*CORRECTION* 06:30 Newscast October 22, 2014

The Louisiana Workforce Commission says we’re getting closer and closer to the 2 million mark when it comes to the number of people who have jobs here. LWC Executive Director Curt Eysink says employment now exceeds 1.98 million, which is a new record…

cut 7 (12) “huge for us”

He says construction is seeing the most growth with 11,000 new jobs.

Governor Bobby Jindal has 14 months left in office and he says he still has plenty of work to do in Louisiana, even though a presidential campaign could be on the horizon. During recent debates, candidates have been asked what grade they would give the governor, Jindal says it’s too early to give himself a grade…

cut 13 (08) “more progress”

So far republican candidates in the US Senate and the sixth district congressional races have given good but not great marks when asked to judge Jindal on a scale of 1 to 10.
Is Rob Maness hurting fellow Republican Congressman Bill Cassidy’s campaign in the US-Senate race against Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu? There’s a new poll out by Real Clear Politics which found Landrieu ahead with 38 percent, Cassidy with 36 percent and Maness with 9%. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan…:

cut 10 (13) “outright”

Early voting is underway, election day is November 4th.

Louisianians are seeing big savings at the gas pump as we approach the holiday travel season. The average price for a gallon of regular gas is $2.95 a gallon.

06:45 Sportscast October 22, 2014

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette remain undefeated in the Sun Belt as they put down Arkansas State 55-40 last night at Cajun Field. Running backs Alonzo Harris and Elijah McGuire combined for 372 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns to lead the way for the Ragin’ Cajuns. UL-Lafayette is 4-3 overall and 3-0 in the conference.

Some of the top teams in the Southland Conference will square off against each other this weekend. The first place Southeastern Louisiana Lions, who are undefeated in league play, visit Stephen F Austin, who is 2-and-1 against the rest of the conference. Southeastern Louisiana Coach Ron Roberts is impressed with Lumberjacks quarterback Zach Conque…

cut 16 (20) “does best”

Central Arkansas is right behind S-L-U in the Southland Standings.

The New Orleans Saints players get back to work today, trying to erase the memory of Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to Detroit. New Orleans’ defense played one of its best games of the season against the Lions, until the final five minutes. Safety Kenny Vaccaro says the confidence is still high among the defense…

cut 18 (13) “type deal”

While the Saints are scuffling at two-and-four, New Orleans next opponent is playing as well as anyone in the NFL. Green Bay has won four in a row after 1-and-2 start. The Saints host the Packers Sunday night.

Coach Les Miles is asking LSU fans to bring food to the game this Saturday against Ole Miss, so they will stay for all four quarters and be loud. Tiger Stadium has been less than half full for some second halves this season.

A first inning home run by Hunter Pence helped the San Francisco Giants take game one of the World Series over the Kansas City Royals 7-1. Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner gave up just three hits in seven innings to pick up the win. Game two is tonight in Kansas City.

AM-Newscall October 22, 2014

Louisianians are seeing big savings at the gas pump as we approach the holiday travel season.   Scott Carwile reports…

CUT 1 (30) “reporting”

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The Louisiana Workforce Commission says we’re getting closer and closer to the 2 million mark when it comes to the number of people who have jobs here. Jeff Palermo reports.

Cut 2 (29) “reporting”

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Is Rob Maness hurting fellow Republican Congressman Bill Cassidy’s campaign in the US-Senate race against Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu? Michelle Southern reports.

Cut 3 (31) “reporting”

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Louisianians are seeing big savings at the gas pump as we approach the holiday travel season.  The average price for a gallon of regular gas has fallen to under three dollars a gallon in the Bayou State.  Gasbuddy-dot-com Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHann says these are the lowest gas prices we’ve seen in over three years…

Cut 4  (09)  “a month ago”

Louisiana’s average price for regular gas is $2.95 a gallon.  DeHaan says the lower prices can be attributed to Middle East countries dropping the price of crude oil.  He says oil is trading some $20 lower per barrel compared to their summer time highs.  DeHaan says the price drop at the pump may not be over, yet…

Cut 5  (05)  “next few weeks”

DeHaan says some stations in the state are charging less than $2.60 per gallon.  He says we could see prices below $2.50 at some stations in the next week.  He says, over the last 12 months, the price of fuel has made a drastic turnaround…

Cut 6 (13)  “a year ago”

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The Louisiana Workforce Commission says we’re getting closer and closer to the 2 million mark when it comes to the number of people who have jobs here. LWC Executive Director Curt Eysink says non-farm employment grew by 33,100 jobs over the year ending September 30th — a new record with employment now exceeding 1.98 million…:

CUT 7 (12)  “huge for us”

Eysink says we have more jobs than we’ve ever had, a bigger labor force than we’ve ever had and more people working than every before. He says construction is seeing the most growth with 11,000 jobs over the year ending September 30th. Eysink says the boom they’ve been saying is coming has already begun..:

Cut 8 (13)   “by the time it’s done”

Leisure and hospitality was second adding 9500 jobs. Eysink says another area of our economy that is seeing a lot of growth, adding 9200, is business and professional services. He says as all these construction projects continue to pop up in Louisiana, we’re going to see more and more professional jobs…:

Cut 9 (09)  “in Louisiana” 

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Is Rob Maness hurting fellow Republican Congressman Bill Cassidy’s campaign in the US-Senate race against Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu? There’s a new poll out by Real Clear Politics which found Landrieu ahead with 38 percent, Cassidy with 36 percent and Maness with 9%. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan…:

Cut 10 (13)  “outright”

Hogan says that while it may be true that Maness is taking votes away from Cassidy, the Congressman will need support from those ultra-conservative voters by addressing the policies that are most important to them…:

cut 11 (13)  “concerned about”

Hogan says when it comes to the undecided voters so late in the campaign, they are the ones who are likely conservative but are influenced by Landrieu’s longtime incumbency…:

cut 12 (09)  “her party affiliation”

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Governor Bobby Jindal has 14 months left in office and he says he still has plenty of work to do in Louisiana, even though a presidential campaign could be on the horizon. During recent debates, candidates have been asked what grade they would give the governor, Jindal says it’s too early to give himself a grade

Cut 13 (08)  “more progress”

So far republican candidates in the US Senate and the sixth district congressional races have given good but not great marks when asked to judge Jindal on a scale of 1 to 10. Jindal defends his record, based on the record number of people who are working in the state today

Cut 14 (11)  “taken office”

Jindal has made it no secret that he is considering a potential Presidential run in 2016. The governor says he’s not interested in running for his old job as a US Representative

Cut 15  (10)  ” elected position”

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Some of the top teams in the Southland Conference will square off against each other this weekend. The first place Lions, who are undefeated in league play, visit Stephen F Austin, who is 2-and-1 against the rest of the conference. Southeastern Louisiana Coach Ron Roberts is impressed with Lumberjacks quarterback Zach Conque

Cut 16  (20)   “does best”

Central Arkansas is right behind S-L-U in the Southland Standings. Northwestern State visits C-A-U this Saturday and Demons Coach Jay Thomas says the Bears have a well rounded offense

Cut 17  (10)   “very well”

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The New Orleans Saints players get back to work today, trying to erase the memory of Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to Detroit. New Orleans’ defense played one of its best games of the season against the Lions, until the final five minutes. Safety Kenny Vaccaro says the confidence is still high among the defense…

Cut 18 (13) “type deal”

While the Saints are scuffling at two-and-four, New Orleans next opponent is playing as well as anyone in the NFL. Green Bay has won four in a row after 1-and-2 start. Vaccaro says it’s the type of challenge the Saints need

Cut 19 (6)   “bounce back”

 

17:30 Newscast October 21, 2014

The Louisiana Workforce Commission says we’re getting closer and closer to the 2 million mark when it comes to the number of people who have jobs here. LWC Executive Director Curt Eysink says non-farm employment grew by 33,100 jobs over the year ending September 30th — a new record with employment now exceeding 1.98 million…:
CUT 7 (12) “huge for us”
Construction added the most jobs with 11,000 over the year.

Today was the first day of early voting for the November 4th election and we tracked down some folks in line. These voters say the big ballot item which has them out early voting is the US Senate race:
CUT 10 (14) “get done”
Early voting hours are 8:30am-6pm.

The number of Louisiana Public Schools earning a state performance grade of an A has gone up from 187 to 241 this year, according to the Department of Education. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

State Police say they are investigating a morning crash which claimed the life of a Monroe man. They say 32-year-old Jason Jones was traveling north on LA 143 when he ran off the road and lost control of his vehicle which flipped and landed in a ditch. Investigating troopers say Jones was not restrained and lost his life as a result of the injuries in the crash.

 

LRN Newscast 17:30 10-21-14

New state performance grades for individual public schools and school districts were announced today from the Department of Education. Schools getting an “A” increased from 187 last year to 241 this year…

CUT 6 (12) Q: ‘on state tests”

That’s Superintendent of Education John White.

