16:45 LRN Sportscast Oct 15

The Saints face their hated rival tonight, the Atlanta Falcons, in a Thursday night matchup inside the Mercedes Benz Superdome. Atlanta is favorite to win this game as they’ve been explosive on offense, while the Saints can’t stop opposing offenses. New Orleans running back CJ Spiller says Atlanta’s defense is also playing well under first-year head coach Dan Quinn…
cut 30 (14) “…division game”
And heading into tonight’s game, Ian Rapoport with the NFL Network is reporting Saints head coach Sean Payton is open to fielding offers from other teams. Rapoport says Payton will receive interest from multiple teams looking to make a coaching change and that includes Miami and the Dallas Cowboys. Payton has two years left on his contract and he denied speculation that he’s looking to leave New Orleans when he spoke with reporters on Monday.

Big time match-up in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night as sixth ranked LSU faces eighth ranked Florida. Can the Gators slow down Tigers running back Leonard Fournette, who has already rushed for over one-thousand yards this season. Last season, Fournette had 140 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Florida in the swamp.

Louisiana Tech takes on Mississippi State on Saturday at 11 AM in Starkville. State’s defensive coordinator is Manny Diaz, who was the defensive coordinator at Tech last season. Bulldogs head coach Skip Holtz says that does present some challenges…
cut 20 (20) “…normally be”
Mississippi State is a 13-point favorite on Saturday.

LRN sportscast 11:40 Oct 15

The Saints are 3.5 point underdogs at home tonight against Atlanta. The Falcons offense has been impressive, averaging 32 points a game. Quarterback Matt Ryan is third in the NFL in passing yards and second-year running back Devonta Freeman is the league’s second leading rusher and has also caught 24 passes out of the backfield. Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan says Freeman has looked impressive on the game film….
cut 17 (18) “….the defense”
Kick-off is at 7:25.

LSU Coach Les Miles says he expects senior defensive back Jalen Mills will play this Saturday against eighth ranked Florida. Mills has been sidelined since injuring his ankle on August 19th.

Lousiaina Tech visits Mississippi State on Saturday. Bulldogs coach Skip Holtz says State is playing well on offense and defense, but they may excel the most on special teams…
cut 19 (21) “….any time”
Kick-off is at 11 AM.

The preseason men’s basketball coaches poll is out and the LSU Tigers are ranked 19th. The Bayou Bengals have one of the top freshman in the country, Ben Simmons, who along with his teammates, worked out in front of about 40 NBA scouts earlier this week.

Meanwhile, CBS sports-dot-com says Grambling State is the worst basketball team in the country heading into the 2015-16 season.

17:30 LRN Newscast Oct 14

Authorities in north Louisiana are searching for an arsonist responsible for several fires. Emelie Gunn has more…
cut 1 (27) “….reporting”

We saw record high temperatures in north Louisiana today and more are expected tomorrow. Highs tomorrow in north Louisiana are expected to be in the mid 90s.

A new Orleans television station is reporting that two people were killed when a small merchant plane crashed at the Hammond airport this afternoon. A cause of the crash is not known.

The head of LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab says were seeing a lot more negative commercials for this governor’s race compared to 2003, which was the last compeitive race for governor we had in Lousiaina. Michael Henderson says we can expect to see more negative ads as we approach election day and head into a runoff…
` cut 11 (09) “….2000 to 2014”
The four main candidates for governor will be involved in a televised debate tomorrow night.

An Ascension Parish judge has decided that a 16-year-old accused of murder should be tried as an adult. Authorities say Jacob Westbrook stabbed 18-year-old Todd Toups, who went to a trailer home to give a girl a ride to the St. Amant homecoming dance. Legal analyst Tim Meche says it’s too early in the process to anticipate how this case will turn out…
cut 14 (04) “….make predictions’

16:45 LRN Sportscast Oct 14

The Saints take on their biggest rivals on Thursday as they host the Atlanta Falcons. First-year coach Dan Quinn has the Dirty Birds out to a 5-0 start. The Falcons had a losing record last year and Quarterback Drew Brees says their personnel is not much different from a year ago…
cut 19 (17) “…well right now”
Brees is seven and two against the Falcons in games played in the Superdome.

