13:30 LRN Newscast June 26th

Bishop Michael Duca is leaving the Diocese of Shreveport to succeed Robert Muench as the Bishop for the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Duca says he’s surprised by the appointment made by the Vatican, but looking forward to the opportunity….
cyt 14 (10) “…reservation”
Duca has been the bishop of Shreveport for the last ten years.

The Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff’s office arrests an ex-boyfriend in the death of a 20-year-old woman, who was found dead in her home yesterday. Sheriff Bud Torres says 21-year-old Eric Duhon Junior confessed to killing Madeline Falgout….
cut 5 (11) “….matter to rest”
Torre says it appears a baseball bat was used to kill Falgout.

The traffic death of a Sterlington officer in 2016 has yielded a 15 year sentence for a 46-year-old Louisianan,,,.
Cut 2 (32) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

State Police arrest a 23-year-old Jonesville man for a fatal hit and run that killed a 14-year-old girl taking out the garbage. Troopers say Earl Hancock lost control on Taylor Road in Catahoula Parish and hit Cadance Parker and then fled the scene. Hancock was apprehended a short time later and authorities believe he was under the influence when the wreck happened.

11:30 LRN Newscast June 26th

The fiscal cliff is officially gone as the Revenue Estimating Conference recognized 500-million dollars in revenue that will be used to shield TOPS, public colleges and most state agencies from cuts after July 1st. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne led the meeting, one day after the governor signed a new sales tax bill into law…
cut 12 (11) “…we have”

Higher ed officials are welcoming the new budget that preserves university and TOPS funding. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 1 (30) I’m Matt Doyle.“

An ex-boyfriend has been charged with second-degree murder in the apparent beating death of a 20-year-old Pointe Coupee Parish woman. Madeline Falgout was found dead in her home yesterday in Fordoche. Sheriff Bud Torres says they believe the murder weapon is a baseball bat, but an exact motive has not been determined…
cut 4 (08) “…should have more”
Torres says 21-year-old Eric Duhon Junior confessed to the murder.

The man who struck and killed a Sterlington police officer, David Elahi with his car in 2016 was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. 46-year-old Tracy Govan was found guilty of vehicular homicide and vehicular negligent injury in February. Govan’s Attorney, Louis Scott, says it’s a shocking sentence considering his client’s clean record and the fact it was an accident.
cut 9 (09) “that nature”
Elahi was standing behind the fog line conducting a traffic stop when Govan’s vehicle crossed over the marker and struck three officers.

9:30 LRN Newscast June 26th

Higher education is celebrating the passage of the budget and tax plan that saves universities and TOPS from further budget cuts. Without the passage of the 4.45 percent sales tax bill, TOPS was on the block for a 30 percent cut and higher ed was looking at tens of millions of dollars in cuts. Higher Education Commissioner Dr. Kim Hunter Reed credits the students who let their voices to be heard…
Cut 4 (09) “phone bank.”

House Bill 10, which provides the funding for higher ed, was approved in the House on a 74-24 vote. Several Republican lawmakers opposed previous efforts to renew a portion of an expiring one-cent sales tax. Shreveport Representative Alan Seabaugh on how the Edwards administration got the votes…
cut 11 (11) “…people off”
Seabaugh made the comments on KEEL Radio.
On July 1st, Louisiana’s sales tax rate will go from 5 to 4.45 percent. Kevin Barnhart reports consumers will continue to pay the most expensive sales tax rate in the nation…
Voicer 2 (31) ” I’m Kevin Barnhart.”

St. John the Baptist Parish judge Jeff Perilloux has been indicted on three felony counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and one count of misdemeanor sexual battery. The 50-year-old judge denies accusations he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl and groped two other teens. Perilloux took a leave absence in May.

8:30 LRN Newscast June 26th

TOPS students and their parents are breathing a sigh of relief as the state has fully funded the scholarship program as a result of renewing .45 percent of an expiring one-cent sales tax. And new Higher Education Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed forsees TOPS being fully funded for the next several years…
cut 5 (09) “…preparation”

Louisiana’s sales tax rate on Saturday, which is the start of a new fiscal year, will go from five-percent to 4.45 as result of legislation approved in the third special session of the year. But Tax Foundation Economist Scott Drenkard says Louisiana residents will still pay the most expensive sales tax rate in the nation, when you combine state and local sales taxes….
cut 7 (06) “….ahead of Tennessee”

GOP lawmakers who voted against the final tax bill are speaking out against the legislation that sets the sales tax rate 4.45 percent. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 3 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle”

The ex-boyfriend of a 20-year-old woman found dead in her Pointe Coupee Parish home has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder. 21-year-old Eric Duhon Junior was booked this morning. Madeline Falgout was found dead inside her home yesterday and officials say a baseball bat appears to be the murder weapon.

