6:30 LRN Newscast

Yet another data center is coming to Louisiana. Andrew Greenstein reports this one will be in West Feliciana Parish.

Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Cooler weather is moving today because of a cold front. High temperature around 60-degrees for north Louisiana. In central Louisiana, temps are in the mid 60s, but the temperature will drop as the day goes on. Still seeing some thunderstorms in south Louisiana.

The largest medical marijuana dispensary store in the South is open in Lake Charles. The ten-thousand-square-foot Good Day Farms facility is located near the major casinos and replaces a smaller location. It includes a drive-thru, product displays, and unmedicated taste tests of THC and CBD gummies. Chief Retail Officer Laurie Gregory says the modern, colorful design resembles a sneaker store rather than a pharmacy, aiming to destigmatize cannabis use.

Cut 4 (11) “…in Lake Charles”

The state announces a partnership to support black bear conservation and military veterans. Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Madison Sheahan says the department is partnering with the Healing Road Foundation.

Cut 13 (07)  “…and to fish.”

Through this partnership, the foundation raffled off a black bear harvest permit for 2024 to a military veteran. Sheahan says this partnership is just in time for the state’s first black bear hunting season since 1987, which began last Saturday.

4:45 LRN Sportscast

Reports of Derek Carr’s demise for the 2024 season are greatly exaggerated. After Carr left yesterday’s win over the Giants with an injury to his non-throwing hand, reports surfaced that Carr would miss the remainder of the season. However, interim head coach Darren Rizzi says that’s not true.

Cut 12 (07) “…week plays out.”

Carr is also in concussion protocol.

The winter transfer portal opened today and the LSU Tigers are looking for receivers. LSU has been named a team to watch for Barion Brown, who had 29 catches for 361 yards and three touchdowns for the Kentucky Wildcats this past season. Blake Ruffino for A-Y-S Sports says other SEC schools will also be interested…

Cut 16 (19) “…he does”

UL Lafayette will take on TCU in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque on Saturday, December 28th. Cajuns Head Coach Mike Desormeaux (DEZ-er-mo) says it’s a great way to wrap up a successful season.

Cut 19 (14) “…a part of.”

The Cajuns are 10-and-3, while the Horned Fogs are 8-and-4.

The Sugar Bowl is a quarterfinal game this year in the new 12-team college football playoff. The SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs are in the game and will face the winner of a first round playoff matchup between Notre Dame and Indiana. Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley is excited about the high stakes matchup….

Cut 7 (11) “…at all”

Kick off is New Year’s Day night at 7:45.

11:40 LRN Sportscast

It wasn’t a master piece, but the Saints beat the New York Giants 14 to 11 yesterday to improve to five and eight, two games back of first place Tampa Bay. Interim head coach Darren Rizzi says being in playoff contention motivates the team…

Cut 18 (16) “….for us”

But Saints quarterback Derek Carr reportedly fractured his non-throwing hand and could miss this Sunday’s game against Washington.

The college football winter transfer portal opens today and the Tigers are losing two receivers to the portal, CJ Daniels and Shelton Sampson. So it’s a priority for LSU to sign multiple receivers out of the portal. One name connected to LSU is Texas Tech transfer Micah Henderson, a five-star recruit.

It was a lost weekend for Louisiana teams vying for championships, as all three go down to defeat, punctuated by the Ragin’ Cajuns loss in the Sun Belt title game. Andrew Greenstein is at Cajun Field in Lafayette with more.

Cut 20 (36) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The Cajuns will play in the New Mexico Bowl on December 28th against TCU.

The LSU Tigers are headed back to the Texas Bowl as they’ll play Baylor on New Year’s Eve afternoon in Houston. Kick off is at 2:30.

11:30 LRN Newscast

Time is running out to reauthorize the Farm Bill. Don Molino reports.

Cut 1 (31)“…I’m Don Molino.”

The flu seems to be hitting Louisiana hard right now.  According to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Louisiana is among four spots now experiencing high levels of the flu.   The other four are Georgia, Arizona, and Washington D.C. The CDC recommends everyone six months and older gets a flu shot each year.

Longtime high school football coach Sid Edwards pulled off a stunning victory on Saturday night as he defeated two-term Democratic incumbent Sharon Weston Broome in the Baton Rouge mayor-president race. John Couvillon says Edwards was a longshot in the race as the Republican political newcomer was greatly outspent during the campaign.

