Author Archives: Jeff Palermo

04.23.15
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11:40 LRN Sportscast April 23

The first NBA playoff game since 2011 will be played in New Orleans tonight as the Pelicans host the Golden State Warriors at the Smoothie King Center. The Pels find themselves down two games to none, but they hope that the home crowd will provide them the lift needed to get a win against the top-seeded Warriors. Tip-off is at 8:30.

The number one ranked LSU baseball team will host second ranked Texas A-and-M tonight to begin a much anticipated three game series with the Aggies. Jared Poche will start on the mound for the Tigers. Coach Paul Mainieri says he went with Poche instead of freshman phenom Alex Lange, because Lange has recent arm trouble and Poche has more experience…
cut 18 (10) “….for game one”
Texas A-and-M will start Grayson Long, who is 8-and-0 with a 2.73 ERA.

In college baseball last night…the Ragin Cajuns rallied back from a four-run deficit to beat Southern five to four. U-L Lafayette scored all of its runs in the fifth inning. The Cajuns have won 10 of their last 12 as they begin a three-game series with U-T Arlington on Friday.

Louisiana Tech has swept its season series with U-L-M by beating the Warhawks five to four. Taylor Love blasted a three-run homer in the seventh as the Bulldogs are now 19-and-19 on the season. The Warhawks fall to 20-and-21.

Louisiana Tech has announced the south end zone club seats are sold out for the upcoming season. The club level has 302 seats and it features all-inclusive dining, cushioned chairs and a five-thousand square foot lounge space.

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is underway at the TPC Louisiana in suburban New Orleans. Former LSU Tigers David Toms and John Peterson begin their rounds this afternoon.

04.23.15
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07:30 LRN Newscast April 23rd

Two bills that attempted to make sure women are paid the same wages or salary as males in the workplace were defeated in the House Labor Committee. Republicans on the panel voted against the measure. Hammond Representaitve Chris Broadwater says laws like this would open up the floodgates for litigation…
cut 13 (09) “…treated unfairly”
The vote was 9-to-5 against the bills.

The Senate Education Committee approves legislation that seeks to control the amount of state funding that goes towards the TOPS scholarship program. Governor Bobby Jindal opposes the measure, his deputy chief of staff, Stafford Palmieri, says Donahue’s bill breaks a promise Louisiana made to TOPS recipents that the state would fully pay their tuition…
cut 16 (11) “…education”
The bill heads to the Senate floor for more discussion.

Police in Lake Charles have charged a recently dismissed teacher from Lake Charles Charter Academy with multiple counts of oral sexual battery and indecent behavior with a juvenile. Deputy Chief Mark Kraus says more charges could be coming against 35-year-old Sommer Odom of Iowa, but right now they have enough evidence to turn over to the DA…
cut 11 (05) “….or not”

If you’ve ever traveled through Baton Rouge on I-10 during the morning or afternoon commute, you know it can be a traffic nightmare. That’s why the department of transportation will conduct surveys so they can receive feedback from the public on what could be done to ease the congestion. DOTD spokesperson Rodney Mallett…
cut 8 (13) “…this area”
Mallett says they also plan to hold a series of public meetings in August.

04.23.15
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06:45 LRN sportscast

A sea of red is expected tonight in the Smoothie King Center as the Pelicans host Golden State for game three of their best of seven series. New Orleans needs a win to get back in the series, as they are down two games to none. Every fan that enters the arena will receive a red Pelicans playoff T-Shirt. The game is a sell out and Tip-off is at 8:30.

The number one ranked baseball team in the country meets the second ranked team tonight in Baton Rouge as the Tigers host Texas A-and-M. Coach Paul Mainieri admits this isn’t your normal three-game series.
Cut 17 (20) “three days”
First pitch tonight is at 6:30 on ESPN 2.

In college baseball last night…the Ragin Cajuns rallied back from a four-run deficit to beat Southern five to four. U-L Lafayette scored all of its runs in the fifth inning. The Cajuns have won 10 of their last 12.

Louisiana Tech has swept its season series with U-L-M by beating the Warhawks five to four. Taylor Love blasted a three-run homer in the seventh as the Bulldogs are now 19-and-19 on the season. The Warhawks fall to 20-and-21.

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans gets underway today today at the TPC in Louisiana. Justin Rose, who was a runner-up at the Masters, will tee-off from the 10th hole at 7:40 this morning. Former LSU Tigers David Toms and John Peterson begin their round this afternoon.

LSU basketball has received a signed national letter of intent from six-foot-four shooting guard Antonio Blakeney. The five-star guard from Orlando is ranked as the nation’s 14th best prospect according to ESPN.

