06:30 LRN Newscast July 20th

Could state Education Superintendent John White’s job be in jeopardy? Emelie Gunn has more…
Voicer 2 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Meanwhile, in Washington DC, Louisiana’s Congressional Delegation is working on legislation to reform the National Flood Insurance Program. U.S. Representative Clay Higgins says it’s their desire to limit rate increases to no more than 10-percent a year….
cut 8 (07) “….a window”
The current flood insurance program expires September 30th.

Creola Police Chief Heath Landry says one of his officers clocked an expecting Dad going 108-miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour speed zone as they were making their way out of Grant Parish. He says when officers finally pulled over Zak Evans and got him out of the vehicle, he was livid….
cut 14 (11) “….at the glass”
An ambulance took Evans’ wife Bridget to a local hospital where she gave birth, and Evans was arrested on charges of flight from an officer and careless operation, as well as ticketed for speeding. Evans told KALB-TV that he didn’t have time to look at the speedometer because he was worried about his wife and baby.

LRN AM Newscall July 20th ###Updated newscall corrected spelling of Creola Police Chief

St. Landry Congressman Clay Higgins is spearheading an effort to reform the National Flood Insurance Program as the current one expires September 30th. Jeff Palermo has more…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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Could state Education Superintendent John White’s job be in jeopardy? Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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A Grant Parish man missed the birth of his child after he was arrested for speeding his wife to the hospital. Halen Doughty has the story…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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Female military veterans will have a new support system, as the state Department of Veterans Affairs is set to launch monthly Coffee Conversations in August. Female veterans outreach coordinator Alex Juan says this will offer a safe space for military women to talk about the issues affecting them. She says the discussions will be live streamed and open to all of female veterans in the state.

Cut 4  (07) “the conversation”

Louisiana is home to more than 32,000 women veterans. Juan says military women can be more hesitant to seek services from the VA than their male counterparts because females are not always well-received. She says she even ran into a similar incident yesterday morning.

Cut 5  (09)  “his medicine”

Juan says this is about changing the conversation and recognizing that both men and women serve their country. She says it’s also an opportunity for these women to talk about specific struggles they’ve faced with someone who can understand.

Cut 6 (12) “so many of them”

Female veterans interested in serving as program coordinators are encouraged to call 225-219-5005.

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Louisiana’s Congressional delegation is getting behind an effort to reform the National Flood Insurance Program. Congressman Clay Higgins is one of the co-sponsors and the Republican from St. Landry Parish says the proposal would protect policyholders from skyrocketing premiums. He says currently, rates can increase by as much as 25 percent annually.

Cut 7 (09)  “more reasonable”

The current National Flood Insurance Program expires on September 30th, which is why there is a big push reauthorize the program for another six years. Higgins says it’s their desire to limit rate increases to no more than 10 percent a year.

Cut 8 (07) “a window”

Higgins says the bill authorizes $500 million per year for six years for flood control programs. He says flooding is a problem all over the country, which is why this legislation has support from both Republicans and Democrats.

Cut 9 (11)  “happened everywhere”

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Governor John Bel Edwards is pleased with job growth and creation in the Bayou State. On his monthly radio call in show, the governor said several sectors of the economy are improving, especially health care thanks to expansion of the Medicaid program.

Cut 10 (11) “more people”

Edwards says in January of 2016, the state’s unemployment rate was at 6.2-percent and the latest numbers show the unemployment rate in May of 2017 was 5.7-percent and predicts that will drop even lower when the June numbers are released.

Cut 11 (09) “increasing”

Edwards says Lafayette, the hub of the state’s oil and gas sector, is also making great strides. He says in the last year and a half, the city saw four separate months of steady job increases.

Cut 12 (08) “this too”

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A man rushing his pregnant wife to the hospital missed the birth of his child after being arrested in Rapides Parish. Creola Police Chief Heath Landry says one of his officers clocked a vehicle doing 108 in a 55 mph speed zone. He says the officer witnessed more dangerous driving as he attempted to pull over Zak Evans.