Cut 4 (10) “…who finished third.”

Edwards received 54-percent of the vote.

Saturday night was a disappointing night for Cajun fans as U-L Lafayette lost the Sun Belt Championship game to Marshall 31 to 3. Redshirt senior quarterback Chandler Fields left the game in the second quarter with an injury and freshman Daniel Beale failed to throw for 100 yards. Receiver Lance LeGendre (le-ZHAHN) says the team has a next-man-up mentality, and this was no different.

Cut 16 (12) “…running the ship.”

The Cajuns will play in the New Mexico Bowl on December 28th against TCU.

10:30 LRN Newscast

A shocker in Baton Rouge as political newcomer Sid Edwards has unseated two-term incumbent mayor Sharon Weston Broome and will become the parish’s next mayor-president in January. At his victory rally, the longtime high school football coach said voters wanted change.

Cut 3 (13) “…going to happen. (cheers fade)”

Edwards received 54-percent of the vote in the low turnout election.

The first bear hunt in Louisiana since 1987 got underway this weekend. John Hanks, the large carnivore program manager at the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, says the season will last 16 days, and ten hunters were chosen by lottery to participate.

Cut 7 (10) “…and not harvest.”

Two more Louisiana teachers have been recognized with a Milken Educator Award.  Band director at Maplewood Middle School from Sulphur was honored with the prestigious Milken Educator Award and a $25,000 cash prize to Kyle Cook during a school assembly, with State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley in attendance. Cook says it was a total surprise.

Cut 10 (08) “…very grateful.”

The other winner is Charday Wilson, a master teacher at Logansport High School.  Born and raised in DeSoto Parish, Wilson attended LHS as a student before excelling as a collegiate athlete and becoming the first in her family to graduate college at Louisiana Tech. Her return to LHS as a math and science master teacher has been transformative, playing a key role in the school’s rise from a ‘B’ to an ‘A’ rating.

Cut 12 (07) “…combination school.”

9:30 LRN Newscast

Two more teachers from Louisiana were awarded with 25-thousand -dollars as they are Milken Educator Award winners.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested a 15-year-old after he made statements on social media about planning to bring a gun to school today and shoot a classmate who was spreading rumors about him. Deputies say the teenager admitted he didn’t have a gun and didn’t have access to one, but he was still charged with terrorizing.

There’s only a few more days left on the calendar for Congress to pass a new Farm Bill this year. Louisiana Forestry Association Executive Director Buck Vandersteen says without the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, many important resources would stand to greatly suffer.

Cut 6 (13) “…of that nature”

If Congress fails to send a Farm Bill to the President by the end of the session, the 119th Congress will have to start from square one to reauthorize it.

The Ragin Cajuns were blown out Saturday night in the Sun Belt Championship game as the Marshall Thundering Herd trampled U-L Lafayette 31 to 3. Cajuns Coach Michael Desormeaux says regardless of the lopsided result, he’s proud of everything that his team has accomplished to this point…

Cut 15 (16) “….we wanted tonight”

The Cajuns will now get ready to play TCU in the New Mexico Bowl on December 28th.

8:30 LRN Newscast

Time is running out for Congress to pass a new Farm Bill. Executive director of the Louisiana Forestry Association, Buck Vandersteen, says federal lawmakers are supposed to pass a new Farm Bill every five years…

Cut 5 (10) “….a year overdue”

The Louisiana Farm Bureau says a Farm Bill provides essential risk management tools, nutrition programs, and conservation efforts and without one, farmers, ranchers and rural economies face uncertainty.

The first black bear hunting season in Louisiana started on Saturday in northeast Louisiana and it will last 16 days. The only tags awarded were through a lottery and each tag holder can only harvest one bear….

Cut 9 (04) “….to a family”

John Hanks is the large carnivore program manager at L-D-W-F and a black bear hunting season was reinstated because the black bear population is at a more healthy number now.

Charday Wilson, a math and science master teacher at Logansport High School in DeSoto Parish is a 25-thousand dollar Milken Educator Award recipient. Wilson works with teachers to create individualized game plans needed for lesson pacing, classroom management, formative assessments, and co-teaching at her alma mater…

Cut 13 (10) “…quality citizens”

It wasn’t a master piece, but the Saints beat the New York Giants 14 to 11 yesterday to improve to five and eight, two games back of first place Tampa Bay. Interim head coach Darren Rizzi says being in playoff contention motivates the team…

Cut 18 (16) “….for us”

But Saints quarterback Derek Carr reportedly fractured his non-throwing hand and could miss this Sunday’s game against Washington.