04.23.15
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06:30 LRN Newscast April 23

Despite opposition from Governor Jindal, the Senate Education committee approves legislation designed to control the cost of the TOPS scholarship program. Mandeville Senator Jack Donahue, says as tuition costs rise, so does the cost for TOPS and something needs to be done to preserve the program…
cut 14 (10) “….in the future”
Donahue’s bill sets a base amount that students receive and it will not automatically increase with the rise in tuition.

Another teacher in Louisiana has been arrested for inappropriate conduct with a student. Cops in Lake Charles say 35-year-old Nicole Odom of Iowa had sexual encounters with a juvenile on several occassions…
cut 10 (11) “…support the allegation”
Odom has been dismissed as a teacher from Lake Charles Charter Academy.

Funeral services are scheduled for Monday for Caddo Parish District Attorney Charles Scott, who was found dead at a hotel on LSU’s campus. An autopsy on Scott’s body is expected today. Officials believe he died of natural causes.

A benefit will be held today for St. Charles Parish deputy Corporal Burt Hazeltine. Eric Gill has more…
cut 1 (29) “….reporting”

04.22.15
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LRN Sportscast 16:45 April 22nd

The Saints will open the 2015 season against the Arizona Cardinals and then play their home opener on September 20th against the Tampa Bucs. The entire 16-game slate, with dates and times, has been released. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says the final month of the season shapes up well, as the Saints have home games against the Lions and Jaguars and visit Tampa and finish the season at Atlanta. He says that should allow New Orleans to make a strong playoff push….
cut 18 (13) “….ten wins”
The Saints and Pelicans have announced plans to make renovations to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and the Smoothie Kinger. The estimated cost is 40-million dollars. The project will focus on improving the fan experience, including new video boards, enhanced lighting and audio systems.

The hype is building for LSU’s baseball series against Texas A-and-M, which begins tomorrow night at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers are ranked number one and the Aggies are ranked second. Jared Poche is scheduled to be the starting pitcher for the Tigers and each game of the series will be on television. ESPN-U on thursday, SEC Network Alternate channel on Friday and ESPN on Saturday.

In college basetball action tonight….Louisiana Tech hosts ULM. The Bulldogs beat Stephen F Austin nine to two yesterday, while the Warhawks lost to Southern Miss nine to three. And UL Lafayette, who beat Southeastern Louisiana last night, will host Southern tonight.

Tomorrow night is Game 3 of the Pelicans-Golden State Western Conference playoff series. Jrue Holiday, who missed Game two with a leg injury, is listed as day-to-day. The Warriors lead the series two games to none, but Game 3 is in New Orleans.

And Zurich Classic of New Orleans tees off tomorrow at the TPC of Louisiana in suburban New Orleans.

04.22.15
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PM LRN Newscall April 22nd

New employment numbers show Louisiana’s labor force continues to grow while the state’s unemployment rate dropped for a third month in a row. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

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The House Education Committee approves legislation to give public colleges and universities more authority to raise tuition and fees. Jeff Palermo has the story…

CUT 2 (29) “reporting”

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New employment numbers show Louisiana’s labor force continues to grow while the state’s unemployment rate dropped for a third month in a row. Louisiana’s unemployment rate currently sits at six-point-six-percent. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director, Curt Eysink, says the unemployment rate dropped because hiring is catching up with the growth in the labor force…

CUT 3 (10)  “find a job”

Data shows that there were almost 2 million nonfarm jobs in Louisiana, the highest March on record. Eysink is hopeful the state’s job market will continue to improve…

CUT 4 (10)  “the job growth”

Eysink says the drop in oil prices has caused some decline in employment in the oil and gas industry. But, he says overall, the state is weathering that storm pretty well…

CUT 5 (07)  “up for that”

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Legislation that would give public colleges the authority to raise tuition and fees without legislative approval advanced out of the House Education Committee today. Hammond Representative Chris Broadwater says this legislation is needed because state funding for universities has been on the decline since 2008

CUT 6 (08)  “some point”

Broadwater says he would rather see more state dollars go into higher education, but that hasn’t been the trend lately, so it’s time give colleges more autonomy to raise fees…

CUT 7 (10) “as a shell”

Many lawmakers are not comfortable with the idea of allowing colleges and universities to raise tuition and fees. Thibodaux Representative Dee Richard says it’s already too costly for some people to attend a four-year university…

CUT 8 (10)  “I support that”

Homer Representative Patrick Jefferson says he’d rather see state funding for higher education increase rather than tuition and fees, but so far a funding source involving state dollars has yet to emerge

CUT 9 (07)  “do something”

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Caddo Parish District Attorney Charles Scott died in his sleep last night in Baton Rouge while in town to meet with lawmakers at the Capitol. Shreveport Representative Thomas Carmody announced the news in the House Education Committee this morning after he and Haughton Representative Henry Burns had just found out. He said they saw Scott Tuesday.

cut 10 (08) “for his family please”

