17:30 LRN Newscast November 13

One of the latest campaign commercials in the governor’s race features Republican David Vitter and Duck Dynasty reality TV star Willie Robertson. Robertston says he knows Vitter has made some mistakes, but who hasn’t, referring to the Senator’s prostitution scandal. ULM political science professor Joshua Stockley says the timing of this commercial won’t work for Vitter…
cut 11 (08) “…too late”
Meanwhile Governor Bobby Jindal says he will not make an endorsement in the race. The republican presidential candidate says the public doesn’t care much about one politician endorsing another.

State Treasurer John Kennedy, who is a republican, went on the Moon Griffon Radio Show today and urged fellow republican Scott Angelle to endorse Vitter in the governor’s race. Angelle finished third, just behind Vitter in the gubernatorial campaign.

Lawyers for Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson and his estranged heirs have agreed to mediation over Benson’s lawsuit to remove them as future owners of the teams. Eric Gill reports….
cut 1 (28) “….I’m Eric Gill”

LaFourche Parish deputies arrested a man after he armed himself on a boat that didn’t belong to him. Sheriff’s office spokesperson Brennan Matherne says the standoff lasted for about three hours on a boat docked along the Intracoastal Canal…
cut 12 (09) “…shotgun”
Authorities believe Boudreaux was attempting to steal items off the boat.

16:45 LRN Sportscast November 13

It should be a little chilly inside Tiger Stadium tomorrow night for LSU’s home game against Arkansas. The Tigers are looking to rebound from last week’s 30-16 loss to Alabama. Arkansas is playing its best football of the season as they’ve scored 170 points over the last three games. Kick-off is at 6:15.

In other action on Saturday…ULM hosts Arkansas State and Nicholls State will take on Central Arkansas in Thibodaux.

The 2015-16 college basketball season tips off tonight for the Tigers. There’s high expectations for the Bayou Bengals this year, because of freshman of the year candidate Ben Simmons. Junior quarter Tim Quarterman says they’re ready to meet those expectations…
cut 17 (13) “…of the night”
LSU hosts McNeese State at 8 PM.

For Sunday’s Saints game in Washington…linebackers Dannell Ellerbe, David Hawthorne, Ramon Humber and cornerback Damian Swann have been ruled out for the contest against the Redskins. Linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha is probable, while offensive tackle Terron Armstead is questionable, but he has not practiced all week. The last two games, the Saints have allowed 86 points. Defensive end Cam Jordan says they need to get more pressure on the quarterback….
cut 20 (10) “…where we can”
And former LSU and Saints star and now color analyst on the Saints radio network, Hokie Gajan, says he’s been diagnosed with cancer. Gajan says he feels fine and he’ll go to Houston next week for more tests to determine the type of cancer.

Tonight it’s the first round of the high school football playoffs. Hahnville hosting Alexandria is tonight’s LHSAA Game of the Week on Fox Sports New Orleans plus.

LRN Sportscast 11:40 November 13

The Saints are at Washington on Sunday to face the Redskins. After Sunday’s game, New Orleans will have a bye week. Quarterback Drew Brees says with an open week coming up, it makes it even more important to get a victory….
cut 19 (16) “…that run”
The Saints need to play better on defense, they’ve allowed 86 points in their last two games.

Tomorrow night…ninth ranked LSU hosts Arkansas. The voice of the Tigers, Jim Hawthorne, will miss his second consecutive game after undergoing heart surgery. But he will be on the field before the game as he’ll receive the Chris Schenkel Award, which goes to individuals who’ve had a long distinguished career broadcasting college football at a particular school.

Big expectations this season as the LSU men’s basketball team tips off a new season. Ben Simmons is the reason for those expectations as he’s considered the top freshmen in the country…
cut 16 (15) “…prepared for that”
The Tigers open the season with a home game against McNeese State.

A new era of Louisiana Tech basketball begins tonight as first year head coach Eric Konkol leads the Bulldogs on the court to take on Millsaps College at 6:30 PM. Two of Tech’s three top scorers from last year, Alex Hamilton and Erik McCree are back for this season.

The high school football playoffs begin tonight….here are your key match-ups in Five-A….Airline hosts Ponchatoula, Haughton at Barbe, Thibodaux travels to Marksville and Ruston is at Dutchtown.

LRN Newscast 17:30 November 12

K-A-L-B TV is reporting the father of the six-year-old who was killed in an officer involved shooting last week in Marksville has been released from the hospital. Chris Few was said to be critically injured by gunfire that ended the life of Jeremy Mardis. Two city marshal deputies are the accused shooters and one of them is in the process of trying to bond out.

