budget as well as funding for education and health care.

Cut 14 (09) “…he’ll talk about.”

Pinsonat predicts Edwards will focus on the goal of teacher pay raises, as Louisiana is below the southern regional average.

Cut 15 (10) “…of the question.”

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Former Haughton star and Sulphur native Dak Prescott won his first NFL playoff game on Saturday as the Cowboys defeated the Seahawks 24-22. Prescott threw for 226 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for a touchdown as Dallas moves on to play the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday

Cut 16 (16)  keep going”

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The Saints will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in the NFC Divisional Round. Former ULM star and Philadelphia Coach Doug Pederson is now 4-0 in the playoffs as a head coach. The Eagles stunned the Bears 16-15 yesterday with a dramatic wild card win in the Windy City. Pederson and quarterback Nick Foles have been unstoppable in the postseason the last two seasons

 cut 17 (15)    on the sideline” 

The Eagles and Saints will meet for a second time this season at 3:40 on Sunday. New Orleans smashed Philly 48-7 in the Superdome on November 18th. Pederson expects a much closer contest this time…

Cut 18 (13)    great atmosphere” 

01.04.19
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4:45 LRN Sportscast

The Saints get to enjoy the weekend off, as their first playoff game is not until January 13th. The Black and Gold will face either Dallas, Seattle or possibly the Eagles, if Philadelphia can topple the 3rd seed Chicago Bears. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says with the former champ’s backup QB back in the captain’s chair, anything is possible.
Cut 15 (10) “…could happen”
Kickoff in that game is Sunday at 3:40, and the Bears are favored by six.

Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas is a member of the All Pro first team. The third year wide out from Ohio State caught 125 passes in the regular season for 1,405 yards and nine touchdowns.

Quarterback Drew brees, defensive end Cameron Jordan and offensive tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk are second-team selections by the Associated Press.

The New Orleans Pelicans have a chance to pick up a road win Saturday night when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have the worst record in the NBA, while the Pels are in 14th place in the Western Conference at 17-and-22.

What will ULM’s Daishon Smith do in his second Sun Belt game. Smith scored 42 points in the conference opener on Thursday as the Warhawks flew past Little Rock 97-84. The 42 points is the sixth highest in school history. ULM hosts Arkansas State at 2 PM on Saturday.

The Ragin Cajuns dropped its Sun Belt opener to Arkansas State on Thursday night and will try again on Saturday when they host Little Rock.

Louisiana Tech’s seven-game winning streak ended on Thursday with a 63-59 loss at North Texas. The Bulldogs are a Rice on Sunday. Tech has won eight of their last nine against the Owls.

SWAC play tips off tomorrow, Grambling is at Alabama State, while Southern hosts Prairie View. Also, Northwestern State hosts McNeese. Tip off is at 3 PM.

01.04.19
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2:30 LRN Newscast January 4

Five Louisiana children from the Marksville area, on their way to Disney World, were killed in a fiery crash in Florida. The drivers of two big rigs also died in the massive wreck on I-75 near Gainesville. The children that died were among 12 traveling in a van that belonged to the Avoyelles House of Mercy a pentecostal church. Florida Highway Patrol Lt Patrick Riordan expects a lengthy investigation into the cause of the crash…
cut 4 (13) “….this magnitude”
Riordan says the tragic chain of events started when a passenger car and a semi-truck collided and then went through the guard rails into the southbound lanes, hitting the church van.

The United Pentecostal Church says four children survived the crash and so did three adults, including a pregnant woman, who had to give birth to a child. Mom and newborn are said to be ok.

Lafayette Public Library officials are no longer requiring the public to fill out a form pledging they will not use their meeting rooms for drag queen story time events. The library implemented the form policy after hit with a federal lawsuit that sought to prevent the library from sanctioning a Drag Queen story time event, like the one they tried to hold in October. ACLU Louisiana legal director Katie Schwartzmann says the library’s policy is now back to its former, pre-story time state…
cut 11 (11) “…the room”

The St. Landry’s Veterans Memorial in Opelousas has been defaced by vandals and investigators are looking for the culprits. Project organizer of the memorial, Pat Mason-Guillory says the area is covered in racial slurs, other derogatory language, as well as damaged lighting and signs.
Cut 6 (12) “…loss for words.”
The St. Landry’s Sheriff’s office says they are actively working the case.