LSU police say Scott was staying at the Lod Cook Hotel on campus. Captain Corey Lalonde says they were called to Scott’s room around 8:15 this morning…:

cut 11 (06)  “was deceased”

Scott was 67 according to public records. Lalonde says by all indications this was just an extremely tragic sudden death…:

cut 12 (06)  “natural causes”

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Now that Blue Bell has pulled all of its product off of supermarket shelves due to the potential they could be contaminated with Listeria, what can we expect next from the company? Tulane Business Professor, Mark Rosa, says, unfortunately, we’ve seen this type of situation before…

cut 13 (09)  “reputation risk”

Federal health officials say three people have died and five others have fallen ill from bacteria that may have come from Blue Bell products. A company spokesperson says they are focusing on cleanup and working to make sure they have a safe product. Rosa says, after all this negative attention, Blue Bell faces a huge undertaking in regaining their reputation and customers…

cut 14 (10) “herculean effort”

A Blue Bell spokesperson says the company could start shipping product to stores again in the next couple of weeks. Rosa says this is something that will stick in the minds of customers…

cut 15 (05) “and so on”

 

04.22.15
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11:40 LRN sportscast April 22nd

The Saints 2015 schedule is out and New Orleanswill have three primetime games this year, starting with a home game against the Dallas Cowboys on October fourth. In years past, the Saints had more primetime contests but NFL analyst Mike Detillier says three is still a good number considering the team went 7-and-9 last year…
cut 17 (06) “….the past”
The Saints other two primetime games are also at home. A Thursday night matchup against Atlanta on October 15th and a Monday night contest against Detroit on December 21st.

The Saints and Pelicans have announced plans to make 40 million dollars worth of renovations and enhancements to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and the Smoothie King Center. Tom Benson is committing 25 million dollars to the project, which will feature new video scoreboards in the Smoothie King Center and the Dome.

The number one ranked LSU baseball team blanked the Tulane Green Wave six to nothing last night. Nine pitchers combined on a one-hitter and Chris Chinea homered for the Tigers. LSU can now get ready for its match-up with second ranked Texas A-and-M on Thursday night. Coach Paul Mainieri says Jared Poche will start on the mound in game one.

In other action last night…the Ragin Cajuns ended Southeastern Louisiana’s four game winning streak by beating the Lions seven to two . McNeese State scored two runs in the ninth last night, but it wasn’t enough as the Cowboys lost to 22nd ranked Houston five to four. Southern Miss thumped ULM nine to three, Nicholls State doubled up Grambling four to two. Christian Correa had a two-run double for the Colonels and Louisiana Tech topped Stephen F Austin nine to two. The Bulldogs scored five runs in the first inning and Braden Bristo struck out a career-high nine hitters.

The Bulldogs are ULM tonight. First pitch is at six PM at Warhawk Field.

Louisiana Tech has announced that homecoming this season will be the North Texas game on November seventh.

04.21.15
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AM LRN Newscall for Wed April 22nd

Shreveport Representative Barbara Norton’s bill that would provide equal pay for women is set for a hearing today in the House Labor Committee. Scott Carwile reports…

CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

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The House Criminal Justice Committee advanced the so-called revenge porn bill Tuesday without objection. Michelle Southern reports..:

Cut 2 (30) “reporting”

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The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s office says they’ve arrested a teacher from Christian Life Academy for allegedly having sex with a student two years ago. Jeff Palermo reports…:

Cut 3 (30) “reporting”

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Shreveport Representative Barbara Norton’s bill that that would provide equal pay for women gets a hearing today in the House Labor Committee. Norton says this bill is necessary since the number of single parent households are on the rise. She says this measure would help these women provide for their families…

cut 4  (11) “families have”

Some critics of Norton’s legislation say that this measure would duplicate existing federal law. Norton says laws regarding equal pay for women may be on the books, but they are not being enforced…

Cut 5  (09)  “at a dollar”

Norton filed similar legislation last year that failed to pass. According to recent Census data, Louisiana women are paid about two-thirds of what men are paid, the largest gender pay gap in the nation. Norton says she’ll fight for as long as it takes to ensure equal pay for women in Louisiana…

Cut 6 (07)  “the right thing”

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The House Criminal Justice Committee advanced the so-called revenge porn bill Tuesday without objection. The legislation by Kenner Representative Julie Stokes would make it illegal for someone 17 and older to share a sexual picture of a person without their consent, usually online. She says the measure would make it a crime to cause someone harm or emotional distress in this manner…:

CUT 7 (09)  “the image”

HB 489 now heads to the full House for further consideration. Stokes says there are already laws about this for minors but she thinks something needs to be put in place for young adults…:

Cut 8  (14)  “without consent” 

The offense would be punishable up to a $10,000 fine and/or two years in prison. Stokes says because technology has enabled most young adults to have phones on them with cameras all the time, this form of harassment has become a common problem…:

