06:45 Sportscast April 13, 2015

The fourth ranked LSU baseball took two of three from Auburn this past weekend. The Tigers lost for just the sixth time all season on Saturday, but rebounded with a six-to-two win on Sunday to avoid their first two-game losing streak of the season. Coach Paul Mainieri on bouncing back from a loss on Saturday…

cut 16 (16) “certainly did”

The Tigers will host Lamar Wednesday night before hitting the road to Athens for a weekend SEC series against Georgia.

The Pels’ defense held James Harden scoreless in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t quite enough as Houston defeated New Orleans 121-114. Harden lead all scorers with 30 and Anthony Davis lead the Pelicans with 27. Jrue Holiday came off the bench to add 17. Despite the loss, New Orleans remains in a tie with Oklahoma City for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference after the Thunder lost to the Pacers 116-104.

In college baseball action, Tulane avoided a sweep of Houston after a 3-1 victory over the Cougars.

Louisiana Tech dropped two out of three to Middle Tennessee State in Conference USA action.

In the Southland, Northwestern State swept three from UNO, McNeese State took two out of three against Lamar, Nicholls State won two of three against Central Arkansas this weekend, and Southeastern Louisiana dropped two out of three in Salt Lake City against Utah. Southeastern remains atop the Conference standings, followed closely by Northwestern State and McNeese.

In Sun Belt action, ULM was swept by league leading Georgia State and UL-Lafayette took three this weekend from Jackson State.

James Hinchcliffe is the inaugural winner of the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana in Avondale. A rainy day at NOLA Motorsports Park saw the race being called after 47 laps of a scheduled 75. 20 of the last 26 laps were raced under caution due to rain.

06:30 Newscast April 13, 2015

What is expected to be a very difficult legislative session begins today in Baton Rouge. Lawmakers will have until June 11th to approve a spending plan that takes into account a one-point-six billion dollar shortfall. Senate President John Alario says legislators are looking at ways to generate more state revenue…

cut 13 (11) “those things”

Alario says reforming the state’s film tax credit program is one of the priorities.

Even though the massive budget deficit will by far be the biggest issue lawmakers will be dealing with this session, there are still many other issues on the agenda. LaPolitics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says Common Core will be one of the major items that will distract from the budget…

cut 7 (06) “volatile issue”

He says bills dealing with same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization will also be hot button issues.

Governor Bobby Jindal will provide the opening address as the legislative session gets underway today. The question is how involved will the governor be as lawmakers grapple with a $1.6 billion budget deficit? Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says it’s important for Jindal to be active this session…

cut 4 (07) “pay a price” 3x

Pinsonat says Jindal doesn’t have to be at the capital every day during the session, but he does need to pay attention to what’s happening.

Showers and thunderstorms continue across the state today. Most of southwest Louisiana is under a flash flood watch through this evening. Most of southeast Louisiana is under the watch through Tuesday evening.

AM LRN Newscall April 13

How involved will Governor Bobby Jindal be in this legislative session as lawmakers grapple with a $1.6 billion budget deficit? Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (27) “reporting”

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One of the bills set to be discussed during the 2015 legislative session would raise the base pay for severs from $2.13 per hour to at least minimum wage. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 2 (30) “reporting”

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State lawmakers convene in Baton Rouge today with a one-point-six billion dollar budget shortfall hanging over their heads. Scott Carwile has the story…

Cut 3 (30) “reporting”

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Governor Bobby Jindal will provide the opening address as the legislative session gets underway today. The question is how involved will the governor be as lawmakers grapple with a $1.6 billion budget deficit? Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says it’s important for Jindal to be active this session…

cut 4  (07)  “pay a price” 3x

Pinsonat says Jindal doesn’t have to be at the capital every day during the session, but he does need to pay attention to what’s happening. He says it’s not about the amount of time the governor spends there…

Cut 5  (09)  “his national image”

Pinsonat says very few governors are around the capitol a lot during the session. He doesn’t think the legislative session will stop Jindal from traveling outside the state pursuing his presidential hopes. However, Pinsonat says you can’t run for president when the state you’re supposed to be running is a disaster…

Cut 6 (09)  “national ambitions”

