Gasoline prices have dipped to a nationwide average price of below $4.00; their lowest level since March. That national average for regular gas is $3.99. In Louisiana, it’s $3.61. Louisiana AAA fuel guy Don Redman says members surveyed in March said they’d drive less if prices kept rising…:

CUT 05  (10)        “…said ‘we drove less’”

Regular gas can be found today in and around Baton Rouge for as low as $2.95-a-gallon.

Central Louisiana Technical Community College – and others in the state – now offer a nine-week course to receive heavy equipment certification and getting a commercial driver’s license. CLTCC Vice Chancellor of Workforce Development Misty Slayter says this is a potentially life-changing opportunity…:

CUT 08(12)      “…household income.”

Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says a sheriff suing a Washington Parish cattleman for taxes unpaid from selling cuts of beef directly to customers on his farm is in error. Washington Parish Sheriff Randy “Country” Seal says Mount Herman rancher Jason Smith owes about $40-thousand in taxes and penalties. Strain quotes from the Louisiana state tax code…:

CUT 10(08)      “…any taxing authority.”

The sheriff and parish tax collector say “livestock” is not the same as processed meat, and IS taxable. Strain says processed meat falls under “food & groceries” which ARE tax exempt in Louisiana. He says the matter will have to be decided in court, and if ranchers lose, he seek to clarify the tax code legislatively.

The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating allegations of persons committing acts of animal cruelty on video and posting them on social media. Public outrage is growing, and the RPSO asks for patience while they investigate.