10:30 LRN Newscast

Very cold morning as temperatures are below freezing with wind chills in the teens into single digits. National Weather Service meteorologist Cameron Kowalski says be prepared for another cold morning tomorrow…
cut 9 (12) “…low as 12”
Single digit lows are expected near the Arkansas border.

Three Natchitoches police officers are recovering from injuries after attempting to arrest 25-year-old Lakendra Bolton who allegedly tried to steal from Super One Foods. Natchitoches police spokesperson John Greely says two of the officers were injured when trying to arrest her in the parking lot…
cut 6 (05) “…ran over them”
Greely says Bolton injured another officer when she rammed a police-vehicle head on which ended the pursuit. The officers injuries are considered serious to minor and Bolton faces several charges including three counts of attempted first-degree murder.

Governor Jeff Landry urges state legislators to pass a Congressional map with two black voting districts and makes the case for closed primaries. …
Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

Landry says he supports Catahoula Parish Senator Glen Womack’s proposal for a new Congressional District map, which creates a second majority Black district by drastically changing Republican Congressman Garret Graves’ district, stretching it from Baton Rouge to Shreveport. Graves says the map ignores redistricting principles.

9:30 LRN Newscast

It’s a cold morning in Louisiana and that brisk wind out of the north is not helping. Cameron Kowalski is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles…
Cut 7 (11) “…mid 30s”
In north Louisiana, temperatures will struggle to get to 30 degrees and for central Louisiana high temperatures will struggle to get to the freezing mark.

It could be a struggle for Governor Jeff Landry to get his proposed closed party primary system for elections approved by legislators in the ongoing special session. But Pollster Bernie Pinsonat just completed a survey that shows 70-percent of respondents said party primaries in the spring and general elections in the fall would give voters more time to know the candidates…
cut 5 (10) “….for months”

Governor Jeff Landry opened the special session yesterday by calling on lawmakers to pass a Congressional map with two majority Black voting districts. Landry says if the state Legislature does not do it before the special session ends on January 23rd, the federal courts will
Cut 13 (12) “..federal judge”

Chair of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus Candace Newell took to the House floor before Landry spoke and said she’s received assurances from the governor and Republican Legislative leadership that they will pass a map with two voting Black districts
Cut 14 (11) “..what is right”

8:30 LRN Newscast

Wind chills are in the single digits and for north Louisiana, high temperatures will not get above freezing. Meteorologist Cameron Kowalski with the National Weather Service,,,
cut 8 (08) “…freezing mark”
Central and south Louisiana will see high temperatures today in the mid 30s.

Because of the winter precipitation that fell yesterday and early this morning, dozens of elevated roadways and highways are closed. State Police Trooper Ryan Davis says if you run into an issue while traveling, call star LSP…
cut 12 (10) “…their trip”
Hundreds of vehicles were stuck on the I-10 and I-210 bridges in Lake Charles yesterday as a result of a crash and icing. Westlake Police say a 37-year-old Lake Charles man died after he jumped off the bridge.

State offices are closed today but state lawmakers are at the capitol working on approving a new Congressional map that would contain two majority-Black districts, instead of one. Governor Jeff Landry is also calling for legislators to approve a new supreme court map…
cut 16 (16) “…as another one”
There’s a proposal to increase the number of justices from seven to nine.

Also up for debate in this special session is a proposal to change Louisiana’s open jungle primary to a closed primary system. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat just conducted a statewide survey and found support for closed primaries, but it’s not overwhelming…
cut 6 (10) “…the other”
Project Louisiana Values funded the poll.

7:30 LRN Newscast

The winter precipitation has moved out of Louisiana but several elevated roadways remain iced over….
cut 2 (29) “….I’m Teiko Foxx”

I-10 between St. Martin Parish and Baton Rouge, including the Atchafalya Basin Bridge is shut down. DOTD spokesperson Rodney Mallett…
cut 27 (08) “…ice over”
No timeline on when these iced over roads will re-open.

