Author Archives: Jeff Palermo

03.08.15
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LRN AM Newscall Monday March 9th ##sports cuts have been added##

With the beginning of Daylight Saving Time over the weekend, everyone lost an hour of sleep. But State Police says that’s no excuse to drive fatigued. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

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Lafayette has been named as one of the top 20 hardest working cities in the US by the personal finance site badcredit-dot-org. Michelle Southern reports…

Cut 2 (30) “reporting”

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A Baton Rouge lawmaker will file a bill for the upcoming legislative session that seeks to let citizens vote on whether or not marijuana should be legal in Louisiana for recreational use. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 3 (32) “reporting”

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With the beginning of Daylight Saving Time over the weekend, everyone lost an hour of sleep. But State Police says that’s no excuse to drive fatigued. Sgt. Nick Manale says they often see accidents that were caused by sleepy drivers, so it’s imperative to be sharp behind the wheel…

cut 4  (08)  “roadway, there”

Manale says if you do feel yourself becoming fatigued while driving, there are some things you can do to help yourself…

Cut 5  (06)  “do something”

Manale suggests pulling over and getting a breath of fresh air, stepping out of the car, or getting something to drink as ways you can revive yourself if you begin to feel fatigued behind the wheel. Manale says sleepy driving can be as dangerous as impaired or distracted driving…

Cut 6 (10)  “avoiding crashes”

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A Louisiana physician is working on a way to perfect a permanent solution to sleep apnea. The condition, which causes people to not get enough air while they are sleeping, affects more than three million people in the US. Dr. G. E. Ghali, an oral surgeon and instructor with LSU Health Shreveport, says apnea patients are often given CPAP masks to ensure oxygen flow but the problem there is compliance…:

CUT 7 (08)  “necessarily fit”

Ghali says since CPAP masks aren’t perfect, some people choose surgery that removes excess tissue down the throat and at the base of the tongue. He says they’ve come up with a treatment for that which uses the daVinci Robot inside a person’s mouth…:(Ghali says if you are interested in learning more about the procedure, call 318-675-6101.)

Cut 8  (11)  “in the pallet” 

Ghali says recovery from the surgery can take several weeks, but many patients report that after a month or two they are feeling better, sleeping better and sleeping in bed with their spouse again. He says they’ve had a 90% success rate in the surgery permanently opening up airways of sleep apnea patients…:

Cut 9 (04)  “a mask, comfortably”

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Lafayette has been named as one of the top 20 hardest working cities in the US by the personal finance site badcredit-dot-org. Editor Steven Richmond says about 350 cities were ranked on four separate categories for this report…

Cut 10 (08) “making the list”

Richmond says they looked at percentage of population over age 16 in the workforce, average commute times, percentage of households with children, and average number of hours worked each week to compile their list. He says Lafayette scored high in the number of people in the workforce…

cut 11 (09) “in Lafayette”

Richmond says they used data from the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He says says this list represents some of the busiest, hardest working, and most workaholic populations in the US…

cut 12 (11)  “they put in”

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A Baton Rouge lawmaker will file a bill for the upcoming legislative session that seeks to let citizens vote on whether or not marijuana should be legal in Louisiana for recreational use. Representative Dalton Honore is also bringing back his medical marijuana bill which failed last year. He says people should be able to vote on the recreational pot law…:

Cut 13 (09)  “with the legislators”

Recreational marijuana for adult use is legal in Oregon, Washington D.C., Colorado, Alaska and Washington. Honore says he hopes other lawmakers will get on board with letting people decide whether or not marijuana for recreational use should be legal…:

Cut 14 (08) “people vote for it”

The legislative session begins April 13th. Honore says regardless of how lawmakers feel about the recreational use of marijuana, they should at least allow the issue to be put on a ballot…:

Cut 15  (08)  “in 2016”

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Spring football is underway for the LSU Tigers. A point of emphasis is the passing game. The Tigers ranked 114th in the country in pass offense last year and Coach Les Miles says they will throw it a lot this spring

