Author Archives: Jeff Palermo

03.25.15
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LRN Newscast 17:30 March 25

The Ponchatoula Strawberry festival has apologized for its controversial 2015 poster and have made the decision not to sell it at next month’s festival. Michelle Southern has the story…
cut 2 (30) “….reporting”

The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is offering a 13-thousand reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individuals involved in a goat beheading. A 12-second video has surfaced that shows young men standing around a goat and they cheer when the goat’s head is cut by a samurai sword.

A total of 46 Beau Chene (SHEN) High School Students have been suspended after an investigation into a pupil who is accused of changing grades. St. Landry school superintendent Edward Brown says the scheme began unraveling after one pupil became suspicious…:
CUT 4 (09) “central office”
He says the investigation is ongoing.

The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office they don’t believe the elephants who kept an 18-wheeler from being overturned on I-49 yesterday were harmed. Capt Tony Moran says after the driver became stranded, he gave a command for the elephants to help out…:
CUT 10 (10) “didn’t appear to be abused”
Moran says the elephants were being transported from Florida to a circus in the Dallas area.

03.25.15
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LRN Sportscast 16:45 March 25

LSU Sophomore forward Jarell Martin announced today that he’s leaving the Tigers to enter the N-B-A draft. The six-foot-ten forward from Baton Rouge averaged nearly 17 points and nine rebounds this past season. Martin is glad that he played a role in getting the Tigers back to the NCAA Tournament, but it’s now time to move on….
cut 16 (13) “…hand and hand”
Fellow LSU forward Jordan Mickey might also leave for the NBA, but he says as of now he’s still considering his options. And Tigers assistant coach Eric Musselman was named today as the new head coach at Nevada.

Tonight….Louisiana Tech faces Temple in the quarterfinals of the NIT. These two teams met in November and lost to the Owls 82 to 75. Tip-off tonight is at 8 PM.

ULM is hoping for a White Out at Fant-Ewing Colisuem tonight as the Warhawks host Vermont in the semifinals of the CBI tournament. ULM has one senior in its starting line-up and Atheltics Director Brian Wickstorm hopes this postseason run will result in an NCAA Tournament berth next season….
cut 17 (15) “….extra games”
Tip-off is at seven P-M.

In the NBA tonight…the Pelicans look to snap their three-game losing streak as they host the Houston Rockets. There’s 12 games left in the season and New Orleans is three and a half games back of O-K-C for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Saints Coach Sean Payton said today that the team is trying to work out a long-term contract with defensive end Cam Jordan. The 2011 first-round pick has 20 sacks over the last two seasons.

03.25.15
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LRN PM Newscall March 25

Over 40 Beau Chene (SHEN) High School Students have been suspended after an investigation into a student who is accused of changing their grades. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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The Strawberry Festival Board and the Kiwanis Club of Ponchatoula have both apologized for the controversial 2015 poster and said they will not sell it at the event. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

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A total of 46 Beau Chene High (SHEN) School Students have been suspended after an investigation into a student who is accused of changing their grades. St. Landry school superintendent Edward Brown says a student was able to gain access to a web-based grading computer program, after obtaining a teacher’s password…

CUT 3 (10)  “grade changing”

It’s reported that the accused student would charge money or favors in exchange for changing grades. Brown says some students didn’t know their grades were being altered. He says the scheme began unraveling after one pupil became suspicious…

CUT 4 (09)  “central office”

Brown says the suspensions vary in length based on the student’s involvement, but no specifics were given. He says he’s confident they’ve caught all involved, but there’s no way to be certain. Brown says they’ll use this situation to teach students a lesson that reaches far beyond the classroom…

CUT 5 (08)  “the system”

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Baton Rouge Police are looking for 31-year-old Yovanni Anibal Ramos-Salazar for the killing of a 28-year-old man who was accused of rape. Authorities say it was a vigilante killing. Corporal Don Coppola says the man who was fatally shot has been identified as 28-year-old Joel Guevara…

CUT 6 (09)  “family members”

Family members of Guevara say the rape allegations against him are false, but Coppola says they were looking to arrest him for an alleged rape that took place in January