 

On the heels of Governor Bobby Jindal announcing that JP Morgan Chase will be committing one million dollars to help fund workforce training in Louisiana, he was asked again about his future political aspirations after his term…

CUT 29 (10) Q: “elected position”

Jindal says that decision will be made after the holidays.

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Early voting started at 8:30 am this morning, as Louisianians cast their ballot for the November 4th election. Some voters we spoke with today told us why they are doing the early vote…:

CUT 9 (13) “out of the way”

Early voting goes through next Tuesday.

A third man involved in the 2010 murder of Rayville Police Sergeant Thomas Alexander has pleaded guilty to his involvement in the case. District Attorney Mack Lancaster says Alexander was killed while responding to a home burglary in 2010.

CUT 5 (08) Q: “unnecessary murder”

Anthony Oatis was sentenced to 21 years in prison for his involvement. The other two men-Richard Long and Robert Walker- are serving life sentences.

LRN Sportscast 16:45 Oct 21

The two teams that shared the Sun Belt Conference crown last season meet tonight at Cajun Field in Lafayette as U-L-L hosts Arkansas State at seven o’ clock. Tonight’s game can be seen nationally on ESPN Two. Cajuns Coach Mark Hudspeth wants to see a big crowd, because it’s a game that can show the university in a positive light….
cut 17 (10) “…12th man”
The Cajuns easily beat the Red Wolves last season by the final score of 23-7.

Coach Les Miles is asking LSU fans to bring food to the game this Saturday against Ole Miss, so they will stay for all four quarters and be loud. Tiger Stadium has been less than half full for some second halves this season.

In Saints news…running back Pierre Thomas will reportedly miss two to three weeks because of a shoulder injury. New Orleans hosts Green Bay this Sunday.

Louisiana Tech’s Terrell Pinson has been named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player fo the Week. Pinson had two interceptions, a fumble recovery for a touchdown and seven tackles in Tech’s 27-20 win over Texas San Antonio. The Bulldogs are at Southern Miss this Saturday.

In the Southland Conference….Southeastern Louisiana Quarterback Bryan Bennett is the conference’s offensive player of the week. Bennett rushed for a season-high 131 yards and three touchdowns in the Lions 41-24 win over Central Arkansas.

Northwestern State’s Tyler Roussel is the defensive player of the week. He had nine tackles and forced a fumble in the Demons upset win of Sam Houston State. Coach Jay Thomas on Roussel….
cut 30 (12) “…linebackers too”
The Demons are at Central Arkansas this Saturday.

LRN Newscast 15:30 10-21-14

It’s day number one for early voting in the state, and many folks were already in line when the doors opened at 8:30 this morning. Besides the big Senate race, Secretary of State Tom Schedler says there are over 24 hundred positions on the ballots and over 44 hundred candidates. As for how people are voting, one woman we talked with said…

CUT 11 (13) Q: “early”

Early voting continues until next Tuesday, except Sunday.

 

Louisiana is adding jobs, according to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers released today. From September 2013 to 2014, the Bayou State seasonal employment grew by over 33 thousand and in the private sector; almost 39 thousand new jobs, making that growth rate 2.4 percent.

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The Department of Education has announced the state public schools’ report card, with an increase of “A’s” from 187 last year to 241 this year. Superintendent of Education John White says it’s good news, since the department is about to raise the performance bar…

CUT 8 (11) Q: “school report card”

This year, there were no school districts receiving an F.

 

A ULM freshman basketball player has been suspended indefintely from the team, after an alleged rape of a female student Sunday night. University spokesperson Donna Bernard says police interviewed the alleged victim the next day…

CUT 13 (09) Q: “the charge”

That player charged is 18 year-old Roderick Taylor.

LRN Newscast 14:30 10-21-14

Early voting has begun and many Louisianians were in line at the 8:30am opening.
CUT 2 (33) “reporting”

The honor roll for schools is growing. There are now 241 schools earning a state performance grade of “A;” and that’s up from 187 from last year. State Superintendent John White says he’s impressed with the high school results…

CUT 7 (04) Q: ‘achieving basic’
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There’s been an arrest of a ULM freshman basketball player for allegedly raping a female student he had arranged to meet online…

CUT 14 (09) Q: “against him”

That’s University spokesperson Donna Bernard, who says the alleged incident occurred Sunday night.

 

A third man involved in the 2010 murder of Rayville Police Sergeant Thomas Alexander has pleaded guilty to his involvement in the case. Anthony Oatis was sentence to 21 years in prison for his involvement…

CUT 4 (08) Q: ‘all three cases’

That’s District Attorney Mack Lancaster. The other two men-Richard Long and Robert Walker- are both serving life sentences. Long for first degree murder; Walker for second degree murder.