01.04.19
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LRN PM Newscall January 4

Five Louisiana children from the Marksville area heading to Disney World were killed in a multi-vehicle wreck on Interstate 75 in north Florida on Thursday. Jeff Palermo has the latest…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins says the first day of the new Democratic controlled House set the tone for the next two years in the chamber…

Cut 2 (28) “Im Matt Doyle”  

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Five Louisiana children from the Marskville area on their way to Disney World are among the seven dead in a fiery crash on Interstate 75 in north Florida on Thursday. Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Patrick Riordan says the five vehicle wreck started when a big rig and passenger car heading north collided

Cut 3 (12) “…semi truck.”

Witnesses say when the two semi-trucks collided an explosion occurred. Authorities say the drivers of the two big rigs were killed and several others injured. The passenger van from the Avoyelles House of Mercy was heading south. Riordan expects a lengthy into the cause of the crash…

Cut 4 (13) “…this magnitude″

The United Pentecostal Church says 12 people were in the van, including Karen Descant, the pastor’s wife. Two other adults were also in the van, they all survived, including a pregnant woman who gave birth after the wreck. The four children injured are expected to recover.

Riordan says the Florida Highway Patrol’s investigation will include homicide detectives…

Cut 5 (12) “…transpired.”

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The St. Landry’s Veterans Memorial in Opelousas has been defaced by vandals and investigators are looking for the culprits.  Project organizer of the memorial, Pat Mason-Guillory says the area is covered in racial slurs, other derogatory language, as well as damaged lighting and signs.

Cut 6 (12) “…loss for words.”

Since the project’s completion, a wall was erected to include the names of parish combatants who died in battle and the names of their family members.  Mason-Guillory says a walkway containing 3300 bricks commemorates vets from the parish who served actively from World War I up to current conflicts.

Cut 7 (11) “…those who served.”

Detectives from the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office are still looking for leads in the case.  Once the investigation at the scene is wrapped up, Mason-Guillory says the community has reached out to assist in the cleanup effort.

Cut 8 (05) “…come and help.”

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The Lafayette Public Library has agreed to lift a ban on groups hoping to organize Drag Queen Story Time events after a lawsuit from the ACLU. After legal action from an anti-Story Time group, visitors hoping to hold events had to sign a form promising not to do a Drag event at the library. ACLU Louisiana Legal Director Katie Schwartzmann says the form was unconstitutional.

Cut 9 (10) “…their viewpoint″

Story Time is an event where Drag Queens read stories to school kids about accepting their LGBTQ classmates. A Drag Queen reading at the library was canceled last year.

Schwartzmann says its one piece of an ongoing legal battle against an organization that she says specializes in preventing Story Time like events from happening at public facilities.

Cut 10 (10) “…these events”

Schwartzmann says the library’s policy is back to its former, pre-Story Time, state.

Cut 11 (11) “…the room”

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she won’t rule out impeaching President Donald Trump if the Special Counsel, or other investigators, uncover damning evidence linking the president to criminal behavior involving his business or foreign countries. Republican Congressman Clay Higgins says expect a lot more of that sentiment over the next two years in the lower chamber.

Cut 12 (11)   “…Congress.” 

The Senate remains controlled by the GOP.

Higgins says he expects the House to have a very different set of legislative priorities for the next two years.

Cut 13 (8) “…the Preisdent.”

It’s the first time a new Congress has arrived to a government shutdown, and the Congressional split means any plan to re-open will have to be a bi-partisan agreement. Higgins says Republicans are sticking to their guns over border wall funding.

