09:30 LRN Newscast, February 17th

State Police have released body cam footage from the officer involved shooting death of an unarmed man in Shreveport, Alonzo Bagley, and the city cop accused of firing the shot, Alexander Tyler, has been charged with negligent homicide. Alonzo’s brother is happy State Police has been so transparent in releasing everything like the first call:
Cut 13 (09) “no threat there”
Tyler’s attorney says the body cam footage shows Bagley reaching for something before jumping off a balcony and fleeing police.

The state says it will drop lawsuits against thousands of people accused of misspending grants after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. New Orleans Congressman Troy Carter says The Road Home Program was supposed to save the American Dream not squash it…:
Cut 4 (10) “protect that dream”
Thus, the Road Home Program is no more.

People protesting the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling will receive a $1.17 million dollar settlement from East Baton Rouge…:
CUT 2 (30) “I’m Brooke Thorington”

Campaign finance reports released this week show Attorney General Jeff Landry has a huge lead over other gubernatorial candidates in the 2023 race for Louisiana’s top office. The numbers showed Landry with $5.01 million, with the next closest being John Schroder with $2.4 million.

08:30 LRN Newscast, February 17th

The white Shreveport police officer involved in the shooting death of an unarmed Black man has been arrested and charged with negligent homicide:
Cut 3 (35) “I’m Brooke Thorington”

Campaign finance reports released this week in Louisiana’s 2023 Gubernatorial race show Attorney General Jeff Landry has $5.01 million dollars to work with, followed by John Schroder with $2.4 million. Speculation is on that the soon to be retired DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson would run as the only Democrat.

The Road Home Program is no more after the state announced it’s dropping lawsuits against thousands of people accused of misspending grants following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Many who used the money intended for home elevation to instead repair their homes were faced with legal action. Governor John Bel Edwards…:
CUT 6 (07) “collection efforts”
New Orleans Congressman Troy Carter says a ”long bad dream” is over for thousands of south Louisiana homeowners.

The Lafayette area is ready to let the good times roll this weekend as Carnival celebrations officially get underway tonight. Joe Giglio (“GIG-leo”) with the Greater Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association says Saturday the Children’s Parade will roll at 12:30pm…:
CUT 15 (13) “typical Mardi Gras”

07:30 LRN Newscast, February 17th

A Shreveport cop was arrested Thursday in the officer-involved shooting death of an unarmed man who was trying to flee police February 3rd. 23 year old Alexander Tyler is booked with negligent homicide. His attorney says body cam footage shows 43-year-old Alonzo Bagley reaching for something before he jumped from a balcony and ran from officers…:
CUT 10 (10) “his direction”
The Bagley family is suing for $10 million dollars.

Protesters arrested during a demonstration following Alton Sterling’s police shooting death will receive a $1.17 million dollar settlement after the Baton Rouge City Council said their First Amendment rights were violated. Protester Cherri Foytlin:
CUT 9 (12) “an email”

After 17 years, the Road Home program officially comes to an end, and lawsuits dismissed against those accused of misspending grants..:
CUT 1 (33) “I’m Kevin Gallagher”

And Carnival celebrations begin across Acadiana tonight and Joe Giglio (“GIG-leo”) with the Greater Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association says come one, come all…:
CUT 14 (11) “fairs and festival”

06:45 LRN Sportscast, February 17th

The LSU Baseball season opens today against Western Michigan. The Tigers have dominated the preseason polls as the number one-ranked team in the country under second-year Head Coach Jay Johnson. LSU had both the top-ranked recruiting class and transfer class in the nation this off-season along with a strong roster of returning players. Junior first baseman Tre Morgan has been a star for the Tigers since arriving in Baton Rouge and has noticed a shift in the locker room ahead of this season. He says the team isn’t running from the expectations…:
Cut 17 (18) “all the way”
The game will begin at 3pm at Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field.

Saints running back Alvin Kamara has reportedly been indicted by a grand jury stemming from a 2021 Pro Bowl weekend assault in Las Vegas.

The Northwestern State men’s basketball team has now won 9 straight following last night’s 81-76 victory over Southeastern in Southland Conference play. Center Isaac Haney had a career-high 23 points in the game.

The UL-Lafayette men’s basketball team picked up an 84-67 victory over ULM last night. The Ragin Cajuns visit James Madison Saturday, while The Warhawks head to South Alabama.

