LRN PM Newscall April 21

We’re into week two of the legislative session and nothing has emerged from lawmakers on how to address the one-point-six billion dollar budget deficit. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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Blue Bell Ice Cream has recalled every single one of its products everywhere on continued threats of a Listeria Bacteria. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

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Walker Police says a man accused of raping a woman at knifepoint at a Livingston Parish laundromat has been arrested. Captain John Sharp says the incident occurred late Sunday night. He says the victim was approached by the suspect asking if she had any spare change…

CUT 3 (10)  “the rape occurred”

He says when the victim told the suspect she had no spare change, he produced a knife and forced the victim into a bathroom where he raped her and stole money from her purse. Sharp says the laundromat has a good surveillance system and authorities were able to review the surveillance video quickly…

CUT 4 (06)  “of Walker”

40-year-old Lionel Myles of Walker was arrested and charged with aggravated rape, aggravated assault, battery, and armed robbery. Sharp says crimes like this are rare in Walker, so when it occurs, they take it very seriously…

CUT 5 (07)  “is owed that”

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We’re into week two of the legislative session and nothing has emerged from lawmakers on how to address the one-point-six billion dollar budget deficit. Jeremy Alford, publisher of la-politics-dot-com, says a key bill to remove the inventory tax credit was shelved, because there’s not enough votes to get it passed out of Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs….

CUT 6 (08)  “square one”

Alford says what makes this challenging for the legislature is Jindal’s revenue neutrality policy which they have to follow…

CUT 7 (11) “in savings”

Legislators believe if they repeal the inventory tax credit, they could offset the expected $500 million in tax savings with the same amount in tax increases. Alford says, with eight weeks left in the legislative session, no one really knows what to expect…

CUT 8 (06)  “play out”

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The reward for information about those responsible for the gruesome beheading of a goat, which was recorded with a cell phone, is now $14,000. Louisiana SPCA spokesperson Destinie Hammond says their members are disgusted by the video showing a group of young men cutting off the animal’s head with a machete type sword…:

CUT 9 (09)  “offer donations”

Hammond says the graphic video shows the culprits standing in a circle around a plastic swimming pool with a string tied around the goat’s neck before one of them beheads the animal…:

cut 10 (10) “very horrific”

Hammond says they got the video from a New Orleans University police officer, but they aren’t sure where the incident actually took place. She says if your tip leads to the arrest and conviction of those involved, the money will be paid out and you will be kept anonymous…:

cut 11 (06)  “or Crimestoppers”

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Blue Bell Ice Cream has recalled every single one of its products everywhere on continued threats of a Listeria Bacteria. Authorities now believe there are 10 listeria illnesses linked to the ice cream over the last 5 years. State Epidemiologist Dr. Raoult Ratard says once the CDC put two and two together with these sicknesses, the company has to act..:

cut 12 (08)  “physicians know”

DHH says there have been no recorded illnesses of listeria infections in Louisiana so far. Ratard says if you have any Blue Bell ice cream in your fridge, throw it away and do not eat it. He says the people most at risk of getting an infection caused by listeria are those with low immune systems…:

cut 13 (05)  “very wrong”

The Blue Bell recall includes all of its ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and other frozen treats. Ratard says listeria causes infections which start with high fever and if you think Blue Bell ice cream has made you sick, seek medical attention right away…:

cut 14 (10) “get sick”

11:40 LRN Sportscast April 21

The Pelicans trail their best of seven series with Golden State two games to nothing after losing to the Warriors 97-87 last night. New Orleans got off to a strong start and led by 11 points after one quarter. But Golden State shot 76-percent from the field in the second quarter to take a three point halftime lead. Klay Thompson finished with 26 points and Stephen Currey added 22 points. The Pelicans got another strong game from Anthony Davis, who had 26 points and 10 rebounds. Eric Gordon chipped in with 23 points. Game 3 is Thursday in New Orleans.

The NFL releases its 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.

