7:30 LRN Newscast

As the federal government shutdown drags on, Senator John Kennedy is filing a pair of bills aimed at making lawmakers feel the same financial pain as workers who are not getting paid.

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Louisiana has suspended its plan to fund the SNAP program this month. That’s because the USDA has said it will issue half of the typical monthly SNAP benefits for November after they were ordered to do so by the courts. L-D-H says all eligible SNAP recipients will receive a portion of their benefits tomorrow, including able-bodied workers.

A new report from the American Lung Association says Louisiana ranks 45th in the nation in early diagnosis of lung cancer, at 25-percent, while nationally its 28-percent. Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association, Eric Weinzettle says C-T scans of high-risk individuals are one way to catch this disease earlier, and biomarker testing can help doctors decide on different treatment options, possibly avoiding chemotherapy.

Cut 6 (13) “…to biomarker testing.”

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Louisiana.

This week the Louisiana Department of Treasury is publishing 92-thousand names in your local newspaper that are owed unclaimed property. State Treasurer John Fleming says there are many reasons that money ends up going unclaimed…

Cut 14 (10) “….they had it”

Fleming says all state residents should check their local newspaper to see if they are on the list.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

Apparently, Verge Ausberry is not LSU’s permanent athletics director as was reported Tuesday night. New LSU system president Wade Rousse said in two different media interviews yesterday that Ausberry is the acting athletics director. Rousse says Ausberry has full authority to hire a football coach and it will be assessed at a later time if Ausberry will be the full-time A-D.

Meanwhile, the LSU football team is preparing to face fourth ranked Alabama. Center Braelin Moore says it’s been a good week of practice…

Cut 17 (11) “…energy right now”

Interim head coach Frank Wilson says star linebacker Whit Weeks is doubtful with a bone bruise on his ankle, but offensive lineman Carrius Curne is trending in the right direction to play. Kick off in Tuscaloosa is at 6:30

 

Louisiana Tech is at Delaware on Saturday. Bulldogs leading rusher Clay Thevenin rushed for 143 yards in last week’s win over Sam Houston and leads the team with 439 rushing yards. Coach Sonny Cumbie says Thevenin’s efforts in practice are translating to production on gameday…

Cut 20 (16) “….been really consistent”

Tech and Delaware kick off at 2 PM on Saturday.

In Saints news…running back Alvin Kamara was limited in practice yesterday with an ankle injury and right tackle Tallese Fuaga did not practice with an ankle injury. New Orleans is at Carolina on Sunday.

The Pelicans won their second straight last night as New Orleans beat Dallas 101 to 99. The Pels are now 2-6 on the season.

 

The LSU men’s basketball team won its season opener last night, a 96-60 win over Tarleton State.

6:30 LRN Newscast

A new report reveals that Louisiana is among the worst in the nation for diagnosing lung cancer early. Eric Weinzettle, the director of advocacy for the American Lung Association, says their report finds that Louisiana is ranked 40th for new lung cancer cases and 45th for cases diagnosed at an early stage.

Cut 4 (13) “…catch it early.”

Weinzettle says lung cancer screenings with annual CT scans for for people at high risk can reduce the lung cancer death rate by up to 20-percent.

Louisiana U-S Senator John Kennedy has filed legislation that says as long as the federal government is shutdown, members of Congress will not be paid. Kennedy also filed a bill that says members of Congress will have their pay escrowed and will receive it after the government re-opens. Kennedy says there is precedent for his second bill…

Cut 9 (12) “…got their paychecks”

Kennedy says at that point, lawmakers got down to business, reached a deal and reopened government – and that’s what his bills are designed to do.

A major cold front is coming for Louisiana, but LRN meteorologist Bill Jacquemin says we’ll see some mild temperatures until it arrives…

Cut 12 (13) “…cold front passes”

A big issue for today is that most of the state is under a dense fog advisory this morning.

The Louisiana Department of Treasury has published the names of people with unclaimed property it received in the past year. This year, that number is 92,348. State Treasurer John Fleming says that could come in many forms, including tax refunds, insurance payments or bank deposits.

`Cut 13 (07)  “…unclaimed properties division.”

You can see if you are owed unclaimed property by looking at any newspaper that still publishes a print edition. They are listing the names this week.

