08:30 Newscast September 9, 2015

Three men have signed up to be the state’s next Lieutenant Governor. Jeff Palermo has the story…

cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Natchitoches Police Department is investigating the shooting death of a teenager. They say 17-year-old DeMarcus Pye was found lying in a ditch suffering from two apparent gunshot wounds. Pye, a 10th grader at Natchitoches Central High School, was pronounced dead at the scene. It’s reported that the shooting occurred after a fight broke out near where Pye was found. The police investigation is ongoing and they believe arrests may be forthcoming.

Hurricane Betsy made landfall in Louisiana 50 years ago today. State Climatologist Barry Keim says forecasters knew the storm was coming, but not many residents were prepared to leave New Orleans…

cut 5 (10) “that great”

He says Betsy was the signature storm of New Orleans and a turning point for the city up until Hurricane Katrina.

LSU announces its refund plan for those who had tickets to the cancelled McNeese State game. Brian Broussard, head of the LSU athletic ticket office, says if you’re a season ticket holder or purchased the tickets through LSU with a credit card, you will automatically be issued a refund on your credit card account by September 30th. He says Athletic Director Joe Alleva believes a refund is the right thing to do in this case…

cut 15 (08) “we could”

If you paid by cash or check through LSU, you’ll need to show proof of purchase.

07:30 Newscast September 9, 2015

The three major Republican candidates in the Lt. Governor’s race – Opelousas state Senator Elbert Guillory, Former Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, and Jefferson Parish President John Young – qualified for this fall’s election Tuesday morning. Young says, if elected, he’s eager to work with the new administration…

cut 8 (10) “and retire”

Democrat Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden is expected to qualify later today.

Governor Bobby Jindal may be gaining support in Iowa. An NBC/Marist Poll shows the governor with four percent of the vote, while a Gravis Poll has Jindal at 5 percent. Gravis Marketing President Doug Kaplan says there is plenty of time left for Jindal or another candidate to catch up and take the lead…

cut 11 (09) “anyone’s guess”

Kaplan says Jindal isn’t doing well in the national polls but those don’t really matter at this point in the race.

Today is the 50th anniversary of Hurricane Betsy making landfall in Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says Betsy was the signature storm of New Orleans and a turning point for the city up until Hurricane Katrina. He says the hurricane made landfall at night and created major flooding across the region…

cut 4 (12) “top of it”

Keim says Betsy was a defining moment for the Crescent City and should be remembered.

LSU has released its plans for refunding those who had tickets for Saturday’s cancelled McNeese State football game. Head of the LSU athletic ticket office, Brian Broussard, says If you bought a ticket for the game through the office with cash or check, then you’ll need to show proof of purchase before getting a refund…

cut 14 (07) “that transaction”

If you’re a season ticket holder or purchased tickets through LSU with a credit card, you will automatically be issued a refund on your credit card account by September 30th.

06:45 Sportscast September 9, 2015

The 14th ranked LSU Tigers are getting ready to face 25th ranked Mississippi State Saturday night in Starkville. The Bulldogs have been tough to be at home the last couple of years as they’ve recently expanded their stadium, plus there’s thousands of cow bells going off during the game. But Coach Les Miles is not worried about the cowbells..

cut 16 (20) “cowbells”

Last year, Mississippi State came into Baton Rouge and beat the Tigers 34-29.

According to the NFL Network, Saints running back C.J. Spiller will not play in the team’s season opener this Sunday against Arizona. Spiller is recovering from minor knee surgery and should be back in uniform for Week 2. It appears that Khiry Robinson will return from injury in the near future. Robinson tweeted Monday that he was back in pads at practice.

Several Louisiana colleges have their home opener this weekend. The Ragin Cajuns, who nearly upset Kentucky last weekend, welcomes Northwestern State to Cajun Field. When UL Lafayette Coach Mark Hudspeth met with the media this week, he did not name a starting QB. Brooks Haack started against the Wildcats, but back-up Jalen Nixon led the Cajuns on quite a comeback. Saturday’s game can be seen on ESPN3.

Also this weekend, ULM hosts Nicholls State. It’s the season opener for the Colonels, while the Warhawks are coming off a 51-14 loss to Georgia. McNeese State hosts Incarnate Word, Grambling takes on Bethune-Cookman, while Southeastern Louisiana hosts Florida Tech.

