3:30 LRN Newscast

President Biden delivers his farewell address at seven tonight. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

A former Union Parish Sheriff’s deputy involved in the 2019 fatal arrest of Ronald Green has pleaded no contest to a simple battery charge. Chris Harpin will not serve any jail time, instead he was placed on supervised probation. None of the officers involved in the videotaped beating of Greene will face jail time. Federal prosecutors could not find evidence that his civil rights were violated.

 

Small businesses are more optimistic now than they have been in the last six years. That’s according to the latest Small Business Optimism Index by the National Federation of Independent Business. State Director Leah Long says small business owners are looking forward to the upcoming change at 16-hundred Pennsylvania Avenue.

Cut 12 (08) “…the labor shortage.”

Here locally, Long says the reduction in the income tax will be a big boost to small business owners.

The state Department of Education has revamped its website. Department of Education spokesperson Ted Beasley says the new website is easier to navigate and students, parents, educators and system leaders should be able to find what they are looking for quickly….

Cut 7 (11) “….they’re looking for”

LRN PM Newscall January 15

President Biden delivers his farewell address at seven tonight. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The Louisiana Department of Education launches its new website. Colleen Crain reports.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

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President Biden delivers his farewell address tonight. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says Biden will tout his accomplishments in his four years in office.

Cut 3 (09) “…massive infrastructure investment.” 

Cross says he also expects Biden to make at least a passing reference to his predecessor and successor.

Cut 4 (10) “…a personal rule.”

All in all, Cross expects this farewell address to be a traditional one.

Cut 5 (13) “…some looking ahead.”

Biden’s address is at seven Central time.

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The Louisiana Department of Education launches its new website today. Department spokesman Ted Beasley says the old website was ten years old and was getting to be a tad cumbersome to use. Beasley says the new website is easier to navigate.

Cut 6 (10) “…they’re looking for.”

Beasley says part of that is what he calls community homepages contained within the website, including those for students, family, educators and system leaders.

Cut 7 (11) “…they’re looking for.”

Beasley says they also spent time making the site as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

Cut 8 (10) “…they’re looking for”

The website also has a new web address – doe.louisiana.gov. Those who still go to louisianabelieves.com will be redirected to the new URL.

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Buzz is building for the probability of winter precipitation next week. LRN Meteorologist Bill Jacquemin says there’s a chance a large portion of the state could see snow and ice on Tuesday, but what we know for sure is that it will be cold, with dangerous wind chills…

Cut 9 (11)  “…freezing mark.”

Jacquemin says for snow, there needs to be precipitation, and it remains to be seen if the conditions will be right for precipitation to fall…

Cut 10 (10) “…winter precipitation.”

Jacquemin says we’ll have to wait a few more days before forecasters can accurately predict the possibility for snow. But he says there’s an excellent chance for pipe busting cold…

Cut 11 (08) “…season.”

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Small businesses are more optimistic now than they have been in the last six years. That’s according to the latest Small Business Optimism Index by the National Federation of Independent Business. State Director Leah Long says small business owners are looking forward to the upcoming change at 16-hundred Pennsylvania Avenue.

Cut 12 (08) “…the labor shortage.”

Here locally, Long says the reduction in the income tax will be a big boost to small business owners.

Cut 13 (06)  “…hire more employees.”

Long says one thing that small business owners want out of the new administration is the reauthorization of the Main Street Tax Act.

Cut 14 (12) “…small business owners.”

11:40 LRN Sportscast

The LSU men’s basketball team finally got its first SEC win last night after losing its first three conference games as the Tigers topped Arkansas 78 to 74. Coach Matt McMahon says his team had the right mindset to beat the Razorbacks…

Cut 29 (16) “…response”

Cam Carter led the way for LSU as the Donaldsonville native had a season-high 27 points.

ULM men’s basketball is still looking for its first league win. The Warhawks host Troy tonight. The Trojans won their first three Sun Belt games, but they’ve lost their last two.  It’s the start of a four-game homestand for ULM. Tip off is at 6:30.

Also tonight, Tulane hosts Florida Atlantic.

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It’s the biggest question surrounding the Saints in the early off-season – who will be their next head coach? One name that recently surfaced is Mike McCarthy, who just parted ways with the Cowboys after his contract expired. McCarthy is no stranger to the Saints – he was their offensive coordinator from 2000 to 2004, during which time the team won its first ever playoff game. Jim Derry, the host of the Dattitude podcast for NOLA.com, says McCarthy has a lot in common with Sean Payton.

Cut 16 (15) “…Payton has three.”

McCarthy will reportedly interview with the Saints next week, but today he’s interviewing with the Chicago Bears.

