7:30 LRN Newscast

Today marks the five-year anniversary of when Governor Edward’s Criminal Justice Reform and Justice Reinvestment legislation went into effect. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Governor Edwards will spend today in Monroe. The governor will be on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Biomedical Research and Innovation Park at ULM. Edwards will also speak at a Monroe Chamber of Commerce event at noon and then head over to the Cooley House to celebrate its selection as the National Park Service Save America’s Treasures grant recipient.

Today is the final day of early voting for the November 8th election and according to John Couvillon of JMC Analytics, the percentage of early voters who are black is 24-percent, which is a sign Black voters and registered Democrats are not energized for this election…
cut 5 (07) “…Georgia and North Carolina”
Couvillon says when the black early vote slips below 25 percent, Republicans generally win substantially.

The LHSAA will allow Bogalusa High School to host a football game this Friday after originally saying it would have to be moved because of a fatal shooting outside of the stadium during their October 14th homecoming game. Bogalusa Mayor Wendy Perrette says they’ve assured all the schools in their district of a security plan that would prevent gun violence.
Cut 13 (11) “…as well.”
Bogalusa will host Albany this Friday in the regular season finale.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

The NFL trade deadline is at 3 PM today and there’s speculation the Saints could trade running back Alvin Kamara. Kamara is not sweating it…
cut 20 (17) “>…your thing”
The 3-and-5 Saints host the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night. Yesterday, Baltimore sent two draft picks and former Saints linebacker A-J Klein to Chicago for linebacker Roquan Smith, who leads the N-F-L in tackles.

Rough night for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals last night. Playing without injured receiver Ja’Marr Chase, the Browns beat the Bengals 32-13. Burrow was sacked five times and turned it over twice.

The Pelicans are off tonight, they’ll visit the 1-and-5 Lakers tomorrow.

15th ranked LSU is a 12.5 point underdog heading into Saturday’s game against 6th ranked Alabama. The Tigers have had a habit of starting game slowly this season, falling behind by a couple of touchdowns and then coming back. LSU would like to avoid that scenario on Saturday night. Coach Brian Kelly says over the last couple of weeks at practice, they’ve started physical contact drills earlier….
cut 17 (25) “……sharp mentally”
The SEC has announced that LSU’s game at Arkansas on November 12th will kick-off at 11 AM in Fayetteville. And Auburn has fired head coach Bryan Harsin. The 45 year-old was 9-12 and in his second year, Auburn has a record of 3-and-5.

6:30 LRN Newscast

Data from the first five days of Louisiana Early Voting indicates black voters are “sitting this one out.” Kevin Gallagher has more…:
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins posted a joke on Twitter about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband and then removed it. Authorities say Paul Pelosi suffered a skull fracture during an attack inside his San Francisco home last week. Higgins Tweet was a joke about the Assailant being a “nude hippie LSD guy”; suggesting he was not an intruder. New Orleans Congressman Troy Carter says Higgins should apologize.

Five years ago today much of Governor John Bel Edwards’ Criminal Justice Reform and Justice Reinvestment legislation went into effect. House Criminal Justice Chairman, Representative Joe Marino says, while it’s hard to tell how much the state has benefitted from the reforms, due to the pandemic, he believes it’s made a positive impact.
Cut 10 (11) “…the state.”
Of the $152 million savings, Marino says $45 million went to the general fund, $18 million to juvenile justice, almost $18 million to the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, $26 million to reentry programs, and almost $44 million back to the Department of Corrections.

The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s office has charged an Arnaudville man with negligent injury after deputies say he accidentally shot his neighbor while trying to shoot a dog. Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says 42-year-old Joshua Boudreaux shot at his neighbor’s dog after the dog came onto his property.
Cut 7 (08) “…his property.”
The neighbor was shot in the leg and is expected to recover. Boudreaux is running for a seat on the St. Landry Parish School Board.

4:45 LRN Sportscast

LSU coach Brian Kelly finds out what the LSU-Alabama rivalry is all about this Saturday when the 15th ranked Tigers host the sixth ranked Crimson Tide. Kelly has squared off against Nick Saban on two previous occasions and both times Bama beat Kelly while he was at Notre Dame. Kelly is looking forward to his first matchup with Saban as SEC rivals…
cut 16 (25) what we are doing”

Today is Saban’s birthday. He turns 72. Bryan Harsin’s birthday is tomorrow and today he was fired as the head coach at Auburn. Auburn is also getting a new athletics director. It’s John Cohen who leaves as A-D at Mississippi State.

The Saints did a lot of things well in a 24-0 win over the Raiders yesterday. The defense did not allow Las Vegas to cross the 50-yard line until there were two minutes left in the game. Running back Alvin Kamara scored three touchdowns and it was another solid outing for quarterback Andy Dalton, who was recently named the starter going forward. Dalton was 22 of 30 for 229 yards and two TDs. Head Coach Dennis Allen says after a slow start to the season, the offense has hit midseason form…
cut 17 (14) “….off the field”
Up next for the Saints, a Monday night matchup against the Ravens in the Superdome. Baltimore made a big trade today as they acquired Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith, giving up a second and fifth round pick. Tomorrow is the NFL trade deadline and there are trade rumors involving Kamara.

