9:30 LRN Newscast October 29

Hurricane Zeta delivered a massive punch to southeast Louisiana. According to the Public Service Commission, 531-thousand customers are without power as there are hundreds of utility poles down and widespread wind damage. St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis says winds of 100-miles per hour were clocked at their emergency operations center…
cut 8 (11) “….power lines” (2x)
Earlier this week the expectation was for Zeta to be a weak Category One hurricane when it made landfall in southeast Louisiana, instead, it nearly grew to a Cat 3 storm. State Climatologist Barry Keim says there was good reason to believe Zeta would be a tame system…
cut 11 (09) “…back down”
Zeta is responsible for one death in Louisiana. A New Orleans man died after touching a downed power line.

Nearly one million early votes have been cast in Louisiana for Tuesday’s Presidential Election. JMC Analytics pollster John Couvillon says between early voting and mail-in ballots 964,000 votes have been cast, shattering the 2016 record of 531,000…
Cut 4 (09) “mail”

An LSU-Health Sciences Center study shows more women in the state are receiving breast cancer diagnoses sooner due to Medicaid expansion. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

8:30 LRN Newscast October 29

Hurricane Zeta roared ashore near Cocodrie, Louisiana yesterday afternoon packing maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour. Zeta was moving so fast it was able to maintain much of its strength as it crossed southeast Louisiana, leaving hundreds of thousands without power, uprooting trees, damaging property, and killing at least one person.

Early voting has wrapped up in Louisiana and nearly a million votes have been cast ahead of Tuesday’s election. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “ I’m Matt Doyle”

A forthcoming LSU Health Sciences Center study finds that the Medicaid expansion in 2016 resulted in many more women getting breast cancer screening which led to a 27-percent increase in the early-stage diagnosis of breast cancer. Lead author, Doctor Quyen Chu says Medicaid expansion also lowered the uninsured rate for the state below the national average of eight percent…
cut 8 (11) “…is 17.7 percent”

Getting back to Hurricane Zeta, many are surprised by how fast it was able to strengthen, climbing from a tropical storm to nearly a Category Three hurricane when it made landfall. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the truth is forecasters are not very good at predicting how powerful a system will become…
cut 10 (07) “…years”

7:30 LRN Newscast October 29

Hurricane Zeta steamrolled through southeast Louisiana yesterday destroying property and uprooting trees. Zeta is responsible for at least one death in Louisiana. A person was electrocuted in New Orleans’ Gert Town neighborhood. The Orleans Parish coroner says a 55-year-old male died as a result of electrocution from downed power lines.

48 hours ago forecasts projected Zeta would be at a category one, but when it made landfall near Cocodrie yesterday afternoon it was nearly a Cat 3. Matt Doyle on what happened…
Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Hundreds of thousands are without power. Entergy is reporting more than 400-thousand outages and spokesperson Brandon Scardigli warns there could be prolonged outages…
cut 13 (11) “….range”
Scardigli says they have 45-hundred workers trying to restore power.

An LSU Health Sciences Center study finds more women in Louisiana are receiving breast cancer diagnoses sooner and better access to care and treatment since Medicaid was expanded in Louisiana in 2016…
cut 9 (08) “…impact lives”
That’s the lead author of the report, Quyen Chu, who says because of Medicaid expansion, 91-thousand women in Louisiana received breast cancer screenings, many for the first time. Eleven-hundred were diagnosed with breast cancer.

6:30 LRN Newscast October 29

Hurricane Zeta didn’t last long in southeast Louisiana after making landfall in Terrebonne Parish yesterday afternoon, but the Category Two storm still produced a lot of damage. Zeta ripped off roofs, toppled trees, and knocked down power lines. Entergy says 426-thousand of its customers are without power and spokesperson Brandon Scardigli says with a Category Two storm, it could take up to ten days before power is fully restored…
cut 14 (10) “…two”
Zeta just kept getting stronger as it approached Louisiana’s coast yesterday and nearly made landfall as a Category Three storm. Early projections had Zeta making landfall as either a Cat one or a tropical storm. State Climatologist Barry Keim says forecasters were at least right on a projected landfall…
cut 12 (07) “….at that”

An LSU-Health Sciences Center study shows more women in the state are receiving breast cancer diagnoses sooner due to Medicaid expansion. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

Make sure you leave the house today with a jacket as it will be a chilly and breezy day.

