7:30 LRN Newscast

Small business owners are keeping a keen eye on Baton Rouge now that the legislative session is underway. Andrew Greenstein reports.

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Entergy is reporting 16-thousand customers in Louisiana are without power because of the severe weather that rolled through the state last night. Tangipahoa Parish has numerous trees down and they’ve delayed the start of school.

McNeese is heading back to the Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Cowboys beat Stephen F Austin yesterday for their third consecutive Southland title.

 

Baton Rouge Senator Regina Barrow wants voters to decide whether to raise the minimum wage from the current wage of $7.25 an hour. The wage has not changed since 2009 and previous attempts to raise it have been defeated, with business groups telling lawmakers it will raise costs and lead to fewer jobs. But Barrow says the business owners she spoke with, say that’s not the case…

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Barrow’s proposed constitutional amendment that would raise the minimum wage to $10.25 an hour and adjust it annually based on the consumer price index will be debated sometime in this session.

A bill advancing to the Senate floor would allow the Louisiana Wildlife Fisheries Commission to establish a recreational alligator hunting season. LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth there’s a commercial alligator hunting season which the reality show Swamp People made popular, but they want to open it up to five-thousand recreational hunters…

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A lottery would determine who can hunt alligators.