The Pelicans beat the Bulls for the second time this season as New Orleans won in Chicago 119 to 113. Trey Murphy had 32 points and tonight the Pels host the Dallas Mavericks.

9:30 LRN Newscast

State crews began clearing out homeless encampments across downtown New Orleans this morning. The people living at these sites have the option to go to a temporary homeless shelter in Gentilly.

A pair of New Orleans legislators are expressing concern about the state’s plan to clear out homeless encampments near the Superdome before the city hosts the Super Bowl. Andrew Greenstein has more…

Cut 1 (34) “….I’m Andrew Greenstein”

For the first time since the program was founded almost 40 years ago, Southern University’s School of Nursing has been named the Best Nursing School in the United States by nurse.org. Southern Nursing School Dean Sandra Brown says it’s the result of hard work.

Cut 13 (10) “…an amazing faculty.”

In the Nurse-dot-org ranking, Southern beat out Florida State, Michigan and Washington.

Do you Love King Cake, but also concerned about the carbs and calories a slice of king cake can produce. Ochsner Eat Fit is once again selling zero-sugar, gluten free King Cakes. And Eat Fit Founder Molly Kimball says new this year are King Cake Cupcakes…

Cut 12 (09) “…to the lineup”

To learn more go to Ochsner-eat-fit-dot-com.

06:45 LRN Sportscast

The LSU men’s basketball team notched its first SEC win last night as the Tigers topped the Arkansas Razorbacks 78 to 74. LSU shot 40-percent from the field, but they were 26 of 28 from the free throw line. Cam Carter led all scorers with 27 points and talked about attacking the rim….

Cut 30 (17) “…cause of it”

LSU is now 1-and-3 in the SEC.

The Pelicans beat the Bulls in Chicago last night 119 to 113. Trey Murphy had 32 points as he made all 12 of his free throws. Zion Williamson nearly had a triple double, 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. New Orleans hosts Dallas tonight, who was blown out last night by the Denver Nuggets 118 to 99.

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The NFL Network is reporting the Saints plan to speak with former Cowboys and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy early next week. Before winning a Super Bowl in Green Bay and winning a bunch of games in Dallas, McCarthy was an offensive coordinator in New Orleans for five seasons from 2000 to 2004. The 2000 team won the franchise’s first playoff game.

But before McCarthy meets with New Orleans, he’ll reportedly interview with the Bears today.

Host of the Dattitude podcast for NOLA.com, Jerry Derry, says McCarthy and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are likely the Saints top two choices and a possible wild card is Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady…

Cut 18 (12) “…an interesting situation”

The Bills have a divisional playoff game against Baltimore Sunday night.

4:45 LRN sportscast

The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting the Saints are planning to speak with former Cowboys and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy early next week. Before winning a Super Bowl in Green Bay and winning a bunch of games in Dallas, McCarthy was an offensive coordinator in New Orleans for five seasons from 2000 to 2004. The 2000 team won the franchise’s first playoff game.

But before McCarthy meets with New Orleans, he’ll reportedly interview with the Bears tomorrow.

Some say the Saints head coaching vacancy is not an attractive job, because the team is 52-million dollars over the salary cap. But General Manager Mickey Loomis says it’s manageable…

Cut 18 (18) “…better about it”

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The fifth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team won a back-and-forth game with Vanderbilt, 83 to 77 on Monday night, to improve to 19-0. This game featured seven ties and 13 lead changes. The Lady Tigers are now 5-0 in games decided by 10 points or less. Coach Kim Mulkey says all this team cares about is winning…

Cut 19 (17) “…trying to get better”

LSU will play again on Sunday against Florida.

The LSU men’s basketball team is in action tonight as they host Arkansas. The Tigers are 0-and-3 in SEC play and have lost the last two games by double digits. The Razorbacks are coming off home losses to Ole Miss and Florida.

The Pelicans are at the Chicago Bulls tonight. New Orleans is 8-and-32, Chicago is 18-and-21. Tip off is at 7 PM.

11:40 LRN Sportscast

The fifth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team won a back-and-forth game with Vanderbilt, 83 to 77 last night, to stay undefeated. Flau’Jae (flah-jay) Johnson and had 25 points and Aneesah (uh-nee-suh) Morrow had 23 points and 15 rebounds. She now has 25-hundred career points and 15-hundred career rebounds, becoming just the eighth player in NCAA history to accomplish that feat.

Cut 20 (20) “…every night”

The Lady Tigers next game is Sunday at Florida.

The LSU men’s basketball team looks for its first SEC win tonight as they host Arkansas. The Razorbacks are also winless in league play. Tip time is at 8 PM.