Louisiana’s Mr. Basketball has decided to sign with LSU after previously committing to St. John’s. Brandon Sampson averaged nearly 16 points a game as he led Madison Prep High School to the Class One-A Championship last season. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says the Baton Rouge product is an excellent scorer…
cut 17 (19) “….day one”
Sampson adds to a class that already boasts the nation’s number player in Ben Simmons, plus five-star guard Antonio Blakeney along with Arizona transfer Craig Victor.

In college baseball last night…Nicholls State held off Spring Hill eight to six. Tonight LSU hosts Tulane, Louisiana Tech is at Stephen F Austin, ULM travels to Southern Miss, the Ragin Cajuns are at Southeastern and McNeese State hosts Houston.

LRN Sportscast 16:45 April 20

The Pelicans will look to even up their best of seven series with Golden State tonight. New Orleans dropped game one on Saturday as the Pels fell behind by 15 points in the first quarter and ended up losing 106-99 in front of a fired up crowd at Oracle Arena. Coach Monty Williams said today he believes the decibel level inside Golden State’s Arena may be illegal. Golden State has won 40 of its 42 home games this season.

Also, Pelican guards Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday are listed as questionable for tonight. Evans has a deep bone bruise in his left knee and Holiday is dealing with leg soreness. Both players are game-time decisions.

LSU is ranked number one in all six college baseball polls that were released today. The Tigers swept a doubleheader from Georgia on Saturday in a rain-shortened series. They host Tulane tomorrow night and then Texas A-and-M comes to Baton Rouge for a three-game series that begins Thursday.

It’s still unclear who will be LSU’s starting quarterback based on what happened in Saturday’s spring game. Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris combined to throw for 420 yards and four touchdowns, but Coach Les Miles says both players can still get much better…
cut 18 (14) “…could be”
At Louisiana Tech’s spring game, former West Monroe standout Michael Mims had an excellent game as he racked up nine tackles. Coach Skip Holtz has been impressed with Mims, who has made the move from safety to outside linebacker…
cut 20 (20) “…on the field”

LRN PM Newscall April 20

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and a documentary filmmaker says the event and aftermath still affect people who were involved. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (29) “reporting”

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According to Gasbuddy.com, the price of gasoline in Louisiana is up 6 cents over last week. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 2 (25) “reporting”

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Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and a documentary filmmaker says the event and aftermath still affect the people who were involved. Margaret Brown, director and producer of the documentary “The Great Invisible”, says it was difficult to hear stories from workers on the rig who are still suffering from nightmares and PTSD…

CUT 3 (08)  “to listen to”

But she says these stories are important for people to hear. “The Great Invisible” airs tonight at 9:30 on LPB. Brown says her documentary explores how this disaster has affected more than just the oil industry…

CUT 4 (07)  “are impacted”

Brown, a native of Mobile, AL, says seeing the impact the oil spill had on the Gulf Coast was both fascinating and sometimes really sad. She traveled to small towns and cities to explore the lasting legacy of the disaster on the Gulf Coast region. Brown feels more should be done to prevent another disaster like this…

CUT 5 (07)  “should know”

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Gas prices have been steadily increasing over the past week. According to Gasbuddy.com the current statewide average for a gallon of regular is $2.23. Senior Petroleum Analyst Gregg Laskoski says what we’re paying at the pump today is 6 cents higher in Louisiana than this time last week..:

CUT 6 (10)  “and change”

Laskoski says the good news is that prices today are about $1.24 less than what we were paying a year ago. He says part of the reason for the increase this week in crude oil prices is an overreaction by traders to data that came out from the Department of Energy showing a bump in inventory…:

CUT 7 (10) “this year”

Laskoski believes over the next few months there will be more downward pressure on the market than upward pressure. He says if that happens the price at the pump would start going down again, if not in the next few weeks at least by late May, early June as we get into peak summer driving season…:

CUT 8 (09)  “declining prices”

