With the Louisiana Radio Network Legislative Report, I’m Kevin Barnhart.
Lawmakers will be faced with two big policy questions this session that could end up being defining issues of the session in sports betting and marijuana, and according to the latetest release from the Louisiana Survey theres majority support for both legalized sports betting as well as the legalization of recreational marijuana use. LSU Public Policy Research Lab Director Dr. Mike Henderson says sports betting received support from 59% of residents while recreational marijuana received the approval of 55% of residents.
Cut 6 (08) “…social issues.”
Legislation to legalize sports betting in Louisiana is up for discussion in the session. Governor Edwards has voiced his support for the activity.
Henderson says there is a big generational gap on recreational pot support. A majority of support comes from younger residents. 80% of those ages 18-29 support the idea of legalization, but those 65 and older showed a 69% opposition.
Cut 7 (10) “…to the idea.”
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A family advocacy group is bringing legislation that would guarantee Louisianans 12 weeks of paid parental, family emergency, or long term illness leave. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”
Former Governor Kathleen Blanco is not bedbound and “in hospice care” according to her family. This was a contradiction of recent reports that the Katrina era governor had entered into hospice end of life care. The family says while she is not able to walk, she still visits friends and loved ones by getting around on her scooter. The family defined the care as “hospice assistance” and say she is no longer seeking treatment for her cancer.
Category Archives: Newscasts
3:30 PM Newscast
Baton Rouge boy Scott Woodward is coming home to take over LSU Athletics after a four-year run as Texas A&M’s Athletic Director. The LSU/A&M rivalry has been heating up over the years, and last year exploded in a physical altercation between coaches at the end of a controversial Tiger loss to end the regular season. Robert Cessna says get ready for an even more heated competition.
The latest data released from the Louisiana Survey shows majority support for both legalized sports betting as well as the legalization of recreational marijuana use. LSU Public Policy Research Lab Director Dr. Mike Henderson says there is a big generational gap on recreational pot support. A majority of support comes from younger residents. 80% of those ages 18-29 support the idea of legalization, but those 65 and older showed a 69% opposition.
A tornado watch has been in effect for much of south Louisiana today, a portion of central Louisiana and delta parishes in northeast Louisiana. National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Efferson says the big concern is that the unstable atmosphere has the potential of producing strong tornadoes…
Cut 9 (08) “…part of the area”
State Police are responding to an uptick of crashes as a result of the weather.
Ground has been broken on the 450-million dollar Comite River Diversion project. It’s a 12 mile long canal running from the Comite to the Mississippi River, diverting water out of northern East Baton Rouge Parish waterways that present a flood risk for E-B-R and Livingston parishes. Central Mayor David Barrow is quick to note that even after it’s completed, it’s still possible the area could flood, it just likely will not be as devastating as the 2016 event.
2:30 LRN Newscast April 18
Baton Rouge native Scott Woodward is the new athletics director at LSU. The LSU grad will be formally welcomed back on Tuesday. Woodward was the director of LSU’s external affairs from 2000 to 2004 and most recently the A-D at Texas A-and-M.
The latest data from the Louisiana survey shows how Louisiana residents feel about recreational marijuana and sports betting. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Kevin Barnhart.”
The western side of the state is dry, but strong storms capable of producing a tornado are move through areas west of Monroe and Lafayette. National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Efferson says while tornadoes are the biggest threat, we can also see other forms of severe weather….
cut 10 (08) “…pretty significant”
The good news is that once this severe weather moves out, it looks dry for the Easter weekend.
Federal, state and local officials have broken ground on the Comite River Diversion project, a long-delayed flood control project that can benefit East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes. Central mayor David Barrow…
cut 13 (11) “…three years”
Officials say this flood control project could have prevented flooding to hundreds of homes during the August flood of 2016.
1:30 LRN Newscast April 18
Baton Rouge native Scott Woodward is the new LSU athletics director, after spending the last four years leading the Texas A-and-M athletic department. Matt Doyle talked with a Lone Star State writer about what to expect…
Voicer 1 (28) “I’m Matt Doyle”
A tornado watch is in effect until seven PM tonight. It covers northeast Louisiana parishes, a portion of Cenla and much of south Louisiana. A strong line of storms, extending north of Natchez and south of Lafayette is moving to the east.
