New Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson begins meeting with local economic development groups emphasizing small business success. Eric Gill reports…
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Governor John Bel Edwards is proposing to raise the cigarette tax by 22 cents but one organization doesn’t think that’s enough. Emelie Gunn has more…
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The Edwards Administration has informed public universities in Louisiana that cuts are likely to come this fiscal year. Jeff Palermo has more…
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New Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson begins a statewide tour today, meeting with local economic development groups emphasizing small business success in the state. Pierson says Governor John Bel Edwards has made small business growth a priority of his administration. He says it’s important to learn the different economic development needs from each region of the state…
cut 4 (10) “southwest Louisiana”
Pierson will make stops today in Tallulah, Delhi, and Alexandria. He says 97-percent of employers across Louisiana are small businesses. Pierson says the state’s current budget crisis will certainly be topic of discussion in how it could impact small business…
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He will also make stops in Lafayette, Thibodaux, Shreveport, Monroe, Lake Charles and New Orleans before wrapping up February 5th in Baton Rouge. Pierson says economic development starts small and on the local level. He says LED stands ready to help small business flourish with 10 Small Business Development Centers throughout the state…
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Governor John Bel Edwards has put out a variety of different proposals to help with the state’s budget deficit, one being increasing the cigarette tax by 22 cents. Consultant with the Invest in a Healthy Louisiana campaign Randy Hayden says his organization doesn’t think that’s enough. He says the campaign suggests raising the cigarette tax another $1.25 per pack…
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Hayden says we had the third lowest cigarette tax in the country until Louisiana increased the tax 50 cents in 2015. He says compared to our surrounding southern states, we still have very low taxes on tobacco products.
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Hayden says studies show when the cigarette tax is raised over a dollar that’s when it starts to impact health. He says right now it looks like this proposed tax could go up or down, depending on negotiations…
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Governor John Bel Edwards administration has informed higher education leaders that a cut in state funding to public colleges and universities is likely this fiscal year. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says at this point it could be as much as 131 million dollars.
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Dardenne says they’re still in the process of reviewing what’s going to be necessary in order to combine cuts with revenue measures in the hopes of softening the cuts. He says this is just the reality of where we are as a state.
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Dardenne says the governor is open to suggestions from others who have a different approach to the budget problems. He says the goal is to come up with a plan that will not burden taxpayers but at the same time prevent drastic cuts in state funding.
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A St. Tammany Parish jury acquits a former teacher’s aide of molestation of a juvenile. Wendell Troullier (Trool-yay)was arrested by Slidell Police in 2014 after a 10-year-old boy said Troullier touched him inappropriately while at the man’s house. Defense attorney Robby Gill says the lead detective said during the trial that they never took DNA from the child, which led to the jury finding Troullier not guilty
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Troullier was facing a minimum 25-year prison sentence if found guilty. Gill says Troullier was never arrested before this case and he maintained his innocence throughout, even during intense interrogation at police headquarters
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Troullier, who was employed by the St. Tammany Parish School System for 11 years, was fired following his arrest. Gill says his client would have never been charged if the police gathered DNA evidence from the child…
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