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Even though the massive budget deficit will by far be the biggest issue lawmakers will be dealing with this session, there are still many other issues on the agenda as well. LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says Common Core will be one of the major items that will distract from the budget…:

CUT 7 (06)  “volatile issue”

Alford says even with the budget issues and the complicated tax situations on the table, lawmakers will still find time to touch that third rail of Louisiana politics…:

Cut 8  (07)  “in the classroom” 

Alford says with re-election just around the corner, it will be interesting to see if lawmakers even want to get involved in some of the hot button bills…:

Cut 9 (07)  “get a hearing at all”

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One of the bills set to be discussed during the 2015 legislative session would raise the base pay for severs from $2.13 per hour to at least minimum wage. Monroe Representative Marcus Hunter says whether you get good tips or not, $2.13 an hour is deplorable pay for any worker…:

Cut 10 (08) “$7.25 an hour”

Hunter says even though people argue that servers make at least minimum wage when you count their tips, it shouldn’t be assumed that they will achieve that. He says they want to get the conversation started between employers and employees…:

cut 11 (06) “$16 a day”

Hunter says he doesn’t want to continue to see hard working people who are committed to serving their businesses go home with less than minimum wage. He says that’s what HB 677 aims to correct..:

cut 12 (06)   “are paid fairly”

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What is expected to be a very difficult legislative session begins today in Baton Rouge. Lawmakers will have until June 11th to approve a spending plan that takes into account a one-point-six billion dollar shortfall. Senate President John Alario says legislators are looking at ways to generate more state revenue

Cut 13 (11)  “those things”

Alario says reforming the state’s film tax credit program is one of the priorities, as a recent study paid for by the department of economic development found that the state is only getting 23-cents back for every dollar spent on tax credits

Cut 14 (09) “on the expenditure”

There are several bills that seek to increase the tax on tobacco products, but for the governor to approve them, there has to be a tax cut somewhere else to offset new revenue. Alario says it will take several weeks before lawmakers can agree on a plan

Cut 15  (10)  “those solutions”

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The fourth ranked LSU baseball took two of three from Auburn this past weekend. The Tigers lost for just the sixth time all season on Saturday, but rebounded with a six-to-two win on Sunday to avoid their first two-game losing streak of the season. Coach Paul Mainieri on bouncing back from a loss on Saturday…

Cut 16  (16)  “certainly did”

LSU scored all of its runs on Sunday in the first three innings, as Chris Sciambra and Mark Laird each had two hits. That was enough offense for starting pitcher Zac Person (Peer-son) and two relievers. Person made his first start of the season and Coach Paul Mainieri made that decision on Sunday morning…

Cut 17 (16)  “good start”

Parker Bugg and Jesse Stallings each gave up a run in relief, but Person picked up the win by throwing three shutout innings. He says he got some good advice from pitching coach Alan Dunn

Cut 18 (10) ” went about it’

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10:30 Newscast April 11, 2015

At a gathering of about 600 Christian conservatives in Iowa Thursday, the largest applause of the night went to Governor Bobby Jindal. Jeff Palermo has more…

cut 2 (30) “reporting”

A fatal single-vehicle crash in St. Mary Parish has left a 20-year-old woman dead and a Franklin man in prison. The wreck occurred near Charenton and Brylan Domingue of New Iberia was pronounced dead at the scene. State Police say the driver, 28-year-old Matthew Trosclair fled the scene, but was found hiding in a field and arrested. Impairment is considered to be a factor in the crash.

State Police graduated 58 brand new troopers Friday from Cadet Class #93. Sergent Nick Manale says the cadets have trained in crash investigations, emergency vehicle operations, impaired driving detection, and traffic incident management. The 19 week long academy also includes leadership instruction…

cut 5 (11) “tradition of”

He says the addition of these graduates puts the number of troopers statewide at about 1000.

It’s a big weekend of outdoor activities, but revelers in south Louisiana will likely have to deal with multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms. Danielle Manning with the National Weather Service in Slidell says the likely chance for rain and storms remain in the forecast through Sunday…

cut 14 (06) “the good news”

She says if you’re headed to one of the many festivals going on this weekend in south Louisiana, it might be a good idea to bring umbrellas, ponchos and rain boots.

