Through the first quarter of 2026, small businesses in Louisiana and across the country have been having a hard time filling job openings. Leah Long, the state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, says it’s not because of a lack of candidates, but instead it’s because of a lack of QUALIFIED candidates.
Cut 6 (06) “…transportation industry, manufacturing.”
A new LendingTree study shows that Louisiana has the third lowest rate of small business failures within the first year. Chief Consumer Financial Analyst Matt Schulz says this is despite the fact that entrepreneurs in Louisiana face significant challenges.
Cut 12 (10) “…take advantage of.”
Schulz says relatively few people have the means to secure funding to start a business; but with that relatively low number comes lack of competition, which means a better chance of survival in that first year.
Legislation to attract the aerospace industry to Louisiana has been approved by the House Ways and Means Committee. Governor Landry’s chief of staff, Julie Emerson, testified in favor of the bill.
Cut 5 (10) “…here in Louisiana.”
While it was not mentioned during the committee discussion, this legislation is likely designed to attract Elon Musk’s Space X and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
LSU baseball suffers a huge upset, losing to Bethune-Cookman at Alex Box Stadium, 10-to-7. The loss by the Tigers could potentially be devastating, since it could make it tougher for the defending national champions to host a Regional in June. Center fielder Derek Curiel says they’ll likely have to win two more SEC games to make up for last night’s loss.