LRN PM Newscall November 19

Three former employees at a Lake Charles Christian school are arrested for allegedly covering up sexual assaults involving football players. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

___________________________________________________

College football reporters had a chance today to ask Lane Kiffin about his coaching future. Jeff Palermo has more on what the Ole Miss coach had to say and didn’t say….

Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

______________________________________________________

Three former employees at a Lake Charles Christian school are arrested for allegedly covering up sexual assaults at the school from earlier this year. Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Stitch Guillory says there was a culture on the Hamilton Christian School football team in which older players would haze the younger players.

Cut 3 (07) “…a sexual assault.”

Sheriff Guillory says the principal at the time, Morgan Daugherty, and one of the assistant coaches, Dominique Washington, knew about the incidents and, as school personnel, they were required to report them to law enforcement.

Cut 4 (05) “…reported to us.”

Guillory says both Daugherty and Washington were arrested and charged with failure to report certain felonies and obstruction of justice; their bonds are set at more than a million dollars apiece.

Cut 5 (04) “…of our investigation.”

In addition, a school cook, 58-year-old Stacy Bargeman, was arrested for allegedly sending threatening messages to other school personnel about the investigation. She’s charged with cyberstalking, and her bond is set at 75-hundred dollars. No football players have been arrested so far; Guillory says the investigation is ongoing.

___________________________________________________

Louisiana is the first state in the country to be approved for almost 1.36-billion dollars in federal funding to expand broadband internet access across the state. Veneeth Iyengar, the executive director of Connect-L-A, says it will allow the state to provide everyone in the state with reliable, cost-effective high-speed internet.

Cut 6 (10) “…get to historically.”

Iyengar says the federal funding is a major milestone for the state’s GUMBO 2.0 program. 

Cut 7 (09) “…next 24 months.”

The announcement by the federal government comes on the heels of Connect-L-A completing a major broadband expansion project in Vernon Parish. Iyengar says despite the scope of that project, it still left out three-thousand locations in the parish, and this federal funding will allow it to finish the job.

Cut 8 (10) “…1.36-billion-dollar announcement.”

___________________________________________________

Lincoln Parish is mourning the death of Ruston Fire Department Chief Chris Womack, who died at the age of 54 after a brief battle with cancer.  Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker appointed Womack as fire chief in 2015 and says his leadership of that department is unparalleled…

Cut 9 (10)  “..was fair.”

Walker says during Womack’s time as Fire Chief, the Ruston Fire Department achieved a Class 1 rating for the first time in the city’s history.  The mayor says Chief Womack also played a critical role in the construction of a new fire station and fire tower for training. Walker says Womack started with the Ruston Fire Department in the early 1990s…

Cut 10 (10) “…he did.”

Walker says Womack will be missed…

Cut 11 (11) “…the state.”

Walker says Womack found out months ago he had cancer after the disease was detected because of a new-mandatory state cancer screening for current and former firefighters.

___________________________________________________

Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin was grilled by reporters about his future during the SEC football coaches weekly media teleconference, but Kiffin didn’t provide any new insight. Kiffin was asked if Rebels athletics director Keith Carter has given him an ultimatum to decide on where he plans to coach next season…

Cut 12 (10) “…this point.”

Speculation over Kiffin’s future at Ole Miss has been the talk of college football. The rumors really began to swirl after Kiffin’s ex-wife, Layla Kiffin, reportedly visited Gainesville and Baton Rouge this week as Florida and LSU have targeted Kiffin as their top target to be their next head coach.

There have been reports Ole Miss does not want Kiffin coaching the team in the playoffs if he’s planning on staying. So he was asked will he coach in the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State on November 28th

Cut 13 (09)  “ be at work.”

The early signing period for recruits is in the first week of December, so programs that have vacancies at head coach are really pushing to have a head coach in place before December third. Here’s a direct question to Kiffin about coaching the Rebels in the postseason…

Cut 14 (05) “…other jobs.”