The LSU Tigers will face the Florida Gators on Saturday night. It’s not been a quite week in Gainesville. It all started with the one-year suspension for starting quarterback Will Grier for taking a banned over-the-counter supplement. Now a freshman defensive back, Deiondre Porter, has been suspended indefinitedly for allegedly firing a gun in the direction of his pregnant girlfriend.

LSU Coach Les Miles says fullback JD Moore will not play against eighth ranked Florida. Moore went down with a knee injury last Saturday against South Carolina. Miles says it would be great if Moore can return for the Western Kentucky game on October 24th.

Louisiana Tech continues preparations for its trip to Mississippi State by piping in the sound of cow bells ringing while they practice. Mississippi State has won eight of the eleven match-ups between the two schools and kick-off on Saturday is at 11 AM.

In the Southland Conference this weekend…Nicholls State seeks its first win of the year as they Houston Baptist. McNeese State looks to stay undefeated as they visit Central Arkansas. Northwestern State is coming off a bye week and they’ll host Lamar, while Southeastern Louisiana takes on Stephen F Austin in Hammond. Lions leading receiver Jeff Smiley is out for the year with a torn ACL.

In the SWAC this weekend….It’s homecoming for Southern as they take on Prairie View, while Grambling travels to Alcorn State in a matchup of two teams undefeated in league play.

LRN Sportscast 11:40 October 14

For the fourth consecutive week, LSU will face a back-up quarterback. Florida will start Treon Harris under center, because Will Grier has been suspended for one year for taking a banned over the counter supplement. LSU defensive tackle Christian Lacouture gives this scouting report on Harris…
cut 17 (14) “…do your job”
And Florida has suspended freshman defensive back Deiondre Porter after he was arrested on aggravated assault charges. Porter is one of Florida’s best players on special teams.

And LSU Coach Les Miles confirmed starting fullback JD Moore will miss this game and the next, because of a knee injury sustained in the South Carolina game.

And Southeastern Louisiana leading receiver Jeff Smiley will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL.

The Saints are 1-and-4 and in last place in the NFC South heading into Thursday night’s match-up with the undefeated Atlanta Falcons. Quarterback Drew Brees always has a positive take on things, but admits the losing is eating at him inside…
cut 18 (11) “something positive”
Tomorrow night’s game will kickoff at 7:25 and can be seen on CBS and the NFL Network. And Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones is not sure if he’ll be able to play. Jones is dealing with a hamstring injury that he suffered in the win over the Redskins.

Louisiana Tech continues preparations for its trip to Mississippi State by piping in the sound of cow bells ringing while they practice. Mississippi State has won eight of the eleven match-ups between the two schools and kick-off on Saturday is at 11 AM.

LRN Sportscast 16:45 October 13

The hype around LSU running back Leonard Fournette continues to get bigger. He’s on the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated. LSU sports information director Michael Bonnette says Fournette joins a list of great Tigers who have been featured on the front of the popular sports magazine….
cut 11 (11) “…not very many”
While Fournette is making the offense go, something needs to be done about the Tigers special teams. This past week they gave up a 96-yard kick off return for a touchdown. The kicking game has also been flagged on numerous occasions. Coach Les Miles says they’re looking at making personnel changes, but it also comes down to the players executing…
cut 19 (15) “…correct it”
LSU hosts Florida in a top ten matchup this Saturday night.

The Saints only have a couple more days to prepare before they play their big division rival Atlanta. New Orleans will host the Falcons on Thursday night. Coach Sean Payton on what he’s seen on tape from Atlanta, who is undefeated on the season…
cut 30 (11) “…football well”
Kick-off is at 7:30 on Thursday.

In NBA preseason action…the Pelicans beat the Chicago Bulls 123 to 115 last night. Anthony Davis, playing in his hometown of Chicago, had 26 points on 10 of 16 shooting. Sean Kilpatrick added 23. New Orleans continues its preseason schedule on Saturday against Sacramento in Lexington, Kentucky.

