17:30 LRN Newscast Oct 6

Officials at the University of South Carolina say it’s possible that the LSU/USC game will not be played in Columbia this weekend and a move to Baton Rouge is not out of the question. The area has been dealing with catastrophic flooding. USC AD Ray Tanner…:
CUT 12 (10) “we will play here”
LSU Sports Information director Michael Bonnette says they are in a wait and see mode.

Louisiana State Police say a Mississippi woman was killed in a wrong-way collision during the overnight hours on I-55 in Hammond. Trooper Dustin Dwight says 53-year-old Donna James of Macon, Mississippi was not buckled up and heading the wrong way…
cut 15 (07) “head on”
The driver of the other vehicle was wearing a seatbelt and sustained moderate injuries.

The state department of transportation has begun the process of receiving public input on a proposed project called the I-49 Lafayette Connector. The connector would cost 850-million dollars and it would run from I-10 to the Lafayette Regional Airport…
cut 8 (09) “…starting to see”
DOTD spokesperson Deidra Druilhet says the project is also necessary to connect I-49 with New Orleans.

The Louisiana Congressional Delegation has sent a letter to the US Department of Homeland Security asking for a delay in the state’s compliance to the REAL ID act. Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany…:
CUT 3 (10) “deal with it”
The REAL ID act sets standards for state drivers’ licenses to be acceptable for entry into federal buildings and for air travel.

16:30 newscast October 6

University of South Carolina officials say the L-S-U–U-S-C game may not be played in Columbia this weekend. Emelie Gunn reports…
cut 2 (31) “…reporting”

In a blog on his presidential campaign website, Governor Bobby Jindal says the father of the shooter that killed nine people at an Oregon community college owes us an apology. Jindal says the gunman’s dad is calling for gun control, but Jindal criticizes Ian Mercer for not being more involved in his son’s life.

The principal and a coach at Beau Chene High School have been arrested as a result of an investigation by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s office. Captain Clay Higgins says the two men maintain they were attempting to discipline a student, but the alleged victim has a different story…
cut 10 (11) “…been released”
The principal is Anthony James, while the coach arrested has been identified as Lorenso Williams.

Members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation have requested the US Department of Homeland Security to give Louisiana an extension to comply with the REAL ID Act. Congressman Charles Boustany says the deadline to comply with the federal law is this weekend and Louisiana residents face a real headache if there’s not an extension…
cut 4 (12) “…federal standards”
It’s unclear if the federal government will grant Louisiana’s request.

16:45 LRN Sportscast Oct 6

There’s talk of moving this Saturday’s L-S-U-South Carolina game because of the deadly flooding that’s occurred in the Palmetto State. If the game can’t be played in Columbia, South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner says a neutral site location is a possibility and so is playing the game in Tiger Stadium.
cut 13 (09) “…as well”
Tanner says a decision on where to play the game will likely be announced tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Coach Les Miles says his focus is on getting the Tigers better as a team…
cut 18 (14) “…play best”
Improving the passing game is a priority. The Tigers rank 124th in the nation in passing.

The Saints have reportedly signed punter Brandon Fields after he worked out for the Black and Gold today. Fields was the Dolphins punter for eight seasons and made the Pro Bowl in 2013. He was cut earlier this year after losing to rookie Matt Darr in a training camp battle. Fields is needed on the Saints roster, because Thomas Morestead has an injured groin.

And to make room for Fields on the roster, it’s been reported that the Saints have released veteran safety Kenny Phillips. He started three games for New Orleans. This could be a sign that Jairus Byrd is ready to see more snaps, after returning last week from a knee injury.

A memorial service for ULM quarterback Daniel Fitzwater is set for 11am tomorrow morning at Calvary Baptist in Shreveport. The 20-year-old suddenly passed away Saturday and according to the family the cause of death had not yet been determined. ULM learned of Fitzwater’s death just hours before the homecoming game against George Southern.

14:30 Newscast Oct 6

There is the possibility this Saturday’s LSU-South Carolina football game will be moved, maybe even to Baton Rouge. That’s because of the deadly flooding near the university. South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner says it’s their hope to play in their stadium, but conversations are underway about holding it in another city…
cut 13 (09) “…as well”
Tanner says a definitive decision is expected in 24 to 36 hours.

State Police say a woman from Mississippi heading the wrong direction on I-55 in Hammond hit another vehicle head-on and died. Trooper Dustin Dwight says the crash happened in the overnight hours and investigators are trying to figure out why the victim was going the wrong way…
cut 16 (04) “…exactly why”
Dwight says impairment is not suspected.

The principal and a coach from Beau Chene High School in Arnaudville are facing criminal charges for how they disciplined a student at the school. Principal Anthony James was charged with simple battery and basketball coach Lorrenso Williams was booked on cruelty to a juvenile. St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s office spokesperson, Captain Clay Higgins…
cut 11 (12) “…beyond that”
Higgins says it was the mother of the student who contacted authorities.

