8:30 LRN Newscast

The city of New Orleans is still trying to get back on its feet after getting hit by Hurricane Zeta on Wednesday. About 60-percent of Orleans Parish is without power and there are at least 200 trees that have been knocked down. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is asking residents to have patience during the recovery process…
cut 14 (08) “…necessary”
The only Zeta related death in Louisiana happened in New Orleans as a 55-year-old man was electrocuted by a downed powerline.

Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May told WWL-TV this morning that he expects Entergy will make a lot of progress on power outages today, but the hardest-hit areas could be without electricity on Tuesday, election day. Governor John Bel Edwards says some voters may have to go elsewhere to cast their vote…
Cut 7 (12) “later”

The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the November third election is today at 4:30 PM. You can receive an absentee ballot at your parish registrar of voters office or visit voter-portal-dot-sos-dot-la-dot-gov. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says the deadline to return a completed mail-in ballot is Monday at 4:30 PM and if you don’t get it in by then…
cut 6 (05) “…day”
Election Day is Tuesday and polls will be open from 6 AM to 8 PM.

The state reported 392 new coronavirus cases on Thursday and there was little change in the number of COVID patients in the hospital or on a ventilator. But Assistant State Health Officer Doctor Joe Kanter says they are seeing increased outbreaks associated with religious services, small gatherings in the backyard and high school sports teams
cut 11 (07) “….familiar with”

7:30 LRN Newscast October 30

Entergy says 318-thousand of its customers in southeast Louisiana are still without power this morning. Cleco has another 23-thousand customer without electricity. Entergy believes they can make significant progress on power outages today, but some of the hardest-hit areas may not have power restored for up to ten days.

Tuesday is election day and there’s a chance power could still be out in some Hurricane-Zeta impacted areas…
cut 2 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

The absolute deadline to request an absentee ballot for the November 3rd election is today at 430 PM, and the deadline to return any outstanding ballots is Monday at 430 PM. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says if you’ve procrastinated and haven’t requested an absentee ballot your best bet is…
Cut 4 (12) “Monday”
If you turn in an absentee ballot on time you are not allowed to vote in person on Election Day.

Saturday is Halloween and before you know it, we’ll be in the holiday season and health officials are concerned about gatherings that will take place for these occassions while we are still battling against the coronavirus. Assistant State health officer Doctor Joseph Kanter says about 50-percent of people who have COVID have no idea they are infected, but they can still expose others.
Cut 12 (09) “accounted for”.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

The LSU athletic department says it expects to lose 80-million dollars in revenue because of the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on college athletics. That’s resulted in eight employees within the athletic department being laid off and coaches including Ed Orgeron taking a five-percent pay cut. Bonuses for coaches have also been canceled.

LSU Freshman Quarterback TJ Finley is set to make his first road start against Auburn. While the War Eagles offense features a freshman running back. Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn says Tank Bigsby’s emergence has helped get their running game on track…
cut 17 (20) “…Auburn football”
Kick-off on Saturday is at 2:30.

The Saints head into Sunday’s game with Chicago ranked last in the NFL in red-zone defense. Opponents have made 22 trips inside New Orleans’ 20-yard line and they’ve scored 19 touchdowns. Coach Sean Payton says they want to at least force field goals…
cut 18 (18) “…third down matchup”
The Bears have a 48-percent efficiency offensively in the red zone, which is the fourth-worst in the NFL and the Bears offense is dealing with injuries to key players. Starting center Cody Whitehair and wide receiver Allen Robinson did not practice yesterday.

Meanwhile, Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas returned to practice yesterday. Thomas was limited with ankle and hamstring injuries. Marquez Callaway also practiced on a limited basis with an ankle injury.

6:30 LRN Newscast October 30

Southeast Louisiana parish leaders are asking residents for patience and compliance as crews work to get electricity back up and running and clean the streets from the debris left behind by Hurricane Zeta. Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng asks residents to produce the least amount of wastewater possible…
Cut 13 (11) “sewer”
About 400-thousand residents are without power in southeast Louisiana.

And while the hurricane recovery continues, state health officials are trying to prevent another surge in coronavirus cases. Assistant State Health Officer Doctor Joseph Kanter says the positivity rate recently went above 10-percent in northeast Louisiana…
cut 10 (12) “….us concerned”
CBS News reports a total of 43 states are seeing surges.

Today’s the last day to request an absentee ballot for the November 3rd election. Matt Doyle explains.