The Nicholls State men’s basketball team came up short in a close 78-74 loss to Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Louisiana Tech Guard, the leading scorer for the Bulldogs, is reportedly no longer with the team. The official reason is “personal issues.” Tech dropped its third straight Thursday night with a 72-62 loss to North Texas.

McNeese played a close game and came away winners in a 78-76 overtime victory over Incarnate Word.

Angel Reese scored a career high 36 points as No. 5 LSU women’s hoops prevailed over Ole Miss at home, 69-60. The Tigers are now 24-1 overall and 12-1 in the SEC.

06:30 LRN Newscast, February 17th

Fourteen people arrested during the 2016 protest of Alton Sterling’s police shooting death will receive $1.17 million. The East Baton Rouge Metro Council approved the settlement accusing Baton Rouge law enforcement of violating their First Amendment rights and using of excessive force. Protester, Blaire Imani, says this is a big win..:
Cut 7 (08) “is really big”
The settlement still has to be approved by a US District Judge.

The state says it will drop lawsuits against thousands of people accused of misspending grants for elevating their homes after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Governor John Bel Edwards says over 3000 persons were sued over allegedly misspending Road Home elevation grants…:
Cut 5 (12) “these grants anyway”
This means the Road Home Program is officially over.

State Police have released body cam footage from the February 3rd officer involved shooting death of an unarmed man in Shreveport, Alonzo Bagley, and the cop who fired the shot has been charged with negligent homicide. Bagley family attorney Ron Haley says Alonzo was not a threat to anyone, and he only had a bottle with him before he ran from officers…:
Cut 11 (09)  “…happened here.”
The Shreveport Police officer, 23-year-old Alexander Tyler, was arrested Thursday morning.

Saints running back Alvin Kamara has reportedly been indicted by a grand jury stemming from a 2021 Pro Bowl weekend assault in Las Vegas. This means the case will now move to a district court in Sin City, with a date scheduled for March 2nd.

09:30 LRN Newscast, February 9th

Treasurer John Schroder is holding a fundraiser tonight in his bid for governor, and one political analyst says the other GOP candidates have a long way to go to catch up to Jeff Landry’s war chest…:
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Brooke Thorington”

A suspected tornado did significant damage in Tangipahoa after a line of severe storms moved through the state Wednesday. Officials say at least three mobile homes were damaged in the Village of Tangipahoa, and assessment of damages was hindered by several downed trees and debris in the area. The National Weather Service is surveying the damage today.

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy will try again today to secure Louisiana a greater share of offshore oil & gas royalties, with the re-introduction of his 2022 RISE (say “rise”) Act. The bill would mean a roughly 20-percent yearly increase in offshore energy money for Louisiana’s coastal restoration efforts. Cassidy says the bill passed a senate committee last year, but fell to the wayside amid a backlog of legislation…:
Cut 4 (12) “last Congress”
He says conservatives in Congress are concerned with how the bill would be funded, so he and his staff are working to tweak the measure to win their support

Posts are going viral on social media over a sign in Amite that says the town is the home of Governor John Bel Edwards — and governor is misspelled. Some people thought it was funny and others were outraged by the typo. Officials said the Chamber of Commerce in Amite was in charge of the sign, and members are reportedly working with the company to get a new one made soon. The sign is currently covered with a tarp.

08:30 LRN Newscast, February 9th

US Senator Bill Cassidy is poised to re-introduce his RISE Act, which would bring Louisiana increased revenues from offshore oil & gas.
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Kevin Gallagher”

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office Chief Jimmy Travis confirmed the touchdown of a tornado in the Village of Tangipahoa. He said numerous homes were damaged, and trees and powerlines were downed. 3 non-life threatening injuries were reported. The National Weather service says a tornado likely caused the damage and they are out to survey the damage today to get official confirmation.

Could recreational marijuana soon become legal in Louisiana? A New Orleans lawmaker has filed the first in a package of bills for lawmakers to discuss the matter in the April Legislative session. District 99 Democrat Rep. Candace Newell (pronounced “new-ELL”) says other states are seeing revenue windfalls after legalizing recreational cannabis…:
Cut 11 (09) “regulation bill passed”
Louisiana has already legalized medicinal cannabis and has expanded the program to cover a number of ailments, and Newell says this is the next logical step.

