1:30 PM LRN Newscast

For the third time this month Southern University in Baton Rouge is responding to threats. Around noon today, the university ordered an evacuation of the library and University officials sent notices to students to stay away from John B. Cade Library due to a potential threat. The university called it a “precautionary measure”. The notice said the library would remain closed until further notice while an investigation is conducted. Earlier this month Southern along with several other HBCUs across the country closed their campus due to threats and on Sept 22nd, John W Fisher Hall was evacuated after a suspicious item was found near the building.

A series of threats against high schools in Rapides Parish have school authorities on edge. Over the course of the last several days, social media threats against four high schools have forced the cancellation of school and school events. Five juveniles have been arrested, but Pineville Representative Mike Johnson says current laws are way too lenient.

Cut 7 (13) “…the young people.”

Governor Jeff Landry has made a formal request to the Pentagon for the federal government to pay for the deployment of one thousand Louisiana National Guard Troops to assist local law enforcement in fighting crime in New Orleans. He says not only New Orleans but the state is also seeing elevated crime rates in Shreveport and Baton Rouge. He says the Guard can supplement law enforcement presence in high-crime areas…

Cut 5 (04) “…our streets.”

The U-S Department of Education is sending Louisiana 13-point-five million dollars to support charter schools. The money will be divided up among numerous charter schools who will have to submit applications to the department of education. Assistant Superintendent in the Office of the School Choice, Germaine Gilson says charter schools are an important piece in the state’s effort to expand school choice options, and the state wants them to succeed…

Cut 10 (12) “…students forward.”

12:30 PM LRN Newscast

A state representative from Rapides Parish says laws need to be beefed up amid a series of social media threats against high schools. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

And this morning Just after 9:00 someone allegedly tried to run over a School Resource Officer in the parking lot of Peabody Montessori School in Alexandria. Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Offices says it happened when the deputy saw a vehicle speeding in the parking lot and tried to stop the vehicle. When the vehicle came toward the deputy they fired shots at the vehicle, but the driver fled the scene causing a lockdown at several schools in the area. Most have since been lifted but police have blocked off 14th Street in Alexandria believing the suspect may be in the area.

Governor Jeff Landry has made a formal request to the Pentagon for the federal government to pay for the deployment of one thousand Louisiana National Guard Troops, who will assist local law enforcement in fighting crime. Landry, who appeared on Fox News last night, says when he took office last year, there was a decline in violent crime in New Orleans, but recently they’ve seen an uptick…

Cut 3 (08) “…right now.”

National Guard units have already been deployed to Washington D.C., Memphis, Tennessee, Portland, Oregon

The U-S Department of Education is sending Louisiana 13-point-five million dollars to support charter schools. This allocation is on top of the 55 million dollars the state received in 2023 to increase the number of charter schools. Assistant Superintendent in the Office of the School Choice, Germaine Gilson, on how this round of money can be used…

Cut 9 (09)  “…really important.”

11:30 LRN Newscast

A series of threats against high schools in Rapides Parish has those schools on edge. Over the course of the last several days, threats have been posted onto social media against no fewer than four high schools, forcing the cancellation of one school’s entire homecoming weekend. So far, five juveniles have been arrested, but Pineville Representative Mike Johnson says current laws are way too lenient.

Cut 6 (09) “…the school properties.”

Governor Landry issues a formal request to the Pentagon for the federal government to pay for the deployment of one thousand Louisiana National Guard Troops, who would assist local law enforcement in fighting crime. He tells Fox News he expects President Trump to approve his request.

Cut 4 (05) “…happy to come.”

Congressman Troy Carter, who represents New Orleans, says he has great concerns about the continued push to militarize the streets under the guise of public safety.

The state department of transportation says a significant step has occurred in building a new Mississippi River Bridge south of Baton Rouge. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

State Police are investigating a deadly shooting involving a state trooper that took place at around two this morning in Gonzales. We’re told that the trooper fired his duty weapon, and the suspect was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead. The trooper was not hurt. At this time, we don’t know what specifically led up to the shooting.

