Author Archives: Jeff Palermo

01.10.18
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LRN PM Newscall January 10

The Vermilion Parish School Board is under scrutiny after a teacher was removed and arrested from a meeting.  Jeff Palermo has more.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Talks are heating up among Republicans hoping to reclaim the governor’s seat for their party in 2019. Michelle Southern  reports…:

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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Vermilion Parish School Board President Anthony Fontana does not regret the arrest of an English teacher at a school board meeting this week. Deyshia Hargrave was taken away in handcuffs after voicing her opposition about the superintendent receiving a pay raise. Fontana says Hargrave’s comments were not germane….

Cut 3 (07) “any help.”

The Abbeville City Attorney has said he will not press charges against Hargrave, while the board is facing criticism from the ACLU and the Louisiana Association of Educators over the arrest. Board member Laura LeBeouf says what happened Monday night is typical and has seen it before…

Cut 4  (08) “board room.” 

She was one of three board members that voted against the raise, which she says hasn’t been discussed much.  She feels Hargrave’s rights were infringed upon when Fontana tried to quiet her…

Cut 5  (09)  “to speak.”

There is some question as to the status of the Marshal that handcuffed Hargrave.  Fontana says he remains in good standing with the school board…

Cut 6 (08)  “keep order.”

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A pit bull fatally wounded a woman at a West Monroe area pet boarding house last night. Ouachita Parish Sheriffs spokesperson Glen Springfield says deputies arrived at the Happy Hounds Hotel and found the victim had been severely injured…

cut 7 (07)  “the location”

Springfield says first responders tried to stabilize the woman, but the wounds were fatal…

Cut 8 (04) “was fatal”

No further details have been released about the incident, and Springfield says the pit bull is being held by Ouchita Parish Animal Control.

Cut 9 (06)  “animal control”

Media reports identified the woman as Laura Ray.

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US Senator John Kennedy says he’s considering a run for governor in 2019, as the GOP in Louisiana hopes to keep Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards from the post for a second term. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says this is a very conservative state, so you can expect plenty of Republican candidates to line up for next year’s election…:

Cut 10 (09) “David Vitter”

Other Republican names that have been mentioned include US Congressman Ralph Abraham, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and Attorney General Jeff Landry. Recent polling numbers on Edwards show that the majority of voters approve of the job he is doing, so Stockley says Republicans will have the task of convincing people that the governor isn’t as conservative as he maintains:

Cut 11 (09) “organization”

Stockley says Edwards is also going to have national support as people outside of Louisiana will back a Democrat in a conservative state. He says any way you slice it, Edwards is going to be a tough candidate to beat.:

Cut 12 (09) “he’s raised”

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The U-S Supreme Court is set to rule this year on New Jersey’s challenge to the prohibition against sports betting in all but four states. If the ban is overturned, a report says that Louisiana could be one of 18 states to file legislation to regulate sports betting. Managing Director at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming Chris Grove says his firm analyzed the different gaming players in Louisiana…

Cut 13 (09)  “in 2018.”

Louisiana’s legislative session begins in March, but there has not been any indications that a lawmaker is planning on filing a bill to legalize a bill in the state. Grove says placeholder legislation could be filed, while they wait for one of the three possible outcomes from the Supreme Court hearing…

Cut 14 (13) “is unconstitional”

Sports gambling is a 225 million dollar taxable industry in Nevada, and Eilers and Krejick estimates that two point five to three billion dollars in illegal bets are placed every year. Grove says legalizing betting in Louisiana would be a budgetary and consumer safety boon.

Cut 15 (08) “be taxed”

01.10.18
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11:40 LRN Sportscast January 10

The Saints and Vikings are set to meet for a second time this season on Sunday when they meet in the N-F-C playoffs. It sure feels like that first meeting was played during a different season, considering how much the personnel has changed for both teams. Case Keenum has taken over as Minnesota’s quarterback, while the Saints didn’t have left tackle Terron Armstead or center Max Unger. Both players are healthy now, but left guard Andrus Peat will not play after breaking his fibula last week.

