LRN PM Newscall May 8

Mother’s Day is Sunday, and a state Senate candidate wants to fly one lucky mother anywhere in the US to visit her kids. Brooke Thorington tells us why.

Cut 1 (31)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

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Former President Donald Trump has officially endorsed Jeff Landry in the Louisiana governor’s race. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (31)  “….I’m Jeff Palermo” 

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An Arkansas man in Louisiana for a birthday celebration was killed by an 18-year-old during a carjacking incident in Hammond. Chief Jimmy Travis with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office says it happened Saturday morning when 62-year-old Paul Holt and his wife were trying to leave for a cruise.

Cut 3 (09) “….to the ground.”

Holt died from his injuries at a local hospital. Travis says Holt and his wife were on their way to New Orleans to celebrate his birthday, he would have turned 63 on Sunday.

Travis says surveillance footage from the hotel aided in their search for the suspect, Ladarrius Evans of Hammond, who was arrested at his home where they found stolen items from the couple along with the murder weapon.

Cut 4 (08)  “…in Hammond.” 

Travis says Holt was checking out of the hotel when he saw his wife being thrown from the car and he attempted to stop Evans from stealing the car. He calls it a tragic incident

Cut 5 (10) “…his victim.”

Evans is charged with first-degree murder, carjacking, possession of n unidentifiable firearm, armed robbery with a firearm, and possession of a machine gun (a Glock Switch).

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Senate District 21 candidate Stephen Swiber knows there’s no one like your mother to persuade you, so he’s going to fly one lucky mother to anywhere in the US to visit their child and convince them to move home with his BackToTheBayou.com campaign.

Cut 6 (09)  “…have moved.” 

Because so many residents are leaving the state for better opportunities he says he’s running for Senate to change that and improve Louisiana’s outmigration problem. And the contest isn’t limited to District 21 which includes St. Mary and parts of other coastal parishes.

Cut 7 (05)  “…Mother’s Day.” 

According to a recent US News and World Report, Swiber says Louisiana ranks 50th and is even being eclipsed by Mississippi at 48th. He says the state can no longer ignore outmigration.

Cut 8 (10)  “…Rouge at all.” 

To enter visit BackToTheBayou.com

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Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Attorney General Jeff Landry in the governor’s race. U-L-M Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says this is a significant development in the governor’s race as Trump is well-liked by Republican voters in Louisiana…

Cut 9 (08) “….for President.”

Trump says in his endorsement message that Landry has been a fantastic A-G and he wants to stop crime. The former president also says Landry loves the people of Louisiana just like he does.

Landry is one of five major Republicans running for governor and is considered a front-runner to make a run-off, because of the financial backing he’s already received. Cross says a high-profile endorsement from a former president is also extremely helpful…

Cut 10 (11) “…foregone conclusion” 

Cross says Republican candidate Stephen Waguespack could have used an endorsement from Trump. He says not having it, makes it difficult for his campaign to be successful…

Cut 11 (10)  “… much harder.”

In the last Louisiana governor’s race, Trump endorsed businessman Eddie Rispone and made several trips to Louisiana on his behalf, but Governor John Bel Edwards was still re-elected.

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Louisiana schools showed improvement on the latest state rankings for Pre-K through 12 education in 2023 based on data by U.S. News and World Report. The statistics show Louisiana moved up five places jumping from 46th to 41st in 2023. Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says the positive gains reflect the commitment of educators…

Cut 12 (08) “…to go.” 

The report shows from 2019-2023 the state’s high school graduation rank improved jumping 8 spots from 45th to 37th.  The state also moved forward six places in math ranks from 50th to 44th. Brumley says reading scores improved drastically.

Cut 13 (08) “…of years.” 

The improvement is similar to data released earlier this year in The Nation’s Report Card which showed similar improvement in the state’s education outcomes. NAEP’s data shows where Louisiana 4th graders ranked #1 in the country in reading growth.

Cut 14 (12)  “…we are.”

Louisiana’s students earned the most significant year-over-year increase on state assessments since 2016, as students increased three points in both ELA and math. The state’s overall School Performance Score returned to its pre-pandemic level.