Author Archives: Jeff Palermo

09.09.15
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LRN Newscast 17:30 September 9

There’s a new poll on the governor’s race which doesn’t reveal many surprises. The Triumph Campaigns survey shows Democrat John Bel Edwards and Republican David Vitter in a statistical tie at 31-percent. Pollster Justin Brasell says they’re both getting strong support from voters in their parties…:
CUT 4 (07) “Democrat voters”
The survey has Republican Scott Angelle polling at 14 percent and Republican Jay Dardenne at 13 percent.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is calling one of their agents a hero for rescuing eight individuals who were stranded in the Gulf of Mexico. L-D-W-F spokesperson Adam Einck says Sergeant Nicholas Guillory came across a total of three boats in trouble and he was able to get all occupants to safety…
cut 14 (10) “…as well”
A storm that contained high seas and lots of wind led to the boats taking in water and the occupants needing help.

AT-and-T announces plans to bring high speed internet to nearly 75-thousand rural homes and businesses in Louisiana. Director of external and regulatory affairs Rick Demint says they are receiving nearly 28-million dollars annually over the next six years from the federal government to help get this done….
cut 8 (08) “…in need”
In these new deployment areas, A-T-&-T will deliver broadband at speeds of at least ten megabits per second.

The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s office has arrested an 11-year-old student from Cecilla Junior High School for allegedly calling in a bomb threat that led to his school shutting down for the day. The incident happened yesterday at Cecilla Junior High. The sheriff’s office says the suspected prankster was released to the custody of his parents.

And BESE president Chas Roemer has announced he will not seek a third-term as a member of the state’s top school board.

09.09.15
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LRN Sportscast 16:45 Sept 9

Saints Coach Sean Payton was not pleased that his quarterback, Drew Brees, went on the Bear Grylls show on NBC and wrestled a crocodile. Payton was asked about Brees appearance on the show, which aired on Monday night. The coach says he was caught off guard…
cut 9 (08) “….pretty unbelievable”
Payton says the answer will be no if his star quarterback asks to go on this show or a similiar show again.

In other news…Saints safety Jairus Byrd will not play in Sunday’s season opener against Arizona. Byrd has reportedly been dealing with swelling in his knee that kept him from playing most of last season. But ESPN’s Ed Werder reports that Byrd should return to the lineup in either week two or three.

A New Orleans police department report says defensive end Cam Jordan is accussed of accosting a man and spraying champagne on a man and his girlfriend inside a nightclub early Sunday morning. But no charges have been filed.

LSU continues preparations for Saturday’s game against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs beat the Tigers 34-29 last season as State quarterback Dak Prescott rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown and threw for 268 yards and two more scores. Coach Les Miles on what LSU needs to do this Saturday to defend Dak…
cut 17 (14) “…tackle him”
Kick-off is at 8:15.

Louisiana Tech faces Western Kentucky tomorrow in the Conference USA opener. The Hilltoppers were picked by the media to win the East Division, while the Bulldogs are the favorites to win the West division. Tech crushed Western Kentucky 59 to 10 last season, but the Hilltoppers have won six consecutive games since that contest. Kick-off is at 7 PM.

09.09.15
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LRN PM Newscall September 9

The latest Triumph Campaigns poll doesn’t show a lot of change in the governor’s race. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (30)  “I’m Eric Gill”

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AT&T has plans to bring widespread internet access to remote areas in Louisiana. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 2 (31)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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The latest Triumph Campaigns poll on the governor’s race shows that voter’s preference has not changed much. The survey shows Democrat John Bel Edwards, with 31.4-percent, and Republican David Vitter, with 30.6-percent, in a statistical tie for the lead. Pollster Justin Brasell says the two front runners are beginning to solidify key voting blocks…

CUT 3 (12)  “everybody else”

The two other Republicans are running a distant third and fourth with Scott Angelle polling at 14-percent and Jay Dardenne at 13-percent. Brasell says Vitter and Edwards are receiving a lot of support from their respective parties…

CUT 4 (07)  “Democrat voters”

The survey shows only 11-percent of voters remain undecided. Brasell says even though the election is a little more than six weeks away, there’s still time for Angelle and Dardenne to make an impact…

CUT 5 (08) “really resonating”

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AT&T announces plans to provide internet access to almost 75-thousand rural Louisiana businesses and homes over the next six years.  Director of External and Regulatory Affairs Rick Demint says they will receive almost 28 million dollars from the federal government, plus AT&T will also supply financial resources expand broadband to rural areas.

CUT 6 (10) “rural areas”

Demint says AT&T has decided to participate in the federal government’s program so they can fill in the blanks in terms of areas where services aren’t currently available. He says this is a very important opportunity for those living in areas without access to internet.

