Author Archives: Jeff Palermo

05.13.23
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07:30 LRN Sportscast

The second-ranked LSU baseball team snapped its two-game losing streak in the SEC with a 12 to 1 thumping in seven innings over Mississippi State. Paul Skenes (Skeens) went the distance, allowing just three hits and he struck out 13. The Tigers hit four home runs. Gavin Dugas (Doo-gahs) hit a home run in the first inning and finished with four hits. Tre Morgan drove in three runs and Tommy White finished the game with a two-run homer.

The Ragin Cajuns topped Texas State seven to three to halt the Bobcats five-game winning streak. Jackson Nezuh (like kazoo) won his eighth game of the year as he pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs and striking out seven.

25th-ranked Southern Miss doubled up ULM eight to four. Louisiana Tech lost at Florida Atlantic nine to five. Grambling edged Arkansas Pine-Bluff two to one.

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At the Sun Belt softball championship, U-L Lafayette will face Marshall today in the championship game. The 24th-ranked Ragin Cajuns defeated Texas State four to one yesterday. The championship game is at 1 PM.

McNeese will play Southeastern Louisiana in the championship round of the Southland tournament. The Lions will need to beat the Cowboys twice. The action gets underway in Lake Charles at noon.

In Sulphur, at the state championship baseball tournament, Oak Grove defeated DeQuincy 11 to 10 in 12 innings to win the non-select division four state title. Tanner Duff had the winning hit. It’s the third straight championship for the Tigers.

Berwick beat Doyle four to two in eight innings to win the non-select division three state championship. Jayden Milton mashed a two-run homer to win it.

Also, St. Charles Catholic over Holy Savior Menard nine to one, Ouachita Christian blanked Ascension Catholic eight to nothing, and Avoyelles Public Charter three-zip over Family Community.

05.12.23
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4:45 LRN Sportscast

The second ranked LSU baseball team takes on a struggling Mississippi State squad tonight as the two long time rivals begin a three-game series at Alex Box Stadium. The Bulldogs are 6-and-18 in the SEC, while LSU is 16-and-7.

LSU center fielder Dylan Crews enters the game with a .457 batting average, which is the second-best in the nation. Last year Crews posted a .349 average. Coach Jay Johnson maintains Crews is the best college hitter he’s ever seen…
Cut 18 (18) “…plate discipline.”
Mississippi State ranks last in the SEC with a team ERA of 6.74. First pitch is at 7:30.

Also, the Cajuns host a good Texas State squad that’s won five in a row, Louisiana Tech faces Florida Atlantic in Ruston, McNeese is at Northwestern State. The Demons have won the last three series against the Pokes.

The Saints 2023 schedule came out last night and it looks very manageable. New Orleans will kick off the regular season at home hosting the Tennessee Titans. None of their games in November, December and January will be impacted by winter weather. The Black and Gold have three primetime games, two of them on Thursday night. Week two they are at Carolina for a Monday night game and they’ll host Jacksonville on a Thursday in Week 7 and the Week 16 matchup with the Rams in L-A is also on a Thursday.

At the state baseball tournament in Sulphur. Avoyelles Public Charter blanked Family Christian three to nothing in the Select Division Five state championship game. It’s the first state championship in school history for the Vikings. Pitkin defeated Anacoco in the non-select Division Five title game as the Tigers won their first baseball title in four years.

At the Sun Belt Softball tournament in Lafayette, The top seeded Cajuns will take on Texas State tonight. UL Lafayette swept the Bobcats earlier this season.

05.12.23
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LRN PM Newscall

Ochsner Health is in the process of laying off 770 employees across its system. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (33)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Crawfish prices are heating up just in time for you to say ‘I love you Mom’ with a crawfish boil the weekend. Teiko Foxx has more.

Cut 2 (32)  “….I’m Teiko Foxx.” 

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Bills targeting the LGBTQ community are advancing in the Louisiana Legislature. Governor John Bel Edwards was asked about the legislation, and he says it worries him because of the increased likelihood of the trans population committing suicide.

Cut 3 (07) “…to be worse.”

Among the bills is one prohibiting public-school teachers from discussing sexuality and gender identity, another forbidding gender-affirming health care for transgender minors, and restricting the use of certain pronouns in public schools.