Members of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation have asked the US Department of Homeland Security for Louisiana to receieve an extension to comply with the REAL ID Act. Lafayette Congressman Charles Boustany says an extension is needed so Louisiana residents don’t need a second form of ID to enter a federal office or fly domestically…
cut 5 (07) “….federal facilities’
Boustany says the state is moving closer to compliance.

11:40 LRN Sportscast October 6

LSU Coach Les Miles still has confidence in the Tigers passing game despite a rough outing against Eastern Michigan. Miles says the drops that occurred last Saturday were uncharacteristic and the wide receivers expect more of themselves…
cut 17 (17) “…game week”
Miles says he’s not afraid to shuffle the line-up in order to get more production out of his receivers.

LSU is scheduled to play South Carolina this Saturday, but can they play in Columbia, because of the historic flooding that’s taking place in the Palmetto state. South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner says there have been discussions about moving the game to another city, possibly Baton Rouge. An official decision is expected in 24-36 hours.

The Saints are off today but the coaches are apparently trying out kickers and punters. Fox Sports reporter Alex Marvez says the Saints are planning kicker tryouts after Zach Hocker missed a 30-yard field goal against Dallas. Marvez says the Saints also has four punters in town, because Thomas Morstead is dealing with a groin injury.

The most anticipated LSU basketball season in a long time is underway. Coach Johnny Jones’ team is practicing, but prized recruit Ben Simmons missed the first practice with an ankle injury that is not considered serious. LSU will have 30 preseason workouts leading up to the regular season opener against McNeese State on November 13th.

Nicholls State has broken ground on a five-million dollar renovation on Ray E. Didier Field. Nicholls President Bruce Murphy says the renovation will turn the school’s baseball stadium into one of the best in the Southland Conference. The first phase of the renovation includes a modernized press box that will feature a new sound system and the lighting for the field will be enhanced.

LRN AM Newscall Oct 6

Louisiana volunteers are joining the Red Cross response in South Carolina as the East Coast state deals with severe flooding. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

______________________________________

A new NBC/Marist poll on the presidential race in Iowa shows Governor Bobby Jindal now has 6-percent of the vote. Eric Gill reports…

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Eric Gill

______________________________________

A Louisiana company announces plans to build a huge liquefied natural gas facility in Cameron Parish. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

______________________________________

Louisiana volunteers are joining the Red Cross response in South Carolina as the state deals with severe flooding. Spokeswoman Nancy Malone says they’ll be helping families stay safe and dry by opening shelters and bringing in meals…:

cut 4  (11)  “in Louisiana”

Malone says another big part of the volunteers’ job is to provide emotional support to people going through this disaster. She says people in other areas know that Louisiana is all too familiar with what this feels like…:

Cut 5  (09)  “recovery”

Malone says flooding in the Carolinas has destroyed homes, forced evacuations and left thousands without water or power. She says not everyone can dedicate time to volunteer on the ground, but anyone can make a donation to the Red Cross to help people affected by this disaster…:

Cut 6 (08)  “those things”

______________________________________

A new NBC/Marist poll on the presidential race in Iowa shows Governor Bobby Jindal now has 6-percent of the vote. That’s a two-percent increase from their previous poll. Radio Iowa News Director Kay Henderson says Jindal’s campaign efforts may be getting some traction…

CUT 7 (09)  “in this poll”

Jindal’s 6-percent has him tied for fifth place, along with Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, among Republican presidential hopefuls. Donald Trump leads the poll with 24-percent, followed by Ben Carson with 19-percent. Henderson says there are visible signs that the governor is gaining support…

Cut 8  (10)  “Catholic church” 

She feels the Jindal campaign is hoping for the kind of miracle that propelled Mike Huckabee to victory in Iowa in 2008 and Rick Santorum in 2012. Henderson says it will be interesting to see if Jindal’s “boots on the ground” campaign strategy will succeed…

Cut 9 (07) “pay off” 

___________________________________________

The Thibodaux Police Department says five people are under arrest after a toddler and 17 dogs had to be removed from a home that was in deplorable conditions. Spokesman David Melancon says they got a report that one of the dogs was loose and trying to attack people. He says animal control initially responded…:

Cut 10 (10) “the conditions”

The suspects, including the parents of the child, range in age from 17 to 73 and face various counts of animal cruelty and child desertion charges. Melancon says when the officers got out of their car to make contact with the homeowner during the dog attack investigation, they immediately smelled urine and feces…:

cut 11 (10) “got worse”

The 17 dogs were brought to the Lafourche Parish Animal Shelter. The Department of Child and Family Services has the child. Melancon says the floors of the home were caked with feces, the smell of urine was overpowering and there was molding food spread throughout the house…:

