11:40 LRN Sportscast

The seventh ranked LSU baseball team begins a three-game series against 10th ranked Oklahoma tonight in Norman. Kade Anderson is expected to start on the mound for LSU tonight. The sophomore left-hander gave up three home runs in his last start, but Coach Jay Johnson expects he’ll bounce back…

Cut 17 (17) “….ready to roll”

Oklahoma is set to start one of the top pitchers in college baseball. Six-foot-two right hander Kyson Witherspoon is second in the SEC in strikeouts.

Louisiana Tech had its bats going last night as they routed the Ragin Cajuns 16 to six. Zeb Ruddell hit a home run in his second straight game. The Bulldogs will host FIU this weekend, while the Cajuns will take on Texas State.

 

The defending national champion LSU gymnastics squad begins its NCAA postseason journey tonight as they will compete in the Penn State Regional.  The Tigers are once again led by All-Americans Haleigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan. Kailin Chio is the SEC Freshman of the Year and Mike Smith who handles the public address announcing at LSU gym meets says they’ll have to count on a couple of other freshmen during this postseason run…

Cut 15 (11) “…they did just fine”

Tonight’s meet begins at 6 PM and if the Tigers finish in the top two of tonight’s session, they advance to the regional final on Saturday.

ULM students are voting on whether to impose an athletic fee. ULM’s athletic budget is the lowest in the Sun Belt Conference, and adding the per-student fee would help it get in line with other schools in the conference. The proposal is 75 dollars per full-time student per semester. It would generate about 600-thousand dollars in the first year – money that would go towards things like enhanced nutrition programs for student-athletes and a new scoreboard in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Voting concludes today.

11:30 LRN Newscast

There’s at least one group that’s applauding President Trump’s tariffs – at least on one specific import. Andrew Greenstein explains.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley wants to see more high school students participate in internships and apprenticeships…

Cut 12 (06) “work force ready”

A new accountability system will go into effect next school year and part of the grade for high schools will be on student participation in internships and apprenticeships.

 

The hurricane forecast team at Colorado State University is calling for an above-average hurricane season. Lead researcher Phil Klotzbach says warm water in the Atlantic will help produce 17 named storms, nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes and the chances of an El Nino are quite low…

Cut 6 (06) “…bad for the hurricane”

Klotzbach says based on their research, there’s a 33-percent chance that a major hurricane will hit the Gulf Coast from the Florida panhandle to Brownsville, Texas.

The defending national LSU gymnastics squad begins NCAA postseason journey tonight as they will compete in the Penn State Regional. LSU won the SEC regular season championship, and they won the SEC Gymnastics meet.   Mike Smith who is the announcer at LSU gym home meets says the Tigers are the favorites to repeat as national champs…

Cut 14 (10) “…convincingly”

Tonight’s meet begins at 6 PM and if the Tigers finish in the top two of tonight’s session, they advance to the regional final on Saturday.

10:30 LRN Newscast

The Louisiana Department of Education conducted a study showing fewer high school students involved in internships and apprenticeships than in neighboring states. State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley… 

Cut 10 (11) “…seeing those numbers uptick.”

Brumley says the department of education is encouraging schools to promote work-based learning. Also expect to see legislation on this topic.

Parents can now see how taxpayer dollars are being spent on public education. Along with State Treasurer John Fleming, Baton Rouge Senator Rick Edmonds unveiled the Louisiana K-12 School Transparency Project Portal, a website providing financial data on public and charter schools.

Cut 4 (09) “…public charter schools.”

The portal is hosted on the Treasury Department’s website.

With the clock tik-tok’ing for Tik Tok, the race is on to finalize a sale. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

ULM students voting on whether to impose an athletic fee. ULM’s athletic budget is the lowest in the Sun Belt Conference, and adding the per-student fee would help it get in line with other schools in the conference. The proposal is 75 dollars per full-time student per semester. It would generate about 600-thousand dollars in the first year – money that would go towards things like enhanced nutrition programs for student-athletes and a new scoreboard in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Voting concludes today. 