Cut 16  (11)  “will be fun”

Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris will once again battle to be the starting quarterback. It’s the second spring practice for Harris, while Jennings is looking to be the starter for a second consecutive year. Miles says both Q-Bs have matured since last year

Cut 17 (19)  “those things”

Spring practice gives new LSU defensive coordinator Kevin Steele a chance to install his defense. Miles says the Tigers ‘D” should look to familiar to fans

Cut 18 (15) “carry over’

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03.05.15
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LRN Newscast 17:30 March 5

The yo-yoing of the temperatures makes us more susceptible to sickness according to experts. But James Diaz, the Program Director of Occupational Health Sciences at LSU Health New Orleans, says there are things you can do to protect yourself…:
CUT 12 (09) “last fall”
Diaz says immune systems can weaken when temperatures swing from hot to cold.

No more elephants at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. The company announces the phase out of the act by 2018. Humane Society of Louisiana Executive Director Jeff Dorson says it’s about time as negative reinforcement is often used to train these elephants…:
CUT 14 (07) “public’s wishes”
Horses, dogs, tigers and other animals will continue to be used in the shows.

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s office says a mother in Houma dragged her daughter around by her hair, made her drink hot sauce and whipped her with a belt for punishment. Captain Dawn Foret says they got a call from a local junior high where the 13-year-old victim attended school…:
CUT 5 (10) “from her mother”
Detectives confirmed the child had severe bruising on many areas of her body. The mother, 33-year-old Gricelda Mejia (Gra-Sil-Da, Ma-Hee-A) was arrested for one count of cruelty to a juvenile.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has cited a New Iberia man for allegedly killing a Louisiana Black bear in St. Mary Parish. Agents say 52-year-old Richard Picard Junior was hog hunting and Picard claims he mistakenly identified the black bear as a wild hog. Picard faces hundreds of dollars in fines and possible jail time as well.

03.05.15
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LRN sportscast 16:45 March 5

Many Saints fans are sad over the news the Black and Gold have released Pierre Thomas, who ends his career in New Orleans as the team’s fourth leading rusher. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says the fans love him and he’s very active with the community and quick to speak to the media, but this is about winning games…
cut 15 (13) “…paying you”
By releasing the 30-year-old Thomas, the Saints save nearly two-million dollars against the salary cap.

The team has also reportedly restructered free safety Jairus Byrd’s contract by converting his roster bonus to a signing bonus. The move reportedly saves New Orleans another five-million dollars, but the team still has another 16-million dollars in salary cap money to shed by March 10th.

There are some big college basketball games in the state of Louisiana tonight. In Monroe, the Warhawks host Georgia State. Both teams are involved in a three-way tie for first place in the Sun Belt. ULM Coach Keith Richard likes the challenge in front of his team by playing the Panthers…
cut 18 (13) “….doing this”
A few miles away from Monroe, Louisiana Tech hosts Southern Miss. A Bulldogs win and they’ll win the Conference USA title outright. In Lafayette, the Ragin Cajuns have won four in a row as they host Arkansas Little Rock tonight. Coach Bob Marlin credits improved play on defense…
cut 19 (13) “…NCAA Tournament (2x)

03.05.15
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11:40 LRN Sportscast March 5

The Saints have let fan favorite and running back Pierre Thomas go, after an eight year run with the Black and Gold. NFL Analyst Mike Detillier says the Saints will miss Thomas’ ability on screen passes and he was an excellent pass blocker…
cut 14 (07) “…with one team’
The Saints have also reportedly restructured free safety Jairus Byrd’s contract as they converted his roster bonus to a signing bonus, which lowers his 2015 cap number from ten million to five million dollars. That’s according to Field Yates of ESPN.

