Author Archives: Jeff Palermo

02.01.16
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16:45 LRN Sportscast Monday, Feb 1st

The Pelicans seven-game homestand concludes tonight as New Orleans hosts Memphis at the Smoothie King Center for a seven o’ clock tip-off. So far, New Orleans is 5-1 on this season-long homestand and they’ve won seven of their last nine. The Grizzlies are 28-20 on the year, but center Marc Gasol is questionable with a knee injury.

In college hoops action tonight…Nicholls is at UNO, Southeastern Louisiana hosts McNeese State and Grambling is at Mississippi Valley State.

The LSU Tigers travel to Auburn, where they’ll face the Auburn Tigers tomorrow night in an SEC match-up. The Tigers are 13-8 on the season, while Auburn has a losing record. According ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, LSU would be a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

UL Lafayette’s Shawn Long has been named the men’s Sun Belt Player of the Week. Long averaged 21 points and 15 rebounds last week as the Cajuns have won six in a row, heading into tomorrow’s game against ULM.

Louisiana’s Mr. Football for 2015, Zachary quarterback Lindsey Scott, has decided he’ll play for the LSU Tigers. Scott is listed as a three-star recruit, but put up big numbers the past two seasons and led the Broncos to the Class 5A championship this past year. Scott is the only quarterback commitment in the Tigers 2016 class.

Major changes are coming to the LHSAA after member principals voted to expand the select–nonselect championships to basketball, baseball and softball. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says he would like to survey coaches and student-athletes to see what they think…
cut 18 (15) “about it”
The expanded split will start with the 2016-17 school year.

02.01.16
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LRN PM Newscall Feb 1st

A report from the state inspector general and legislative auditor finds former Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David LaCerte mismanaged his department. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (29)  “I’m Eric Gill”

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In a bit of a strange twist, Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards is scheduled to attend a Republican legislative retreat today in Lafayette. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 2 (28)  “I’m Eric Gill”

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A report from the state inspector general and legislative auditor finds former Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David LaCerte mismanaged his department. LaCerte resigned unexpectedly in October during the investigation by Inspector General Stephen Street and Legislative Auditor Darryl Purpera. Street says they found improprieties at several Veterans homes across the state…

CUT 3 (12)  “from a patient”

The report also claims LaCerte used over $27,000 in federal funds, earmarked for a veterans cemetery, to purchase an SUV for department use. Purpera says LaCerte paid $44,000 to some law school classmates for professional services without  documentation of what they did…

CUT 4 (07)  “of public funds”

LaCerte’s attorney says these allegations are false and part of a character assassination. Street counters by saying current Veterans Affairs Secretary Joey Strickland and former interim Secretary Thomas Enright concur with the findings of this investigation…

CUT 5 (07)  “for itself, there”

The audit also found problems with hiring practices, and reporting of potential crimes under the previous administration.  Lacerte’s attorney, Jarrett Ambeau, says this is nothing more than a political attack by Purpera and Street because his client was pushing an agenda in favor of veterans:

CUT 6 (08) “for doing so”

Investigators say LaCerte’s military service record doesn’t match claims in his department biography. Ambeau says it’s easy to find facts that prove his client was not misrepresenting his service…:

CUT 7 (09) “is inaccurate”

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In a bit of a strange twist, Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards is scheduled to attend a Republican legislative retreat today in Lafayette. GOP lawmakers are gathering to discuss plans to deal with the state’s budget crisis. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross finds this very interesting, but not surprising…

CUT 8 (06) “the help is”

He feels Republicans will be very wary of Edwards’ proposals to deal with the budget deficit, particularly those involving raising taxes. Cross says, since the state legislature is Republican-controlled, the governor has no choice but to seek support from GOP members…

CUT 9 (07)  “very clearly”

He says some of the revenue committees are heavily stacked with Republican lawmakers, which will make Governor Edwards’ job much harder getting the legislation he wants passed. Cross says we’ll have to wait and see if Republicans are willing to work with the governor…

cut 10 (07)  “come out”

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A woman who was rescued by Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputies, after police say she jumped off the Huey P Long Bridge over the Mississippi River, is undergoing psychiatric care today. Colonel John Fortunato says they got a 911 call around 1pm Sunday from someone saying they’d seen a female park and abandon her car on the bridge…:

Cut 11 (04) “Mississippi River”

