11:40 LRN Sportscast

The LSU football team returns to the practice field today after a tough loss to USC on Sunday night. The Tigers were up by four points in the fourth quarter but ended up losing 27-20. The defeat left Coach Brian Kelly mad…

Cut  16 (16)   “…crazy.”

Kelly said his team lacked a killer instinct. He’ll speak with reporters again today.

 

ULM linebacker Wydett Willliams has been named defensive player of the week for the Sun Belt after recording ten tackles in a win over Jackson State.

Nicholls linebacker Eli Ennis has been named the Southland Defensive Player of the Week. Ennis had ten tackles in a loss to Louisiana Tech and also had an interception and fumble recovery.

The first high school football polls are out…Ruston, Opelousas, University High, Calvary Baptist and Southern Lab are ranked number one.

 

Game week has arrived for the New Orleans Saints and head coach Dennis Allen is not ready to say who will be the primary backup at quarterback…Jake Haener or Spencer Rattler…

Cut 20 (16) “…try to develop”

Saints running back Alvin Kamara has his five-bedroom, nine bathroom house in Belle Chasse on the market. Kamara says it has nothing to do with his desire for a new contract with the Saints that has yet to happen. The 29-year-old Kamara is entering his eighth season and he says he feels good about the offense with first year offensive coordinator Kilnt Kubiak.

 

Former LSU and Rummel Raider star receiver Ja’Marr Chase continues to wait on a new mega contract from the Bengals. He’s listed as the starting receiver on the team’s depth chart, even though he didn’t practice yesterday. Coach Zac Taylor calls it a fluid situation.

10:30 LRN Newscast

Shocking story in Webster Parish, as Minden Police have charged a ten-year-old in the fatal shootings of two people, 82-year-old Joe Cornelius and his 31-year-old daughter Keisha Miles. Chief Jared McIver says they are not ready to release a motive, but this was not an accidental shooting…

Cut 8 (13) “….anything like that”

Cornelius is a former Minden city councilman and was appointed as mayor for a brief time.

 

A teenage girl is dead in a crash in Lafayette. Police Sergeant Matthew Benoit (BEN-wah) says this happened early yesterday morning.

Cut 3 (07) “…14-year-old male.” 

Benoit notes that while investigators have established that the vehicle was stolen, it’s unclear whether that 14-year-old driver was the one who stole it. The teen is in juvenile detention and is facing four charges – including negligent homicide.

 

A Louisiana pollster says many of the national polls show Vice President Kamala Harris with a two-point lead over former president Donald Trump as the presidential election season begins to ramp up. Mel Bridges has more.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Mel Bridges.”

 

The last time there were no named storms in the Atlantic and Gulf from August 13th to September 3rd was 1968. LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry Keim hopes this trend continues…

Cut 13 (14) “….a happy guy”

8:30 LRN Newscast

Shocking story out of Webster Parish as a ten-year-old has been charged in the fatal shooting of two people, 82-year-old Joe Cornelius and his daughter, 31-year-old Keisha Miles, as they were found dead in a home in Minden. Minden Police Chief Jared McIver says it’s unclear what led to the shooting, but the boy confessed…

Cut 9 (12) “….as to why”

Cornelius once served as the mayor of Minden for a brief time.

Now that the Labor Day weekend has passed, the Presidential election will really ramp up. JMC Analytics pollster John Couvillon says Vice President Kamala Harris has a small lead in the national polls, but the race comes down to seven swing states so the national polls should hold steady…

Cut 5 (07) “…points.”

Louisiana is looking at a 340-million dollar budget deficit next fiscal year and that does not include 248-million dollars that pays for education initiatives like teacher and support personnel stipends. A temporary sales tax that expires July 1st is contributing to the revenue shortfall. House Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland says the responsible thing for the legislature to do is finally address antiquated tax policies…

Cut 12 (10) “…. advantageous”

McFarland says his committee will hold regular hearings in anticipation of a special session early next year on tax reform.

LSU public health climatologist Barry Keim says the National Hurricane Center is keeping its eye on a tropical wave in the Caribbean Sea…

Cut 15 (14) “…very closely”

7:30 LRN Newscast

House Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland says the state is facing a 340-million dollar deficit next fiscal year and that does not include the 248-million dollars for education initiatives that includes teacher and support personnel stipends. McFarland says his committee will hold regular meetings over the next several months…

Cut 11 (12) “…will be affected”

McFarland says the shortfall is a reason why a tax reform special session is needed.