A telephone poll of 600 likely voters conducted by the University of New Orleans found that Democrat John Bel Edwards has a 22-percent lead over Republican David Vitter in the governor’s race. UNO survey research center director, Doctor Ed Chervenak, says the unpopularity of Governor Bobby Jindal seems to be spilling over into the governor’s race…
cut 11 (10) “…for some change”
Jindal had a 70-percent disapproval rating in the poll.

A new study finds drinking champagne can help prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia. Emelie Gunn has more…..
cut 2 (31) “…reporting”

And some seafood shops will be selling crawfish this weekend. Alan Matherne, with the LSU AgCenter, says farmers have recently flooded their ponds and the crawfish they caught are holdovers from last year’s season, so they have good size to them, but they will be a little pricey.

LRN Sportscast 16:45 November 12

Tonight on ESPN-U, U-L Lafayette faces South Alabama in a Sun Belt contest. The Cajuns are expected to play two quarterbacks tonight. Brooks Haack and Jalen Nixon. Haack is expected to start and Coach Mark Hudspeth says Haack’s throwing arm needs to give their offense a spark…
cut 18 (17) “…run game”
Kick-off is at 6:30.

On Saturday night in Tiger Stadium…9th ranked LSU will host Arkansas. Tigers Coach Les Miles was asked to describe the Razorbacks offensive line…
cut 30 (10) “…it’s big”
That big offense line has helped Arkansas running back Alex Collins eclipse the 1,000 yard mark for the third straight season .

Seven Saints players did not practice today as the team continues to get ready for Sunday’s road game against Washington. Sitting out were…tackle Terron Armstead, linebackers Dannell Ellerbe, David Hawthorne, Ramon Humber, cornerback Damian Swann, wide receiver Willie Snead and cornerback Keenan Lewis missed because of illness. Linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha was limited with an ankle injury.

Nicholls State will get some time on television on Saturday night as they’ll host Central Arkansas on the American Sports Network. The game can be seen on Cox Sports Television. The Colonels are looking for their second win in a row, while Central Arkansas tries to improve its record 7-and-1 on the year.

In other Southland action this weekend. Southeastern Louisiana travels to Abilene Christian for its final road game of the year. The Wildcats have a six-game losing streak, while the Lions are looking for a win to get back to the .500 mark.

Also this weekend, Northwestern State is at Sam Houston State. The Demons beat A-C-U 39 to 22 last week.

LRN PM Newscall November 12

Two new polls on the governor’s race show Democrat John Bel Edwards leading Republican David Vitter with 10 days to go before the election. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (29)  “I’m Eric Gill”

================

A new study finds drinking champagne can help to prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia. Emelie Gunn has more…..

CUT 2 (31)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

===================

The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office says one of the Marksville officers involved in the shooting death of a 6-year-old boy won’t be bonding out today because of a technical issue. It’s reportedly due to a state law banning attorneys from bonding out defendants. Sheriff Doug Anderson says the father of 23-year-old Norris Greenhouse Jr., who is an attorney, was preparing a million dollar property bond to get his released…:

CUT 3 (10)  “or Monday”

Greenhouse Jr. and Derrick Stafford are accused of firing at least 18 shots on the vehicle the boy, Jeremy Mardis, and his father, Chris Few, were riding in. Each were charged with second degree murder and attempted second degree murder. Anderson says once Greenhouse Jr. bonds out, he will have to be transferred…:

CUT 4 (08)  “from our jail”

Norris Greenhouse Sr. is an assistant DA in Avoyelles Parish, but the office recused itself from the case and asked the state Attorney General to prosecute. Anderson says there are some conditions to Greenhouse Jr.’s bond…:

CUT 5 (07)  “his residence”

============================

Early voting for the November 21st runoff continues today. As of this morning, there were 119-thousand early votes, compared to 88-thousand for the same time period in the primary. And Pollster John Couvillon of JMC Analytics says larger parishes are early voting heavily…

CUT 6 (08) “would do well”

Voter turnout for the primary was 39-percent, which was lower than anticipated. Couvillon says based on early voting totals so far, the turnout for the runoff should be higher than the primary…

CUT 7 (04)  “50% turnout”

Couvillon says the primary election dragged on and on and many voters were not exicted to go to the polls. He says the enthusiasm for the runoff is definitely higher…

CUT 8 (07)  “to vote early”

