LRN Newscast 15:30 12-24-14

A near-record number of drivers are out on Louisiana roads for holiday travel, and the Louisiana Department of Transportation reminds drivers they have some resources available to help out…
CUT 1 (29) “reporting”

The National Weather Service confirms there was a tornado that touched down in Tangipahoa Parish near Amite on Tuesday knocked down trees, power lines, and producing severe damage to nearly 20 homes. Jeff McKneely, with the Tangipahoa Parish Emergency management team, says thankfully no one was hurt.

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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is offering up to a $7,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the illegal killing of a black bear found in Avoyelles Parish on December 5th. Spokesman Adam Einck says if you know something about this case, call the LDWF hotline…
cut 13 (09) Q: “Apple App store”

Officials at NORAD are actively watching their radar and satellite imagery to keep track of Santa Claus and reindeer tonight. Spokesperson Major Beth Smith estimates Santa’s sleigh entering Louisiana airspace between 10 pm and midnight, but remember he knows when you are sleeping and awake…
CUT 8 (03) Q: “Santa will show up”
You can track Santa by calling 1-877-Hi-NORAD to inquire about Santa’s whereabouts or go online to noradsanta-dot-org.

LRN Newscast 14:30 12-24-14

Here on Christmas Eve, many last-minute shoppers have been purchasing gift cards for presents this year, and Tucker Group Financial Educator Jeanette Tucker says it’s best to make sure there is a toll-free number on the back so the card, so the receipient can know how much money is on there and how much is left when they use it….
CUT 11 (10) Q: “particular vendor”
And gift cards make great AFTER Christmas gifts.

With holiday travel underway on Louisiana roads, State Police have increased their patrol numbers, reminding everyone to buckle up, keep your hands on the wheel; off your phone, and your eyes on the road, paying attention to the highway message boards…
CUT 5 (06) Q: “through Louisiana”
That’s DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallett.

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Louisiana State Police are investigating a late-night crash around 10:30 last night, that involved a stopped 18 wheeler on the shoulder of I-20, and a GMC truck that drifted over from the road, crashing into the truck. The driver- 73 year-old Charles Dillard – survived, but his passenger-56 year-old Regina Dillard of west Monroe died at the scene.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command has already started tracking Ole Saint Nick…:
CUT 2 (32) “reporting”

LRN Newscast 13:30 12-24-14

A lot of Louisianians will be hitting the roadways to visit friends, family and loved ones this Christmas. Louisiana Department of Transportation spokesman Rodney Mallett says there are some resources to help with heavy traffic, like the “Way to Geaux” app, which is available for your smart phone…
CUT 4 (12) Q: “alternate route”

Today is Christmas Eve and one of the most sought after items here at the VERY last minute is a gift card. Tucker Group Financial Educator Jeanette Tucker says it’s best not to rush your decision, and to use a card direct from a vendor instead of the rack at a store, because sometimes they could have been used fraudently and returned to the rack empty…
CUT 10 (05) Q: ‘invalid card’
She says make sure the gift card is good for 5 years.

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A Baker man has been arrested on training dogs for dog fighting and possession of a firearm by a convicted fellon. Forty-nine year old Eugene Bernard Grayer-who reportedly had over a dozen pitbulls in his possession- was arrested by Baker police.

A thief with a heart three sizes too small is behind bars in Washington Parish, after a tip on the location of Mr. Grinch…
CUT 3 (32) Q: “reporting”

LRN Newscast 17:30 December 23rd

East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner, Doctor Beau Clark, has determined the cause of death for a four-year-old child found in a water filled hole near his home last night. Doctor Clark says says Jassiah Clark drowned to death, with hypothermia as a contributing factor.

Severe weather has impacted much of the state today. We’ve had reports of hail across south Louisiana and portions of the northern half of the state as well. The National Weather Service says a tornado touchdowed down in Tangipahoa Parish, damaging several homes near Amite. At least one house had its roof torn off, but no injuries.

State Police say a West Monroe woman was killed this morning in a two-vehicle wreck in Ouachita Parish. Troopers say the victim, 30-year-old Jennifer Hale was ejected from her vehicle after losing control of her Nissan Versa and striking a Dodge Challenger. Hale was pronounced dead at the scene, the driver of the other vehicle had minor injuries.

A group of people in St. John Parish have a constructed a “Hands up!” bonfire on the Mississippi River West Bank. Michelle Southern reports…
cut 1 (31) “….reporting”

If you like fighting the crowds in the final hours of Christmas shopping, the Chairman of the Louisiana Tech Marketing Department Barry Babin says you can still get some great deals, since many retailers have already started their post-Christmas sales…
cut 14 (08) “they don’t like”
He says gift cards are very popular here at the last minute.

LRN Sportscast 16:45 December 23rd

The LSU men’s basketball team has a six-game winning streak heading into the Christmas break. The Tigers defeated College of Charleston 71-47 last night. Jarrell Martin had 18 points and nine rebounds, Jordan Mickey had 15 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots. Three of the blocked shots happened on this one play…
cut 30 (11) “…the ball”
That’s Jim Hawthorne on the LSU Sports Radio Network.