LRN AM Newscall Oct 29

Early voting has wrapped up in Louisiana and nearly a million votes have been cast ahead of the November 3rd election. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (30) “   I’m Matt Doyle”

________________________________

An LSU-Health Sciences Center study shows more women in the state are receiving breast cancer diagnoses sooner due to Medicaid expansion. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington” 

__________________________________________

48 hours ago forecasts projected Zeta would be at a category one when it made landfall. It made landfall near Cocodrie yesterday as a near cat 3. Matt Doyle asks a climatologist what happened…

Cut 3 (29)  “…I’m Matt Doyle”  

_______________________________

Nearly one million early votes have been cast in Louisiana for the November 3rd Presidential Election.

JMC Analytics pollster John Couvillon says between early voting and mail-in ballots 964,000 votes have been cast, shattering 2016’s record of 531,000. He says there’s a number of reasons why…

Cut 4 (09) “mail”

146,000 of those early votes were by mail. Couvillon anticipates about another 40,000 mail-in ballots have yet to be counted which would put us above a million total early votes cast.

Couvillon says the early vote was marginally more Democratic than in past years, showing an increase in Democratic enthusiasm relative to Republicans, but not substantially so.

Cut 5 (12) “…parish”

Early voting ended on Tuesday.

Couvillon estimates that we could see 73 percent total participation for the November 3rd election. He disagrees with analysts who say early voting isn’t indicative of total participation.

Cut 6 (07) “turnout”

That would put early votes at 45 percent of the total vote.

_____________________________

An LSU-Health Sciences Center Study shows more women in Louisiana are receiving breast cancer diagnoses and treatment because of Medicaid expansion. Lead Author Dr. Quyen (Quinn) Chu says they compared breast cancer rates before and after ACA expansion in 2016 and it’s led to a 27-percent increase in early-stage diagnosis.

Cut 7 (12) “stage three”

Chu says the data is additional evidence that Medicaid expansion works. Chu says the national average of uninsured is 8.9-percent, after ACA expansion in Louisiana the uninsured rate for the state is below the national average at 8-percent.

Cut 8 (11) “…is 17.7 percent.”

The study compared breast cancer data among women in Louisiana from 2012 to 2018. It showed after Medicaid expansion in 2016 more than 91-thousand women received breast cancer screenings for the first time and more than a thousand were diagnosed with breast cancer as a result.

Cut 9 (08) “impact lives”

Chu says they plan to compare data of other common medical conditions before and after Medicaid expansion.

________________________

Zeta’s rapid and unexpected strengthening caught a lot of people off guard, going from an expected weak category one at landfall on Tuesday forecasts to a near cat three by landfall Wednesday.

State Climatologist Barry Keim says the truth is forecasters just aren’t very good at predicting how powerful a system will become.

Cut 10 (07) “…years”

Keim says there was good reason to believe Zeta was going to remain a relatively tame system.

Cut 11 (09) “back down”

Keim says despite missing the call on how strong Zeta would be forecasters did nail the fact that it would make landfall in southeast Louisiana as far back as this weekend when it was in the Caribbean.

Cut 12 (07) “at that”.

___________________

500-thousand are without power* in Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Zeta which made landfall just after 4 PM yesterday near Cocodrie.

Entergy spokesperson Brandon Scardigli warns there could be some prolonged outages.

Cut 13 (11) “range”

Scardigli says they have 4,500 workers springing into action to bring the lights back on and hopefully those worst-case projections won’t be true for most.

Cut 14 (10) “…two”

Scardgili says the immediate post-storm period can be dangerous and if you see any compromised electrical equipment keep your distance.

