12:30 Newscast, November 18th, 2015

LSU Coach Les Miles says there’s no added pressure to win, despite a published report suggesting he could be fired if they lose their last two games. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

A day after suspending his presidential campaign, Governor Bobby Jindal held a news conference in Baton Rouge Wednesday and said he promises to deliver a detailed budget plan that addresses Louisiana’s deficit, but doesn’t raise taxes. He added he plans to stay in Baton Rouge once he leaves his post at the end of the year.

According to officials with Catholic Charities of Baton Rouge, a gun threat came in because they help Syrian refugees resettle in Louisiana. State Police Col Mike Edmonson says a phone call came in from out of state and they are taking it very seriously…:
CUT 9 (06) “making threats”
As concerns over the Syrian refugee situation continue to grow, Edmonson says several other Catholic Charities in other states have also received threats and that’s unacceptable.

Folks will be preparing for the Thanksgiving Holidays in a week and vacationing motorists will enjoy low gas prices. In Louisiana, the statewide average for a gallon of regular is just $1.94 according to the American Automobile Association.

 

11:30 Newscast, November 18th, 2015

Political pundits in Louisiana are wondering if Governor Bobby Jindal’s announcement to suspend his presidential campaign was timed to upstage Republican David Vitter in the days leading up to the gubernatorial runoff election. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says that’s mere speculation, at this point, but it is plausible…:
CUT 3 (10) “in New Orleans”
Jindal is hosting a news conference at this hour in Baton Rouge.

State Police Col Mike Edmonson says they are taking the threat to the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge very seriously. The organization helps Syrian refugees resettling in Louisiana and said they got a call Tuesday from a person making gun threats because of it. Edmonson says they are currently investigating where the call came from.

According to a report in the Advocate, LSU Coach Les Miles is coaching for his job the next two weeks. The Tigers have lost two in a row and could be looking at a 7-4 record if they lose to Ole Miss this Saturday and Texas A-and-M on November 28th. On today’s SEC coaches teleconference, Miles says there is no added pressure to win…:
CUT 6 (10) “than I have”
The Advocate article says there is a serious threat to Miles tenure based on sources at LSU.

Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control Commissioner Troy Hebert announced that he will leave his job at the end of the year. Governor Jindal will also be leaving at the end of the year. The former state lawmaker from Jeanerette said he looks forward to spending time with his family and added he may have one more political race in him.

 

10:30 Newscast November 18, 2015

Governor Bobby Jindal has bowed out of the 2016 presidential race. The governor said in a statement that it was an honor to run for the presidency, but this is not his time. Jindal’s campaign had a difficult time gaining support in a Republican field that contained over a dozen candidates. Governor Jindal will hold a press conference at 11:30 this morning at the Governor’s Mansion.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has instated new policies to improve safety in imported seafood coming into the country. Emelie Gunn has more…

cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

In a recent Lt. Governor’s candidate forum, both Republican Billy Nungesser and Democrat Kip Holden were asked what their single biggest, new idea would be to keep the tourism industry in Louisiana moving forward. Holden says he’d like to see towns and cities taking advantage of technology, websites, and social media as a way to tell visitors what we’re all about…

cut 12 (11) “get here”

Nungesser said he’d focus on promoting prominent areas of the state that many outsiders don’t know about. He says one of the elements in Louisiana that often gets overlooked is the horse industry…

cut 13 (11) “from 11 states”

Louisiana’s runoff election is this Saturday. Polls will be open from 7AM to 8PM.

09:30 Newscast November 18, 2015

One of the big items on the 2015 runoff ballot Saturday is the race for Lt. Governor. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 1 (29) “I’m Michelle Southern”

The Louisiana Department of Revenue has suspended the 2015 Louisiana Tax Amnesty period. The suspension was ordered after a mistake was discovered regarding information included in some of the invitation letters. It was decided to postpone the amnesty until corrected letters are mailed. The program is rescheduled to run from December 1st through the 31st. During the amnesty period, taxpayers are able to pay delinquent taxes with reduced interest and penalty charges.