7:30 LRN Newscast

Time is running out to reauthorize the Farm Bill. Don Molino reports.

Cut 1 (31)“…I’m Don Molino.”

The first legal bear hunting season in Louisiana since 1987 got underway in northeast Louisiana on Saturday. Tags went out to ten hunters through a lottery and they can only harvest one bear during this 16-day season. John Hanks leads the state’s large carnivore program….

Cut 8 (09) “…utilize this animal”

Governor Landry will have more to say about Black Bear management at a press conference at noon today.

Two teachers on the western side of the state are 25-thousand dollars richer because they have won the Milken Educator Award, which goes to a select number of teachers every year for their outstanding work.

Charday Wilson is a math and science teacher at Logansport High School in DeSoto Parish and she’s a Milken Educator Award recipient because she helped Logansport rise from a B school rating to an A rating…

Cut 12 (07) “…combination school”

And the band director at Maplewood Middle School in Sulphur is also a Milken Award Recipient. Kyle Cook was recognized for including core academics like math with his music instruction….

Cut 11 (13) “….people of society”

6:45 LRN Sportscast

It was an ugly game, but the Saints picked up a win on the road yesterday beating the hapless New York Giants 14 to 11. New York had a chance to tie the game on the final play, but Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (Bruh-zee) leaped over New York’s offensive line to block a 35-yard field goal attempt…

Cut 17 (20)  “…just me.” 

New Orleans improves to 5-and-8 and they are two games back of Tampa Bay for first place in the NFC South. But Quarterback Derek Carr reportedly suffered a fracture to his non-throwing hand late in the fourth quarter, putting him in jeopardy of missing this Sunday’s game against the Commanders.

The Pelicans fell to 5-and-20 on the season with a a 121 to 116 loss at San Antonio.

The Ragin Cajuns were blown out Saturday night in the Sun Belt Championship game as the Marshall Thundering Herd trampled U-L Lafayette 31 to 3. Cajuns Coach Michael Desormeaux says regardless of the lopsided result, he’s proud of everything that his team has accomplished to this point…

Cut 15 (16) “….we wanted tonight”

The Cajuns will now get ready to play TCU in the New Mexico Bowl on December 28th.

The LSU Tigers are headed back to the Texas Bowl as they’ll play Baylor on New Year’s Eve afternoon. Kick off is at 2:30.

Tulane will take on Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl on December 20th in Tampa.

In college basketball…the LSU men beat Florida Gulf Coast 80 to 71 to improve to 8-and-1. Louisiana Tech topped the Ragin Cajuns 69 to 58 in the Cajundome. And the LSU Lady Tigers crushed Grambling 100 to 54. Aneesah Morrow had 26 points and 16 rebounds.

6:30 LRN Newscast

We’re approaching the end of 2024 and, as such, the end of the 118th Congress. And Congress has still yet to send a reauthorization of the Farm Bill to President Biden’s desk. Buck Vandersteen, the executive director of the Louisiana Forestry Association, says it’s imperative that Congress do so.

Cut 4 (11) “…and national security”

Only 20-percent of the Farm Bill goes to farmers, ranchers, foresters and land-grant universities. The remaining 80-percent goes towards nutrition programs for feeding hungry children and adults.

The first bear hunt in Louisiana since 1987 got underway this weekend. John Hanks, the large carnivore program manager at the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, says the season will last 16 days, and ten hunters were chosen by lottery to participate.

Cut 7 (10) “…and not harvest.”

Louisiana college football teams went 0-and-3 in conference championship games over the weekend. Tulane, Southern and the Ragin Cajuns all lost in lopsided games. U-L Lafayette fell to Marshall 31 to 3 at Cajun Field. Coach Michael Desormeaux (DEZ-er-mo) says he felt like he let the team down….

Cut 14 (15) “….and they’re winners”

The Ragin Cajuns will now get ready to play TCU in the New Mexico Bowl on December 28th. Marshall will play 22nd ranked Army in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl on December 28th in Shreveport.

The LSU Tigers will play on New Year’s Eve against Baylor in the Texas Bowl.

The Saints beat the New York Giants 14 to 11 yesterday, but quarterback Derek Carr reportedly suffered a fracture to his non-throwing hand.