LRN Newscast 08:30 Sept 27

It’s unusual for one US Senator to go door-to-door to encourage voters NOT to vote for the other US Senator in the same state, but that’s what Senator David Vitter is doing today in Baton Rouge. Vitter is accompanied by representatives from an anti-abortion group. Senator Many Landrieu believes in pro-choice. U-L Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross…
CUT 7 (07) Q: “their vote”
Landrieu’s main challenger in the race, Baton Rouge Congressman Bill Cassidy, is pro-life.

It’s the first weekend in fall and that means the Fall Festival schedule cranks up. The 73rd annual Sugar Cane Festival in New Iberia highlights this weekend. Jacques Berry, with the Lt. Governor’s office, says there’s some great festivals coming up next month….
cut 13 (10) “…on the Northshore”

The state department of health and hospitals has confirmed 15 new cases of the West Nile Virus. That brings the total number of infections for the year to 118. Health officials encourage residents to take steps to prevent mosquito bites, especially today if you’re heading out to tailgate before a college football game.

Speaking of college football, the LSU Tigers look to rebound from a tough loss to Mississippi State when they host New Mexico State tonight. ULM will face Sun Belt Rival Troy at six P-M tonight. Mcneese State looks to go 2-and-1 on the year when they host Arkansas Tech.

Today is National Hunting and Fishing Day. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is celebrating the day by hosting a Family Fish Fest in Baton Rouge and there’s activities planned in Monroe, Minden and Woodworth. L-D-W-F Secretary Robert Barham….
cut 5 (09) “…all ages”
For more information go to L-D-W-F’s website.

LRN Sportscast 07:30 September 27

LSU concludes its four-game homestand tonight with a non-conference game against New Mexico State. Many Tiger fans are wondering if LSU will be up to play this game, after a tough loss last week and a big game against Auburn coming up. Coach Les Miles says LSU will be ready….
cut 30 (08) “…has ability”
Miles says Anthony Jennings will likely take the first snap at quarterback tonight, but he says they plan to give true freshman Brandon Harris plenty of snaps as well.

Also in the SEC today…fifth ranked Auburn will host Louisiana Tech. A matchup to watch in this game is Bulldogs running back Kenneth Dixon against Auburn’s defense. The War Eagles have only allowed 86 yards on the ground this season. Kick-off on the SEC Network is at 3 PM.

ULM has a good opportunity to improve to 2-and-0 in the Sun Belt as they host Troy at six Pm tonight. The Trojans are 0-and-4 overall and have scored just 62 points on the season. But the Warhawks will need to get their offense going too, after getting shutout at LSU two weeks ago.

Tulane is at Rutgers for an eleven A-M kickoff. The Green Wave are 1-and-3, while the Scarlet Knights are 3-and-1.

Southeastern Lousiaina begins Southland play tonight against Incarnate Word. The Lions are looking to break a two-game losing streak. Nicholls State seeks its first win of the year as they visit Central Arkansas. McNeese State returns from a bye week to host Arkansas Tech.

In the SWAC….Grambling State, who beat Jackson State last week, faces winless Prairie View in Dallas, and Southern visits Alcorn State in a game that can be seen on ESPN 3 at four P-M.

Tomorrow night…the Saints visit the Dallas Cowboys. New Orleans would like to force more turnovers, they have just one takeaway and that came in the season opener.

LRN Sportscast 16:45 Sept 26

The Saints look to win on the road in Dallas on Sunday night. New Orleans has not won a regular season game away from Mercedes Benz Superdome since a win over Atlanta in the Georgia Dome last November. But NFL analyst Mike Detillier says on the flip side, the Black and Gold are 9-and-0 in Sunday night games, when Coach Sean Payton is on the sidelines…
cut 18 (11) “….in a shootout”
The Saints beat the Cowboys in Big D last season 49-17. New Orleans had an NFL record 40 first downs in that game.

The 17th ranked LSU Tigers host New Mexico State tomorrow night in their final non-conference game of the year. LSU has won 48 straight against non-conference opponents in the regular season. That’s the longest streak in the nation.

ULM can improve to 2-and-0 in the Sun Belt when they host Troy on Saturday night at Malone Stadium. The last three times these two teams have played in Monroe, the Warhawks were victorious.

Louisiana Tech is at Auburn tomorrow. This is the 12th meeting between the two schools and the Bulldogs have yet to beat the War Eagles. They came close in 1948 as the game finished in a 13-13 tie.

Southeastern Louisiana begins defense of its Southland Conference championship as it visits Incarnate Word. Kick-off in San Antonio is set for six PM. The Lions have won their last ten game games against Southland opponents.

Nicholls State is still looking for win number one on the season. The Colonels are at Central Arkansas. McNeese State hosts Arkansas Tech in a non-conference match-up.