Cut 15 (12) “.process”

_______________________

After ending UAB’s 21-game home winning streak last Friday, U-L Lafayette is back on the road this Saturday for a matchup with Texas State. The Cajuns are 4-and-1 on the season, but Coach Billy Napier says there is still room for improvement…

cut 16 (23) “ next opportunity”

Texas State comes into the game with a 1-and-6 record and their only win came against ULM. They play two quarterbacks, Tyler Vitt and Brady McBride. Napier says McBride started his college career at Memphis

cut 17 (25)   as well”

_____________________________________________________

Now that Hurricane Zeta is out of here, the Saints will continue preparations today for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. The Bears 5-and-2 and they’ve defended the pass well this season. Coach Sean Payton says Chicago has an excellent secondary…

cut 18 (16) ” and they are smart” 

No precipitation is in the forecast for Sunday, but it’s expected to be very windy inside Soldier Field on Sunday.

______________________________________________

LSU will play the Auburn Tigers on the road Saturday and freshman T.J. Finley may lead the offense again.  Coach Ed Orgeron says Myles Brennan’s injury continues to keep him on the sidelines.

cut 19 (10) “our second”

Finley seems to have earned the trust of the team after his stellar performance against South Carolina, and Orgeron says what stood out the most was the poise that the young quarterback showed.

cut 20 (09) “impressed with”

 

9:30 PM LRN Newscast Oct 28

New Orleans EMS reports the first fatality of Hurricane Zeta after a person was electrocuted. There are also reports of levees being breeched on Grand Isle and in St Bernard Parish the Chalmette Ferry broke loose from its mooring and is lodged under a dock. In Lafourche parish reportedly five buildings collapsed in the southern part of the parish. Terrebonne Parish officials say they have received several calls of downed power lines and utility poles. Approximately 500 thousand are without power in southeast Louisiana. Zeta has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds at 85 mph.

Governor John Bel Edwards says unfortunately it will be a rough evening for southeastern Louisiana…

Cut 15 (12) “weather aware” 

Louisiana is the first state to have five named storms make landfall in one season.

The family of a mentally ill Shreveport man who died after an incident with police is seeking a 25-million-dollar settlement from the city.

Cut 1 (29) “I’m Matt Doyle”  

The head of State Police is retiring while the L-S-P is the subject of a federal civil rights investigation looking into the death of a Black man while in State Police custody last year. Colonel Kevin Reeves’ retirement is effective Friday. Governor John Bel Edwards praised Reeves’ tenure…

Cut 6 (06) “…going forward”

8:30 PM LRN Newscast Oct 28

New Orleans is reporting the first death from Zeta after a person was electrocuted tonight. Zeta begins to slightly weaken as it moves in southeastern Mississippi. However life-threatening surge and strong winds continue to batter southeastern Louisiana.  Zeta continues to hold Category two hurricane status with maximum sustained winds at 104 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center says Zeta is moving North Northeast at 25 miles per hour and Entergy reports 500-thousand customers are without power.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser is riding out Hurricane Zeta in Plaquemines Parish, where he once served as parish president. Zeta is the record 5th named storm to make landfall in Louisiana. Nungesser says it’s been a tough hurricane season…

Cut 11 (10) “…over.”

The family of Tommie McGlothen Jr., a mentally ill man who died after being in Shreveport Police custody, is seeking a 25-million-dollar wrongful death settlement from the City of Shreveport. Family attorney James Carter says they have a strong case and notes the Shreveport City Council has requested the Department of Justice investigate SPD for patterns of civil rights violations…

Cut 4 (09)   “.citizens”   

The head of State Police, Colonel Kevin Reeves, is retiring. This announcement comes as a federal investigation is ongoing into the death of a Black Man while in State Police custody last year. But Governor Edwards says Reeves retirement has been in the works…
Cut 7 (07) “…for retiring”

Reeve’s retirement is effective Friday.

