When country music star Garth Brooks plays his fan-favorite hit “Callin’ Baton Rouge” on April 30th, it will have extra meaning. Michelle Southern explains…
Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Michelle Southern reporting”
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Brian Kelly was introduced as LSU’s new football coach. Jeff Palermo has the highlights…
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According to Louisiana Tech’s Center for Economic Research’s first Economic Abstract of the state’s economy, employment has increased but it’s not at pre-pandemic levels yet. Center Director Dr. Patrick Scott says there are two ways to possibly increase the workforce.
Cut 3 (12) “…policy response.”
Scott says he doesn’t see the pandemic resolving anytime soon.
Scott says in a recession you tend to see a decrease in the production of goods and services and personal incomes are also down but presently that’s not the situation with personal income. Scott says stimulus payments and generous unemployment payments increased the average income and the demand for higher wages.
While unemployment has improved the state is still down 132,000 jobs from pre-pandemic levels. Scott says estimates are that up to 85,000 have left the workforce in Louisiana.
For much of 2020 and this year, there’s been a robust demand for housing, in part to low-interest rates, but Scott says the market is beginning to cool.
Cut 5 (07) “…relatively well.”
He says most of the housing movement is in existing homes, not new housing starts which has pushed prices higher than what they should be.
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Garth Brooks, one of the hottest acts in country music, makes his return to Baton Rouge next year for the first time in 24 years. Paul Arrigo, CEO and President of Visit Baton Rouge, says the superstar is set to play Tiger Stadium on April 30th and expects a spectacular turnout that’ll put a spotlight on the city.
Cut 6 (10) “..over the world.”
Tickets for “Callin’ Baton Rouge” starring Brooks will go on sale through Ticketmaster on Friday, December 10 at 10 a.m. for an all-inclusive price of 94.95 each with a purchase limit of eight tickets per caller.
Arrigo says the concert by Garth Brooks will be great all around.
Brooks LSU appearance will mark his only concert in the Louisiana/Mississippi area in 2022.
Arrigo is hoping for an all-seats-filled Death Valley for Garth’s “Callin’ Baton Rouge” concert.
Cut 8 (09) “…those seats filled.”
He notes that Brooks’s concert coincides with the first weekend of Jazzfest in New Orleans and hopes that will draw even more fans to Tiger Stadium to hear the country superstar.
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Former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain is facing up to ten years in a federal lockup after pleading guilty today to one of 16 corruption counts in a kickback scheme related to his privatizing of an inmate work release program. Loyola University law professor, Dane Ciolino, says Strain’s plea comes as no surprise.
Cut 9 (09) “…these federal charges.”
Strain is facing multiple life sentences after being earlier convicted in state court on multiple sexual assault charges, some of the victims children.
Ciolino says Strain’s federal plea may have been an attempt to avoid going first into the state’s prison system.
Cut 10 (13) “…state court system.”
Ciolino doubts that will happen.
Ciolino says there wasn’t much to gain by forcing Strain to plea to more than one federal corruption charge.
Cut 11 (07) “…scheme to defraud.”
He says he wasn’t at all surprised by the single-count plea.
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LSU introduced Brian Kelly as its new head football coach today. Kelly has spent the last 12 years at Notre Dame and LSU fans have only been able to watch his work from afar as Kelly has coached his whole life in the Midwest. LSU athletics director Scott Woodward expects Tiger Nation will love him because he wins…
When you combine Kelly’s victories in Division one and two, he has more wins than any active coach in major college football.
Kelly says one of the reasons why he took the LSU job is that he admires athletics director Scott Woodward’s desire to be excellent in everything…..
Cut 13 (14) “…fulfill that goal.”
Kelly says he’s looking forward to his first experience in Tiger Stadium, but he understands the fans are expecting a winner…