In response to the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris that were performed by members of ISIS, Republican Senator David Vitter is pushing his federal legislation that would stop the influx of refugees from Syria in the United States. The senator says one of the terrorists entered France by posing as a Syrian refugee. Vitter says the Paris attacks show the US can’t have lax policies when it comes to this issue…

cut 15 (08) “in place”

Vitter’s opponent in the governor’s race, Democrat John Bel Edwards, calls this bill a last ditch effort to save the senator’s political career. Edwards’ campaign spokesperson, Mary-Patricia Wray, says they’ve learned that Vitter missed three Congressional hearings on Syrian refugee resettlement…

cut 17 (11) “a stunt”

The gubernatorial runoff election is this Saturday.

08:30 Newscast November 18, 2015

Republican David Vitter takes a break from his gubernatorial campaign to file federal legislation that seeks to stop the influx of Syrian Refugees into the country. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 3 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

State Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control Commissioner, Troy Hebert, says he will be stepping down from his post at the end of the year. Hebert was serving as a state senator when appointed to the post by Governor Bobby Jindal in November, 2010. Hebert says he’s looking forward to spending more time with his family, but doesn’t rule out seeking political office in the future.

Governor Bobby Jindal has ended his bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. In a statement, the governor says it was an honor to run for President, but this is not his time. Jindal’s second term as governor ends in January. LAPolitics-dot-com Publisher Jeremy Alford expects Jindal to tout the accomplishments that have occurred during his eight years as governor…

cut 6 (10) “high note”

He says the Jindal administration has to deal with a midyear budget deficit and a deficit from last fiscal year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has implemented new guidelines that calls for 100% screening of imported seafood before it enters the country. For years, Louisiana shrimpers have complained about cheap imports flooding the market. US Senator Bill Cassidy says this new guideline should reduce the amount of imported shrimp making it into the country…

cut 9 (06) “combination”

He hopes this new policy will help local shrimpers.

07:30 Newscast November 17, 2015

Governor Bobby Jindal has suspended his campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. In a statement, Jindal says it was an honor to run for President, but this is not his time. Publisher of LAPolitics-dot-com, Jeremy Alford, says bad press from Louisiana followed him to the early primary states like Iowa…

cut 5 (10) “couple of years”

He says Jindal had a hard time gaining support in a field that contained over a dozen candidates.

New guidelines that call for 100% screening of imported seafood before it enters the country has been implemented by the US Food and Drug Administration. U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy says Louisiana producers are required to follow strict safety measures and we should demand other countries do the same. He hopes this new policy will help local shrimpers…

cut 8 (10) “lower costs”

One of the big items on the 2015 runoff ballot on Saturday is the race for Lt. Governor. In a recent forum, both Republican Billy Nungesser and Democrat Kip Holden were asked what was the first thing they planned to do if they were elected to the state’s second highest post. Holden said he’s going to travel the state and find out what people want for their cities..

cut 10 (10) “those things”

Both candidates for governor have said they were going to immediately call a special session in 2016 to deal with the state’s budget woes. Nungesser says he’s going to put together a package to present to the legislature that would restore cuts to the state’s parks, museums, and historical sites…

cut 11 (06) “to the world”

Polls will open at 7AM Saturday.

06:30 Newscast November 18, 2015

Governor Bobby Jindal has dropped out of the 2016 presidential race. In a statement, Jindal says it was an honor to run for President, but this is not his time. Publisher of LAPolitics-dot-com, Jeremy Alford, says there were several signs that Jindal’s campaign was not doing well…

cut 4 (10) “suspend the campaign”

Jindal’s second term as governor ends in January.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has implemented new guidelines that call for 100% screening of imported seafood before it enters the country. The new policy comes after U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy questioned the FDA when studies showed large amounts of bacteria in imported seafood…

cut 7 (09) “to me”

Cassidy says our Louisiana producers are required to follow strict safety measures and we should demand that other countries do the same.

Republican Senator David Vitter is pushing his federal legislation that would stop the influx of refugees from Syria in the United States. During a speech on the Senate floor, Vitter says verification safeguards are not in place to confirm that each refugee doesn’t pose a security threat to the country…

cut 14 (08) “we do”

Vitter’s opponent in the governor’s race, Democrat John Bel Edwards, calls the Senator’s bill a last ditch effort to save his political career. Edwards’ campaign spokesperson, Mary-Patricia Wray….

cut 16 (06) “political stunt”

The gubernatorial runoff election is Saturday.