9:30 LRN Newscast

When the legislature meets in the regular session, one of its jobs is to come up with 200-million dollars to keep teacher and school staff salaries at their current levels. This, thanks to the defeat of Amendment 2. House Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland says they’ll try again at giving them a permanent pay raise and they’ll have to do a better job in getting the message out to the public and fight misinformation.

Cut 9 (14)  “…how they work.”

TikTok’s owner has until Saturday to sell the app to keep it online in the U.S. The Trump administration is helping facilitate a sale, and there are two willing buyers. Tech analyst Haggai Davis says the big wild card in these negotiations is TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance.

Cut 15 (14) “…the ultimate decision.”

Parents who are curious on how their tax dollars are spent on public education can visit the School Transparency Project Portal at the State Treasury’s website. Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

The Kenner Police Department is strengthening its ties with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The department has joined the 287-G program, which grants state and local police the authority to perform specific immigration enforcement duties. While the move has stoked fears in Kenner’s Hispanic community, Police Chief Keith Conley says a series of horrific crimes led to his decision to join the 287-G program.

8:30 LRN Newscast

A new study by the Louisiana Department of Education shows that fewer Louisiana High School students are involved in internships and apprenticeships than neighboring states. By integrating internships into the educational framework, Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley aims to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world job experience.

Cut 12 (06) “…work=force ready.”

Parents can now see how taxpayer dollars are being spent on public education with the new Louisiana K-12 School Transparency Project Portal. Baton Rouge Senator Rick Edmonds helped unveil it yesterday; he says the site helps parents compare schools’ financial integrity, supporting school choice.

Cut 6 (07) “…those tax dollars.”

Now that Amendment 2 has failed at the ballot box, the question now becomes, what will become of teacher salaries? Jeff Palermo reports.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Tulane University is the latest to shutter its office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. It comes as the Trump administration continues applying pressure to colleges and universities to do away with DEI initiatives. Tulane is restructuring the office, launching the Office of Academic Excellence and Opportunity. The school says it is still committed to gender and sexual diversity, as well as multiculturalism.

7:30 LRN Newscast

Parents can now see how taxpayer dollars are being spent on public education, thanks to the Louisiana K-12 School Transparency Project Portal – a website providing financial data on public and charter schools. The project was mandated by Act 370 from the 2023 Legislation, authored by Baton Rouge Senator Rick Edmonds.

Cut 5 (09) “…kids to be educated.”

A new study shows that fewer Louisiana High School students are involved in internships and apprenticeships than neighboring states. State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley underscores the need for collaboration between businesses, schools, and policymakers to strengthen career education and expand work-based learning programs.

Cut 11 (10) “…before they get here”

With the defeat of Amendment 2 at the ballot box, the legislature will now have to come up with 200-million dollars to keep teacher and school staff salaries at their current levels. House Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland says in the immediate term, that will be a challenge. And in the long term, the legislature will take another stab at giving teachers and other school staff permanent pay raises, but it will likely not be in the form of a bill as ambitious as Amendment 2.

Cut 8 (14) “…opportunity to pass.”

TikTok could once again go dark in the U.S. on Saturday, if a sale is not finalized. It’s currently owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance. Tech analyst Haggai Davis says China is showing signs that it’s willing to cooperate.

Cut 14 (10) “…tariff questions involved.”

6:45 LRN Sportscast

I’m Andrew Greenstein and this Sportscast is brought to you by the Louisiana Department of Health, when gambling is more than a game, no one wins…

 

The seventh ranked LSU baseball team begins a three-game series against 10th ranked Oklahoma tonight in Norman. The Tigers have the third best batting average in the country, and they have three regular starters hitting over .400, including Ethan Frey. Coach Jay Johnson says he’s glad to see Frey have a breakout season in his junior campaign

Cut 16 (14) “…better team.”