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US Senator David Vitter announces that he has raised over $5.2 million in his bid to become Louisiana’s next governor. More than $1.1 million dollars was raised in the first quarter of 2015 and the campaign reports it has $4.2 million in cash on hand. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley says Vitter is off to a good start…

CUT 9 (12)  “15 million”

Vitter held a commanding lead among announced gubernatorial candidates in fundraising at the end of 2014 with $4.1 million raised. Stockley says Vitter has an edge over the other candidates because he’s been able to establish relationships with interest groups across the nation over the last 10 years as a US Senator…

cut 10 (10) “to Louisiana”

A political action committee that’s been set up to help Vitter has another 3.5 million dollars in cash on hand. With about six months before the election, Stockley says it is possible for Jay Dardenne, Scott Angelle, and John Bel Edwards can catch up to Vitter’s fundraising efforts. He says the other candidates need to distinguish themselves from Vitter and use their differences to impress local groups…

cut 11 (10)  “Washington, DC”

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A bill that would taper off the transfer of money from the state’s road and bridge fund to state police clears the House appropriations committee. The measure would limit the of dollars going to LSP from the Transportation Trust Fund to $40 million starting in July, then $25 million next year and $10 million in future years. Lafayette Representative Terry Landry is the bill’s author…:

cut 12 (12)  “for other needs”

Landry, a former state police commander, says he would never do anything which would adversely impact that agency, but robbing Peter to pay Paul is not a good way to do business…:

cut 13 (09)  “$12 billon dollars behind”

The proposal now heads to the House floor for further consideration. Landry says right now the state diverts about $65 million a year from the Transportation Trust Fund to state police. He says citizens are demanding improved travel conditions in Louisiana…:

cut 14 (11) “Transportation Trust Fund”

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11:40 LRN Sportscast

The Pelicans will look to even their best of seven series with Golden State tonight as they face the Warriors at Oracle Arena at 9:30. New Orleans found out quickly in Game 1 that can’t let the fans get in the game right away, as they got behind early in that one and could not catch up. Golden State hasn’t lost a home game since January 27th.

Louisiana’s Mr. Basketball…Brandon Sampson, has decided to sign with LSU. The six-foot-five Sampson originally planned to play at St. John’s, but changed his mind when there was a coaching change. Sampson helped guide Madison Prep to the Class One-A Championship this past year. LSU now has a top five recruiting class.

In the latest D-1-baseball-dot-com poll, LSU is ranked number one after winning two games over Georgia in a rain-shortened series. Texas A-and-M is ranked second after losing a series to Arkansas. The Aggies and Tigers will meet in Baton Rouge for a three-game series that begins Thursday.

The Saints begin their offseason training program today. It will consist mostly of weightlifting and conditioning. There will not be any on field work until a rookie minicamp May 15th to the 17th and organized team activities start May 26th. And the NFL has announced the 2015 schedule will be released tomorrow night.

During Saturday’s spring game in Tiger Stadium, LSU quarterbacks Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris each put up big numbers, Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural each caught a couple of touchdown passes and Leonard Founette had 42 yards rushing on eight carries. LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron likes the direction the offense is heading…
cut 17 (15) “….good running backs”
LSU has also received a verbal commitment from Ed Alexander, one of the top recuits in the state. He’s a defensive tackle from St. Thomas Aquinas in Hammond.

LRN Newscast 17:30 Jeff Palermo

Governor Bobby Jindal makes another out-of-state trip this weekend. He’ll speak at the Republican Leadership Summit, which features other presidential hopefuls. Tom Jensen with Public Policy Polling says Jindal’s favorability rating was an impressive 43-percent in a recent survey and it could go up even more if he touts his conservative agenda at this event…
cut 8 (08) “…conservative principles”

More rain is in the forecast for Saturday, but Lance Escude with the National Weather Service says this rainy weather pattern will end Sunday as rain chances decrease on that day…
cut 11 (06) “….dry out”

Schlumberger, an oilfield services giant with locations throughout the state and the US, announces they plan to lay off about 11,000 more employees because of the oil price drop. LSU Economist Dr. Loren Scott believes a majority of these layoffs will occur in states that depend on drilling on land…:
CUT 4 (10) “and Pennsylvania”
In January, Schlumberger announced they were reducing their workforce by 9,000 employees.

