13:30 LRN Newscast August 23rd

Louisiana Radio Network…
cut 30 (06) “…loved ones”
That’s President Barack Obama, speaking from a subdivision in Zachary where homes were flooded and damaged personal belongings are sitting on the curb waiting to be thrown out. The President says the federal government will do what it can to help flood victims get back on their feet.

Former Governor Kathleen Blanco understands what state and local officials are dealing with as the recovery has begun from the devastating flood that inundated thousands of homes without flood insurance. She says similar to Hurricane Katrina, we are once again dealing with a serious housing dilemma….
cut 9 (09) “…occurs”
Blanco says this will not be an overnight recovery and rebuilding will cost billions of dollars.

Film workers, who are currently unemployed, are hoping companies will hire them to help in the recovery efforts. President of Film Production Capital, Will French, says unless these people get work, they could leave the state to work on film projects in Georgia or California….
cut 4 (12) “…local victims”
Film workers looking for work or employers looking to hire should email film-dot-helping-dot-l-a-at-gmail.com.

Three tropical systems in the Atlantic have the attention of the National Hurricane Center. State Climatologist Barry Keim says it’s not a surprise the Atlantic is heating up with tropical activity as we are in the peak of the hurricane season. And conditions are right for storms to develop…
cut 14 (07) “south Louisiana”
Keim says a system called Invest 99 has the potential of getting into the Gulf.

12:30 LRN Newscast August 23rd

President Obama is currently getting a chance to see the flood damage first-hand. Republican Congressman Garret Graves hopes the President will see the state needs additional federal assistance than what FEMA currently provides…
cut 13 (08) “…this size”

Meanwhile, film industry professionals are ready to be hired and assist in the recovery efforts…
voicer 1 (29) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

The CEO of GoFundMe Rob Solomon says over six-million dollars has been raised for over five-thousand GOFundMe campaigns that were created to aid flood victims. There’s been talk that donations are down for this disaster, because of the lack of national media attention, but Solomon says that’s NOT the case on their website…
cut 7 (10) “…overhwelming”
Solomon says First Lady Donna Edwards has partnered with the Louisiana School Board Association on Go Fund Me to raise money for schools that lost supplies, had damage to their buildings and clean-up costs.

Over 115-thousand individuals have signed up for federal disaster assistance.

11:40 LRN Sportscast August 23rd

The Saints have several veteran safeties that will be asked to play key roles this season and that includes Roman Harper, Kenny Vaccaro and Jairus Byrd. But Coach Sean Payton says rookie defensive back Vonn Bell is also pushing for lots of playing time this season…
cut 30 (16) “…opened some eyes”
Bell had seven tackles, a sack and a tackle for a loss in last Saturday’s preseason game against Houston. New Orleans next preseason game is Friday at home against Pittsburgh.

Recently released Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis is reportedly visiting with the Pittsburgh Steelers today. Lewis’ first four seasons in the NFL were in Pittsburgh.

In the NBA, the Pelicans say they will hold training camp this year at their practice facility in Metairie, instead of the Greenbrier at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

LSU is eleven days away from kick-off against the Wisconsin Badgers to begin the 2016 season and there’s quite a battle to see who will start at nose guard in defensive coordinator Dave Aranda’s three-four scheme. Greg Gilmore came into the season as a possible starter, but 350-pound Travonte Valentine has shown up and is eligible to play this season. Gilmore is impressed with what Valentine can do on the football field…
cut 29 (16) “…unstoppable”
LSU offensive lineman George Brown Junior is on the move as he’s reportedly transferring to another school.

A truck from South Alabama University filled with donations for hurricane victims arrived in Lafayette today. Former LSU baseball player Mikie Mahtook’s foundation will donate five-thousand dollars to help flood victims.

10:30 LRN Newscast August 23rd

President Barack Obama is on his way to Louisiana today to see the devastation from the flood first hand. UL-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross says from a political standpoint, it would have been better if the President had come sooner…
cut 7 (09) “…do anything”
Cross says right now the real question is if Congress will give Louisiana more federal support and the President will play a critical role in that decision.