CUT 7 (09)  “to do it”

Demint says it will take time before they can bring high speed internet services to rural areas that currently do not have it but with this help from the federal government they can get it done.

CUT 8 (08)  “in need” 

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Monday night, nearly three million people watched the telecast of NBC’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls that featured New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. One person who was surprised by the episode was Saints head coach Sean Payton. Payton says the show was a lot different than what was described to him…

CUT 9 (08)  “pretty unbelievable”

As part of the episode, Brees, with the help of Grylls, jumped on the back of a live crocodile and stabbed it. Payton says he thought Brees was going to some sort of “Sea World” type atmosphere and not the Panama wilderness…

cut 10 (05)  “news to me”

Payton says he’s sure precautions were in place in case something went wrong with Brees on the set. If you’re wondering if Payton would let his star quarterback do something like this again…

Cut 11 (05)  “no” 3X

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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says one of their agents rescued 8 people from the Gulf of Mexico in Vermilion Parish. Adam Einck says, on September 6th near the point where Rollover Bayou meets the Gulf, a huge storm came up out of nowhere producing a lot of wind, rain and high seas…:

cut 12 (11)  “vessels as well”

Einck says Sgt. Nicholas Guillory got a call about a vessel which began taking on water near Pecan Island. He says the agent then made his way out there as quickly as possible in conditions that were extremely hard to navigate because of the storm…:

cut 13 (08)  “into his vessel”

Einck says on Guillory’s way back to the original distress call, he came across a total of three boats that were in trouble and was able to get all occupants to safety and also tow the vessels. He says for one man to do all of this in one day is really incredible…:

cut 14 (10)  “as well”

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09.09.15
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11:40 LRN Sportscast

Saints Coach Sean Payton is not happy with his quarterback after watching Monday night’s telecast of NBC’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls. In the episode, Drew Brees jumped on a live crocdile and stabbed it, plus he also rappelled a long way down into a cave. Payton says he thought Brees was going to be in some sort of “Sea World” type amtopshere and not the Panama wilderness…
cut 10 (05) “…news to me”
When asked if he would let Brees take part in a similar thing again, Payton said no, no, no.

In other Saints news…there’s a report that safety Jairus Byrd will resume practice this week and return by week three. Also running back CJ Spiller will reportedly not play in this Sunday’s season opener against Arizona.

In major league baseball action last night, former LSU pitcher Aaron Nola tossed seven strong innings in the Phillies five to nothing win over the Braves. Nola struck out a career-high seven and as he improved his record to six and two.

Sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris missed out on some valuable reps in a game atmosphere, because of Saturday night’s cancellation with McNeese State. So Harris will now get ready for his second road start of his career this Saturday against Mississippi State. It didn’t go very well for him at Auburn last year, but Harris says he’s more prepared this time around and the game comes easier to him…
cut 18 (14) “….do more things”
Kick-off on Saturday is at 8:15.

UL Lafayette football coach Mark Hudspeth is keeping it a secret again on who will start at quarterback this Saturday against Northwestern State. Brooks Haack started against Kentucky, but it was Jalen Nixon who led the Cajuns on a furious rally to that resulted in UL Lafayette tying the game at 33 after trailing by 23 points.

09.09.15
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10:30 LRN Newscast September 9

50 years ago today, Hurricane Betsy made landfall in southeast Louisiana. It was one of the most destructive hurricanes in the state history, killing 75 people and causing over one billion dollars worth of damage. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the storm flooded areas of New Orleans and then made its way up towards the capital city….
cut 6 (12) “…miles an hour”
Betsy’s strongest wind gust was 145-miles per hour when it made landfall, that’s stronger than what Hurricane Katrina brought to Louisiana.

Louisiana National Guard Staff Sergeant Thomas Florich has been laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. If you recall, the Army initially denied Florich’s family’s request to be buried at Arlington. Florich was one of eleven people who died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash near Pensacola last March. The Army originally refused the request, because Florich was not technically on active duty at the time of the accident.

Governor Jindal could be gaining support in Iowa. An NBC/Marist Poll shows the governor with four percent of the vote, while a Gravis Poll has Jindal at 5 percent. Gravis Marketing President Doug Kaplan says there is time for Jindal or another candidate to catch up with the frontrunners..
cut 11 (09) “anyone’s guess”
Kaplan says Jindal isn’t doing well in the national polls but those don’t really matter at this point in the race.

LSU announces its refund plan for those who had tickets to the cancelled McNeese State game. Emelie Gunn has the story…
voicer 5 (25) “…I’m Emelie Gunn”

09.08.15
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17:30 LRN Newscast Sept 8

First day of qualiying for the statewide elections this fall is over. Six people have qualified to be the state’s next governor, including the current Lt. Governor, Jay Dardenne…
cut 9 (09) “…in the state”
There are currently four republicans in the race and two democrats, Cary Deaton, who ran in 2011 and state representative John Bel Edwards, who is not discouraged by the results of last year’s Senate race, which saw three-term democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu lose…
cut 8 (07) “…those lines”
Qualifying concludes on Thursday afternoon.