The former Knight Oil Tools employee that authorities say was involved in a conspiracy to plant drugs on another person has turned himself in. Captain John Babin, with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s office, says Russell Manual is the fourth person to be arrested as part of this investigation…:
CUT 12 (11) “intimidating witness”
Two cops and the CEO of Knight Oil were also arrested this week.

LRN Sportscast 16:45

LSU Freshman Alex Lange is tonight’s starting pitcher as the Fighting Tigers visit the Georgia Bulldogs to begin a three-game SEC series. Lange didn’t pitch last weekend because of elbow tightness, but he’s been LSU’s best pitcher all season, posting a 6-0 record with a 1.39 ERA.

The Pelicans will face Golden State tomorrow afternoon in game one of their best of seven series. The game will be on national television as ABC is carrying Anthony Davis’ first ever playoff game, but A-D is not getting involved in all of the hype…
cut 30 (14) “…win some games”
Tip-off is at 2:30.

LSU holds its annual spring game tomorrow in Tiger Stadium. Fans will keep a close eye on the play of the two quarterbacks, Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris. Coach Les Miles says both have improved during the spring and he’s looking for them to execute the offense. He’s also looking to see some depth emerge at many positions….
cut 19 (20) “…little younger”
Kick-off in Tiger Stadium is at one o’ clock.

Louisiana Tech also holds its spring game tomorrow at one P-M. It will be  the first opportunity for fans to see former Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel in a Bulldog uniform. And Tech fans will also get a chance to see how the defense performs with first year defensive coordinator Blake Baker at the helm.

LRN PM Newscall April 17

Oilfield services giant Schlumberger has announced plans to lay off approximately 11,000 additional employees due to the reduction in oil prices. Eric Gill has more…

CUT 1 (29) “reporting”

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A new poll on the Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire says Governor Bobby Jindal has the best favorability rating among all the presidential hopefuls. Jeff Palermo reports…

CUT 2 (24) “reporting”

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Oilfield services giant Schlumberger has announced plans to lay off approximately 11,000 additional employees due to the reduction in oil prices. LSU Economist Loren Scott says oil companies are dealing with oil prices roughly half of what they were a year ago and they’re asking these service companies for a break in the fees they charge…

CUT 3 (06)  “what’s going on”

He says the drop in oil prices has led to a decline in exploration and production, mainly on land rigs. When those rigs aren’t drilling, there is less need for service companies. Scott believes a majority of these layoffs will occur in states that depend on drilling on land…

CUT 4 (10)  “and Pennsylvania”

In January, Schlumberger announced they were reducing their workforce by 9,000 employees. There is some land drilling in northwest and eastern Louisiana. But Scott says since most of Louisiana’s oil and gas jobs are offshore, the extent of the layoffs should be less here…

CUT 5 (08)  “planning horizons”

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A new poll on the Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire says Governor Bobby Jindal is someone to keep an eye on after receiving the best favorability rating out of all the presidential hopefuls. Tom Jensen with Public Policy Polling says Jindal’s favorability rating was 43-percent. He says it really stuck out on this poll…

CUT 6 (09)  “him back in”

Jensen says Jindal has recently been excluded from their Republican presidential polls after consistently polling in last place. He says these new favorability numbers could see Jindal’s name thrown back in the mix…

CUT 7 (10) “where he is

Jindal will speak this weekend at the Republican Leadership Summit in New Hampshire which features other potential presidential candidates. Jensen says Jindal’s stock could rise even more if he touts his conservative agenda at this event…

CUT 8 (08)  “conservative principles”