09:30 Newscast April 11, 2015

At an event in Iowa Thursday, which included three other Republican presidential hopefuls, the largest applause of the night went to Governor Bobby Jindal. Jennifer Jacobs with the Des Moines Register says one effective segment of the governor’s speech was when he spoke of the qualities he’d like to see in a president…

cut 10 (10) “started applauding”

Rick Perry, Mike Huckabee, and Rick Santorum, also spoke at the event.

State Police Cadet Class #93 graduated 58 brand new troopers Friday. Sergent Nick Manale says these aspiring troopers began the rigorous Louisiana State Police Training Academy on November 30th last year…

cut 3 (11) “training course”

He says this addition puts the number of troopers at about 1000 statewide.

Today marks the 29th annual Franklin Parish Catfish Festival in Winnsboro. The festival has grown into the largest one-day festival in the state. Festival board member Leslie Young says the festival offers something for everyone…

cut 6 (10) “huge party”

They’re expected to serve over two tons of fresh pond-raised catfish at this year’s event.

The weather should be dry in north Louisiana for weekend festivities, but south Louisiana will likely have to deal with multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms. Danielle Manning with the National Weather Service in Slidell says the rain in the south should come in multiple rounds with breaks between the storms…

cut 13 (10) “kind of thing”

She says the likely chance for rain and storms remain in the forecast through Sunday.

08:30 Newscast April 11, 2015

State Police graduated 58 brand new troopers Friday from Cadet Class #93. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 1 (30) “reporting”

State Police say a single vehicle crash in Rapides Parish has taken the life of a Dry Prong man. Authorities say 31-year-old Donald Johnson lost control of his vehicle and exited the roadway where the vehicle began overturning. Johnson, who was unrestrained at the time of the crash, was pronounced dead at the scene. This crash remains under investigation.

At a Thursday gathering of about 600 Christian conservatives in Iowa, the largest applause of the night went to Governor Bobby Jindal. Three other Republican presidential hopefuls, Rick Perry, Mike Huckabee, and Rick Santorum, also spoke at the event. Jennifer Jacobs with the Des Moines Register says it was obvious Jindal hit a home run…

cut 9 (10) “after his speech”

Jindal is expected to announce his candidacy for president after the legislative session concludes in June.

The largest one-day festival in the state, the Franklin Parish Catfish Festival, takes place today in Winnsboro. The festival features , of course. fried catfish, a free day-long video game arcade, an antique car show, and live music headlined by 2015 Grammy Award winner Jo-El Sonnier. Festival board member Leslie Young says if you like arts and crafts, the Catfish Festival is where you need to be…

cut 7 (09) “something to buy”

Admission to the festival is just $5.

07:30 Sportscast April 11, 2015

After a two-hour rain delay, LSU takes game one in their weekend series with Auburn 3-2. Jared Poche’ picked up his sixth win of the season as the third ranked Tigers have now won seven in a row. Game two is scheduled for 6:30 at Alex Box Stadium.

A walkoff hit in the bottom of the ninth gives 22nd ranked Houston a 4-3 win over Tulane. The teams will meet again this afternoon at 2PM.

In Conference USA, Louisiana Tech beat Middle Tennessee 7-3. That series resumes at 4PM.

In the Southland, Northwestern swept a double header against UNO. The Demons took game one 5-4 and game two 5-3. Game three is at 2PM.

Central Arkansas blanked Nicholls State 7-0 and Southeastern Louisiana upended Utah 3-2.

In the Sun Belt, the ULM-Georgia State game was suspended due to rain after two innings with ULM ahead 2-0. They’ll resume that game at two o’clock and play another after that. UL-Lafayette pushed the opening game of their series against Jackson State. The two teams will play a double-header today.

The Pelicans bounced back from Wednesday’s ugly performance to score a 90-75 win over the Phoenix Suns. Anthony Davis lead the way with 19 points followed by Eric Gordon with 15 and Tyreke Evans with 14. Jrue Holiday returned after missing 41 games with a leg injury. Holiday had two points and five assists in about 16 minutes of action. The Pelicans remain tied for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference with Oklahoma City, who defeated Sacramento last night 116-103.

