Governor Bobby Jindal’s will present a proposed budget for next fiscal year to lawmakers today and significant cuts to higher education and health care are expected. La-politics-dot-com publisher Jeremy Alford says the governor opposes any tax increase to close the deficit, but Jindal is open to changing the rules for refundable tax credits to increase revenue, but the budget ax will likely still fall hard…

cut 5 (08) “budget hole”

He says during today’s joint legislative budget committee there will be discussion on how to mitigate those cuts.

The new movie “Focus”, featuring Will Smith, hits theatres today and it’s just one of many major Louisiana shot movies to be released this year. Chris Stelly, Executive Director of Louisiana Entertainment, says “Focus” could top the box office this weekend…

cut 10 (09) “really well”

Stelly thinks this summer is going to be a blockbuster season for films shot in Louisiana.

Shareholders have approved the sale of the Pineville-based utility company CLECO, but the Public Service Commission still has to give its consent. PSC Commissioner Clyde Holloway says he knows what they have now with CLECO, but they don’t know what they’d be getting with Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets — a company outside of the US…

cut 8 (09) “and for the employee”

A North American investor group led by Macquarie and by British Columbia Investment Corporation is seeking to purchase the utility company.

Embattled comedian Bill Cosby, who’s accusing of sexually abusing women, will perform tonight at the Heymann Performing Arts Center in Lafayette. Ebony Turner, Director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, says it’s their hope that people in the audience tonight realize that famous people also have private lives that are very different from who they portray…

cut 14 (06) “criminal activity”

The performance is set for 8pm.