7:30 LRN Newscast June 26th

Higher ed officials are welcoming the new budget that preserves university and TOPS funding. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 1 (30) I’m Matt Doyle.“

But Shreveport Representative Alan Seabaugh says the legislature’s decision to renew nearly half an expiring one-cent sales tax will be bad for Louisiana’s economy….
cut 12 (06) “…thousand jobs”
The new state sales tax rate of 4.45 percent will go into effect Saturday.

The Vatican announces Bishop Michael Duca, the current Bishop of Shreveport, is leaving to replace Bishop Robert Muench, who is retiring as the leader of the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Duca has been Bishop of Shreveport since May of 2008.

Homicide detectives in Pointe Coupee Parish are looking to make an arrest in the death of a 20-year-old woman who was found dead in her home in Fordoche yesterday morning. Sheriff Bud Torres says they have a person of interest…
cut 14 (10) “…standpoint”
Torres says they believe a baseball bat was used to kill Madeline Falgout.

New Orleans police arrest a 36-year-old man after he allegedly stabbed two people after his drink was knocked over at a Bourbon Street bar. Authorities say Gomes-Taylor Dumar used a knife to cut a teenager and stabbed a 36-year-old man. Both victims were taken to the hospital, but there has not been an update on their conditions.

6:45 LRN Sportscast June 26th

Pelicans star Anthony Davis came away empty handed from last night’s NBA Awards Show. Davis did not receive the Defensive Player of the Year award. That instead went to Utah’s Rudy Gobert. A-D was also a finalist for M-V-P, but as expected that award went to Houston’s James Harden. Former LSU standout Ben Simmons won the Rookie of the Year Award.

Former LSU basketball coach Johnny Jones has a new head coaching gig as Texas Southern has hired the DeRidder native. Jones will replace Mike Davis, who led the SWAC school to two straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. The 57-year-old Jones was fired by LSU in March of 2017.

The LSU football program added another verbal commitment yesterday. Three-star Inside linebacker Kendall McCallum has announced he’s heading to LSU after high school sgraduation. The Oxford, Alabama product also considered Ole Miss and Missouri. 24-7 ranks LSU’s 2019 recruiting class as third best in the country, behind Alabama and Texas A-and-M.

LSU-Eunice’s Zach Hester has been named the national junior college division two player of the year. The right-hander from Texas was 13-and-1 with a 2.34 ERA with 133 strikeoutes as he helped LSU-E win a national title.

Mississippi State has named Chris Lemonis as its new head baseball coach. The 48-year-old has led the Indiana Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four seasons. Lemonis replaces interim coach Gary Henderson, who just led the Bulldogs to a surprise trip to the College World Series.

Game one of the championship series of the C-W-S was rained out last night. So they will try again tonight at 6 PM. Arkansas will send Blaine Knight to the hill. He’s 13-0 while Oregon State’s Luke Heimlich will go for the Beavers. He’s 16-2 on the year.

6:30 LRN Newscast June 26th

Louisiana’s sales tax rate will drop from five-percent to 4.45 percent on Saturday. But Shreveport Representative Alan Seabaugh takes issue with the governor’s claim that it’s a tax cut, because the sales tax was scheduled to go down to four-percent on July 1st.
Cut 10 (10) “dice it.”

And according to the Tax Foundation, the state’s new combined state and local sales tax will still be the highest in the country at 9.47-percent, slightly higher than Tennessee. But Tax Foundation economist Scott Drenkard says Louisiana ranks much lower when it comes to property and state income taxes…
cut 9 (13) “…six percent”

The Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff’s office is hoping to make an arrest soon in the the death of a 20-year-old woman. Sheriff Bud Torres says their investigation started yesterday morning….
cut 13 (07) “….foul play”
The victim has been identified as Madeline Falgout and Torres says the murder weapon appears to be a baseball bat and detectives have a person of interest.

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s deputies believe a man and woman found shot in a vehicle along I-55 north near Amite is a possible attempt at murder-suicide. At last report, both subjects are in critical, but yet stable condition. And the sheriff’s office says the two individuals are not local residents.

