8:30 LRN newscast April 26

The Louisiana House approves legislation that would require insurers to cover evacuation expenses, even if a mandatory evacuation order was not issued. Brooke Thorington has more…
cut 3 (34) “…..I’m Brooke Thorington’

That bill heads to the Senate for more consideration.

The number of COVID patients in the hospital is down to 38 and there’s only one COVID patient in Louisiana on a ventilator. Both of these are new lows for the pandemic. The state reported six more COVID deaths bringing the death toll to 17,229.

A House bill to make it illegal to refuse to rent or sell housing to a person based on gender identity or sexual orientation advanced out of the House Commerce Committee Monday. New Orleans Democrat Representative Aimee Freeman says her legislation mirrors existing federal law…:
Cut 4 (11) “…with federal law.”
There was a motion to defer the bill, but it failed and the measure made it out of the House committee without objection.

A proposal to double the fines on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge is heading to the Senate floor after it received approval from the Senate Finance Committee. Senate President Page Cortez’s legislation needed Senate Finance approval because it will cost the state to put up additional speed limit signs and cameras to issue tickets…
Cut 11 (12) “…off of it.”

7:30 LRN newscast

The Louisiana House has approved legislation requiring insurance companies to cover evacuation expenses. This was an issue following Hurricane Ida as State Farm refused to cover the evacuation costs of its policyholders. Kenner Representative Joseph Stagni says he received numerous calls from constituents who were denied such expenses…
cut 15 (10) “…that is needed”
The bill passed on a 68-31 vote and heads to the Senate for further consideration.

A bill heading to the House floor would make it illegal under state law to refuse to rent or sell housing to a person because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Metairie Republican Representative Polly Thomas questions the need, when housing discrimination against LGBTQ individuals is already illegal under federal law…
cut 5 (12) “….to be adequate”

The Senate Finance Committee approves legislation that would double the fine for speeding on the I-10 Atchafalaya Basin Bridge between Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Senate President Page Cortez is seeking lawmakers’ approval to use cameras to issue speeding tickets based on how fast it takes a vehicle to get from one end to the other…
Cut 10 (05) “…the exits.”
The speed limit on the 18-mile bridge is 60 miles per hour for cars so vehicles that make it across the bridge faster than 18 minutes could receive a speeding ticket in the mail.

According to MatchPoint Connection, Brother Martin state champion wrestler Richie Clementi is the first Louisiana High School athlete to sign a name, image and likeness deal. It’s with Friendly Powersports Slidell and the undefeated wrestler says the endorsement deal allows him to concentrate on his sport…
cut 8 (12) “…..at tournaments”
Clementi says there’s the potential he signs multiple NIL deals.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

The Pelicans look to win another playoff game on the road tonight as they face Phoenix in Game Five of their playoff series. Rookie forward Herb Jones will need to play well again. In Game Four, Jones blocked three shots, all of them coming on three-point attempts, making him the only player over the last two seasons to accomplish that feat. Pelicans CJ McCollum says there isn’t an area of weakness in Jones’ defensive arsenal…
cut 17 (19) “….the length”
And the Pelicans will not have to worry about Suns all-star Devin Booker, he’s been ruled out for tonight’s game which will tip-off at 9 PM at the Footprint Center.

LSU’s sweep of Missouri didn’t result in the Tigers making a big jump in the baseball polls. They moved up to three spots in the Coaches poll to number 20 and they are still not ranked by Baseball America. LSU is 27-12 overall, 10-and-8 in the SEC and Coach Jay Johnson likes how his team has handled the ups and downs of this season…
cut 19 (18) “….what’s next”
The Tigers are in New Orleans tonight to face UNO on ESPN-plus.

In other action tonight, Southeastern Louisiana hosts third-ranked Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles have won 14 in a row since beating Louisiana Tech on April 3rd.

McNeese, who is coming off a sweep over Southeastern, hosts ULM tonight. The Warhawks dropped two of three this past weekend to Appalachian State.

