Louisiana is second in the nation and leads the southeast in credit card debt burden. Jeff Palermo spoke with an expert on what to do if you need help.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”
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Governor John Bel Edwards is set to be sworn in for a second-term on January 13th, but there will not be an inugurual ball that night because of a football game. Don Molino has more…
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You might want to watch your spending limit on gifts this year, according to CreditCards-dot-com Louisianians have the second highest credit card debt burden in the nation. CreditCards-dot-com analyst Ted Rossman says the typical Louisiana household carries $8,364 in credit card debt.
The report says Lousiana’s median annual household income is just $48,000, which is the fourth-lowest in the country. Rossman says when you don’t make that much money and you build up debt on a credit card, it’s hard to absolve debt. He says if you have a high credit card balance, get a zero balance transfer credit card.
Cut 4 (06) “…tremendous savings.”
He says another way to get out of debt is to dedicate 15% of your monthly income to paying off your and there’s a good chance you’ll be debt-free in a year and a half.
New Mexico ranked first, West Virginia third, followed by Arkansas and Mississippi.
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32-year-old Mark Ebarb, a Dutchtown High teacher has turned himself into after being indicted on charges of Indecent Behavior with a Juvenile.
23rd District Court spokesperson Tyler Cavalier says an investigation uncovered evidence that Ebarb had been sharing inappropriate messages and pictures with students for several years.
The Advocate reports that Ebarb is a former Ascension Parish teacher of the year, and was in contention for the statewide award for 2014-2015.
The investigation began after police received a complaint about Ebarb’s behavior back in October, and Cavalier says so far it appears the contact was not widespread.
The investigation was handled by the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Cavalier says a conviction would surely end Mr. Ebarb’s career, and carry a hefty sentence.
Ebarb remains employed, but a spokesperson for the school system says they are reviewing their options at this time.
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LSU remains second in the latest college football rankings, right behind Ohio State. The final rankings will be unveiled on Sunday. Tiger Rag Editor Ron Higgins says the Tigers can regain the top spot if LSU wins in the SEC Championship game and Ohio State doesn’t play well in the Big 10 title game…
LSU faces Georgia in the SEC title game on Saturday, while Ohio State takes on Wisconsin in the Big 10 title game that night. If the top three doesn’t change when the new rankings come out on Sunday, then LSU will play defending national champion Clemson in the semi-finals. Higgins says that will be a tough game….
If LSU is upset on Saturday, most college football analysts say the Tigers will still get into the four-team college football playoff. But Higgins says LSU does not want to back into the playoffs…
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Open enrollment for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act will close on December 15th. C-M-S administrator Seema Verma says if you need to change your current health plan or find a new one, time is running out
Cut 12 (08) “price deductible”
Verma says the average premium for a benchmark health plan on the federal exchange will go down four-percent in 2020. But the Advocate newspaper published an article in October that says rates in Louisiana will go up an average of 10-percent next year.
Verma says when choosing a policy through health-care-dot-gov, you’ll notice the different plans have star ratings next to them