LRN PM Newscall November 2nd

It’s the day before Election Day, and the campaigns are pulling out all the stops. Andrew Greenstein reports.

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Lafayette Police are looking for the person who was involved in stabbing that left one dead and two others injured. Jeff Palermo has the story…

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Today is the day when the campaigns reach the make-it-or-break-it point, with voters heading to the polls tomorrow. Throughout the entire campaign, Julia Letlow has been viewed as the overwhelming favorite to beat Jamie Davis and become Louisiana’s next U.S. Senator. As such, since beating John Fleming in the June Republican runoff, Letlow has all but gone radio silent. Dillard University Political Science Professor Robert Collins says only in recent days has her campaign started to make noise.

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Among the things the Letlow campaign would not like is a poll that came out on Friday from Hart Research that shows Letlow and Davis tied at 45-percent support apiece. Collins says things that are hurting Republicans nationwide also very much apply to Louisiana.

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Of the 530-thousand voters who have cast early and absentee ballots, more than 34-percent are Black. In fact, almost twice as many Black voters showed up to the polls in early voting this year than in the last midterm election in 2022, when John Kennedy was on the ballot. Collins says those voters are retaliating against the legislature, and not just for redrawing the district lines following the Callais decision.

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Political reporter for the Advocate newspaper, Tyler Bridges,  has been following the U-S Senate race for months now. Bridges, who was a guest on WRKF’s Talk Louisiana, says the Democratic candidate in the race, Jamie Davis, does not have as much funding as Republican Julie Letlow, but Davis is doing what he can to get his message out…

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Bridges says Letlow and Davis have ran two different campaigns…

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Letlow has been a heavy favorite to win the U-S Senate race. Bridges says the Congresswoman has been careful not to make any mistakes. Her campaign says she’s visited all 64 parishes, but Bridges says overall, there has not been, a lot of noticeable campaigning…

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When you leave the office at the end of the day today, there’s a very good chance you will be driving home after dark, now that we’re back in standard time. As such, it’s going to take our bodies a few days to get used to the new daylight pattern. Don Redman with Triple-A says it’s especially important this time of year to listen to your bodies.

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Redman says the most common hours of the day when drivers feel drowsy may surprise you.

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With the time change, there’s also a greater risk of encountering wild animals, such as deer, during your commute. Redman says a majority of fatal crashes involving animals involve evasive measures drivers take in trying to avoid hitting the animals.

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A study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, found that 14 people died in Louisiana in animal-related  crashes from 202o to 2024, including five in 2024.

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The Saints have parted ways with run game coordinator T.J. Paganetti after the team’s bye week. The Black and Gold rank in the bottom five of the NFL with 86 rushing yards a game and ran for just 18 yards against the Steelers in their last game. Head coach Kellen Moore says O-line coach Brendan Nugent will take over the run game as the staff looks to improve its workflow.

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Moore says there have been positives in the run game, but it has not been consistent. He says changes will be made fundamentally, schematically and from a play-calling perspective.

Cut 13 (11) “…some things up.”

The Saints have been without op running back Travis Etienne (AY-chan) since Week 3. He is eligible to return from a hamstring injury after five weeks on injured reserve, but Moore says that decision will be made on Wednesday.

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Eighth-overall pick Jordyn Tyson could also return to practice this week after suffering a hamstring injury during training camp. Reports suggest he could be back as soon as Sunday’s matchup with the Browns. Moore says he has not suffered any re-injuries during his nearly three-month recovery process but did not confirm whether he would practice this week.