The final installment of the Louisiana Survey from LSU finds there’s majority support for both legalized sports betting and legalizing recreational marijuana. Director of the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, Doctor Michael Henderson says it’s unlikely that the state will legalize pot anytime soon, but a sports betting bill could pass in this legislative session…
cut 8 (12) “…support for this”
Senator Danny Martiny’s sports betting bill is expected to get its first committee hearing on Tuesday.
Ground has been broken on the 450 million dollar Comite Diversion project. Baton Rouge area governmental leaders say the flood control project is long overdue. Central Mayor David Barrow says it has the potential to reduce the flood risk for many homeowners
Cut 12 (12) “…damage”
Construction is expected to be complete by 2021.
12:30 Newscast
Baton Rouge boy Scott Woodward is coming home to take over LSU Athletics after a four-year run as Texas A&M’s Athletic Director. Woodward is renowned for putting A&M sports back on the map with the hiring of football coach Jimbo Fisher. LSU tried and failed to lure Fisher in 2015, but Woodward managed to seal the deal a year later. Woodward will be tasked with beating the organization he just helped rebuild, but for now he’ll be doing it with a coach he didn’t hire. Robert Cessna with AggieSports.com
The latest data released from the Louisiana Survey shows sports betting received support from 59% of residents while recreational marijuana received the approval of 55% of residents. LSU Public Policy Research Lab Director Dr. Mike Henderson
Cut 6 (08) “…social issues.”
A tornado watch is in effect until seven o’ clock tonight for much of south Louisiana, a portion of central Louisiana and delta parishes in northeast Louisiana. National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Efferson says the area covered by the tornado watch is under an enhanced risk of severe weather…
State Police are responding to an uptick of crashes as a result of the weather.
It took just seven days to surpass the fundraising goal, and now over 36,000 donors have contributed a total just shy of $2 million on a GoFundMe page to benefit the three churches torched in St. Landry Parish.
11:30 AM Newscast
A tornado watch is in effect until seven o’ clock tonight for much of south Louisiana, a portion of central Louisiana and delta parishes in northeast Louisiana. National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Efferson says the big concern is that the unstable atmosphere has the potential of producing strong tornadoes…
Cut 9 (08) “…part of the area”
Baton Rouge boy Scott Woodward is coming home to take over LSU Athletics after a three year run as Texas A&M’s Athletic Director.
Woodward is renown for putting A&M sports back on the map with the hiring of football coach Jimbo Fisher and basketball coach Buzz Williams. Robert Cessna with AggieSports.com says he’s a real winner.
The latest data released from the Louisiana survey shows a majority of support for the legalizing both sports betting and recreational marijuana. On the topic of marijuana, its saw the strongest support from 18-29 year old with an 80% approval, but those 65 and older showed majority opposition.
A family advocacy group is bringing legislation that would guarantee Louisianans 12 weeks of paid parental, family emergency, or long term illness leave. Matt Doyle has the story.
10:30 LRN Newscast April 18
LSU has officially announced that Scott Woodward is the university’s next athletic director. Woodward has been Texas A-and-M’s athletic director since 2016 and also had the same job at Washington for eight years. Glen Guilbeau, covers LSU for the USA Today Network and says Woodward is a Baton Rouge native…
cut 13 (06) “…Louisiana”
Woodward recently hired Jimbo Fisher as the Aggies football coach and just hired Buzz Williams as the new A-and-M basketball coach.
The Louisiana SPCA is advising families don’t purchase a rabbit as a gift for Easter, unless you are really prepared to take care of the animal. The organization receives dozens of bunnies after the Easter holiday from owners with buyer’s remorse. Louisiana SPCA spokesperson Rebecca Melanson says there are great alternatives to giving bunnies and baby chickens as gifts at Easter…
cut 12 (07) “….for real chicks”
At the Capitol, a bill has been filed that seeks to guarantee all Louisianans 12 weeks of paid family or medical illness leave. A group called Louisiana Families First is push for support for the proposal. A small payroll tax would help pay for a state run program that would hand out partial checks to workers on leave. Louisiana Families First spokesperson Caitlin Berni says 82 percent of those polled were on board with his concept
Cut 9 (09) “…employee″
The bill is being sponsored by New Orleans Senator JP Morrell.
Heavy rainfall has been falling on the western side of Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says one to two inches of rain could fall in a short period of time…
cut 5 (05) “…careful with that”
Most of the northern half of the state is under a flash flood watch and so is southeast Louisiana. There’s also a threat for tornadoes later today.