6:30 LRN Newscast

A bill to prohibit discrimination in housing based on gender identity & gender preference advances out of the House Commerce Committee…
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

Multiple reports say former state lawmaker and Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond is leaving his job as a top adviser to President Joe Biden. Richmond is the director of the White House’s Office of Public Engagement and is reportedly set to become a strategist for the Democratic National Committee.

Legislation that would double the fines for speeding on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge continues to make its way through the state Senate. The Senate Finance Committee approved the bill, as the legislation would use cameras to write speeding tickets and rely less on officers. Shreveport Senator Barry Milligan says one of his friends who was a police officer was killed after stopping a motorist on the bridge…
Cut 12 (11) “…the bill.”
The measure heads to the full Senate.

Brother Martin’s Richie Clementi is an elite high school wrestler and only a freshman. Clementi is 80-0 over the past two years, including winning the state championship in his weight class. Now, he’s the first high school athlete in Louisiana to sign a deal to compensate him for his name, image, and likeness.
Cut 7 (06) “…these deals.”
Clementi signed a four-figure deal with Friendly Powersports Slidell.

###Corrected LRN AM Newscall for April 26### Cuts 1, 4-6 copy was change to reflect the bill passed

A bill to prohibit discrimination in housing based on gender identity & gender preference advances out of the House Commerce Committee Monday. Kevin Gallagher has more…:

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

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A New Orleans wrestler becomes the first high-school athlete in the state to sign a deal for his name, image, and likeness. David Grubb has more…

Cut 2 (35) “…I’m David Grubb.” 

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Legislation to address a technicality of insurance companies denying living expenses for policyholders because mandatory evacuations were not issued, passed in the House. Brooke Thorington explains

Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Brooke Thorington” 

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A House bill to prohibit discrimination in housing based on gender identity or sexual orientation advanced out of the House Commerce Committee Monday. Bill sponsor and New Orleans Democrat Representative Aimee Freeman says her HB303 parallels federal law already in place…:

Cut 4 (11)  “…with federal law.”

But committee members questioned why – if there is already a federal law – is a state statute necessary? Metairie Republican Representative Polly Thomas asks how a landlord or seller would determine a person’s gender preference or identity…:

Cut 5 (12) “…to be adequate.”

A motion was made to kill Freeman’s bill. That received a terse response from New Orleans Democrat Rep. Royce Duplessis, who pointed out that not one person who filed an opposition “red card” chose to come to committee and testify against Freeman’s bill. He calls that “embarrassing and frustrating”…:

Cut 6 (09)  “…you can kill a bill.”

Another motion was made to advance the bill out of committee, and it passed without objection; moving now to the House floor.

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Brother Martin’s Richie Clementi is one of the very best high school wrestlers in the state and he’s only a freshman. Clementi is 80-0 over the past two years, including winning the state championship in his weight class this past February. Now, he’s the first high school athlete in Louisiana to sign a deal to compensate him for his name, image, and likeness.

Cut 7 (06) “…these deals.”

Friendly Powersports Slidell and Clementi agreed on a four-figure deal that will allow the young wrestler the opportunity to focus on improving without having to miss a practice or workout to go to work, a choice that Clementi says a lot of young athletes have to make.

Cut 8 (12)  “…at tournaments.”

Clementi’s father, Rich, says NIL is a benefit to athletes in all types of sports, not just football or basketball, and believes that more student-athletes may be able to stick with sports like wrestling with the potential avenues for financial support that weren’t available in the past.

Cut 9 (12)  “…overall process.”

Clementi has already received a second offer for a NIL deal, with more potentially to come.

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The Senate Finance Committee approves legislation that would double the fine for speeding on the I-10 Atchafalaya Basin Bridge between Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Senate President Page Cortez is seeking lawmakers’ approval to use cameras to issue speeding tickets based on how fast it takes a vehicle to get from one end to the other…

Cut 10 (05) “…the exits.”

