Southeast Louisiana is getting soaked today and most of the region is under a flash flood watch until this evening. Christopher Bannan with the National Weather Service in Slidell says the big concern with this heavy rainfall is localized street flooding and the Baton Rouge area has already experienced this…:
cut 4 (06) “drain poorly”
He says we’ll get a one day break tomorrow before things get ugly again starting Friday night and into Saturday.

The state budget deficit for the current fiscal year has dropped to $304 million; from $313 million. So what does this mean for Louisiana’s colleges and universities? Higher Ed Commissioner Joe Rallo says if lawmakers decide against tapping into the Rainy Day Fund to help plug the budget hole, it could be detrimental to post-secondary schools..:
cut 25 (10) “$66 million”
But House Republicans call that kicking the can down the road.

The Louisiana Office of Tourism and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau is teaming up with a marketing firm in China to bring more Chinese tourists to the Bayou State. Assistant Tourism Secretary Kyle Edmiston says the Chinese travel market is the fasted growing inbound market in the US. He says it currently ranks third, but is poised to grow to number one by 2021…:
Cut 8 (11) “6 million”
He says thanks to the partnership with East West Marketing Corporation, Louisiana is in a position to be a top destination for Chinese travelers.

LSU announced today that nose guard Travonte Valentine is no longer a member of the football team. Valentine played in the first five games of last season and recorded 10 tackles, but didn’t play in the final seven.