07:30 Newscast, September 7th, 2016

A New Orleans Saint teamed up with the First Lady to deliver backpacks full of school supplies to students at a Baton Rouge elementary school on their first day back since the flood. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

The final gift before he died. The wife of one of the police officers who was killed in the ambush on Baton Rouge cops on July 17th is pregnant. Dechia Gerald believes she and her late husband, Officer Matthew Gerald, conceived the child a few days before the attack.

Louisiana Economic Development is offering a contractor accreditation scholarship to small businesses with the state’s technical schools and community colleges. LED Secretary Don Pierson says the course will help new companies become licensed contractors in Louisiana, especially with the rising need after the historic flooding….:
CUT 7 (08) “this exam”
Pierson says courses run from October 3rd to November 9th at community and technical colleges statewide.

We may not see the presidential candidates much in the Bayou State before Election Day, according to UL-Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross. He says Donald Trump is leading Hillary Clinton here substantially, so the two will likely focus their attention on the so-called battleground states…:
Cut 13 (10) “elsewhere”
Cross predicts a 15 to 18 point win for Trump in Louisiana.

 

06:45 Sportscast, September 7th, 2016

LSU Coach Les Miles is not making any major changes on offense for Saturday’s home opener against Jacksonville State. Miles is moving offensive coordinator Cam Cameron from the sidelines to the press box and he’ll call plays from above the field. The head coach is not making a change at quarterback, but wants Brandon Harris to be more accurate…:
Cut 18 (18) “get you yards”
Miles says Cameron will be moving back up to the press box because they need more information from the press box. The game kicks off Saturday night in Tiger Stadium at 6:30pm. LSU fell 15 spots in the AP Top 25 Poll released on Tuesday. The Tigers went from No. 5 to No. 21.

Ragin Cajuns Coach Mark Hudspeth says the decision to fire defensive coordinator Melvin Smith gave him indigestion and heartburn, but it was a move that needed to be made after the team gave up 584 yards in a 45-10 loss to Boise State. Hudspeth says there was no reason to wait any longer to make a move…:
Cut 16 (15) “be successful”
Hudspeth says he is however encouraged by the play of quarterback Anthony Jennings.

The LSU men’s basketball team will open SEC play on Thursday, Dec. 29 against the Vanderbilt Commodores. The 2016-2017 SEC schedule was released on Tuesday by the league office.

LSU says fans should not expect to see Mike VI in Tiger Stadium during home football games for the 2016 season, due to his recent cancer diagnosis.

 

06:30 Newscast, September 7th, 2016

Governor John Bel Edwards announces three new expansion projects for schools in the Louisiana Community and Technical College System that will provide more training and improve employment opportunities for thousands. The announcement was made in Alexandria. President of the LCTCS, Monty Sullivan, says that’s where the Central Louisiana Technical College is building a 50-thousand square foot facility…:
cut 4 (09) “recent memory”
New training centers are also going up at Baton Rouge Community College and Delgado Community College in New Orleans.

Students at Eden Park Elementary in Baton Rouge had a welcome surprise when New Orleans Saints Punter Thomas Morstead and First Lady Donna Edwards showed up to deliver 500 backpacks filled with school supplies following the historic flood….:
Cut 10 (10) “the flooding”

Louisiana Economic Development is offering a scholarship for new businesses to become licensed contractors in the state. Emelie Gunn has more…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

LSU’s live tiger mascot will stay in his habitat during home games this season. Mike VI has never been forced to be part of pre-game events, and in light of his recent cancer diagnosis, officials will not attempt to load Mike into his trailer during the current football season.