NBA playoff seeding will now be based solely on team records. The league’s Board of Governors unanimously approved the change Tuesday. The ruling means a division championship no longer guarantees a top four seed in the conference playoffs. Teams in each conference will now be seeded from one to eight based solely on their won-loss record.

06:30 Newscast September 9, 2015

A couple of new polls show Governor Bobby Jindal gaining more support in Iowa. An NBC/Marist Poll shows four percent of Iowa caucus-goers plan on voting for Jindal and a Gravis Poll shows him at 5 percent. Gravis Marketing President Doug Kaplan…

cut 10 (09) “nearly anyone”

Kaplan says Donald Trump is the front runner in their poll with 32 percent.

The three major Republican candidates in the Lt. Governor’s race qualified for this fall’s election Tuesday morning. Opelousas state Senator Elbert Guillory says he has over 45 years of experience in law and government and is excited about the race…

cut 7 (05) “raring to go”

Jefferson Parish President John Young and former Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser also qualified yesterday. Democrat Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden is expected to qualify this afternoon.

LSU has released its plans for refunding those who had tickets for Saturday’s cancelled McNeese State football game. Brian Broussard, the head of the LSU athletic ticket office, says If you purchased the tickets through LSU with a credit card or if you’re a season ticket holder, you will automatically be issued a refund on your credit card account by September 30th…

cut 13 (07) “on record”

If you paid for a ticket for the McNeese State game through the LSU ticket office with cash or check, then you’ll need to show proof of purchase before getting a refund.

AM Newcall September 9,2015

50 years ago today Hurricane Betsy made landfall in Louisiana. Emelie Gunn has more on the devastating storm…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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Three men have signed up to be the state’s next Lieutenant Governor. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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LSU announces its refund plan for those who had tickets to the cancelled McNeese State game. Emelie Gunn has the story…

Cut 3 (25) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

______________________________________

Today is the 50th anniversary of the devastating Hurricane Betsy made landfall in Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says Betsy was the signature storm of New Orleans and a turning point for the city up until Hurricane Katrina. He says the hurricane made landfall at night and created major flooding across the region.

cut 4  (12)  “top of it”

Keim says as time passes, the more Betsy gets forgotten but it was a defining moment for the Crescent City and should be remembered. He says forecasters knew the storm was coming yet, still not many residents were prepared to leave New Orleans.

Cut 5  (10)  “that great”

Hurricane Betsy killed more than 75 people and caused over one billion dollars worth of damage. Keim says this storm impacted more of the southern part state than just New Orleans.

Cut 6 (11)  “miles an hour”

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The three major Republican candidates in the Lt. Governor’s race qualified for this fall’s election Tuesday morning. Opelousas state Senator Elbert Guillory says he has over 45 years of experience in law and government and is excited about the race…

CUT 7 (05)  “raring to go”

Democrat Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden is expected to qualify this afternoon. Jefferson Parish President John Young says, if elected, he’s eager to work with the new administration…

Cut 8  (10)  “and retire” 

Former Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser says as Lt. Governor he wants to get involved in anything he can to make a difference in the state. Nungesser says he looks forward to collaborating with people statewide to keep the state’s tourism industry strong…

Cut 9 (09) “it happen”

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A couple of new polls show Governor Bobby Jindal gaining more support in Iowa. The governor has pledged to visit all 99 counties and has already spent a lot of time there. An NBC/Marist Poll shows four percent of Iowa caucus-goers plan on voting for Jindal, which is up from one percent in July. There is also a Gravis Poll that showed Jindal at 5 percent, and Gravis Marketing President Doug Kaplan…

Cut 10 (09) “nearly anyone”

Kaplan says Donald Trump and Ben Carson are the frontrunners, with Trump at 32 percent and Carson at 16 percent. But he says there is plenty of time left for Jindal or another candidate to catch up and take the lead.

cut 11 (09) “anyone’s guess”

Kaplan says Jindal isn’t doing well in the national polls but those don’t really matter at this point in the race. He says in the past other low ranking candidates were able to rise to the top in Iowa.