The speed limit on the 18-mile bridge is 60 miles per hour for cars and 55 miles per hour for trucks, so if a car does the speed limit, it should take 18 minutes to get across the bridge. Vehicles that make it across faster than 18 minutes could receive a speeding ticket in the mail.

Cortez’s legislation needed Senate Finance approval because it will cost the state to put up additional speed limit signs and cameras. The Lafayette lawmaker says the goal is to slow motorists down

Cut  11 (12)  “…off of it.”  

Violators would get two warnings and then face fines for a third violation. Shreveport Senator Barry Milligan likes the measure as one of his friends who was a police officer was killed after stopping a motorist on the bridge…

Cut 12 (11) “…the bill.” 

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The Louisiana House approves a bill requiring insurers that offer loss of use of coverage to provide two weeks of evacuation living expenses to policyholders even if a mandatory evacuation is not called. The legislation is in response to Hurricane Ida which rapidly intensified and didn’t allow for a government-ordered mandatory evacuation Metairie Representative Laurie Schlegel’s bill will keep insurance companies from denying such coverage in the future.

Cut 13 (10) “…(x2) be triggered”

State Farm denied policyholders who had the coverage, two weeks of additional living expenses, on the technicality that a mandatory evacuation wasn’t enforced.

Pollock Representative Gabe Firment opposed the bill because he says it’s a reaction to a rare occurrence and worries when a mayor in one area of the state calls for an evacuation it could impact insurance rates in other parts of the state.

Cut 14 (10)  “…and Monroe.”

Both Schlegel and Kenner Representative Joseph Stagni reiterated that the bill does not create additional coverage it only forces an insurance company to pay expenses of those who have the coverage. Stagni says he received numerous calls from constituents who were denied such expenses.

Cut 15 (10)  “…this is needed.”

The bill passed on a 68 to 31 vote.

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Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Jonas Valanciunas grab the headlines, but Pelicans rookie Herb Jones has quickly made a name for himself this postseason. Jones leads all rookies in minutes during the playoffs and has had to guard nearly every player on the Suns’ roster. McCollum says he’s never seen a rookie quite like Herb.

Cut 16 (19)  “…get from him.”

During the Pelicans’ Game Four win Jones blocked three shots, all of them coming on three-point attempts, making him the only player over the last two seasons, both regular and playoffs to accomplish that feat. McCollum says there isn’t an area of weakness in Jones’ defensive arsenal.

Cut 17 (19) “ …the length.” 

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Coming off of their sweep of Missouri this past weekend, the LSU Tigers have won four in a row heading into tonight’s contest with intrastate foe UNO. Coach Jay Johnson says the Tigers are still improving, but he liked the way they handled themselves at the plate and in the field against Mizzou.

Cut 18 (18) “ …keep working.” 

Johnson says the team is better than it has been, and if the Tigers can get a bit healthier he believes they can make some noise during the final weeks of the regular season and heading into the SEC tournament.

Cut 19 (18) _“…keep working.” 

 

5:30 LRN Newscast April 25

House Civil Law Committee approves legislation giving Louisianans the right to accept or reject any form of health care. Abita Springs Representative Larry Frieman says he wrote the legislation after some people lost their job over not getting a COVID vaccine. The measure passed on an eleven to one vote, Lake Charles Representative Wilford Carter was the lone no vote because current law prohibits the firing of an employee for race, age, gender, and disability and this proposal would add a fifth basis for why you can’t be fired…

Cut 13 (07) “…is doing.”

Frieman says the legislation does not prohibit an employer from instituting a vaccine mandate and it’s intended to give citizens a legal right to reject any medical treatment…

Cut 14 (08)  “…or care.”

The measure now heads to the House.

The House approves a bill requiring insurers that offer loss of use of coverage to provide two weeks of evacuation living expenses to policyholders even if a mandatory evacuation is not called. The legislation is in response to Hurricane Ida which rapidly intensified and didn’t allow for a government-ordered mandatory evacuation Metairie Representative Laurie Schlegal’s bill will keep insurance companies from denying such coverage in the future.

