LRN Sportscast 16:45 January 13

The final A-P football Top 25 poll came out today and LSU is no where to be found for the first time since 2008. It’s the second time in the Les Miles era that the Tigers did not finish the season ranked in the Top 25.

Meanwhile, Miles continues to search for a new defensive coordinator to replace John Chavis. The search is entering its third week, Charles Hanagriff, of 104-5 ESPN Baton rouge, says fans shouldn’t be concerned that LSU has yet to find a D-C…
cut 18 (15) “….every option”
Meanwhile, nola-dot-com reports LSU has stepped up its pursuit of Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, who maybe looking to run a defense, without Nick Saban’s involvement.

Several media outlets are reporting that Louisiana Tech Head Coach Skip Holtz will promote safeties coach Blake Baker to defensive coordinator. Baker was hired in February after coaching at Arkansas State and he’s a former three-year starter at Tulane in the early 2000s.

Northwestern State’s Mike McConathy has the chance to win the 600th game of his coaching career tonight when his Demons host Abilene Christian. McConathy says 600 wins are great, but he’s more worried about improving to 3-and-1 in the Southland. Tip-off tonight is at 6:30 at Prather Coliseum.

Nicholls State is also home tonight. The Colonels are searching for their first win in the Southland, and they’ll host Houston Baptist. Nicholls is 3-and-9 on the year, while the Huskies are six and seven.

Tomorrow night it’s LSU at Ole Miss. Both teams are 1-and-1 in league play. But the Rebels have owned this series of late, winning seven of their last eight.

ULM Athletic director, Doctor Brian Wickstrom, has been named one of the top-10 fundraising ADS in college atheltics by College A-D, which is a news and resource service for college athletic programs. According to a news release from ULM, Wickstorm has led Warhawk athletics to one of its most successful fundraising periods since arriving.

PM Newscall January 13

Sad story out of Bastrop as two young children who authorities believe were left home alone while their mother was getting her hair done, died in a house fire. Michelle Southern reporting…:

CUT 1 (31) “reporting”

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Nearly 400-thousand people in Louisiana have dealt with the flu bug during this influenza season. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

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Sad story out of Bastrop as two young children who authorities believe were left home alone while their mother was getting her hair done, died in a house fire. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says the blaze, which ignited Monday afternoon, was likely started by a gas space heater inside the wood-framed home…:

CUT 3 (10)  “home alone”

Browning says investigators discovered the bodies of a 4-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy at the Madison Parish home. He says criminal charges are anticipated if they confirm that there was nobody responsible for supervising the children when the fire started. Browning says investigators believe the young siblings never had a chance to get out…:

CUT 4 (12)  “require supervision”

The mother has been identified as 21-year-old Ciarra Johnson and her 4-year-old daughter is Tashae Johnson and 3-year-old son named Clifton Johnson. Browning says if they do find out that the mother didn’t ask anyone to supervise the children why she was gone, negligent homicide charges could be coming…:

CUT 5 (10)  “we’re gonna do that”

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It’s a bad flu season and the numbers prove it. Doctor Frank Welch, medical director for the state’s immunization program, says nearly an estimated 400-thousand people have come down with the flu during this flu season and influenza has hospitalized up to four-thousand people…

CUT 6 (11)  “as well”

Welch says they are still seeing an extraordinarily large number of cases reported each week, but

CUT 7 (10)  “anymore”

Welch says the strain of flu that’s most predominent is H-3-N-2….

(Even though the flu vaccine is not a direct match with the flu strain going around, Welch still advises getting an influenza shot.) 