Southern and Grambling enter action tomorrow with 1-and-0 records in the SWAC. The Jags are at Alcorn State, while Grambling faces Prairie View in the State Fair Classic in Dallas.

11:40 LRN Sportscast

Last year when the Saints played the Cowboys, New Orleans set an NFL record for first downs with 40 and a team record with 625 yards of total offense. The Saints won that game 49-17. NFL analyst Mike Detillier expects both teams to score a bunch of more points on Sunday night when they meet again in Dallas….
cut 17 (14) “….football team”
The Saints are 9-and-0 in Sunday night games, when Sean Payton is on the sidelines.

LSU is 23-and-1 under Coach Les Miles following a loss. The Tigers will make 24-and-1 on Saturday night when they host New Mexico State. the Aggies are 2-and-2 on the season and heavy underdogs in this game. But there quarterback Tyler Rogers has been getting better every week and wide receiver Teldrick Morgan has 31 catches on the season.

Louisiana Tech is at fifth ranked Auburn on Saturday. Neither team is happy with it how it performed in its last game. The Bulldogs were outscored 20-7 in the fourth quarter and lost to Northwestern State last Saturday. Auburn beat Kansas State in its last game, but only had 359 yards of total offense. That’s the fewest amount of yards Auburn has had in the 17 games that Gus Malzahn has been their head coach.

ULM faces Troy on Saturday night in a Sun Belt match-up. It’s the last game at home for the Warhawks until October 25th.

Southeastern Louisiana concludes a three-game road trip on Saturday as they face Incarnate Word in San Antonio. Also in the southland…Nicholls State seeks its first win of the year as its visits Central Arkansas. McNeese State hosts Arkansas Tech.

In the SWAC….Grambling State plays Prairie View in the State Fair Classic in Dallas. Grambling is coming off an emotional win over Jackson State. Southern faces Alcorn State. Both teams are 1-and-0 in the league.

LRN Sportscast 16:45

During today’s SEC Teleconference, Coach Les Miles said true freshman quarterback Brandon Harris will see some additional playing time this Saturday against New Mexico State, but he’s not giving up on Anthony Jennings. And he hinted that Jennings will remain the starter.

A more productive running game would help LSU’s passing game. Through four games, Leonard Fournette has 200 yards rushing after picking up 38 yards on the ground against ULM. Tigers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron sees Fournette breaking off a few more long runs as the season goes on…
cut 18 (16) “….down the stretch’
LSU hosts New Mexico State this Saturday at six-thirty PM.

Louisiana Tech is at Auburn this Saturday. The War Eagles have been a difficult offense to stop under head coach Gus Malzahn, but Bulldogs coach Skip Holtz is excited to see how his defense performs on the Plains….
cut 20 (20) “….what they do”
Tech is a 33-point underdog this Saturday.

Saints Back-up tight end Ben Watson and center Jonathan Goodwin were not at practice today. Watson has a groin injury, while Goodwin is dealing with a high ankle sprain. Linebacker Curtis Lofton was limited. New Orleans is at Dallas on Sunday. Cowboys cornerback and former LSU standout Morris Claiborne is expected to play Sunday, even though he abruptly left the team’s facility yesterday after being told that he lost his starting job.

LRN Sportscast 16:45 September 23

The Southeastern Conference has suspended Mississippi State offensive lineman Dillon Day for one game, because of “multiple flagrant and unsportsmanlike acts” in the Bulldogs win over LSU. ESPN’s broadcast showed Day stomping on LSU’s Davon Godchaux and Rashard Robinson on separate plays, but never penalized. Day will miss the Bulldogs game against Texas A-and-M on october fourth.

LSU Coach Les Miles plans to give backup quarterback Brandon Harris more playing time on Saturday against New Mexico State. Miles liked how Harris led the Tigers to three fourth quarter touchdowns against the Bulldogs…
cut 28 (19) “…to win”
Miles says middle linebacker Kendell Beckwith will also see more playing time.

Former LSU Tiger and Giants first round pick Odell Beckham Junior is catching passes in practice. Beckham hasn’t been able to get a full-day of practice with New York, because of a hamstring injury.

In other NFL news…former LSU Tiger Lavar Edwards has signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Former Tiger and McNeese State star Nic Jacobs was signed off of the Saints practice squad by Jacksonville. And former Ragin Cajuns defensive back Ike Taylor will miss six to eight weeks with a broken arm.

Conference USA announces six Louisiana Tech men’s basketball games will be televised this season. Four of the six TV games will take place at the Thomas Assembly Center. One of those televised games will be February 26th against UTEP and it will air nationally on Fox Sports One.