LRN PM Newscall

Experts says the record low Mississippi River levels are hurting the nation’s economy, from the upper Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico. Marsanne Golsby has more.

Cut 1 (31)  “…I’m Marsanne Golsby”

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The Powerball Jackpot reaches one-billion dollars. Brooke Thorington has more on this historic jackpot.

Cut 2 (31)  “…Brooke Thorington”

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Experts say the record low Mississippi River levels, which have revealed some interesting finds, are taking a big toll on the economy. Clint Wilson is the director of the LSU Center for River Studies. He says the impact is being felt from Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. For one thing, he says barges can’t carry full loads.

Cut 3 (09) “..to it” 

Wilson says this is having a tremendous impact on the nation’s agricultural community since more than 60 percent of US agricultural exports come down the river on barges. The river south of Baton Rouge is much deeper, but the lower barge traffic is hurting the businesses that service the ports.

Cut 4 (08) “…being impacted.” 

But even where the river is deeper, he says salt water intrusion from the Gulf of Mexico threatens New Orleans’ drinking water.

Wilson says there’s not much humans can do. He says the forecast is for a drier than usual winter.

Cut 5 (05) “..snow events.” 

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Tonight’s Powerball Jackpot has reached one billion dollars, that’s a billion with a B, and Louisiana Lottery Spokesperson Dustin Annison says it has a cash value of $497-point-three million.

Cut 6 (09)  “…jackpot ever.”

And if it rolls over again, will it be the largest Powerball Jackpot in the game’s history? Annison says it still has a way to go.

Cut 7 (06) “…in 2016″

And since the Powerball Jackpot hit $ 700 million Annison says there’s definitely been an uptick in ticket sales.

Cut 8 (12)  “…one-billion-dollar-jackpot.”

You have until 9 PM to purchase your Powerball ticket for tonights drawing at 9:59 PM.

Annison says it only takes one to win and to sign the back of your ticket after you’ve purchased it.

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Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins posted a joke on Twitter about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband and then removed it last night. Authorities say Paul Pelosi suffered a skull fracture inside his San Francisco home when he was attacked by an intruder last week. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says Higgins has a history of controversial statements…

Cut 9 (09)  “…like this one.”

The tweet was a picture of Nancy Pelosi holding her hands to her face and over the picture Higgins wrote, “The moment you realize a nudist hippie male prostitute LSD guy was the reason your husband didn’t make it to your fundraiser.”

Cross says one of Higgins’ staffers likely deleted the post…

Cut 10 (09) “…the moment”

Higgins is facing a serious challenger from his own party on the November 8th ballot, Republican Holden Hoggatt.  Cross says Higgins is still a strong favorite to win re-election…

Cut 11 (09)  “..Congressional seat.”

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Apple has updated its latest operating system to 16.1 and Haggai Davis, Customer Success Manager at General Informatics says they never recommend someone go to a full upgrade for example from 15 to version 16, he advises waiting for the first update of a new version before you download it.

Cut 12 (06) “….worked out.” 

Davis says it’s always best to download after the newest version has been updated for added security.

So, what you can expect from version 16.1? Davis says you’ll see changes to your lock screen on your iPhone.

Cut 13 (12) “…to you now.” 

Before there were complaints of batteries draining much faster after an IOS update but Haggai says Apple has worked on version 16 so there’s better usage of battery life.

Cut 14 (11)  “…a lot of improvements.” 

Another feature with the update is the ability to use the Health application on your phone even if you don’t have an iWatch.  Davis is also the host of the podcast and radio program Tech Gumbo.

1:30 LRN Newscast

Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins posted a joke on Twitter in response to the news that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was attacked with a hammer by an intruder that broke into their San Francisco home. The tweet read, “The moment you realize a nudist hippie male prostitute LSD guy was the reason your husband didn’t make it to your fundraiser.” The post was deleted last night. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says a staffer for Higgins likely took it down…
cut 10 (09) “….the moment”

Louisiana’s agriculture industry is not laughing about the low Mississippi River levels. Clint Wilson, director of the LSU Center for River Studies, says lower water levels means barges transport fewer goods and businesses that service ports are also hurting…
cut 4 (10) “…being impacted”

The Powerball Jackpot reaches one-billion dollars. Brooke Thorington has more on this historic jackpot.
Cut 2 (31) “…Brooke Thorington”

Apple has updated its latest operating system to 16.1 and Haggai Davis, Customer Success Manager at General Informatics says they never recommend someone go to a full upgrade for example 15 to version 16, he advises waiting for the first update of a new version before you download it.
Cut 12 (06) “….worked out.”