LSU AgCenter economist Kurt Guidry says the flooding has resulted in a 110-million loss to the state’s ag industry. Soybeans and rice are the two crops hit the hardest and Guidry says hundreds of cattle were lost…
cut 6 (07) “…latest event”
The AgCenter will update the damage assessment in a few weeks, but they don’t expect it to come close to the damages from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which were around one billion dollars.

Louisiana’s Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says about 80-percent of the flood victims in the 20 affected parishes did not have flood insurance. Republican Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says they are working on legislation that could provide government aid for homeowners who lost everything…
cut 14 (08) “….core needs”
Graves admits they could get push back from federal lawmakers, because three members of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation voted against a Hurricane Sandy relief package.

The Humane Society of Louisiana is partnering with animal shelters around the country to help rescue and find homes for animals left behind when the flood waters rose. HSL executive director Jeff Dorson says people can find out more and make monetary donations at Humane-la-dot-org…
cut 12 (10) “…help everybody”

09:30 LRN Newscast August 23rd

President Barack Obama is scheduled to arrive in Baton Rouge later this morning as he’ll get his first look at the devastating flood damage in south Louisiana. Mr. Obama was criticized for not ending his vacation last week and coming sooner. UL Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says there are flood victims who are glad the President is here, while others will not be as thrilled…
cut 9 (12) “…Mr. President”
Baton Rouge Republican Congressman Garret Graves says once Congress returns to Washington DC next month, first order of business is to address the unmet needs of the property owners whose homes were flooded and didn’t have flood insurance….
cut 13 (08) “….this size”
Graves is hopeful the President can convince Congress that a significant financial aid package is needed.

The historic flooding in south Louisiana will cost the state’s agirculture industry at least 110 million dollars. That’s according to LSU Ag Center economist Kurt Guidry…
cut 4 (12) “…sweet potatoes”
The AgCenter is still trying to determine livestock deaths, Guidry says it’s likely in the hundreds.

The Humane Society of Louisiana is still working to rescue animals that were lost in the flood and reunite them with their owners. Halen Doughty has more…
voicer 1 (30) “….I’m Halen Doughty

08:30 LRN Newscast August 23rd

President Barack Obama will arrive later this morning to assess the damage left behind by a historic flood that killed 13 and left thousands of individuals displaced. UL Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says the best thing that could come out of this visit is for Mr. Obama to convince Congress to help flood victims get back on their feet…
cut 8 (10) “….that regard”
Over 106-thousand people have registered for federal disaster aid.

LSU Ag Center economist Kurt Guidry says the flood damage has resulted in a 110-million dollar economic loss to the state’s ag industry. Guidry says that number will likely go up…
cut 5 (09) “…this damage”
Soybeans and rice were two hardest hit crops.

GOP Congressman Garret Graves says the first order of business when Congress returns next month is to meet the unmet needs of flood victims. Emelie Gunn has more…
voicer 3 (25) “…I’m Emelie Gunn”

The Humane Society of Louisiana has a very active operation in Livingston Parish as they continue to find abandoned animals. H-S-L executive director Jeff Dorson says they’re doing everything they can to reunite pets with their owners…
cut 11 (08) “…their animal”
Dorson says they are looking for people who want to volunteer or shelter animals. For more information go to humane-la-dot-org.

07:30 LRN Newscast August 23rd

President Barack Obama visits south Louisiana today to see the damage from the Great Flood of 2016. Don Molino has more…
voicer 2 (28) “…I’m Don Molino”

LSU AgCenter economist Kurt Guidry says the flooding has resulted in a 110-million loss to the state’s ag industry. Soybeans and rice are the two crops hit the hardest and Guidry says hundreds of cattle were lost…
cut 6 (07) “…latest event”

Louisiana’s Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says about 80-percent of the flood victims in the 20 affected parishes did not have flood insurance. Republican Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says they are working on legislation that could provide government aid for homeowners who lost everything…
cut 14 (08) “….core needs”
Graves admits they could get push back from other members of Congress, because three members of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation did not vote for the Hurricane Sandy relief package.