============================

A new poll on the governor’s race published by The Advocate shows Democrat John Bel Edwards’ double-digit lead over Republican David Vitter slipping a bit. According to the survey, conducted by Market Research Insight, Edwards beats Vitter, 52 to 38 percent, if roughly 26-percent of African-Americans vote in the election. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley doesn’t think these results really surprise anyone…

CUT 9 (10)  “in this race”

The survey shows Edwards support among white voters has fallen 10-percent while Vitter gained 8-percent support. Stockley says this could signify some backlash over Edwards’ negative “prostitutes over patriots” ad…

cut 10 (10)  “changed that”

The University of New Orleans has released their 2015 Louisiana Gubernatorial Runoff Survey and it reveals that Edwards enjoys a 22 point lead over Vitter among likely voters. UNO Survey Research Center Director Dr. Ed Chervenak says these results show Louisiana voters appear to be in a disgruntled mood…

Cut 11 (10)  “for some change”

The poll shows Governor Bobby Jindal with a 70-percent disapproval rating. Chervenak believes this is turning out to be a driving force in this election…

cut 12 (07)  “John Bel Edwards”

============================

A new study out of Reading University finds drinking one to three glasses of champagne a week can aid in preventing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Dr. Jeff Keller with LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center says champagne, like red wine, contains polyphenols, which is known to have great health benefits.

cut 13 (10)  “metabolism”

Keller says the study was based on trials in rats. He says grapes and other plants contain these polyphenols, which help to ward off predators in nature and apparently your memory as well….

cut 14 (07) “consume them” 

Keller says any consumption of alcohol needs to be done carefully, but it’s very clear that in moderation champagne can be good for your cognitive functioning…

cut 15 (08)  “and champagne”

============================

LRN sportscast 11:40 November 12

The college football weekend gets started tonight with the Ragin Cajuns visiting South Alabama in a Sun Belt match-up. The Jaguars are led by quarterback Cody Clements, who has thrown for 17-hundred yards and 12 touchdowns. Coach Mark Hudspeth wants his defense to put some pressure on him….
cut 17 (11) ‘…our DBs”
The Cajuns are expected to play two quarterbacks tonight. Brooks Haack and Jalen Nixon, with Haack the likely starter. Kick-off tonight is at 6:30. ESPN-U will televise the game.

Tennessee Titans linebacker David Bass will reportedly be fined 17-thousand dollars for a hit that he put on Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Roughing the passer was called on the play and Brees needed stitches after the game. Brees says he’ll be fine for Sunday’s game against Washington.

This weekend in the Southeastern Conference….LSU hosts Arkansas on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. The Razorbacks are coming off a wild one-point overtime victory at Ole Miss. Hogs Head Coach Brett Bielema says his team is not looking back…
cut 20 (13) “…LSU pro”
LSU fans will do some scoreboard watching on Saturday afternoon. That’s when Alabama visits Mississippi State. A win for the Bulldogs and the Tigers will once again have a chance at winning the SEC West.

17:30 LRN Newscast

In last night’s televised gubernatorial debate, the candidates were asked about expanding Medicaid so more low-income residents can participate. Republican David Vitter says Louisiana has to be careful if it goes in that direction, because Kentucky, has seen its health care costs skyrocket…
cut 9 (10) “…on that issue”
Expanding the number of charter schools were also discussed. Democrat John Bel Edwards says more charter schools is not the answer in all areas of the state…
cut 6 (10) “…or not”
LSU political science professor Robert Hogan says each candidate held their own…
cut 13 (09) “…state’s voters”
Early voting for the governor’s race continues tomorrow.

State Police have arrested Shreveport firefighter Brian Garza on several charges….
cut 16 (06) “…a minor
Trooper Matt Harris says Garza was taken into custody after he allegedly tried to faciliate a meeting with a 13-year-old girl and her mother for a sexual encounter with both.

We’re well into November but there are an unusual high number of mosquitoes buzzing around. Eric Gill reports…
cut 1 (27) “…reporting”

16:45 LRN Sportscast November 11

Both the Saints and LSU are looking to bounce back from losses last weekend. The Tigers host Arkansas this Saturday. LSU guard William Clapp says they are using the loss to Alabama to motivate them to do better…
cut 20 (15) “…as you can”
LSU is a 7.5 point favorite to win on Saturday.

The Saints are at Washington on Sunday. Quarterback Drew Brees spoke with reporters today and said he got stitches in his jaw after taking a big hit in the loss to the Titans. But he’ll be fine for Sunday. But there were several Saints players who didn’t practice today. And that list includes tackle Terron Armstead and linebacker Danell Ellerbe. But cornerback Keenan Lewis was not on the injury report.