Governor Jeff Landry opened the special session by calling on lawmakers to pass a Congressional map with two majority Black voting districts. Landry says if the state Legislature does not do it before the special session ends on January 23rd, the federal courts will
Cut 13 (12) “..federal judge”
Landry also wants lawmakers to pass legislation that would shift Louisiana from the jungle primary system to closed party primaries. Pollster Bernie Pinsonat conducted a poll last week and found a majority of the 600 respondents approve of several features of a closed party primary…
cut 4 (12) “….revealing”

6:45 LRN Sportscast

A slow start in Dallas led to a 125 to 120 loss for the Pelicans against the Mavericks. New Orleans was just 3 of 17 from the field in the first quarter. Head Coach Willie Green says Dallas had them on their heels to start the game.
Cut 17 (16) “… physical team.”
The Pelicans finish up a five-game road trip with a 3-and-2 record. They are 24-17 at the halfway point of the season.

Tampa Bay is moving on in the N-F-C playoffs as Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes in the Buccaneers 32-9 win over the Eagles. One of those touchdown passes went to former Kentwood star Trey Palmer.

And the Falcons have interviewed future hall of fame coach Bill Belichick.

McNeese took over sole possession of first place in the Southland Conference with an 88-69 win over Lamar University last night. Coach Will Wade’s team exploded for 47 points in the second half…
cut 20 (16) “…as well”
The Cowboys are 4-and-0 in the Southland and at 15-and-2 overall, McNeese is receiving votes in the AP Top 25 poll for the first time in program history.

Also in the Southland…Nicholls rallied from a 17-point second half deficit to beat UNO 78-75. Northwestern State held on to beat Houston Christian 69-64, while Southeastern Louisiana lost to Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi 73-68.

Southern lost to Bethune Cookman 83-81 in overtime to fall to 3-and-1 in the SWAC. Grambling improved to 3-and-1 in the SWAC with a 65-52 win at Florida A-and-M.

Louisiana Tech athletics director Eric Wood is moving on as he’s accepted the position of Senior Deputy A-D at Ole Miss. Wood was in Ruston for over three years.

6:30 LRN Newscast

Governor Jeff Landry opened the start of a eight-day special session urging legislators to approve a Congressional District map that adds a second majority minority district. He also wants legislation approved that will shift Louisiana’s elections from a jungle open primary to closed party primaries. He says voters that belong to a political party should have the right to choose their candidate to represent them in the General election
cut 15 (14) “….decipher”
The special session must end by January 23rd.

We are in the middle of a deep freeze in Louisiana. Cold temperatures and winter precipitation has led to….
cut 10 (03) “….roads and bridges”
That’s State Trooper Ryan Davis who says numerous bridges, on-ramps, and elevated highways are closed this morning.

Temperatures are in the teens and wind chills are in the single digits on this frosty morning. Colleen Crain reports the extreme cold will last until tomorrow morning…
cut 1 (30) “..I”m Colleen Crain”

And this winter weather has produced power outages. Entergy says 11-thousand customers are without power and many of those outages are in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas. Cleco has over 500 customers without power and SWEPCO has over 300 customers without power in the Shreveport area.

LRN AM Newscall January 16

Louisiana is feeling more like a deep freeze than the Deep South. Colleen Crain has more on Tuesday and Wednesday’s extreme cold.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

_______________________________________________

As wintery weather conditions impact the state, a combination of freezing rain, ice, and snow in north Louisiana is causing hazardous driving conditions for motorists. Teiko Foxx has more on what this means for drivers.

Cut 2 (33)  “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”

______________________________________________

Governor Jeff Landry urges state legislators to pass a Congressional map with two black voting districts and makes the case for closed primaries. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

______________________________________________

A new poll released shows there is support for closed primaries. A survey released last week found that 56 percent oppose changing to a closed primary system. But Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says a majority of respondents to his survey of 600 likely voters approve several features of a closed-party primary…

Cut 4 (12) “..revealing”

59 percent said it makes sense for Republicans and Democrats to pick their party candidates in a closed primary and 56 percent like the idea of a November ballot with one Democrat, one Republican, and potentially independent candidates.

Pinsonat says 70 percent of their respondents said party primaries in the spring and general elections in the fall would give voters more time to understand the candidates…

Cut 5 (10) “,…for months” 

Heated debate at the capitol is expected over Governor Jeff Landry’s proposal to shift from the state’s unique open “jungle primary” system to closed party primaries. Pinsonat says there is support for closed primaries but it’s not overwhelming

Cut 6 (10) “…the other”

Project Louisiana Values funded the poll. Legislators will debate a shift to closed party primaries during the ongoing special session.

