13:30 Newscast, May 4th, 2016

Donald Trump is now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, as both Ted Cruz and John Kasich have both dropped out of the race. UL-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross says Trump might start to reign in some of his controversial comments to get more voters to rally behind him..:
cut 12 (08) “the convention”
Cross says not all Republicans will be happy to see Trump uncontested at the convention, but he doesn’t think the GOP will look for another nominee.

Should a national sex survey be allowed in public high schools? Baton Rouge Representative Patricia Smith barely got enough votes in the House for her bill she feels would lower the STD and teen pregnancy rate in Louisiana. Baton Rouge Representative Denise Marcelle says lawmakers need to do something to prevent these cases…:
CUT 4 (09) “the problem”
The measure moves to the Senate.

A measure that wouldn’t allow college athletic teams in Louisiana to travel more than 375 miles to play games has been withdrawn. The exception would have been LSU. Baton Rouge Rep. Steve Carter, says he’s trying to make a point on the state’s priorities. He says travel money could instead be used to prevent cuts on the academic side…:
CUT 7 (04) “be spent”
But he told the House Education committee he’s decided not to push the measure further.

The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating a woman’s body found in Lake Pontchartrain just west of the entrance canal to the lower section in the Bonnet Carre Spillway, in Norco. Detectives say the body was in an advanced decomposition state. She was wearing a red and white plaid button down shirt, a white under shirt, and a blue sports bra. The incident is still under investigation.

 

12:30 Newscast, May 4th, 2016

The House has approved a measure to allow public high school students to participate in a national survey on sexual risks. Don Molino has more…:
CUT 1 (22) “I’m Don Molino”

The Powerball Jackpot for tonight’s drawing is up to $348 million. Louisiana Lottery spokesperson Kim Chopin says this jackpot is one of the top ten biggest jackpots in lottery history…:
CUT 9 (08) “jackpot ever”
The cash value of the jackpot is 226.1 Million.

A bill that would restrict college athletic teams in Louisiana, except for LSU, from traveling more than 375 miles to play games has been withdrawn. Baton Rouge Rep. Steve Carter, says he’s decided not to push his measure further, but told the House Education Committee we’re using taxpayer dollars to fund athletic programs when the state is in a massive budget deficit:
CUT 6 (09) “TOPS kids”
Carter says he’s trying to make a point on the state’s priorities.

A Senate committee shot down the House approved measure that would allow lawmakers to decide whether of not people who receive food stamps should have to work. The 4-2 vote fell along party lines with Democrats in opposition, and GOP support.

 

11:40 LRN Sportscast May 4th

LSU Baseball Coach Paul Mainieri plans to change this weekend’s pitching rotation. John Valek has struggled his last two outings and Mainieri believes other teams have caught on to how he pitches. Junior pitcher Jared Poche has also struggled in his last two outings, but Mainieri believes he’ll bounce back….
cut 17 (23) “…we need him”
Mainieri says he’ll announce the new rotation tomorrow.

The Ragin Cajuns will honor one of its most famous alums during this weekend’s series against Appalachian State. Former New York Yankees pitcher Ron Guidry will throw out the first pitch before Friday’s game.

The Saints have signed left tackle Terron Armstead to a five-year contract extension. Armstead was named a pro-bowl alternate after last season. He’s been a starter since 2014.

The odds for this Saturday’s Kentucky Derby have been posted. Saints owner Tom Benson has two horses in the race. Mo Tom’s odds of winning are 20-1, while Toms Ready are 50-1.

The R-and-L Carriers New Orleans Bowl has announced it’s game this year will be Saturday, December 17th at 8 PM. It will be televised by ESPN. And the 2016 Camping World Independence Bowl will be played on Monday, December 26th at 4 PM. This year’s game will be televised on ESPN Two.

Tonight in college baseball action….Louisiana tech hosts ULM. The Warhawks beat Nicholls 3-1 last night. And Southeastern Louisiana faces Jackson State in Hammond.

11:30 Newscast, May 4th, 2016

A bill that would allow public high school students to participate in a national sex survey scarcely got enough votes to pass the House. Baton Rouge Representative Patricia Smith says Louisiana has a high rate of STDs and pregnancy among teens. Opponents of the bill say it’s the parents’ place to talk about these things with their kids, but Smith says that isn’t working:
CUT 3 (09) “policy”
Students would not be required to participate, and parents would be able to opt their child out. The measure heads to the Senate.