Cut 14 (10) “…barrier”

President Trump says he won’t sign any funding that re-opens the government unless it includes 5.7 billion in border wall funding.
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01.04.19
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12:30 LRN Newscast January 4

A church van from Louisiana heading to Disney World was involved in a fiery crash in north Florida that resulted in the deaths of five children from the Marksville area….
cut 4 (09)”….in that”
That’s Lt. Patrick Riordan with the Florida Highway Patrol, who says two semi-truck drivers were also killed and several others injured. Reports say the children were members of the Avoyelles House of Mercy.

Seven people have been booked into the Orleans Justice Center for allegedly staging a motor vehicle crash and making false insurance claims for injuries and property loss. State Police Trooper Melissa Matey says a confession from one of the suspects was the big break in the case…
cut 11 (08) “…New Orleans”
The suspects face several different charges.

Congressman Clay Higgins says the first day of the new Democratic controlled House set the tone for the next two years in the chamber…
Cut 2 (28) “Im Matt Doyle”

President Trump has signed legislation that paves the way for Saints legend and A-L-S activist Steve Gleason to receive a Congressional Gold Medal. The 41-year-old has spearheaded efforts to help A-L-S patients live longer and a more fulfilling life.

01.04.19
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11:30 LRN Newscast January 4

Five Louisiana children from the Marskville area on their way to Disney World are among the seven dead in a fiery crash on Interstate 75 in north Florida on Thursday. Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Patrick Riordan says the five vehicle wreck started when a big rig and passenger car heading north collided
Cut 3 (12) “…semi truck.”
Riordan says the van from Louisiana was heading south and there was as many as a dozen people inside of it. Reports out of central Louisiana says the van belonged to a Marksville Church, called the Avoyelles House of Mercy.

Authorities says the ages of the deceased are as young as eight-years-old, up to teenagers. The drivers of the two big rigs were also killed. There’s another six to eight people injured.

The state department of corrections is bringing back its New Beginnings program thanks to a 750-thousand dollar federal grant. Assistant Corrections Secretary Rhett Covington says when the program was previously in place, it reduced the recidivism rate for released inmates that deal with mental illness and substance addictions…
cut 9 (09) “…program in place’
Corrections officials hope to keep the program running with state dollars, once the federal money runs out.

We will find out this weekend who the Saints will play on January 13th in the divisional round of the N-F-L Playoffs. If the Seawhawks beat the Cowboys in Dallas on Saturday, Seattle could head to New Orleans. NFL Analyst Mike Detillier says the Hawks are playing well…
cut 14 (11) “….NFC”
If the Eagles upset the Bears on Sunday, then the Super Bowl champs will face the Black and Gold next week.

01.04.19
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9:30 LRN Newscast

The DASH Diet, developed in part by LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, has been named number two diet of 2019 according to U.S. News and World Report. Researcher Catherine Champagne says the diet emphasizes more greens, and shares similarities to the popular “Mediterranean diet”.
Cut 4 (11) “of fat”
The number one goal of the Dash Diet is lower blood pressure.

State Police arrest seven suspects for insurance fraud for allegedly staging a crash in Orleans Parish back in 2016. Senior Trooper Melissa Matey says after filing the crash report with police, the suspects went after insurance claims.
Cut 10 (10) “…a monetary settlement.”
Matey says the Louisiana Insurance Department alerted them about the fraudulent scheme.

Louisiana receives a 750-thousand dollar federal grant to revive a program that aims to reduce recidivism among inmates with mental illness and substance abuse disorders. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (28) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

President Trump has signed the legislation that paves the way for Saints legend and A-L-S activist Steve Gleason to receive a Congressional Gold Medal. Gleason will receive the medal later this year that’s yet to be scheduled. The 41-year-old has spearheaded efforts to provide technology for A-L-S patients to live a longer and more fulfilling life.

01.04.19
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8:30 LRN Newscast January 4th

The state department of corrections is excited it’s bringing back its New Beginnings program thanks to a 750-thousand dollar federal grant. Assistant Corrections Secretary Rhett Covington says when the program was previoulsy in place, it helped reduce the recividism rate for released inmates that deal with mental illness and substance addictions…
cut 9 (09) “…program in place’
Corrections officials hope to keep the program running with state dollars, once the federal grant money runs out.