Cut 13 (10) “…would be triggered”

The bill passed 68 to 91.

Senate Finance approves legislation to double the speeding fines on the I-10 Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. Senate President Page Cortez wants to use cameras to issue speeding tickets based on how fast it takes a vehicle to get from one end to the other…

Cut 10 (05) “…the exits.”

The speed limit is 60 on the 18-mile bridge and vehicles that make it across faster than 18 minutes could receive a ticket in the mail.

4:45 LRN Sportscast April 25

The Pelicans and Suns are all tied at two games apiece after New Orleans dominated the second half, outscoring Phoenix by 17 points on their way to a 118 to 103 victory. Brandon Ingram had 30 points to lead New Orleans. But the biggest story of the night was the Pels’ defense on Suns star Chris Paul, who was held to four points and turned it over three times. It got testy between C-P-3 and Pelicans rookie Jose Alvarado, who says it’s just basketball…

Cut 15 (11) “…difficult for him”

The series shifts back to Phoenix for Game 5 on Tuesday, with Game 6 in New Orleans on Thursday.

The USFL’s New Orleans Breakers kept up the Crescent City’s dominance over Tampa Bay with a 34-3 win over the Bandits on Sunday afternoon in Birmingham to improve to 2-0. Kyle Sloter threw for two touchdowns in the win.

After getting swept on the road at Arkansas, LSU baseball returned home this past weekend to sweep Missouri, allowing the Tigers to climb to third in the SEC West standings. Coach Jay Johnson likes the look of his line-up with freshman Josh Pearson leading off…

Cut 20 (22) “…this weekend”

LSU hosts UNO on Tuesday before welcoming 16th-ranked Georgia this weekend.

LSU women’s hoops has added another signee. 6-2 wing Esmery Martinez transfers to Baton Rouge after three seasons at West Virginia. Martinez posted 25 double-doubles for the Mountaineers, averaging 10 points and nine rebounds over 87 games.

4:30 LRN Newscast April 25

Public meetings on where to build a new bridge across the Mississippi at Baton Rouge start tonight. Brooke Thorington reports…:

CUT 02(32)      “…Brooke Thorington.”

The New York Times reports White House Senior Advisor and former Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond is leaving the Biden Administration next month. The Times article says Richmond is likely to take a private sector position; consulting with and for the Democratic National Committee.

 

Alexandria Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl who died when a bullet entered her home on Monroe Street last night. Lt. Lane Windham says Kaliyah Turner was rushed to a local hospital, where she died. Windham says Turner was in her bedroom when several bullets entered her home…:

CUT 04(05)      “…innocent bystander.”

He asks anyone with information on the crime to come forward.

State Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Assumption Parish Sunday. Trooper Ross Brennan says deputies chased, then pulled over 26-year-old Rhett Thibodeaux of Larose in a suspected stolen truck. He threw it in reverse and backed into the patrol car, causing the deputies to fire at him..:

CUT 07(10)      “…from his injuries.”

LSP’s investigation of the shooting is ongoing.

3:30 LRN Newscast April 25

State Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Assumption Parish, after sheriff’s deputies tried to make a traffic stop Sunday morning of a suspected stolen Ford pickup. Trooper Ross Brennan says after a short pursuit the driver, 26-year-old Rhett Thibodeaux of Larose, pulled over…:

CUT 06(10)      “…sheriff’s office units.”

Jeff Davis Parish deputies arrest a Texas man they say was selling large amounts of illegal drugs at a truck stop in Roanoke. 29-year-old Richard Arguello is charged with possession with intent to distribute and resisting arrest.

The New York Times reports Senior White House advisor and former District 2 Congressman Cedric Richmond is leaving the Biden Administration. Richmond may move back into the private sector, as perhaps a consultant with the Democrat National Committee.