4:30 LRN Newscast

Sources say LSU will remove the interim tag from Verge Ausberry and the New Iberia native will be the permanent athletics director at LSU. Jeanne Burns has more

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Jeanne Burns.”

The Louisiana Health Department announces SNAP benefit distribution will resume Friday. This comes after some SNAP recipients saw their food stamps removed from their E-B-T cards after receiving them over the weekend. It’s because the state-funded program was suspended as USDA will now partially fund the program as a result of a court order.

 

A 46-year-old preschool teacher has received the Slidell Police Department’s Citizen Award for helping officers catch a suspected shoplifter. Police Chief Daniel Seuzeneau says Lesli Smith offered a ride to Sergeant Jeff Kahrs after the suspect fled a department store in a getaway car…

Cut 9 (13) “…Slidell Police Department”

When Officer Kahrs jumped into the vehicle he radioed to other patrol units the whereabouts of the suspect’s vehicle and it resulted in the arrest of two people.

Mississippi Democrats have broken the Republican supermajority in the state senate. Shreveport-based political analyst Scott Hughes…

Cut 14 (10) “…broke the supermajority”

It will mark the first time in 13 years in which Republicans will not have at least a two-thirds majority in the Mississippi state senate.

3:30 LRN Newscast

Not only does LSU have a new president, but the Baton Rouge campus also has a new chancellor again. The positions of president and chancellor were combined in 2012, but it was new president Wayde Rousse’s desire to separate the roles again…

Cut 3 (10) “…the search.”

The LSU Board of Supervisors appointed Rousse as president and one of the other three finalists, Alabama provost James Dalton has been named chancellor of the flagship campus.

 

The LSU football team is preparing to play fourth ranked Alabama on Saturday. Athletics Director Verge Ausberry says interim coach Frank Wilson is taking the team to Tuscaloosa to win…

Cut 7 (09) “…chips lay”

A 46-year-old Slidell preschool teacher helped Police catch a suspected shoplifter. Police Chief Daniel Seuzenau says Lesli Smith saw a suspect fleeing in a getaway car and offered Sergeant Jeff Kahrs a ride. He coached her during the chase while telling patrol units where the suspects were headed. Smith says she was glad to help her town’s police department that works hard to keep their community safe…

Cut 11 (12) “…went shopping.”

Tuesday night was a good night for Democrats. Democratic candidates were victories in the New Jersey and Virginia governors’ races and Shreveport-based political analyst Scott Hughes says Democrats were also victorious in Georgia…

Cut 13 (09) “…public service commission”

LRN PM Newscall November 5

Sources say LSU will remove the interim tag from Verge Ausberry and the New Iberia native will be the permanent athletics director at LSU. Jeanne Burns has more

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Jeanne Burns.”

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A 46-year-old preschool teacher receives a Good Samaritan Award from the Slidell Police Department for helping cops chase down a suspected shoplifter. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (39) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Not only does LSU have a new president, but the Baton Rouge campus also has a new chancellor again. The positions of president and chancellor were combined in 2012, but it was new president Wayde Rousse’s desire to separate the roles again…

Cut 3 (10) “…the search.”

The LSU Board of Supervisors appointed Rousse as president and one of the other three finalists, Alabama provost James Dalton has been named chancellor of the flagship campus. Dalton will also oversee the AgCenter, two health science centers and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

Rousse says there is a lot that needs to be done, especially with the LSU System adding the UNO campus. He says it makes sense to have two people at the top of the organizational chart….

Cut 4 (10) “…in my mind.”

Rousse says he first approached Dalton about being the executive vice president of LSU after Dalton interviewed for the president’s job on Friday…

Cut 5 (12) “…would it be.”

It’s to be determined on when these two men will officially take on their new roles.

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New Iberia native Verge Ausberry is expected to be formally named the permanent athletics director at LSU. Last week, the former Tigers linebacker and longtime athletics administrator was named the interim A-D, but LSU’s new leadership wants Ausberry to have the job going forward. Ausberry says he has already hit the ground running.

Cut 6 (10) “…this position.”

Ausberry says he has not established a timeline for hiring a new coach. He said on Tiger Rag Radio that they will let the process work itself out, meaning it is not necessary to have a coach in place before the December early signing period for high school recruits or the January transfer portal window.

He says until a new coach is in place, interim Frank Wilson has full control over the program.

Cut 7 (09) “…chips lay.”

