09:30 LRN Newscast January 23

Higher education leaders have been told to start preparing for the possibility of midyear budget cuts, because the state is facing a massive shortfall this fiscal year. The LSU system has been told by the Edwards administration that a cut of 131-million dollars is possible, while the UL system faces 38-million dollars in mid-year cuts.

The 68th D.C Mardi Gras is taking place this weekend in Washington, D.C. LaPolitics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says this year’s event gives political pundits the opportunity to begin handicapping Louisiana’s upcoming US Senate election…
cut 10 (08) “up here”

Officials at Louis Armstrong say 2015 was a record year as 10-point-six million passengers flew out of the New Orleans airport, a nine-percent increase over the previous year.

There’s a new website that seeks to settle the score on who makes the best king cake. Emelie Gunn reports…
cut 1 (29) “…reporting”

LSU football fans are anxious for the start of the 2016 season as the Tigers will have 19 scholarship seniors on the team. Several of them had an opportunity to enter the NFL draft and Coach Les Miles is happy to see them stay…
cut 30 (13) “….of the people”
The season opener is September 3rd against Wisconsin.

08:30 LRN Newscast Jan 23

Higher education is bracing for mid-year budget cuts as a result of a 750-million dollar budget shortfall the state is facing this fiscal year. For the LSU system, a cut in state funding of a 131-million dollars is possible.

An 82-year-old and an 83-year-old were killed in a head-on crash on LA 25 in Covington last night. State Police says one of the victims, Edith Brown of Mandeville crossed the centerline and slammed into a vehicle driven by Joseph Cyprian of Folsom, killing them both.

A family from Omaha hopes someone will come forward and identify the driver of a vehicle in a hit and run that claimed the life of Josh Woodruff, whose body was dragged through the New Orleans French Quarter early New Year’s Day. Karen Woodruff says her 28-year-old son sent a heartfelt text message before he was killed..
cut 14 (10) “…for 2016”

The 68th DC Mardi Gras takes place this weekend in our nation’s captial and a “Who’s Who” of Louisiana politics are in attendance. Eric Gill has more..
cut 2 (31) “….I’m Eric Gill”

A 60-year-old man from St. Tammany Parish won a one-million dollar Powerball prize. Charles Schwetizer the Second matched all five white ball numbers on the January 13th drawing. That was the day when the grand prize was one-point-five billion dollars. Schweitzer received 700-thousand dollars after federal and state taxes were withheld.

07:30 LRN Sportscast January 23rd

Friday’s verbal commitment to LSU by five-star defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence of Neville High School just strengthens what is already a strong recruiting class for the Tigers. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says the Tigers are now in excellent position to have the number one recruiting class in the nation once signing day arrives on February second…
cut 8 (10) “….lose anybody”
Coach Les Miles is not allowed to comment about Lawrence’s verbal pledge, but he did speak about the large group of juniors who have decided to return for their senior seasons…
cut 30 (14) “…this decision”
LSU will have 19 seniors on scholarship for the 2016 season.

LSU will face Alabama today at one o’ clock in an SEC match-up. The Tigers are looking to improve to 5-2 in the league, while Alabama has just one win in conference play. Tigers Coach Johnny Jones says rebounding will be a key in this one…
cut 18 (18) “….great opportunity”
Alabama starts four players who are six-foot-six and taller.

In other action….UL Lafayette goes for its fourth straight win as it hosts Troy. ULM looks to stay unbeaten at home as it takes on South Alabama. Louisiana Tech will try to snap a two-game losing streak as it visits Southern Miss. Also today, Grambling is at Jackson State.

The Pelicans host the Milwaukee Bucks tonight at 6 PM. The Bucks played last night in Houston and lost by four.

16:45 LRN Sportscast January 22nd

LSU’s 2016 recruiting class landed another gem, as five-star defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence, out of Neville High School, announced that he’s planning on attending LSU. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says the Monroe product is six-foot-three, 309-pounds and looks like a can’t miss prospect…
cut 7 (12) “…rush the quarterback”
Lawrence will play behind defensive tackle Christian Lacouture. Lacouture told reporters today why he decided to return for his senior season…
cut 30 (18) “…with one”
The LSU men’s basketball team visits Alabama tomorrow in an SEC match-up. The Crimson Tide’s head coach is New Orleans native Avery Johnson. LSU Coach Johnny Jones says Bama’s win over nationally ranked South Carolina earlier this season was impressive…
cut 17 (22) “…in the NBA”
LSU enters this game with a record of 4-2 in league play, while Alabama is 1-4. Tip-off is at 1:00.

Also tomorrow…ULM hosts South Alabama, Grambling is at Jackson State, and Louisiana Tech is at Southern Miss.

Louisiana Tech announces it’s home opener in football in 2016 will be against F-C-S school South Carolina State on September 10th.

11:40 LRN Sportscast Jan 22nd

It’s another big day on the recruiting front for the Fighting Tigers football program as five-star defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence of Neville High School in Monroe announced he plans on attending LSU. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says the LSU coaching staff has done an excellent job this year making sure in-state talent stays in Louisiana…
cut 6 (13) “…down in Rummel”
With Lawrence’s committment, the Tigers are in excellent position to possibly have the number one recruiting class in the nation once signing day arrives on February 3rd.