Similar legislation is also being considered or has been enacted in other conservative states. Edwards was asked if he plans to veto any of the bills. Because the bills could still be amended, he says he’ll address it when and if they cross his desk.

Cut 4 (06)  “…damaging.” 

When he travels the state and talks to individuals, Edwards says it’s not about LGBTQ issues. Edwards says it’s not a problem and he’s frustrated lawmakers are not focusing on topics to grow the state’s economy and improve education instead.

Cut 5 (06) “…focused on.”

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If you’re a working mom, Louisiana ranked the worst state to live in, according to WalletHub’s 2023 Best & Worst States for Working Mom report.  WalletHub Analyst Jill Gonzales says Louisiana failed in a number of categories.

Cut 6 (12)  “…on yet.” 

The report looked at 17 metrics to generate rankings across three categories: childcare, professional opportunities, and work-life balance. 50% of single-mom families in the state live in poverty. Women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, and 73 percent of moms with children under age 18 were working in 2022. Gonzales says in order for the metrics to teeter in the state’s favor… major changes would have to take place

Cut 7 (09)  “…bottom up.” 

The state ranked 22nd in female unemployment rate and 35th in median women’s salary. Gonzales says there is major employment and work balance gap between working moms and men.

Cut 8 (13)  “…dads are.” 

West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina were also ranked “the worst” in many categories. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Wisconsin, and Minnesota were among the top ten.

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An employee at an Arby’s in New Iberia was found dead in the fast food restaurant’s freezer. New Iberia Police Department spokesperson Sergeant Daneisha Hughes says officers were called to the scene shortly before 6:30 last night…..

Cut 9 (05) “…freezer.”

Hughes says the deceased individual is a female and a preliminary autopsy found no obvious signs of trauma…

Cut 10 (04) “…of foul play” 

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A Denham Springs Police Officer is fighting for his life after he was shot multiple times during a shootout yesterday afternoon in the parking lot of a shopping center. Denham Springs Police Chief  Rodney Walker says his officers responded to a call of a man and woman arguing….

Cut 11 (09)  “…officers down”

Corporal Shawn Kelly is in critical condition. The man who allegedly shot Kelly, 30-year-old Justin Roberts, was fatally shot by Livingston Sheriff Deputies.

Corporal Kelly has been a certified police officer since 1997 and he was hired by Denham Springs police in 2019.  Kelly has received multiple commendations for his generous ways and positive attitude. Chief Walker says Kelly can use your prayers…

Cut 12 (11) “…to us” 

Officers and the public have participated in a blood drive today. Another one is scheduled for Monday. Tomorrow there will be a prayer vigil in the parking lot where Kelly was shot.

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Mother’s Day is one of the busiest weekends of the crawfish season and retailers are dropping prices in an effort to get your business. That’s according to Crawfish App Co-Founder Laney King who says this may be the last big weekend of the crawfish season

Cut 13 (13) “…you can.” 

According to crawfish pricing data compiled from over 1,650 vendors on The Crawfish App, crawfish prices are the same this Mother’s Day weekend in 2023 compared to Mother’s Day weekend last year. A sack of live medium crawfish will run between $2.00-$2.23 per pound. Laney says live crawfish are reasonably priced.

Cut 14 (12)  “…or so.”

 King says fishermen are not dropping prices but retailers across the state are dropping prices for Mother’s Day gatherings.

Cut 15 (07) “…a pound”

The Crawfish App compares prices from more than 16 hundred vendors in Louisiana. 

05.12.23
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11:40 LRN Sportscast

The NFL schedule makers may have done the Saints a favor as the 17-game schedule was released last night and it doesn’t look too difficult. In fact Saints analyst Bobby Hebert on WWL radio last night made this bold statement…
cut 20 (16) “…week stretch”
The Saints play most of their games in domes and do not have any games on the schedule that could be impacted by winter weather. Also the quarterbacks of the teams they play are not among the upper tier. And New Orleans has a three-game homestand in December against the Lions, the Panthers and Giants. They open the season at home against the Titans on September 10th. Hebert says it would be disappointing if the Black and Gold didn’t win at least ten games next season.

