Today, the Revenue Estimating Conference meets to determine the budget shortfall Louisiana faces this fiscal year and next. Council for a Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin says we already had a projected shortfall of $1.4 billion for next fiscal year but that will likely grow as oil prices keep plummeting…

cut 5 (10) “major part of those cuts”

He says it’s likely mid-year cuts will be needed to offset the deficit.

Senate President John Alario and Governor Bobby Jindal are scheduled to meet this week to discuss ways to reduce a potential $380 million budget cut to Louisiana’s public colleges. He says they need to put their heads together and try to figure out how to fix this problem..

cut 14 (04) “table”

Alario says one of the items of discussion that’s on the table is trying to increase revenue.

It looks like state Treasurer John Kennedy is testing the waters for a few races in this year’s upcoming elections. Kennedy says he’s had a number of different groups talk to him about serving in a different capacity…

cut 8 (10) “made one, yet”

It’s reported that Kennedy hired Virginia-based North Star Opinion Research to poll the races for governor, attorney general, and US Senate.

The trial for a man accused of tying up and abandoning a baby pit-bull in October 2013 begins in Caddo District Court today, and there are plenty of angry citizens expected to be in attendance. The dog is now known as Braveheart and he is owned by Bo Spataro who says 32-year-old Gabriel Lee, charged with cruelty to an animal, has shown zero remorse…

cut 10 (10) “it’s just a dog”

Spataro says they are hoping Lee gets the maximum sentence allowed.