LSU is looking for a new coach after Brian Kelly was fired last week. A reason why it did not work out for Kelly is that he was not heavily involved in every aspect of the program.

Ausberry says the next head coach at LSU must fit in with what they do, be a leader, and manage NIL, recruiting, and practices.

Cut 8 (09) “…buy in.”

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A 46-year-old preschool teacher has received the Slidell Police Department’s Citizen Award for helping officers catch a suspected shoplifter. Police Chief Daniel Seuzeneau says Lesli Smith offered a ride to Sergeant Jeff Kahrs after the suspect fled a department store in a getaway car…

Cut 9 (13)  “…Slidell Police Department.”

Officer Kahrs accepted the ride and coached Smith during the police chase. At the same time, Kahrs was telling other patrol units, where the suspects were headed and they were eventually caught. Seuzeneau says once Smith committed her good deed, she returned to her role as private citizen

Cut 10 (11) “…Ms Lesli.”

Smith is a life long Slidell resident and the mother of three says she was glad to help her town’s police department that works so hard to keep their community safe…

Cut 11 (12) “…went shopping.”

A 34-year-old woman from Florida is accused of taking items from Dillard’s store and her boyfriend, a 43-year-old man in Biloxi, was arrested for assisting in the theft as he was the getaway driver. The female was also charged for being in possession of meth.

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Even though Democrats were expected to do well in last night’s elections, the way they dominated will certainly set off alarm bells in the Republican Party. Shreveport-based political analyst Scott Hughes says in Virginia, not only did Democrat Abigail Spanberger win by almost 15 points, but Democrats made gains throughout the entire state.

Cut 12 (12) “…to the left.”

Hughes says Democrats also did well in a pair of states that traditionally vote Republican, including a couple races in Georgia in which Democrats not only won, but won in blowout fashion.

Cut 13 (09)  “…public service commission.”

Hughes says Democrats also gained state senate seats in the state just to the east of us.

Cut 14 (10) “…broke the supermajority.”

It will mark the first time in 13 years in which Republicans will not have at least a two-thirds majority in the Mississippi state senate.

11:40 LRN Sportscast

LSU interim athletics director Verge Ausberry will be the permanent A-D according to multiple sources. Ausberry says he has not established a timeline for hiring a new coach. He said on Tiger Rag Radio that they will let the process work itself out, meaning it is not necessary to have a coach in place before the December early signing period for high school recruits or the January transfer portal window. He says until a new coach is in place, interim Frank Wilson has full control over the program.

Cut 7 (09) “…chips lay.”

Ausberry had the temporary tag removed from his title by new LSU president Wade Rousse, who was appointed by the Board of Supervisors yesterday…

Cut 28 (11) “…this LSU family”

The Saints traded two players at the trade deadline – wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to the Seahawks and offensive lineman Trevor Penning to the Los Angeles Chargers. Mike Detilier, the host of SportsTalk on WWL Radio, says Penning, who was a first-round pick, was one of the biggest letdowns in franchise history.

Cut 15 (15) “…struggled there too.”

6:45 LRN Sportscast

The interim tag will be lifted from Verge Ausberry’s title, and he will be the permanent athletics director for LSU. Yahoo Sports reports LSU’s new president Wade Rousse is making Ausberry the full-time A-D. A formal announcement is expected in the coming days.

Ausberry is leading the search for a new football coach, and Rousse will be part of that search as he’s joining the search committee.

Hours after Rousse was named the new president at LSU, he was asked about Governor Landry’s desire to have incentive-based contracts for coaches. Rousse says the main priority is finding the best coach available…

Cut 18 (17) “…national championship”

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The Saints traded two players yesterday before the NFL trade deadline. New Orleans sent receiver Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for fourth and fifth-round picks. New Orleans also traded offensive lineman Trevor Penning to the L-A Chargers for a sixth-round pick in 2027. Saints analyst on WWL radio, Mike Detillier, says the Saints have a long way to go to become a competitive team again, so they need draft pick capital…

Cut 16 (10) “…draft choices”

The Pelicans’ former number one pick, Zion Williamson, is hurt again. He has a grade one hamstring strain and will be evaluated in seven to ten days. But New Orleans won its first game of the season last night, beating the Charlotte Hornets 116 to 112.

