The first tax proposal of the special session is heading to the House floor as the Ways and Means committee approved a bill that keeps a third of an expiring one-cent sales tax on the books through 2023 and also some sales tax exemptions would be removed. It would produce 370-million dollars in revenue the state currently doesn’t have after July 1st, but that’s not enough to fill the entire 648-million dollar shortfall. Alexandria Representative Lance Harris says that’s okay, because the legislature can make cuts within the budget to close the rest of the deficit….
cut 14 (07) “…a row”
Monroe Representative Marcus Hunter came out strong against the bill. He says people deserve to know exactly where those 126-million dollars in cuts would land….
cut 16 (05) “….be released”
Further debate will continue on the House floor.

Louisiana is ranked as the least healthiest state in the nation for seniors according to the United Health Foundation America’s Health Rankings Senior Report…
cut 8 (08) “….this year”
That’s Doctor Rhonda Randall with the United Health Foundation, who says social isolation refers to the number of seniors who are living alone, in poverty or having a difficult time living independently.

The man killed in a fatal explosion at the Procter and Gamble plant in Pineville has been identified as 56-year-old Allen Kendrick of Jena. The State Fire Marshal’s office says Kendrick was operating a piece of equipment that exploded and caught fire early Thursday morning.