___________________________________________

Frigid weather is impacting Louisiana so just how cold is it going to feel Tuesday and Wednesday? Cameron Kowalski with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says the wind is going to make it feel even colder along the I-10 corridor.

Cut 7 (11) “…mid 30s”

North Louisiana is expected to see temperatures as low as 10 degrees Tuesday with wind gusts possibly up to 25 miles per hour and the day’s highs will still be extremely cold says Kowalski…

Cut 8 (08) “…freezing mark.” 

By Wednesday morning winds will die down but Kowalski says temperatures will drop even lower as the skies clear.

Cut 9 (12)  “…low as 12.”

____________________________________________________________________

Louisiana State Police urges motorists to use caution as the roads could be slick this morning. Trooper Ryan Davis says DOTD crews have been applying salt and de-icing agents to bridges impacted by winter precipitation.

Cut 10 (03) “…roads and bridges”

Motorists should drive slowly and allow extra time to get to your destination.

Davis recommends staying off the roadway until conditions improve but if you drive, let someone know…

Cut 11 (11) “…them assistance.” 

Several roads, bridges and overpasses are closed. It’s illegal and and unsafe to drive around a road-closed barricade and violators can be fined up to 500 dollars or face jail time.

If you get stranded, Davis says motorists can call star-LSP or star-577 for help…

Cut 12 (10) “…their trip.” 

___________________________________________________________________

Governor Jeff Landry opened the special session by calling on lawmakers to pass a Congressional map with two majority Black voting districts. Landry says if the state Legislature does not do it before the special session ends on January 23rd, the federal courts will

Cut 13 (12) “..federal judge”

Judge Shelly Dick ordered Louisiana to redraw the Congressional map by January 30th. The current map violates the Voting Rights Act, because the state’s population is one-third Black, therefore one-third of the state’s Congressional districts should have a Black majority.

Chair of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus Candace Newell took to the House floor before Landry spoke and said she’s received assurances from the governor and Republican Legislative leadership that they will pass a map with two voting Black districts

Cut 14 (11) “..what is right” 

During this special session, Landry also wants legislators to pass legislation that will shift Louisiana’s elections from the jungle open primary to closed party primaries. He says it’s only right for voters in a political party to choose their candidate to represent them in the General Election…

Cut 15 (14) “…decipher”

Landry is also urging legislators to pass a new Supreme Court Justice District map. There are currently seven districts and Landry says there should be two Black-majority districts. He says the federal courts are threatening to draw a new map if the Louisiana Legislature doesn’t…

Cut 16 (16) “..as another one” 

Legislators will also debate whether there should be nine Supreme Court districts instead of the current seven.

_______________________________________________________________________

The Pelicans lost a close, back-and-forth game to the Dallas Mavericks yesterday 125 to 120. Dallas was physical which contributed to the Mavericks’ 32 free throws on the afternoon as the Pelicans got into foul trouble early in the game. New Orleans Head Coach Willie Green says Dallas had them on their heels to start the game.

Cut 17 (22) “… physical team.” 

Another influential factor in the Mavericks win was the play of Dallas Center Dereck Lively II and Point Guard Kyrie Irving who both had big nights as Irving scored 42 points, had 7 rebounds, and 7 assists and Lively had 12 rebounds. Green says most of Lively’s rebounds were during big moments and created key opportunities for the Mavs.

Cut 18 (23)  “… back out.” 

CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson combined for 53 of New Orleans’ 120 points against Dallas. McCollum also had 6 rebounds and 4 assists and says that a big part of his success in the game was adopting a more aggressive style of play.

Cut 19 (15) “… second quarter.” 

5:30 PM Newscast

Two adults and a minor have been arrested in connection with the shooting outside Bogalusa High School that took the life of a 14-year-old body and left a 13-year-old hospitalized last week. Bogalusa Police say a 16-year-old has been charged with first degree murder. 21-year-old Jamichael Spikes has been charged with several offenses including principal to attempted second degree murder. 18-year-old Caleb Moss was arrested on several charges including accessory after the fact of first-degree murder. The investigation is ongoing.