Cut 12 (08) “as well”

___________________________________________

A Louisiana based company announces plans to build an 11-billion dollar facility in Cameron Parish that will export liquefied natural gas. Former Governor and now chairman of G-2, L-N-G, Buddy Roemer, says it’s the fourth largest investment project in the state’s history, creating thousands of construction jobs

Cut 13 (11)  “four years”

Roemer says the project still needs approval from federal agencies. The company hopes to break ground in two years. He says once completed, the plant will have 250 permanent workers and it will export liquefied natural gas across the globe

Cut 14 (10) “China”

Thomas Hudson, president of G-2, L-N-G, is glad they can announced a significant economic development project in Cameron Parish on the ten year anniversary of Hurricane Rita

Cut 15  (10)  “this parish”

___________________________________________

LSU’s passing game took a step backwards in its progession during the Tigers 44-22 win over Eastern Michigan. The Tigers only completed four passes for 80 yards. Coach Les Miles says there were more plays to be had, if they didn’t have several dropped passes…

Cut 16  (14)  “dropping those balls”

The Tigers are ranked 124th in the nation in passing, one of just five teams in the country averaging less than 100 passing yards a game. Miles says the the drops last Saturday were uncharacteristic and the wide receivers expect more of themselves…

Cut 17 (17) “game week” 

The Tigers are 4-0 and ranked fifth in the latest coaches poll. But Miles says there’s room for improvement as his team heads back into SEC play this Saturday…

Cut 18 (14) “play best”

___________________________________________

17:30 LRN Newscast october 5

A new statewide poll on Louisiana’s governor’s race shows Democrat John Bel Edwards has jumped out to a 9-point lead over Republican David Vitter. Eric Gill reports…
cut 1 (30) “…reporting”

There’s good and bad employment news today .Trinity Marine Products says its closing its barge manufacturing facility in Madisonville, which will result in 336 layoffs. But a Louisiana-based company announces plans to build an 11-billion dollar liquefied natural gas facillity in Cameron Parish.

Minden Congressman John Fleming announces his support for Metairie Representative Steve Scalise to become the House Majority Leader. LaPolitics-dot-com Publisher Jeremy Alford says there were questions whether Fleming would support Scalise’s bid to move up in the House leadership…:
CUT 9 (11) “conservative leadership”
Scalise, the current House Majority Whip, looks to move into the number two leadership position in the US House

The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office is looking for a white extended cab truck in connection with a triple shooting in LaPlace that claimed the life of one man and injured two others. Sheriff Mike Tregre says they believe the victims had just arrived in a vehicle of their own…:
CUT 14 (07) “opened fire”
The shooting took place at a home around two o’ clock this morning.

16:45 LRN Sportscast October 5th

LSU running back Leonard Fournette rushed for 233 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Eastern Michigan, but was NOT named SEC Offensive Player of the Week. That honor went to Alabama’s Derrick Henry, who rushed for a career-high 148 yards and a touchdown. But Fournette is the first SEC running back to rush for over 200 yards in three consecutive games….
cut 18 (10) “…for me”
The Tigers are at South Carolina this Saturday. The Gamecocks are allowing 170 yards rushing a game.

One other LSU note, the Tigers home game on October 17th against Florida is a night game. Kick-off is scheduled for six PM.

In the latest F-C-S Coaches poll….undefeated McNeese State is ranked 13th, and Southeastern Louisiana is ranked 17th. These two teams will play each other in Lake Charles on Saturday night.

The Saints finally have a number other than zero in the win column after beating Dallas 26-20 in overtime last night. The winning score was an 80-yard pass play to CJ Spiller, after taking a perfectly thrown ball from Quarterback Drew Brees. Coach Sean Payton after the game…
cut 30 (05) “…that’s simple”
The Saints are at Philadelphia this Sunday.

Louisiana Tech fans have bragging rights over UL Lafayette fans for another year, after the Bulldogs easily defeated the Cajuns 43-13 at Joe Aillet Stadium. Tech head coach Skip Holtz says it’s nice to beat your in state rival by wide margins two years in a row…
cut 20 (10) “…care of business”
This Saturday, Tech is at Texas San Antonio, while the Cajuns are home to face Texas State.