The Saints have signed veteran linebacker Anthony Spencer. The 31-year-old has played his entire eight-year career in Dallas and had a big season in 2012 with 11 sacks. Current Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was the D-C in Dallas that year. Spencer injured his knee in 2013 and only had a half sack last season.

The first ever Grand Prix of Louisiana takes place Sunday at NOLA motorsports in Avondale. There are seven American drivers that are part of the field that also includes international stars Juan Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves. They will travel around the 2.7 mile course 75 times. The green flag is set to drop at 2:30.

LRN Newscast 17:30 April 10

State Police has added 58 troopers to its force as these men and woman graduated from the police academy on Friday morning…
cut 4 (08) “….state police”
That’s state police sergeant Nick Manale who says they now have about one-thousand troopers across the state.

New Orleans Representative Joseph Bouie files legislation that would transfer regulation of cable and satellite companies to the Public Service Commission. Michelle southern reports…
voicer 4 (29) “….reporting”

For residents living in south Louisiana, out door activities could be a problem this weekend as a result of a cold front that has stalled along the coast. Danielle Manning is with the National Weather Service in Slidell….
cut 12 (11) “…3 to four inch rain”
Some areas in the Lake Charles area reached that four inch rain total on Friday afternoon.

A fatal crash in St. Mary Parish Friday morning has left a 20-year-old woman dead and a Franklin man in prison. The single vehicle wreck occurred near Charenton it killed Brylan Domingue. Troopers say the driver, 28-year-old Matthew Trosclair fled the scene, but was found hiding in a field and was arrested. Impairment is considered to be a factor in the crash.

LRN Sportscast 16:45 April 10

The Saints announced the signing of veteran linebacker Anthony Spencer. The 31-year-old has played his entire eight-year career in Dallas and had a big season in 2012 with 11 sacks. Current Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was the D-C in Dallas that year. Spencer injured his knee in 2013 and only had a half sack last season.

The LSU baseball begins a weekend series tonight against Auburn. Jared Poche will toe the rubber for the Tigers, while Auburn counters with sophomore right-hander Cole Lipscomb. Coach Paul Mainieri says LSU’s hitters will see some good pitching this weekend…
cut 18 (19) “….against Arkansas”
First pitch, weather permitting is at 7 PM.

The Pelicans face the Phoenix Suns tonight as New Orleans continues its push to get into the playoffs. The Pels are tied with Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and there’s just four regular season games left. Point guard Jrue Holiday, who has missed the last 41 games with a stress reaction in his right leg, is listed as questionable for tonight’s game, which tips off at 7 PM.

The first ever Grand Prix of Louisiana takes place Sunday at NOLA motorsports in Avondale. There are seven American drivers that are part of the field that also includes international stars Juan Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves. They will travel around the 2.7 mile course 75 times. The green flag is set to drop at 2:30.

The rainy forecast will have an impact on baseball games this weekend. U-L Lafayette and McNeese State have already decided not to play play their baseball games tonight and they’ll try to play a doubleheader tomorrow.

LRN Newscast 16:30 04-10-15

At a gathering of about 600 Christian conservatives in Iowa Thursday, the largest applause of the night went to Governor Bobby Jindal…
CUT 2 (30) “reporting”

This morning, suspected impaired driving in St. Mary Parish has left a New Iberia woman dead and a Franklin man in jail. Twenty-eight year-old Matthew Trosclaire failed to negotiate a curve, struck a culvert and flipped the vehicle several times. Twenty-year old Brylan Domingue was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene.
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Saturday marks the 29th annual Franklin Parish Catfish Festival in Winnsboro. The festival has grown into the largest one-day festival in the state. Festival board member Leslie Young says the festival offers something for everyone…
CUT 6 (10) “huge party”

In South Louisiana, outdoor events could be dampened by multiple rain showers, associated with a cool front moving through the state. Danielle Manning with the National Weather Service in Slidell says some of the storms could be a bit on the heavy side…
CUT 13 (10) Q: “kind of thing”
North Louisiana is in for a dry out beginning Saturday.