CUT 8 (10) “of the flu”

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The Monroe Police Department says a stand off situation at an elderly assisted living complex has ended with one man dead. Detective Reggie Brown says a resident courtesy officer at Frances Towers reported shots fired from the apartment of 64-year-old Adam Spillman. Brown says the courtesy officer and a police officer went to make contact with Spillman…

CUT 9 (10)  “victim to safety”

Spillman shot the courtesy officer, 76-year-old Alton Sutter, in the leg. Brown says Spillman then barricaded himself in his apartment. He says SWAT teams were brought in and they were able to negotiate with Spillman to surrender peacefully…

cut 10 (09)  “local area hospital”

Sutter succumbed to his injuries at a local area hospital. Brown says Spillman is a military veteran, but he did not see any combat. The investigation is ongoing and it has not been determined what charges Spillman will face. Brown says, according to witness statements, there is a question in regard to Spillman’s state of mind at the time of the shooting…

cut 11 (10)  “is in question”

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State Treasurer John Kennedy announces that audits of life insurance companies have uncovered more than $31 million in unclaimed property for beneficiaries in the past eight years. He says the audit found that some insurance companies violated their life insurance contracts…

cut 12 (11)  “keep the money”

Kennedy says the audits are necessary because families are often unaware that an insurance policy exists and unless the insurance company tries to locate beneficiaries, the benefit will go unpaid. He says they’re already helping people receive life insurance payments…

cut 13 (11)  “her a check”

The audits are one component to the state’s Unclaimed Property Program. Kennedy says if you think you are owed money, you should search their website… (The website is latreasury-dot-com.)

cut 14 (08)  “at your leisure”

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11:40 LRN Sportscast January 13

Several new names are popping up in LSU’s search for a new defensive coordinator. One of those names is Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, who made one-point-three million dollars last season. But Charles Hanagriff, sports director of 104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge, says Smart looks at the LSU job as an opportunity to show he can coach, without Nick Saban looking over his shoulder…
cut 17 (09) “…bit faster”
Jeremy Flower of ESPN is also reporting that LSU has shown interest in Chicago Bears defensive backs coach Jon Hoke. And coaching-search-dot-com, says Dallas Cowboys linebackers coach Matt Eberflus is a name to an eye on. Eberfus was the defensive coordinator at Missouri from 2001-08.

And Johnathan Ford with Bleed Tech Blue is reporting that Bulldogs head coach Skip Holtz will promote safeties coach Blake Baker to defensive coordinator. Baker was a three-year starter at Tulane in the early 2000s.

Pelicans star Anthony Davis scored 34 points last night, but that wasn’t enough as New Orleans fell to Boston 108-100. The Pels gave up 36 points in the 4th quarter to a Celtics team has only 13 wins on the year. New Orleans is now 18-and-19 overall, 6-and-14 on the road as they head to Detroit to face the Pistons on Wednesday night.

In college hoops…Southern improved to 3-and-1 in the SWAC with a 60-52 win over Jackson State. Grambling fell to 0-and-4 in the league as the Tigers lost to Alcorn State 72-70. Southeastern Louisiana was also a loser last night as Sam Houston State dribbled past the Lions 72-59.

Tonight…Northwestern State hosts Abilene Christian. Demons Coach Mike McConathy is going after win number 600 in his career. A win for Northwestern will also push its conference record to three and one. Nicholls State who seeks its first win in Southland conference play, hosts Houston Baptist tonight at six-thirty.

LRN Sportscast 16:45 january 12

Two names have surfaced in the search for a new defensive coordinator at LSU. The Baton Rouge Advocate reports Alabama’s Kirby Smart has been in contact with LSU, also Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker has also been in touch. Smart is 39-years-old and just completed his seventh season as Alabama’s defensive coordinator. He previously spent one season as an assistant coach at LSU in 2004. Tucker is another former LSU assistant and will likely be let-go by the Bears once they hire a new coach. Chicago’s defenses have been historically bad the last two seasons.

Will New Orleans native Peyton Manning return next season? Manning didn’t play well in the Broncos playoff loss to the Colts yesterday and today, Denver head coach John Fox has decided to move on. Some speculate that Manning will not want to play for another head coach.

In other coaching news….it’s being reported that Louisiana Tech defensive line coach Oscar Giles has accepted a job with the University of Houston and Brad Bradshaw has been named the interim head coach at Bastrop.

