2:30 LRN Newscast July 22nd

A study shows 34 percent of Louisiana high schoolers drink and 8 percent use injectable drugs, the highest rates in the nation. Matt Doyle has more…
voicer 2 (30) I’m Matt Doyle”

The US Army Corps of Engineers has started closing the Bonnet Carre Spillway. This is the first year the spillway has been opened twice, due to high Mississippi River levels, but Corps spokesperson Matt Roe says the river is finally starting to go down.
Cut 6 (06) “…of the workers.”
The opening has resulted in mass toxic algae blooms.

Based on social media posts, LSU players can not get over their new lockers at the renovated football operations center. Each one has a pod that folds out, so players can take a power nap. Equipment manager Greg Stringfellow says the facility also contains a nutrition center and the Tyrann Mathieu players lounge…
cut 4 (12) “…and recline”
LSU has invited the media to see the new facility Wednesday

LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois says Hurricane Barry did minimal damage, which means the state’s sugarcane crop is on its way towards another successful harvest. Gravois says good prices are drawing more people into the sugarcane business and production this year is expected to be around a record high…
cut 11 (09) “…that’s very attainable”
He expects mills to open for processing around September 17th.

PM Newscall 07.22.19

LSU has opened its doors to a newly constructed football operations center that features a place where players can take a nap in front of their locker. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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A study shows 34 percent of Louisiana high schoolers drink and 8 percent use injectable drugs, the highest rates in the nation. Matt Doyle has more…

cut  2 (30) I’m Matt Doyle”  

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LSU believes it has set the standard with its renovated football operations building that includes a new training room, players lounge, cafeteria and locker room. Equipment manager Greg Stringfellow says each player’s locker features a pod as a chair that folds out into a bed, allowing a player to take a nap

Cut 3 (11) “…resting.”

The 23-million project also includes a new performance nutrition center that will serve healthy and delicious meals. Stringfellow says the players will also enjoy the Tyrann Mathieu players lounge

Cut 4 (12) “…and recline”

Stringfellow says no other college football program in the country has a locker room where you can actually lay down and get some rest. He says to have that and a first-class nutrition area should help maximize a player’s efficiency

Cut 5 (11) “…perform.”

_____________________________

The US Army Corps of Engineers has begun to close the Bonnet Carre Spillway.  This year marks the first time the spillway has had to be opened twice in one year, with the current opening lasting 74 days.  Corps spokesperson Matt Roe says the decision to begin closure comes as the river levels have seen a downward trend.

Cut 6 (06) “…of the workers.”

The environmental effects of opening have resulted in a negative impact to the seafood industry in St. Bernard Parish as well as shuttering Mississippi beaches.  Roe says the process on the closure began this morning.

Cut 7 (04) “…bays each day.”

Roe says the closure isn’t a speedy, press-of-a-button process, but closure should be completed by the first week in August.

Cut 8 (03) “…and everything’s good.”

___________________________________

The state’s sugarcane crop is on track for another successful harvest, despite the impact of Hurricane Barry that delivered anywhere from three to fourteen inches of rain across the sugarcane belt. LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois says despite the gloomy forecast prior to the storm, the state did okay.

Cut 9 (09) “…standing back up.”

Gravois says there were some pockets of flooding from rainfall and storm surge that needed some attention.

Cut 10 (06) “…worst of it.”

Gravois says the industry is still likely to achieve the sugar production level predictions that were put in place prior to the hurricane.

Cut 11 (09) “…that’s very attainable.”

Gravois expects mills to open for processing around September 17th, an early start date because of this year’s large crop.

___________________

A study by Project Know shows Louisiana high schoolers consume alcohol and injectable drugs at the highest rate in the nation.

American Addiction Centers Researcher Ruchi Dhani says the national average for alcohol use is 28 percent, but Louisiana topped the list at 34 percent, and led in another concerning category as well.

Cut 12 (11) “…percent.”

Louisiana’s high school rate of marijuana use was about average at 18.8 percent.

Dhani says the state as a whole has some of the worst drug use rates in the nation…

Cut 13 (09) “…Louisiana”

And those adult drug use numbers effect the next generation, where young people who have addicted parents are more than four times more likely to become addicted themselves.

Survey information shows many Bayou State students aren’t just using at home, they’re bringing their drugs to school with them…

Cut 14 (11) “…percent”

The study looked at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2017

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1:30 LRN Newscast July 22nd

The governor’s office says the state has now saved over 12-million dollars from the 2017 criminal justice reform package approved by the state legislature. Louisiana Corrections Secretary James LeBlanc says the savings are being reinvested into programs to reduce recidivism…
cut 15 (07) “….these reform efforts”
Louisiana’s prison population continues to decline, from a peak just shy of 40-thousand at the end of 2012 to 32-thousand inmates at the end of 2018.