LRN AM Newscall Sept 7

After being put on hold during the budget crisis, three new expansions will begin at schools in the Louisiana Community and Technical College System that are focused on training people for the workforce. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 1 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

______________________________________

Louisiana Economic Development is offering a scholarship for new businesses to become licensed contractors in the state. Emelie Gunn has more…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

______________________________________

A New Orleans Saint teamed up with the First Lady to deliver backpacks full of school supplies to students at a Baton Rouge elementary school on their first day back since the flood. Halen Doughty has more…

Cut 3 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

______________________________________

Governor John Bel Edwards announces three new expansion projects for schools in the Louisiana Community and Technical College System that will provide more training and improve employment opportunities for thousands. The announcement was made in Alexandria. President of the LCTCS, Monty Sullivan, says that’s where the Central Louisiana Technical College is building a 50-thousand square foot facility.

cut 4  (09)  “recent memory”

New facilities training centers are also going up at Baton Rouge Community College and Delgado Community College in New Orleans. Sullivan says these new facilities will provide training in various areas like welding, automotive technology, construction, manufacturing, and information technology.

Cut 5  (08)  “the workforce”

Delgado Community College will soon begin construction on a new 45-thousand square foot Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Center. Sullivan says the center will serve thousands of students who are enrolled in maritime programs, which will support industries along the Mississippi River.

Cut 6 (11) “which is maritime”

_______________________________________________

Louisiana Economic Development is offering a contractor accreditation scholarship to small businesses with the state’s technical schools and community colleges. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson says LED is offering the course to help new companies become a licensed contractor in Louisiana, especially with the rising need after the historic flooding.

CUT 7 (08)  “this exam”

Pierson says many flood victims are hiring contractors to fix their homes and want to ensure they have an accredited business doing construction. He says long term, there are a lot of contracting needs and LED wants to lend those businesses a hand in accelerating their efforts.

Cut 8 (09) “a week” 

Pierson says courses run from October 3rd to November 9th at community and technical colleges statewide. He says to get on board call…

Cut 9 (09)  “LCAI”

___________________________________________________________

Students at Eden Park Elementary in Baton Rouge had a welcome surprise when New Orleans Saints Punter Thomas Morstead and First Lady Donna Edwards showed up to deliver 500 backpacks filled with school supplies following the historic flood.

Cut 10 (10) “the flooding”

The delivery came on the students’ first day back in the classroom since the flood. In every classroom, Morstead was greeted by cheering students, one of them even sporting a #6 jersey. Morstead says it’s a small thing to do for each child, but he hopes it motivates the students to have a good school year.

cut 11 (08) “great year”

Morstead says 50 volunteers rode on the bus from New Orleans to Baton Rouge to hand out the supplies. A total of 6,000 backpacks will be distributed to students throughout East Baton Rouge parish. The veteran NFL player says he’s glad to help the students, but he was most moved by seeing the number of volunteers who turned out to help deliver the backpacks.

cut 12 (08) “as I do”

_______________________________________________________

We may not see the presidential candidates much in the Bayou State before Election Day, according to UL-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross. He says Donald Trump is leading Hillary Clinton in Louisiana substantially, so the candidates will focus their attention on the so-called battleground states.

Cut 13 (10) “elsewhere”

Cross says Louisiana should be an easy win for Trump, because Clinton is not popular among voters in the predominantly red state. He says although the Bayou State does have a large number of minority voters, it likely won’t be enough for a Clinton win.

cut 14 (08)  “tea leaves”

Cross says if Trump starts to slip in the polls here, then that could be cause for alarm. But he says that doesn’t seem like much of a possibility at this point.

Cut 15 (08) “this state”

_______________________________________________________

Ragin Cajuns Coach Mark Hudspeth says the decision to fire defensive coordinator Melvin Smith gave him indigestion and heartburn, but it was a move that needed to be made after the team gave up 584 yards in a 45-10 loss to Boise State. Hudspeth says there was no reason to wait any longer to make a move

Cut 16  (15)  “be successful”

While Hudspeth was not happy with how his defense played, he is encouraged by the play of quarterback Anthony Jennings, who completed 21 of 33 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown pass in the loss to the Broncos. Hudspeth says he liked how Jennings played with poise…

Cut 17 (17)  “we’re doing “

________________________________________________________

LSU Coach Les Miles is not making any major changes on offense for Saturday’s home opener against Jacksonville State. Miles is moving offensive coordinator Cam Cameron from the sidelines to the press box and he’ll call plays from above the field. The head coach is not making a change at quarterback, but wants Brandon Harris to be more accurate..