LSU has released its plans for refunding those who had tickets for Saturday’s cancelled McNese State football game. If you purchased the tickets through LSU with a credit card, you will automatically be issued a refund on credit card account by September 30th.

Two republicans have filed paperwork to challenge curent attorney general Buddy Caldwell, who is also a republican. Marty Maley and Jeff Landry both say a change is needed. Landry is a former Congressman. He says he’ll bring honesty and integrity to the A-G’s office…
cut 12 (12) “…they deserve”
Caldwell is seeking a third term as attorney general.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand announced the arrest of two individuals who fired shots at deputies who were on patrol last week in Marrero. Normand says neither man is showing any remorse about the shooting…
cut 15 (09) “…it’s over”
Both men face 20 to 50 years in prison if convicted. No officers were injured in the shooting.

09.08.15
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LRN Sportscast 16:45 September 8

After a long and disappointing Saturday night that resulted in the cancellation of the McNeese State game, the LSU football team is now looking forward to its next opportunity to play a game and that’s this Saturday at Mississippi State. Coach Les Miles on the Bulldogs, who beat Southern Miss to start the season…
cut 30 (20) “…real accomplishment”
Mississippi State is ranked 25th in the latest AP poll that came out today, while LSU is ranked 14th. Ohio State is number one and Alabama is number two.

Louisiana Tech quarterback Jeff Driskel is the Louisiana Sports Writers Association offensive player of the week. Driskel threw four touchdown passes and for 274 yards in a blowout win over Southern.

The Saints are off today, but they are still looking at making some adjustments to their 53-man roster. The Black and Gold reportedly brought in a couple of kickers, Nick Novak and Caleb Sturgis for a tryout. And the Saints also had former New York Giant and Indianapolis Colt Hakeem Nicks in for a workout.

Several Louisiana colleges have their home opener this weekend. The Ragin Cajuns, who nearly upset Kentucky last weekend, will host Northwestern State. When UL Lafayette Coach Mark Hudspeth met with the media this week, he did not name a starting QB. Brooks Haack started against the Wildcats, but back-up Jalen Nixon led the Cajuns on quite a comeback.

Also this weekend, ULM hosts Nicholls State. It’s the season opener for the Colonels, while the Warhawks are coming off a blow out loss to Georgia. McNeese State hosts Incarnate Word, Grambling takes on Bethune-Cookman, while Southeastern Louisiana hosts Florida Tech.

09.08.15
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LRN PM Newscall September 8

Qualifying began today for this fall’s statewide elections and the four major gubernatorial candidates all qualified before 10AM. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (30)  “I’m Eric Gill”

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The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office announces the arrest of two suspects who are accused of trying to kill deputies who were on patrol last week in Marrero. Emlie Gunn reports…:

CUT 2 (28)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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The State Fire Marshal’s Office says a house fire in East Carroll Parish has taken the life of a Lake Providence man. 54-year-old Kenneth Jefferson died in route to the hospital from injuries suffered while trying to put out the fire. Fire Marshal Butch Browning says they believe unsafe smoking habits likely played a part in the blaze…

CUT 3 (10)  “caused this fire”

He believes Jefferson and his girlfriend, Anita Jones, were asleep when the fire started. Jones told investigators that she and Jefferson were habitual smokers who often smoked in bed. Browning says smoking inside a building is dangerous, particularly while lying in bed…

CUT 4 (09)  “place outside”

Jones says she saw Jefferson attempting to put out the fire while she ran to call for help. Browning says whenever there is a fire, one should notify everyone in the area and then escape to safety, rather than stay behind to put out the fire…

CUT 5 (08) “trapped themselves”

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The four major candidates in Louisiana’s governor’s race all qualified for the election this morning in Baton Rouge. Republican Senator David Vitter qualified first saying the state currently faces enormous challenges…

CUT 6 (10) “ahead of us”

The gubernatorial primary election is October 24th. Republican Scott Angelle says he’s confident this campaign will be about issues and not money…

CUT 7 (09)  “enough money”

John Bel Edwards is the lone Democrat in the race and doesn’t think last year’s attitude among voters in the US Senate election will carry forward this year. He says this year’s election is not focused on Washington, DC, but on Baton Rouge…

CUT 8 (07)  “those lines” 

If necessary, a runoff election will be held November 21st. Republican Jay Dardenne is excited about the race and plans to bring the governor to the people, if elected…

CUT 9 (09)  “in the state”

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While the governor’s race will get a lot of the attention this fall, the race for attorney general will be just as heated as two major challengers attempt to defeat two time incumbent, Buddy Caldwell. Caldwell, a republican from northeast Louisiana, was the very first candidate to qualify at the Secretary of State’s office today

cut 10 (12)  “proud of that”

West Baton Rouge Parish prosecutor Marty Maley is a dark horse in the race, but is confident he can win. He says right now Louisiana has an Attorney General with a nice skill set but doesn’t have experience in the court room.