LRN Newscast 17:30 Nov 17

Governor Bobby Jindal has announced he’s dropping out of the 2016 Presidential race. In a statement, Jindal says now is not his time. The governor says he’ll go back to work at the think tank he started a few years ago, called America Next. Jindal’s second term as governor ends in January.

The debate on whether or not to accept Syrian refugees has become an issue in Louisiana’s gubernatorial race. In a new TV commercial, Republican David Vitter claims Democrat John Bel Edwards has pledged to work with President Obama to bring Syrian refugees to Louisiana. UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross…:
cut 13 (10) “to be important”
Edwards has fired back at Vitter claiming the senator missed key votes regarding the Syrian refugee issue.

Natchitoches Mayor Lee Posey has banned the Confederate flag from the city’s annual Christmas Parade. Many residents have differing opinions on this decision. Emelie Gunn has more…
voicer 2 (31) “…reporting”

Fatal crashes in Louisiana are on the rise. The state Highway Safety Commission says in 2014, 739 people died on Louisiana’s roadways, up 2% from the prior year. Louisiana Highway Safety spokesperson Jessica Bedwell says the number of 18-24 year olds dying in alcohol related crashes is also up. She says we have to get drunk drivers off the road…:
cut 12 (04) “alcohol impaired”

***Correction*** 16:30 Newscast, November 17th, 2015

The issue over whether or not Syrian refugees should be allowed to resettle in Louisiana is hitting the governor’s race. Republican David Vitter accuses Democrat John Bel Edwards of working with the President to bring people escaping the civil war in Syria to the US. Recent polls show Edwards with a double digit lead over Vitter and UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says this issue may tinker with those numbers a bit…:
CUT 15 (10) “It’s unclear”
Edwards claims Vitter has missed votes in Congress that dealt with this issue.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue says they are suspending the 2015 Tax Amnesty Program until December 1st. They say there was a mistake with the information included in some of the amnesty invitation letters so they decided to stop the period until the letters can be corrected.

Natchitoches Mayor Lee Posey has banned the Confederate battle flag from their annual Christmas Parade. There are some who say that the flag represents hatred and a time when really bad decisions were made. But Dakota Scoggins is selling Confederate battle flag t-shirts at his shop and says Posey’s decision is hypocritical…:
CUT 9 (08) “like that”
The Sons of Confederate Veterans have decided not to ride in the parade for the first time in over two decades.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Louisiana ranked number two nationally for worker safety in 2014. They survey showed Louisiana improved to 2 incidents per 100 full time workers. The national average is 3.2. Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eyesink credits business and industry in the state as well as their employees…:
CUT 3 (09) “number of years”

15:30 Newscast, November 17th, 2015

The state braced for some severe weather today as rain is dumping inches on to Louisiana ahead of a cold front as tornado and flood watches were issued. The National Weather Service says the rain will stop on Wednesday then temps will drop dramatically. State Climatologist Barry Keim says it’s not unusual to see severe weather like this so far into fall…:
CUT 1 (08) “this time”

Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control commissioner Troy Hebert announces he will be leaving his post at the end of 2015 after having served as the head of the ATC the past 5 years. In a statement, Hebert says he looks forward to spending time with his family and added, “Who knows. I may have one more political race in me.”

The Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office says a 27-year-old man from Laplace is under arrest and booked with distribution of child pornography after sharing an image with an undercover agent. Cops arrested Matthew Wade Guillory.

Natchitoches Mayor Lee Posey has banned the Confederate battle flag from their annual Christmas Parade. Northwestern State University Professor Holly Stave doesn’t believe this will affect attendance to the parade. She says there are other ways to honor our Southern heritage…:
CUT 7 (10) “were made”
Others are not happy about this. The Sons of Confederate Veterans have had a float in the parade for more than 20 years, but decided not to partake this year because of the ban.

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission says the number of fatal crashes in Louisiana is up as 664 incidents on state roadways killed 739 people last year. Spokesperson Jessica Bedwell says most of these fatal crashes happen at night and often involve younger drivers…:
Cut 11 (08) “distracted driving”