07:30 LRN Newscast, July 19th

The Republican controlled Louisiana Legislature overrides the governor’s veto of a ban on doctors from performing medical procedures on children designed to change their biological sex. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
Cut 3 (43) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A woman in Baton Rouge accused of killing her boyfriend and dumping him at a city park is now a suspect in the 2021 murder of her ex-boyfriend. BRPD Sgt. L’Jean McKneely says 42-year-old Janice Frazier confessed to killing 34-year-old Christopher Holden last week, then admitted to murdering Emanie Anderson 2 years ago….:
Cut 7 (04) “degree murder”
McKneely cites domestic violence as motive.

U.S. Attorney Brandon Brown says 24 people closely associated with a Shreveport street gang are facing charges related to a CARES Act fraud scheme. Brown says the defendants took advantage of small business pandemic relief loans to fund criminal activity…:
Cut 4 (12) “vulnerable state”
All 24 defendants face counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and varying charges or wire fraud.

 

06:30 LRN Newscast, July 19th

Louisiana lawmakers have succeeded in overriding the governor’s veto of a bill that bans doctors from performing a medical procedure that attempts to alter the biological sex of a minor. Pollock Representative Gabe Firment has called the bill the “Stop Harming Our Kids Act”:
Cut 13 (13) “gender dysphoria”
Governor John Bel Edwards issued a statement saying this is just the 2nd time he’s had a veto overridden and the first time the courts threw out the law, and he expects the same thing will happen with this bill.

The Office of State Parks has kicked off a new pilot recycling program. Bins will be placed at various parks to collect cans and plastic bottles. Pontchartrain Conservancy Executive Director Kristi Trail:
Cut 10 (09) “better use”

After arresting 42-year-old Janice Frazier in the shooting death of her boyfriend, Baton Rouge Police tell Teiko Foxx the suspect is connected to another unsolved murder of the woman’s ex…:
Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Teiko Foxx”

The Powerball drawing tonight is worth an estimated $1 Billion Dollars which is the third largest jackpot in history.

5:30 LRN Newscast

Louisiana lawmakers have succeeded in overriding the governor’s veto of a bill that bans doctors from performing a medical procedures that attempt to alter the biological sex of a minor. Pollock Representative Gabe Firment has called the bill the “Stop Harming Our Kids Act”….
cut 13 (13) “…gender dysphoria”
New Orleans Representative Jason Hughes agreed with the governor’s veto message that the legislation is unconstitutional….
cut 14 (12) “….normal children”
A federal judge last month struck down the Arkansas version of the trans youth health care ban. Firment’s bill is set to go into effect in January.

New campaign finance reports shows Republican Jeff Landry has nine-million dollars available in his gubernatorial campaign warchest, while the lone major Democrat in the race, Shawn Wilson has just 594-thousand dollars. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says Wilson will have to pick up the pace…
cut 12 (04) “….statewide office”

U.S. Attorney Brandon Brown says 24 people closely associated with a Shreveport street gang are facing charges related to a CARES Act fraud scheme. Brown says the defendants defrauded the federal government of thousands of dollars by taking advantage of small business pandemic relief loans to fund criminal activity…
Cut 4 (12) “…vulnerable state.”
Brown says the defendants manufactured a variety of artificial businesses in order to fraudulently receive pandemic relief dollars.

4:30 LRN Newscast

The Louisiana Legislature has voted to override the governor’s veto of a bill that bans doctors from performing medical procedures that can alter a child’s sex. The House overrode the veto by five votes, on a 75-23 vote. The bill’s author, Pollock Representative Gabe Firment says 20 other states, including many in the South, have passed similar legislation…
cut 15 (12) “…medical experiments”
On a 28-11 vote, two more yes votes than needed, the Senate also voted to overturn the veto. St. Martinville Senator Fred Mills voted no as he believes the Legislature should not get involved in the relationship between a patient and a child…
cut 16 (11) “…any of that”
Expect legal action to block the law from going into effect.