In high school football….Notre Dame of Crowley is the newly ranked number one team in Class Two-A. Many, Ouachita Christian, Riverside and Calvary Baptist round out the top five in Two-A.

LRN PM Newscall October 13

The Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a mother and daughter accused of neglecting more than 40 animals at their home in Bogalusa. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (28)  “I’m Eric Gill”

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

LSU star running back Leonard Fournette is on the cover of this week’s national Sports Illustrated magazine. Jeff Palermo reports…:

CUT 2 (30)  “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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

The Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a mother and daughter accused of neglecting more than 40 animals at their home in Bogalusa. Terri Turner and Frannie Fisher are charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty. Humane Society of Louisiana Director Jeff Dorson says the Sheriff’s Office was aware of the poor condition of the animals…

CUT 3 (08)  “to the authorities”

He says authorities advised the accused on numerous occasions to take better care of the animals and the women refused to do so. The Humane Society was able to remove more than 20 dogs, 20 cats, a duck, and a rabbit from the property. Dorson says since Washington Parish does not have an animal control department, care for all these animals falls on the Humane Society…

CUT 4 (09)  “off the top”

He says all the animals are in need of veterinary care. The Humane Society is seeking donations from the public to help with those costs. Dorson says they plan to go to court and present evidence against Turner and Fisher of long-term, chronic neglect for all of these animals…

CUT 5 (06) “everything shows”

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

Through two days of early voting, the Secretary of State’s office reports just over 60-thousand ballots have been casted. That’s seven-thousand fewer voters than during the same period last year for the Congressional election. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says he’s anticipating an overall turnout below 50-percent for the October 24th primary

CUT 6 (09) “hold true” 

Schedler says early voting totals may pick up later in the week, because there’s still a large contingent of voters who remain undecided on the key races…

CUT 7 (07)  “statewide elections”

East Baton Rouge Parish has the most early votes after two days, as 41-hundred ballots have been casted. Jefferson Parish is next at 34-hundred and Schedler says so far more women have taken advantage of early voting than men

CUT 8 (10)  “51-hundred”

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LSU star running back Leonard Fournette is on the cover of this week’s national Sports Illustrated magazine. The No. 6 Tigers remain undefeated on the year thanks to help from the sophomore who has averaged more than 200 yards per game and scored 12 touchdowns. LSU Sports Information Director Michael Bonnette says Fournette is also a great guy and teammate off the field…:

CUT 9 (05)  “he enjoys it”

Bonnette says it’s only October and there’s a lot of ball left to play, so one of the things they are focusing on is keeping Fournette in check. He says Coach Les Miles has asked team leaders to keep in mind that Leonard is at LSU to go to school and play football and doesn’t want too much on his plate…:

cut 10 (10)  “one of these”

A quote on the SI cover from Fournette says “In that ball, the whole of Louisiana is in your hands.” Bonnette says being on the cover of Sports Illustrated is a huge honor for Leonard and for LSU…:

Cut 11 (11)  “not very many”

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

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has launched a statewide campaign to educate Louisiana patients and families on how to use available health information technology. DHH Secretary Kathy Kliebert says the campaign is called “Your Health in Your Hands”…

cut 12 (08)  “health care cost”

She says the goal of the campaign is to help families use health IT tools to improve their health and health care decision making. A main component is its website, makemyhealth-dot-me. Kliebert says the site contains resources and information designed to help Louisianians become more engaged in their health care…

cut 13 (11)  “healthier outcomes”

The website also contains information about how to request copies of medical records and how to use those to improve your health. Kliebert says Louisiana is the first state in the country to have a consumer engagement tool like this…

cut 14 (08)  “health care options”

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

11:40 LRN Sportscast Oct 13

It turns out that Steve Spurrier has coached his last game and it came against LSU last Saturday in Tiger Stadium. Spurrier told his players that he’s resigning immediately. South Carolina lost to LSU last week 45-24, which was the fourth consecutive loss in league play for the Gamecocks. Spurrier won six SEC titles during his 23 combined seasons at South Carolina and Florida.

