Author Archives: Jeff Palermo

12.23.25
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6:45 LRN Sportscast

LSU football coach Lane Kiffin has announced 11 new additions to the coaching staff. Eight of the new hires followed Kiffin from Ole Miss to Baton Rouge, including several names we already knew, like offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. Also following Kiffin to LSU is his brother, Chris Kiffin, who will be the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Joe Houston, who was previously at Florida is the special teams coordinator.

The Saints have their first three-game winning streak since 2022. Head coach Kellen Moore says it’s good to see his team getting a taste of success.

Cut 13 (06)  “…habits right now.”

The Saints have a chance at ending the season on a five-game winning streak as they finish up with road games at Tennessee and Atlanta.

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The Pelicans won their fifth in a row last night as New Orleans defeated Dallas 119 to 113. Zion Williamson had 24 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Nearly a bad loss by the LSU men’s basketball team last night as they trailed by ten points in the second half to Prairie View A-and-M, but eventually got it going and defeated the Panthers 104 to 90. Marquel Sutton had a double-double, 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Tigers made a school record 43 free throws, breaking a record that stood since 1979.

The Georgia Bulldogs are back in the Sugar Bowl after losing to Notre Dame in last year’s Sugar Bowl. Georgia Coach Kirby Smart doesn’t believe last year’s game will have any impact, as the Bulldogs have an entirely different team.

Cut 19 (18) “…Ole Miss previously.”

Georgia will play Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl at 7 p.m. on New Year’s Day. The Bulldogs are a six and a half point favorite.

12.22.25
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6:45 LRN Sportscast

The Saints won their third straight on Sunday as they finished the home portion of their schedule with their most complete game of the season by beating the hapless New York Jets 29-6. Quarterback Tyler Shough continues to make the case as the team’s franchise quarterback as he threw for 308 yards and a touchdown. The TD pass came late in the third quarter, as Shough hit a wide open Chris Olave on a 23-yard touchdown pass….

Cut 19 (08) “….the ball”

Olave had a career-high 148 receiving yards and had two touchdowns. The second TD pass was thrown by Taysom Hill in the fourth quarter.

Hill also has 36 receiving yards, and is the only player with over one-thousand yards passing, rushing and receiving in the NFL Super Bowl era.

New Orleans will look for its fourth win in a row this Sunday at Tennessee.

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Tulane’s magical season came to an end Saturday with a 41-10 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels in the first round of the college football playoffs. The defeat also ends Jon Sumrall’s two year run as the head coach of the Green Wave. He now moves on to Gainesville to become the head coach of the Florida Gators. Sumrall had this message for his team in the locker room after the game…

Cut 17 (13) “….no it’s not”

Ole Miss’s win over Tulane means the Sugar Bowl matchup is set as the Rebels will face Georgia in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup on New Year’s Day night.

Ole Miss running backs coach Kevin Smith was at the LSU football operations building in a sign that he will be the Tigers new running backs coach.

LSU women’s basketball had another blowout victory, beating Texas-Arlington 110-45. Grace Knox had a career-high 25 points.

12.19.25
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6:45 LRN Sportscast

Tulane makes its first appearance in the College Football Playoff Saturday, where it’ll face Ole Miss for the second time this season. Head coach Jon Sumrall credited his team’s success to its closeness and says he has full belief in its ability to pull off an upset.

Cut 16 (12) “…we fight.”

Ole Miss is a 17.5 point favorite tomorrow.

The college football playoff gets underway tonight with Oklahoma hosting Alabama. In late October, the Sooners defeated the Crimson Tide 23-21.

The Pelicans had their best win of the season last night for their third straight victory as New Orleans defeated Houston 133 to 128 in overtime. The Pels trailed by 25 points in the first half. Saddiq Bey had a season high 29 points and Trey Murphy added 27 points.

 

The Saints are seeking their third straight win on Sunday when they host the Jets and they are getting good play from rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. Tight end Juwan Johnson knew Shough prior to playing for the Saints, as both started their careers at Oregon. Johnson says he’s seeing Shough play with lots of confidence lately.

Cut 19 (17) “…what it is.”

Running back Devin Neal has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, and wide receiver Devaughn Vele has been ruled out with a shoulder injury.

In college hoops, the Ragin Cajuns scored just 17 points in the first half in their Sun Belt opener and lost to Southern Miss 62 to 54.

Tonight, LSU hosts Southeastern Louisiana. The Tigers are 9-1, while the Lions are 4-7.

The son of former LSU head coach Les Miles has been hired by Marshall Faulk and Southern’s new tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator.

12.18.25
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6:45 LRN Sportscast

LSU freshman offensive lineman Carius Curne, a five-star recruit out of Arkansas, plans to enter the transfer portal. Curne started seven games this past season, with starts at both left and right tackle.

Tulane had just 282 yards of offense in its first matchup against Ole Miss in the regular season. The two teams meet again Saturday in a College Football playoff game. Green wave quarterback Jake Retzlaff (Rhett-Zloff) says offensive coordinator Joe Craddock told the offense it needed to improve on several aspects in order to give itself a shot at winning…

Cut 19 (16) “…we’ve been ever”

The Ragin Cajuns turned it over three times and lost to Delaware 20-13 last night in the 68 Ventures Bowl.