Cut 1 (30) “ I’m Matt Doyle”

Governor John Bel Edwards has told the Advocate that he’s voting for the Democratic challenger Joe Biden in the presidential race.

LRN AM Newscall Oct 30

Today’s the last day to request an absentee ballot for the November 3rd election. Matt Doyle explains.

Cut 1 (30) “   I’m Matt Doyle”

________________________________

Power could still be out in some Hurricane Zeta-impacted areas on November 3rd making for a potential Election Day mess. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 2 (29) “…I’m Matt Doyle” 

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COVID case rates are steadily increasing in Central and Northeast Louisiana, and with the holidays approaching, health officials are concerned. Brooke Thorington explains

Cut 3 (29)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington”  

_______________________________

The absolute deadline to request an absentee ballot for the November 3rd election is today at 430 PM, and the deadline to return any outstanding ballots is Monday at 430 PM.

Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says if you’ve procrastinated this long and haven’t requested an absentee ballot your best bet is…

Cut 4 (12) “Monday”

If you turn in an absentee ballot on time you are not allowed to vote in person on Election Day.

Ardoin says they received over 200,000 requests for absentee ballots this cycle, and over 146,000 have been turned in, and about 16,000 people who requested one ended up voting in person instead.

Cut 5 (08) “…to count”

Ardoin says if your ballot has not been received by 430 PM November 2nd…

Cut 6 (05) “day”

Election Day is this Tuesday, November 3rd. Polls open at 6 AM and close at 8 PM. Information on your local polling station can be found on the Secretary’s website, or on the GeauxVote Mobile app.

_____________________________

We still don’t have a timeline for when power will be restored for most customers impacted by Hurricane Zeta, but it appears it could be out in some areas through the November 3rd election.

Governor Edwards says there’s not much time left for the state to alter Election Day plans in hurricane-impacted areas of southeast Louisiana.

Cut 7 (12) “later”

Edwards says if you didn’t early vote it is vital that you stay up to date on potential changes for Election Day polling station changes.

Cut 8 (12) “…voters.”

Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says he’s confident that one way or another they can deliver this election to the people of southeast Louisiana, whether that means generators or other options…

Cut 9 (10) “to them”

________________________

As COVID cases across the country are on the rise, comparatively Louisiana’s case rates have been steady for the past month. However, Assistant State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter says there are two areas of the state that have health officials on alert, Central and Northeast Louisiana.

Cut 10 (12) “…us concerned”

According to the health department Richland, Tensas, Caldwell, and Concordia parishes are showing increasing positivity rates.

Dr. Kanter says contract tracing in the state indicates outbreaks at religious services, high school football games, and small gatherings in backyards.

Cut 11 (10) “familiar with”

Dr. Kanter says about 50-percent of people who have COVID have no idea they are infected because they show no symptoms, but they can still expose others.

Cut 12 (09) “accounted for”.

The state has been in Phase Three since mid-September. The reopening status and capacity limits are dependent upon the parish being at or below 5-percent for two weeks.

___________________

Southeast Louisiana parish leaders are asking residents for patience and compliance as they work to get electricity back up and running and clean the streets.

Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng asks residents to produce the least amount of wastewater possible while the power is out due to concerns over the unpowered sewer system.

Cut 13 (11) “sewer”

New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell says over 100,000 customers are still without power and trees are down across the city.

Cut 14 (08) “necessary”

The city also had the first reported fatality related to Zeta, a 55-year-old man who was electrocuted by a downed powerline.

Zeta was still a cat one when it roared into St. Tammany Parish. President Mike Cooper says tens of thousands are still without power but power crews are swarming the area.

Cut 15 (13) “.fact”

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LSU is a three-point favorite heading into tomorrow’s SEC West matchup against the Auburn Tigers. The Bayou Bengals have won the last three games in this series and Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn says it’s time for them to get a victory

cut 16 (25) “ win column”

LSU Freshman Quarterback TJ Finley is set to make his first road start, while Auburn’s offense features a freshman running back. Malzahn says Tank Bigsby’s emergence has helped get their running game on track

cut 17 (20)   Auburn football”

____________________________________________________

The Saints head into Sunday’s game with Chicago ranked last in the NFL in red-zone defense. Opponents have made 22 trips inside New Orleans’ 20-yard line and they’ve scored 19 touchdowns. Coach Sean Payton says they want to at least force field goals

cut 18 (18) ” matchup” 

The Bears have a 48-percent efficiency offensively in the red zone, which is the fourth-worst in the NFL.