Cut 12 (07) “or Santorum”

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LSU has released its plans for refunding those who had tickets for Saturday’s cancelled McNeese State football game. Brian Broussard, who is the head of the LSU athletic ticket office, says If you purchased the tickets through LSU with a credit card or if you’re a season ticket holder, you will automatically be issued a refund on your credit card account by September 30th

Cut 13 (07)  “on record”

If you paid for a ticket for the McNeese State game through the LSU ticket office with cash or check, then you’ll need to show proof of purchase before getting a refund…

Cut 14 (07) “that transaction”

Broussard says those who bought tickets without using a credit card, will be reimbursed with a refund check by October 15th. Saturday night’s McNeese State game was cancelled as a result of lightning after just ten plays. Broussard says AD Joe Alleva believes a refund is the right thing to do in this case…

Cut 15  (08)  “we could”

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14th ranked LSU is getting ready to face 25th ranked Mississippi State on Saturday night in Starkville. The Bulldogs have been tough to be at home the last couple of years as they’ve recently expanded their stadium, plus there’s thousands of cow bells going off during the game. But Coach Les Miles is not worried about the cowbells

Cut 16  (20)  “cowbells”

Last year, Mississippi State came into Baton Rouge and beat the Tigers 34-29. Bulldogs quarterback and Louisiana native Dak Prescott had a big game as he rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown and threw for 268 yards and two more scores. Miles on what LSU needs to do this Saturday to defend Dak

Cut 17 (14) “tackle him” 

Sophomore Quarterback Brandon Harris only got a few snaps in before the weather halted play against McNeese State. Harris will make his second road start this Saturday and says he’s more prepared this time around and the game comes to him easier now…

Cut 18 (14) “do more things”

17:30 LRN Newscast Sept 8

First day of qualiying for the statewide elections this fall is over. Six people have qualified to be the state’s next governor, including the current Lt. Governor, Jay Dardenne…
cut 9 (09) “…in the state”
There are currently four republicans in the race and two democrats, Cary Deaton, who ran in 2011 and state representative John Bel Edwards, who is not discouraged by the results of last year’s Senate race, which saw three-term democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu lose…
cut 8 (07) “…those lines”
Qualifying concludes on Thursday afternoon.

LSU has released its plans for refunding those who had tickets for Saturday’s cancelled McNese State football game. If you purchased the tickets through LSU with a credit card, you will automatically be issued a refund on credit card account by September 30th.

Two republicans have filed paperwork to challenge curent attorney general Buddy Caldwell, who is also a republican. Marty Maley and Jeff Landry both say a change is needed. Landry is a former Congressman. He says he’ll bring honesty and integrity to the A-G’s office…
cut 12 (12) “…they deserve”
Caldwell is seeking a third term as attorney general.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand announced the arrest of two individuals who fired shots at deputies who were on patrol last week in Marrero. Normand says neither man is showing any remorse about the shooting…
cut 15 (09) “…it’s over”
Both men face 20 to 50 years in prison if convicted. No officers were injured in the shooting.

16:30 Newscast, September 8th, 2015

Qualifying began today for this fall’s statewide elections and the four major gubernatorial candidates all qualified before 10AM. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Eric Gill”

Two of four workers who were injured in an explosion and fire at a plant in Ascension Parish last week have been released from the hospital. Renewable Energy Group said the unnamed worker was discharged from the Baton Rouge General Regional Burn Unit fight nights after the explosion. Two other workers remain hospitalized with one in reported good condition and another in serious condition.

A 54-year-old man from Lake Providence died after his house caught on fire that was likely started by a cigarette in his bed. State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says 54-year-old Kenneth Jefferson was trying to put the fire out and died from injuries he sustained. He says whenever there is a fire, one should notify everyone in the area and then escape to safety, not stay behind to put it out…:
CUT 5 (08) “trapped themselves”
Browning adds that you should never smoke in bed.

The Natchitoches Police Department has identified the high school student who was shot to death Monday evening outside a home in the city. They say 17-year-old DeMarcus Pye was found lying in a ditch shot two times. It’s reported that there was some type of fight the victim could have been involved in and cops say arrests may be forthcoming.