Paul Skenes will go after his tenth win of the season tonight when the second ranked LSU Tigers begin a three-game series against Mississippi State. Skenes has an ERA of 1.73.

LSU is in the middle of the pack in the SEC with a team ERA of 4.49. Teddy Cahill of Baseball America says LSU is like a lot of schools, they do not have a ton of pitching depth….
cut 19 (25) “….this year”
Mississippi State enters the series ranked last in the SEC in pitching with a team ERA of 6.74. First pitch is at 7:30.

Also this weekend, the Cajuns host a good Texas State squad that’s won five in a row, Louisiana Tech faces Florida Atlantic in Ruston, Nicholls hosts A-and-M Corpus Christi. McNeese is at Northwestern State. The Demons have won the last three series against the Cowboys.

05.12.23
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10:30 LRN Newscast

An effort to add exceptions for rape and incest which would soften the state’s abortion ban is dead for this legislative session. Governor John Bel Edwards says victims in those cases shouldn’t be forced to carry a child for both their physical and mental health…
cut 12 (07) “…..exceptions”
Sarah Zagorski with the Louisiana Right to Life disagrees and says legislators are merely reflecting the belief of their constituents that life begins at conception no matter how a child is conceived.
Cut 13 (06) “…hard situation.”
Bills to reduce penalties for doctors who perform abortions and exempt women who have a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy from the abortion ban were pulled from consideration after exceptions for rape and incest bill was rejected by the House Criminal Justice Committee.

An effort by Democratic lawmakers to raise the state’s minimum wage is not done for this session.
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

The Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee approved a bill to extend the state’s film tax credit program from 2025 to 2030. Monroe Senator Jay Morris is not a fan of the tax program, because he says it doesn’t benefit northeast Louisiana…
cut 5 (07) “….issue with it”
But supporters say the program has created hundreds of jobs.

05.12.23
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8:30 LRN Newscast

The state department of transportation says I-10 eastbound at the Atchafalya Basin Bridge has been re-opened after a vehicle fire on the bridge had the bridge shutdown for most of the night. There are reports of a fatality.

An effort by Democratic lawmakers to raise the state’s minimum wage is not done for this session. Teiko Foxx has more…:
Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

The NFL schedule came out last night, the Saints kick-off the regular season at home against Tennessee on September 10th.

A House bill to extend Louisiana’s film & TV tax incentives program is approved by Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs, but not without some changes. The bill originally sought to extend the movie tax credit program to 2035. It was amended to make the end date 2030. Supporting the bill is producer and studio owner Trey Burvant, who says the credits mean productions will come, which means hundreds of millions in revenue changing hands…:
cut 4 (12) “….through schools”
Several lawmakers are skeptical that the film tax credit program produces for the state.

The U-S Preventive Services Task Force is urging women to begin their annual breast cancer screenings at age 40, instead of 50. LSU Health New Orleans Surgical Oncologist Doctor Shawn McKinney….
cut 15 (11) “…at least 40”

05.12.23
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7:30 LRN Newscast

A Denham Springs police officer is fighting for his life after he was shot multiple times during a shootout in the parking lot of a strip mall yesterday afternoon. Corporal Shawn Kelly is in critical condition. The man, who shot the officer, Justin Roberts of Denham Springs, is dead. He was shot by Livingston Parish Sheriff Deputies. Officers encountered Roberts as they investigated a report of a man and woman arguing.

During a press conference on the fourth floor of the state capitol, Governor Edwards conveyed his displeasure with the legislature for not adding exceptions to the state’s abortion ban.
cut 3 (31) “…..I’m Brooke Thorington”

A bill that seeks to set the state’s minimum wage at 10-dollars an hour next year and raise the wage to 14-dollars by 2028 was approved by the Senate Labor committee on a three to two vote. Louisiana Association of Business and Industry’s Lauren Hadden argues a higher minimum wage would hurt businesses financially…
cut 9 (10) “….consumers”
It’s still a long shot that the bill makes it to the governor’s desk. The House Labor committee voted down the House version of this bill.

The U-S Preventive Services Task Force is now recommending women should begin annual mammograms at age 40 instead of 50. LSU Health New Orleans Surgical Oncologist Doctor Shawn McKinney says if your family has a history of breast cancer, you should get screened earlier…
cut 16 (11) “….at 35”
McKinney says if finances are an issue in being screened annually for breast cancer, there are programs available to help pay for services.

