The Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance is holding a virtual FAFSA marathon next week to help students with their applications. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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Good news for crawfish lovers. The average price per pound for mudbugs is 50 cents lower this week. Teiko Foxx has more…
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Monday is Tax Day. Alexandria CPA Kurt Oestriecher (Os-stric-ker) has a tax tip for seniors. Oestricher says people over the age of 70 can use a portion of their minimum retirement distribution to get a tax break if they donate it to a church or a charitable organization.
Oestriecher says for taxpayers looking to reduce their tax burden when they file, making a significant contribution to your 401k plan or ROTH IRA.
Oestriecher says for those who won big by gambling, they will have to pay taxes on those winnings even if they suffered gambling loses with other bets.
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After multiple delays with Federal Student Aid, the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance anticipates students can make changes if needed to their applications next week. LOSFA Spokesperson Ebony Holmes says students can register now for virtual help with their application on their website.
The website is mylosfa.la.gov
Holmes says applicants should be on the lookout for emails from FAFSA if they need to make changes or submit additional information on their application. Despite all the delays she says there are still benefits to filling out the application.
Holmes says they know it’s delaying the timeframe for students to know how much financial assistance they will receive at institutions and many postsecondary institutions have pushed their deadlines as a result.
Until colleges can send award letters Holmes encourages students who are eligible for TOPS to visit their student hub tracker and…
LOSFA will have expanded virtual hours April 15-19 from 8 am until 8 pm and you can register now for an appointment if you need assistance. And if you can’t next week, normal hours are 9 AM – to 3 PM.
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It’s going to be a jam-packed weekend at the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival. In addition to the state’s signature fruit, there’s plenty of food, rides, and music and it wouldn’t be a festival without a parade in Louisiana. Festival Queen, Lauren van Mullem says it’s a great way to support the community and Louisiana berry farmers.
The parade is on Saturday at 9:30.
The event which has been going strong since 1972, is the state’s largest free harvest festival. Festival King Donald Lanier says they honor berry farmers across the state.
You’ll also want to bring your appetite and enter the strawberry eating contest on Saturday and Sunday.
Rhonda Poche says this year’s strawberry crop looks amazing and there’s a reason Louisiana has the best strawberries in the world.
Festival hours are noon to 11 pm on Friday, 9 am until 11 pm on Saturday, and 10 to 6 pm on Sunday.
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It’s another great week for crawfish lovers with a 50-cent drop on average in prices this week. Crawfish App Co-Founder Laney King says the industry lowered prices again which brings the average price for a sack under $100.
King says expect to pay about $5.99 a pound for boiled crawfish. She says there’s been a consistent weekly drop in crawfish prices since Easter, but the average price for live crawfish last year was at $2.57 .
While Orleans Parish has the cheapest mudbugs at $2.65 a pound, she says it’s always worth checking the crawfish app for price change.
To compare prices, download the Crawfish App on your smartphone.