LSU women’s basketball beat Houston Christian 108 to 55, while Louisiana Tech men’s basketball lost to Nevada 77-50.

LRN PM Newscall

Genetic testing found that all shrimp sold at the Louisiana Shrimp Festival in New Orleans came from Gulf Waters. Andrew Greenstein reports it’s the latest in a venture started a year ago by a Texas man whose goal is to keep restaurants honest.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The LSU Board of Supervisors has named a new president and the Baton Rouge campus will have a new chancellor as well. Jeff Palermo has the story,…

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Genetic testing from SeaD (“seed”) consulting has shown that for the second year in a row, all shrimp served at the Louisiana Shrimp Festival in New Orleans was indeed authentic, wild-caught Gulf shrimp. David Williams founded the company a year ago and began using what’s called the RIGHTTest to determine the species of the shrimp – specifically whether it’s Pacific white shrimp, which is not native to U.S. waters. Williams says through his efforts, several restaurants which had been serving imported shrimp have changed to domestic shrimp.

Cut 3 (13) “…lot higher now.”

Williams says with more restaurants switching to domestic shrimp, that’s also helping the local shrimping industry, which has been struggling in recent years.

Cut 4 (08) “…to respect themselves.”

A law that went into effect this year requires restaurants and food vendors to specify whether the seafood they serve is imported or not. While the labeling is usually applied to shrimp, the law actually applies to all seafood. As such, Williams says his company will be testing other seafood in all parts of the country in the years to come.

Cut 5 (08) “…lot of protection.”

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A Jefferson Parish English teacher received the surprise of a lifetime today as she received a 25-thousand dollar Milken Educator Award. Sarah Watkins is an eighth grade English language arts teacher at Stella Worley Middle School in Westwego and was overcome with emotion when she learned that she was a recipient of this prestigious national accolade…

Cut 6 (11) “…everything.”

The 2009 graduate from Dillard University has been teaching for 16 years. The Milken Educator Award winner is known for having lively academic discussions in her classroom where students are participating in civil debate…

Cut 7 (08) “…key to it.”

Watkins says her classes are discussion based…

Cut 8 (12) “…its fun.”

Watkins is Louisiana’s 54th recipient since the Pelican State joined the Milken Educator Awards program in 2001.

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The LSU Board of Supervisors has named McNeese State University President Wade Rousse as the next president of LSU. One of the other finalists, Alabama provost Jim Dalton has been named LSU’s Executive Vice President. Rousse made it clear during the interview process, he felt for LSU to become a better academic and research institution, there needed to be a president overseeing the system and the Baton Rouge campus needed a chancellor…

Cut 9 (09)  “…educate Louisiana.”

The vote to hire Rousse was 12 to 1. LSU Board of Supervisors member Laurie Lispey Aronson casted the lone no vote.

LSU Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott Ballard announced Rousse as the next president after the board spent  about three hours in executive session…

Cut 10 (10) “…its history.”

In 2012, the roles of the LSU System President and Baton Rouge campus chancellor were combined. They’ve been separated again. Dalton has been Alabama’s provost since 2020 and has a background in pharmacy and developing prescription drugs. He’s excited about his move from Tuscaloosa to Baton Rouge…

Cut 11 (14) “…Biomedical Research Center.”

2:30 LRN Newscast

As expected, McNeese State University President Doctor Wade Rousse has been named the new president at LSU. LSU Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott Ballard made the announcement…

Cut 10 (10) “….its history”

Rousse told board members he believed it would be better if there was an LSU system president and chancellor for the Baton Rouge campus. That’s what will happen as Alabama provost Jim Dalton was named as the chancellor for the flagship university.

Huge honor for a Jefferson Parish English teacher as Sarah Watkins of Stella Worley Middle School in Westwego received a 25-thousand dollar Milken Educator Award. Watkins says her classes are discussion based…

Cut 8 (12) “….its fun”

 

Genetic testing found that all shrimp sold at the Louisiana Shrimp Festival in New Orleans came from Gulf Waters. Andrew Greenstein reports it’s the latest in a venture started a year ago by a Texas man whose goal is to keep restaurants honest.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Today is the NFL trading deadline and the Saints have traded their second leading receiver to Seattle for a fourth and a fifth-round draft pick. Rashid Shaheed has been with the Saints since 2022 and has caught 138 passes for two-thousand yards and 12 touchdowns.