ULM hopes Saturday’s home game against Arkansas State will result in their second victory of the season. The Warhawks are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak. Last time out, they were blown out by Troy 51-14. Arkansas State is 5-0 in the league, and they are averaging close to 45 points a game in their five Sun Belt contests.

UL Lafayette is at South Alabama tomorrow night. The Cajuns are 3-and-1 in league play and need a win to keep their hopes alive for a Sun Belt championship.

In the NBA…the Pelicans will look to make it two wins in a row tonight as they visit Atlanta. New Orleans beat Dallas 120-105 last night, but Anthony Davis did not play in the second half because of a hip injury. And he’s listed as doubtful to play tonight. Team officials say X-rays on his injured hip were negative.

Conference USA has announced that it will hold its league baseball tournament in Biloxi, Mississippi from 2017 to 2019.

LRN PM Newscall November 11

We’re well into November but there are an unusual high number of mosquitoes seen buzzing around for this time of year. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (27)  “I’m Eric Gill”

================

LSP has arrested an on duty Shreveport firefighter after trying to meet up with a minor and her mother for sexual encounters with both. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 2 (31)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

===================

We’re well into November but, apparently, no one has told the mosquitoes. There are an unusual high number of mosquitoes seen buzzing around for this time of year. Colby Colona, President of the Louisiana Mosquito Control Association, says there is one big reason we’re seeing more of the pests and that’s weather…

CUT 3 (07)  “at this time” 

She says warm temperatures and heavy rain events can trigger dormant mosquito eggs to hatch and that’s what’s happened here over the past three weekends. Colona hopes temperatures will become more fall or winter like sooner than later…

CUT 4 (05)  “issue anymore”

She says once cooler temperatures arrive, mosquitoes will enter a dormant stage and their numbers will drastically drop. Colona says until colder weather arrives, you should take proper precautions to avoid mosquito bites…

CUT 5 (10)  “fitted clothing”

============================

The two candidates for governor touched on several key policy issues during last night’s debate hosted by Louisiana Public Broadcasting and the Council for a Better Louisiana. They each have vastly different views on the topic of education. Democrat John Bel Edwards says he’d support charter schools, but only if school districts felt they had a need for them…:

CUT 6 (10) “or not”

But Republican David Vitter, who supports charter schools without reservation, says limiting the opportunity to districts with low letter grades, would alienate thousands of students who happen to be in high a performing district…:

CUT 7 (10)  “charter schools”

The two are also split on the direction they believe healthcare should be headed in the state. Edwards says he would immediately expand the traditional Medicaid program as governor, and it should have already been done…:

CUT 8 (10)  “right versus wrong”

But Vitter says he would only consider Medicaid expansion on Louisiana’s terms. He says states who have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, like Kentucky, have seen health care costs skyrocket…:

CUT 9 (10)  “on that issue”

============================

Thunderstorm activity is expected across north Louisiana today and into tonight. Marty Mayeaux with the National Weather Service in Shreveport says a cold front is moving in bringing a chance of severe weather…

cut 10 (07)  “strong thunderstorms”

He says there is a chance of isolated tornados throughout the region today. Mayeaux says these storms could bring about an inch of rain to the area…

Cut 11 (05)  “prolonged precipitation”

He says the cold front will bring much cooler temperatures to the state over the next few days. Mayeaux says the severe weather threat will diminish as the system moves east…

cut 12 (10)  “New Orleans”

============================

A political analyst says there was no clear cut winner or loser in last night’s gubernatorial debate between Democrat John Bel Edwards and Republican David Vitter. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says each candidate held their own…

cut 13 (09)  “state’s voters”

The debate got heated and personal toward the end. Edwards called Vitter a liar and a cheater, while Vitter accused the West Point graduate of not living by the Honor Code. Hogan says you can expect this type of back and forth between the candidates to continue through election day…

cut 14 (09) “close election” 

============================

Louisiana State Police arrested a Shreveport firefighter after he allegedly facilitated a meeting online with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl and her mother to have a sexual encounter with both. Trooper Matt Harris says 35-year-old Brian Garza was on duty when he chatted with the girl and arranged to meet her at a location. Harris says when Garza showed up, Troopers were waiting to arrest him…

cut 15 (10)  “old girl”

Harris says Garza believed he was talking to a 13-year-old girl when it was actually an LSP agent on the other end. He says if Garza is convicted, he could be fined up to 75-thousand dollars and spend 70 years in prison.

cut 16 (06)  “a minor”