Louisiana Tech announces that it’s home opener in football for the 2016 season will be South Carolina State on September 10th. The Bulldogs are an F-C-S school and went seven and four last season. Tech begins its regular season at Arkansas on September 3rd.

17:30 LRN Newscast January 21st

We have tornado watches posted in south Louisiana and winter weather advisories for the northern parishes as a strong cold front will bring the bayou state a little bit of everything over the next 12 to 16 hours. Jason Hansford, with the National Weather Service in Shreveport, says most parishes north of I-20 won’t see much snow…
cut 6 (09) “….of accumulation”
But East Carroll, Morehouse and West Carroll parishes are under a winter storm warning, because of the potential of one to three inches of sleet and snow.

South Louisiana Serial killer Derrick Todd Lee died today at a hospital in Baton Rouge. Lee has been hospitalized for the last several days and his cause of death is unknown at this time. John Sinquefield prosecuted his capital murder case in Baton Rouge…
cut 30 (03) “….no sadness”
Lee was 47-years-old and the main suspect in seven murder cases.

The LSU Professor who was fired for allegedly creating a hostile learning environment by cussing and making sex jokes says she’s suing the university. Teresa Buchanan feels she was wrongfully fired for what she calls “expressing academic freedom.” She says it’s a professor’s job to stimulate students thinking and to get them to question assumptions…:
Cut 11 (08) “some success”
LSU says it will defend students’ rights to a harassment-free learning environment.

Leaders of the state’s public univerisities and colleges have told Governor John Bel Edwards that they can not sustain anymore cuts. The Edwards administration is developing solutions to deal with a 750-million dollar budget shortfall this fiscal year and Higher Ed Commissioner Joseph Rallo says they are bracing for what might happen…
cut 16 (07) “….February 13th”

LRN Sportscast 16:45 January 21

Four star offensive lineman Will Allen from John Curtis High School has given his verbal commitment to sign with LSU. Allen is considered one of the state’s top prospects and one of the top offensive linemen in the nation. His verbal pledge moves LSU back to number one in some of the recruiting rankings. Tomorrow, the Tigers will find out if Neville defensive lineman Rashard Lawrence plans on attending LSU.

UL Lafayette has named Lewis Caralla as its new head strength and conditioning coach. Caralla was the director of strength and conditioning at North Texas and has also spent time at Michigan, Mississippi State and Georgia Tech.

In college basketball tonight…UL Lafayette begins a five-game homestand when they take on Sun Belt rival South Alabama. ULM is unbeaten at home this season and they’ll host Troy tonight.

In the NBA…the Pelicans host the Detroit Pistons. Tip-off is at 7 PM.

Changes have been made to LSU Baseball Coach Paul Mainieri’s staff. LSU assistant Will Davis is leaving the program immediately to be an assistant at Lamar. It was previously announced that Davis would serve as the head coach at Lamar in 2017. Former LSU pitcher Nolan Cain will replace Davis on Mainieri’s staff. And it’s being reported that former Tigers catcher Micah Gibbs will be the new coordinator of baseball ops.

Former LSU baseball star Todd Walker has been elected to the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame. Walker was a standout baseball player at Airline High School in Bossier City and during his senior season, they lost just one game…
cut 19 (16) “…minute of it”
Joining Walker in the Hall this year is the late West Monroe football coach Don Shows and former Parkview Baptist football coach Kenny Guillot.

11:40 LRN Sportscast January 21

LSU has added another four-star prospect to its 2016 football recruiting class. John Curtis offensive lineman Willie Allen announced his decision this morning to attend LSU. He’s listed at six-foot-seven, 300 pounds. ESPN has hhim as the second ranked prospect at his position and 16th overall. Allen also visited Georgia and TCU.

In college basketball tonight…UL Lafayette begins a five-game homestand tonight when they take on Sun Belt rival South Alabama. The Cajuns have won eight straight at home. UL Lafayette is looking to improve on its 7-8 record, 3-3 in conference play.

ULM is unbeaten at home this season and they’ll host Troy tonight. The Warhawks are 2-4 in league play, while the Trojans are 1-5.

And in the NBA…the Pelicans host the Detroit Pistons. This will be New Orleans’ first game this season without Eric Gordon who will miss at least a month with a fractured ring finger.

The late West Monroe Football Coach Don Shows highlights the seven-member class that’s been elected into the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame. Shows is fourth on Louisiana’s all-time wins list and won eight state titles. He also helped develop Andrew Whitworth and Bradie James into NFL players, but the former voice of the Rebels, Frank Hoffman, says the legendary coach didn’t need a lot of talented kids to win..
cut 17 (16) “…what it became”
Also in the Class of 2016 is former LSU star and Major Leaguer Todd Walker, who was a star baseball player at Airline High School in Bossier City. Walker says it’s quite an honor to get in the High School Hall of Fame…
cut 18 (09) “…doing”

16:45 LRN Sportscast January 20

A former personal assistant to Saints and Pelicans Owner Tom Benson accuses Mr. Benson’s wife, Gayle, of racial discrimination. The accusations have been made by Rodney Henry in a filing with a federal court. Henry says Gayle treated him with disdain and disrespect. But the Saints deny these allegations in a statement and it goes on to say that Tom and Gayle are extremely hurt by Henry’s court filing.