An arrest has been made in the weekend murder of a mother and her young child in Gonzales over the weekend.  Investigators are calling the shootings of Christina Lynn Artus, 41, and Kaylee Forcell, 1 year a domestic violence situation.The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested Kalvin N. Forcell, 39, of Donaldsonville, on two counts of first-degree murder; simple burglary (vehicle); unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling; theft of a vehicle over $25,000; illegal use of weapons; and possession of a firearm by persons convicted of certain felonies.

Snow sleet and freezing rain has been falling across northern parishes of Louisiana. For south Louisiana light rain is expected to turn to freezing rain into tomorrow morning but only a glaze of ice is possible on roads and the ground. LRN meteorologist Bill Jacquemin

Cut 8 (09) “…into tomorrow” 

Louisiana and the world of Cajun and Country music morns Jo-El Sonnier, the man who took the music of South Louisiana to the world. Saturday, while on tour in Texas, Sonnier received a standing ovation for one of his biggest hits, Tear-Stained Letter, before he left the stage to rest before signing autographs. Minutes later he suffered a fatal heart attack. Cajun Music Historian, Wade Falcon…

Cut 12 (11)  “…this world.”  

Sonnier had a reputation for generosity. He performed and collaborated with many well-known Cajun and Country artists.

4:45 LRN Sportscast

The LSU Men’s basketball team suffered its first SEC loss against Auburn on Saturday 78 to 93. The game saw Louisiana’s own Jordan Wright score 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists on the night. The Tigers struggled to keep possession of the ball against what LSU Head Coach Matt McMahon says is an elite Auburn team.

Cut 19 (19) “ … in transition.”

LSU will host Ole Miss on Wednesday with tip off at 6:00 pm on the SEC Network.

The LSU Lady Tigers also suffered their first SEC loss to Auburn 67 to 62 on Sunday. Angel Reese had 24 points and 11 rebounds and Aneesah Morrow had 12 points and 15 rebounds for the game. The loss dropped LSU from number 7 to number 10 in the newest AP Rankings and LSU Head Coach Kim Mulkey says that there’s a lot of room to improve after the loss.

In other college basketball news, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs defeated the Liberty Flames in an overtime thriller on Sunday 80 to 76. Bulldogs Head Coach Talvin Hester says that a big reason the Bulldogs won was because of the play of forward Daniel Batcho.

Cut 16 (13) “… tough team.”

Daniel Batcho was named the Conference USA player of the week after averaging 18.5 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks in Louisiana Tech’s wins over Middle Tennessee and Liberty.

And a big day for McNeese’s men’s basketball team as it received it’s first ever Associated Press Top 25 Men’s Basketball Poll vote. The Cowboys are 14 and 2 on the season and 3 and 0 in Southland conference play with a 74 to 65 win over Southeastern on Saturday.

In LSU Transfer Portal news, Liberty wide receiver CJ Daniels has transferred to LSU after a 1,067 yard and 10 touchdown performance last season.

 

4:30 LRN Newscast

We’re seeing a good bit of wintry preciptiation falling across the state and that will continue into the morning hours. There’s also plenty of cold air that pushing towards the coast. LRN meteorologist Bill Jacquemin says there’s a hard freeze warning for most of the state…
cut 7 (07) “…on Wednesday”

A special legislative session is underway in Baton Rouge. Teiko Foxx reports the top priority is drawing new boundaries for the state’s Congressional map…
Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Teiko Foxx”

A new poll released shows there is support for closed primaries. A survey released last week found that 56-percent oppose changing to a closed primary system. But Pollster Bernie Pinsonat says a majority of respondents to his survey of 600 likely voters approve several features of a closed party primary…
Cut 4 (12) “..revealing”
59-percent said it makes sense for Republicans and Democrats to pick their own party candidates in a closed primary.

Cajun and country musician Jo’el Sonnier has died at the age of 77. Sonnier won a Grammy in 2015 for “The Legacy” Album, he also had some great country music hits. Cajun Music historian Wade Falcon…
cut 14 (11) “….multiple times”
Sonnier died after a concert in Texas on Saturday night.