7:30 PM LRN Newscast Oct 28

Officials say a person has been taken to a hospital with minor injuries after an apartment collapsed in New Orleans as Hurricane Zeta pummeled the city. Mayor LaToya Cantrell told WDSU-TV that the person sustained minor injuries after a building collapsed at Washington Garden Apartments. Zeta is forecast to continue to move from southeastern Louisiana into Mississippi during the next hour or two, and then move across the southeastern and eastern United States later tonight and tomorrow. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to 100 miles per hour

Entergy reports 367-thousand are without power.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser is hunkering down during Hurricane Zeta in Plaquemines Parish, where he’s concerned about flooding as construction continues on a federal levee system…

Cut 9 (12) “overtopping”

The head of State Police, Colonel Kevin Reeves, has announced he will retire at the end of the week. There’s an ongoing investigation into the death of a black man while in State police custody. But Governor Edwards says he knew of Reeves’ retirement plans since last year…

Cut 8 (05) “…asked for”

The family of Tommie McGlothen Jr., a mentally ill man who died after being in Shreveport Police custody, is seeking a 25-million-dollar wrongful death settlement from the City of Shreveport. Video shows officers beating McGlothen and the coroner’s report says he was then left unattended in a police cruiser for 48 minutes and later died. Family attorney James Carter…

Cut 3 (11)  “…forward”  

Carter says the City has until Thursday to respond or the family will file a lawsuit seeking those damages.

6:30 PM LRN Newscast Oct 28

The eyewall of Zeta is moving over the city of New Orleans and 276-thousand are without power in the area as conditions worsen in the Crescent City. The National Weather Service said Zeta came ashore near Cocodrie with sustained winds of 110 mph shortly after 4 pm. Maximum sustained winds are now at 105 mph moving North Northeast at 25 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center says Zeta is responsible for life-threatening surge and strong winds across southeast Louisiana.

Governor John Bel Edwards says unfortunately it will be a rough evening for southeastern Louisiana…

Cut 15 (12) “weather aware” 

The family of a mentally ill Shreveport man who died after an incident with police is seeking a 25-million-dollar settlement from the city.

Cut 1 (29) “  I’m Matt Doyle”  

The head of State Police is retiring while the L-S-P is the subject of a federal civil rights investigation looking into the death of a Black man while in State Police custody last year. Colonel Kevin Reeves’ retirement is effective Friday. Governor John Bel Edwards praised Reeves’ tenure…

Cut 6 (06) “…going forward”

 

5:30 PM LRN Newscast Oct 28 UPDATE

Hurricane Zeta made landfall along the Lafourche/Terrebonne parish line shortly after 4 pm today, as a Category Two storm, just a mile short of a Category Three. The National Weather Service said Zeta came ashore near Cocodrie with sustained winds of 110 mph. The Eyewall is approaching New Orleans and life-threatening surge along the coastline has been reported.  Zeta was forecast to hit as a relatively weak Category 1, but it strengthened to just under a Category Three before coming ashore.

Entergy is reporting outages for 209-thousand customers.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser is riding out Hurricane Zeta in Plaquemines Parish, where he once served as parish president. Zeta is the record 5th named storm to make landfall in Louisiana. Nungesser says it’s been a tough hurricane season but we’re almost out of it, and hopefully, this is the last storm of the year…

Cut 11 (10) “…over.”

The family of a Shreveport man who died after an incident with Shreveport police is seeking 25 million dollars and has given the city until Thursday to respond or a civil suit will be filed. Tommie McGlothen Jr. died April 5th and video shows him handcuffed and being severely beaten by four officers who now face negligent homicide charges. Family attorney James Carter hopes the city won’t drag this out…

Cut 5 (10) “..resolved”

The head of State Police, Colonel Kevin Reeves, is retiring. This announcement comes as a federal investigation is ongoing into the death of a Black Man while in State Police custody last year. But Governor Edwards says Reeves retirement has been in the works…
Cut 7 (07) “…for retiring”

Reeve’s retirement is effective Friday.