CUT 7 (10)  “and stalking”

Ramos-Salazar was last seen driving a silver 2000 Toyota Tundra pickup with a Louisiana license plate. The shooting occurred outside of a Baton Rouge apartment complex on Sunday and Coppola says Ramos-Salazar targeted Guevara after learning of a sexual assault that occurred against one of his family members

CUT 8 (08)  “on construction”

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Many people are awed by the pictures and video circling of the two elephants who helped kept an 18-wheeler from overturning yesterday on I-49 near Powhatan (Pow-Hat-Tin). There was a concern by some that this was some sort of animal abuse. But Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office Capt Tony Moran says the animals seemed to be willing to assist…:

CUT 9 (09)  “from overturning”

Moran says these were circus elephants who were being transported from New Orleans to Dallas and after the driver became stranded, he gave a command to the elephants to help out…:

cut 10 (10) “didn’t appear to be abused”

Moran says deputies reported that at no time did the animals appear to be injured during this incident. He says the elephants were a huge help…:

cut 11 (03)  “did a great job”

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The Strawberry Festival Board and the Kiwanis Club of Ponchatoula have both apologized for the controversial 2015 poster and said they will not sell it at the event. A meeting was held this morning with the NAACP and other concerned leaders who felt this year’s festival poster was racist. Pontchatoula Councilman Melvin Toomer was at that meeting…:

cut 12 (11)  “which they have done”

Toomer says the Kiwanis Club Organization, which is responsible for the poster, will not be selling it at the festival April 10th-12th — but they will continue to distribute it before that time. The club board had originally said they would not stop selling the poster but Toomer says the compromise all parties reached today made both sides happy…:

cut 13 (10)  “for everybody”

The civil rights organization also called on both boards to have a more diverse membership which they agreed to make an effort to do. Toomer says they didn’t mind that the club would continue to sell the poster before the festival because that’s “inside their house” which is less offensive than it being sold at the event…:

cut 14 (10)  “that’s your house”

03.25.15
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11:40 LRN Sportscast March 25

LSU sophomore forward Jarell Martin meets with the media this afternoon where it’s expected based on reports that he’ll enter the NBA Draft. Martin led the Tigers in scoring this past season.

Martin’s teammate, Jordan Mickey, says he has yet to make a decision on whether he’ll leave LSU early. Tiger Rag editor Cody Worsham believes the six-foot-eight forward from Dallas could use another year of college basketball….
cut 19 (13) “….game more”
And there are reports that LSU assistant coach Eric Musselman could be named the new head coach at Nevada.

In college hoops tonight…U-L-M hosts Vermont in the semifinals of the CBI tournament, while Louisiana Tech faces Temple in the quarterfinals of the NIT. The winner will head to Madison Square Garden in New York for the NIT semifinals.

Saints Coach Sean Payton spoke with reporters this morning in at the NFL owners meeting and repeated a statement that general manager Mickey Loomis made earlier in the week and that’s there’s no truth to the rumors the team is looking to trade quarterback Drew Brees. Payton also said they will not trade up to draft Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Payton also said today that the team is speaking with defensive end Cameron Jordan about a contract extension. In four seasons with the Black and Gold, Jordan has 29 sacks and five forced fumbles.

In the NBA…the Pelicans host the Rockets tonight. Houston center Dwight Howard returns to the court after missing 23 games because of a knee injury. New Orleans has won the two previous meetings against the Rockets this season.

In college baseball last night…Mark Laird hit an inside the park home run to highlight LSU’s 13-7 win over Tulane. Louisiana Tech trounced Grambling eight to one. Daniel Midyett hit a three-run blast in Southeastern’s seven to six victory over ULM. U-L Lafayette edged McNeese State six to five in 12 innings.

03.24.15
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LRN Newscast 17:30 March 24

A new study conducted for the state by LSU economist Dr. Loren Scott shows the film tax credit program created nearly 13-thousand jobs, but cost Louisiana 171-million dollars last fiscal year. And Scott adds that many of the jobs produced do not benefit Louisiana…
CUT 11 (09) Q: “he spent”
The state’s film tax credit program is expected to face changes in the upcoming legislative session.