In other coaching news….it’s being reported that Louisiana Tech defensive line coach Oscar Giles has accepted a job with the University of Houston and Brad Bradshaw has been named the interim head coach at Bastrop.

The Pelicans begin a five game road trip in Boston tonight. A three-team deal involving New Orleans was finally completed today. Defensive-minded guard Quincy Pondexter comes to New Orleans from Memphis, while Austin Rivers heads to the Celtics. It’s expected that Boston will trade Rivers to the Clippers.

Louisiana Tech’s Raheem Appleby has been named Conference USA Player of the Week. The senior guard averaged 23.5 points and shot 64-percent from the field in two victories on the road last week. The Bulldogs host UAB on Thursday night.

ULM’s Marvin Williams has been named Sun Belt Player of the Week. The senior from Memphis averaged nearly 21 points and nine rebounds in three victories last week. Williams and the Warhawks host Troy on Thursday night.

PM LRN Newscall January 12

President Obama is working on the details of a plan to offer two years of free community college education to any American to help train the US workforce. Eric Gill has more…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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The Baton Rouge Police Department is investigating an accidental shooting which left a man dead and another behind bars. Michelle Southern reports.

CUT 2 (29) “reporting”

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President Obama is working on the details of a plan to offer two years of free community college education to any American to help train the US workforce. Dr. Monty Sullivan, the head of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, says it’s exciting that the work of two-year colleges is getting national recognition…

CUT 3 (10)  “very, very positive”

This program is estimated to cost the federal government around $60 billion over 10 years. Details on how this will be funded will be released next month. Sullivan admits that it is a lot of money, but people shouldn’t look at this as another big money expenditure…

CUT 4 (11)  “grow the economy”

The President will promote the initiative in his State of the Union address on January 20th. Initially, this program has received a cool reception from the Republican-controlled Congress. Sullivan says if this can make it through the legislative process, it will be a great opportunity all the way around…

CUT 5 (10)  “of tomorrow”

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Republican US Senator David Vitter says he plans to be active in Washington D-C, even though he’s running for governor this year. Vitter says he has several priorities and one of them is to pass a highway and transportation bill that would help improve traffic flow on major highways…

CUT 6 (09)  “that issue”

With the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline below two-dollars a gallon, there’s talk in Washington about raising gas taxes to fund highway construction needs. But Vitter says instead of raising taxes, use the additional revenue from increased oil and gas production

CUT 7 (04)  “highway system”

Vitter says he’ll also work to repeal the Affordable Care Act and if Obamacare is not going away, then the federal health care laws should apply to everyone in Washington, meaning even the President would have to purchase his insurance through the Marketplace

CUT 8 (04) “top appointees”

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The Baton Rouge Police Department is investigating an accidental fatal shooting that occurred as a man was adjusting his pants. Sgt. Mary Ann Godawa says officers responded to the scene and found the victim lying at the end of a driveway, suffering a gunshot wound to his chest. She says cops questioned witnesses and the suspect, 19-year-old Jawan Lloyd Billy…:

CUT 9 (11)  “killed the victim”

Billy is charged with negligent homicide and possession of a stolen firearm. Godawa says the two friends had been sleeping near each other in a garage apartment…:

cut 10 (07)  “handgun went off”

Godawa says there is a valuable lesson here…:

cut 11 (08)  “in the vehicle”

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The US Supreme Court has rejected a plea to consider striking down Louisiana’s ban on same-sex marriage. Loyola Law Professor Dane Ciolino says this doesn’t mean the issue is dead…

cut 12 (07)  “on the issue”

This decision from the US Supreme Court means the district court ruling upholding Louisiana’s ban on same-sex marriage must first be challenged in a federal appeals court. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments last week on the issue. Ciolino thinks it’s a toss-up on how the 5th Circuit will rule…

cut 13 (06)  “spring, for sure”

He thinks the 5th Circuit will issue a ruling sometime this spring. Circuit Courts have ruled differently on this issue, creating a circuit split on the issue of same-sex marriage. Ciolino thinks the US Supreme Court wants to let the 5th Circuit choose which way it thinks the issue should go…

cut 14 (08)  “the following term”

11:40 Sportscast January 12

Have we seen the last of New Orleans native and future hall of fame quarterback Peyton Manning? The Isidore Newman grad didn’t play well in the Broncos 24-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Manning threw for 211 yards on 46 pass attempts and he goes one and done in the playoffs for the ninth time in his career. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Manning played with a torn right quad, but the Broncos dispute that report.