10:30 LRN Newscast

Governor Jeff Landry has asked the federal government to fund the deployment of one thousand Louisiana National Guard soldiers to help law enforcement fight crime. Jeanne Burns has the story…

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Jeanne Burns.”

Landry’s request isn’t exactly sitting well with Congressman Troy Carter. The New Orleans Democrat says in a statement that while he will always support smart, effective strategies to reduce crime and keep communities safe, he’s deeply concerned about the push to militarize the streets under the guise of public safety. Carter says the focus should be on hiring and training more local officers.

The Federal Highway Administration gives the state the green light to conduct an environmental assessment for a new proposed Mississippi River Bridge south of Baton Rouge. Louisiana Transportation Secretary Glenn Ledet (le-DAY) says the goal is for the assessment to take a year to complete.

Cut 12 (08) “…to reach.”

A 20-year-old man is arrested after allegedly killing a 21-year-old man execution style and putting his body in a trunk. St. John the Baptist Parish deputies received a 911 call about a gunshot, and the caller also saw a man loading the body into an orange Dodge Charger. Sheriff Mike Tregre (“traig”) says a deputy saw a vehicle matching the description and executed a stop; and the driver, Tyler Bourgeois, said there was a body in the trunk.

Cut 14 (06) “…was sleeping.”

The victim has been identified as Tylen Anderson; Tregre says the two had gotten into a heated argument before the fatal shooting.

9:30 LRN Newscast

Yet another threat is made against a high school in Rapides Parish. This one was posted online last night against Tioga High School. The Sheriff’s Office has extra patrols on hand. This follows threats made against Pineville, Peabody Magnet and Alexandria Senior high schools. Rapides Parish school board member Willard McCall says these threats are no jokes – they all waste valuable law enforcement resources.

Cut 6 (08) “…to play with.”

A juvenile has been arrested in connection with the threat against Pineville High School.

U-L Lafayette says this year’s freshman class is its biggest ever at more than 32-hundred. Dr. DeWayne Bowie, the vice president for enrollment management, says the school prides itself in keeping class sizes down to a personal level.

Cut 9 (11)  “…we do that.”

Governor Landry makes a formal request to the Pentagon for the federal government to pay for the deployment of one-thousand Louisiana National Guard Troops, who would assist local law enforcement in fighting crime. Landry appeared on Fox News last night; he says when he took office last year, there was a decline in violent crime in New Orleans, but recently there’s been an uptick…

Cut 3 (08) “…right now.”

Landry says the state is also seeing elevated crime rates in Shreveport and Baton Rouge.

The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office says it made an arrest ten minutes after a 20-year-old man killed a 21-year-old man execution style, and then put the body in a trunk. Sheriff Mike Tregre (“traig”) says Tyler Bourgeois and Tylen Anderson got into a heated argument as they were driving around Saturday night.

Cut 15 (12) “…Mr. Anderson.”

8:30 AM Newscast

The Federal Highway Administration has given Louisiana the green light for an environmental assessment for a proposed new Mississippi River Bridge south of Baton Rouge. Louisiana Transportation Secretary Glenn Ledet (le-DAY) the environmental assessment will help engineers develop a more detailed road design, conceptual bridge designs and cost estimates for the three alternatives.

Cut 11 (12) “…the river.”

The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office says it made an arrest ten minutes after a 20-year-old man killed a 21-year-old man execution style, and then put the body in a trunk. Sheriff Mike Tregre (“traig”) says they got the 911 call Saturday night about a man loading the body into an orange Dodge Charger.

Cut 13 (13)  “…very impressive.”

———————

A juvenile is arrested for allegedly posting a threat against a Rapides Parish high school. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Meanwhile, Rapides Parish authorities have announced another social media threat made, this one at Tioga High School.  We’re told RPSO and Cyber Crimes Unit are investigating that one, but this latest threat will not deter normal school operations.  Officials have said there will be extra security measures in place.

–

7:30 AM Newscast

Governor Jeff Landry says he has formally requested federal assistance to activate up to 1,000 Louisiana National Guard personnel under Title 32. He made the announcement on “Hannity” last night.  The Governor cited “ongoing public safety concerns regarding high crime rates throughout the state,” saying local law enforcement is overwhelmed by crime rates that significantly exceed the national average.