Fortunato says the deputies who responded, Jordan Burst and David Lowe, found the woman stuck headfirst into a hole in a support beam. He says Burst climbed over the railing to comfort the woman, while Lowe retrieved a toe strap from his unit…:

cut 12 (10) “within the hole”

Fortunato says the woman sustained minor injuries and was transported to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation. He says this was an extremely heroic effort on the parts of Deputies Burst and Lowe…:

cut 13 (05)  “over the water”

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The US Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to close the remaining open bays of the Bonnet Carre Spillway today. The spillway was opened earlier this month to divert rising Mississippi River floodwaters from New Orleans. Spokesman Ricky Boyett says about 30 bays remained opened this morning…

cut 14 (07)  “flood event”

The Bonnet Carre has been operational for 22 days during this flood event. Boyette says the Corps began opening bays on January 10…

cut 15 (07)  “our peak”

Boyette says about 290 of the 350 bays of the Bonnet Carre were opened at the height of the operation. This is the 11th time the spillway has been in operation since its completion in 1931. Boyette says when they built the Bonnet Carre, they built it right…

cut 16 (10)  “original needles”

02.01.16
by

11:40 LRN Sportscast

The LSU men’s basketball team missed out on pulling off a big upset on Saturday after blowing a double-digit lead and losing to top ranked Oklahoma 77-75. LSU’s Ben Simmons had 14 points, but only took one shot in the final ten minutes. Coach Johnny Jones says his teammates need to do a better job feeding the post…
cut 20 (19) “….into late”
The 13-8 Tigers return to SEC play tomorrow night as they visit Auburn.

Five Bulldogs were in double figures yesterday as Louisiana Tech beat UTEP 78-70. Jacobi Boykins led the way with 18 points. The victory gives Tech a 16-5 record overall, 5-3 in Conference USA.

LSU has finally added a quarterback to its 2016 recruiting class. Zachary’s Lindsey Scott says he plans to sign with the Tigers on Wednesday. Scott is a three-star recruit, but was named Mr. Football in Louisiana for 2015 after leading the Zachary Broncos to the Class 5A Championship.

12 championships are coming to basketball, baseball and softball as a result of vote taken by member principals of the LHSAA. Where these additional championship games will be played, still has to be sorted out. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says there are concerns the expanded split playoffs could result in the loss of the LHSAA’s title sponsor, the Allstate Sugar Bowl…
cut 17 (13) “…can not do”
The expanded split playoffs for basketball, baseball and softball will begin for the 2016-17 school year.

01.31.16
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AM Newscall for Monday Feb 1st

The first electoral event in the 2016 presidential race happens today with the Iowa Caucus. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (29) “I’m Eric Gill”

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DHH’s Own You Own Health Challenge to combat obesity is now underway. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s not breaking a campaign promise by proposing higher taxes to solve the state’s budget crisis. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The presidential race kicks up a notch today with the Iowa Caucus, the first electoral event in the 2016 presidential race. Many candidates who have won the Iowa Caucus, went on to win their party’s nomination. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley thinks it will be a tight race in the Republican caucus between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz…

cut 4  (08)  “of contests”

Eight of the last 10 Republican presidential nominees placed first or second in the Iowa Caucus. Louisiana’s presidential primary is March 5th. On the Democratic side, Stockley says Hillary Clinton is in an unexpected dogfight with Bernie Sanders…

Cut 5  (09)  “her e-mails”

Stockley predicts Clinton will pull out a close victory in Iowa. The last five Democratic presidential nominees won the Iowa Caucus. Stockley says this presidential race is proving to be very interesting….

Cut 6 (07)  “amount of time” 

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The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals’ Own Your Own Health Challenge is underway. The challenge, which runs until April 25th, is designed to help Louisianans become more active and create a healthier lifestyle. Director of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Rudy Macklin says there are two components to the challenge…

CUT 7 (10)  “own health”

To register visit o-y-o-h-l-a-dot-com. Macklin says the challenge allows you to create teams or work individually to compete against other people in a weight loss challenge with the chance to win a prize. He says the second component helps participants learn what questions to ask when visiting the doctor.

Cut 8  (09)  “obesity”

The O-Y-O-H challenge focuses on obesity in minorities where it is the most prevalent. Macklin says the 2015 challenge was a success with 16-thousand participants, including many ethnic groups. He says the program allows you to chat and motivate people around the state.