Earlier today in Tampa, South Florida dribbled past Southeastern Louisiana 78-63. The Lions are 3-and-10. Louisiana Tech looks to improve 9-and-3 as they visit North Carolina State. The Wolfpack are 9-and-1 at home this season. And the Pelicans are on the road tonight to face the Indiana Pacers.

The Saints will return to the practice field tomorrow to get ready for the regular season finale against Tampa Bay. Coach Sean Payton admits its disappointing to have to play a game, knowing you can’t get into the playoffs…
cut 18 (16) “….those emotions”
Tonight pro bowl selections will be announced. The Saints are not expected to have many pro bowlers, because of their six and nine record.

LSU commitment Nick Brosette has been named as the offensive player of the year in Class Three-A. Brosette rushed for 1,833 yards and had 31 total touchdowns for the UHIGH Cubs. John Curtis defensive end Bo Wallace, who is committed to Notre Dame, is the three-A defensive player of the year. Wallace had nine sacks for the Patriots this past season.

LRN Newscast 16:30 December 23

The National Weather Service says a tornado touched down this afternoon in Tangiphoa Parish near Amite. The twister knocked down trees and power lines in the area and damaged between 15 to 20 homes. In one case, a roof was torn off a home. No injuries have been reported.

Baton Rouge Police say the search for four-year-old Jassiah Clark came to a sad end last night when the boy’s body was found in a deep hole less than ten yards from his home. Eric Gill reports…
cut 5 (27) “….reporting’
The coroner has ruled Jassiah’s death a drowning with hypothermia as a contributing factor.

Time is running out to get your Christmas shopping done. For many last minute shoppers, gift cards are the way to go. Chair of the Louisiana Tech Marketing Department, Barry Babin, says some gifts cards are very useful for the recipient…
cut 22 (08) “….really need”

Tomorrow night, about 130 bonfires will be lit up on the levee of the Mississippi River in St. James Parish. One of the bonfires was structured as a person, with its arms up, in recognition of Michael Brown, who was shot to death by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Harold LaGrange built that bonfire and hopes it results in positive discussion about what happened…
cut 28 (07) “…about being negative”

LRN Newscast 15:30

Near Amite in Tangipahoa Parish, State Police say there was a tornado that touched down causing damage to several homes, including significant roof damage to at least one home. There’s also several trees down in the aream but no injuries have been reported.

A traffic stop near Hammond lead State Police to arrest a Texas man for transporting illegal narcotics. Trooper Greg Marchand says 37-year old Matthew Llanas was stopped for a traffic violation, he began displaying some suspicious behavior. He says at that point, officers requested a K-9 unit to assist…
CUT 3 (10) “200-thousand dollars”
He says that they believe Llana was transporting the marijuana from Texas to Atlanta. He was booked into the Tangipahoa Parish Jail in Amite.

A group of people in St. John Parish have constructed a “Hands up!” bonfire structure on the Mississippi River West Bank in reaction to a grand jury’s decision not to indict the cop in Ferguson, Missouri who shot and killed Michael Brown. It’s being built across from Harold LaGrange’s home in Lucy, and he says they construct a creative bonfire every Christmas Eve..:
CUT 6 (08) “really trending right now”
Brown says it’s not a protest, but rather more of a teaching moment.

If you like fighting the crowds in the final hours of Christmas shopping, the Chairman of the Louisiana Tech Marketing Department Barry Babin says you can still get some great deals, since many retailers have already started their post-Christmas sales…
cut 14 (08) “they don’t like”
He says gift cards are very popular here at the last minute.

PM LRN Newscall Tuesday December 23

A group of people in St. John Parish have constructed a “Hands up!” bonfire on the Mississippi River West Bank. Michelle Southern reports.

CUT 1 (31) “reporting”

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Baton Rouge Police say the search for 4-year-old Jassiah Clark came to a sad end last night when the boy’s body was found in a deep hole less than 10 yards from his home. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 2 (31) “reporting”

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A traffic stop near Hammond lead State Police to arrest a Texas man for transporting illegal narcotics. 37-year old Matthew Llanas is accused of transporting marijuana from Texas to Atlanta. Trooper Greg Marchand says while Llanas was stopped for a traffic violation, he began displaying some suspicious behavior. He says at that point, officers requested a K-9 unit to assist…

CUT 3 (10)  “200-thousand dollars”

A subsequent search of Llanas’ vehicle turned up approximately 200 pounds of marijuana with a street value of about $200,000. Marchand says Llanas was booked into the Tangipahoa Parish Jail in Amite…

CUT 4 (08)  “is marijuana”

Llanas is charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, as well as a traffic violation of improper lane usage. Marchand says State Police will continue to use proactive enforcement to target drug trafficking organizations…

CUT 5 (06)  “constant commitment”