Cut 13 (09) “off the road”

Landry says the officer radioed ahead to Pineville, where officers set up a road block because Evans would not stop. He says when officers finally pulled over Evans and got him out of the vehicle, he was livid.

Cut 14 (11) “at the glass”

An ambulance took Evans’ wife Bridget to a local hospital, and Evans was arrested on charges of flight from an office and careless operation, as well as ticketed for speeding. Evans told KALB-TV that he didn’t have time to look at the speedometer because he was worried about his wife and baby. Landry says they understand it was an emergency, but there was still a safety concern.

Cut 15 (09) “and wife”

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18:30 Newscast July 19

A fatal home invasion in Zachary left one suspect dead and another behind bars. Police Chief David McDavid says the deceased, 20-year-old Damon Hayes Jr, allegedly broke in with 20-year-old Jordale Carter and possibly two other suspects.

Cut 6 (08) “began shooting”

Hayes died in the incident and Carter was arrested. Two other suspects are still at large.

Monroe Police Chief Quentin Holmes announced he will retire on July 30th. Holmes was named police chief in 2011 and received a no confidence vote from the union nearly three years ago, but he says this has nothing to do with his retirement.

Cut 13 (10) “good grounds”

KNOE-TV reports they received anonymous calls saying there was bad blood between Chief Holmes and Mayor Jamie Mayo.

Over half of the races in the October 14 election have already been settled. Michelle Southern has more…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

Governor John Bel Edwards is not endorsing Damon Baldone in the public service commissioner race. Edwards appointed Baldone to serve as interim when Scott Angelle vacated the position in June. A longtime Democrat, Baldone qualified in the race as a Republican. Election Day is October 14.

17:30 Newscast July 19

Governor Edwards announces 220 million dollars in federal money will be allocated across the Baton Rouge area to protect against future floods and storms. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (27) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Could state Education Superintendent John White’s job be in jeopardy? Governor Edwards says White was not reconfirmed by the Senate during the session. Over a dozen people filed a lawsuit alleging White needed that confirmation, but a judge dismissed the case. The judge noted few elected officials have the legal authority to file a petition to fire White, and the governor is one of those.

One suspect is dead and another behind bars after a home invasion in Zachary. Police Chief David McDavid says one suspect was fatally shot by the homeowner, as three more fled the scene. He says two of those are still at large.

Cut 7 (09) “more suspects”

Damon Hayes Jr died at the scene, and Jordale Carter faces a slew of charges.

Monroe Police Chief Quentin Holmes announces his plans to retire. Holmes said in a news conference he has been thinking about returning to teaching for quite some time. News outlets had reported that Mayor Jamie Mayo asked for a resignation, but he says that’s absolutely not true.

Cut 12 (07) “with that”

Mayo says Holmes will remain chief until July 30 while his office works to find someone to serve in the interim.

 

16:30 LRN Newscast July 19th

A home invasion in East Baton Rouge Parish has left a 20-year-old suspect dead and another behind bars. Zachary Police Chief David McDavid says the attempted robbery occurred last night in neighborhood where a lot of elderly residents live and seldom do they see shootings like this…
cut 8 (11) “…burden to society”
It’s unknown yet if the homeowner will face any charges.

Last week’s qualifying period for the October elections left 41 races unopposed, and 16 with zero candidates. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says there seems to be a trend in lack of interest. He says these are demanding and stressful public service positions that don’t pay much…:
Cut 4 (10) “cussing you out”

Governor John Bel Edwards held a press conference in Baton Rouge today to announce the state has over 200-million dollars in federal grant money to spend on flood control projects in the Capital Region. He says the dollars will be used to buyout flood-prone properties and….
cut 10 (07) “…drainage projects”

During a hearing in Washington D-C, Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says something must be done about a wall that separates the east and west lanes of I-12 in Livingston Parish. Halen Doughty has more…
Cut 3 (25) “I’m Halen Doughty”

15:30 LRN Newscast July 19th

Over half of the races in the October 14 election have already been settled. Michelle Southern has more…
Voicer 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

Authorities say an 84-year-old woman at a senior living center in Metairie was choked to death and the search is on for suspects and a motive. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s office says the victim was found dead last night. Detectives at first thought it was a death by natural causes, but an autopsy revealed the cause of death to be strangulation.