Anthony Davis returned to the court last night and he gave a big boost to the Pelicans as he scored 39 points, 13 rebounds and had eight blocked shots in an 88-85 win over Detroit. Davis had missed the previous five games, because of a right shoulder strain. The Thunder also won last night, so the Pels are still one game back from the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Bad loss for the LSU men’s basketball team last night. Tennessee, who had lost five in a row, came into the Maravich Center and beat the Tigers 78-63. But despite the loss, bracketologists Jerry Palm of CBS-sports-dot-com and ESPN’s Joe Lunardi still have LSU in the tournament as a ten-seed.

Tonight in college hoops…U-L-M hosts Georgia State, which is one of the two teams the Warhawks are tied with for first place in the Sun Belt. ULM lost to Georgia State by 20 points in the Sun Belt opener back on December 30th. But Warhawks Coach Keith Richard says his team is much better on offense then they were a couple of months ago….
cut 17 (09) “…Thursday night”
Also tonight…the Ragin Cajuns go after their fifth straight win as they host Arkansas-Little Rock. Louisiana Tech seeks an outright Conference USA title as they host Southern Miss. And Northwestern state seeks its sixth straight win as they host Stephen F Austin.

03.03.15
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LRN Newscast 17:30 March 3rd

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry says Governor Bobby Jindal’s proposal to eliminate the inventory tax credit will hurt the state’s economy. Jeff Palermo has the story….
cut 2 (30) “….reporting”

Eight parishes in north and northeast Louisiana are under a winter storm watch from Wednesday night through Thursday morning as forecasters say we could see a combination of freezing rain and sleet in Monroe, Ruston, Farmerville and Oak Grove. And several parishes in south Louisiana are under a dense fog advisory tomorrow morning.

The state Department of Revenue announces that tax refunds are now being issued. Spokeswoman Kizzie Payton says there was a slight delay this year due to the increase in fraudulent tax returns across the nation…:
CUT 6 (08) “taxpayer’s accounts”
She says, thus far, over 763,000 tax returns have been filed and about 244,000 have been processed.

An early morning fire claims the life of a 73-year-old woman in Opelousas. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says firefighters responded to a wood frame dwelling around 4am, which they found fully engulfed in flames. Browning says the victim, Mary Ann Sam, was also located…:
CUT 14 (09) “that’s been done”
They are still working to determine the cause of the blaze.

03.03.15
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LRN Sportscast 16:45 March 3rd

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Saints will likely restructure wide receiver Marques Colston’s contract. Colston’s salary counts nine-point-seven million dollars against the 2015 salary cap and the Black and Gold need to trim about 22-million dollars in salaries to get under the salary cap. Schefter also added that he doesn’t expect Colston to be cut.

The LSU baseball team is set to host Stephen F Austin at Alex Box Stadium tonight. Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri is still looking for a starting third baseman he can count on. Tonight he’ll give Conner Hale a chance at the hot corner. Hale has started at first and second base this season.

In other college baseball action tonight…Northwestern State hosts ULM. The Demons are five and six on the year, while the Warhawks are six and three.

McNeese State is at Sam Houston, Tulane travels to Nicholls State, who is 7-3-and-1 on the season. And Southeastern Louisiana hosts Alcorn State.

Spring football gets underway today for the Ragin Cajuns. There will be a battle for quarterback as Terrance Broadway has used up all of his elgibility. Coach Mark Hudspeth has hinted that Brooks Haack has a slight edge over two other Q-B’s in camp, Jalen Nixon and Jordan Davis.

Spring football also got underway today for Nicholls State and its new head coach Tim Rebowe. Grambling State spring football starts tomorrow.

You can make the case that Tim Quarterman is the most improved player on LSU’s basketball team. He’s averaging 12 points a game , compared to just three points a contest last year. The Georgia native says positive conversations with Coach Johnny Jones during the offseason gave him the confidence he could have a big impact on this year’s team….
cut 18 (15) “….mindset”
LSU hosts Tennessee tomorrow night.