11:30 LRN Newscast

It’s been five years since a package of state criminal justice reform laws went into effect. The legislation lowered the state’s prison population, which allowed the state to re-invest that money elsewhere. The governor’s communications director Lauren Leist says today the governor will visit an organization in Lafayette that helps domestic violence victims and he has more events planned later this week…
Cut 11 (09) “…re-investment”

Experts say the record low Mississippi River levels are taking a big toll on the economy. Clint Wilson is the director of the LSU Center for River Studies says the impact is being felt from Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico as barges can’t carry full loads.
Cut 3 (09) “..to it”
Accuweather estimates the economic loss at around 20-billion dollars.

It’s Halloween and Louisiana State Police have some tips on how to make it a safe one for trick-or-treaters. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Tonight’s Powerball Jackpot has reached one billion dollars, that’s a billion with a B, and Louisiana Lottery Spokesperson Dustin Annison says it has a cash value of $497-million dollars
Cut 6 (09) “…jackpot ever.”
Tonight’s drawing is just before 10 PM.

11:40 LRN Sportscast

The Saints finally put it all together on Sunday and it resulted in a 24-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara had three touchdowns, two receiving and one rushing after urging his teammates to play with more swagger after losing to Arizona in their last game….
Cut 16 (15) “…get that.”
It’s the first time the Saints have shutout an opponent at home since 2012. Up next, another home game on Monday night against the 5-and-3 Baltimore Ravens.

After missing the last two games because of a bruised back and hip from a hard fall, Zion Williamson scored 21 points, had 12 rebounds and seven assists as the Pelicans defeated the Clippers 112 to 91. C-J McCollum had 22 points and was 4-of-8 from three-point range. New Orleans stays in L-A to take on the Lakers on Wednesday night.

Now that it’s Monday, the hype can really start for this Saturday’s LSU-Alabama game. The winner will be in the driver’s seat when it comes to winning the SEC West. Former LSU Tiger and ESPN football analyst Marcus Spears says LSU’s offense is peaking at the right time with Jayden Daniels at quarterback…
Cut 19 (14) “…have a chance”
And it will be a Top-15 matchup inside Tiger Stadium as LSU is ranked 15th in the A-P poll, while Alabama is sixth.

Tulane is up to 19 in the A-P Poll and will visit three-and-five Tulsa on Saturday. The Green Wave are in first place in the American Athletic Conference with a 4-0 record.

Coming up this Saturday, the Ragin Cajuns will host Sun Belt West Division leader Troy at 4 PM. Northwestern is 3-0 in the Southland and they’ll visit Texas A-and-M Commerce, who just suffered its first league loss to UIW.

9:30 LRN Newscast

Governor John Bel Edwards will hold a series of events this week to mark the five-year anniversary of bipartisan criminal justice reforms becoming law. The governor’s communications director Lauren Leist says the state’s recidivism rate has fallen 26-percent in the last five years.
Cut 10 (09) “…in prison”
The landmark legislation reduced the state’s prison population and over 100-million dollars was reinvested into crime prevention and anti-recidivism programs.

There have been several lawsuits against President Biden’s student loan debt cancellation program and now there’s one based out of Louisiana. The Biden Administration cites the 2003 HEROES Act as its authority to cancel student loan debt, but Attorney James Baehr at the Pelican Institute says the HEROES Act is designed to help members of the military…
cut 8 (05) “….public debt”
A federal appeals court has issued a temporary stay, preventing the Biden administration from eliminating any debt.

Today and tomorrow are the final days to early vote before the November eighth election. Constitutional amendment eight would remove the requirement for property owners with disabilities to annually certify their income in order to receive a property tax rate freeze. Public Affairs Research Council President Steve Procopio on why someone would vote no…
cut 14 (09) “….to provide services”
Procopio says PAR does not recommend how one should vote, but offers information for voters to make a decision at par-louisiana-dot-org.

Today is Halloween and trick or treaters will have perfect weather to go door-to-door filling up their bags with candy tonight. State Police Trooper Javier Leija says if your children do not have bright colored costumes, make sure they wear a glo-stick and put their name and address in their costume in case they get separated…
cut 5 (07) “….the house”

8:30 LRN Newscast

Several lawsuits have been filed trying to stop the Biden Administration from going through with its plan to cancel federal student loan debt. Nearly 22-million borrowers applied for loan forgiveness in the week since the application opened. One of the lawsuits against the program is based in Louisiana. Pelican Institute’s special counsel James Baehr says such a program should have received Congressional approval…
cut 9 (07) “….follow the rules”

It’s been five years since a package of state criminal justice reform laws went into effect. The legislation lowered the state’s prison population, which allowed the state to re-invest that money elsewhere. The governor’s communications director Lauren Leist says today the governor will visit an organization in Lafayette that helps domestic violence victims and he has more events planned later this week…
Cut 11 (09) “…re-investment”

Early Voting for the November 8th election ends tomorrow, and we offer a closer look at Constitutional Amendment eight on the ballot. Kevin Gallagher has more…
Cut 3 (28) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

It’s LSU-Alabama week and the Tigers are 13 point underdogs. Former LSU Tiger and ESPN analyst Marcus Spears believes the Bayou Bengals can keep it close because of their quarterback play…
cut 19 (14) “…have a chance”
Kick-off on Saturday is at 6 PM.