Monroe Police Chief Quentin Holmes has announced he will retire on July 30th. Mayor Jamie Mayo says he did not ask Holmes to step down, despite speculation by anonymous callers into KNOE-TV in Monroe that there was a fued between the mayor and police chief over rising crime. But Mayo says that’s not the case…
cut 14 (10) “…anonymous calls”
Holmes has served as Monroe’s top cop since 2011.

Governor John Bel Edwards has been holding press conferences to announce that flood damaged areas are receiving millions in federal dollars to protect against future storms. The governor was in Shreveport yesterday and today in Baton Rouge. He says the money will go towards drainage projects, buying out flood prone properties and in some cases, home elevation….
cut 11 (08) “…structures”

LRN PM Newscall July 19th

Over half of the races in the October 14 election have already been settled. Michelle Southern has more…

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

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Governor Edwards announces 220 million dollars in federal money will be allocated across the Baton Rouge area to protect against future floods and storms. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (27) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Three months ahead of the October 14 election, more than half of the races have already been settled. Candidates in 41 races had no opponents, while 16 saw no candidates at all. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says they saw a similar rate just over a year ago when 44 percent of the races were settled before reaching the ballot.

Cut 3 (08) “no one qualifies”

Schedler blames the public’s frustration with government for the disinterest in running for public office. He says these positions don’t pay much and they come with a lot of stress. He says these demanding jobs are true public service.

Cut 4  (10) “cussing you out”

Schedler says in cases where an incumbent is unopposed, he or she is simply reelected. He says the law used to allow his office to reopen qualifying if no one qualified, but often times they still wouldn’t see any candidates. That’s why there’s a new policy for such occurrences.

Cut 5  (10)  “operate as such”

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Zachary Police have made an arrest in the case of a fatal home invasion that occurred last night. Chief David McDavid says the deceased, 20-year-old Damon Hayes Jr, allegedly broke in with 20-year-old Jordale Carter and possibly two other suspects…:

Cut 6 (08) “began shooting”

Hayes died in the incident and Carter was booked on many charges including murder because his accomplice died during a crime. McDavid says two other suspects are still at large.

Cut 7 (09)  “more suspects”

McDavid says one of the suspects was reportedly trying to get a ride away from the scene, saying he was being shot at. He says the robbery occurred in an elderly neighborhood, and they seldom have shootings like this.

Cut 8 (11) “burden to society”

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Governor John Bel Edwards announced today federal funding for flood control projects in the Baton Rouge area. Edwards says 220 million dollars will go to local governments in the Capital region as part of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

Cut 9 (07)  “future floods”

Edwards says each parish will submit a plan to FEMA before the money will be allocated.  He says some of the money will be used to buy back significantly damaged homes from last year’s flood and make it a green space. He says the rest of the funds will go to….

Cut 10 (07) “projects”

None of this money will go toward the much talked about Comite Diversion Canal Project because funding for that must come from a different source. Edwards says after Hurricane Katrina, a majority of hazard mitigation grant dollars went towards elevating homes but that won’t be the case this time.