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Priority number one for the Saints is to find a new head coach. New Orleans met virtually with three candidates, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Giants O-C Mike Kafka, and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. They are also expected to interview interim head coach Darren Rizzi sometime this week. The Saints could also be interested in interviewing Mike McCarthy, who is out as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis believes his team is not far away from being a playoff team again. He says injuries to several stars on offense helped derail their 2024 season and they want to look at why the team had so many injuries…

Cut 17 (15) “…more than anything else”

West Monroe High School has a new football coach as strength and conditioning coach DeMichael Dizer has been promoted to head coach.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

The Saints had their worst season since the 2005 season, winning just five games. Many Who Dats believe it’s time to tear it down and build it back up again. But General Manager Mickey Loomis says one-year turnarounds happen all the time in the NFL…

Cut 16 (17) “…head coach has.”

Loomis is confident they’ll make a good hire for head coach and his reasoning, because they’ve done it before. According to Nick Underhill of New Orleans football, he expects the Saints to be very interested in Mike McCarthy who just became a free agent after failing to reach a new deal with the Cowboys.

Baseball season is right around the corner, and D-1 baseball ranks LSU third in its preseason poll behind Texas A-and-M and Virgina.

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LSU football has added one of the best safeties in the transfer portal as TaMarcus Cooley has signed with the Tigers after having a nice season at North Carolina State. Cooley had 39 tackles, nine passes defensed and three interceptions and according to Pro Football Focus, Cooley was the highest-graded player on N-C State’s defense.

The fifth ranked LSU women’s basketball team stayed undefeated on the season as the Lady Tigers outscored Vanderbilt 83 to 77. Aneesah Morrow had 23 points and 15 rebounds, while Flau’Jae Johnson had a strong fourth quarter and finished with 25 points. Mikaylah Williams added 20 points.

The McNeese Men’s basketball team stayed undefeated in the Southland with a 75 to 59 win over Houston Christian. Robert Brown the third had 37 points as Nicholls outscored U-I-W 88 to 82. Southeastern Louisiana won its third straight by beating Stephen F Austin 66 to 59. Northwestern State lost to Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi 73 to 64,

4:45 LRN Sportscast January 13

Former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is the talk of the NFL after leading the Washington Commanders to their first playoff win in 19 years last night, a 23 to 20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Daniels threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns to become just the fourth rookie QB in NFL history to win his first career playoff start on the road.

Will the Saints select a quarterback in the first round of this year’s NFL draft? New Orleans has the ninth overall pick and general manager Mickey Loomis says he still has confidence in Derek Carr and the other quarterbacks on the roster….

Cut 30 (16) “…collective vision”

The Saints are in the middle of their search for a new head coach. Another candidate has emerged with Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys parting ways.

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The fifth ranked LSU women’s basketball team puts its undefeated record on the line tonight when they host Vanderbilt at 6 PM. The Commodores started the season 14-and-1, but they’ve dropped their last two games, while LSU is coming off a last second win over Tennessee.

Meanwhile, LSU men’s basketball hosts Arkansas tomorrow. Both teams are 0-and-3 in the SEC play.

Louisiana Tech is 2-and-2 in Conference USA Play after beating Liberty 79 to 74 on Saturday. Sean Newman led the way with 27 points and he had eight assists. Coach Talvin Hester says Newman was sensational…

Cut 19 (13) “…the end.”

Tech is now 2-and-2 in Conference USA and will be at Jacksonville State on Thursday.

Tonight…McNeese is at Houston Christian, while Northwestern State visits Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi. Nicholls travels to UIW.

11:40 LRN Sportscast

LSU Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels led the Washington Commanders to their first playoff victory since 2005 as Daniels threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns in a 23 to 20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Washington won on a 37-yard field goal as time expired. Zane Gonzales’ kick hit off the right up right but it still went through. Daniels on another close victory for the Commanders…

Cut 28 (10) “…to the end”

Dennis Allen’s coaching career is not over just because the Saints fired him. Allen has landed an interview with Indianapolis to be the Colts defensive coordinator. Allen served as the Saints defensive coordinator from 2015 to 2021 and called defensive plays while head coach in New Orleans.

The sixth ranked Lady Tigers host Vanderbilt tonight, looking to stay unbeaten.

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Louisiana Tech scored 52 points in the second half to defeat Liberty 79 to 74 on Saturday. Bulldogs coach Talvin Hester says Amaree Abram’s defense was the key to the game, as his defense on the Flames top scorer was outstanding…

Cut 18 (18)   “…us and them.”

Tech is now 2-and-2 in Conference USA and will be at Jacksonville State on Thursday.

The Ragin Cajuns, fresh off a win over ULM on Saturday, are on the road this week, visiting Arkansas State on Thursday night and the Warhawks on Saturday…

Cut 17 (15) “…proud of the team”