The Department of Health and Hospitals says Louisiana has cut the rate of Tuberculosis cases by more than half from 2010 to 2014. DHH’s Charles DeGraw says they have also reduced the percentage of TB cases with HIV infection from 10% in 2010 to 4 percent in 2014…:
CUT 14 (10) Q: “who have Tuberculosis.”
Republican Congressman Charles Boustany says a contract has been awarded to build a new VA clinic in Lafayette. Boustany says once construction begins, it will take 18 months to complete …:
CUT 6 (11) “long overdue”
However, Boustany says there is still no word from the VA on the construction of a new clinic in Lake Charles.

The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s office says two elephants were used to keep an 18-wheeler from overturning on I-49. Deputies say a truck carrying elephants from New Orleans to Dallas got stuck in the mud, when deputies arrived on the scene this morning, they were surprised to find the elephants on the side of the truck that was starting to tip over. The 18-wheeler was eventually pulled out of the mud and no citations were issued, and the elephants were uninjured.

03.24.15
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16:45 LRN Sportscast March 24

The LSU baseball team wraps up a five-game road trip tonight at Tulane. It looks like LSU has found a new lead-off hitter. Senior Chris Sciambra was inserted into the line-up on Friday and drove in four runs in game two against Arkansas and then had four hits in the series finale. Coach Paul Mainieri is proud the Baton Rouge native is able to contribute…
cut 18 (19) “…our team” (2x)
First pitch is at 6:30.

In other action…Louisiana Tech hosts Lincoln Parish rival Grambling State at 6 PM. The Ragin Cajuns face McNeese State in Lake Charles, U-L-M is at Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State hosts Mississippi Valley State.

A proposal to expand instant replay so that personal fouls could be reviewed never came up for a vote at today’s NFL owners meeting. In fact, most proposals to make changes to the instant replay system were rejected. The owners approved several player safety enhancements, including one that would allow for the stopping of a play if a medical adviser believes a player is unstable and should be taken off the field.

ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman reports that LSU sophomore forward Jordan Mickey is leaning towards entering the NBA draft. Mickey was a first-team ALL SEC selection this past season as he led the league in rebounding and he’s also the top shot blocker in the country.

Fresh off a win over Texas A-and-M, Louisiana Tech looks to keep advancing in the N-I-T as they visit Temple tomorrow night. U-L-M has a C-B-I semifinal game tomorrow as the Warhawks will host Vermont and in the C-I-T, the Ragin Cajuns will take on Evansville and the game will be played in historic Blackham Coliseum Thursday night.

03.24.15
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11:40 LRN Sportscast March 24

The number one ranked LSU baseball team heads down I-10 tonight to play Tulane at 6:30. It should be an emotional game for LSU hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Andy Cannizaro, who is a former all-american shorstop at Tulane. He helped the Green Wave reach the College World Series in 2001. Coach Paul Mainieri is interested to see how Tulane fans will react to Cannizaro…
cut 17 (14) “…baseball history”
First pitch is at 6:30. Other in-state matchups tonight include…Grambling at Louisiana Tech. McNeese hosts U-L Lafayette and ULM visits Southeastern Louisiana.

W-W-L’s Kristin Garic reports that outside linebacker and defensive end Anthony Spencer is visiting with Saints officials. He was drafted by Dallas in the first round in 2007 and helped the Cowboys gets in the playoffs last year.

U-L-M is getting ready to host a postseason basketball game tomorrow night as the Warhawks will face Vermont in the semi-finals of the CBI tournament. The Warhawks rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat Mercer 71 to 69 last night. Tylor Ongwae tied a career-high with 27 points.

The Ragin Cajuns will also host a postseason game this week as U-L Lafayette will take on Evansville this Thursday. The game will be played at Blackham Coliseum. It’s the first time since 2006 that a men’s basketball game has been played at that venue.

And Louisiana Tech will play Temple tomorrow night in the quarterfinals of the N-I-T. Alex Hamilton had 25 points as the Bulldogs beat Texas A-and-M 84 to 72. Hamilton hit three, 3-pointers. As a team, Tech had 11 from beyond the arc.

