It wasn’t too long ago when Louisiana’s signature restaurant industry was struggling to stay in business when the pandemic turned things upside down. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (31) …“Brooke Thorington.”
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Two donors made individual $1 million donations toward ULM $2.3 million raised in 24 hours during their first Day of Giving. Teiko Foxx has the story.
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No surprise, but LSU’s Dylan Crews is the SEC Hitter of the Year and Paul Skenes is the Pitcher of the Year. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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While the restaurant industry isn’t completely back to pre-pandemic levels, Louisiana Restaurant Association President Stan Harris says things have improved since the height of COVID. Harris says there’s still more recovery to be made and some sectors fared better than others.
And even though some restaurants have closed since the pandemic, Harris says there are new ventures that opened their doors.
Workforce woes continue to plague restaurants and Harris says many full-service dining establishments are now faced with paying the piper.
Harris says eateries, like every other industry, have had to endure record inflation, supply-chain issues, and shortages that haven’t been experienced since WWII.
There are very few places in the country where restaurants play such an important role in the state’s identity. Harris says the association has even coined the phrase ‘we live to eat.’
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ULM raised more than $2 million from 86 donors in 24 hours on its inaugural Day of Giving. ULM Foundation Advancement Officer Cindy Foust says this day mimics the National Day of Giving held during the fall.
Donors were given the opportunity to make their gifts in honor of a graduate from ULM, NLU, or NLSC. Two donors made individual $1 million gifts with a total of more than $2,319,442 raised for their favorite colleges and sports. Foust says the generosity was overwhelming.
Cut 8 (10) “…big accomplishment.”
The two $1 million gifts were designated to the School of Business and Social Sciences. Donors were allowed to give in honor of graduates past or present and they will be recognized in an upcoming ULM publication. Foust says the monies were designated for different disciplines across campus.
Gift partners including Louisiana Wholesale Drug Company, Inc., Lumen, Pinnacle Family Health, and Coach Lou St. Amant made $2 thousand challenge gifts to spur other donors on Day of Giving.
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After a Sunday night block party in Thibodaux for a preschool graduation took a violent turn, Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre is asking for the public’s help as deputies piece together clues. Of the seven individuals who received gunshot injuries, five were female and two were male, between the ages of 17 and 25.
Two other females received injuries when the crowd dispersed and sought cover.
Webre says deputies have learned the original gathering in the Marydale Community was to celebrate preschool graduation.
Webre says they’ve recovered one firearm with DNA evidence, and it’s been sent to ATF for forensic analysis. He they’ve also found a number of casings and one live round at the scene from two different caliber weapons. Video from the scene indicates the shooting was over in as little as three seconds.
It is believed the majority of those in attendance were there to socialize and unfortunately, Webre says at least two or more individuals, without any regard for the safety of themselves or others fired shots into the crowd.
Webre says there are estimates that as many as 500 people were in the crowd and they are hopeful they’ll receive tips that will lead to arrests.
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A Senate-passed bill that would phase out Louisiana’s corporate franchise tax passes the House Ways & Means Committee. Bill sponsor and Franklin Republican Senator Bret Allain says several other states have ended the tax, which he says may be good for state coffers, but is harmful to the state’s business environment. Allain says “if you want to dis-incentivize something, tax it”…:
Cut 13 (09) “…afford to do it.”
Allain’s bill has already passed the full Senate. It would phase out the corporate franchise tax by the year 2031; reducing it by 25 percent any year in which the state collects over $ 600 million from it. Allain asks House Ways & Means members to support his legislation as a way to stimulate more business to come here…:
Cut 14 (10) “…has on the books.”
Allain says there are other fiscal triggers that would need to occur for the bill to go into effect…:
Cut 15 (08) “…stabilization fund.”
The bill also only triggers if a companion Quality Jobs tax rebate bill passes as well. Financial analysts say the bill could lessen state tax collection by over a half-billion dollars over five years. Ways & Means approved the bill; sending it to the House floor.
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LSU’s Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes are named SEC Hitter and Pitcher of the Year in a vote of the league’s coaches. Skenes has been dominant, winning a league-high 10 games, striking out an SEC-high 164 hitters and posting a league-low ERA of 1.77
For the second consecutive season, Crews is named SEC Hitter of the Year. The junior from Florida leads the SEC with a .424 batting average. He’s also belted 14 home runs and he’s driven in 57 runs. Now Crews is expected to lead LSU to its seventh national championship…
LSU will begin play in the SEC Tournament tomorrow morning. The real goal is to win the NCAA Tournament, which begins next week. But Coach Jay Johnson says they want to win an SEC tournament title first…