LRN PM Newscall October 5

A new statewide poll on Louisiana’s governor’s race shows Democrat John Bel Edwards has jumped out to a 9-point lead over Republican David Vitter. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (30)  “I’m Eric Gill”

================

Louisiana’s landmark $6.8 billion settlement with BP over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster has been finalized. Eric Gill has more…

CUT 2 (29)  “I’m Eric Gill”

===================

A new statewide poll on Louisiana’s governor’s race shows Democrat John Bel Edwards has jumped out to a 9-point lead over Republican David Vitter. The JMC Analytics survey finds Edwards on top with 28-percent  followed by Vitter’s 19-percent. Pollster John Couvillon says Edwards is catching a wave right now…

CUT 3 (11)  “a Democrat” 2X

He believes Edwards is benefiting from the three Republican candidates attacking each other in this race. The poll of 500 likely voters shows that 55-percent said that prostitution allegations from Vitter’s past will impact their vote this month. Couvillon says it appears Vitter’s campaign is rubbing voters the wrong way…

CUT 4 (11)  “Senator Vitter”

This is the first survey on the governor’s race to show significant separation between Edwards and Vitter. Republicans Scott Angelle and Jay Dardenne polled at 8-percent and 7-percent respectively. Couvillon says it’s probably time for them to shift their focus from Vitter to Edwards…

CUT 5 (11) “the runoff”

============================

Louisiana’s landmark $6.8 billion settlement with BP over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster has been finalized. This clears the way for the state to begin receiving billions of dollars for coastal restoration and economic recovery. Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says it’s time to bring this situation to a close…

CUT 6 (08) “for the state” 

This is part of an overall $20 billion settlement with BP among five Gulf Coast states. $5 billion is earmarked for natural resources damages in the state. Graves, former state head of coastal protection, says this will have a significant impact on Louisiana’s coast…

CUT 7 (06)  “every year”

$1 billion of the settlement will be used for economic damages. Graves says Congress needs to look as changing laws so the federal government has more leverage in cases like this…

CUT 8 (09)  “spilling the oil”

============================

Minden Congressman John Fleming has thrown his support behind Metairie Representative Steve Scalise in his bid to become House Majority Leader. Fleming says electing Scalise would be good for the country and good for Louisiana. LaPolitics-dot-com Publisher Jeremy Alford says there were questions whether Fleming would support Scalise’s bid to move up in the House leadership…

CUT 9 (11)  “conservative leadership”

Scalise, the current House Majority Whip, looks to move into the number two leadership position in the US House. Alford says the timing of Fleming’s endorsement is interesting since Scalise stated last week that he had enough votes secured to win the election…

cut 10 (10)  “know right now”

The election to select the new House Majority Leader is scheduled for Thursday. Fleming is the last state Congressman to support Scalise’s effort. Alford says this is a big plus for Scalise…

Cut 11 (06)  “behind him”

============================

The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office is looking for a vehicle of interest in connection with the triple shooting in LaPlace that claimed the life of one man and injured two others. Sheriff Mike Tregre says 23-year-old Travis Gregoire died and and another 23-year-old man is recovering at a hospital. He says the third shooting victim is an 18-year-old female…:

cut 12 (05)  “is critical”

Tregre says they are still interviewing people to try to determine suspects or motive in the deadly shooting. He says their crime cameras captured an image of a vehicle described as a white four door extended cab truck…:

cut 13 (07)  “this homicide”

Tregre says they want to find the truck, its owner and any other possible occupants of the vehicle when the shooting took place. They aren’t releasing how many people could be involved, but Tregre says it appears as though the victims had just arrived in a vehicle of their own…:

cut 14 (07)  “opened fire”

============================

11:40 LRN Sportscast Oct 5

The Saints have their first win of the year and the talk of quarterback Drew Brees being washed up should diminish this week. Brees threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns in New Orleans 26-20 overtime win over Dallas. Brees’ TD pass to CJ Spiller in overtime was the 400th of his career.

LSU will head to South Carolina this weekend to take on the Gamecocks. The Tigers rank 124th nationally in pass offense as they are averaging 95-yards per game through the air. In the win over Eastern Michigan, there were several dropped passes and some over throws by quarterback Brandon Harris. Coach Les Miles says they’ll continue to work on the passing game…
cut 17 (20) “…South Carolina”
Kick-off on Saturday is at 11 AM.

The Pelicans have announced that center Alexis Ajinca will miss the next four to six weeks with a right hamstring strain. Ajinca hurt his hammy in the preseason opener against Indiana on Saturday. The seven-foot-two center averaged a career-high 6.5 points last season. The Pels next presesaon game is Friday against Atlanta in Jacksonville.

According to the Daily Advertiser, UL Lafayette quarterback Jalen Nixon’s injured shoulder should not keep him from missing this Saturday’s game against Texas State. Nixon made his first career start against Louisiana Tech this past Saturday and threw for 161 yards, one touchdown and one interception before getting injured.

ULM is mourning the loss of quarterback 20-year-old Daniel Fitzwater of Shreveport. Fitzwater was found dead Saturday morning. Fitzwater was a 2012 graduate of Calvary Baptist who played two-years at Copiah Lincoln Community College in Mississippi before walking on at ULM this spring. The cause or circumstances of Fitzwater’s death are unknown at this time.