Louisiana will not be joining the 30 other states that have a higher minimum wage than what the federal government requires. The House Labor Committee has voted against bills that would increase the state’s minimum wage to 10-dollars an hour. Peter Robbins Brown with the Louisiana AFL-CIO says a higher minimum wage will bring many positive social impacts…
cut 16 (14) “….has increased”
But NFIB state director Leah Long says raising the minimum wage will cause a negative ripple effect…
cut 15 (07) “….and goods”
The bills were defeated on a ten to five vote.

Entergy still has more than three-thousand customers without power from Wednesday’s severe weather. Thousands of Cleco customers are also in the dark in the Opelousas and Slidell areas.

Monday is Tax Day and while you might think getting a big return is worth bragging about, a Louisiana CPA says it really isn’t. Catherine Roe with Cowart Roe says in reality it means the government has been holding onto your money when it could have already been in your pocket.
Cut 10 (11) “…money back.”
Roe says if you work for a company talk to human resources about adjusting what’s taken out of your check.

Thousands will head to southeast Louisiana to enjoy sweet strawberries, live music, and great food. The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival and French Quarter Festival are happening this weekend. Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser says both festivals are a big economic boost for the state.
Cut 4 (11) “…$400 million dollars.”