The state House approves a bill that would raise the tax on alcohol and it now heads to the Senate. There are three days left in the special session where lawmakers are charged with addressing the massive budget deficit for this fiscal year and next. Governor John Bel Edwards is calling on the Capitol to raise revenues to fill the budget holes.

The regular session begins March 14th and a pre-filed bill would require Governor John Bel Edwards to review agreements with the Saints and Pelicans and renegotiate if need-be. According to a 2013 Forbes article, Owner Tom Benson will receive 392-million dollars in subsidies through 2025. It’s Colfax Representative Terry Brown’s bill and says Louisiana is tough fiscal times and tough decisions need to be made…:
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Brown says this legislation does not require Governor Edwards to renegotiate with the Saints and Pels, but it asks him to consider altering the contracts.

A bill filed by Baton Rouge Senator Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb would raise the fine for texting while driving. Halen Doughty has the story…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

State Police Troop I investigated two separate fatal crashes Sunday — one in St. Mary Parish and the other in Evangeline Parish. In the first, they believe 19-year-old Demetrius Bergeron of Ville Platte was driving drunk and without a seat belt when he exited a roadway and crashed. He suffered fatal injuries. In the second crash, 52-year-old Jimmy Barras from Patterson crashed into a tree and was pronounced dead at the scene.