Cut 9 (08)  “prolific”

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The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s office says they’ve arrested a teacher from Christian Life Academy for allegedly having sex with a student two years ago. Spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks says they received the complaint from the mother of the victim…:

Cut 10 (10) “at her residence”

Hicks says when they brought 27-year-old Amber Anderson in for questioning, she admitted to the relationship and was booked with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile. She says the mother did not know what the teacher was doing with her son at the time…:

cut 11 (10) “just recently”

Hicks says it’s always a shame when they have to work crimes that involve juveniles…:

cut 12 (06)   “and responsibility”

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Smoking is no longer permitted in bars, casinos and most public places in New Orleans as the Big Easy’s new smoke free ordinance went into effect at midnight. Founding Dean of the LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health, Doctor Elizabeth Fontham (FON-them), says it should have a positive effect on tourism

Cut 13 (07)  “of the smoking”

Doctor Fontham led the largest and most comprehensive study that looked at women, who never smoked, but had lung cancer. She says the study found that long-term exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke could increase a women’s risk of lung cancer as high as 86-percent

Cut 14 (06) “the risk became”

Fontham is a Crowley native and she’s pleased to see the Lafayette city-parish council will consider an ordinance on May fifth to ban smoking in bars and clubs there

Cut 15  (10)  “will greatly benefit”

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The Saints 2015 schedule is out and New Orleans will open the season at Arizona on September 13th and then host Tampa on September 20th in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says the schedule gets really tough when New Orleans hosts Dallas in a Sunday night game on October 4th…

Cut 16  (20)  “season long”

The Saints will play three primetime games this year, they’ve played more in previous seasons. But Detillier says that’s still a good number considering the team went 7 and 9 last year…

Cut 17 (06)  “the past”

Detillier says the final month of the season shapes up well for the Saints. They have home games against the Lions and Jaguars and visit Tampa and finish the season at Atlanta. He says that should allow New Orleans to make a strong playoff push…

Cut 18 (13) ” ten wins”‘

04.21.15
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LRN Newscast 17:30 Legislative Report

It’s week two of the legislative session and so far a House or Senate committee has yet to pass a bill that addresses the state’s huge budget deficit. Jeremy Alford, publisher of la-politics-dot-com, says what makes the $1.6 billion dollar shortfall challenging is Governor Bobby Jindal’s revenue neutrality policy. Alford says, with eight weeks left in the legislative session, no one really knows what to expect.

A bill supported by Governor Bobby Jindal passed out of the House Criminal Justice committe today. The measure by Kenner Representative Julie Stokes would make it illegal to share a sexual picture of a person without their consent. Stokes says this form of harrassment has become a common problem among young adults…
cut 29 (08) “…prolific”
The measure now heads to the house floor.

Shreveport Representative Barbara Norton’s bill that would provide equal pay for women is set for a hearing tomorrow in the House Labor Committee. Scott Carwile reports…
cut 1 (28) “…reporting”

An LSU Public Policy Polling survey done for the state’s film industry shows 48% of those polled said they had a positive opinion of the state’s film tax credit program. The poll shows 80% of Louisianians agree it’s good for the economy to have movies made here. Legislators have to yet to debate the various bills dealing with the state’s film tax credit program in this session.

04.21.15
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LRN Sportscast 16:45 April 21

The Pelicans are back in New Orleans today, after losing last night to Golden State 97-87. Klay Thompson had 26 points to lead the way for the Warriors, while Stephen Curry had 22 points and six assists as Golden State overcame a 13-point first quarter deficit. Game three of the series is Thursday at the Smoothie King Center.

The NFL releases dates and times of the 2015 schedule tonight at 7 PM. New Orleans will play its divisional opponents twice, home and on the road. They’ll also host Dallas, the Giants, Jacksonsville, Tennessee and Detroit. The Saints will also go on the road to play Houston, Philadelphia, Washington, Indianapolis and Arizona. Based on records from last season, the Saints have the fifth easiest schedule in the NFL.

NASCAR fans are mourning the loss of Steve Byrnes. The longtime Fox Sports NASCAR broadcaster lost his battle with cancer today. He was 56-years-old.

24-7 Sports says LSU basketball has the top recruiting class in the nation. The Bayou Bengals were awarded that designation after receiving a signed letter of intent from Brandon Sampson, the top high school senior in the state of Louisiana.

Sampson adds to a class that already boasts the nation’s number one player in Ben Simmons, plus five-star guard Antonio Blakeney along with Arizona transfer Craig Victor. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says expectations will be high for men’s basketball at LSU next season…
cut 18 (07) “…final four”

There’s excitement for the upcoming baseball series between number one ranked LSU and second ranked Texas A-and-M this . But first the Tigers will play instate rival Tulane at six-thirty tonight. Austin Bain will start on the mound for the Tigers and go about two innings.