LRN AM Newscall March 18

Speed limits are changing for truckers crossing the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge on I-10. Colleen Crain has the details…

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Colleen Crain.”

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Congressman Troy Carter is hosting three workshops to help those in the crawfish industry apply for financial assistance. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (32)  “I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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Since the Louisiana Legislature can not mandate homeowners insurance rates, how can they lower premiums. Jeanne Burns has more…

Cut 3 (33) “…I’m Jeanne Burns”

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Phase 2 of the state’s plan to make the I-10 Atchafalaya Basin Bridge safer begins today with a change in speed limits for truckers. For years, the speed limit for trucks was 55-miles per hour and 60 miles per hour for passenger vehicles. Executive Director of Louisiana Motor Transport Association, Renee Amar, says a change to a uniform 60 mile per hour limit for all vehicles makes everyone safer…

Cut 4 (12) “…more hazardous.”

Truckers will continue to be limited to just the right lane. Amar believes it would be better to allow truckers access to both lanes…

Cut 5 (09) “…going forward.” 

Signs warning motorists of the speed limit and traffic changes as they approach the Basin Bridge are helpful, says Amar. She says people from all over the country are traveling I-10 and need to know what’s coming on roadways they don’t travel often…

Cut 6 (07) “…the Basin.”

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To help the crawfish industry with financial assistance after last summer’s drought severely impacted the crop, Congressman Troy Carter is holding three workshops for crawfish producers, boil houses, restaurants, grocery stores, and others who depend on crawfish.

Cut 7 (10) “…of Louisiana.”

The first of three workshops in conjunction with the Small Business Administration will be at Southern University at New Orleans today. Carter says it’s not just about Louisianan’s love for crawfish, but about a vital part of the state’s economy.

Cut 8 (12) “…for us.” 

On Wednesday a workshop will be held at Reserve Community College and on Thursday at the Reimagine Women’s Center in Baton Rouge.

Carter says the workshops are one-stop-shops for those in the crawfish industry who need financial support.

Cut 9 (12)  “…it most.”

For a detailed listing of the workshops visit LouisianaRadioNetwork.com

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Beginning today the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control will resume the enforcement of state laws concerning the marketing and sale of vapor products. Commissioner Ernest Legier says even though the law restricting the sale of products not registered with the state’s VAPE directory is being challenged in court…

Cut 10 (09) “…as written.”

Enforcement of Act 414, which passed in the 2023 regular session, was paused after a legal challenge. Legier says retailers who sell unregistered products can be fined and…

Cut 11 (11) “…are written.” 

Legier says for products to be included in the state’s VAPE directory they must have an application, pending or approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

He says the legislature passed and the governor signed off on Act 414 to eliminate flavored vape products…

Cut 12 (11) “…elected officials.” 

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Clarifying the claims process is one idea lawmakers will discuss during this legislative session as a way to bring more insurers into Louisiana. Senate Insurance Chairman Kirk Talbot says they’ve been told by Lloyd’s of London, which is an insurance and reinsurance marketplace, that Louisiana’s claims process is ambiguous and unclear

Cut 13 (06)  “…in Louisiana”

Talbot has filed a bill that makes it more clear on when the clock starts for claims to be paid. He also wants to give insurers 60-days, instead of 30 days, for a claim to be paid after a hurricane…

Cut 14 (12) “…do it”

Talbot says the current system leads to more lawsuits and insurers are hesitant to do business in a litigious environment. He says the legislature can’t tell insurance companies to lower rates, they have to create a market that results in multiple companies vying for your business…

Cut 15 (08) “…listeners business”

The consumer advocacy group, Real Reform Louisiana, is concerned lawmakers are trying to take away the legal rights of storm victims

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The road to another national championship for the LSU Lady Tigers basketball team looks difficult as they are a 3-seed in a region that features top-seeded Iowa and second-seeded UCLA. Coach Kim Mulkey’s team beat Iowa in the national title game last year and UCLA holds its opponents to 60 points a game…

Cut 16 (09) “..at home” 