Cut 18 (18) “get you yards”

Miles says Harris is not all to blame for the problems that the offense had last Saturday. He says the receivers also failed to catch the ball at times…

Cut 19 (15) “we can fix”

The offensive line also struggled to give Harris time to throw or create running lanes for Leonard Fournette. But Miles is optimistic that unit will get better with time and more practice. He says injuries during preseason camp, kept them from gelling…

Cut 20 (20) “good line”

18:30 LRN Newscast

After being put on hold during the budget crisis, three new expansions will begin at schools in the Louisiana Community and Technical College System that are focused on training people for the workforce. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 1 (28) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

WAFB reports the wife of fallen Baton Rouge police officer Matthew Gerald is pregnant. Dechia Gerald told WAFB reporters she believes she conceived five days before her husband was killed in the ambush on Baton Rouge officers.

The state Office of Motor Vehicles is now offering customers the ability to cancel the license plate on their vehicle without having to visit an OMV office. Spokeswoman Staci Hoyt says right now most of the license plates being brought in for cancellation are for vehicles that were damaged in the flood.

Cut 13 (07) “get here”
Customers can visit the OMV website and enter the VIN, plate number and zip code of the registered owner of the vehicle to cancel the plate.

The Coast Guard and other agencies are responding to an oil spill off the coast of Bay Long, near Grand Isle. Petty Officer Lexie Preston says they are currently conducting cleanup operations from the 53 hundred gallon spill.

Cut 4 (07) “collection oil”
She says they are still investigating the spill.

17:30 LRN Newscast September 6th

The Legislative Auditor’s Office releases a report that highlights ways to reduce Louisiana’s incarceration rate, which is the highest in the world. Director of performance audits Karen LeBlanc says one of the things they’d like to see is nonviolent offenders with more probation and less jail time…:
CUT 7 (12) “state facility”
But Executive Director of the Louisiana District Attorney’s Office, Pete Adams, says these ideas are costly and letting criminals out on the street with probation could be dangerous…:
CUT 9 (12) “best move”
But Leblanc says the money the state saves from these reforms can be used to fund these proposed programs.

The Office of Motor Vehicles is giving drivers an option to cancel license plates online. Michelle Southern has more…
voicer 2 (29) “…I’m Michelle Southern”

The LSU vet school announces Mike the Tiger will stay in his habitat during home football games as he battles cancer. Coach Les Miles said his team is sick and miserable as a result of the loss to Wisconsin. Brandon Harris remains the starting quarterback, but offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will return to the press box to call plays. The Tigers host Jacksonville State on Saturday.

16:45 LRN Sportscast September 6th

LSU Football Coach Les Miles spoke today for the first time since Saturday’s surprising 16-14 defeat to Wisconsin. Miles summed up the mood of his team…
cut 30 (14) “…go forward”
At this point, moving offensive coordinator Cam Cameron back to the press box to call plays is the biggest change Miles is making. The head coach says they still believe quarterback Brandon Harris can get the job done, but back-up Danny Etling is always a consideration. Also, no plans to make changes on the offensive line. He says it’s a unit that can play better and they are not where they need to be, because of minor injuries that had them sidelined during parts of fall camp. LSU looks to take out some of their frustations on Saturday night against Jacksonville State in the home opener.

The Saints continue to make some roster moves, including the release of 32-year-old cornerback Cortland Finnegan. New Orleans is also making a change at kicker. The team has signed Will Lutz and released Kai Forbath. Lutz is a rookie, who was recently released by the Ravens. NFL-dot-com’s Ian Rapoport reports the Saints decided to sign Lutz after getting a good recommendation from Baltimore.

Gene Ponti with K-T-V-E TV in Monroe is reporting that former LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle had a workout with the Saints. Randle was let go by the Eagles two weeks ago.

McNeese State, who is ranked 10th in the latest F-C-S poll, is not sure what they’ll see from U-L Lafayette on Saturday. That’s because the Cajuns have a new defensive coordiantor. Former Southeastern Louisiana head coach Mike Lucas takes over for the fired Melvin Smith.