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Four to six inches of rain fell during a two hour period Thursday afternoon in Alexandria, flooding about 50 homes. Police also say there were numerous car crashes and the fire department participated in about 50 water related rescues. Lance Escude, with the National Weather Service, says more rain is on the way

CUT 9 (10)  “to redelop”

Escude says the southern half of the state remains under a flash flood watch through Saturday afternoon…

cut 10 (08) “definitely possible”

Escude says it looks like this rainy weather pattern will end Sunday as rain chances decrease on that day

cut 11 (06)  “dry out”

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The former Knight Oil Tools employee that authorities say was involved in a conspiracy to plant drugs on another person has turned himself in. Captain John Babin, with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s office, says Russell Manual is the fourth person to be arrested as part of this investigation….

cut 12 (11)  “intimidating witness”

Authorities say Manual, along with a state trooper and a Lafayette Sheriff’s deputy, who have both been arrested, were involved in a plot to have Brian Knight arrested on drug charges. Babin says Knight’s brother Mark, the former CEO of Knight Oil Tools, was also arrested this week….

cut 13 (09)  “the appropriate manner”

An arrest warrant was issued for Manual earlier this week and Babin says he eventually gave himself up to the authorities

cut 14 (05) “eventually booked”

11:40 LRN Sportscast April 17

LSU freshman pitcher Alex Lange will get the start tonight as the Tigers visit the Georgia Bulldogs for the start of an SEC weekend series. Lange didn’t pitch last weekend because of elbow tightneess and he’s expected to pitch no more than 80 pitches tonight. The series gets underway in Athens at 6 PM.

In Hammond tonight….Southeastern Louisiana hosts McNeese State. The Lions lead the Southland Conference with an 11-and-5 record, while the Cowboys are 12-and-6. In other action around the state….U-L-M hosts Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech takes on UAB in Ruston and Northwestern State hosts Central Arkansas.

The Pelicans leave for the West coast today where they’ll begin their best of seven series with Golden State. Tomorrow’s game one will be on ABC at 2:30. Fox Sports New Orleans announced today that they’ll televise games two through four and possibly more games if the series is extended beyond four games.

The Ragin Cajuns have signed two basketball players . They are Jerekius Davis, a six-foot-six forward from Mississippi and Jay Hedgeman, who is a forward and played junior college basketball last year.

The LSU football team completes spring practice on Saturday with the annual spring game. The scrimmage will give quarterbacks Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris another opportunity to show whether they should be the starting quarterback next season. LSU’s quarterback play was not the only thing wrong with the Tigers passing game last season. LSU’s young wide receivers also had their growing pains, but Coach Les Miles says spring practice has been good for those guys…
cut 18 (17) “…this fall

Legislative Report 17:30 April 16

With lawmakers facing a one-point-six billion dollar budget deficit, Governor Bobby Jindal stands behind his efforts to cut government spending instead of raising taxes. Jindal says it has led to a strong job market and growing economy…
CUT 15 (07) Q: been before”
Jindal has been criticized for following a fiscal policy that’s supported by Grover Norquist and the Americans for Tax Reform.

Jindal made those comments during a wide-ranging discussion with reporters at the state capitol. The governor was also asked about how many out-of-state trips he plans to take during the legislative session. The governor did not give a number….
cut 30 (10) “…consider those individually”
As far as a plan to deal with the state’s budget shortfall, Jindal says those conversations are ongoing.

The state House and Senate did not meet today and they are off tomorrow as well, but that’s not stopping the debate over a so-called religious freedom bill. Governor Jindal says the bill will not lead to discrimation of same sex couples, instead it protects businesses from being punished by the state for for their religious belief in traditional marriage…
cut 12 (11) “….for their belief”
But Forum for Equality director Sarah Jane Brady doesn’t see how this bill by representative Mike Johnson will not lead to discrimation against the L-G-B-T community…
cut 11 (13) “…of all people”
Johnson plans to alter the bill before it gets its first hearing in a House committee.