13:30 Newscast, January 18th, 2016

Warning labels on sugary beverages may keep parents from buying them for their kids, according to recent research published in the Journal of Pediatrics. Jeff Palermo reports…:
CUT 2 (32) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

An autographed copy of the speech a student gave to welcome President Barack Obama to McKinley High School in Baton Rouge was stolen out of her vehicle, but cops say they found it and also made an arrest. The Baton Rouge Police Department says 17-year-old Keondrae Ricks allegedly tossed Che’dra Joseph’s signed speech in dumpster after breaking into her car.

Former State Representative Ray Laborde of Avoiyelles PArish passed away at his home in Marksville at the age of 88. Laborde was the mayor of the town from 1958 to 1970. Laborde then went into state politics where he served in the Louisiana House of Representatives. He was a lifelong friend and Commissioner of Administration for former Governor Edwin Edwards from 1992 to 1996.

Sean Payton became the head coach of the New Orleans Saints exactly 10 years ago today. So how much has the program changed under his team leadership over the past decade? NFL analyst Mike Detillier says Payton’s hiring, which came months after Hurricane Katrina, not only rejuvenated the team, but the city as well. He says there was a lot of uncertainty in whether the Saints would stay in New Orleans when Payton was hired…:
CUT 7 (10) “high moments”
One of Payton’s first moves as head coach was to sign free agent quarterback Drew Brees.

 

12:30 Newscast, January 18th, 2016

Warning labels on sugary beverages may keep parents from buying them for their kids, according to recent research published in the Journal of Pediatrics. LSU Health Clinical Psychologist Michelle Moore says parents may not know that seemingly innocent looking drinks contain so much sugar…:
cut 10 (06) “to them”
California is proposing legislation that would put text warning labels on sweetened nonalcoholic drinks with added sweeteners with 75 or more calories per 12 ounces.

Officials with the Louisiana Marathon have disqualified the female first place finisher in the race for receiving assistance that is prohibited. They say Mandy West, a Nike Running account executive from St. Louis, was brought nutrition and liquids several times during the race in Baton Rouge by someone on a bike who wasn’t affiliated with the organization. Competitors are told prior to the race that such help is not allowed.

10 years ago today the New Orleans Saints announced Sean Payton as their new head coach. Eric Gill has more on Payton’s impact to the team…:
CUT 1 (29) “I’m Eric Gill”

The statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline on Martin Luther King Jr. Day was $1.69. That’s down a nickle from the same time the prior week.

 

11:40 LRN sportscast January 18

Ten years ago today, the Saints officially named Sean Payton as their new head coach. Payton would lead New Orleans to the NFC Championship game that year and a Super Bowl title in 2009. NFL analyst Mike Detillier recalls the uncertainity that surrounded the Saints franchise when Payton was hired…
cut 7 (10) “….high moments”
Detillier says Payton will have to fix the Saints defense if he wants to remain the coach in New Orleans.

In recruiting news…Louisiana’s Mr. Football for 2015, Zachary Quarterback Lindsey Scott has de-committed from Syracuse. Scott has reportedly received an offer from Maryland. Mandeville receiver Parker Orgeron, the son of LSU defensive coordinator Ed Orgeron, has committed to McNeese State.

Pelicans star Anthony Davis has been named a finalist for the 2016 US men’s olympic team. Davis is one of 30 finalists and eventually the team will be cut to 12 players who will compete in the 2016 US summer Olympics in Brazil. A-D is averaging almost 23 points and 11 rebounds this year. Davis and the Pelicans battle the Memphis Grizzlies this afternoon.

LSU’s Ben Simmons has been named SEC Freshman of the Week after helping the Tigers beat Ole Miss and Arkansas last week. Simmons had a league-leading 13th double-double on Saturday as he scored 16 points and had 18 rebounds in the win over the Razorbacks.

Texas A-and-M’s Jalen Jones was named the SEC player of the week as he averaged 19 points and nine rebounds in wins over Florida and Georgia. The Aggies and tigers meet tomorrow in SEC action.

In college hoops action tonight…Nicholls State looks for its first win on the road this when they visit Sam Houston State.

11:30 Newscast, January 18th, 2016

A 17-year-old accused of shooting and killing his friend by mistake with a shotgun has been arrested by the Baton Rouge Police Department. Cpl. Don Coppola says 17-year-old Ahmad Antoine is charged with negligent homicide in the death of 17-year-old Devin Anderson. Coppola says the shooting happened at a home on Birch Street…:
CUT 3 (10) “of the friends”
Anderson was pronounced dead at the scene. Antoine turned himself in to police shortly after the shooting.