The Powerball jackpot for tonight’s drawing is up to $348 million dollars, according to the Louisiana Lottery. The cash value of the prize is $292 million.

The East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s office arrested a parent they say cussed out a principal and threatened to blow up Capitol Middle School. 32-year-old Jamie Bell was booked on charges of assaulting a school teacher, terrorizing, unlawful disruption of operation of a school and entering after forbidden.

Officials in Caldwell Parish is investigating the case of a man they say was recently released from jail, and is now dead following a hostage situation and a standoff with deputies. They say two women went to check on Kenneth Magourick, who then held them against their will. When deputies responded, they said Magourick came outside and pointed a gun, then went down. It is unclear if Maqourick killed himself or was shot by law enforcement.

Former St. Landry Captain Clay Higgins, who achieved fame for his viral crime stoppers videos, has released another one where he addresses a few of his concerns about our country, even hinting that he may consider running for public office. Higgins told the Jim Engster Show the response to his video has been incredible…:
Cut 13 (09) “the country”
Higgins says if he decides to run for office, he’ll make the announcement sometime next week.

 

10:30 LRN Newscast May 4th

220 chimpanzees at the UL Lafayette research lab in New Iberia will be re-located to a sanctuary in Georgia. President of Project Chimps Sarah Baeckler Davis says the Georgia sanctuary is the perfect environment to house the retired chimps…
cut 5 (10) “…a kitchen”

State health officials are offering guidance on how people can prevent the transmission of the Zika virus. Dr. Frank Welch, with the department of health and hospitals, says the mosquito that carries Zika will be active in Louisiana this summer, but it won’t just be mosquitoes that can spread the virus…:
Cut 10 (11) “feel ill”

Is the Cajun John Wayne considering a run for political office? Captain Clay Higgins has received national attention for his Crime Stopper Videos and now the former spokesperson for the St. Landry Parish’s Sheriff’s office has released another video talking about problems created by career politicians in Washington DC. Higgins told the Jim Engster Show that before he decides to run for an elected office, he wanted to put his feelings about the state of the nation out there…
cut 14 (10) “….nation faces”
Higgins says if he decides to run for office, he’ll make the announcement next week.

A 21-year-old Thibodaux man faces several charges after he was arrested for stealing school bus and driving it while intoxicated. The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s office says Jordon Molaison hot-wired the bus from a home in Chackbay and began driving it. Deputies say they pulled the stolen bus over and allegedly found that Molaison busted a camera inside the bus and had a blood alcohol content above the legal limit.

09:30 Newscast, May 4th, 2016

State health officials are offering guidance on how people can prevent the transmission of Zika virus. Dr. Frank Welch, with the department of health and hospitals, says Southeastern Louisiana, and Lake Pontchartrain in particular, will be high risk areas because that’s where the mosquito that carries Zika lives….:
cut 12 (10) “areas are”
Welch advises people to clear any standing water out of their yards, and wear long sleeves, pants and mosquito repellent.

Louisiana is the 4th worst state for working moms, according to a study by the personal finance website, WalletHub. Analyst Jill Gonzalez says in terms of daycare quality, Louisiana scored a 57 out of 150 points. She says the state also has a lot of single mothers living in poverty…:
Cut 8 (10) “in poverty”

Governor John Bel Edwards is set to speak at at the Rotary Club in Baton Rouge today. The state of the state is slated to begin at noon.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette will be transferring 220 retired research chimpanzees to a facility in northern Georgia, as part of a partnership with the nonprofit organization Project Chimps. President Sarah Baeckler Davis says this is the first time a non-federal program has released an entire population of research chimpanzees…:
Cut 6 (06) “retirement facility”
She says the Georgia sanctuary will be the perfect environment to house the retired chimpanzees.

The Powerball is getting big again. The jackpot for tonight’s drawing is $348 million dollars. The cash value is 226.1 Million dollars.

 

08:30 Newscast, May 4th, 2016

The Department of Health and Hospitals is working to spread the word about ways to prevent the spread of the Zika virus. Dr. Frank Welch says if someone has a partner who has traveled to South America or the Caribbean, they need to take extra precautions, especially if the woman is pregnant…:
cut 11 (09) “her baby”
He says the mosquito that carries Zika will be active in Louisiana this summer.

Louisiana is the 4th worst state for working moms, according to a study by the personal finance website, WalletHub. Analyst Jill Gonzalez says the state also ranked 43rd for the gender pay gap…:
Cut 9 (07) “at least”
She says the study considered things like cost of daycare, professional opportunities, and work and life balance.

