Budget matters will dominate the regular session which begins today, but there a lot of other bills are on the table. Jeff Palermo has a preview…:
Cut 2 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Tax measures can not be taken up in the regular session. In the face of an $800 million dollar shortfall that still remains for next fiscal year, Senate President John Alario says he hopes this is a learning experience for legislators who were unwilling to raise more revenue during the special session:
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Seven parishes in Louisiana have been declared federal disaster areas by President Barack Obama. This means federal funding is available to those affect by flooding in Bossier, Claiborne, Grant, Morehouse, Richland and Webster Parish. C.S. Ross, with the National Weather Service, says we’ll start to get a better idea of the damage in the coming days…:
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In southeast Louisiana, the Pearl River is expected to crest at 21 feet today, which is the highest the river has been since the 1980s.

The co-owner and chef at the very popular New Orleans restaurant Mother’s, Jerry Amato, has passed away at the age of 65 from complications due to cancer. Amato and his brother purchased the Mother’s in 1986 and helped preserve the 76-year-old Louisiana themed restaurant. Amato was named the Louisiana Restaurant Association’s Restaurateur of the Year in 2003, and is credited with turning Mother’s into a well-known dining destination.