This afternoon State Officials will be in Lake Charles to celebrate the $150 million dollar grant to replace the Calcasieu River Bridge. DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson says the US Department of Transportation will announce the approval of $1.5 Billion in private activity bonds that will help lower the cost of the project to the developer…:
Cut 14 (05) “lots of good news”
The funding is part of the Infrastructure Act.

07:30 LRN Newscast, February 9th

State Treasurer John Schroder will officially kick off his campaign for governor tonight in Mandeville. Attorney General Jeff Landry is also running in 2023 and Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the other Republican candidates have some catching up to do in terms of fundraising
CUT 7 (08) “ballpark”
Schroder and other GOP candidates are millions behind Landry due to holding off their campaigns before US Senator John Kennedy decided whether or not he’d run.

Governor Edwards and DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson will be joined by the U.S. Transportation Secretary in Lake Charles this afternoon to celebrate the $150 million grant to help replace the Calcasieu River Bridge. Wilson says the funding is part of the Infrastructure Act….:
Cut 13 (07) “the entire country”

A New Orleans lawmaker files a bill to help legalize recreational marijuana….:
Cut 3 (31) “I’m Kevin Gallagher”

The National Weather Service is surveying damage today in Tangipahoa Parish which was hit by a tornado on Wednesday. Multiple mobile homes were reportedly hit, and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office says a family was able to escape one of the homes without serious injury. Entergy says about 300 residents are without power as nine poles were downed and 20 spans of wire were damaged.

06:45 LRN Sportscast, February 9th

The LSU men’s basketball teams’ struggles showed up again on the road as the Tigers dropped an 11th straight game to Mississippi State 64-53. The Tigers play Texas A&M at home Saturday.

The Ragin Cajuns men’s basketball team is at Southern Miss tonight. The winner will be in first place in the Sun Belt. Both teams are tied for first entering tonight with 10-and-2 league records. U-L Lafayette Coach Bob Marlin expects a hostile crowd in Hattiesburg…:
Cut 16 (14) “N-I-T”
Tip-off is at 7:30.

9 LSU Football Players were invited to the 2023 NFL Combine, the league announced Wednesday. The event takes place February 28th-March 6th.

ULM is home tonight to host Appalachian State. The Warhawks are in fifth place in the Sun Belt with a 7-and-5 record. The Mountaineers are 6-and-6. ULM Coach Keith Richard says they are trying to finish in the top four in the league standings to earn a double bye in the conference tournament in March…:
Cut 18 (16) “on Thursday”
Tip-Off is 6:30pm.

Louisiana Tech, who is in 5th in Conference USA with a 6-and-6 league record, begins a difficult road trip tonight as they visit F-I-U. Bulldogs Coach Talvin Hester says no lead is safe against the Panthers, who also have six league victories…:
Cut 19 (15) “their own”
Tip-Off is 6pm.

06:30 LRN Newscast, February 9th

A New Orleans lawmaker files the first in a package of bills meant to make recreational marijuana use legal in Louisiana. District 99 Democrat Rep. Candace Newell (pronounced “new-ELL”) says her measure applies to state regulation of cultivating cannabis for recreational use…:

      Cut 10 (08)  “in your back yard”’
She says other states are seeing revenue windfalls after legalizing recreational cannabis.
A suspected tornado did significant damage in Tangipahoa after a line of severe storms moved through the state Wednesday. Officials say at least three mobile homes were damaged in the Village of Tangipahoa, and assessment of damages was hindered by several downed trees and debris in the area. The National Weather Service says they will announce strength of the twister after surveying the scene today.
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy will try again today to secure Louisiana a greater share of offshore oil & gas royalties, with the re-introduction of his 2022 RISE (say “rise”) Act. The bill would mean a roughly 20-percent yearly increase in offshore energy money for Louisiana’s coastal restoration efforts. Cassidy says this would lift a limitation on what coastal states can receive from offshore energy – currently at $375-million yearly:
      Cut 5 (06) “if you will”
Cassidy says passing the RISE Act would mean a substantial flow of money into Louisiana.

The driver of an 18-wheeler had to be rescued through its windshield after a crash caused the truck to overturn in Livingston Parish late last night on I-12 East near Walker. The interstate was closed for hours overnight while crews worked to remove thousands of pounds of cargo to get the truck upright and off the road. The driver was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.