06:30 Newscast February 26, 2015

The snow that impacted north Louisiana yesterday has moved out, leaving slippery roadways in some areas. Department of Transportation spokesman Rodney Mallet says several roads will remain closed until they are deemed safe for travel. He says if you do plan to venture out today, check for what roads are open…

cut 7 (08) “plan accordingly”

You should give yourself some extra time to reach your destination and take it slow as ice on some roadways has not had sufficient time to melt.

Eleven children were injured in a single vehicle bus school bus crash in Rapides Parish Tuesday morning. Trooper Scott Moreau says the bus was traveling down muddy Highway 121 when the driver lost control and the bus overturned on its side..

cut 9 (09) “5 to 15.”

Moreau says State Police are not expecting any charges for the driver but the investigation is still ongoing.

LSU says an audit they performed finds newly-elected US Senator Bill Cassidy provided services to the university that equaled the 20-thousand dollar salary that he received. There were allegations during the US Senate race that Cassidy was paid for work he did not perform. Political Blogger Lamar White helped break the story that started the controversy and does not think the audit completely clears Cassidy…

cut 11 (09) “extremely unusual”

White’s comments were made on the Louisiana Radio Network’s Jim Engster Show.

AM Newscall, February 26th, 2015

The snow that impacted north Louisiana yesterday has moved out of the area, but some of the roadways are still slick. Scott Carwile has more…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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Eleven children were injured in a single vehicle bus school bus crash in Rapides Parish Tuesday morning. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 2 (32) “reporting”

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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says The Bayou State now has the second highest number of bald eagles that are nesting. Michelle Southern reports…:

Cut 3 (30) “reporting”

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State Farm announces they’ve received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to use drones to inspect customers’ roofs. Spokesman Gary Stephenson says there are a number of different ways they can use this technology…

cut 4  (04)  “quickly”

Stephenson says they look forward to testing the unmanned aircraft systems on roof inspections to make things easier for their customers. He says they will be able to check out claims for damage quicker…:

Cut 5  (10)  “that are available”

Stephenson says they plan to use the drones to look at a roof before issuing policies, for renewals, catastrophe damage and in claims holding. He says the flying devices will assess damage at a faster pace in certain instances…:

Cut 6 (06)  “inspection”

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The snow that impacted north Louisiana yesterday has moved out, leaving slippery roadways in some areas. Department of Transportation spokesman Rodney Mallet says several roadways will remain closed until they are deemed safe for travel. He says if you do plan to venture out today, check for what roads are open…

CUT 7 (08)  “plan accordingly”

He says you can go to 511LA-dot-org to get the latest road closure information. If you do plan on driving this morning, give yourself some extra time to reach your destination and take it slow as ice on some roadways has not had sufficient time to melt. Mallet says even though temperatures will rise above freezing today, that doesn’t mean that roads will immediately re-open…

Cut 8  (09)  “so to speak” 

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Eleven children were injured in a single vehicle bus school bus crash in Rapides Parish Tuesday morning. Trooper Scott Moreau says the bus was traveling down muddy Highway 121 when the driver lost control and the bus overturned on its side..

Cut 9 (09)  “5 to 15.”

Moreau says State Police are not expecting any charges for the driver but the investigation is still ongoing. He says they are looking to find a reason why there was so much mud on the road.

Cut 10 (09) “is low”

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LSU says an audit they performed finds newly-elected US Senator Bill Cassidy provided services to the university that equaled the 20-thousand dollar salary that he received. There were allegations during the US Senate race that Cassidy was paid for work he didn’t perform. Political Blogger Lamar White helped break the story that started the controversy and does not think the audit completely clears Cassidy…(White’s comments were made on the Louisiana Radio Network’s Jim Engster Show.)

cut 11 (09) “extremely unusual”

Doctor Cassidy, who is a liver specialist, said in a written response that the audit provides sufficient facts to conclude that he provided services for equal or more than that of his compensation. But White says the audit confirms that gaps do exist in Cassidy’s time sheets, and he still questions whether Cassidy double-dipped

cut 12 (09)  “questions were answered”

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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says The Bayou State now has the second highest number of bald eagles that are nesting. Michael Seymour works with all non-game birds with LDWF and he says over the past couple of weeks they’ve been using helicopters to survey nests of bald eagles. He says in 2007 they discovered about 340 nesting pairs…:

Cut 13 (09)  “not a decrease”

Seymour says they looked at 647 nests and found that 356 were active with eggs, young and adults tending to them. He says most of them were located in the southeastern part of the state…:

Cut 14 (08) “pine trees”

Seymour says bald eagles build families during the first few months of the year which is why they have recently conducted a new survey. He says there are so many bald eagles flying around in Louisiana that it’s not unusual for you to spot one…:

Cut 15  (09)  “really helpful”

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Big college basketball game tonight in Ruston as Louisiana Tech hosts UTEP with the winner taking over sole possession of first place in Conference USA. The Bulldogs have won 26 straight home games, while the Miners are the hottest team in the league, with a seven game winning streak. Tech head coach Michael White says UTEP likes to show a lot of different looks defensively

Cut 16  (18)  “as possible”

The Miners are led by six-foot-eight sophomore Vince Hunter, who is averaging nearly 16 points and ten rebounds a game. White says UTEP is a tough team to defend…

Cut 17 (14)  “Conference USA”

Louisiana Tech beat the Miners in El Paso earlier this season and White says they need a big crowd tonight to help them sweep the season series

Cut 18 (15) “be successful’

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LRN Newscast 17:30 February 25

It’s been a snowy day across northern Louisiana. State Police troooper Matt Harris says it may look pretty, but it doesn’t mix well with cold pavement and drivers who are NOT used to driving on slippery, slushy roads…
cut 8 (08) “…in crash”
While some of the snow that fell in the morning, started melting in the afternoon, Harris says there’s a concern some of that what will re-freeze on the roads tonight.

Eleven school children were injured in a school bus crash in Rapides Parish this morning. Troopers say the bus was traveling on Highway 121 and there was a large amount of mud on it, when the bus driver lost control, causing the buse to leave the roadway and overturn on its side. The injuries to the children are considered minor to moderate, and the children’s ages range from five to 15. The driver is not expected to face any citations, as the mud is considered a factor in the crash.

The Legislative Black Caucus calls on Governor Jindal to stay in Louisiana and deal with the state’s budget crisis. Monday, Jindal spoke against President Obama at a press conference outside the White House. Monroe Representative Katrina Jackson says the governor needs to concentrate on problems facing Louisiana…:
CUT 12 (10) “budget crisis”

If you plan to take a drivers ed course, the Department of Motor Vehicles says make sure the course is certified. State Police Sgt Nick Manale says there is an online web source which provides information on state licensed driver education providers…:
CUT 10 (09) “criteria too”
The website is expresslane.org.

LRN Newscast 16:30 02-25-15

As the snow begins to move out of north Louisiana, State Police are reminding everyone that many roads will remain icy through tomorrow morning. State Tropper Matt Harris says to be extremely cautious…
CUT 7 (10) Q: “of control”
And remember that any melted snow will likely re-freeze overnight.

Members of the Legislative Black Caucus are calling on Governor Bobby Jindal to stay in Louisiana and deal with the state’s budget crisis. But Baton Rouge Representative Ted James says Louisiana is in the governor’s rearview mirror…
CUT 14 (10) Q: “last session”
It’s reported that Jindal spent 45-percent of his time outside of Louisiana in 2014.
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The chance of you getting audited by the IRS is getting smaller.
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

In Rapides Parish, 11 children were injured in a school bus crash on LA Highway 121 south of Highway 496 around 6:15 this morning. State Police discovered a large amount of mud on the road, which is considered to be a factor in the accident. The children and the driver received minor to moderate injuries. The children’s ages ranged from 5 to 15.

LRN Sportscast 16:45 Feb 25

The LSU men’s basketball team avoided another bad loss on its NCAA Tournament resume when they beat Auburn 84-61 last night. The Tigers are now 20-and-8 overall, nine and six in the SEC. LSU’s next game is Saturday at home against Ole Miss. The Tigers beat the Rebels on their home floor earlier this season and Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says it will not be easy to sweep the season series…
cut 18 (20) “…tournament”
The Rebels are in action tonight as they host Georgia.

LSU’s baseball game against Southeastern Louisiana scheduled for tonight has been postponed. The two teams will play tomorrow night at Alex Box Stadium, with first pitch set for 6:30 PM.

Tonight the Pelicans host the Brooklyn Nets at the Smoothie King Center. Both teams are battling to get in the playoffs. The Nets currently occupy the final playoff spot in the East, as they have a one-game lead over Charlotte. The Pels are two and a half games back of Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the West.

Because of the snow that hit Ruston today, the Lady Techsters basketball team was not able to fly out for tomorrow night’s game against UTEP. So instead, LaTech will bus to Dallas, fly to El Paso on Thursday morning and play UTEP Friday afternoon at one o’ clock. Also there game Saturday, against Texas San Antonio, has been moved to Sunday.