16:45 LRN Sportscast

LSU football added another commitment to its 2019 recruiting class today. Three-star Alabama linebacker Kendall McCallum became the seventh verbal pledge for the Tigers in as many days. He chose the Bayou Bengals over Ole Miss and Missouri. He’s ranked as the 25th best inside linebacker for the Class of 2019. Shea Dixon of 24-7 sports says LSU has seen its team ranking jump in the last two weeks from outside the Top 15 to number three…
cut 19 (13) “….the moment”
Alabama and Texas A-and-M are the two schools ranked ahead of LSU.

Former LSU Head basketball coach Johnny Jones has landed another head coaching gig. Texas Southern has reportedly hired the DeRidder native, who was fired from LSU In March 2017.

The NBA is handing out a bunch of awards tonight and the Pelicans Anthony Davis is up for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. James Harden and Lebron James are the two MVP finalists. Davis has a better chance at Defensive Player of the Year, where he’s up against Rudy Gobert and Joel Embiid.

LSU baseball signee Brice Turang has yet to sign with the Brewers, after Milwaukee selected the shortstop from California in the first round. He’s been labeled as the next Alex Bregman and has until July 6th to sign with the Brewers.

Speaking of Bregman, he’s been slumping at the plate, so during the middle of yesterday’s game he shaved his mustache. Bregman still went hitles in yestrday’s game and made an error, but Houston still beat Kansas City eleven to three. The Stros host Toronto tonight.

And tonight is Game One of the College World Series as Arkansas tries to become the fifth SEC Team to win the C-W-S since 2009. The Beavers are trying to win their first title since 2007.

15:30 LRN Newscast June 25th

Two people were found shot in a parked vehicle on Interstate 55 near the Amite overpass. That’s according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s office, who has deputies at the scene and State Police is assisting with traffic. Motorists should expect to see delays in the area.

The Pointe Coupee Sheriff’s office is investigating the death of a 20-year-old woman. Investigators say the door of the home belonging to Madeline Falgout was kicked in and she was found unresponsive inside her home at 10:45 this morning. No arrests have been made.

The calendar says It’s the first full week of summer and State Climatologist Barry Keim says it sure feels like it outside….
cut 10 (13) “…this time of year”
Political analyst Clancy Dubos says the big winner from the third special session is the public. That’s because lawmakers approved a sales tax plan that fully funds TOPS, public colleges, the food stamp program and health care. And Dubos says the state sales tax rate will go down just over a half-percent on Saturday….
cut 7 (10) “…this program”

The legislature appropriated four-million dollars to begin operating a new juvenile justice facility in Bunkie. Once fully funded at 12 million dollars, the site will host 72 beds. Office of Juvenile Justice Deputy Secretary Dr. James Bueche (Bush) says there other facilites are outdated….
Cut 3 (12) “those facilities.”
The facility will house juvenile offenders who have been classified as a threat to the community, and not eligible for community based rehab.

LRN PM Newscall June 25th

The legislature’s decision to renew a portion of an expiring one-cent sales tax will provide funding to begin operating a new juvenile justice facility in Bunkie. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Matt Doyle”

______________________________________________

The newly passed budget and tax plan has Louisianans taking stock of the two brutal years of fiscal uncertainty that led to last night’s compromise deal. Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo” 

 

Summer is back with a vengeance as State Climatologist Barry Keim tells us we can expect higher than normal temperatures through the week due to a high pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico which will see higher humidity levels and reduced cloud cover.

cut 9 (12)  “…between 100 to 110.”

Keim says the conditions will likely run through this upcoming weekend and that the morning temps will see the biggest jump compared to average levels for this time of the year.

Cut 10 (13) “…this time of year”

Keim does recommend to utilize caution with such intense heat in the area.

Cut 11 (07) “…just a bit”

_____________________________________________________

After a stop at a gas station in Grand Coteau this weekend, someone is now $2 million richer.  The St. Landry Parish convenience store has produced other big lottery winners in recent months and news of the luck at the establishment has gotten around.  The 1 Stop store owner, Nasir Sohail, says more people are showing up at his business with high hopes.

Cut 12 (08)   “…somebody got lucky again.”

The Powerball ticket sold over the weekend has yet to be claimed.  Sohail explains that although this particular winner didn’t match up all the numbers with the recent drawing, it was enough to land the sizable prize.

Cut 13 (10) “…with a power play.” 

Among those that have seen the luck of the store is Sohail himself, who in December won $350,000 playing the Louisiana Lottery.  He is also expecting a kickback from this most recent win at his store.

Cut 14 (08)  “…still getting lucky.”