________________________________________________________

Louisiana Tech will look to snap a two-game losing streak tomorrow when they host UAB tomorrow afternoon at Joe Aillet Stadium. The Bulldogs are coming off a tough one point loss on the road to UTSA and they are 3-3 on the season with five games left. Coach Skip Holtz is looking to finish out the season strong

cut 19 (13    “want to be” 

Senior running back Israel Tucker on what it will take to beat the Blazers…

cut 20 (11) “itself”

5:30 PM LRN Newscast Oct 29

Southeast Louisiana is recovering from the fifth named storm to make landfall in the state this year, the near category three Hurricane Zeta. Governor Edwards says unfortunately we are reporting the first storm-related death, a 55-year-old New Orleans man who died from electrocution due to a downed powerline.

Cut 3 (11)  “…gentleman”  

The PSC reports power has been restored for approximately 30-thousand customers and 439-thousand are still without power.

Weather in the Bayou State has run the gamut this week, after a Category Two hurricane strikes the state, now we are experiencing much cooler temperatures in less than 24 hours. State Climatologist Barry Keim says temps will be even chillier on Friday.

Cut 13 (12) “…time of year”

Hurricane Zeta was still a Category One storm when the center of the storm reached St. Tammany Parish.  Parish President Mike Cooper says that even though the storm had weakened by the time it got there, St. Tammany still felt some significant wind which caused power outages and downed trees causing unsafe driving conditions for citizens in the area.

Cut 7 (07) “…power outages”

St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis says winds of 100-miles per hour were clocked at their emergency operations center in Chalmette as Zeta ripped through the parish. McInnis says there were no serious injuries during the storm, and he would like to keep it that way…

Cut 9 (10) “shouldn’t be”

 

The  St Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office is imposing a strict curfew tonight from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Friday

4:45 LRN Sportscast October 29

Even though there are power outages across the New Orleans metro area from Hurricane Zeta, it has not interrupted the Saints preparations for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. Coach Sean Payton…
cut 30 (17) “…pretty smooth here”
Saints wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders tells the Uninterrupted’s 17 Weeks Podcast on Sirius/XM that he will not play Sunday in Chicago, because of COVID-19. Sanders tested positive last week and he said on the podcast last Friday that his temperature reached 102-degrees. Sanders also said he had body aches and a weird loopy-like feeling.

Tonight’s NFL game is a match-up of NFC South teams as the Falcons visit the Carolina Panthers.

Even though LSU is expected to start freshman quarterback TJ Finley on Saturday against Auburn, the Bayou Bengals are still a three-point favorite to win. LSU will need to slow down Auburn freshman running back Tank Bigsby who has rushed for over 100 yards in his last three games. He had 129 yards rushing and two TDs versus Ole Miss last week.

The Ragin Cajuns are 16 point favorites to win on the road Saturday night at Texas State. The Bobcats are 1-and-6 and their only win is against winless ULM. Texas State plays two quarterbacks, Tyler Vitt and Brady McBride. Coach Billy Napier says McBride is a transfer from Memphis…
cut 17 (25) “….as well”
Kick-off on Saturday is at 7 PM.

4:30 PM LRN Newscast Oct 29

Governor John Bel Edwards is once again surveying damage following a powerful hurricane that struck the state.

Cut 1 (32) “  I’m Matt Doyle”  

The LSU athletics department announced a department-wide reduction in salary and several layoffs amid decreases in revenue. Employees earning more than 80-thousand are subject to a 5-percent salary decrease in 2021. Head Coach Ed Orgeron and Athletic Director Scott Woodward agreed to voluntarily reduce their annual salary by 5-percent next year.

The only levee failures from Hurricane Zeta occurred in Grand Isle as the Category Two storm caused three breeches in what as known as the burrito levee, a large roll of plastic filled with sand. Jefferson Parish Emergency Preparedness Director Joseph Valiente says the breeches have led to flooding in the coastal town…

Cut 12 (12) “ .down there” 

The governor’s office says they have pumps trying to drain the water.

To say the Bayou State is experiencing weather extremes is an understatement, after a Category Two hurricane strikes the state, now we are experiencing much cooler temperatures in less than 24 hours. State Climatologist Barry Keim says this is a very odd one-two punch.