Oklahoma’s strength on offense is its speed. O-U leads the SEC with 74 stolen bases.

In action last night…Tulane doubled up Northwestern State eight to four and Louisiana Tech clobbered the Cajuns 16 to 6.

__________________________________________________________

LSU men’s basketball’s third signee out of the transfer portal averaged nearly 19 points a game at Northeastern this season. Coach Matt McMahon says six-foot-six guard Rashad King can score at all three levels and is excellent on the defensive glass. In 32-games for the Huskies last season, King shot 45-percent from the field, 32-percent from three-point territory.

Former Louisiana Tech star Sean Newman has committed to San Diego State. Newman finished third in the country in assists, averaging eight assists a game.

McNeese has signed former four-star recruit Jacolb Fredson-Cole. The six-foot-seven forward barely saw any playing time at Oklahoma this past season.

LSU women’s basketball’s point guard Last-Tear Poa has entered the transfer portal. Poa has been a key reserve for LSU, handling the ball and playing good defense, and is a member of the 2023 national championship team.

Give the Pelicans score to finish.

6:30 LRN Newscast

With the defeat of Amendment 2 at the ballot box, the question now becomes – what will become of teacher pay? The amendment would have converted stipends of two-thousand dollars for teachers and one-thousand dollars for support staff into permanent pay increases. It will take 200-million dollars to keep salaries at their current level. House Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland says the big challenge for lawmakers is finding that money amid a budget shortfall.

Cut 7 (09) “…could come from.”

The clock is tik-tok’ing for TikTok. Barring a sale, the app will go dark for U.S. users on Saturday. Tech analyst Haggai Davis says the Trump administration is helping facilitate a sale.

Cut 13 (11)  “…to finalize everything.”

There are currently two offers on the table – one from a group led by Amazon and one from AppLovin, a similar app owned by Steve Winn.

Parents who are curious on how their tax dollars are spent on public education can visit the School Transparency Project Portal at the State Treasury’s website. Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

A Baton Rouge teenager pleads guilty to conspiring to have her mother killed. 18-year-old Jermyne Lewis admitted to her role in the plot in which her mother, Markeshia Stone, was shot to death. Lewis was sentenced to life in prison; but since she was a juvenile at the time of the crime, she will be eligible for parole in 25 years.

LRN AM Newscall April 3

Parents who are curious on how their tax dollars are spent on public education can visit the School Transparency Project Portal at the State Treasury’s website. Sean Richardson has more.

Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

_____________________________________________

Now that Amendment 2 has failed at the ballot box, the question now becomes, what will become of teacher salaries? Jeff Palermo reports.

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

____________________________________________

With the clock tik-tok’ing for Tik Tok, the race is on to finalize a sale. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

______________________________________________________

Parents can now see how taxpayer dollars are being spent on public education. Along with State Treasurer John Fleming, Baton Rouge Senator Rick Edmonds unveiled the Louisiana K-12 School Transparency Project Portal, a website providing financial data on public and charter schools.

Cut 4 (09) “…public charter schools.”

The portal is hosted on the State Treasury’s website, the portal includes budgets, expenditures, contracts, and salaries, with continuous updates and quarterly reports from schools. The project was mandated by Act 370 from the 2023 legislation, authored by Edmonds, who emphasized its role in promoting transparency.

Cut 5 (09) “…kids to be educated.”

Edmonds noted that the site helps parents compare schools’ financial integrity, supporting school choice.

Cut 6 (07) “…those tax dollars.”

______________________________________________________

With the defeat of Amendment 2 at the ballot box, the question now becomes – what will become of teacher pay? The amendment would have converted stipends of two-thousand dollars for teachers and one-thousand dollars for support staff into permanent pay increases. It will take 200-million dollars to keep salaries at their current level. House Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland says the big challenge for lawmakers is finding that money amid a budget shortfall.

Cut 7 (09) “…could come from.”