The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s office has seized a 58-acre tract of land that contains the home and production studios of “Dukes of Hazzard” star and country singer John Schneider. Court records indicate Schneider is way behind on his mortgage and the sheriff’s office will put the land up for sale on January 16th.

The Dash Diet, which LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center helped create, ranks as the second best diet for 2019 according to the U.S. News and World Report. Pennington researcher Catherine Champagne says it’s been successful in lowering blood pressure and it can lead to weight loss…
cut 6 (07) “….calories”
Champagne says the Dash Diet is big on fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

State Police arrest seven individuals after they allegedly staged a crash between two vehicles in an effort to collect on the insurance money. Senior Trooper Melissa Matey says six of the seven people booked into the Orleans Parish Prison are from St. Bernard Parish and the seventh person is from New Orleans…
cut 12 (10) “…public records” (2x)
Matey says the Louisiana Insurance Department alerted them about the possible fraud.

01.04.19
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7:30 LRN Newscast January 4th

The Dash Diet, which LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center helped create, has been ranked the second best diet for 2019 by US News and World Report…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”

Lafayette Public Library officials will no longer require the public to fill out a form pledging they will not use the library meeting rooms for drag queen story time events. The library implemented the form policy after they were hit with a federal lawsuit that seeks to prevent the library from sanctioning a Draq Queen story time event after they tried to hold one in October.

State Police arrest seven suspects for insurance fraud for allegedly staging a crash in Orleans Parish back in 2016. Detectives say a Chevy Malibu and a rented GMC pickup truck were used in the collision. Senior Trooper Melissa Matey says after filing the crash report with police, the suspects went after insurance claims.
Cut 10 (10) “…a monetary settlement.”
Matey says State Police’s investigation began in August, after receiving a tip from the Louisiana Insurance Department.

We will find out this weekend who the Saints will play on January 13th in the divisional round of the N-F-L Playoffs. If the Seawhawks beat the Cowboys in Dallas on Saturday, Seattle could head to New Orleans. NFL Analyst Mike Detillier says the Hawks are playing well…
cut 14 (11) “….NFC”
If the Eagles upset the Bears on Sunday, then the Super Bowl champs will face the Black and Gold next week.

01.04.19
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6:45 LRN Sportscast January 4

The top-seeded Saints have the weekend off from playoff football, but there are three teams playing this weekend to keep an eye on. Depending on how the games shake out, the Cowboys, Seahawks, or Eagles could head to the Big Easy next Sunday. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says the most dangerous of the three, Dallas, gave the Black and Gold one of their three losses this year…
Cut 13 (10) “…Dak Prescott.”
The Cowboys take on the Seahawks in Arlington on Saturday night, where the winner will likely head to New Orleans, unless the Eagles upset the Bears on Sunday.

Former LSU standouts Kevin Mawae and Alan Faneca, along with former Destrehan High school football star Ed Reed are among the 15 modern era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019. It’s the first time Reed has been eligible. We find out who gets in on February 2nd.

President Trump has signed legislation that results in former Saints special teams standout Steve Gleason receiving the Congressional Gold Medal. Gleason’s work through the Team Gleason Foundation has helped A-L-S sufferers and others have access to speech-generating devices and other tools. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy says the US Mint will design the medal and Gleason will be honored later this year.

In college basketball last night….ULM’s Daishon Smith scored a career-high 42 points as the Warhawks defeated Little Rock 97-84 in the Sun Belt Opener. Smith hit 10 of 12 shots from three-point land.

Louisiana Tech fell behind by 19 on the road at North Texas and lost to the Mean Green 63-59. Junior DaQuan Bracey had 22 points for the Bulldogs.
And the Ragin Cajuns lost to Arkansas State 94-83, despite 25 points from Marcus Stroman.