LRN AM Newscall September 29

You can count Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple among those who would support a change to how the National Hurricane Center rates the strength of hurricanes. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

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A southwest Louisiana man who raped and molested multiple children in the 1990s and then fled to the Midwest has been sentenced to life in prison. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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LSU football suffered its first loss of the season against Ole Miss by a score of 24 to 19 after yet another poor offensive showing. Andre Champagne has the story…

Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Andre Champagne.”

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You can count Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple among those who would support a change in how the National Hurricane Center rates the strength of hurricanes. Currently, the hurricane center rates hurricanes from Category One to Category Five based solely on wind speed. A consortium of experts from the University of South Florida is proposing a different system that would also consider rainfall and storm surge, which Temple says are often more dangerous than wind speed.

Cut 4 (06) “…actual wind speeds.”

Temple says the proposed new rating system would better assist governments in deciding when to issue evacuation orders.

Cut 5 (09) “…need to evacuate.”

Temple says the proposed new hurricane rating system would give very different ratings for notable storms in the past that had been given relatively lower ratings on the Saffir-Simpson Scale based on wind speed alone.

Cut 6 (09) “…these other variables.”

The proposed new scale would include an overall Category Six designation for the most severe storms – those with Category Five designations in two or more factors.

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A south Louisiana man, who went on the run for more than 20 years after raping and molesting several children in the 1990s, has been sentenced to three consecutive life sentences in prison. Calcasieu Parish District Attorney Stephen Dwight says Choy Van Leo fled southwest Louisiana in 2000 after he was indicted and it was not until last year that he was found working at a restaurant in small town of Spirit Lake, Iowa…

Cut 7 (05) “…he may be.”

The 61-year-old Van Leo was brought back to Louisiana, and he was convicted last month on three counts of aggravated rape and four counts of child molestation.  Dwight says the victims were between the ages of four and 12-years-old and the crimes happened from 1992 to 2000….

Cut 8 (07) “…faced their accuser.”

Dwight says the juvenile victims were either family members or friends of his family.

Van Leo owned a restaurant in Sulphur and owned an Asian restaurant in Spring Lake, Iowa. Dwight says he thought he got away with it…

Cut 9 (05)  “…anything like that.”

Van Leo was arrested in May of 2024.

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LSU Health Shreveport is awarded a 7.5-million-dollar grant from the National Science Foundation to launch a new research center. It’s the first NSF-funded center grant in the history of LSUHS. Dr. Oren Rom, the senior associate dean for basic and translational research, says the center will provide research opportunities for students at every level.

Cut 10 (12) “…and so on.”

Dr. Rom says as part of the research center, they will teach them the basic skills in biotechnology and molecular biology, specifically in the field of metabolic research to combat diseases like obesity, diabetes and liver disease.

Cut 11 (07) “…tackle those diseases.”

Rom says research into combatting those diseases is very important, especially in Louisiana.

Cut 12 (14) “…throughout the world.”

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LSU football suffered its first loss of the season to Ole Miss by a score of 24 -19. The Tigers were unable to move the ball during most of the evening, totaling just 254 total yards of offense. LSU was only 2 for 11 on third downs. Head coach Brian Kelly said the coaching staff has to do a better job of putting the players in position to convert.

Cut 13 (12)  “…some plays.”

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier had one of his worst games in the purple and gold, throwing for only 197 yards with a touchdown and costly interception. Although Nussmeier struggled for most of the night, Kelly says the offense’s failure comes as a collective unit.

Cut 14 (13) “…the ball.”

The Tigers rushed for 57 yards against one of the worst rush defenses in the nation. LSU handed the ball off to running backs only two times in the first half. Kelly blamed a lack of plays…

Cut 15 (12) “…first half.”

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The Ragin Cajuns ended a two-game losing streak with an unbelievable double overtime 54-51 victory over Marshall to begin Sun Belt play. U-L Lafayette was down by 17 points in the third quarter, but Coach Michael Desormeaux says his team didn’t blink…

Cut 16 (17) “…this group.”

The Cajuns were coming off a blown off loss to Missouri and three point defeat Eastern Michigan. The victory gives U-L Lafayette a 2-3 record heading into its first by weekend. Desormeaux says he’s proud of how his team responded to a two-game losing streak…

Cut 17 (18)  “…to win.”

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Louisiana Tech improved to 4-and-1 and 2-and-0 in Conference USA play with another dominating defensive performance on Saturday night in El Paso as the Bulldogs defeated UTEP 30-11. Tech intercepted five passes; two were returned for a touchdown. Unfortunately, Kolbe Fields suffered what appeared to be a serious injury on one of the interceptions. Coach Sonny Cumbie says they may have to move on without Fields…

Cut 18 (18) “…football team.”

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ULM fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter but rallied to beat Arkansas State for a 28-16 win and their first win over the Red Wolves since 2009. Warhawks Coach Bryant Vincent says the defense played great as they did not allow an offensive touchdown and sacked A-S-U quarterback Jaylen Raynor multiple times…

Cut 19 (18) “…pretty good.”

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The Saints kept it close; but once again, they just couldn’t get over the hump as they fell to the Buffalo Bills, 31-19. The loss drops the Saints to 0-and-4 on the season and left quarterback Spencer Rattler still searching for his first NFL win as a starting quarterback. After the game, Head Coach Kellen Moore said the Saints will keep improving and will get into the win column soon.

Cut 20 (19) “…of these games.”

The Saints appeared to take a 22-21 lead six minutes into the 4th quarter on a 17-yard pass to Brandin Cooks, but the touchdown was overturned after replay showed the ball hitting the turf. The Saints settled for a field goal, and the Bills scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive to seal the win.