 

ULM men’s basketball opened up Sun Belt play last night by losing a tough game to South Alabama, falling to the Jaguars in double overtime 96-82. The Warhawks had an 18-point lead at halftime. The Jaguars scored the final 14 points of regulation to force the first overtime.

Louisiana Tech shot 32-percent from the field and lost to Tulane 61-53.

LSU men’s basketball team hosts Southeastern Louisiana on Friday night. Coach Matt McMahon says because of the season ending injury to Jalen Reed, Marquel Sutton has been moved to his natural position and played well in last Saturday’s win over S-M-U…..

Cut 17 (17) “,,,and 12 rebounds”

Tip off against the Lions tomorrow night is at 7 PM

12.17.25
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5:30 LRN Newscast

Former New Iberia police officer Micah Legnon is currently charged with threat by interstate commerce for allegedly planning an attack on federal ICE agents in New Orleans. Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino says more serious charges will be filed, and even longer before an indictment can be handed down against the 28-year-old…

Cut 10 (09) “…can go forward.”

The former U-S Marine was arrested Friday on his way to New Orleans and authorities say they found guns, a gas canister and body armour in his vehicle.

A federal judge has ruled the state’s social media age verification law approved in 2023 is unconstitutional, because it violates the First Amendment. NetChoice argued before the court that age verification requirements amount to First Amendment violations because they force users to give up too much personal information just to gain access. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murril says she plans to appeal the ruling…

Cut 6 (09) “…minors.”

 

A mineral processing company is investing in a new facility in St. James Parish. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

A 14-year-old honors student was killed when she was struck by a vehicle in Shreveport on Monday. The victim has been identified as Cali Agent and she was an eighth grader at Magnolia School of Excellence. Police say the driver is cooperating with the investigation.

12.17.25
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LRN PM Newscall December 17

A mineral processing company is investing in a new facility in St. James Parish. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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Following the Texas Bowl, Tigers interim head coach Frank Wilson will leave LSU for an assistant coaching job at Ole Miss. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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ElementUSA announces that it’s investing 850-million dollars to build a rare earth and critical minerals refining facility in St. James Parish. Parish President Pete Dufresne says the facility will lead to the creation of 200 new direct jobs with an average salary of 90-thousand dollars a year, along with more than 550 new indirect jobs.

Cut 3 (06) “…we greatly need.”

The facility will help strengthen the U.S. supply chain for materials essential to advanced manufacturing, national defense and energy technologies. Dufresne says ElementUSA chose St. James Parish because the industrial infrastructure is already in place with the Atlantic Alumina plant.

Cut 4 (12) “…that same material.”

Dufresne says the addition of ElementUSA would enhance the production that’s happening at Atlantic Alumina.

Cut 5 (13) “…for the community.”

Construction of the new ElementUSA plant is expected to begin sometime in 2027.

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The Texas Bowl on December 27th is the last game Frank Wilson will coach at LSU. The Tigers interim head coach since late October has accepted a job with Ole Miss to be the Rebels running backs coach. Tiger Rag Editor Glenn Guilbeau says this is not a surprising development…

Cut 6 (08) “…not coming back.”

Guilbeau says new LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin is expected to hire the running backs coach he had at Ole Miss, Kevin Smith, as Wilson’s replacement and Smith could help the Tigers acquire a 12-hundred yard rusher…

Cut 7 (11) “…Ole Miss.”

Wilson is known as an outstanding recruiter and has convinced several great high school players from the New Orleans area to play at LSU during his two different stints with the Tigers. But Guilbeau says money matters more than relationships in today’s world of recruiting…

Cut 8 (12) “…it’s all about cash.”

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A former New Iberia police officer who allegedly plotted a terror attack in New Orleans is currently charged with one count of threat by interstate commerce. But Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino says many more serious charges are likely forthcoming against Micah Legnon (LEG-nin).

Cut 9 (12)  “…bomb-making materials.”

FBI agents arrested the 29-year-old last weekend as he was allegedly loading his vehicle with an assault rifle and body armor. Investigators have linked him to a California-based anti-government group which had been plotting a series of bomb attacks on New Year’s Eve. Ciolino says it will take quite a while before more serious charges are filed, and even longer before an indictment can be handed down.

Cut 10 (09) “…can go forward.”

Ciolino says thanks to modern technology, it’s a lot easier now for the government to make cases like these now than it was several years ago.

Cut 11 (12) “…Google searches.”

Ciolino says given the nature of the charges Legnon will likely be facing, he will likely not be released anytime soon, due to being a potential threat to the community.

12.17.25
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2:30 LRN Newscast

A mineral processing company is investing in a new facility in St. James Parish. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

 

Senator Bill Cassidy says the National Defense Autorization Act contains hundreds of millions of dollars for Barksdale Air Force Base in northwest Louisiana. 116-million for a Weapons Generation facility, 18 million for personnel housing and 931-million dollars for continued modernization of the B-52 bomber, which will primarily go to Barksdale.