9:30 LrN Newscast April 18
LSU has made it official. Scott Woodward is the new athletics director at LSU, replacing the unpopular Joe Alleva. The LSU grad will be formally welcomed back on Tuesday. Woodward was the director of LSU’s external affairs from 2000 to 2004 and most recently the athletics director at Texas A-and-M.
Strong storms are starting to pop on what is supposed to be an active weather day. Kevin Barnhart has more…
voicer 1 (31) “…Kevin Barnhart”
There’s a push in the legislative session to pass legislation that would guarantee all Louisianans 12 weeks of paid family or medical illness leave, along with legal protections against being fired while out. Caitlin Berni, a spokesperson for a coalition called Louisiana Families First says the proposal would create a state-run fund created by a small payroll tax, split roughly between employers and employees…
Cut 7 (08) “employer”
The bill includes parental leave, leave to take care of a close relative who has fallen ill, and long term medical leave for events like chemo therapy in cancer patients.
The message is going out again, a real bunny as an Easter gift is not a good idea in most cases. For the last two years, over 60 pet rabbits were turned over to the Louisiana SPCA following the Easter holiday from owners with buyer’s remorse. Louisiana SPCA spokesperson Rebecca Melanson says many people do not realize the commitment of rabbit ownership.
Cut 10 (09) “…in your family.”
8:30 AM LRN Newscast April 18
Joe Alleva is out and it appears Scott Woodward is in as LSU’s new athletic director. Multiple reports say the Baton Rouge native will leave his A-D job at Texas A-and M for the same job at his alma mater. Glen Gilbeau of the USA Today Network says a new style of leadership is coming to LSU…
Woodward did what LSU couldn’t do and that’s hire Jimbo Fisher as is his head football coach.
A bill is being introduced that would guarantee all Louisianans 12 weeks of paid family or medical illness leave. Berni Consulting partner Caitlin Berni says the pot of leave money to fund the leave would grow overtime, and mechanisms would be put in place to cover expenses of young workers who need to take the leave before they’ve built up enough money to cover 12 weeks. Berni says the leave is transferable between jobs.
The leave pay would come directly from the fund, and not your employer while you were out.
You’ll want to keep an eye on the weather today, strong storms have already moved into the state in northwest Louisiana where they’ve already reported flooding and several power outages. Across the state, several schools and businesses closed for the day in anticipation for the severe weather. Strong winds with gusts up to 45 miles per hour have been reported, and flood advisories are in effect until late this evening. The line of storms is expected to be followed with a cold front dropping temperatures into the lower 50s later tonight.
Thinking about getting a bunny or a chick as gift for someone this Easter? The Louisiana SPCA says you may want to reconsider. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
7:30 AM LRN Newscast April 18
An unsettled and intense story system has started to make its way through Louisiana. Much of the state is under an enhanced risk for severe weather, which is why many schools and government offices are closed. There’s the threat of a tornado outbreak and state climatologist Barry Keim says this is the time of the year when we see severe weather…
cut 6 (07) “…makes perfect sense”
The northern half of Louisiana is under a flash flood watch and so is a portion of southeast Louisiana.
Texas A&M Athletic Director Scott Woodward has been tapped to replaced LSU AD Joe Alleva.
This wraps up a wild week for the school that saw basketball coach Will Wade’s suspension lifted, and a long time AD axed. Glen Guilbeau with the USA Today Network says Alleva was not a popular figure in the program, and it’s remarkable he stuck around for over ten years.
Nola.com reports the hire was made less than an hour after it was announced that Alleva was set to “transition” into a new role at the school while his contract runs for another year.
At the Capitol there’s a bill being introduced to guarantee all Louisianans 12 weeks of paid family or medical illness leave. Louisiana Families First is beginning a statewide effort to push support for the proposal. While it would functionally be an income tax increase of about a quarter of a percent on most workers, Caitlin Berni with Berni Consulting, she says 82 percent of those polled were on board.
The bill is being sponsored by New Orleans Senator JP Morrell.
It’s Easter this weekend and it’s also a popular time of the year when people give rabbits as gifts. The Louisiana SPCA says an average of 60 pet rabbits are turned over to shelters following the Easter holiday from owners with buyer’s remorse. SPCA spokesperson Rebecca Melanson says each year, in addition to rabbits that are turned into shelters, some people even try release rabbits in the wild in an effort to relinquish ownership.
Cut 11 (05) “…from wild rabbits.”
The average lifespan of a rabbit is 10-12 years.