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A group of people in St. John Parish have constructed a “Hands up!” bonfire on the Mississippi River West Bank. The structure, which is a reaction to a grand jury’s decision not to indict the cop in Ferguson who shot and killed Michael Brown, is built across from Harold LaGrange’s home in Lucy. He says they construct a creative bonfire every Christmas Eve..:

CUT 6 (08)  “really trending right now”

LaGrange says they’ve been getting a lot of support from the community. He says he’s appalled by Brown’s killing but the bonfire is in no way meant to be negative…:

CUT 7 (09) “educating them at home”

Lagrange says they will light the bonfire at about 7pm tomorrow night. He says they want to get people talking about what happened and teach their children that police are there to protect you…:

CUT 8 (09) “not about being negative”

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Baton Rouge Police say the search for 4-year-old Jassiah Clark came to a sad end last night when the boy’s body was found in a deep hole less than 10 yards from his home. Sgt. Mary Ann Godawa (ga-DOW-wa) says last night officers were doing a follow up search in the neighborhood where Clark was last seen…

CUT 9 (11)  “body of Jassiah”

The boy’s body was found in a deep hole, which was filled with dirt and water, in a vacant lot behind the child’s home. Godawa says recent rains camouflaged the hole …

CUT 10 (08)  “a muddy area”

That hole was an old, abandoned sewer pump station site that had been backfilled earlier this year. She says more will be known after an autopsy is completed. Around one hundred officers from different agencies, including the FBI, were involved with the search and Godawa says this case really affected them…

cut 11 (08)  “real tragic ending”

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Time is running out to get your Christmas shopping done. For many last minute shoppers, gift cards are the way to go. But Chair of the Louisiana Tech Marketing Department, Barry Babin, says when it comes to gift cards, people either love them or hate them. He says some people feel obligated to use a gift card and it’s kind of a pain to receive…

cut 12 (09) “they really need”

But Babin says to not underestimate the will of last minute Christmas shopper. He says many of those with the job of getting those final Christmas gifts will go through the effort of working their way through the crowds and getting meaningful presents…

cut 13 (09) “on Christmas Day”

And if you have to fight the crowds in the final hours of Christmas shopping, Babin says you can still get some great deals. He says, by this time in the shopping season, many retailers have already started their post-Christmas sales…

cut 14 (08) “they don’t like”

 

11:40 LRN Sportscast

LSU Football Coach Les Miles provided a vague answer when asked about defensive coordinator John Chavis, who reportedly has yet to sign a new deal with LSU and Texas A&M has reportedly reached out to Chavis to see if he’s interested in joining the Aggies. Miles said I have no real feeling there when asked about the situation.

How many players on the current Saints roster will back next year? You can expect a good turnover of the roster after failing to make the playoffs. Coach Sean Payton says games like this Sunday are part of the evaluation process, when it comes to determining who should return next season
cut 17 (14) “…on film”
Payton says it is disappointing to play a game, knowing you can’t get into the playoffs.

Louisiana Tech is in Dallas getting ready to play Illinois in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Bulldogs enter this game having forced 40 turnovers, 31 of them have come in the last eight games. Illinois is six and six on the year. They are averaging 27 points a game, but allowing nearly 34.

In college hoops tonight…Louisiana Tech visits North Carolina State. The Bulldogs are 8-and-3 on the season, while the Wolfpack are 9-and-3.

LSU won its sixth straight last night as the Tigers defeated College of Charleston 71-47. Jarrell Martin had 18 points to lead the way. Also last night…Baylor over Southern 70-66, TCU topped Grambling 80-38, Central Michigan over McNeese State 87-58, Indiana knocked off UNO 79-59, Central Florida over Southeastern Louisiana 70-65 and Tulane’s nine game winning streak ended with a loss to 13th ranked Washington, 66-57.

16:45 LRN Sportscast December 22nd

The possibility of the Saints reaching the post-season is no more after losing to Atlanta 30-14. But the Black and Gold still have one more game to play. They are at Tampa Bay this sunday. Coach Sean Payton said today they’ll prepare as if they are playing for a playoff spot.

The Louisiana Tech football team arrived in Big “D” today where they’ll play Illinois in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl. Bulldogs Coach Skip Holtz says the message to his team is that playing in a bowl game is great, but winning it, is even better…
cut 18 (17) “….uniform”
The Bulldogs are a six point favorite against the Fighting Illini.

Texas A-and-M has reportedly reached out to see if LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis is interested in taking the same job at Texas a-and-M. There’s also a report that Chavis has been offered a three-year, four-million dollar contract extension from LSU, no word of if he has signed it.

The other issue hanging around the LSU football program….Is how many underclassmen will leave for the NFL? There’s a report LSU cornerback Jalen Collins plans to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft, but Coach Les Miles is optimistic they won’t see as many juniors leave for the pros early as previous seasons…
cut 30 (17)_ “…football team”

In college basketball tonight…LSU hosts College of Charleston on the SEC Network. McCNeese State will take on Central Michigan, Tulane, who has won nine in a row, is at 16th ranked Washington. Southeastern Louisiana visits Central Florida.