LSU will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. They will face Rice, who won the American Athletic Conference Tournament as a ten-seed. If the Lady Tigers defeat the Owls, they’ll play either sixth-seeded Louisville or 11th-seeded Middle Tennessee who easily won the Conference USA regular season and conference titles. Louisville is LSU point guard Hailey Van Lith’s former team. Mulkey expects Van Lith will handle it well

Cut 17 (17) “…salty too” 

LSU has not played since a grueling SEC Tournament that ended with a loss to top-ranked South Carolina on March 10th. Mulkey says her team has been able to get healthy during this extended break…

Cut 18 (18)  “..we were” 

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McNeese is the 12th seed in the Midwest Region and will face 5th seeded Gonzaga in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The game will be played on Thursday night at 6:25 in Salt Lake City. Coach Will Wade has led the Cowboys to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002 and they’ll play a Gonzaga team ranked 17th in the AP poll…

Cut 19 (14) “….get there”  

Gonzaga was a national runner-up in 2017 and 2021. McNeese will make its third ever NCAA Tournament appearance. They have not won a game in the Big Dance and this will be the first meeting between the two schools. The Zags are considered the best mid-major program in the country and Wade is interested to see how his team stacks up…

Cut 20 (12) “…away we are”

11:30 am Newscast

50 Louisiana National Guardsmen are in the Lone Star state to help with border security. LANG spokesperson Lt. Col Noel (No-elle) Collins says the soldiers who are in Texas for the first rotation are part of the 2nd of the 108th Cavalry Regiment out of Shreveport. She says they are properly trained and equipped to assist with Operation Lone Star.

Cut 8 (08) “…of Texas.” The mission is scheduled to wrap in mid-June.
A litter study by Keep Louisiana Beautiful found nearly 10 percent of all litter on Louisiana’s roadways consists of car accident debris. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser is urging law enforcement in our state to make sure tow truck operators pick up everything after a crash in order to make our roadways not only cleaner, but safer.

Cut 3 (08) “…adds to the litter”  

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Grambling is one win away from an NCAA Tournament berth as the Tigers topped Bethune Cookman 65-53. Grambling will face Texas Southern tonight at 8:30 for a berth into the NCAA Tournament.

The McNeese men’s basketball team is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002…coming off a 30 and three season. Jim Gazzolo covers the team for the American Press and says the cowboys should have a decent seed despite coming from a conference that will only have one team in the Big Dance…

Cut 15 (09) “…Pittsburgh”
Fun game at the Smoothie King Center last night as the Pelicans defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 112 to 104. New Orleans is two games back of the Clippers for fourth place in the West.

10:30 am Newscast

The McNeese State fanbase is excited to see where the men’s basketball team will play in the NCAA Tournament. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (32)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo.” 

A month after his arrest on a second degree murder charge, LSU running back Trey Holly has retained Attorney Michael Small.  It all stems from an incident in Union Parish last month that resulted in two victims being treated for gunshot wounds. According to Small, Holly plans to plead not guilty if formal charges are filed against him.
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Louisiana National Guardsmen participating in Operation Lone Star have arrived in Texas. LANG spokesperson Lt. Col Noel (No-elle) Collins says fifty soldiers begin their first of three 30-day rotations today at the southern border.

Cut 6  (10) “…operation.” 

Former LSU basketball player and Ukrainian, Roman Rubchenko, is in Louisiana to raise awareness of the humanitarian aid needed due to the Russian invasion. Rubchenko was hoping to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson while he was in the states. Johnson, a Republican from Bossier Parish, opposes a $95 billion foreign security aid bill passed by the Senate, but has told the Politco he’s interested in approving a stand-alone funding bill for Ukraine. Rubchenko wants to see that happen.

Cut 10 (13) “…was introduced” “

 

9:30 am Newscast

The LSU Lady Tigers will find out Sunday night who they will play in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. LSU will host the first two rounds of the tournament and their first game will be either Friday or Saturday. The Lady Tigers are 28-and-5 and two of their losses came against top ranked South Carolina. ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme says a third meeting would have to wait until the Final Four.

Cut 13 (11) “…Final Four”  

The McNeese men’s basketball team is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 and the Lake Charles community is crazy about the Bayou Bandits.  Jim Gazzolo covers the team for the American Press and says first year head coach Will Wade won over the fans there pretty quickly.