 

Attorney General Liz Murrill told lawmakers on Tuesday that UnitedHealthcare potentially owes the state between $380 million and $768 million in overpayments for pharmacy costs, which is why her office instructed L-D-H to cancel its contract. She says the state has been litigating with UnitedHealthcare for five years…

Cut 12 (09) “…documents.”

Frank Wilson will reportedly leave LSU after the Texas Bowl on December 27th to join the Ole Miss coaching staff. Tiger Rag Editor Glenn Guilbeau says new LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin is expected to hire the running backs coach he had at Ole Miss, Kevin Smith, as Wilson’s replacement and Smith could help the Tigers acquire a 12-hundred yard rusher…

Cut 7 (11) “…Ole Miss.”

12.17.25
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11:40 LRN Sportscast

The Texas Bowl on December 27th is the last game Frank Wilson will coach at LSU. The Tigers interim head coach since late October has accepted a job with Ole Miss to be the Rebels running backs coach. Tiger Rag Editor Glenn Guilbeau says this is not a surprising development…

Cut 6 (08) “…not coming back”

Guilbeau says new LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin is expected to hire the running backs coach he had at Ole Miss, Kevin Smith, as Wilson’s replacement.

Former LSU wide receiver’s coach Cortez Hankton has reportedly interviewed with Ohio State. He’s been at LSU since 2022 and helped develop Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas.

And LSU backup quarterback Colin Hurley is reportedly entering the transfer portal. He left the program for personal reasons towards the end of the regular season. Hurley never took a snap at LSU.

 

The Ragin Cajuns wrap up the season tonight by playing the Delaware Blue Hens in the 68th Ventures Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The six and six Cajuns have dealt with the injury bug all season, and tonight they are missing several starters. Coach Michael Desormeaux says the team will rely on younger starters and knows his players will benefit from the adversity they’ve faced this season.

Cut 17 (18)  “…progress they’ve made.”

Kick off is at 7:30 and the game will be televised by ESPN.

LSU gymnastics is ranked 2nd in the Women’s College Gymnastics Association preseason poll behind Oklahoma. The season begins January 10th with a meet in Utah that will also include the top ranked Sooners, fourth ranked UCLA and fifth ranked Utah.

12.17.25
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10:30 LRN Newscast

The Alexandria Police Department has arrested a ten-year-old for shooting an eight-year-old on December sixth. At first, investigators determined it was an accidental shooting, but upon further investigation they’ve charge the ten-year old with aggravated second-degree battery and juvenile in possession of a handgun. At last report, the eight-year-old was in critical condition.

A former New Iberia police officer is arrested for allegedly plotting an attack in New Orleans. Andre Champagne reports he allegedly has ties to an anti-government group in California.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

 

Louisiana lawmakers expressed concern about ending a Medicaid contract with UnitedHealthcare on January 1st because the short notice could temporarily leave thousands of Medicaid recipients without coverage, so LDH Secretary Bruce Greenstein told a legislative committee yesterday that they will give UnitedHealthcare through March to comply with the state’s orders to provide documents proving they are in compliance with the contract they have Louisiana. Attorney General Liz Murrill says she’s okay with that…

Cut 11 (07) “…asked for.”

She says UnitedHealthcare potentially owes the state between $380 million and $768 million in overpayments for pharmacy costs.

Louisiana has received a 15-million dollar grant from the U-S Department of Education to lead a five-year study on increasing the impact of high-dosage tutoring for first and second graders reading below grade level. Deputy Superintendent with the state Department of Education Jenna Chaisson…

Cut 9 (11) “…Louisiana can read”

12.17.25
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6:45 LRN Sportscast

Frank Wilson will serve as the interim head coach of the LSU Tigers and then he’ll leave for an SEC rival. CBS Sports is reporting Wilson will leave his home state to be the running backs coach at Ole Miss. This will be Wilson’s second stint with Ole Miss as he served as the running backs coach for the Rebels  when Ed Orgeron was the head coach there. He also has a relationship with new Ole Miss head coach Pete Goulding. Goulding was the defensive coordinator of the Roadrunners when Wilson was the head coach at UTSA.

The fifth ranked LSU women’s basketball team had another easy win on Tuesday as the Lady Tigers beat Morgan State 91 to 33. LSU is now 12-0 and they have a couple more easy games in front of them before they finally begin SEC play against Kentucky on New Year’s Day.

LSU gymnastics is ranked 2nd in the preseason poll behind Oklahoma. The season begins next month.

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UL-Lafayette plays in its eighth straight bowl game tonight as it takes on the Delaware Blue Hens in the 68 Ventures Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, at 7:30 p.m. Cajuns head coach Michael Desormeaux (DEZ-er-moe) says the bowl game is one last chance for some of his players to play the game of football.

Cut 16 (20) “…going to play.”

Both teams are 6-and-6. The Cajuns are on a four-game winning streak while the Blue Hens received a bowl berth in their first season on the F-B-S level.

 

Former Ponchatoula star and former LSU Tiger TJ Finley is seeking a seventh-year of eligibility. Finley believes he should get an extra year after an injury shortened season in 2024. This past year at Georgia State, he appeared in seven games and went one and six.