LSU cornerback Donte Jackson has declared for the N-F-L draft. Jackson is the fourth Tiger underclassmen who has decided to forgo his senior season. Running back Derrius Guice is expected to make his decision known very soon and he’s not expected back for his senior campaign.

Former Tennessee Tech starting quarterback Andre Sale has enrolled in classes at LSU and will walk-on the football team. He has two years of eligibility remaining. Sale completed 59-percent of his passes this past year, and threw eight touchdowns, but was intercepted 10 times.

The LSU Tigers visit Arkansas tonight in SEC basketball action. The Bayou Bengals have won two straight on the road, but Coach Will Wade says they will have to step up their game to get a win in Fayetteville…
cut 18 (13) “…dunking everythign”
Tip-off tonight is at 8 PM.

01.10.18
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10:30 LRN Newscast January 10

Vermilion Parish School Board President Anthony Fontana does not regret the arrest of an English teacher at a school board meeting this week. Deyshia Hargrave was taken away in handcuffs after voicing her opposition about the superintendent receiving a pay raise. Fontana says Hargrave’s comments were not germane….
cut 3 (10) “…principals office”
The Abbeville City Attorney has said he will not press charges against Hargrave, while the board is facing criticism from the ACLU and the Louisiana Association of Educators over the arrest.

U-S Senator John Kennedy opposes a bipartisan bill designed to improve the national background check database. The legislation would penalize federal workers who fail to report relevant records to the database. Kennedy says we do NOT need legislation asking workers to do their job…
Cut 7 (06) “idiot control.”
Kennedy says he might be the only Senator voting against the bill.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise undergoes another surgery today as he continues his recovery from a gunshot wound sustained while practicing for a charity baseball game. The bullet struck several of the Congressman’s internal organs. LSU Health Level One Trauma Center’s Medical Director Dr. John Hunt says it’s common for shooting victims with serious injuries to undergo another surgery…
Cut 4 (08) “cleaned up.”
Scalise says this latest procedure has been scheduled for more than a month.

State Police are warning motorists driving newer cars that their bright headlights, could increase the risk of accidents. Trooper Glenn Younger says the LED headlights are a particular problem, and emphasized the need to keep your distance while driving in bad weather….
cut 15 (09) “….fog lights on”

01.10.18
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09:30 LRN Newscast January 10

Congressman Steve Scalise undergoes another surgery today as he continues his long recovery from a gunshot wound he suffered when a gunman opened fire on him and other lawmakers in June. Scalise says today’s surgery has been planed for more than a month…
cut 6 (08) “…excited about”
It’s unclear how long Scalise will be away from Capitol Hill.

Republican US Senator John Kennedy plans on voting “No” on a gun control bill that supporters say will penalize federal workers who do not provide the proper information on would-be gun buyers into the national background database. Kennedy believes the legislation is unnecessary…
cut 9 (10) “….your bonuses”
Kennedy says he may be the only Senator who votes against the legislation.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Reynolds is frustrated after meeting with GOP legislators on how to prevent falling off a fiscal cliff when one-billion-dollars in revenue comes off the books July 1st. Reynolds says Republican lawmakers haven’t presented a plan to help balance next fiscal year’s budget…
Cut 10 (07) “we need.”
Republican Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry says they prefer to talk about legislative proposals in an open forum.

State Police are warning motorists driving newer cars that their bright headlights, could increase the risk of accidents. Trooper Glen Younger says there’s one innovation in particular which is getting drivers into trouble.
Cut 14 (07) “biggest problems.”
Younger says on some newer cars, the high-beams are automatically operated, so depending on the weather conditions you may need to manually switch your lights to the low beams.