Former famed St. Landry Captain Clay Higgins has released another video, which seems to hint the he may run for public office. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

220 retired research chimps at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s New Iberia research center will move to a new sanctuary in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Project Chimps negotiated with the university, and starting in June the chimps will start moving to the 236-acre sanctuary….:
cut 4 (07) “moved here”

 

07:30 Newscast, May 4ht, 2016

A study finds Louisiana ranks as the 4th worst state for working moms. Emelie Gunn has more…:
CUT 1 (25) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

Could famed former St. Landry Parish Captain Clay Higgins be considering a run for public office? The man dubbed The Cajun John Wayne released another viral video this week saying if he is called by the people of this state and nation to serve, he would step up to the plate…:
CUT 15 (08) “these things”
Higgins says if he decides to run for office, he’ll make the announcement sometime next week. The comments were made on the Jim Engster Show.

Governor John Bel Edwards is slated to deliver the State of the State address at noon today. The speech will take place at the Baton Rouge Rotary Club.

State health officials are offering guidance on how people can prevent the transmission of Zika virus. Dr. Frank Welch, with the department of health and hospitals, says the mosquito that carries Zika will be active in Louisiana this summer, but it won’t just be mosquitoes spreading the virus…:
Cut 10 (11) “feel ill”
Welch advises people to clear any standing water out of their yards, and wear long sleeves, pants and mosquito repellent.

Organizers with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival say rain on the second weekend made the overall attendance drop from 2015. They said about 425,000 festers came to the fairgrounds track this year in The Big Easy, where last year that number was about 460,000.

 

06:45 Sportscast, May 4th, 2016

LSU Coach Paul Mainieri says he will make changes to the weekend pitching rotation. The Tigers have lost their last two SEC series as Sunday starter John Valek has been hit hard and junior left-hander Jared Poche has given up 10 earned runs in his last two starts. Mainieri says he’ll announce the new pitching rotation on Thursday…:
Cut 16 (08) “midweek games”
LSU will begin an SEC Series against Arkansas on Friday.

ULM defeated Nicholls State 3-1 last night in Monroe. The Warhawks will make a short trip to face off with Louisiana Tech tonight in Ruston. The Colonels will next hit the road for a three-game Southland Conference series at Houston Baptist Friday. Also tonight, Southeastern hosts Jackson State.

Southern and McNeese State’s contest last night was cancelled and will not be made up due to both schools being in final exams.

The Saints are signing left tackle Terron Armstead to a five year extension, a league source confirms. Armstead, who joined the Saints in the third round of the NFL Draft back in 2013, is widely considered one of the top left tackles and pass protectors in the NFL. The terms of the extension were not disclosed.

Former LSU baseball star and Philadelphia pitcher Aaron Nola continues to put on an impressive show on the mound as he helped lead the Phillies to blank the Cardinals 1-0 last night. He struck out seven batters and walked one in seven innings.

CollegeFootballNews.com ranks LSU as the top team in the nation in its post-spring college football ranking. The website says the Tigers are very deep and very talented, with a bunch of first round picks on their roster. Clemson, Tennessee and Alabama follow LSU in C-F-N’s top 10.

Louisiana Tech plans to spend 11.5 million dollars on a new press box and suites at Joe Aillet Stadium. The project has received approval from the University of Louisiana System board.

 

06:30 Newscast, May 4th, 2016

The state department of health and hospitals is providing guidance to prevent the spread of the Zika virus. Jeff Palermo has more…:
Cut 2 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Louisiana is the 4th worst state for working moms, according to a study by the personal finance website, WalletHub. Analyst Jill Gonzalez says they looked at the cost of daycare, professional opportunities, and work and life balance:
CUT 7 (07) “ranked 47th”
Gonzalez says Louisiana also ranked 43rd for the gender pay gap.

Captain Clay Higgins, who achieved fame for his viral crime stoppers videos, has released another video where he addresses a few of his concerns about our country, even hinting that he may consider running for public office. Higgins told the Jim Engster Show the response to his video has been incredible…:
Cut 13 (09) “the country”
Higgins says if he decides to run for office, he’ll make the announcement sometime next week.

The full House narrowly voted Tuesday on a proposal that would allow high school students to take a national sex survey. Baton Rouge Representative Pat Smith says this analysis would play a major part in reducing the staggering number of teen pregnancies and STDS in Louisiana. Those in opposition say the test is not appropriate and sex should be taught at home not school. The vote was 53-40 to send the measure over to the Senate.