A ten-year-old has been charged in the fatal shooting of 82-year-old Joe Cornelius and his 31-year-old daughter Keisha Miles. It happened in Webster Parish on Sunday morning. Minden Police Chief Jared McIver says there were two children in the home at the time…

Cut 7 (10) “….this crime”

McIver says this was not an accidental shooting as the victims were shot multiple times. No motive has been released.

Lafayette Police say a juvenile driver drove off the road early Monday striking a fence, which caused the vehicle to flip and strike a tree. There were seven people inside the vehicle. 17-year-old Terry Mitchell of Lafayette has died, and two other passengers were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The juvenile driver faces several charges including one count of negligent homicide.

A Louisiana pollster says many of the national polls show Vice President Kamala Harris with a two-point lead over former president Donald Trump as the presidential election season begins to ramp up. Mel Bridges has more.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Mel Bridges.”

6:45 LRN Sportscast

For the fifth straight year, the LSU Tigers are starting the season off with a loss. In Sunday night’s 27-20 defeat to USC, the Tigers were penalized ten times. Two of the penalties were 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalties, on Kyren Lacy and Major Burns that helped USC score touchdowns. Coach Brian Kelly says mistakes like that can’t happen…

Cut 17 (17) “…getting the message.”

The Tigers return to the practice field this afternoon as they get ready for Saturday’s home opener against Nicholls.

Game week has arrived for the Saints and head coach Dennis Allen is entering his third season…

Cut 28 (04) “…team’s at”

The Saints will host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in the season opener. New Orleans is a four-point favorite.

ULM is preparing to host UAB this Saturday after defeating Jackson State 30-14 last Thursday. Running back Ahmad Hardy’s 103 yard, one touchdown rushing performance was a big key. Hardy is a freshman from Mississippi and Coach Bryant Vincent is really encouraged about his performance…

Cut 18 (17)  “…his growth.”

ULM linebacker Wydett Willliams has been named defensive player of the week. The junior from Lake Providence had a game-high ten tackles in the win over Jackson State.

Nicholls linebacker Eli Ennis has been named the Southland Defensive Player of the Week. Ennis had ten tackles in a loss to Louisiana Tech and also had an interception and fumble recovery.

McNeese defensive lineman Stephen Johnson is the special teams player of the week. He blocked a field goal that started a run of 21 unanswered points n the fourth quarter as the Cowboys defeated Southern 21-7.

6:30 LRN Newscast

State government is looking at its first budget deficit in several years. The deficit for the next fiscal year is the result of a temporary state sales tax of .45 percent expiring as well as a two-percent tax on business utilities.  House Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland says much needed reforms are needed to address this upcoming shortfall

Cut 10 (11) “…budget expenditures.”

Currently, Louisiana is facing a projected revenue shortfall of 340-million dollars for next fiscal year. McFarland says that does not include the 248-million dollars in education initiatives that pays for teacher stipends and student tutoring, approved by the legislature in the spring.

Earlier this summer Republican Donald Trump had the lead in most national polling before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, but now JMC Analytics Pollster John Couvillon says the former president is trying to catch up….

Cut 4 (10)_ “…stabilized”

 

A Webster Parish man and his daughter are shot to death, and the suspect is only ten years old. We get the story from Andrew Greenstein.

Cut 2 (37) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.” 

 

Brusly Police in West Baton Rouge Parish say a four-year-old child found a gun in the console of his father’s pickup truck and fatally shot himself. Hudson Tassin died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Sunday morning. His father is Blake Tassin, a Brusly city council member who is seeking re-election. The local district attorney will determine if charges are warranted.

8:30 LRN Newscast

Another disappointing start to the season for the LSU Tigers as they lost their fifth straight season opener last night 27 to 20 to USC. There were concerns about the Tigers defense going into the game, but Coach Brian Kelly is more upset with his offense for not scoring more touchdowns when they got into the red zone…

cut 29 (11) “…not good enough”

LSU will look to regroup when they host Nicholls this Saturday night.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s largest fundraising campaign has reached 450-million dollars in contributions. The campaign’s goal is 500-million dollars and they hope to reach that number next year. Associate vice president of development for U-L Lafayette Rebecca Doucet, says one of their largest donations is seven-million dollars…

cut 13 (12) “…and construction projects”

The Alexandria Farmers Market is celebrating ten years with events through September. Mel Bridges has the details.