 

The House Civil Law Committee approves legislation that gives Louisiana citizens the right to accept or reject any form of health care. Abita Springs Representative Larry Frieman says he authored the constitutional amendment after seeing some people lose their job over not getting the COVID vaccine…:

CUT 12(12)      “…health care.”

The measure passed on an eleven to one vote, and moves to the House floor.

Alexandria Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl who died when a bullet entered her home on Monroe Street last night. Lt. Lane Windham says Kaliyah Turner was rushed to a local hospital…:

CUT 03(07)      “…at the hospital.”

He asks if anyone has information on Kaliyah, please to contact the Alexandria Police Department.

LRN PM Newscall April 25

A bullet fired into an Alexandria home has killed a teenage girl. Jeff Palermo has the latest on the investigation…

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

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The first of six public meetings get underway Monday evening on potential sites for a new I-10 Mississippi River Bridge connecting LA 1 to LA 30. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (32)…I’m Brooke Thorington.”  

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Alexandria Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl who died when a bullet entered her home on Monroe street last night. Lt. Lane Windham says Kaliyah Turner was rushed to a local hospital…

Cut 3 (07) “…the hospital.”

Windham says Turner was in her bedroom when several bullets entered her home…

Cut 4  (05) “…innocent bystander.”

Windham says they do not have any suspects at this time….

Cut 5  (12) “…killed her.”

If anyone has information, they are urged to contact the Alexandria Police Department.

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State Police are investigating a deputy-involved shooting in Assumption Parish after sheriff’s deputies tried to make a traffic stop Sunday morning of a stolen Ford pickup. Trooper Ross Brennan says after a short pursuit the driver 26-year-old Rhett Thibodeaux of Larose, stopped the vehicle.

Cut 6  (10) “…units.” 

Brennan says when Thibodeaux’s truck went into reverse and hit two of the units behind him, one of the deputies fired their gun at the truck.

Cut 7 (10) “…his injuries.” 

The Ford pickup was reported stolen out of Lafourche Parish and Brennan says evidence gathered at the scene is being processed at the State Police Crime Lab and the investigation is ongoing.

Cut 8 (07) “…download it.” 

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This evening the first of six public meetings allowing residents to provide input for the potential Mississippi River Bridge LA 1 to LA 30 connector is being held.  DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson says public meetings are vital so they can narrow down the ten potential bridge sites to two or three locations.

Cut 9 (09) “…public response.”

Tonight’s meeting is in Baton Rouge at the library on Bluebonnet from 5 until 7. For a listing visit DOTD-dot-la-gov and search Mississippi River Bridge LA 1 to LA 30 connector.

Wilson says with ten potential sites that the Coast Guard has also provided guidance on, they are now asking the public for their thoughts

Cut 10 (12) “…this bridge.”

And while Wilson is inviting the public for their input on the potential location for the two-billion-dollar bridge, he also wants the public to voice where they don’t want the bridge to be constructed.

Cut 11 (12)  “…should be.” 

Wilson says they expect to narrow down sites to two or three locations and then conduct more in-depth studies on those locations.

For a list of meeting sites visit http://wwwapps.dotd.la.gov/administration/announcements/announcement.aspx?key=29706

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The House Civil Law Committee approves legislation that gives Louisiana citizens the right to accept or reject any form of health care. Abita Springs Representative Larry Frieman says he authored the constitutional amendment after seeing some people lose their job over not getting the COVID vaccine…

Cut 12 (12) “…health care.”  

The measure passed on an eleven to one vote, Lake Charles Representative Wilford Carter was the lone member to vote against the measure. He says current law prohibits the firing of an employee for race, age, gender and disability and this proposal would add a fifth basis for why you can not be fired…

Cut 13 (07) “…is doing.”

Frieman says the legislation does not prohibit an employer from instituting a vaccine mandate. He says this legislation is intended to give citizens a legal right to reject to any medical treatment…

Cut 14 (08)  “…or care.