Cut 9 (10)  “habit tips”

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February is American Heart Month and health experts are promoting initiatives in an attempt to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes in the US. Professor at Tulane University’s School of Medicine, Dr. Keith Ferdinand, says heart disease is the number one killer of Louisiana residents and many of the deaths could be prevented through healthy living habits…

Cut 10 (08) “alcohol use”

Ferdinand says African American men experience the highest risk for heart disease and hypertension. He advises patients to know their ABC’s when talking to healthcare providers…

cut 11 (09) “trans fat”

 Ferdinand says the 5 healthy living habits they suggest are, staying active, using aspirin, monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol management and don’t smoke. He says it’s hard to change your lifestyle completely, but starting out with one modification can greatly improve your health.

cut 12 (09) “our challenge”

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Governor John Bel Edwards argues against those who say he is breaking a campaign promise by proposing to raise taxes to address Louisiana’s massive budget shortfall. Edwards says the proposals he’s made are different than talked about during the election, because the facts are different. He also says these proposals are not what he wanted, but necessary…

Cut 13 (10)  “from me”

Edwards says during his campaign the state’s financial situation wasn’t as bad as it is now. He says next fiscal year’s 1.9 billion dollar shortfall does not have an additional dollar accounted for inflation or anything else…

Cut 14 (10) “budget”

State Treasurer John Kennedy has said there is no need to raise taxes to balance the budget, but Edwards says Kennedy is trying to boost his US Senate campaign.

Cut 15  (11) “instead”

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Major changes are coming to the LHSAA after member principals voted to expand the select–nonselect championships to basketball, baseball and softball, starting with the 2016-17 school year. 40-percent of the schools are opposed to this move. But LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says a majority of the association is pleased with what happened

Cut 16  (17)  “more clarity”

Friday’s vote will create 12 champions in basketball, baseball and softball, seven on the nonselect side and five on the select side. Where these additional championship games will be played, still has to be sorted out. Bonine says there are concerns the expanded the split could result in the loss of the LHSAA’s title sponsor, the Allstate Sugar Bowl

Cut 17 (13) “can not do”

Many high school fans are disappointed that split playoffs is expanding from football to other sports. Bonine says he would like to survey coaches and student-athletes to see what they think…

Cut 18 (15) “about it”

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The LSU men’s basketball team nearly upset the number one ranked team in the country on Saturday, but they couldn’t hold a double-digit second half lead and ended up losing to Oklahoma 77-75. Tim Quarterman led the Tigers in scoring with 18 points as he was 5-for-5 from three point territory…

Cut 19 (11) “make enough”

LSU’s Ben Simmons had 14 points, but only took one shot in the final 10 minutes of the game. Coach Johnny Jones says his teammates need to do a better job feeding the post…

Cut 20 (19) “into late”

01.29.16
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17:30 LRN Newscast January 29

High school principals have voted for select and non-select playoffs in basketball, baseball and softball, just like what’s already in place for football. Many Principal Norman Booker says the split needs to be expanded, because private schools have an advantage in how they can enroll their students:
CUT 12 (08) “20 years”
60-percent of the principals at the LHSAA convention voted for the expanded split, which goes into effect for the 2016-17 school year.

Former Louisiana Attorney General Charles Ieyoub is back in state government. Governor John Bel Edwards has appointed Ieyoub as the state’s Commissioner of Conservation. He’s in charge of conserving and regulating oil, gas and lignite resources in the state. Ieyoub served as A-G from 1992 to 2004.

Carnival season has arrived across Louisiana and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says expect to see more officers looking for drunk drivers. It’s part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign. L-H-S-C executive director Lt. Colonel John Leblanc says don’t get behind the wheel if you have been drinking…
cut 7 (08) “…enjoy yourself”
Last year, there were nearly 600 fatal and injury crashes and 10 fatalities in the five days leading up to Fat Tuesday.

The deadline to enroll for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act is this Sunday. Healthcare-dot-gov CEO Kevin Counihan says over 200,000 Louisianians have already signed up for coverage through the federal insurance marketplace. He says financial assistance through healthcare-dot-gov can really help in making insurance more affordable…:
CUT 4 (07) “financial assistance”
Counihan says if you don’t have health insurance in 2016, you could face a penalty of up to 695-dollars.