01.10.18
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08:30 LRN Newscast January 10

U-S Senator John Kennedy is speaking out against a gun control bill that supporters say will improve the reporting of information into the national background check system. Kennedy says he can’t support legislation that asks government workers to do their jobs…
cut 8 (06) “…gets fired”
The legislation provides incentives for government workers for accurate reporting, but Kennedy says their incentive should be a paycheck.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise undergoes another surgery today as he continues his recovery from last June’s shooting that damaged several of his internal organs. LSU Health Level One Trauma Center’s Medical Director John Hunt says another surgery several months after receiving gunshot is not uncommon and it appears his doctors in D-C are providing great care…
cut 5 (07) “….he had”
Scalise has said how long he’ll be away from Capitol Hill to recover from this latest surgery.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Reynolds says Republican legislators showed up empty-handed this week during a budget meeting that also included the governor’s office. Reynolds says the Democratic caucus is looking at several different proposals to address long term budget deficits, but they are not sure what GOP legislators will support…
cut 11 (11) “…of time”
Governor Edwards plans on calling a special session in Feburary to pass tax reform legislation in response to a looming one-billion dollar budget deficit. There is a legislative budget meeting on January 19th and House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry says he’d like to hear specifics from the governor on what he proposes…
cut 13 (09) “…can read”

01.10.18
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07:30 LRN Newscast January 10

U-S Senator John Kennedy opposes a bipartisan bill designed to improve the national background check database. The legislation would penalize federal workers who fail to report relevant records to the database. Kennedy says we do NOT need legislation asking workers to do their job…
Cut 7 (06) “idiot control.”

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Reynolds says Republican legislators didn’t provide any ideas on how to address a looming one-billion dollar shortfall, when legislators met with the governor’s office earlier this week. But Republican House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry says solutions should be discussed in an open forum…
cut 12 (12)”…same way”
Henry hopes to hear more specifics from the governor about his solutions to the fiscal cliff during a legislative budget meeting on January 19th.

A teacher’s union group and civil liberties organization are not happy about the arrest of a south Louisiana teacher during a school board meeting…
Voicer 3 (31) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

Congressman Steve Scalise undergoes another surgery today as he continues his long recovery from a gunshot wound he suffered when a gunman opened fire on him and other lawmakers in June. Scalise says today’s surgery has been planed for more than a month…
cut 6 (08) “…excited about”

01.10.18
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06:45 LRN Sportscast January 10

The Saints return to the practice field today to get ready for Sunday’s playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have one of the top defenses in the NFL, allowing just 276 yards and 16 points a game. Quarterback Case Keenum has thrown 22 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions. Kick-off is at 3:40.

Still nothing official from LSU on the reported promotion of Steve Ensminger to offensive coordinator. Cornerback Donte Jackson has made it official. He will not return for his senior season. He’s one of the fastest players in college football.

Former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis has been named the new D-C at Arkansas. The 61-year-old Chavis has spent the last 23 seasons as an assistant in the Southeastern Conference.

On Monday, Adrian Burnette was fired as the head coach of the Bastrop Rams. On Tuesday, he was re-hired. He led Bastrop to a 5-and-5 record last season.

The LSU men’s basketball team visits Arkansas tonight looking to keep the momentum going after a thrilling win over Texas A-and-M on Saturday. Freshman point guard Tremont Waters hit two long-range three-pointers in the final 12 seconds to give LSU a 69-68 win over the Aggies. Head Coach Will Wade says they can count on Waters to make the big plays….
cut 17 (17) “…often than not”
LSU has won two straight on the road and tip-off tonight from Bud Walton Arena is 8 PM.

The Pelicans are in Memphis tonight. Head Coach Alvin Gentry says it’s doubtful Anthony Davis will play after twisting his ankle in Monday night’s win over Detroit.

And last night. Tulane lost to Memphis 96-89, despite a career-high 28 points from Melvin Frazier. The Green Wave are 11-and-5 on the year.