Meanwhile, the LSU Tigers are getting ready for a top ten matchup against Spurrier’s old team. The Gators have allowed just 13 points in their last two SEC games and they are one of the best teams at defending the run. Coach Les Miles is interested to see if LSU can have success running the football against the Gators…
cut 18 (13) “…a war”
Kick-off on Saturday night is at six PM.

Tuesday is usually a day off for the Saints, but they’ll practice today, because they host the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. New Orleans has plenty of players on the injury list, including wide receiver Marques Colston, who reportedly has a separated shoulder. Left guard Tim Lelito, left tackle Terron Armstead and punter Thomas Morstead are also not expected to play against the Falcons.

And the LSU Tigers have picked up a verbal commitment from an in-state linebacker. His name is Michael Divinity and he stars at John Ehret High School.

Louisiana Tech takes a three-game winning streak to Starkville where they’ll play Mississippi State at 11 AM. Tech’s defense is trying to stop giving up the big play. They allowed two long touchdown passes in last Saturday’s win against Texas San Antonio, including a 57-yarder that tied the game.

In NBA preseason action, the Pelicans came from 20 points down to beat the Chicago Bulls 123-115.

LRN AM Newscall Oct 13

The game this Saturday night in Tiger Stadium between No. 6 LSU and No. 8 Florida is one of the most anticipated matchups of the week. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

______________________________________

 The US Supreme Court will hear a case from an Angola inmate who was convicted of the murder of a police officer in 1963 when he was 17-years-old. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (25) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

______________________________________

 The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com endorses Republican David Vitter for governor. Jeff Palermo looks at what this means for Vitter’s campaign…

Cut 3 (27) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

______________________________________

The game this Saturday night in Tiger Stadium between No. 6 LSU and No. 8 Florida is one of the most anticipated matchups of the week. Cameron Papp with StubHub says this is the best selling LSU game of the season on their online ticket marketplace…:

cut 4  (08)  “upper level seat”

The game in Death Valley kicks off at 6pm and will be televised on ESPN. Papp says the average ticket price for the LSU/Florida game in Baton Rouge is about $220. He says tickets aren’t impossible to find, but you’ll have to dig deep in your wallet if you want a good seat..:

Cut 5  (08)  “lower level seat”

Things got more interesting Monday after it was announced that starting Gator QB Will Grier is suspended indefinitely for failing a drug test when a banned over the counter substance was discovered in his system. Papp says it’s definitely a big year for LSU, but they always see a lot of demand for the Tigers anyway…:

Cut 6 (08)  “home games”

______________________________________

The four candidates running for Lt. Governor discussed how they would improve the film industry in the state at a forum hosted by the Baton Rouge Press Club. Republican Billy Nungesser says when many people see movies filmed in Louisiana, they’re drawn to visit so we need to make changes to the current film tax credit incentive program to keep filmmakers coming to the state.

CUT 7 (10)  “our buck”

Republican John Young says before this most recent legislative session, Louisiana was number one in the world for film production. He says people from all over the country travel to the state to visit the Duck Commander Warehouse in West Monroe and the Swamp People in Pierre Part.

Cut 8  (07)  “from scratch”

Democrat Kip Holden says it’s time to close the loopholes in the film tax credit incentive program that could lead to fraud and wasteful spending.

Cut 9 (09) “criminal penalties” 

Republican Elbert Guillory says we shot ourselves in the foot when we made the changes to the film tax credits and we need to cap each movie rather than capping the entire industry. He says every movie filmed here projects Louisiana.

Cut 10 (10) “tax credit”

___________________________________________

The US Supreme Court will hear arguments today from the lawyers of an Angola inmate who is serving a life sentence for murdering a sheriff’s deputy as a teenager in 1963. In 2012, the US Supreme Court banned automatic life sentences for teens. Legal analyst Tim Meche says Louisiana prisoner Henry Montgomery wants the Supreme Court to make that ruling retroactive, so he has a chance at parole.

cut 11 (11) “the category”

 When Montgomery was 17-years-old, he shot Deputy Charles Hurt to death while playing hooky from school. Meche says Montgomery has a solid argument to make and a number of Justices on the court will be sympathetic of him.