Cut  14 (11) “..amazing thing”

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Louisiana National Guardsmen participating in Operation Lone Star have arrived in Texas. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (32)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

A month after his arrest on a second degree murder charge, LSU running back Trey Holly has retained Attorney Michael Small.  It all stems from an incident in Union Parish last month that resulted in two victims being treated for gunshot wounds. According to Small, Holly plans to plead not guilty if formal charges are filed against him.

8:30 am Newscast

50 Louisiana National Guardsmen have arrived in Texas to help with border security. Governor Jeff Landry signed off on sending Louisiana guardsmen at the request of Texas Governor Greg Abbott. LANG spokesperson Lt. Col Noel (No-elle) Collins says the soldiers begin their first of three 30-day rotations today at the southern border.

Cut 7 (12) “…Texas border.”  

A litter study by Keep Louisiana Beautiful found nearly 10 percent of all litter on Louisiana’s roadways consists of car accident debris.

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser says the cleanup of debris from car accidents falls on wrecker services. And he’s working with law enforcement to make sure tow trucks do the job.

Cut 4 (12) “…job properly” 
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The LSU Lady Tigers will find out Sunday night who they will play in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The defending national champs won ten in a row before losing to South Carolina last Sunday. ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme predicts LSU will be a two seed…

Cut 12 (12)  “…Mississippi State.”
Former LSU basketball player and Ukrainian, Roman Rubchenko, is in Louisiana to raise awareness of the humanitarian aid needed due to the Russian invasion. Rubchenko says before coming to Louisiana, he tried to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson…

Cut 9 (12) “…come through.” 

7:30 LRN sportscast

Tough start to conference play for the second ranked LSU Tigers as they lost to Mississippi State ten to four. LSU had six hits on the night as Bulldogs relief pitcher Nolan Stevens held the Tigers to one run over five and two-thirds innings. He also struck out eight. Luke Holman suffered his first loss, as he gave up five runs. Game two is at four PM today.

In other action. U-L Lafayette and ULM both lost. Louisiana Tech held on to beat Northwestern State eleven to nine. Nicholls fell to Nebraska seven to six.

The Saints have signed a couple of wide receivers. Cedric Wilson joins the Black and Gold after spending the last two seasons in Miami. He caught 22 passes last year and had three touchdowns. The Saints have also announced the signing of Stanley Morgan, who is a New Orleans native and a St. Aug alum. He was a special teams standout with the Bengals. He’s only caught five passes during his NFL career.

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Fun game at the Smoothie King Center last night as the Pelicans defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 112 to 104. Zion Williamson had 34 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. New Orleans is two games back of the Clippers for fourth place in the West.

Grambling is one win away from an NCAA Tournament berth as the Tigers topped Bethune Cookman 65-53. Grambling will face Texas Southern tonight at 8:30 for a berth into the NCAA Tournament.

At 7pm Sunday the LSU women’s basketball team will find out who they’ll play in the Tournament. The Lady Tigers are 28-and-5, two of their losses came against top ranked South Carolina. ESPN Bracketologist Charlie Creme says a third meeting with the Gamecocks will have to wait until the Final Four in Cleveland…
Cut 13 (11) “…Final Four”

5:30 LRN Newscast March 15

House Speaker Mike Johnson opposes a $95 billion foreign aid bill passed by the Senate, but the Republican has told Politco he’s interested in approving a stand alone bill for Ukraine, despite objections from his own party. Former LSU basketball player and Ukrainian, Roman Rubchenko is pleading with Congress to help.

Cut 10 (13) “…was introduced” “

 

50 Louisiana National Guard soldiers have arrived in Texas to help with border security. Governor Jeff Landry sent guardsmen at the request of Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Louisiana National Guard Lt. Colonel Noel Collins anticipates the soldiers will help prevent, detect, and deter illegal crossings.
Cut 7 (12) “…Texas border.”

The McNeese State fanbase is excited to see where the men’s basketball team will play in the NCAA Tournament.

Cut 2 (32)  “…I’m Jeff Palermo.” 

