Should the state phase out its personal and corporate income taxes? Gov. Jeff Landry’s Economic Development and Fiscal Policy Council thinks so. Teiko Foxx has more…
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Teiko Foxx.”
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The House and Senate Transportation committees give the green light for the state to use tolls to help pay for a new I-10 bridge in Lake Charles. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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Michael Graham Jr., who spent 14 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit and was denied compensation, died in poverty in his Virginia home last week. Colleen Crain has more…
Cut 3 (34) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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Governor Jeff Landry’s Economic Development and Fiscal Policy Council has recommended the state should begin the process of phasing out corporate and personal income taxes. Louisiana Department of Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson, who lobbied for this as a lawmaker, says this is music to his ears.
Cut 4 (09) “…that puzzle.”
Louisiana’s corporate and personal income tax brings in nearly $5 billion a year that supports health care, higher education, public safety, and other programs. While the state’s total tax burden is competitive with our neighbors, our tax structure is not, ranking 40th in the latest Tax Foundation ranks.
The former state representative says Louisiana’s tax code is outdated, and complex, and keeps the Bayou State from reaching its full economic potential. When asked what his solutions are to offset the lost revenue to the state treasury…
Cut 5 (11) “…rid of.”
Nelson hopes his tax reform proposal will find support in a Republican super majority Legislature. But he says it will not be a quick process to end this trend and join other states in economic prosperity.
Cut 6 (09) “…overnight.”
This tax policy will not be addressed by lawmakers until the fiscal regular session in 2025.
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Despite strong opposition from truckers, the House and Senate Transportation committees approved Governor Jeff Landry’s plan to use a combination of federal and state dollars, plus tolls, to build a new I-10 bridge in Lake Charles. Director for the Louisiana Motor Transport Association, Renee Amar, says truckers look at tolls as an additional tax…
Cut 7 (10) “…toll is.”
The CEO of Frisard’s Trucking Company, Cully Frisard, says it will cost his trucks $8.25 every time they cross that bridge under the proposal laid out by the Landry administration
Cut 8 (09) “…you buy at the store.”
Local residents would pay 25 cents to cross the proposed bridge, for non-local automobiles and medium-sized trucks it would be around three dollars. Lake Charles Senator Mark Abraham knows tolls are unpopular, but necessary because there are not enough federal and state dollars available…
Cut 9 (13) “…on funding.”
The State Bond Commission still has to give its approval. DOTD Secretary Joe Donahue says it will take seven years to build the bridge and during that time the Landry Administration will look for additional funding to lower the cost of the tolls…
Cut 10 (10) “…or form.”
The price tag for the new bridge is 2.1 billion dollars. The state has secured 225 million in federal dollars and has 975 million dollars in state money set aside for the massive project.
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Exonerated Death Row Survivor, Michael Graham Jr died in poverty last week. After serving 14 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit, Graham was released from Angola in December of 2000 with the clothes on his back, $10, and a bus ticket. Executive Director of Death Penalty Action, Abe Bonowitz says the wrongfully incarcerated deserve compensation…
Cut 11 (07) “…of that.”
Graham and Albert Burrell were wrongly convicted of murdering a Union Parish Couple in 1986 and sentenced to death but prosecutors later acknowledged the case should never have been brought to a grand jury. Later DNA proved that blood found in the victims’ home was not Graham’s or Burrell’s. Bonowitz says it was a miscarriage of justice…
Cut 12 (08) “…it through.”
Graham struggled and was not able to work after being diagnosed with a respiratory illness. Both Graham and Burell were recently denied compensation for the 14 years they spent in prison for a crime they didn’t commit. Bonowitz says the Michael Graham Legacy Fund via a GoFundMe page has been set up to help Graham’s family with final expenses and then help other wrongfully convicted individuals denied compensation.
Cut 13 (04) “…be enough.”
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An audit of the LSU Athletic Department finds a deficit of almost $4 million. But John Tiebaud (Tee-Bow) with the Louisiana Legislative Auditors office says it’s not as bad as it sounds because you have to consider the department transferred $5 million to the university.
Cut 14 (06) “…transfer.
For the 2023 fiscal year LSU’s football program generated the majority of the department’s revenue with almost $106 million, which is almost $18 million more than the previous year. Tiebaud says football turned a profit of $54 million, almost a 50% increase from 2022. He says football profits are returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Cut 15 (07) …their numbers.“
And even after winning their first National Championship, the women’s basketball team showed a deficit of close to $8 million. Tiebaud says the Lady Tigers collected around $2.5 million but expenses were more than $10 million, which included coaching salaries and bonuses.
Cut 16 (12) “…the program.”
For fiscal year 2023, the university paid approximately $5 million in severance to coaches who are no longer with the program. An audit for fiscal year 2022 indicated $6.7 million in severance was paid and the department overpaid head football coach Brian Kelly close to $1 million.
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LSU third baseman Tommy White and junior right-hander Luke Holman have been named to D-1 baseball’s preseason all-American team. White led the nation in RBIs last season and Holman is a transfer from Alabama. He was the Crimson Tide’s top starter last season, going 7-4 with a 3.67 ERA with 87 strikeouts. Coach Jay Johnson says getting Holeman to transfer to LSU was a huge get…
Cut 17 (12) “…this year.”
Holeman is expected to be a weekend starter at LSU along with Thatcher Hurd. Another potential weekend starter is UCLA transfer Gage Jump…
Cut 18 (18) “…the season.”
LSU led the nation in runs scored last year with 634. White believes LSU’s offense can be just as potent…
Cut 19 (20) “…for that”
Cut 20 (16) “…process though.”