LRN AM Newscall November 12

Governor Jeff Landry’s tax reform agenda gets approval from the House Ways and Means committee and moves to the House Floor for debate.  Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 1 (34) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

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The spectacle is over, but questions about the tiger brought into Death Valley linger on. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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The high school football playoffs kick off Friday and the division one brackets are loaded with great teams. Jeff Palermo has a preview…

Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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The Louisiana House Ways & Means Committee approved several bills central to Governor Jeff Landry’s tax reform agenda, moving them to the House floor for further debate. Key elements include a corporate income tax rate of 3.5-percent, which would replace the current 7.5%.  Political Analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the question becomes how do we replace that revenue?

Cut 4 (15) “…talking about 70.”

Another major proposal seeks to repeal the state’s corporate franchise tax, which currently imposes additional costs on large businesses operating in Louisiana. Pinsonat says supporters believe eliminating this tax will attract more businesses to the state, fostering job growth and economic expansion.

Cut 5 (12) “…population exodus.”

The upcoming House debates will address both the benefits and potential drawbacks of this substantial tax overhaul.  Pinsonat says all signs point to the bills passing.

Cut 6 (10) “…be so certain.”

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The live tiger spectacle at Death Valley came and went, but many questions remain – including who paid to import the tiger into Louisiana from Florida. Piper Hutchinson with the Louisiana Illuminator has been following this story since she broke it last Thursday, and she says she’s been told that no public money was used.

Cut 7 (09) “…the governor’s spokesperson.”

Over the weekend, PETA claimed in a press release that the importing of the tiger into Louisiana was illegal, since the tiger’s owner, Mitchel Kalmanson of Maitland, Florida, did not have a specific exemption. Hutchinson is not aware of any potential criminal ramifications.

Cut 8 (09) “…into what happened.”

The tiger, named Omar Bradley, was wheeled out onto the field about 15 minutes prior to kickoff and was wheeled out a few minutes later and was about two miles from the stadium by the time the team took the field to pyrotechnics. Hutchinson said Omar appeared visibly uncomfortable.

Cut 9 (14)  “…was very startled.”

LSU has not said a word about the spectacle and has ignored all requests for comment.

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The Louisiana Motor Transport Association is out with its biggest current concerns for the trucking industry. Executive Director Renee Amar (AY-mar) says at the top of the list is soaring insurance premiums.

Cut 10 (08) “…next year’s vehicles.”

And Amar says that’s driving them right out of the state.

Cut 11 (09) “…and monthly basis.”

She says that’s why it’s imperative that the legislature tackle this in the next session. The other top concerns are lawsuit abuse and medical costs.

Cut 12 (10) “…up on us.”

Other concerns include the economy, driver shortages, fuel prices and driver distraction.

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The high school football playoff brackets are out and there are 208 schools who have visions of making it to the state championship game. LHSAA Network reporter Spencer Verrett (veh-RET) says the division four select bracket, which has Vermilion Catholic as the top seed, looks extremely tough…

Cut 13 (12)  “…get to the dome.”

In Division One select, Edna Karr and Alexandria Senior High are the top two seeds, but Verrett says three are three schools from the Lafayette area that could play in the prep Classic…

Cut 14 (14) “…Acadiana.”

In Division Two select, Shaw, University, E-D White and Haynes Academy are the top four seeds. Verrett says the seventh seeded Wampus Cats of Leesville are a sleeper…

Cut 15 (06) “…the state.”

In the second round, Leesville will play the winner of this Friday’s game between Loyola Prep and Sophie B Wright.

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LSU Coach Brian Kelly says lack of consistency is what sticks out the most after breaking down the tape of Saturday night’s 42-13 loss to Alabama. The loss to the Crimson Tide likely knocked the Tigers out of playoff contention, but Kelly says the focus for his team the rest of the way is to be more consistent

Cut 16 (14) “….important thing.” 

Saturday night’s loss to Alabama was the worst loss the Tigers have suffered since Kelly took over as coach of LSU. There are concerns among the fan base on whether Kelly can make the Tigers a championship contender. But Kelly says despite the loss to Alabama, this is a program headed in the right direction…

Cut 17 (17) “…have here” 

LSU’s defense has struggled the last six quarters, the second half against Texas A&M and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe ran over the Bayou Bengals. With three regular season contests and a bowl game left, freshmen can play in these upcoming games and not lose their red shirt. Kelly says you might see some new jersey numbers on the field…

Cut 18 (23)   “…red shirt”