Cut 13 (12) “…time of year”

 

3:30 PM LRN Newscast Oct 29

Parishes in southeast Louisiana are assessing damage and beginning the cleanup and recovery from a rare late October storm. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 2 (40) “I’m Jeff Palermo”  

The St Bernard Sheriff’s Office is imposing a strict curfew tonight from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Friday.  Plaquemines Parish set a curfew from sunset until sunrise. They will also have security checkpoints at the parish lines on the westbank and eastbank to screen motorists entering the parish during curfew hours.

Zeta made landfall near Cocodrie, in Terrebonne Parish shortly after 4 pm Wednesday. Lieutenant Brennan Matherne with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s says numerous trees are down in neighboring Lafourche Parish and there’s property damage in Golden Meadow and Leeville. Zeta was a fast-moving storm and Matherne says the speed of the storm helped minimize the damage.

Cut 11 (12) “…quickly.”

To say the Bayou State is experiencing weather extremes is an understatement, after a Category Two hurricane strikes the state, now we are experiencing much cooler temperatures in less than 24 hours. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the next couple of days could be even colder, not significantly but chilly.

Cut 15 (12) “in the 60s” 

 

LRN PM Newscall October 29

Governor John Bel Edwards is once again surveying damage following a powerful hurricane that struck the state. Matt Doyle has more…

Cut 1 (32) “  I’m Matt Doyle”  

_______________________________________

Parishes in southeast Louisiana are assessing damage and beginning the cleanup and recovery from a rare late October storm. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 2 (40) “I’m Jeff Palermo”  

_____________________________

Southeast Louisiana is recovering from the fifth named storm to make landfall in the state this year, the near category three Hurricane Zeta.

Governor Edwards says unfortunately we are reporting the first storm-related death, a 55-year-old New Orleans man who died from electrocution due to a downed powerline.

Cut 3 (11)  “…gentleman”  

Power is out to *469,000* customers in Louisiana but Edwards says the good news is preliminary estimates show it won’t be weeks before the lights come on for most customers.

Cut 4 (11)   “.roads”   

Three breaches have been reported in the Burrito Levee in Grand Isle. CPRA is on the scene assessing the damage.

Edwards surveyed much of southeast Louisiana today by helicopter and says most damage appears to be wind-related.

Cut 5 (08) “.homes”

1,940 National Guardsmen have been activated in support of emergency operations in the state.

____________________________________________________

Hurricane Zeta was still a Category One storm when the center of the storm reached St. Tammany Parish.  Parish President Mike Cooper says that even though the storm had weakened by the time it got there, St. Tammany still felt some significant winds.

Cut 6 (12) “…trees down”

Cooper says another problem for St. Tammany is power outages, which is causing unsafe driving conditions for citizens in the area.

Cut 7 (07) “…power outages”

_______________________________________________________

St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis says winds of 100-miles per hour were clocked at their emergency operations center

Cut 8 (11) “..power lines”   (2x)

McInnis says there were no serious injuries during the storm and he would like to keep it that way…

Cut 9 (10) “shouldn’t be”

______________________________________

Zeta made landfall near Cocodrie, which is located in Terrebonne Parish. Lieutenant Brennan Matherne with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s office says the southern end of the parish took a big hit…

Cut 10 (08) “structures”

Numerous trees are down and there’s property damage in Golden Meadow and Leeville. Zeta was a fast-moving storm and Matherne says the speed of the storm helped minimize the damage.

Cut 11 (12) “…quickly.”

______________________________________

The only levee failures from Hurricane Zeta occurred in Grand Isle as the Category Two storm caused three breaches in what as known as the burrito levee, a large roll of plastic filled with sand. Jefferson Parish Emergency Preparedness Director Joseph Valiente says the breaches have led to flooding in the coastal town…

Cut 12 (12) “ .down there” 

The governor’s office says they have pumps trying to drain the water.

_____________________________

To say the Bayou State is experiencing weather extremes is an understatement, after a Category Two hurricane strikes the state, now we are experiencing much cooler temperatures in less than 24 hours. State Climatologist Barry Keim says this is a very odd one-two punch.

Cut 13 (12) “…time of year”

The cold front is a welcome respite as many are without power after Zeta barreled through.

Cut 14 (12) high temp (x2)” 

Keim says the next couple of days could be even colder, not significantly but definitely chilly.

Cut 15 (12) “in the 60s” 

Keim says this is the second latest storm to make landfall in Louisiana with records going back to 1851, the latest was Hurricane Juan in 1985 on October 31st.