And the Pelicans unveiled an alternate uniform today. It’s red with blue trim and the first time they’ll wear them is opening night on October 28th against the Orlando Magic.

11:40 Sportscast LRN

LSU Coach Les Miles plans on giving some players more playing time after they performed well in the loss to Mississippi State. The head coach says you can expect to see more of linebacker Kendell Beckwith and back-up quarterback Brandon Harris. He says sophomore defensive lineman Lewis Neal is another guy who will get more snaps based on what he did against the Bulldogs…
cut 17 (15) “….we play”
Miles says junior defensive tackle Quentin Thomas will miss a week or two after injuring his arm.

Louisiana Tech is also trying to rebound after suffering a tough loss on Saturday. The Bulldogs lost to Northwestern State on a last-second field goal and this Saturday they visit fifth ranked Auburn. Auburn has a couple of extra days to prepare for the Bulldogs since they played last Thursday.

The Saints are off today as they will get back to work tomorrow to prepare for the Dallas Cowboys. It looks like New Orleans will be without starting center Jonathan Goodwin for the next few weeks. The veteran has reportedly suffered a high ankle sprain. Second-year pro Tim Lelito, who battled with Goodwin in training camp for the starting spot, should get the start against the Cowboys.

In the high school football polls…Many is the new number one team in Two-A. Calvary Baptist fell from the top spot after losing to Byrd, who is now ranked third in the Five-A poll. Rummel is ranked number one in Five-A, followed by Destrehan.

And according to Collegiate baseball….LSU has the top recruiting class in the country. The incoming recruiting class features five players who were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft last June, but chose to attend LSU and the class also features five high school All-americans.

16:45 LRN Sportscast

The LSU Tigers are now ranked 17th after getting upset at home on Saturday against Mississippi State. LSU’s defense allowed 570 total yards, 302 came on the ground as the Tigers could not stop State quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Josh Robinson. Sophomore defensive tackle Christian LaCouture says they’ll look at the tape to try and figure out what went wrong…
cut 20 (17) “…be fine”
The Tigers conclude their four-game homestand on Saturday against New Mexico State and Coach Les Miles said today that backup quarterback Brandon Harris earned more playing time based on his performance in the fourth quarter.

Ragin Cajuns Coach Mark Hudspeth says Terrance Broadway is still his starting quarterback, even though the senior threw for just 160 yards in a 34-9 loss to Boise State.

There are three teams in the NFL that have yet to win a game and the Saints are not one of them, thanks to their 20 to nine win over Minnesota. Safety Kenny Vaccaro says it’s good to get a win, but they have more work to do….
cut 30 (11) “…keep pushing”
The Saints defense had its best performance of the season on Sunday. They kept Minnesota out of the end zone and held the Vikings to 247 total yards. New Orleans is at Dallas this Sunday.

Southeastern Louisiana will also be in the Lone Star state this Sunday as they visit Incarnate Word. The Lions are coming off a tough 24-23 loss to Southeast Missouri. S-L-U gave up the winning touchdown with four seconds left. The Lions are ranked 11th in the F-C-S polls, while McNeese State is 5th. The Cowboys host Arkansas Tech on Saturday after taking last weekend off.

LRN sportscast 11:40

The Saints finally have that first win of the 2014 season under their belt as New Orleans defeated Minnesota 20-9. The Black and Gold jumped out to a 13-nothing lead in the first quarter and put seven more points on the board in the fourth quarter. Tight end Jimmy Graham likes how the Saints offense started the game….
cut 30 (19) “…keep winning”
The Saints are at Dallas on Sunday in a primetime match-up at A-T-and-T Stadium. The Cowboys rallied to beat St. Louis 34-31 yesterday. Dallas is 2-and-1 on the season. In other NFL action, the Pittsburgh Steelers handed Carolina its first loss as they defeated the Panthers 37-19. Carolina and Atlanta are tied for first in the NFC South at two and one.

LSU dropped nine spots in the AP poll to number 17 after losing to Mississippi State on Saturday. Tigers backup quarterback Brandon Harris played well, leading LSU on three fourth quarter touchdown drives. Coach Les Miles says they’ll look at Harris possibly starting this Saturday…
cut 19 (17) “….we are”

Louisiana Tech heads into its match-up with fifth ranked Auburn in a bad mood. The Bulldogs were upset by Northwestern State 30-27. Tech head coach Skip Holtz says they were ready to play on Saturday, but couldn’t overcome eight penalties and five turnovers….
cut 17 (14) “….fourth quarter”

LRN AM Newscall for Sept 22

The Louisiana Inspector General found that between 2011 and 2013, over half a million dollars in non-refundable airline tickets were purchased by state entities, but never used.  Scott Carwile reports…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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Starting today a brand new license plate will be available to Louisiana drivers boasting, “I’m Creole, and Proud.” Michelle Southern has that…:

Cut 2 (33) “reporting”

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The Saints finally picked up their first win of the season as New Orleans defeated Minnesota 20-9. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (34) “reporting”

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The Louisiana Inspector General has issued a set of recommendations for state agencies to stop wasting airline tickets.  Stephen Street’s office found that between 2011 and 2013, over half a million dollars in non-refundable airline tickets were purchased by state entities, but never used.  Street says his office is mandated to find and eliminate waste and this is a classic example of waste…

Cut 4  (09)  “thousands of dollars”

The report shows that nearly 12-hundred non-refundable airline tickets expired, but could have been used within one year to pay for another ticket.  Street says the topic was addressed in a previous report in 2010 and the results of that report were similar to this year’s…

Cut 5  (12)  “that is happening”

Street says, in tight budget times, we have to be especially careful about this sort of waste of taxpayer money.  He says the report includes a set of recommendations for the Office of State Travel to ensure unused airline tickets are not wasted…

Cut 6 (08)  “to evaporate”

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Starting today a brand new license plate will be available to Louisiana drivers boasting, “I’m Creole, and Proud.” Lafayette Representative Vincent Pierre says he lead the effort to make this happen because he wanted to give more exposure to the Creole culture. He says one of the plate’s features is a black pot…:

CUT 7 (09) “over to visit”

Pierre says the Creole plate also features an accordion to represent Zydeco music. He says there’s also a scrub board on the specialty item…:

CUT 8 (06)   “of the world”

Pierre says the design also includes a fleur de lis to tie it all together in representing Louisiana. He says you can get it as soon as the DMVs open today for $30 plus fees. Pierre says the funds that are generated from the Creole plate will go to the French Immersion Program…:

CUT 9 (07) “along with the community”  

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Autumn begins today.  State Climatologist Barry Keim says fall officially begins tonight at 9:29PM.  Keim forecasts normal temperatures across the state for the next three months…

cut 10 (09)  “Gulf of Mexico”

Above average rainfall is predicted for Lousiana over the next three months due to expected El Nino conditions forming over the Gulf of Mexico.  Keim says this El Nino event has been predicted to form as far back as May…

cut 11 (08) “an El Nino ” 

Keim says, as we get into the fall season, fronts will start coming through and temperatures will begin to fall across the state…

cut 12 (06)  “wait for it”

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Secretary of State Tom Schedler is advising voters to study up on their November fourth ballot, because they’ve had a record number of candidates who have withdrawn from their respective races since qualifying. Schedler says 110 candidates have dropped out of their race and the printed ballot may not reflect the change in the number of candidates…

Cut 13 (08)  “withdrawn candidates”

Many of names of withdrawn candidates will remain on the ballot because it is required by law that these ballots are made 45 days from the election.  Schedler says local election commissioners are supposed to inform voters at polling stations of withdrawn candidates on the ballot…

Cut 14 (12)  “to say that”

Even a US Senate candidate has withdrawn from the race and that is Raymond Brown.  Schedler says, with that,  there will be withdrawn candidates on the ballot in every single parish.  Schedler says you can always go to GeauxVote-dot-com to keep yourself updated…

Cut 15  (12)   “use that”

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Northwestern State scored 20 4th quarter points to come from behind and upset their long time rival Louisiana Tech 30 to 27. Chris Moore’s 47-yard field goal with no time left was the game winner. It was Northwestern’s first win over an FBS opponent since 2005 and the Demons first win over the Bulldogs since 1979.  Northwestern Coach Jay Thomas says it’s like a dream…

Cut 16  (16)   “loss of words”

The Bulldogs had a ten point lead going into the 4th quarter, but eight penalties and five turnovers finally caught up with them. Tech Head Coach Skip Holtz says they were ready to play, but they couldn’t overcome the mistakes…

Cut 17  (14)   “fourth quarter”

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For the first time since 1991, Mississippi State beat LSU in Baton Rouge as the Bulldogs held on for a 34-29 victory on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. State throughly outplayed LSU for most of the game and Coach Les Miles says his team has several areas where they need to get better

Cut 18 (17)  “this season”

LSU trailed by 24 points early in the fourth quarter, but backup quarterback Brandon Harris led the Tigers on three scoring drives and threw two touchdown passes to Malachi Dupre. Miles says they’ll look at Harris possibly starting this Saturday….

cut 19 (17)  “we are”

LSU’s defense allowed 570 total yards, 302 came on the ground as the Tigers could not stop State quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Josh Robinson. Sophomore defensive tackle Christian LaCouture says they’ll look at the tape to try and figure out what went wrong…

Cut 20 (17) ” be fine”