In high school basketball news…Anacoco’s Will Reese has been anmed as the Class B Most Outstanding Player of the year as he led Anacoco to its first ever boys state championship. The Class B girls player of the is Madyson Brasseaux of Lacassine. She’s a McNeese State commitment.

03.23.15
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LRN Sportscast 16:45 March 23

Former Saints Star Darren Sharper has reached a plea deal with authorities in Louisiana and three other states in which he’s accussed of drugging and raping women. There’s a report he’ll receive a 20-year prison sentence in Louisiana, but only serve nine years. Legal analyst Doug Sunseri says Sharper has agreed to what is known as a global plea deal, which means he essentially agreed to one punishment for all of the charges…
cut 13 (07) “….four jurisdictions”
Sharper’s legal troubles are not over, he still faces federal drug charges in New Orleans and a hearing on those charges is scheduled for April 6th.

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis spoke at today’s NFL owners meetings in Arizona and said reports that New Orleans has quarterback Drew Brees on the trade block are completely untrue. Loomis added he’s not sure how those rumors got started. Brees is 36-years-old and has two years left on a five-year contract.

The LSU Tigers are ranked number one in five of the six major college baseball polls. Collegiate Baseball is the only one where they are not ranked number. They have Texas A-and-M ranked ahead of the Tigers.

In college basketball…Louisiana Tech is at Texas A-and-M for a second round N-I-T match-up that can be seen on ESPN at six P-M. The Aggies are one of the better defensive teams out of the SEC. Bulldogs Coach Michael White says tonight’s game could be low scoring…
cut 18 (12) “….College station”
ULM will play Mercer tonight in the quarterfinals of the CBI. Tip-off is at six o’ clock from Macon, Georgia.

The Ragin Cajuns will host a C-I-T quarterfinal contest on Thursday. An opponent has yet to be determined. And in the SEC….Mississippi State has hired former UCLA Coach Ben Howland.

03.23.15
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11:40 LRN Sportscast March 23

D-1 Baseball, Perfect Game and Baseball America all have the Tigers ranked number one after taking two of three from Arkansas this past weekend. But LSU is not in first place in the SEC West. That honor goes to Texas A-and-M, who has a better league record than the Tigers at 5-and-1. Vanderbilt and Missouri are also five and one in league play.

The Ragin Cajuns are a half game back of Georgia Southern and Texas State for first place in the Sun Belt. U-L Lafayette took two of three from Georgia State over the weekend and the Cajuns are back on the road tomorrow to visit McNeese State.

In the Southland…Southeastern Louisiana is in first place in the league with a seven and two record, a half game ahead of Northwestern State and a full game ahead of McNeese. The Lions swept Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi and will host ULM tomorrow night. The Warhawks thumped Appalachian State ten to two yesterday.

Louisiana Tech will take on Texas A-and-M tonight in the second round of the N-I-T. Tech enters the game with a 26-8 record, while the Aggies are 21-11 and beat Montana in the opening round of the NIT. Bulldogs Coach Michael White says A&M presents a tough challenge for his guys…
cut 17 (15) “…strong and physical”
Tip-off is at six o’ clock on ESPN. ULM will look to advance in the CBI tournament tonight as they visit Mercer.

The Pelicans playoff hopes are fading as they lost their third straight yesterday as they were defeated by the Clippers 107-100. It was an up and down day for Eric Gordon, he didn’t start, because he missed a team meeting, but came off the bench to score 23 points. Head Coach Monty Williams…
cut 20 (08) “….played well”
Gordon also lost a tooth during the game, as the result of a hard fall in the third quarter.