McFarland says the legislature will take another stab at giving teachers and other school staff permanent pay raises, but it will likely not be in the form of a bill as ambitious as Amendment 2.

Cut 8 (14) “…opportunity to pass.”

McFarland says whatever the legislature decides to do, they have to do a better job in getting the message out to the public and fight misinformation.

Cut 9 (14)  “…how they work.”

______________________________________________________

The Louisiana Department of Education recently conducted a study showing that fewer high school students are involved in internships and apprenticeships than in neighboring states. State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley emphasizes the importance of high school internships, noting that Louisiana falls behind other southern states in offering these opportunities.

Cut 10 (11) “…seeing those numbers uptick.”

Brumley advocates for incorporating internships into the state’s accountability system to better equip students for the workforce. Brumley underscores the need for collaboration between businesses, schools, and policymakers to strengthen career education and expand work-based learning programs.

Cut 11 (10) “…before they get here”

By integrating internships into the educational framework, Brumley aims to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world job experience, ensuring students graduate with practical skills that align with industry needs.

Cut 12 (06) “…workforce ready.”

______________________________________________________

The clock is tik-tok’ing for TikTok. Barring a sale, the app will go dark for U.S. users on Saturday. The app got a reprieve in January when President Trump took office, but that’s now set to expire. There are currently two offers on the table – one from a group led by Amazon and one from AppLovin, an app owned by Steve Winn. Tech analyst Haggai Davis says the Trump administration is helping facilitate a sale.

Cut 13 (11)  “…to finalize everything.”

Davis says China is showing signs that it’s willing to cooperate.

Cut 14 (10) “…tariff questions involved.”

Davis says the big wild card in these negotiations is TikTok’s current parent company, ByteDance.

Cut 15 (14) “…the ultimate decision.”

Under the law that mandates the shutting down of TikTok in the U.S. without a sale, ByteDance would be allowed to retain up to 20-percent ownership.

_________________________________________

The seventh ranked LSU baseball team begins a three-game series against 10th ranked Oklahoma tonight in Norman. The Tigers have the third best batting average in the country, and they have three regular starters hitting over .400, including Ethan Frey. Coach Jay Johnson says he’s glad to see Frey have a breakout season during his junior campaign

Cut 16 (14) “…better team.”

Kade Anderson is expected to start on the mound for LSU tonight. The sophomore left-hander gave up three home runs in his last start, but Johnson expects he’ll bounce back…

Cut 17 (17) “…ready to roll.”

First pitch tonight is at 6 p.m.

17:30 LRN Newscast

President Trump announced plans for a ten-percent tariff on all imports into the United States today. Trump says some countries will be hit with a 50-percent tariff for what he says is payback for unfair trade practices. U-N-O economics professor Dub Lane says while countries will pay a tax on the goods they export to the United States, those extra costs will end up being passed along to the consumer.

Cut 3 (10) “…be U.S. citizens.”

 

Governor Jeff Landry has enacted a hiring freeze across Louisiana’s executive branch of government from April 11th until June 30th. Landry says it will save the state 20 million dollars. The executive order comes just a few days after the failure of Constitutional Amendment 2, which could result in a decline in teacher salaries.

 

A warrant has been issued for a Slidell man after investigators say he forced his way into a home and assaulted a woman. Lieutenant Suzanne Carboni says St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s deputies responded to the home U-S Highway 190 East, learning that 52-year-old Tyrone Mercadel had kicked in the door and attacked the woman.

Cut 6 (08) “…actively fighting them.”

Carboni says in self-defense, the woman fired two shots, hitting Mercadel in the leg.

Experian has teamed up with LSU women’s basketball star Flau’jae Johnson to help relieve five-million dollars of consumer debt for five-thousand families in Louisiana. Christina Roman with Experian says the partnership is perfect since Experian and Johnson both promote financial literacy…

Cut 12 (09) “…tangible difference.”