Cut 11 (11)  “wanted a change”

Republican Jeff Landry, a former congressman from Iberia Parish, says it’s time for a change in the A-G’s office. He says he wants to bring honesty and integrity into the office because it’s not there now.

cut 12 (12)  “they deserve”

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The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office announces the arrest of two suspects who are accused of trying to kill deputies who were on patrol last week in Marrero. Sheriff Newell Normand says, on September 2nd, the cops were investigating an area that officials described as high crime when they noticed a laser on the windshield…:

cut 13 (10)  “officers”

No one was struck. 21-year-old Malcolm Hall and 20-year-old Terrance Carter were charged in the incident. Normand says the suspects, who were part of a large drug-dealing operation, admitted they knew they were shooting at the police…:

cut 14 (07)  “cop killers”

Normand says counts of attempted killing of police officers carries a minimum of 20-50 years without probation or parole. He says that neither man is showing any remorse about shooting at the police…:

cut 15 (09) “it’s over” 

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09.08.15
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11:40 LRN Sportscast Sept 8

LSU heads into its matchup with Mississippi State without a game under its belt, because of Saturday night’s cancellation of the McNeese State game. But Tigers Coach Les Miles says they can’t use that as an excuse for how they perofrm against the Bulldogs…
cut 17 (13) “…hinder it”

Louisiana Tech has a short week of preparation for its Conference USA opener against Western Kentucky. But Bulldogs quarterback Jeff Driskel should have a lot of confidence heading into this game. H was 12-of-15 for 274 yards in last Saturday’s win over Southern. Driskel also threw four touchdown passes. Driskel and the Dogs take on Western Kentucky Thursday at 7 PM.

The Saints are reportedly still looking at kickers. Seventh round pick Zach Hocker is the lone kicker on the roster, but the Black and Gold are also bringing in a couple of kickers for tryouts today. Former Charger Nick Novak and ex-Dolphin Caleb Sturgis both are getting a look by New Orleans after losing training camp battles with their respective former teams.

There are a couple of newly ranked number one teams in the high school football polls. Southern Lab is now ranked number one in One-A after blanking Bogalusa this past Friday. The Jaguars will host the Division Two state champions University High this Friday. Parkview Baptist also moved to the top spot in 3A. The Eagles rallied to beat Catholic High this past Friday and they’ll visit Riverside on Thursday in a game that will be televised on Fox Sports New Orleans.

Former LSU pitcher Louis Coleman has rejoined the Kansas City Royas after being called up from the team’s Triple-A team in Omaha. With Coleman up in the big leagues, LSU now has ten former players on Major League rosters.

09.07.15
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LRN Sportscast 16:45 Sept 7

Because of Saturday night’s cancellation, LSU quarterback Brandon Harris missed out on some valuable reps to get himself ready for this Saturday’s game against Mississippi State. But Coach Les Miles says Harris prepared well for the Cowboys and expects that same level of preparation to continue for the new season opener…
cut 16 (14) “…Mississippi State”
Athletic Director Joe Alleva says they may notify fans as early as tomorrow on how ticketholders for the McNeese State game will be refunded.

Louisiana Tech had an impresive performance in its season opening win over Southern. The Bulldogs had nearly six-hundred yards of total offense in a 62-15 win over the Jaguars. But Tech has a quick turnaround this week, as they visit Western Kentucky on Thursday. The Hilltoppers upset Vandy last week.

The Saints are officially in game week. as they get ready for the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals. Coach Sean Payton did not speak with the media today, but we should get better idea later in the week on the availability of several injured players like running back CJ Spiller, safety Jairus Byrd, cornerback Brandon Browner and running back Khiry Robinson.

One other piece of NFL news…former Louisiana Tech Bulldog IK Enemkpali has reportedly signed with the Buffalo Bills practice squad.

ULM’s Rashon Ceasar has been named the Sun Belt Conference’s Offensive student-athlete of the week. Ceasar had a career-high 13 catches and a personal best 153 yards receiving in the loss to Georgia. Ceasar also caught two TD passes. The Warhawks are home this Saturday to host Nicholls State.

Southeastern Lousiaina’s Harlan Miller was named the Southland Defensive Player of the Week. The junior from Kentwood had two interceptions in the Lions season opening win over Northwestern State. In the latest F-C-S Coaches poll…S-L-U is ranked 18th, while McNeese is ranked 23rd.