Cut 12 (09) “retroactive”

Meche says we should know the Supreme Court’s decision by the end of the year. He says if the nation’s highest court rules in favor of Montgomery, hundreds of inmates sentenced to life for murder for a crime they committed as teenager will seek an opportunity at parole as well….

(The state department of corrections estimates there are about 300 inmates who were sentenced to life for crimes they committed as teenagers.)

Cut 13 (10)  “for relief”

______________________________________

he Times-Picayune and NOLA.dot com endores Republican David Vitter for governor. NOLA’s editorial staff  says Vitter is committed, a resolute chief executive that has a desire to govern and lead on many fronts. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says this is a big deal for Vitter’s campaign, who is  facing attacks from the three other candidates and supporting groups…

Cut 14 (10) “David Vitter”

Pinsonat says newspaper endorsements don’t guarantee victory on election day, but it’s definitely a boost for a candidate that has endured many personal attacks…

Cut 15  (08)  “for Vitter”

Republicans Scott Angelle and Jay Dardenne have brought up Vitter’s past and his involvement in a prostitution scandal. Democrat John Bel Edwards has also questioned whether Vitter is the right leader for Louisiana. Pinsonat says an endorsement from a credible newspaper is a big boost for the Senator’s campaign…

Cut 16  (08)  “for him”

_________________________________

There will be a lot of hype leading up to Saturday night’s showdown in Tiger Stadium between sixth ranked LSU and eighth ranked Florida. Players from the two teams were in a twitter war over the summer, over which school can lay claim to D-B-U, which stands for defensive back university. Coach Les Miles doesn’t want see trash talking from his team leading up to Saturday’s game…

Cut 17 (13) “recognize that” 

Both teams are undefeated heading into Saturday’s contest. The Gators have allowed just 13 points in their last two SEC games and they are one of the best teams at defending the run. Miles is interested to see if LSU can have success running the football against the Gators…

Cut 18 (13) “a war”

An achilles heel for LSU has been special teams. This past week they gave up a 96-yard kick off return for a touchdown. Their kicking game has also been flagged on numerous occasions. Miles says they are looking at making personnel changes and kicking the ball in different spots, but in the end it comes down to the players

Cut 19 (15) “correct it”

16:45 LRN Sportscast Oct 12

LSU will not face the man who has been Florida’s starting quarterback the last several weeks. The Gators announced that Will Grier has been suspended for the season by the NCAA for taking a banned over-the-counter supplement. Florida will appeal the suspension, but a reversal of this suspension is not expected before Saturday. That means sophomore Treon Harris will start on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium against LSU.

The SEC announced today that LSU’s Ethan Pocic is the league’s offensive lineman of the week. He had 17 knockdown blocks in the Tigers win over South Carolina. And LSU running back Derius Guice was named the SEC Freshman of the Week after rushing for 161 yards. Coach Les Miles on Guice…
cut 18 (13) “…efficient”
Kick-off this Saturday at Florida is at 6 PM.

It’s been reported that Saints wide receiver Marques Colston separated his shoulder in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and the shoulder may have also suffered structural damage. Colston was seen after the game with his arm in a sling. The 32-year-old has 18 receptions this year for 200 yards.

There’s also been reports that a couple of other NFL teams will try to lure Saints head coach Sean Payton out of New Orleans after the season. Payton told reporters that he sees himself in the Big Easy

In college football…UL Lafayette opened up Sun Belt play with a 49-27 win over Texas State on Saturday night. But we learned the next day that the NCAA is looking into alleged recruiting violations that took place at the school in 2011. UL Lafayette admits some wrong doing and has vacated all of its victories from that year, including the win over San Diego State in the New Orleans Bowl.

In major league baseball…the Houston Astros blew a four-run lead in the eighth inning and lost to Kansas City today 9-6 to force a deciding Game Five on Wednesday night.