LSU men’s basketball released its SEC schedule today. The Tigers tip-off their league schedule at home on December 29th against Vanderbilt. The Tigers will visit Kentucky on February seventh.

16:30 LRN Newscast Sept 6

A new report from the Legislative Auditor’s Office highlights ways to reduce Louisiana’s incarceration rate. Karen LeBlanc with the Legislative Auditor’s Office says the state can save money by providing alternatives for people arrested on drug charges, like diversion and specialty courts.

CUT 6 (10) “a jail”

But Executive Director of the Louisiana District Attorney’s Office, Pete Adams, says they would rather see solutions that didn’t cost anything upfront.

The Office of Motor Vehicles is letting drivers cancel their license plates online. Deputy Commissioner Staci Hoyt hopes this will help the massive OMV wait times that have only increased after the flooding event. She says the office also has extended hours…

cut 15 (06) “4:30″

The Coast Guard and other agencies are responding to an oil spill off the coast of Bay Long, near Grand Isle. Petty Officer Lexie Preston says roughly 53-hundred gallons of crude oil leaked from a pipeline owned by Harvest Pipeline Company. She say it was struck by a vessel owned by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company…

CUT 3 (08)  “leaking”

A new animal disaster relief shelter has opened in Amite. Executive Director of the Humane Society of Louisiana, Jeff Dorson says this new center is the base of operations for all the surrounding parishes. He says they’re trying to help reunite pets and livestock with their owners.

cut 10 (10)  “multiple weeks”

Dorson says at this site, they have 50 dogs and 20 cats in separate areas with air conditioning.

15:30 Newcast September 6,2016

The Legislative Auditor’s Office has issued a report detailing how Louisiana can reduce its incarceration rate, which is higher than anywhere else in the world. Halen Doughty has more…
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

According to the East Bank Consolidated Fire Department, a Jefferson Parish school bus carrying 34 children crashed into a canal along West Metaire Avenue this afternoon around 1:45. The students evacuated out of the back door of the bus and one suffered a minor injury.

 

The Office of Motor Vehicles is now allowing drivers to cancel their license plates online. Deputy Commissioner Staci Hoyt says anyone wishing to do so online must enter the vehicle’s VIN number, the plate number, and the ZIP code of the registered owner.
Cut 14 (08) “be canceled.”

Hoyt says office hours have also been extended this week until 6:30 p.m.

The Humane Society of Louisiana has opened a new animal disaster relief shelter in Amite. Executive Director Jeff Dorson says they originally partnered with the Livingston Government Animal Control during the initial flood recovery stage, but the Livingston Shelter needed to return to normal business. He says this Amite Arena is in a perfect location.
cut 12 (10) “incident center”

He hopes this new center will help reunite animals with their owners.

14:30 LRN Newscast September 6th

The Office of Motor Vehicles is giving drivers an option to cancel license plates online. Michelle Southern has more…
voicer 2 (29) “…I’m Michelle Southern”

The LSU Tigers have fallen 16 spots in the coaches poll which came out today. The Bayou Bengals went from sixth to 22nd as a result of their season opening loss to Wisconsin. Coach Les Miles said today that Brandon Harris remains the Tigers starting quarterback and the team can still achieve its goals of winning a championship.

The Coast Guard and several other agencies are cleaning up about 53-hundred gallons of crude oil that leaked from a pipeline near Bay Long, which is near Grand Isle. Petty Officer Lexie Preston says a vessel owned by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock company struck the pipeline and they’re still trying to determine how that occurred…
cut 5 (06) “…of yet”
Skimmers and absorbent material are being used to collect the oil and about three-thousand feel of hard boom have been deployed as well.

A new animal disaster relief shelter has opened in Amite. Executive Director of the Humane Society of Louisiana Jeff Dorson says at this site, they have 50 dogs and 20 cats in separate areas with air conditioning. He says if you’ve lost your pet in the flooding, they could very well be at the new Amite location….
cut 11 (07) “….humane”