The Federal Highway Administration has given the state the green light to conduct an environmental assessment for a new proposed Mississippi River Bridge south of Baton Rouge. Louisiana Transportation Secretary Glenn Ledet (le-DAY) says the approval marks a significant step in advancing the projects, and it begins the formal process to ensure the bridge is planned responsibly.

Cut 10 (10) “…this associated project?”

—————————

The St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s Office says a LaPlace man killed another man execution style and then dumped his body in a trunk. Andre Champagne has the story.

Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

Multiple threats have been made against schools in Rapides Parish in the last few days, including Peabody Magnet High, Alexandria Senior High, and Pineville High School, where one juvenile has been arrested. Rapides Parish School Board member Willard McCall says schools are in session yesterday, but people are on edge.

Cut 5 (06) “…doing other things.”

Late yesterday, authorities announced another social media threat had been made against Tioga High School. Officials have said “copycat” threats will not deter normal school operations.

6:30 AM Newscast

Detectives with the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested a juvenile in connection with a threat posted onto social media against Pineville High School. Rapides Parish School Board member Willard McCall says that school was not the only one in the parish to come under threat over the last several days.

Cut 4 (05) “…across the river.”
Those other two schools were Peabody Magnet High School and Alexandria Senior High School.   And just yesterday, officials there announced they’re looking into a fourth threat at Tioga High School.

Louisiana State Police are investigating a fatal shooting involving a state trooper that happened early this morning in Gonzales.  It happened around two during a traffic stop at LA Highways 431 and 935.  We’re told the trooper’s weapon was discharged and one person was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.

————————

The state department of transportation says a significant step has occurred in building a new Mississippi River Bridge south of Baton Rouge. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Louisiana colleges and universities are reporting record freshman enrollments for this school year, including U-L Lafayette.  Dr. DeWayne Bowie is the vice president for enrollment management.

Cut 7 (12) “…over last year.”

Dr. Bowie says it’s the largest freshman class in the school’s history.

 

LRN AM Newscall September 30

A juvenile is arrested for allegedly posting a threat against a Rapides Parish high school. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

____________________________________________

The state department of transportation says a significant step has occurred in building a new Mississippi River Bridge south of Baton Rouge. Jeff Palermo has the story.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

____________________________________________

The St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s Office says a LaPlace man killed another man execution style and then dumped his body in a trunk. Andre Champagne has the story.

Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

_________________________________________________

Detectives with the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested a juvenile in connection with a threat posted onto social media against Pineville High School. Rapides Parish School Board member Willard McCall says that school was not the only one in the parish to come under threat over the last several days.

Cut 4 (05) “…across the river.”

The other two schools were Peabody Magnet High School and Alexandria Senior High School. McCall says all three schools were in session yesterday, but they were understandably on edge.

Cut 5 (06) “…doing other things.”

McCall says these threats are no jokes – they all waste valuable law enforcement resources.

Cut 6 (08) “…to play with.”

The investigation into the threats against Peabody Magnet and Alexandria Senior high schools is ongoing. The threat against Pineville High School turned out not to be credible. Still, the juvenile arrested is charged with terrorizing and is booked into the Renaissance Home for Youth.

_________________________________________________

Many Louisiana colleges and universities are reporting record freshman enrollments for this school year. You can add UL-Lafayette to the list. Dr. DeWayne Bowie is the vice president for enrollment management.

Cut 7 (12) “…over last year.”

(3,214 incoming freshmen, nearly a five-percent increase over last year.) Dr. Bowie says besides being the largest freshman class in the school’s history, the quality of this year’s freshman class at UL-Lafayette is very good.

Cut 8 (09) “…is a 3.73.”

Bowie says despite the growing freshman class and, in effect, the growing overall student enrollment, UL-Lafayette prides itself in keeping class sizes down to a personal level.

Cut 9 (11)  “…we do that.”