Cut 11 (08) “structures”

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Monroe Police Chief Quentin Holmes has announced he is going to retire from his post. In a joint news conference with Mayor Jamie Mayo, Holmes said he has been thinking about returning to teaching for quite some time. News outlets had reported that Mayo asked for a resignation which he says is 100% not true…:

Cut 12 (07) “with that”

Mayo says Holmes will remain chief until July 30th, and during that time his office will work to name someone to serve in the interim. Holmes was named police chief in 2011 and received a no confidence vote from the union in August 2014, but he says that has nothing to do with this retirement…:

Cut 13 (10) “good grounds”

KNOE said they had received anonymous calls from people saying there was bad blood between Holmes and the Mayor over the rising crime problem in the Monroe area. Mayo says he hopes they have now cleared the air that it’s just not the case..:

Cut 14 (10) “anonymous calls” 

14:30 LRN Newscast July 19th

Monroe Police Chief Quentin Holmes announced he will retire on July 30th. Holmes was named police chief in 2011 and received a no confidence vote from the union nearly three years ago, but he says this has nothing to do with his retirement…
cut 13 (10) “….good grounds”
KNOE-TV reports they received anonymous calls from the public who said there was bad blood between Chief Holmes and Mayor Jamie Mayo.

In East Baton Rouge Parish, Zachary Police are investigating a fatal shooting during a home invasion in an elderly neighborhood. Chief David McDavid says one of the suspects, 20-year-old Damon Hayes, was fatally shot and a 20-year-old accomplice was arrested. He says they are searching for two others….
cut 7 (09) “…more arrests”
McDavid has not released information on the homeowner who shot the alleged burglar.

Governor Edwards announces 220 million dollars in federal money will be allocated across the Baton Rouge area to protect against future floods and storms. Emelie Gunn has more…
Cut 2 (27) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

There are 16 elected posts up for election on October 14th, but during qualifying last week, a single candidate did not qualify. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says there is a policy for such an occurance…
cut 5 (10) “…operate as such”
Jeremy Alford of La-politics-dot-com says several elections for mayor and chief of police in small villages were ignored completely by candidates.

13:30 Newscast, July 19th, 2017

Last week’s qualifying period for the October elections left 41 races unopposed, and 16 with zero candidates. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says there seems to be a trend in lack of interest which could be due to a number of reasons. He says these are demanding and stressful public service positions that don’t pay much…:
Cut 4 (10) “cussing you out”
Schedler says in cases where an incumbent is unopposed, he or she is simply reelected.

Governor John Bel Edwards announced today federal funding for flood control projects in the Baton Rouge area. Edwards says 220 million dollars will go to local governments in the Capital region as part of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program…:
Cut 9 (07) “future floods”
Edwards says each parish will submit a plan to FEMA before the money will be allocated.

Monroe Police Chief Quentin Holmes has announced he is going to retire from his post. In a joint news conference with Mayor Jamie Mayo, Holmes said he has been thinking about returning to teaching for quite some time. News outlets had reported that Mayo asked for a resignation which he says is 100% not true…:
CUT 12 (07) “with that”
Mayo says Holmes will remain chief until July 30th, and during that time his office will work to name someone to serve in the interim.

The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a heat advisory for the northern half of the state through 7 PM tomorrow evening. Forecasters indicate hot and humid conditions could lead to temperatures that climb into the mid to upper 90s with heat index values up 108 degrees. They urge residents to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. It’s expected to be even hotter tomorrow.

12:30 Newscast, July 19th, 2017

Three months ahead of the October 14 election, more than half of the races have already been settled. Candidates in 41 elections had no opponents, while 16 had no candidates at all. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says they saw a similar rate just over a year ago when 44 percent of the races were settled before reaching the ballot…:
cut 3 (08) “no one qualifies”
Schedler blames the public’s frustration with government for the disinterest in running for public office.

Zachary Police have made an arrest in the case of a fatal home invasion that occurred last night. Chief David McDavid says the deceased, 20-year-old Damon Hayes Jr, allegedly broke in with 20-year-old Jordale Carter and possibly two other suspects…:
CUT 6 (08) “began shooting”
Hayes died in the incident and Carter was booked on many charges including murder since his accomplice died during a crime.

At a FAST Act hearing, Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves said something must be done about the wall between the lanes of I-12…:
Cut 3 (25) “I’m Halen Doughty”