01.29.16
by

16:45 LRN Sportscast

Starting with the 2016-17 school year, split playoffs will expand from football to high school basketball, baseball and softball. That’s the result of a vote of high school principals who attended the LHSAA convention. 60-percent of them voted for it. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says he’s heard from many who are against a further expansion of the split…
cut 14 (09) “…differently”
The vote came after heated discussion from supporters and opponents of the proposal.

The LSU Board of Supervisors athletic committee approves changes to its statue rules that would allow a likeness of Pete Maravich to be errected on campus. Currently statues aren’t allowed of people who didn’t graduate from LSU. But Board member Scott Angelle says it’s terrible they actually have to debate this issue…:
CUT 10 (10) “fix it”
A couple of steps still need to be taken before this becomes reality.

The LSU men’s basketball team hosts number one ranked Oklahoma in the PMAC tomorrow night. The Sooners are 17-2 and they are led by Buddy Hield, who is averaging nearly 26 points a game. Hield is shooting 52-percent from three-point land, but Tigers coach Johnny Jones says Oklahoma has more than one long-range shooter…
cut 30 (16) “…explosive”
Oklahoma is averaging 86 points a game. Tip-off is at 4 PM.

In other action on Saturday…the Ragin Cajuns will host Texas Arlington at 4:15, ULM takes on Texas State, Southeastern is at Northwestern, Nicholls visits Incarnate Word, McNeese is at UNO, Grambling travels to Arkansas Pine Bluff. And in the NBA the Pelcians will take on the Brooklyn Nets.

01.29.16
by

16:30 LRN Newscast January 29

Skimming devices, which document credit card numbers, keep popping up on gasoline pumps throughout the state. Michelle Southern reports…:
voicer 4 (30) “…I’m Michelle Southern”

The Mardi Gras parade season has arrived and law enforcement is putting more officers on the roads as part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, Executive Director Lt. Col John Leblanc…:
CUT 8 (07) “really needed”
Last year, there were were nearly 600 fatal and injury crashes and 10 fatalities during the five-day Mardi Gras weekend.

Starting with the 2016-17 school year, split playoffs will expand from football to high school basketball, baseball and softball. That’s the result of a vote of high school principals who attended the LHSAA convention. 60-percent of them voted for it. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says he’s heard from many who are against a further expansion of the split…
cut 14 (09) “…differently”
The vote came after heated discussion from supporters and opponents of the proposal.

The LSU Board of Supervisors athletic committee approves changes to its statue rules that would allow a likeness of Pete Maravich to be errected on campus. Currently statues aren’t allowed of people who didn’t graduate from LSU. But Board member Scott Angelle says it’s terrible that they actually have to debate this issue…:
CUT 10 (10) “fix it”
A couple of steps still need to be taken before this becomes reality.

01.29.16
by

15:30 LRN Newscast January 29

High school principals within the LHSAA have voted to extend the select-non-select split to basketball, baseball and softball, meaning those sports will have the same postseason format as football. Beekman Charter principal Roy McCoy says further division in the LHSAA is not good.
cut 13 (09) “…skirt the rules’
The split playoffs for the three additional sports will go into effect for the 2016-17 school year.

Sunday at midnight is the deadline to purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act in order to avoid a penalty of up to 695-dollars. Healthcare-dot-gov CEO Kevin Counihan says you only need four pieces of information to get started…
cut 3 (11) “….financial help”
He says financial assistance is available for most Louisiana residents.

The LSU Board of Supervisors is changing the rules so they could build a statue of former LSU star Pete Maravich. Since “Pistol Pete” never graduated college, the school can’t move forward to put a life-size statue next to the building that’s named after him. LSU board member Stephn Perry says it’s time to do what they should have done a long time ago…
cut 11 (10) “….earned this right”
Maravich is still the NCAA record holder for most points scored in college basketball.

Starting today and running through Fat Tuesday, law enforcement will have more officers on the road looking for drunk drivers as part of their Drive Sober or Get Pulled over Campaign. Lt Colonel John Leblanc is the executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission…
cut 6 (10) “….impaired driving”

01.29.16
by

LRN PM Newscall Jan 29

The deadline to enroll for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act is rapidly approaching. Jeff Palermo reports…

CUT 1 (29)  “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Split playoffs that separate public and private schools are coming to the LHSAA in the sports of basketball, baseball and softball. Jeff Palermo has the story…