13:30 Newscast October 21, 2014

The number of Louisiana Public Schools earning a state performance grade of an A has gone up from 187 to 241 this year, according to the Department of Education. Eric Gill reports…:
CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

The woman killed in the French Quarter Sunday morning after a drunk driver crashed into a pole that fell on her, has been identified as 21-year-old Taylor McGonigle from the East Baton Rouge Parish town of Baker. The driver, 37-year-old Tevest Vance has been charged with vehicular homicide. McGonigle would have turned 22 on Monday.

A freshman ULM basketball player is under arrest for allegedly raping a female student he’d arranged to meet online. University spokeswoman Donna Bernard says the alleged incident occurred Sunday night after they were told 18-year-old Roderick Taylor talked to the female student on a social media site…:
CUT 12 (10) “occurred”
Taylor is charged with forcible rape and has been suspended from the basketball team indefinitely.

Many Louisianians have already cast their ballot for the November 4th election as early voting kicked off today. These voters we spoke with say the big one for them is the US-Senate race…:
CUT 10 (14) “get done”
Early voting runs through next Tuesday but polls are closed Sunday.

PM Newscall October 21, 2014

The number of Louisiana Public Schools earning a state performance grade of an A has gone up from 187 to 241 this year, according to the Department of Education. Eric Gill reports…

CUT 1 (28) “reporting”

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Early voting began this morning and many Louisianians were in line at the 8:30am opening. Michelle Southern reports.

CUT 2 (33) “reporting”

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Officials say a third man involved in the 2010 murder of Rayville Police Sergeant Thomas Alexander has pleaded guilty to his involvement in the case. Alexander was killed while responding to a burglary at a home in Richland Parish. District Attorney Mack Lancaster says they are happy to get a third plea in this case…

CUT 3 (11) “murder occurred”

Anthony Oatis entered a guilty plea to a manslaughter charge and was sentenced to 21 years in prison. Previously, Richard Long pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and Robert Walker pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Both are serving life sentences. Lancaster says it’s difficult to get pleas in these kind of cases…

CUT 4 (08)  “all three cases”

He commends the work of law enforcement to collect evidence that lead to guilty pleas of all three men. Lancaster says this crime still sticks with the people of Rayville because of Deputy Alexander’s willingness to go out of his way to help others. He says this burglary happened outside of Rayville and Alexander was a town deputy…

CUT 5 (08)  “unnecessary murder”

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The number of Louisiana Public Schools earning a state performance grade of an A has gone up from 187 to 241 this year, according to the Department of Education. Education officials released the reports earlier today. Superintendent John White says numbers are up because schools are responding to what they have been asked to achieve…

CUT 6 (12)  “on state tests”

School performance scores are primarily based on student test scores. This year’s school report card also shows 10 Louisiana school districts earning an A and no school districts in the state receiving an F grade. White says high schools are performing better across the state…

CUT 7 (04) “achieving basic”

1335 schools were included in this report. White says this year’s scores come as the department raises the bar for public schools across the state…

CUT 8 (11) “school report cards”

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Early voting is underway as of today and people started lining up at the 8:30am opening to cast their ballot for the November 4th election. The Secretary of State’s Office is calling this the biggest election Louisiana has had in decades and these voters we spoke with today told us why they prefer to early vote…:

CUT 9 (13)  “out of the way”

Secretary of State Tom Schedler says statewide, there are over 2400 positions and issues on the ballot and over 4400 candidates. These voters we spoke with say the big one for them is the US-Senate race…:

CUT 10 (14)  “get done”

To find out where you can early vote log on to geauxvote.com or download the Geaux Vote app. Schedler is encouragining voters to bring a sample ballot with you to the polls so the lines can move faster. This woman we spoke with told us she was ready with what her husband gave her…:

CUT 11 (13) “early

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A freshman ULM basketball player is under arrest for allegedly raping a female student he’d arranged to meet online. University spokeswoman Donna Bernard says the alleged incident occurred Sunday night after they were told 18-year-old Roderick Taylor talked to the female student on a social media site…:

CUT 12 (10) “occurred”

Bernard says the alleged victim filed a report with the ULM Police Department the next morning…:

CUT  13 (09) “the charge”

Bernard says ULM Athletic Director Brian Wickstrom made an announcement about Bernard’s status on the team following the arrest…:

cut 14 (09) “against him”