Multiple media outlets are reporting convicted serial killer Derrick Todd Lee was taken from Angola’s death row to an unknown hospital to receive medial treatment. The Corrections Department indicated the 47-year-old had indeed had been transported from the prison for medical reasons, but declined to offer additional details. Lee was linked by DNA to the deaths of seven women and was sentenced to death in 2004 for the murder of Charlotte Murray Pace.

It was 10 years ago today the New Orleans Saints announced Sean Payton as their new head coach. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says Payton has led the Saints to unprecedented success during his tenure. He says Payton has proven that the Black and Gold can do more than just make the playoffs…:
CUT 6 (10) “organization, totally”
Payton has led the Saints to three division titles and a Super Bowl championship.

A man in New Iberia was hit and killed by a train, according to authorities. The Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office says the 55-year-old was standing between two freight cars when the train began to move. He becomes the 6th person to be killed by a train in New Iberia in less than a month, as five people lost their lives on tracks when an Amtrak train crashed into their vehicle.

 

10:30 LRN Newscast January 18

The roads are not as filled with cars on this Martin Luther King Holiday, but many Louisiana residents still wish our higway system was better. Louisiana has at least a 12-billion dollar backlog in road and bridge projects. New Senate Transportation Chairman Page Cortez says Governor John Bel Edwards is committed to ending the shifting of money from the state’s gas funded Transportation Trust Fund to State Police…
cut 13 (12) “….state police”
Cortez says look for this issue to be addressed in the legislative session later this year.

Baton Rouge police have booked 17-year-old Ahmed Antoine on a charge of negligent homicide after he allegedly fired a gun, killing his 17-year-old friend Devin Anderson. Corpola Don Coppola says the evidence at this time shows it was an accident…
cut 5 (08) “….it was not”
The two were playing with the gun when it went off at a home in Baton rouge.

A new report shows that even though Louisiana has the second lowest median income in the nation, its residents do better than expected when it comes to managing money. Eric Gill has more…
cut 1 (28) ” Eric Gill”

Louisiana’s efforts to re-populate the whooping crane population along the Gulf Coast had a minor setback as two of the big birds were found shot to death in Texas. That brings the total number of whooping cranes to 44 in Louisiana. But biologist Sara Zimorski with LDWF says she’s looking forward to seeing new nests in the Spring…
cut 16 (11) “…this spring”

09:30 Newscast January 18, 2016

You can expect transportation to be a major topic of discussion in the upcoming regular legislative session. Lafayette Senator Page Cortez was chosen to chair the state Senate Transportation Committee. Cortez says a major project for the state is the I-49 connector in Lafayette…

cut 12 (10) “and advance”

Louisiana has at least a $12 billion dollar backlog in improving its road and bridge system.

A new CreditCards-dot-com report shows that even though Louisiana has the second lowest median income in the nation, the Bayou State ranks 25th in the country for managing money. Senior analyst Matt Schulz says they found Louisiana is one of the younger states in the country in terms of average age of residents…

cut 6 (08) “disadvantage”

He says it’s much easier for an older person to have a higher credit score than a younger person without a long credit history.

The popular e-cigarette might not be as effective as some thought when it comes to quitting the use of regular cigarettes. Emelie Gunn has more…

cut 2 (31) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

State Police has arrested a Shreveport casino employee for allegedly stealing more than $3,000 from his employer. They say 45-year-old Frank Leeper of Haughton, director of slots at Sam’s Town Casino, created fraudulent credit payouts and stole the money. Authorities say Leeper confessed to the crime and is charged with felony theft. State Police say this is the first time an upper level casino manager has been arrested since gambling was legalized in Louisiana.

08:30 Newscast January 18, 2016

Transportation is expected to be a major topic in the upcoming regular legislative session. Michelle Southern reports…:

cut 3 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

There was an increase in first time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the week ending January 9th. According to the state Labor Department, initial claims jumped to 4,203 from 2,459 the previous week. This week marked the beginning of a new quarter for new claims which usually results in an increase because some claimants regain their eligibility for benefits.

Electronic cigarettes may not help smokers quit smoking regular cigarettes. A new Lancet Respiratory Medicine study finds that adults who use e-cigarettes to stop smoking are 28 percent less likely to quit. Professor and Associate Dean for Research at LSU Health New Orleans Dr. Edward Trapido says not enough is known about the long term effects of smoking e-cigarettes to know if they’re a harmless alternative…

cut 9 (10) “determination”

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says two Louisiana whooping cranes that were part of an experimental population have been found dead in Texas. Biologist Sara Zimorski says it’s frustrating to lose two more birds when the population is so small to begin with…

cut 15 (09) “species”

She says a person has been charged in the whooping crane deaths.