CUT 2 (29)  “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The deadline to enroll for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act is this Sunday. Healthcare-dot-gov CEO Kevin Counihan says over 200,000 Louisianians have already signed up for coverage through the federal insurance marketplace. He says it’s easy to sign up and you only need four pieces of information to get started…

CUT 3 (11)  “financial help”

He says there is still plenty of time to get coverage before Sunday night’s midnight deadline, but encourages people to not wait until the last minute. Counihan says financial assistance through healthcare-dot-gov can really help in making insurance more affordable…

CUT 4 (07)  “financial assistance”

He says 62-percent of Louisiana residents are able to find plans for $75 or less with financial assistance. Counihan says the penalty for choosing not to have health insurance has gone up this year…

CUT 5 (07)  “household income”

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The Mardi Gras parade season has arrived and law enforcement is putting more officers on the roads. It’s part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled over Campaign, which will last through Fat Tuesday. Executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, Lt. Col John Leblanc, says law enforcement is publicizing this increase in officers in the hopes that it will deter people from drunk driving…

CUT 6 (10) “impaired driving”

Mardi Gras celebrations often involve drinking alcohol. Leblanc says because of these celebratory traditions, they want to stress the alternatives to drunk driving…

CUT 7 (08) “enjoy yourself”

Last year, there were were nearly 600 fatal and injury crashes and 10 fatalities during the Mardi Gras holiday, and more than half of the deaths involved alcohol. Leblanc says law enforcement increases its presence on the roads during the times of the year when fatal crashes are most prevalent…

CUT 8 (07) “really needed”

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The LSU board of supervisors is taking steps that would pave the way for a statue of Pete Maravich to be erected on campus. An athletics policy currently blocks a statue of Pistol Pete, because he didn’t graduate. Former star LSU basketball player Collis Temple, who integrated the team, says the legacy of Maravich must be preserved…:

CUT 9 (08)  “cub scouts”

The policy would say instead of a degree, 100 credit hours would be required and Maravich would meet that. Board member and Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle says it’s terrible that they actually have to debate this issue about the best basketball player ever play at LSU…:

cut 10 (10)  “fix it”

Maravich is still the all-time leading NCAA Division I scorer with 3,667 points scored, an average of 44 points per game. The statue would be placed next to the building named after Maravich, known as the PMAC. Board member Stephen Perry says it’s time to do what should have been done a long time ago…:

Cut 11 (10) “earned this right”

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High school principals have voted for select and non-select playoffs in basketball, baseball and softball, just like what’s already in place for football. The vote occurred on the final day of the LHSAA convention. Many Principal Norman Booker says the split needed to be expanded, because private schools have an advantage in how they can enroll their students

cut 12 (08) “20 years”

The vote was 182-120 for the expanded split. Beekman Charter principal Roy McCoy says nothing good comes out of further dividing the LHSAA…

cut 13 (09)  “skirt the rules”

The split playoffs for basketball, baseball and softball will go into effect for the 2016-17 school year. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says he’s heard from many who are against a further expansion of the split…

cut 14 (09)  “differently”

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01.29.16
by

11:40 LRN Sportscast

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association has voted to split the playoffs in the sports of basketball, baseball and softball, just like they’ve done for football the last three years. The vote was 182-to-120. The split will go into effect next school year and the LHSAA will have a lot of work to do to figure out how this will work logisitically. There’s also concern that this could result in a complete separation, where private schools form their own association.

The LSU Board of Supervisors athletic committee approves changes to its statue policy, which could clear the way for a Pete Maravich statue in front of the building that’s named after him. For a life size statue to be erected on LSU’s campus of a former athlete that person must have graduated from the school. The board is looking to eliminate graduation provision and require the former student athlete to achieve at least 100 credit hours or attend school for three years.

LSU takes on number one ranked Oklahoma in the PMAC tomorrow as part of the Big 12-SEC challenge. It’s also a match-up of two of the best players in college basketball, LSU’s Ben Simmons and Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield. Coach Johnny Jones says tomorrow’s game is much bigger than these two stars facing each other…
cut 30 (17) “…throughout the year”
Tip-off is at four o’ clock.

In college basketball last night….Shawn Long had a double-double, 19 points and 14 rebounds as the Cajuns easily defeated Texas State 80-54. ULM hit 15 three-pointers in a 99-88 win over UT Arlington at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. And senior Alex Hamilton ahd a double-double as he scored 18 points and dished out 11 assists in Louisiana Tech’s 85-75 win over Texas San Antonio.