01.10.18
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06:30 LRN Newscast January 10

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise undergoes another surgery today as he continues his recovery from a gunshot wound sustained while practicing for a charity baseball game. The bullet struck several of the Congressman’s internal organs. LSU Health Level One Trauma Center’s Medical Director Dr. John Hunt says it’s common for shooting victims with serious injuries to undergo another surgery…
Cut 4 (08) “cleaned up.”
Scalise says this latest procedure has been scheduled for more than a month.

Dense fog advisory is in effect until nine A-M this morning in southeast Lousiaina. State Police Trooper Glen Younger reminds motorists they should not be using their high beams…
cut 16 (09) “…headlights”
Younger says on some newer cars, the high-beams are automatically operated, but again don’t use them in dense conditions.

U-S Senator John Kennedy opposes a bill designed to strengthen the federal background check system. Matt Doyle explains why…
voicer 1 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Authorities say the suspect wanted in a drive-by shooting that killed triple people on Mother’s Day in Monroe has been arrested in Portland, Oregon. Deaundrey Cole is a suspect in a hit and run accident in Portland, but will soon be brought back to Monroe.

01.09.18
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17:30 LRN Newscast January 9

Governor John Bel Edwards has sent a letter to President Trump asking him to defend Louisiana’s ability to offer medical marijuana. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is ending a federal mandate that kept federal authorities from cracking down on legalized pot. St. Martinville Senator Fred Mills authored the law authorizing the regulation of cannabis treatment in Louisiana…:
CUT 9 (07) “for clients”
The state Board of Pharmacy plans on issuing permits soon for nine selected pharmacies around the state that will be able to dispense the medical cannibas.

Officials say they will not press charges against a Vermilion Parish middle school teacher who was removed and then handcuffed after she spoke out during a school board meeting last night. English teacher Deyshia Hargrave opposed a pay raise for the superintendent. After asking several questions, Hargrave was led out by a marshal.
Congressman Steve Scalise of Metairie says there’s already evidence the recently approved Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is benefiting the economy. Scalise says he recently visited a local brewery in Hammond called Gnarley Barley. He says a husband and wife run the six-person operation and couldn’t provide health insurance for their workers until now…
cut 15 (10) “…this bill”

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index is the highest it’s ever been to start off 2018. NFIB State Director Dawn Starns says the federal tax reform legislation, de-regulation of businesses and the defeat of U-S Labor Department overtime rule have led to the high optimism rating…
Cut 7, (12) hourly and their managers
The rule would have required businesses to pay overtime to millions of workers.

01.09.18
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16:45 LRN Sportscast January 9

When the Saints face the Vikings on Sunday. It will be the second meeting this season between the two teams. Minnesota defeated New Orleans 29-19 in Week One on a Monday night. Coach Sean Payton says both teams are much different now…
cut 18 (19) “….done that”
Sam Bradford and Dalvin Cook made up the Vikings backfield in the regular season opener and now it features quarterback Case Keenum and running backs Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray.

Multiple reports say Steve Ensminger will be named LSU’s new offensive coordinator. Ensminger served as an interim offensive coordinator eight games last season after the firing of Les Miles. He’s served as tight ends coach at LSU the last several years.

After beating the Pistons 112 to 109 last night, New Orleans heads to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies tomorrow night. Anthony Davis had 30 points in last night’s win over Detroit, but left in the second half with an ankle injury. Coach Alvin Gentry said today it’s doubhtful A-D will play tomorrow night.

In college hoops last night, Jackson State went to Baton Rouge and edged Southern 65-61 despite 22 points from Jared Sam, while Grambling beat Alcorn State 72-61. Southern and Grambling are 1-3 in league play.

Tonight, Tulane takes on Memphis at 6 PM. The Green Wave have won four of their last five.

In college baseball…Perfect Game announced it’s preseason All-American team today and Southeastern Louisiana third baseman Taylor Schwaner and LSU center fielder Zach Watson landed on the third-team.

Tiger Rag Magazine reports catcher Mason Doolittle has left the LSU baseball program. He was expected to compete for a starting role, but Coach Paul Mainieri says Hunter Feduccia has won that job.