The snow will not prevent tomorrow night’s game between La Tech and UTEP on the men’s side. Those two teams will still battle for first place in Conference USA. The Bulldogs have won 26 straight games at home.

Also, the ULM men’s basketball team traveled safely to Mobile and they’ll play South Alabama tomorrow night. The Warhawks are in a three-way tie for first place with Georgia Southern and Georgia State in the Sun Belt.

LRN Newscast 15:30 02-25-15

The snow that arrived in north Louisiana today made it extremely tough to get around, with icy conditions causing dozens of accidents. State Trooper Matt Harris says if you do have to drive somewhere in areas where snow has already fallen, you need to take it easy…
CUT 6 (09) “destination”
And remember that any ice that melted on the roads today will likely re-freeze tonight.

The Department of Motor Vehicles is urging everyone to be sure their local driver education program is properly certified through the state — and now there’s a way you can check online through expresslane.org…
cut 10 (09) “criteria too”
That’s State Police Sgt Nick Manale, who adds you must to go through a properly licensed education provider to legally receive a learner’s permit or new license.
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The chances of getting audited by the IRS is getting smaller, as the audit rate dropped to its lowest level in at least ten years last year and is expected to drop further this year. John Theriot, with the Louisiana CPA Society, says one reason for the drop is money…
CUT 3 (10) “qualified people”
Which is why Theriot believes the audit rates will go even lower in the years to come.

A former Calcasieu Parish first district attorney pleaded guilty today to felony malfeasance in office and misdemenaor simple battery. Judge H. Ward Fontenot sentenced Ronald Rossitto to a two year suspended prison sentence with two years of active supervision. The charges stem from a January 2013 incident where Rossitto inappropriately groped a man in his office after offering to get his driver’s license reinstated. He was accused of a similar incident in Orleans Parish, where he served as assitant DA.

LRN Newscast 14:30 02-25-15

The snow made a guest appearance in North and north central Louisiana, and the National Weather Service says the white stuff was expected to leave the state around 4 PM. The amounts of the white stuff are still being measured in the northern parishes, but as for the Shreveport area…
cut 16 (09) “around there”
That’s Travis Washington from the National Weathwer Service Office in Shreveport.

The audit rates of the IRS are getting lower, and experts blame the reduction on IRS funding. John Theriot from the Louisiana CPA Society says this will probably have a bigger effect on the IRS and their ability to collect taxes from people they do audit…
CUT 5 (07) “more aggressive”
Since 2010, the number of audits has dropped 20 percent.
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The Legislative Black Caucus calls on Governor Bobby Jindal to stay in Louisiana and deal with the state’s budget crisis. Eric Gill has more…
CUT 2 (29) “reporting”

The internal LSU audit of Dr. Bill Cassidy and his LSU teaching work has been completed, and the conclusions are that the newly elected Senator did not do anything improper. The report concluded that Cassidy -quote- “provided services equal to at least that of his compensation for his part-time educational work.” The audit was prompted by accusations raised in the recent Senate race.

13:30 Newscast February 25th, 2015

The Legislative Black Caucus calls on Governor Bobby Jindal to stay in Louisiana and deal with the state’s budget crisis. Monday, Jindal spoke against President Obama at a press conference outside the White House. Monroe Representative Katrina Jackson says the governor needs to set aside his presidential aspirations and concentrate on problems facing Louisiana…:
CUT 12 (10) “budget crisis”
A Newspaper in New Hamshire is reporting Governor Bobby Jindal will be speaking at an event there at the end of the first week of the Louisiana Legislative Session which begins April 13th.

Snow is falling all over North Louisiana. The National Weather Service’s Winter Storm Warning covers parishes along the I-20 corridor and they say the snow should be gone at 4pm. Winter Weather Advisories remain in effect until early this evening for parishes south of the I-20 corridor.

If you’ve got plans to take a drivers ed course anytime soon the Department of Motor Vehicles wants you to make sure that course is certified by the state. State Police Sgt Nick Manale says there is an online web source which provides information on state licensed driver education providers so new drivers can verify theirs has met all applicable standards and certifications…:
CUT 10 (09) “criteria too”
The website is expresslane.org.

The chances of you getting audited by the IRS is getting smaller every year. John Theriot, with the Louisiana CPA Society, says one of the reasons is that more individuals are having their taxes professionally done…:
CUT 4 (11) “better returns”

 

LRN PM Newscall Feb 25

The chance of you getting audited by the IRS is getting smaller. Eric Gill reports.