03.03.15
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PM Newscall March 3rd

###Changes made to the newscall as a result of two arrests in the fatal home invasion in Shreveport#####

 

The state Department of Revenue announces that state tax refunds are now being issued. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry says Governor Bobby Jindal’s proposal to eliminate the inventory tax credit will hurt the state’s economy. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

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The Shreveport Police Department says they are looking for a suspect following an overnight fatal home invasion. Corporal Marcus Hines say officers were called to the scene at around one AM…

(At this point officers believe a resident in the home fatally shot one of the suspects, the other fled.)

CUT 3 (10)  “shot the man”

There were  children inside the home at the time of the shooting, but they  were not injured . Hines says they believe the two men entered the home wearing masks and one of them was armed with a semi-automatic rifle…:

CUT 4 (11)  “not been captured”

Hines says evidence seized during a search of the residence suggest illegal narcotics may have been a motivating factor in the attempted robbery…:

(Officers have arrested two people living inside the home, because of illegal drugs inside the home.)

CUT 5 (09)  “degree of involvement”

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The state Department of Revenue announces that state tax refunds are now being issued. The department had said that it would not issue refunds until March 2nd, but actually began last Friday. Spokeswoman Kizzy Payton says the delay was due to the increase of the filing of fraudulent tax returns across the nation…

CUT 6 (08)  “taxpayer’s accounts”

She says the department issued additional security measures so they would more easily detect suspicious activity around taxpayer’s accounts. Payton says the department strives to make sure they are not handing out tax refunds to people who do not deserve them…

CUT 7 (08)  “anti-fraud initiative”

Payton says some may have already received their refund, depending on the method of payment they chose. She says, thus far, over 763,000 tax returns have been filed and about 244,000 have been processed. But Payton says that’s just the beginning…

CUT 8 (05)  “each year”

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The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry plans to fight Governor Bobby Jindal’s proposal to repeal the inventory tax credit. Such a move would save the state an estimated $380 million which could be used for health care and higher education. But LABI Vice President, Jim Patterson, says a repeal of this tax credit would be devastating to business across the state…

CUT 9 (09)  “to our economy”

Patterson says the vast majority of states do not have inventory taxes, so if the refund went away, jobs could leave as well…

cut 10 (08) “such a tax”

Patterson says businesses could decide to shift inventories to states that do not have such a tax and those warehouse jobs would be lost. He says Louisiana is one of only 13 states that have an inventory tax on the books. Patterson says if the inventory tax credit is repealed, then business will have to make up that money somewhere…

cut 11 (06)  “to consumers”

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The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office says a 14-year-old student from H.L. Bourgeois High in Gray is under arrest accused of calling in 2 bomb threats to the school. Captain Dawn Foret says last Tuesday and yesterday there were two separate bomb threats they were emailed to the school’s principal…:

cut 12 (10)  “could resume”

Foret says they began an investigation and were able to track the email address that the suspect had sent both threats from to the H.L. Bourgeois student…:(The suspect is charged with two counts of False Communication of a Bomb Threat. Foret says it does not appear the teen had any access to items that would let him carry out his threats.)

cut 13 (06)  “emails”

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The State Fire Marshal’s Office says  a 73-year-old woman died in a house fire in Opelousas today. Fire Marshal Butch Browning says St. Landry Parish firefighters responded to a wood frame dwelling around 4am which they found fully engulfed in flames. He says the 73 year old victim, Mary Ann Sam, was also located…

cut 14 (09)  “that’s been done”

They are still working to determine the cause of the blaze. Browning says they know the woman was living alone in the home and the fire was discovered by someone who was driving by…:

cut 15 (06) “those things out”

03.03.15
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11:40 LRN Sportscast March 3rd

The LSU baseball team is set to host Stephen F Austin at Alex Box Stadium tonight. Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri is still looking for a starting third baseman he can count on. Tonight he’ll give Conner Hale a chance at the hot corner. Hale has started at first and second base this season.

In other college baseball action tonight…Northwestern State hosts ULM. The Demons are five and six on the year, while the Warhawks are six and three.