07:30 Newscast January 18, 2016

During President Barack Obama’s visit to Baton Rouge, Governor John Bel Edwards says he showed The Commander-in-Chief the single lane of traffic motorists must pass through in Baton Rouge on I-10 when going from west to east. Edwards said the president understood the importance of getting some additional work done on I-10…

cut 11 (08) “with that”

Lafayette Senator Page Cortez, chair of the state Senate Transportation Committee, says the potential of getting some federal funds to help with Louisiana’s roads is great.

A new study finds Electronic cigarettes may not help smokers quit smoking regular cigarettes. LSU Health New Orleans’ Dr. Edward Trapido says The Lancet Respiratory Medicine report shows adults who use e-cigarettes are 28 percent less likely to quit smoking. He says it’s disturbing that they come in flavors attractive to young adults…

cut 8 (09) “smoking cigarettes”

He says electronic cigarettes have been shown in multiple studies to lead to regular cigarette smoking.

A CreditCards-dot-com report shows Louisiana ranks 25th in the country for managing money. Senior analyst Matt Schulz says considering low credit scores and low median income, Louisianans do fairly well handling credit cards…

cut 5 (10) “those balances”

He says Louisiana’s average credit score is three points higher than what’s expected based on what people make.

Two Louisiana whooping cranes that were part of an experimental population were found dead in Texas. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Biologist Sara Zimorski says Texas Wildlife and Fisheries notified them about the birds. She says it’s believed the birds were deliberately killed…

cut 14 (06) “been charged”

Zimorski says LDWF has been working hard to build up the whooping crane numbers in the state.

06:45 Sportscast January 18, 2016

Peyton Manning threw for 222 yards as the Denver Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-16 in an AFC Divisional Playoff. The Broncos will face the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game next Sunday.

In the NFC, Carolina held on to beat the Seattle Seahawks 31-24. The Panthers will host the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship.

Craig Victor’s put-back with four seconds remaining lifts LSU to a 76-74 win over Arkansas in SEC action. Victor finished the game with 16 points and 12 rebounds and Ben Simmons also recorded a double-double for the Tigers adding 16 points and 18 boards. LSU is now 11-6 and 4-1 in conference play. The Tigers head to College Station to face Texas A&M tomorrow night.

Louisiana Tech led by 20 at the half, but couldn’t hold on in the second and fell to Florida Atlantic 63-61. The Bulldogs gave up 47 second half points to the Owls and fall to 2-3 in Conference USA.

10th ranked SMU beat Tulane 60-45. The Green Wave actually took a three point lead early in the second half, before the Mustangs responded with an 8-0 run and pulled away for the rest of the game. The loss drops Tulane to 11-8 on the season, 1-5 in the American Conference. SMU remains the only undefeated team in Division I basketball.

In the Sun Belt, UL-Lafayette trounced Georgia State 87-54. Shawn Long led the way for the Cajuns with 23 points. UL-Lafayette is now 3-3 in the Sun Belt and will face South Alabama at home Thursday night.

ULM came up short against Georgia Southern 66-51. Justin Roberson led the Warhawks with 20 points as ULM has now lost four in a row. The Warhawks look to break that losing streak Thursday when they host Troy.

In the Southland, McNeese State beat Sam Houston State 72-68, Incarnate Word got past Southeastern Louisiana 75-71, Lamar edged Northwestern State 86-82, Houston Baptist held off UNO 73-69, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi defeated Nicholls State 76-71.

06:30 Newscast January 18, 2016

Governor John Bel Edwards says he showed President Barack Obama the single lane of traffic motorists must pass through in Baton Rouge on I-10 when going from west to east. Edwards says he told the president that it was the only place on the 2,460 mile interstate with a single lane…

cut 10 (11) “this year”

Edwards said the president understood the importance of getting some additional work done on I-10.

A new report shows that even though Louisiana has the second lowest median income in the nation, its residents do better than expected when it comes to managing money. CreditCards.com senior analyst Matt Schulz says Louisiana’s average credit score is third worst, but it’s three points higher than what’s expected based on what people make….

cut 4 (11) “anticipate”

Schulz says Louisiana ranks 25th in the country for managing money.

Electronic cigarettes are marketed as a method to help smokers quit smoking regular cigarettes, but a new study finds that’s not the case. Professor and Associate Dean for Research at LSU Health New Orleans Dr. Edward Trapido says The Lancet Respiratory Medicine’s research is the largest analysis that proves e-cigarettes have the opposite effect…

cut 7 (10) “to quit”

The report says adults who use e-cigarettes to stop smoking are 28 percent less likely to quit.