Should local governments be allowed to lower homestead exemption rates to pay for local projects? One Baton Rouge lawmaker thinks so…
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Louisiana claims eleven straight months of job gains, adding 11,400 jobs from January of 2018 to January 2019. Jeff Palermo has more.
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It doesn’t appear LSU basketball coach Will Wade’s suspension will be lifted anytime soon. Interim Head Coach Tony Benford was asked on today’s SEC coaches teleconference about whether he’ll continue directing the program…
LSU’s first SEC Tournament game is Friday. University officials say they suspended Wade after he refused to provide any clarity about the recent reports that suggest he arranged payments to a recruit believed to be freshman guard Javonte Smart. Benford says he expects to hear about Smart’s status tomorrow and freshman big man Naz Reid should be ready to play after sitting out Saturday, because of injuries
Benford was asked if Wade’s suspension could be a rallying point. He says the team has already been through a lot, starting with the murder of Wayde Sims right before the season started. He says the players have formed a brotherhood…
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Baton Rouge Representative Steve Carter is bringing a constitutional amendment in the upcoming session that asks voters whether local governments should have the authority to lower the homestead exemption. Carter says it would give locals a new way to fund vital projects.
For most homeowners, the exemption means homeowners do not pay taxes on the first 75,000 dollars of their property value.
Carter says passing this would mean locals would no longer have to beg at the Capitol to get construction funds.
Independent analysis shows local governments in Louisiana have less control of their finances compared to other southern states.
The amendment would first require two thirds support in the legislature to make it onto the fall ballot, where it would then need to be approved by a majority of voters. Carter says at that point, local voters would still have a final say on homestead exemption rates in their own back yards…
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Studies have shown with the Monday following a time change comes an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and traffic accidents. State Police Sgt. Melissa Matey says when the time changes, tere is a difference in lighting and it can pose problems…
Cut 9 (12) “…your visual field.”
Matey says the lack of sleep can negatively impact driving habits, adding there is an uptick in distracted driving following time change.
Cut 10 (09)“…can turn disastrous.”
Matey says it is important for drivers to maintain heightened awareness for pedestrians at this time as well.
Cut 11 (10) “…in your neighborhood.”
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Louisiana has now seen eleven straight months of jobs gains, with the state adding 10,200 jobs from January 2018 to 2019. But it’s really a tale of two regions, with the southeast being the state’s job engine behind New Orleans’ 11,400 jobs added year to year. Workforce Commission chief economist Ali Bustamante says that’s due to healthcare, education, and…
Louisiana added 2,100 jobs from December 2018 to January 2019.
Other south Louisiana markets like Lafayette also performed well, but those gains in the south are not being duplicated in northern markets like Shreveport, Alexandria, and Monroe, who’ve lost a combined 2,200 jobs year to year. Bustamante says that’s because the north is known for it’s production…
It was a disappointing jobs report nationwide, with gains slowing to their slowest rate in months, but Bustamante says the Bayou State has managed to buck that trend…
Bustamante highlighted the fact that 9,500 of the new jobs added were in the private sector.