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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The Legislative Black Caucus calls on Governor Bobby Jindal to stay in Louisiana and deal with the state’s budget crisis. Eric Gill has more…

CUT 2 (29) “reporting”

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The chances of you getting audited by the IRS is getting smaller. The IRS audit rate dropped to its lowest level in at least ten years last year and is expected to drop further this year. Since 2010, the number of IRS audits have fallen by over 20-percent. John Theriot, with the Louisiana CPA Society, says one reason for the drastic drop in the number of audits is money…

CUT 3 (10)  “qualified people”

He says drops in IRS funding is a leading cause in the decline in the number of audits. The IRS audited more than 162,000 fewer individual tax returns in 2014 than in 2013. Theriot says another reason for fewer audits could be that more individuals are having their taxes professionally done…

CUT 4 (11)  “better returns”

Theriot adds that tax preparation software has helped individuals file more accurate returns. He says this will probably have a bigger effect on the IRS and their ability to collect taxes from people they do audit than on the taxpayers themselves…

CUT 5 (10)  “then it’s going to re-freeze”

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The snow has arrived in north Louisiana and State Police urge residents to stay home and don’t travel unless it’s absolutely necessary. Trooper Matt Harris says if you do have to drive somewhere in areas where snow has fallen…take it easy

CUT 6 (09)  “destination”

Harris says there’s been dozens of weather related accidents on the highways, because of the snow

CUT 7 (10)  “of control”

Harris says if you drive on a snowy road, don’t panic and slam on the brakes at a slick spot. He says the snow may look pretty, but it doesn’t mix well with cold pavement and drivers who are NOT used to the snow…

CUT 8 (08)  “in a crash”

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The Department of Motor Vehicles is urging citizens to be sure their local driver education program is properly certified through the state — and now there’s a way you can check online. State Police Sgt Nick Manale says the OMV regulates driver education programs throughout Louisiana to make sure education is up to par and that they have a license to operate…:

CUT 9 (12)  “that’s required”

Manale says the new web resource is offered through expresslane.org and it provides information on state licensed driver education providers so new drivers can verify theirs has met all applicable standards and certifications…:

cut 10 (09)  “criteria too”

Manale says only applicants who have attended a properly licensed education provider will be eligible to receive a learner’s permit or new license….:

cut 11 (08)  “that permit”

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The Legislative Black Caucus calls on Governor Bobby Jindal to stay in Louisiana and deal with the state’s budget crisis. Monday, Jindal spoke against President Obama at a press conference outside the White House. Monroe Representative Katrina Jackson says the governor needs to set aside his presidential aspirations and concentrate on problems facing Louisiana…

cut 12 (10)  “budget crisis”

It is reported that Jindal spent 45-percent of his time outside of Louisiana in 2014. Jackson says Jindal is overly concerned with party politics and issues that are irrelevant in regards to the state’s budget shortfall…

cut 13 (07)  “education close”

Jackson says they are reviewing tax credits in an effort to bring money back into the state. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James says Louisiana is in the governor’s rearview mirror and is not optimistic that Jindal will have much bearing in his last months in office…

cut 14 (10)  “last session”

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Snow has blanketed several parishes in north Louisiana and as far south as Jonesboro. Forecasters predicted as much as four inches. Travis Washington, with the National Weather Service in Shreveport, says cold air  was already in place and it mixed with the right amount of precipitation to create the snow

cut 15 (10) “what happened”

Washington says they expect the snow to leave the state at 4 PM. He says at noon today, Shreveport reported two inches of snow and more was on the way…

cut 16 (09) “around there”

12:30 Newscast February 25th, 2015

Snow has blanketed several parishes in north Louisiana as far south as Jonesboro. Forecasters predicted as much as four inches. Travis Washington, with the National Weather Service in Shreveport, says cold air was already in place and it mixed with the right amount of precipitation to create the snow…:
CUT 15 (10) “what happened”
He says at noon today there were two inches of snow already reported in Shreveport and they expect it will leave the state around 4pm.

State Police Trooper Matt Harris says the snow may be exciting, but it does not mix well with pavement and drivers who aren’t used to snow…:
CUT 8 (08) “in a crash”

The chance of you getting audited by the IRS is getting smaller. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

Just prices jumped another two cents from yesterday. The American Automobile Association reports the price for a gallon of regular is $2.16.