McNeese State is at Sam Houston, Tulane travels to Nicholls State, who is 7-3-and-1 on the season. And Southeastern Louisiana hosts Alcorn State.

In college hoops last night, the Lions lost to Northwestern State 92-79. The Demons improve to 12-and-4 four in the Southland. McNeese State got a big win as they look to make the Southland Tournament. The Cowboys edged Lamar 70 to 69. And Nicholls State beat UNO in overtime.

LSU sophomore guard Tim Quarterman is the SEC player of the week. Quarterman had a triple-double versus Ole Miss on Saturday. Quarterman is the third player in LSU history to record a triple-double, Shaquille O’ Neal and Pete Maravich are the other two. Quarterman says his mother is really proud of what he did…
cut 17 (14) “…it was just special”
Quarterman and the Tigers host Tennessee tomorrow night.

In the NBA…the Pelicans five-game winning streak ended last night as New Orleans fell to Dallas 102-93. The Pels will try to start a new win streak on Wednesday when they host Detroit.

And there are reports the Saints will need to shed 22-million dollars by March tenth to get under the NFL salary cap. That means some high-priced players could be released over the next week.

03.02.15
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LRN Sportscast 16:45 March 2

The Pelicans take a five-game winning streak into Dallas tonight. New Orleans has been able to get on this nice roll despite not having the services of Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson because of injuries. New Orleans begins action tonight, just a half game back of Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

A legal battle is brewing between LSU and its former defensive coordinator John Chavis, as LSU is seeking a 400-thousand dollar contractual buyout from Chavis. Both sides have filed lawsuits and Legal Analyst Tim Meche expects this case will be settled out of court…
cut 5 (11) “…to the public”
Chavis claims he doesn’t owe the money, because he took the proper steps when he left LSU to avoid the buyout.

In the NFL, the Steelers released former Saints wide receiver Lance Moore.

Spring football begins today for the ULM Warhawks. ULM has to find a new starting quarterback. Brayle Brown is listed number one on the team’s depth chart, after completing 12 passes last year, but Coach Todd Berry says Brown will compete against a couple of other quarterbacks….
cut 19 (22) “…grow up”
Spring football begins tomorrow for the Ragin Cajuns and the Nicholls State Colonels.

The latest D-1 baseball rankings are out…LSU is number seven after sweeping Princeton. Tulane has cracked the rankings as the Green Wave are ranked 25th and they are 8-and-3 heading into tomorrow night’s game at Nicholls State.

03.02.15
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11:40 Sportscast March 2

LSU’s Tim Quarterman has been named the SEC men’s basketball Player of the Week. Quarterman had a triple-double in Saturday’s win over Ole Miss. The sophomore guard is only the third player in LSU to record a triple double. He had 18 points, ten rebounds and ten assists. The win gives LSU a 21-8 record and improves its chances of making the NCAA Tournament.

The Pelicans won their fifth straight last night as they defeated the Denver Nuggets 99 to 92. New Orleans remains a half game back of Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Tonight the Pels are at Dallas, who is seeking its 40th win of the year. Tip-off is at 7:30.

The latest D-1 baseball rankings are out…LSU is number seven after sweeping Princeton. Tulane has cracked the rankings as the Green Wave are ranked 25th and they are 8-and-3 heading into tomorrow night’s game at Nicholls State.

ULM officials break ground today on a new facility that will be located behind the end zone at Malone Stadium. It will feature a new locker room, a Hall of Fame area and new coaches’ offices. Warhawks Coach Todd Berry says the facility will have an impact on their current players and recruiting…
cut 18 (15) “…period of time”
Today is also the first day of spring football for the Warhawks.

LSU and its former defensive coordinator John Chavis are in a legal battle over whether “The Chief” owes LSU a 400-thousand dollar contractrual buyout. Chavis doesn’t believe so and filed a lawsuit in Texas, LSU countersued and Legal analyst Tim Meche says the courts have determine where the case will be heard, Texas or Louisiana…
cut 4 (10) “…jury”