The Pelicans will be without shooting guard Eric Gordon for the next four to six weeks after he broke his ring finger in last night’s win over Minnesota. Gordon is averaging 15 points a game and has yet to miss a game up until this point.

The LSU men’s basketball team is looking to rebound after losing last night to 10th ranked Texas A-and-M. Quiet night for Ben Simmons as he had just 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Tigers will now get ready to play Alabama this Saturday. The Crimson Tide are 1-4 in league play.

Southeastern Louisiana has announced its football schedule for the upcoming season. The Lions kick-off the year against Oklahoma State on September third and their home opener is against Northwestern State on September 24th.

The Ragin Cajuns have set a new season ticket record for baseball as over 27-hundred season tickets have been sold for this year. UL Lafayette has been ranked in the top ten in a couple of preseason polls and they open the season on February 19th at home against Sam Houston State.

Former Ragin Cajun, Jonathan Lucroy, is seeking a trade from the Milwaukee Brewers. The veteran catcher says he’s not interested in playing with a team that’s rebuilding.

And The late West Monroe football coach Don Shows along with baseball star Todd Walker highlight the seven member class that will be inducted in the Louisiana Sports High School Hall of Fame this year. Shows is fourth on Louisiana’s all-time wins list and won eight state titles at West Monroe. Walker was a three-sport star at Airline High School.

LRN PM Newscall January 20

Governor John Bel Edwards has offered a plan to the state legislature to address the state’s budget crisis. Eric Gill has a look at what Republicans think about it…

CUT 1 (28)  “I’m Eric Gill”

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A New Orleans woman has been arrested in connection with the deadly shooting of her 3-year-old grandchild. Emelie Gunn has more…

CUT 2 (28)  “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Governor John Bel Edwards has offered several options to the state legislature to address the state’s budget crisis. House Majority Leader, Republican Lance Harris of Alexandria, says the delegation is still studying the governor’s plan. He says House Republicans will work on their own plan to deal with the fiscal mess in the coming weeks…

CUT 3 (08)  “matches up”

Harris says he appreciates the governor being so candid about the budget numbers. Governor Edwards has proposed a one-cent hike in the state’s sales tax. In regards to that, Harris says you have to look at everything in its entirety and he just hasn’t had time to form an opinion on the issue…

CUT 4 (09)  “on that”

He believes everyone in the legislature and the Edwards administration is committed to fix the state’s budget problems. Harris says it’s still early in the process and a lot is up in the air, right now…

CUT 5 (11)  “for everybody”

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The current, sharp drop in the price of oil is having an adverse effect on the state’s budget. This morning the price of crude oil dropped below $27 a barrel. Louisiana Budget Project Director Jan Moeller says diminishing mineral revenues are doing a real number on the budget…

CUT 6 (11) “dropped again”

Projected oil revenues are used in creating the state budget. He says the budget has already been adjusted twice because of declining oil prices and may have to be adjusted again. Moeller says not only are shrinking mineral revenues hurting the budget, oil field layoffs are as well…

CUT 7 (08) “sales tax collections”

Noble Drilling has announced a layoff of 100 to 120 employees due to the anticipated shutdown of a rig offshore. Moeller says the massive drop in oil prices is a very serious problem across the board in Louisiana…

CUT 8 (09) “stay afloat”

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A New Orleans woman has been arrested in connection with the deadly shooting of her 3-year-old grandson. New Orleans Police says 43-year-old Deonca Kennedy first reported that the gun was under her pillow and went off hitting the child in the chest — then refused to cooperate with police or give a statement. Legal Analyst Tim Meche says the police should’ve done more testing before filing charges…

CUT 9 (08)  “have waited”

Kennedy has been charged with negligent homicide and second degree cruelty to a juvenile. Meche says a variety of tests will be conducted to find out how the gun was fired…

cut 10 (09)  “the gun”

Meche says there needs to be more investigating as to who owned the firearm and why it was there. He says in some New Orleans neighborhoods having a loaded gun in your home isn’t uncommon.

Cut 11 (11) “the crime”

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How much pressure is on the state legislature to go along with Governor John Bel Edwards budget repair proposals which include raising taxes? Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says with elections a few years down the road, right now lawmakers are more concerned about the thoughts of the constituents back in their districts…:

cut 12 (10) “conservative districts”

Pinsonat says Edwards is tasked with convincing voters across Louisiana that we need this much revenue…:

cut 13 (10)  “back home”

Pinsonat says former Governor Bobby Jindal was heavily criticized for leaving office with such a big deficit by moving money around, but one thing he didn’t do was raise taxes. Pinsonat says now the public is faced with whether or not they want the burden of filling the budget hole on their shoulders…:

cut 14 (11)  “controversial”

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