Meanwhile, the Colts are headed to the A-F-C Championship game, where they’ll face the Patriots. Former LSU Tiger Brandon LaFell caught the winning touchdown pass as New England rallied to beat Baltimore 35-31 on Saturday night.

Former Dutchtown star Eddie Lacy rushed for 101 yards in the Packers 26-21 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Green Bay will visit Seattle this Sunday at 2 P-M in the N-F-C Championship game.

Tonight in Dallas, it’s the college football playoff national championship game as Oregon faces Ohio State.

The Pelicans finalized a three-team trade today that results in New Orleans receiving forward Quincy Pondexter and a future second round pick. In exchange, the Pels send Austin Rivers to Boston and Russ Smith to memphis. The six-foot-six Pondexter has played in 30 games for Memphis, averaging 4.5 points and two rebounds a game. He also spent his rookie season in New Orleans during the 2010-11 season, averaging almost three points a game.

In college basketball…LSU is 1-and-1 in the SEC after winning in a double overtime against Georgia on Saturday night. This week the Tigers visit Ole Miss on Wednesday and host Texas A-and-M on Saturday.

Louisiana Tech is one of three teams undefeated in the Conference USA standings. The Bulldogs host UAB on Thursday and Middle Tennessee on Saturday.

The Ragin Cajuns are all alone in first place in the Sun Belt at 4-0 and they are at Georgia Southern on Thursday.

16:45 Updated LRN sportscast January 9

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees has been added to the 2015 Pro Bowl roster. Brees will replace Steelers Q-B Ben Roethlisberger. For Brees, this is his ninth pro bowl selection. Brees threw for 4,952 yards and 33 touchdowns this past season.

In LSU news…there was a report former Saints defensive coordinator and Illinois and Florida head coach Ron Zook is a candidate to be LSU’s next defensive coordinator. But the Baton Rouge Advocate reports that’s not going to happen.

Former Warhawks Quarterback Cody Wells is back at ULM as he’s been named the’s school’s inside wide receivers coach. Head Coach Todd Berry has also announced that Mario Price will coach the running backs and also assume the role of recruiting coordinator.

Former Auburn and Mississippi State assistant Melvin Smith has been named co-defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Ragin Cajuns.

The Pelicans host the Memphis Grizzlies tonight at the Smoothie King Center. New Orleans will look to snap a two-game losing streak, while the Grizzlies have lost six of their last ten, but their leading scorer Zach Randolph may return tonight after missing the last nine games with a knee injury.

A highly ranked and recruited prep basketball star, Craig Victor, will transfer to LSU from Airzona. He’s six-foot-nine and he’ll be eligible to play in a game after the fall semester of 2015. Victor averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds at St Aug in New Orleans.

The LSU men’s basketball team will host Georgia on Saturday night in its SEC home opener. The Tigers lost in overtime to Missouri on Thursday. Also on Saturday, Louisiana Tech takes a three-game winning streak to Texas San Antonio. U-L-M goes after its thrid straight victory when it visits Texas State.

And in the SWAC….Grambling hosts Southern, the Tigers will look to snap a five-game losing streak. Tip-off is at 6 PM.

11:40 Sportscast January 9

Former Saints kicker Morten Anderson is one of 15 finalist up for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s the third time the NFL’s leading scorer has been a finalist.