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Mel Bridges.”

Visit Lake Charles has launched the Lake Charles Regional Sports Authority (LCRSA), to attract more sporting events.  LCRSA Director Eric Zartler says it’s been a long time coming…

Cut 3 (06) “…out of the country.”

LCRSA is focused on hosting and promoting a wide range of sporting events, from youth tournaments to professional competitions.

7:30 LRN Newscast

It’s Labor Day, but for LSU fans it’s Ground Hog’s Day as the Tigers football team lost their fifth straight season opener last night falling to USC 27-20. Following the game Coach Brian Kelly said he’s angry with his team after not scoring enough touchdowns and committing ten penalties…

cut 30 (06) “…same things”

Visit Lake Charles has launched the Lake Charles Regional Sports Authority (LCRSA), to boost the region’s profile as a premier destination for sporting events.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

The early childhood care industry faces significant challenges. That’s the takeaway of a new survey of some 300 childcare providers in the state by the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children. Director of Policy and Research Mattilyn Batson says the cost of doing business is a big hurdle.

Cut 9 (14)  “…margins of profit.”

Batson says additional federal, and state financial assistance would help.

The Alexandria Farmers Market is celebrating ten years with special events every Tuesday this month at the farmers market location on Jackson Street in Alexandria…

cut 8 (8) “….every Tuesday”

That’s the executive director of Farm and Food at Louisiana Central Bahia (Bah-hee-ah) Nightengale says the Market now serves as many as one-thousand visitors a week.

6:45 LRN sportscast

No joy in Tiger Town today as the LSU Tigers for a fifth consecutive season have lost their season opener. USC scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes to beat the Bayou Bengals 27 to 20. Coach Brian Kelly says it’s a game LSU should have won…

Cut 17 (20) “…the game is over”

LSU led 17-13 with just under seven minutes to go. Kelly is not happy about the two unsportsmanlike penalties that were called against the Tigers Kyren Lacy and Major Burns. After each penalty, USC would score a touchdown a few minutes later. And Kelly also not happy that LSU scored 20 points despite 421 yards of offense and 304 yards of passing from Garrett Nussmeier.

 

The Ragin Cajuns scored on their first four drives on Saturday night as they went on to beat Grambling 40-10. Ben Woolridge threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns. Coach Michael Desormeaux says it was a good start to the season…

Cut 20 (15) “…to improve on”

U-L Lafayette is at Kennesaw State this Saturday. Grambling has its home opener against Tuskegee.

Louisiana Tech won its season opener, but it wasn’t a pretty win as the Bulldogs defeated Nicholls 25-17 on a rainy night in Ruston. Tech turned it over five times, but the Bulldogs held the Colonels to 200 yards of offense. Louisiana Tech does not play on Saturday, while Nicholls will face LSU in Tiger Stadium.

McNeese is at Texas A-and-M on Saturday, but the Cowboys won their first game on the field since November of 2022 as the Pokes defeated Southern 21-7.

6:30 LRN Newscast

For the fifth consecutive season, LSU has lost its season opener as the 13th ranked Tigers fell to USC 27-20. The Tigers led by four in the fourth quarter, but the Trojans scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes. Coach Brian Kelly is not happy..

cut 17 (20) “…the game is over”

 

The Louisiana Policy Institute for Children surveyed over 300 childcare providers around the state and the main findings found that cost of business remains high and staffing remains a concern….

Cut 11 (07) “….wages somewhere else”

That’s the Director of Policy and Research at the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children Mattilyn Batson.

 

The Alexandria Farmers Market is celebrating its ten-year anniversary with celebrations through September. Executive Director of Farm & Food at Louisiana Central Bahia (Bah-hee-ah) Nightengale says the market is proud to have built a reputation of quality and consistency

Cut 6 (11) “…agriculture.”

Nightengale estimates the market, which sets up at First United Methodist Church in Alexandria every Tuesday afternoon sees around one thousand visitors a week from 25 parishes.

 

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette says the school’s largest fundraising campaign, which began in 2021, has reached 450-million dollars and is hoping to reach 500million collars when the campaign concludes next year. Associate Vice President of development for U-L Lafayette, Rebecca Doucet, says the university appreciates all donationsl…

Cut 14 (07) “…makes a difference”

More than 29-thousand donors have contributed to the campaign to date.