The Humane Society of Louisiana is partnering with animal shelters around the country to help rescue and find homes for pets left behind when the flood waters rose. H-S-L Executive Director, Jeff Dorson, says they are still doing animal rescues in Livingston parish….
cut 10 (09) “….and recover”
Nearly 60 animals rescued from the Baton Rouge area were taken to a shelter in Virginia.

06:45 LRN Sportscast August 23rd

After Saturday night’s loss to Houston in preseason action, Saints Coach Sean Payton expressed his displeasure with the team’s performance, especially on the offensive side of the ball. After looking at the tape, Payton says there were some bright spots….
cut 30 (30) “…quickness”
Payton believes he’ll get better play from the offensive line. He says part of the problem has been shuffling second year pro Andrus Peat between guard and tackle. He says hopefully Peat can settle in, now that tackle Terron Armstead is back healthy.

LSU has confirmed that top rated junior college defensive tackle Travonte Valentine is eligible to play this season. The 350-pounder had to pass a summer intersession class in order to play in 2016. Valentine’s addition to the roster, means quite a battle for playing time at nose tackle in Dave Aranda’s three-four defense. Greg Gilmore is competing with Valentine for that starting spot and he’s been impressed with Valentine’s ability…
cut 29 (22) “….learn from him too”
While LSU has added a defensive lineman to the roster, they’ve lost an offensive lineman. 2015 signee George Brown Junior is reportedly transferring.

06:30 LRN Newscast August 23rd

President Barack Obama visits Louisiana today to see the devastation from the flood first hand. UL-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross says from a political standpoint, it would have been better if the President had come sooner…
cut 7 (09) “…do anything”
Republican Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says he plans to speak to the President today about financial aid for flood victims, local businesses, schools and funding for flood protection for that area…
cut 15 (05) “….watershed”
FEMA deputy associate administrator for insurance, Roy Wright, says over 25-thousand claims have been filed with the National Flood Insurance Program and 15-million dollars in advance payments have already been sent out to flooded homeowners.

The Humane Society of Louisiana is still working to rescue animals that were lost in the flood and reunite them with their owners. Halen Doughty has more…
voicer 1 (30) “….I’m Halen Doughty

According to the LSU Ag Center, the flood damage will cost the state’s agricultural industry at least 110-million dollars.

16:45 LRN Sportscast August 22nd

The Saints are back at their training facility in Metairie as training camp continues for the Black and Gold. Veteran cornerback Keenan Lewis is no longer with the team. He’s been released, after knee and hip injuries led to the New Orleans native appearing in just six games last season. Coach Sean Payton says the decision to cut Lewis is based on the fact he couldn’t get on the field…
cut 19 (13) “…wish him well”
Lewis told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he and new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen didn’t get along from day one.

LSU is ranked fifth in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. It’s the Tigers highest ranking since 2012. The Tigers practice this afternoon. Running back Leonard Fournette did not participate in a scrimmage on Saturday, because of his sprained ankle. But Coach Les Miles back-up running backs Derrius Guice and Darrel Williams looked good.

Louisiana Tech football coach Skip Holtz still has not made a decision on who will start at quarterback for the Bulldogs when they begin the season on September 3rd at Arkansas. Tech held a scrimmage last Saturday and Holtz wasn’t very happy with his receivers…
cut 30 (16) “…we had”

McNeese State football coach Lance Guidry tells Chandler Rome with the American Press that he plans to name a starting quarterback on Wednesday. But Guidry plans to play two in the season opener against Tarleton State. Also, former St. Thomas More kicker Gunnar Raborn is transferring from Alabama to McNeese State.

The Summer Olympics are done. LSU athletics director Joe Alleva says four current and former Tigers earned medals. Former Lady Tigers Seimone Augusuts and Sylvia Fowles won gold medals for the US women’s basketball team.