UL-Lafayette’s overall enrollment is just under 20-thousand students, including almost 14-thousand undergraduate students.

___________________________________________

The Federal Highway Administration has given the state the green light to conduct an environmental assessment for a new proposed Mississippi River Bridge south of Baton Rouge. Louisiana Transportation Secretary Glenn Ledet (le-DAY) says the approval marks a significant step in advancing the projects, and it begins the formal process to ensure the bridge is planned responsibly.

Cut 10 (10) “…this associated project?”

DOTD has already identified three locations for a proposed bridge to cross south of the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge. Ledet says the environmental assessment will help engineers develop a more detailed road design, conceptual bridge designs and cost estimates for the three alternatives.

Cut 11 (12) “…the river.”

Two community briefings have been scheduled in December in St. Gabriel and Plaquemine. Four larger public meetings will follow in early 2026. Ledet says the goal is for the environmental assessment to take a year to complete.

Cut 12 (08) “…to reach.”

______________________________________________________

The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office says it made an arrest ten minutes after a 20-year-old man killed a 21-year-old man execution style, and then put the body in a trunk. Sheriff Mike Tregre (“traig”) says Saturday night, they received a 911 call about a gunshot near Railroad Avenue, and the caller also saw a man loading the body into an orange Dodge Charger.

Cut 13 (13)  “…very impressive.”

Tregre says a deputy saw a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle with a possible body inside the trunk. He says the deputy executed a traffic stop and the driver told deputies there was a body in the trunk.

Cut 14 (06) “…was sleeping.”

Tyler Bourgeois was arrested for second-degree murder, and the victim has been identified as Tylen Anderson. Both men are from LaPlace. Tregre says Bourgeois and Anderson knew each other, and a heated argument developed while the two were driving around Saturday night.

Cut 15 (12) “…Mr. Anderson.”

______________________________________________________

The Saints are pretty banged up injury-wise, but the black and gold could get tight end Taysom Hill back on the practice field this week. Head coach Kellen Moore said that it will take some time for Hill to get fully healthy, but the team is excited to bring back the veteran.

Cut 16 (15) “…fired up.”

One of the bright spots during the Saints 31-19 loss to the Bills was rookie safety Jonas Sanker. The third round draft pick intercepted Josh Allen while totaling five tackles and deflecting three passes. Moore says he is very impressed with Sanker’s growth.

Cut 17 (18)  “…to progress.”

The Saints had their most success running the ball so far this season against Buffalo, rushing for 189 yards. New Orleans running back Kendre Miller had a productive game against the Bills as he rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Moore says the former second round pick has done a great job of battling through injuries while earning additional playtime.

Cut 18 (17) “…hits it.”

__________________________________________________

ULM defeated Arkansas State for the first time in 15 years this past weekend. The Warhawks will hit the road to take on a talented Northwestern team who just beat UCLA. Head coach Bryant Vincent says that the team has a shot to beat the Big Ten team if they can continue to play together like it did against Arkansas State.

Cut 19 (22) “…do that.”

Northwestern is the second Power Four team ULM will face this season. Vincent says he favors playing games like this early on rather than later in the season.

Cut 20 (17) “…your team.”

 

5:30 LRN Newscast

All events during homecoming weekend at Peabody Magnet High School were cancelled because of what officials say was a credible security threat. Community activist Tony Brown says people had been lined up along the parade route for hours before word came down that the parade had been cancelled.

Cut 13 (11)  “…that got cancelled.”

The most exciting game of the weekend was in Lafayette as the Ragin Cajuns rallied back from a 17-point third quarter deficit and defeated Marshall 54-51 in double overtime. Backup quarterback Lunch Whitfield came off the bench and accounted for five touchdowns…

Cut 5 (12) “…just us.”

The Cajuns are off this Saturday and will visit James Madison on October 11th.

A woman is shot dead on Bourbon Street over the weekend. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Multiple reports have confirmed The College Football Playoff national championship game for the 2027 season will be played at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Jan. 24, 2028. The championship game that season will be played in addition to the Sugar Bowl, which will likely serve as a quarterfinal contest if the CFP stays under its current format.