New Louisiana Tech quarterback Jeff Driskel spoke with the media today about transferring in from Florida. Driskel says he talked with former Bulldogs Quarterback Cody Sokul, who transferred in from Iowa and had a big year for Tech in 2014…
cut 30 (13) “…for me”

In recruiting news….Cornerback Ugo Amadi of Nashville has de-committed from LSU and will now go to Oregon, while 2016 recruit, Ponchatoula offensive lineman Donavaughn Campbell commits to LSU.

Disappointing loss for the LSU men’s basketball team last night as they dropped their SEC opener to Missouri, 74-67 in overtime. LSU shot 36-percent from the field and 57-percent from the free throw line.

Louisiana Tech played great defense to earn a win on the road over UTEP last night, 58-45. The Miners made just five field goals in the seond half, while Raheem Appleby was 9-of-12 from the field and had a game-high 22 points.

The Ragin Cajuns are 4-and-0 in the Sun Belt after rallying from a 17-point first half defict to beat Georgia State 84-80. All five Cajun starters were in double figures, led by senior Brian Williams’ who had 20 points.

And ULM beat Texas-Arlington 76-73 in overtime. Senior Marvin Williams tied career highs with 22 points and 13 rebounds.

And U-L-M football…Warhawks Coach Todd Berry announced that inside wide receivers coach Mario Price will take over coaching running backs and he’ll assume the role of recruiting coordinator.

 

LRN Newscast 17:30 January 8

Louisiana public schools receive an overall grade of D-plus from Education Week’s annual report card. Scott Carwile has the story…
cut 3 (31) “…reporting”

The National Weather Service says there’s a slight chance we’ll see a light mix of wintry precipitation tomorrow morning for a portion of southeast Louisiana from Baton Rouge heading west along I-12 into St. Tammany and Washington Parishes. But any impacts on the roads should be minimal.

The freezing temperatures we saw this morning has strawberry farmers working to minimize the damage the weather could have on their crops. Eric Gill reports…:
cut 1 (30) “…reporting”

Governor Bobby Jindal, Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret will lead a Louisiana delegation to Europe for a ten-day economic development trip. Moret says says it’s an opportunity to meet with European companies who are considering investing in Louisiana…
CUT 8 (10) “in Europe”
The group leaves Sunday and will be back January 20th.

LRN Sportscast 16:45 January 8

Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop reportedly interviewed with Les Miles, but decided to remain with the Nittany Lions. Glen Guilbeau says Shoop was the best candidate out there named so far….

cut 13 (08) “…Coach Chavis”

A top candidate for the vacant LSU Defensive Coordinator position is no longer under consideration. Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop reportedly interviewed, but decided to remain with the Nittany Lions. LSU beat writer for Gannett newspapers Guilbeau says Shoop was the best candidate Miles has spoken to so far…
CUT 13 (08) Q: ‘coach Chavis’

In college basketball…U-L Lafayette hosts Georgia State in a Big Sun Belt match-up. Both teams are 9-and-5 overall and Georgia State is led by Ryan Harrow, who is averaging 20 points a game. Cajuns Coach Coach Bob Marlin…
cut 19 (22) “…some success”
Tip-off is at 7:15.

Ryan Pace has left as the Saints director of player personnel to become the new general manager of the Chicago Bears. Pace has spent the last 14 seasons in the front office of the Black and Gold. Saints G-M Mickey Loomis said earlier this week that Pace is a talented person, who he expected to lose at some point.

LSU announced today that it will kick-off the 2017 season against B-Y-U in the Advocare Texas Kickoff at N-R-G Stadium in Houston. It will be the first meeting between the Tigers and B-Y-U on the gridiron.

Louisiana Tech has announced its 2015 non-conference schedule. The Bulldogs kick-off the season September fifth in the newly expanded Joe Aillet Stadium against Southern. Tech travels to Kansas State on September 19th, host U-L Lafayette October 3rd and visit Mississippi State on October 17th.

And the 2014 Duck Commander Independence Bowl had its highest TV rating since 2006.