 

At 7pm Sunday the LSU women’s basketball team will find out who they’ll play in the Tournament. The Lady Tigers are 28-and-5, two of their losses came against top ranked South Carolina. ESPN Bracketologist Charlie Creme says a third meeting with the Gamecocks will have to wait until the Final Four in Cleveland…

Cut 13 (11) “…Final Four”  

 

4:45 LRN Sportscast

Tonight is the SEC opener for the second ranked LSU baseball team as they begin the 30-game conference schedule grind in Starkville against Mississippi State. Tiger pitching leads the nation in strikeouts, but LSU has yet to hit its stride at the plate. They are sixth in the SEC in hitting with a team average of .304. Coach Jay Johnson knew there would be a drop off at the plate after losing Golden Spikes Award winner Dylan Crews…
cut 17 (21) “…to me”
In other action tonight….The Ragin Cajuns are at Arkansas State to begin Sun Belt play. ULM hosts Troy and a scuffling Louisiana Tech team will host Northwestern State for three games at J-C Love Field.

The Saints have signed a couple of wide receivers. Cedric Wilson joins the Black and Gold after spending the last two seasons in Miami. He caught 22 passes last year and had three touchdowns. The Saints have also announced the signing of Stanley Morgan, who is a New Orleans native and a St. Aug alum. He was a special teams standout with the Bengals.

Newly signed linebacker Willie Gay is excited to play with starting linebackers Demario Davis and Pete Werner…
cut 20 (10) “…for sure”

The McNeese State fanbase is excited to see where the men’s basketball team will play in the NCAA Tournament. Jim Gazzolo with the American Press newspaper in Lake Charles says they’ll likely be a 12 or 13 seed. He says Coach Will Wade doesn’t care what the seed is…
cut 16 (04) “…seeded”
The selection show is Sunday at 5 PM.

4:30 LRN Newscast March 15

Louisiana National Guardsmen participating in Operation Lone Star have arrived in Texas. LANG spokesperson Lt. Col Noel (No-elle) Collins says fifty soldiers begin their first of three 30-day rotations Friday at the southern border.
Cut 6 (10) “…operation.”
Governor Jeff Landry signed off on sending Louisiana guardsmen at the request of Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

Many times, after a car crash, there’s debris left behind which adds to the state’s litter problem. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser is asking law enforcement to make sure vehicle bumpers, glass, tire fragments, etc. are picked up after the vehicles are towed away. He says it will make our roadways cleaner and safer…

Cut 3 (08) “…adds to the litter”  

The LSU Lady Tigers will find out Sunday night who they will play in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The defending national champs won ten in a row before losing to South Carolina last Sunday. ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme predicts LSU will be a two seed…

Cut 12 (12)  “…Mississippi State.”

The McNeese men’s basketball team is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 and the Lake Charles community is crazy about the Bayou Bandits.  Jim Gazzolo covers the team for the American Press says they’ll have a decent seed despite coming from a conference that will only have one team in the Big Dance…

Cut 15 (09) “…Pittsburgh”

The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is at 5 PM for men’s basketball and 7pm for womens.

3:30 PM Newscast Mar 15

House Speaker Mike Johnson opposes a $95 billion foreign security aid bill passed by the Senate, but the Republican from Bossier Parish has told Politco he’s interested in approving a standalone funding bill for Ukraine, despite objections from his own party. Former LSU basketball player and Ukrainian, Roman Rubchenko was on Talk Louisiana with Jim Engster and says the urgency is high because Ukraine is running low on ammunition…

Cut 11 (11) “…attack items”

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser says the cleanup of debris from car accidents falls on wrecker services and he has asked law enforcement agencies to make sure tow trucks clear the following car crashes. Nungesser says sometimes that debris ends up on the road

Cut 5 (08)  “…miss it.”
A litter study by Keep Louisiana Beautiful found nearly 10 percent of all litter on Louisiana’s roadways consists of car accident debris.

Louisiana National Guardsmen participating in Operation Lone Star have arrived in Texas. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

The McNeese men’s basketball team is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 and the Lake Charles community is crazy about the Bayou Bandits.  Jim Gazzolo covers the team for the American Press and says it didn’t take for first year head coach Will Wade to win over the fanbase…

Cut 14 (11) “…amazing thing”