New campaign finance numbers show Republican Jeff Landry has a huge advantage in available dollars over his opponents. Landry reported raising 4.5 million dollars from April 8th to July 7th and has nine-point-two million dollars on hand. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says that’s a lot of cash
Cut 10 (08) “… in the race”
Republicans John Schroder and Stephen Waguespack have about two million dollars in cash on hand and so does independent Hunter Lundy.

Grant Parish Deputies have seized over 71 pounds of marijuana in the largest drug bust in parish history. Sheriff Steven McCain says the large quantity of pot had a street value of 586-thousand dollars…
Cut 3 (07) “….our community.”
After a month-long investigation, 57-year-olds Charles Dupry and David Hollis of Pollock were arrested in connection with the sting operation.

3:30 LRN Newscast

The Louisiana House has voted to override the governor’s veto on a bill that would prohibit doctors from performing sex altering medical procedures on transgender minors. Marksville Republican Daryl Deshotel cut his family vacation in France short so he can vote “Yes” to override..
Cut 6 (12) “…for it.”
The vote was 75-23 in favor of overturning the veto. It needed 70 votes.

The Senate has yet to vote to override the governor’s veto on a ban on transgender health care for youth.

The author of a vetoed bill that would phase out the corporate franchise tax decides not to seek an override vote. Franklin Senator Bret Allain says it’s Louisiana’s worst tax, because it hinders economic development
Cut 8 (08) “…the veto”
In his veto letter, Edwards agreed the corporate franchise tax is antiquated, but the fiscal impact is not known.

Two people have been arrested in what authorities are calling the largest marijuana drug bust in Grant Parish history. 71-pounds of marijuana were seized with a street value of 586-thousand dollars. Sheriff Steve McCain says this is high-grade pot…
cut 4 (09) “…40-percernt”
The two men arrested have been identified as Charles Dupry and Davis Hollis. Both are 57-years-old and from Pollock.

Another hot day in Louisiana and the near record heat is expected to continue for the rest of the week. LRN meteorologist John Weatherbee says if you plan to spend several hours outside, drink plenty of water…
cut 14 (11) “…elderly too”
Radar indicates no afternoon cooling showers today.

2:30 LRN Newscast July 18

The Louisiana House has voted to override the governor’s veto on a bill that would prohibit doctors from performing sex altering medical procedures on minors. The vote was 75-23 in favor of overturning the veto. Marksville Representative Daryl Deshotel cut short his family vacation to France to be at the capitol to vote in support of the bill and others that were vetoed…
cut 7 (11) “…those vetoes”
The Louisiana Senate still has to vote on overriding House Bill 648.

The Louisiana Senate will not vote to override a proposal to phase out the corporate franchise tax. Franklin Senator Bret Allain says he didn’t have the 26 votes needed, but hopes the next Legislature looks to get rid of this tax that hinders economic development…
cut 9 (12) “…..that opportunity”

Published campaign finance reports shows Republican Jeff Landry with a huge lead over his opponents in campaign dollars as Landry seeks to replace Governor John Bel Edwards. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 1 (27) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

Two men from Pollock have been arrested in what authorites say is the largest marijuana drug bust in the history of Grant Parish. Sheriff Steven McCain says 71 pounds of marijuana was seized and 57-year-olds David Hollis and Charles Dupry are in custody…
cut 5 (10) “…the information”

1:30 LRN Newscast

The veto session is underway and the author of a vetoed bill that would phase out the corporate franchise tax decides not to seek an override vote. Franklin Senator Bret Allain says it’s the worst tax Louisiana has on its books, because it hinders economic development….
cut 8 (08) “…the veto”
Allain needed 26 votes in the 39-member Senate. We are still waiting for a override veto vote in the House on a bill that bans medical procedures on transgender minors.

