Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says if lawmakers decided against replacing the $1.3 billion in revenue that is set to expier in July of next year, the state would be forced to reduce funding by 20 percent for every area of government. He says that would be drastic for higher education, healthcare, prisons, and public schools…:
Cut 5 (10) “their hands on”
Dardenne says the state does not have an extra billion dollars to make up for this lost revenue.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu is urging residents in the city to be prepared for the potential of more flooding today, after an overnight fire in a power producing turbine at a pump station forced the plant to go on backup. Landrieu said he was issuing these warnings in light of last weekend’s flooding, and the Sewerage and Water Board giving the public misleading information. He added that if all of the power from Entergy continues, the city will be able to handle a typical rainfall situation.

Despite a slight decrease in revenue, the Louisiana Lottery reported its third best year ever. Lottery spokesperson Dustin Annison says increased sales for the record Powerball jackpot of more than a billion dollars helps boost revenue last year. He says a number of other factors contributed to the slight dip this year…
Cut 11 (08) “prize pool”
He says the corporation brought in nearly $455 million in revenue for the 2017 fiscal year.

Louisiana parents of autistic children have a new resource after the Baton Rouge Area Foundation helped to launch a website full of information about benefits and resources. Director of civic leadership initiatives Lauren Jumonville says La.ExceptionalLives.org provides a host of helpful advice…:
Cut 14 (11) “great opportunities”