The U-S Army Corps of Engineers began the long process today of closing the Bonnet Carre Spillway. Once closed, it would stop redirecting Mississippi River water into Lake Pontchartrain. Corps spokesman Matt Roe says they will close 10 of the 168 bys currently open and hope to have all of them completed by the first week in August…
cut 8 (03) “…everything’s good.
A recent study by Project Know finds that nearly 29-percent of Louisiana high school students admitted to using illegal drugs on school grounds. American Addiction Centers Researcher Ruchi Dhani says…
Cut 14 (11) “…percent”
The study looked at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2017.

LSU Ag Center sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois says sugarcane farmers dodged a bullet from Hurricane Barry. Gravois says the storm produced three to 14 inches of rain across the sugarcane belt, but there were only pockets flooding and storm surge tha needed attention…
cut 10 (06) “…worst of it”
Gravois says they are still on pace to haul in a near-record sugarcane harvest this fall.

1230PM LRN News

The US Army Corps of Engineers announces they have begun closure of the Bonnet Carre Spillway. The environmental effects of opening has resulted in a negative impact for the seafood industry in St. Bernard Parish as well as shuttering Mississippi beaches. Corps spokesperson Matt Roe says the process on the closure began this morning.

Cut 7 (04) “…bays each day.”

This year marks the first time the spillway has had to be opened twice in one year.

A study by Project Know shows Louisiana high schoolers consume alcohol and injectable drugs at the highest rate in the nation. American Addiction Centers Researcher Ruchi Dhani says eight percent of high schoolers admitted to injecting, and the state as a whole has some of the worst drug use rates in the nation…

Cut 13 (09) “…Louisiana”

And those adult drug use numbers effect the next generation, where young people who have addicted parents are more than four times more likely to become addicted themselves.

LSU believes it has set the standard with its renovated football operations building that includes a new training room, players lounge, cafeteria and locker room. Equipment manager Greg Stringfellow says each player’s locker features a pod as a chair that folds out into a bed, allowing a player to take a nap

Cut 3 (11) “…resting.”

The 23-million project also includes a new performance nutrition center.

The state’s sugarcane crop appears to be on track for another successful harvest, despite the impact of Hurricane Barry that delivered anywhere from three to fourteen inches of rain to areas across the sugarcane belt. LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois says despite the gloomy forecast prior to the storm, the state did okay.

Cut 9 (09) “…standing back up.”

1130AM LRN News

The US Army Corps of Engineers announces they have begun closure of the Bonnet Carre Spillway.  This year marks the first time the spillway has had to be opened twice in one year, but Corps spokesperson Matt Roe says the river is finally starting to go down.

Cut 6 (06) “…of the workers.”

The opening has resulted in mass toxic algae blooms.

A study by Project Know shows Louisiana high schoolers consume alcohol and injectable drugs at the highest rate in the nation. American Addiction Centers Researcher Ruchi Dhani says the national average for alcohol use is 28 percent, but Louisiana topped the list at 34 percent, and led in another concerning category as well.

Cut 12 (11) “…percent.”

Louisiana’s high school rate of marijuana use was about average at 18.8 percent.

LSU has opened its doors to a newly constructed football operations center that features a place where players can take a nap in front of their locker. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Gretna Police Officer Charlie Rispoli is at the center of a now national controversy over a facebook post about New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The post states “This vile idiot needs a round, and I don’t mean the kind she used to serve”, referencing the Congresswoman’s previous employment as a bartender. Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson responded, saying this will not go unchecked.

10:30 AM Newscast

Louisiana casino revenues are down 10 percent year to year and industry experts are warning gaming may be shrinking in Louisiana…

Cut 2 (28) “…I’m Matt Doyle” 

The Army Corps of Engineers announces they have begun closure of portions of the Bonnet Carre Spillway this morning.  This year marks the first time the spillway has had to be opened twice in one year, with the current opening lasting 74 days.  The environmental effects of opening has resulted in a negative impact for the seafood industry in St. Bernard Parish as well as shuttering Mississippi beaches.

 

Louisiana’s unemployment rate decreased to 4.3 percent in June, down .7 percent from the same time last year. Louisiana’s unemployment rate is it’s lowest since January 2008.  Louisiana Workforce Commission Chief Economist Ali Bustamante says New Orleans powered the state’s above national average performance in June, adding 1,600 jobs, the only metro area in the state to add jobs during that period.
Cut 5  (11) “… right now.” 
The city has added 8,800 jobs year to year, followed by Lafayette at 1,500 and Lake Charles at 1,100.

Louisiana’s Justice Reinvestment Reforms 2019 Annual Performance Report indicates the state has saved more than $12 million from criminal justice reform, twice the anticipated savings. Secretary of the Department of Corrections James LeBlanc says the total prison population has fallen from around 40-thousand at its peak at the end of 2012.