New campaign finance reports shows Republican Jeff Landry has nine-million dollars available in his gubernatorial campaign, while the lone major Democrat in the race, Shawn Wilson has just 594-thousand dollars. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says Wilson will have to pick up the pace…
cut 12 (04) “….statewide office”

From film study to Moneyball, sports analysis is always changing, and LSU Coach Brian Kelly says AI could be the next step in LSU’s recruiting process.
Cut 2 (33) “….I’m Kace Kieschnick”

Two people have been arrested in what authorities are calling the largest marijuana drug bust in Grant Parish history. 71-pounds of marijuana were seized with a street value of 586-thousand dollars. Sheriff Steve McCain says this is high-grade pot…
cut 4 (09) “…40-percernt”

12:30 LRN Newscast

New Campaign finance reports are out and Jeff Landry has seen a fundraising explosion over his opponents with nine point two million dollars on hand. Republicans John Schroder and Stephen Waguespack have about two million dollars in cash on hand and so does independent Hunter Lundy.  ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross calls that a respectable total…

Cut 11 (07)  “…mean more”

Landry pulled in 4.5 million dollars during the April 8th to July 7th fundraising period.

A heat advisory is in effect again today and we can expect near-record heat for the rest of the week. Heat indices will reach between 105 to 112-degrees. LRN meteorologist John Wetherbee says heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and dehydration are concerns for those who spend a lot of time outdoors…

Cut 13 (13) “…nine minutes.”

Wetherbee says if you plan to spend several hours outside, drink plenty of water.

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor releases a new report that finds staffing shortages present challenges for administering state parks. Director of State Parks Brandon Burris says despite the audit’s findings, visitation numbers are high.

Cut 8 (11) “…we are.’”

While the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an increase in visitation, recent hurricanes have damaged or forced some parks to close.

LSU won an SEC West title in Coach Brian Kelly’s first season at the helm and the Tigers plan on building on that success this season. Jayden Daniels is back as the starting QB and Daniels believes they can have one of the top offenses in the country…

11:30 LRN Newscast

The override veto session to overturn vetoes handed down by Governor John Bel Edwards gets underway at noon in Baton Rouge. Marksville Republican Daryl Deshotel cut his family vacation in France short so he can override some vetoes…

Cut 6 (12)  “…for it.”                          

Are there 70 votes in the House and 26 votes in the Senate to override a governor’s veto? Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says  Edwards still wields a lot of power even though he is a lame-duck governor….

Cut 12 (12)    “…put together” 

A bill that would ban doctors from performing medical procedures to alter the sex of a child has been the driving force of the override veto session.

Grant Parish Deputies have seized over 71 pounds of marijuana worth over half a million dollars in the largest drug bust in parish history. Sheriff Steven McCain says the large quantity of pot had a street value of 586-thousand dollars…

Cut 3 (12) “….our community.” 

After a month-long investigation, 57-year-old David Hollis faces one count of possession with intent to distribute, four counts of illegal carrying of weapons, and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. Charles Dupry is charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

New campaign finance numbers show Republican Jeff Landry has a huge advantage in available dollars over his opponents. Landry reported raising 4.5 million dollars from April 8th to July 7th and has nine-point-two million dollars on hand. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says that’s a lot of cash

Cut 10 (08)  “… in the race”

Republicans John Schroder and Stephen Waguespack have about two million dollars in cash on hand and so does independent Hunter Lundy.

10:30 LRN Newscast

Louisiana lawmakers will come together for an override veto session at noon today. Jeff Palermo has a preview…

Cut 2 (30)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

Once again there was no big winner in Monday night’s Powerball drawing, so the jackpot now soars to an estimated $1 billion dollars. It’s the seventh-biggest Powerball jackpot in US lottery history and the third-largest Powerball.  The next drawing will be held Wednesday night.

Cleco offers an income-based energy efficiency program for residential customers interested in cutting their monthly energy use and saving money. Spokesperson Marianne Addy says customers can take advantage of a number of services and products at no out-of-pocket cost.

Cut 5 (12)   “…the program.”

Homeowners and renters who may not meet federal income guidelines are also encouraged to apply.

A state audit reveals a worker shortage has triggered challenges in administering state parks and OSP says $42 million is needed for improvements. Director of State Parks Brandon Burris says they are considering all options before a final decision is made on whether a fee hike is needed.

Cut 9 (12)  “…comes through.”

According to OSP, $42 million is needed for improvements to keep parks and historic sites operating at expected service levels.