03.22.15
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LRN AM Newscall Monday March 23

A Shreveport lawmaker feels the state legislature should look at different options in trying to shrink the state’s $1.6 billion budget deficit. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (29) “reporting”

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The state Department of Transportation and Development is taking part in National Work Zone Awareness Week which runs through Friday. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 2 (30) “reporting”

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Parks Senator Fred Mills is sponsoring legislation this session that looks at ways to change the way public school teachers are evaluated. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 3 (30) “reporting”

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Sentencing is scheduled today for a Baton Rouge man who allegedly shot his girlfriend up with a fatal injection of heroin in 2013. 31-year-old Brandon Eirick pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and heroin distribution in the death of 31-year old Leah Hutchinson. Legal analyst Tim Meche says cases like this are not unique…

cut 4  (08)  “for years”

Eirick was originally charged with second degree murder in this case, but pleaded to the lesser charge of negligent homicide in October. Meche says this case is clearly a homicide case and not a murder…

Cut 5  (03)  “present, here”

Meche says Eirick faces up to 10 years in prison. He says since these cases are not unusual, the sentencing judge will be able to use prior judgement to help determine Eirick’s sentence…

Cut 6 (05)  “guided by that”

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A Shreveport lawmaker feels the state legislature should look at different options in trying to shrink the state’s $1.6 billion budget deficit. Democratic Representative Patrick Williams it’s clear that the state needs to generate additional revenue. The House Ways and Means Committee member says a hike on cigarette and alcohol taxes is one way the state can raise funds quickly…

CUT 7 (04)  “point in time”

Williams feels Governor Jindal will veto any piece of legislation that is seen as a tax increase. The representative also feels that lawmakers should take a closer look at tax incentives offered by the state to shrink the budget gap. He says some of these are not paying dividends back to the state…

Cut 8  (07)  “from them” 

The film industry is the recipient of one of the state’s largest tax credits. Williams says, while it’s good to have movies being made in Louisiana, lawmakers should consider restructuring this incentive…

Cut 9 (06)  “support it”

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The state Department of Transportation and Development is taking part in National Work Zone Awareness Week which runs through Friday. DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallett says this is about bringing attention to the fact that safety should be a top priority through road construction areas..:

Cut 10 (11) “rules of the road”

Mallett says since 2013 in Louisiana there’s been about 580 people who have lost their lives in work zones…:

cut 11 (08) “lose their lives”

Mallett says drivers face fines, fees and other consequences if they’re caught speeding in a work zone or driving without their headlights on. He says there are so many things inside vehicles these days that it’s more important than ever to put distractions aside when you’re behind the wheel:

cut 12 (11)  “through the work zone”

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Parks Senator Fred Mills is sponsoring legislation this session that looks at ways to change the way public school teachers are evaluated. Currently educator effectiveness is determined by students’ standardized test results. Mills says his bill seeks to make a teacher’s job performance more accurately measured…:

Cut 13 (06)  “quantitative measurement”

Mills says he is speaking for this bill on behalf of constituents in his area who tell him that the value added assessment model is not a valid measurement tool. He says this measure would take things back to the way they used to be when it comes to checking out how a teacher is doing…:

Cut 14 (07) “set for the student”

Mills says the proposed law would not completely remove the use of test scores as a factor in deciding teacher effectiveness…:

Cut 15  (08)  “measurement”

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The “Dunkin Dogs” of Louisiana Tech will face Texas A&M tonight in the second round of the NIT.  Bulldogs Coach Michael White says his program doesn’t have many opportunities to beat a team from a major conference, so they need to take advantage of it when it comes…

Cut 16  (13)  “very very excited”

Tech enters the game with a 26-8 record, while the Aggies are 21-11 and beat Montana in the opening round of the NIT. White says A&M presents a tough challenge for his guys…

Cut 17 (15)  “strong and physical”

The Aggies are one of the better defensive teams out of the SEC. White says tonight’s game on ESPN could be low scoring…

Cut 18 (12) ”   College Station”‘

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The Pelicans are now three games back of Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference after completing an 0-for-3 road trip with a 107-100 loss to the Clippers. Coach Monty Williams is not happy with the 18 turnovers his team committed

Cut 19 (14)   “but it happens”

Anthony Davis returned from a sprained ankle and scored 26 points. Eric Gordon had a rare appearance off the bench as he did not start after missing a team meeting. Gordon still scored 23 points and Williams appreciated his performance on the court…

Cut 20 (08)  “played well”