Cut 14 (08) “…had in 2012.”

9:30 LRN Newscast

Louisiana’s riverboat casinos report a 10-percent decline in revenue for the fiscal year that ended June 30th. Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Jones says legal sports betting in Mississippi and the growth of indian casinos in Okalhoma are drawing customers away…
cut 8 (10) “….kicked”
Seven casinos saw a 10 percent or more decline in revenue.

Louisiana’s latest employment report finds that Houma has lost the most jobs out of any market, with 29-hundred fewer jobs since June 2018. Louisiana Workforce Commission Chief Economist Ali bustamante…
cut 6 (10) “…compeititive”
Shreveport is down 2,400 jobs year to year, and Baton Rouge is down 1,700.

Republican U-S Representative Clay Higgins of St. Landry Parish was among a bipartisan group of Congressmen who visted a Southern border detention center in McAllen, Texas. Higgins says the U-S has the most generous immigration system anywhere
Cut 12 (13) “…and Chuck Schumer.”
Higgins says the facilities are at overcapacity, but they are trying to process these children of God in a very humane manner.

Louisiana’s annual performance report on the criminal justice reform package approved in 2017 finds it has saved the state over 12-million dollars, twice the anticipated savings. Department of Corrections Secretary James LeBlanc…
cut 13 (08) “…would be today.”
Leblanc says they are reinvesting the savings into programs that help to reduce recidivism.

8:30 LRN Newscast July 22nd

Louisiana’s unemployment rate decreased to 4.3 percent in June, down .7 percent from the same time last year. Louisiana’s unemployment rate is it’s lowest since January 2008. Louisiana Workforce Commission Chief Economist Ali Bustamante says the state gained 300 jobs from May to June, which is better than most places in the US during the same period.
Cut 4 (10) “…direction.”
Healthcare and social assistance, which added 1,200 jobs from the previous month, and 9,400 jobs over the year.

The governor’s office says the state has now saved over 12-million dollars from the 2017 criminal justice reform package approved by the state legislature. Louisiana Corrections Secretary James LeBlanc says the savings are being reinvested into programs to reduce recidivism…
cut 15 (07) “….these reform efforts”

Southwest Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins visited McAllen, Texas, late last week where US Customs and Border Protection agents process immigrants coming across the border from Mexico. Higgins says if compassionate law enforcement is the goal in America, no one is doing it better than those at the southern border.
Cut 10 (11) “…broken a law.”
Higgins is the Republican leader of the Homeland Security subcommittee.

Louisiana’s riverboat casinos report a 10-percent decline in revenue for the fiscal year that ended June 30th. Seven casinos saw 10 percent or more declines in revenue year to year, but the Belle of Baton Rouge posted the most shocking decline, at 43 percent. Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Jones says the owner is trying to get out…
Cut 9 (11) “…yet”

7:30 LRN Newscast

Louisiana casinos have seen substantial declines in revenue in the last year, leading casino advocates to sound the alarm that the state’s gaming industry is shrinking. Shreveport casinos are down 11.6 percent, Lake Charles 10 percent, New Orleans five percent, and Baton Rouge 13 percent. Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Jones…
Cut 7 (11) “…operate”
Jones says gaming revenue now exceeds oil and gas revenue in funding the state.

The governor’s office says the state’s prison population continues to decline…
cut 14 (08) “…had in 2012”
That’s Corrections Secretary James Leblanc who says Louisiana no longer has the highest imprisonment rate in the nation.

Southwest Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins scoped out border security operations in McAllen, Texas. Kevin Barnhart has more.
Cut 3 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Franklin Parish Sheriff deputies are trying to find the person responsible for the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old woman at a birthday party. Waneshia Bush died from her injuries at a local hospital yesterday morning. Sheriff Kevin Cobb says he expects multiple arrests and adds that the victim was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

6:30 LRN newscast

Louisiana’s annual performance report on the criminal justice reform package approved in 2017 finds it has saved the state over 12-million dollars, twice the anticipated savings. Department of Corrections Secretary James LeBlanc…
Cut 13 (08) “…would be today.”
Leblanc says they are reinvesting the savings into programs that help to reduce recidivism.

Congressman Clay Higgins was among a bipartisan delegation that toured a facility in McAllen, Texas that processes immigrants coming across the U-S Mexico border. The Republican from St. Landry Parish says after seeing first-hand how the operations at the border work, he believes many media outlets are casting the treatment of immigrants in the wrong light…
Cut 11 (10) “…totally false, man.”
Higgins says the immigrants are being handled as compassionately as possible.

The national unemployment rate rose slightly in June, but Louisiana is on the decline, powered by a robust job market in New Orleans. Matt Doyle has more.
Voicer 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle.”