05.12.23
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6:45 LRN Sportscast

The Saints 2023 schedule came out last night and it looks very manageable. New Orleans will kick off the regular season at home hosting the Tennessee Titans. None of their games in November, December and January will be impacted by winter weather. The Black and Gold have three primetime games, two of them on Thursday night. Week two they are at Carolina for a Monday night game and they’ll host Jacksonville on a Thursday in Week 7 and the Week 16 matchup with the Rams in L-A is also on a Thursday.

At the high school baseball tournament in Sulphur, In Division One non-select, top seeded West Monroe got past Sam Houston four to three, while second seeded Barbe knocked off third seeded Sulphur five to one.

In Division One select, 13th seeded Rummel upset top seeded Catholic eight to two, Jesuit defeated Pineville six to four. In Division Three select, Menard and St. Charles Catholic advanced to the championship game.

The second-ranked LSU baseball team will host Mississippi State tonight to begin a three-game SEC series. The Bulldogs are going through their second consecutive down season after winning a national championship in 2021. They are 6-18 in SEC play and they were swept in their last two series. But Coach Jay Johnson is not taking them lightly…
Cut 17 (19) “…some power.”
First pitch is at 7:30.

Also, the Cajuns host Texas State, Louisiana Tech hosts Florida Atlantic, Nicholls hosts A-and-M Corpus Christi.

In the Sun Belt softball tournament, the Cajuns eliminated ULM three to one, McNeese beat Southeastern six to two to advance to Saturday’s championship game.

05.12.23
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6:30 LRN Newscast

An effort to raise the state’s minimum wage is still alive at the state capitol as the Senate Labor Committee approved a bill to raise the minimum wage to 10-dollars an hour next year, 12-dollars in 2026 and 14-dollars in 2028. Louisiana AFL-CIO’s Matt Wood spoke on behalf of the bill…
cut 7 (09) “…minimum wage”
Raising the minimum wage in Governor Edwards’ last year in office remains a longshot. A similar bill was defeated in the House Labor Committee.

An effort to add exceptions for rape and incest which would soften the state’s abortion ban is dead for this legislative session. Edwards says victims in those cases shouldn’t be forced to carry a child for both their physical and mental health…
cut 12 (07) “…..exceptions”
During committee debate, Heather Hobbs told lawmakers her daughter was conceived in a rape and says she’s not a child of a rapist, but a child of rape survivor.

A House-approved bill to extend the state’s $150-million annual film tax credit program clears a Senate committee, but with a big change.
Cut 1 (34) “I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

05.11.23
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4:45 LRN Sportscast

The NFL releases the schedule for all 32 teams tonight, some of the games have been leaked. In week two, New Orleans will travel to Carolina to take on Panthers in a Monday night match-up. The following week, the Black and Gold will head to Green Bay to face Jordan Love and the Packers. The Saints will close out the season at home against the Dirty Birds.

New Orleans native Foster Moreau is now a New Orleans Saint after signing a three-year, 12-million dollar contract with his hometown team. Moreau starred at Jesuit High and LSU before spending the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Raiders. Saints analyst Mike Detillier says the Black and Gold are getting a tough player
Cut 16 (13) “…part of the game.”
Moreau is expected to return soon after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in March.

LSU guard and rapper Flau ‘Jae Johnson has removed a song from social media after her lyrics referenced 9-11 and “blowing smoke just like them towers.” LSU released a statement that said it was not Johnson’s intent to offend or upset anyone with her lyrics and she is sorry for any misunderstanding.

The second-ranked LSU baseball team hosts Mississippi State tomorrow to begin the final SEC home series of the season. Paul Skenes will start on the mound. Coach Jay Johnson says Ty Floyd will start Saturday and it’s to be determined who will start on Sunday. The Bulldogs are 6-and-18 in SEC play.

At the state high school baseball tournament, Iowa advanced to the Non-select Division Two state championship game as the Yellow Jackets stung North Desoto five to one. Iowa will play eighth-seeded Lakeshore as the Titans topped fourth-seeded Eunice eight to three.