 

LRN Sportscast 16:45 September 8

After a long and disappointing Saturday night that resulted in the cancellation of the McNeese State game, the LSU football team is now looking forward to its next opportunity to play a game and that’s this Saturday at Mississippi State. Coach Les Miles on the Bulldogs, who beat Southern Miss to start the season…
cut 30 (20) “…real accomplishment”
Mississippi State is ranked 25th in the latest AP poll that came out today, while LSU is ranked 14th. Ohio State is number one and Alabama is number two.

Louisiana Tech quarterback Jeff Driskel is the Louisiana Sports Writers Association offensive player of the week. Driskel threw four touchdown passes and for 274 yards in a blowout win over Southern.

The Saints are off today, but they are still looking at making some adjustments to their 53-man roster. The Black and Gold reportedly brought in a couple of kickers, Nick Novak and Caleb Sturgis for a tryout. And the Saints also had former New York Giant and Indianapolis Colt Hakeem Nicks in for a workout.

Several Louisiana colleges have their home opener this weekend. The Ragin Cajuns, who nearly upset Kentucky last weekend, will host Northwestern State. When UL Lafayette Coach Mark Hudspeth met with the media this week, he did not name a starting QB. Brooks Haack started against the Wildcats, but back-up Jalen Nixon led the Cajuns on quite a comeback.

Also this weekend, ULM hosts Nicholls State. It’s the season opener for the Colonels, while the Warhawks are coming off a blow out loss to Georgia. McNeese State hosts Incarnate Word, Grambling takes on Bethune-Cookman, while Southeastern Louisiana hosts Florida Tech.

15:30 Newscast, September 8th, 2015

The official start to the campaign season got underway this morning as qualifying began in Baton Rouge. Republican Senator David Vitter was the first gubernatorial candidate to sign up. He says Louisiana is facing serious problems…:
CUT 6 (10) “ahead of us”
Vitter has by far the most money in his campaign warchest, but Republican Scott Angelle says this race is too important to place focus on money…:
CUT 7 (09) “enough money”
Democrat John Bel Edwards and Republican Jay Dardenne are also now officially in the race.

Governor Bobby Jindal is going to host a prayer rally on the steps of the state capitol on Monday at 11:30am to commemorate the statewide day of prayer for all law enforcement.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office says they’ve got two people in custody who are accused of shooting at police officers last week. Sheriff Newell Normand says the cop car was hit five times then the officers fired back 14 times but nobody was struck. He says the suspects, who were part of a large drug-dealing operation, admitted they knew they were shooting at the police…:
cut 14 (07) “cop killers”
21-year-old Malcolm Hall and 20-year-old Terrance Carter were charged in the incident.

LSU dropped two spots to No. 15 in the USA today Coaches’ Poll after Saturday’s severe weather canceled their game against McNeese State. But in the AP the Tigers remained at No. 14. The SEC has a record 10 teams ranked in the AP poll.

The Krewe of Endymion in New Orleans announces Pitbull and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith will be the performers at the krewe’s annual celebration in the Superdome the Saturday before Mardi Gras.

 

14:30 Newscast, September 8th, 2015

Qualifying for the fall elections got underway this morning at the Secretary of State’s Office in Baton Rouge and all four gubernatorial candidates signed up before 10am. The race for Attorney General will be a heated one. West Baton Rouge Parish prosecutor Marty Maley is trying to unseat AG Buddy Caldwell saying the incumbent doesn’t have court room experience…:
CUT 11 (11) “wanted a change”
Also running for AG is former congressman Jeff Landry.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office says a man in East Carroll Parish died in a house fire last night which was likely started because he was smoking in bed. Marshal Butch Browning says the victim is 54-year-old Kenneth Jefferson of Lake Providence and the girlfriend said they often smoked in bed:
CUT 4 (09) “place outside”
He adds you should never stay behind to try to put out a fire.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office announces the arrest of two suspects who are accused of trying to kill deputies who were on patrol last week in Marrero. Emlie Gunn reports…:
CUT 2 (28) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office says they received a report of a bomb threat from school officials at Cecilia Jr. High this morning — but have since issued an all clear. They say both the Jr. High and the High School in Breaux Bridge were evacuated out of an abundance of caution and students were dismissed. Officials found no bomb in either school.