Louisiana’s three largest cities all feature in the top 25 of Wallethub’s cities most in need of charity for the holidays. Matt Doyle has more.
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LSU’s red hot season has legislators availing themselves of a perk that gives them direct access to post-season end zone seats not generally not available to the public. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Louisiana is joining in on a lawsuit to block the implementation of a California law passed sixty years ago that will finally go into effect in 2020 banning alligator products. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (30) “ I’m Kevin Barnhart.”
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New Orleans, Shreveport, and Baton Rouge make Wallethub’s list of top 25 cities most in need of charitable giving during the holiday season.
The Crescent city came in at three, and while the city is known for it’s cuisine, it ranked two in highest rate of food security. Wallethub analyst Jill Gonzales says it’s a persistent issue in New Orleans…
Gonzales says it’s also due to the fact that many homes in New Orleans do not have the appliances, or space, for cooking or storing food.
The Capital came in at 21, but where New Orleans’ problems were health focused, Gonzales says Baton Rouge’s issues were very much economic. In particular the high school dropout rate…
Shreveport was ranked 19th, and Gonzales says the city economy is suffering, leading to very high adult and child poverty rates, which often results in people sleeping on the streets.
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For five years, the Achieving a Better Life Experience program, known as ABLE, has been helping the parents of individuals with disabilities to save money without being penalized or losing benefits and services. The cutoff age is 26, but State Treasurer John Schroder is backing legislation to raise the age to 46 to help vets who develop disabilities later in life.
There are currently 221 ABLE saving accounts in the state. Schroder says he’s making the push because now that the ABLE program has been in existence for a number of years, data has emerged showing where improvements can be made to reach more participants.
Schroder says the ABLE Age Adjustment Act isn’t a hand-out and is designed as an account to bridge the gap between insurance, benefit programs, and personal savings.
Cut 9 (10) “…$100,000.”
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The AP reports nearly all of Louisiana’s legislators are utilizing perk of the job that allows them to buy rare Tigers postseason tickets at face value.
The LSU policy is paying off big this year, with lawmakers saving nearly 1,000 dollars for end zone tickets relative to the secondary market. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says it’s a long-standing tradition.
Lawmakers are offered a range of tickets reportedly running 425 dollars a pop to 875 dollars for end zone tickets to the national championship in New Orleans. Tickets are also available for the Peach Bowl.
Pinsonat says the obvious attempt by LSU to buy Legislative influence using taxpayer money shouldn’t be allowed, but somehow continues to survive.
95 out of 105 Representatives, and 38 of 39 Senators have taken LSU up on the offer this year.
Several lawmakers interviewed say it’s one of the few perks of a job that offers low pay and long, often unpredictable hours. Pinsonat doesn’t buy that excuse.
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The state is filing suit against a California law banning transactions involving alligator products. The law was passed in sixty years ago with implementation in 2020. At the time of passage, the alligator population was not doing so hot, but Attorney General Jeff Landry says the sale of alligator products in recent decades has funded effective conservation efforts.
Louisiana now has more alligators than registered voters. Landry says he’s not sure if Californians are unaware of the booming population or if they just don’t care.
Cut 14 (13) “…animal rights activists.”
Landry says he has given a heads up of the oncoming lawsuit to California’s AG.
Cut 15 (11) “…an adverse approach to.”
Harvesting gator skin and meat is a nearly 60 million dollar industry. California makes up 30 percent of the world’s alligator market.
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