A report by Credit Suisse finds 1 out of 5 shopping malls will close down in the next 5 years. Emelie Gunn has more…
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Some lawmakers are disappointed no legislation was passed this year to reform the state’s tax structure, as Louisiana faces a looming fiscal cliff. Michelle Southern has more…
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Michelle Southern”
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While the rate of interracial marriages is increasing nationwide, a Pew Research Center study finds that’s not the case in Baton Rouge or Lafayette. LSU associate professor of African-American studies and sociology, Dr. Lori Martin says there could be a number of reasons why these areas are not seeing the same uptick in interracial marriage.
Baton Rouge and Lafayette rank in the bottom 10 for interracial marriages, with less than 10 percent of relationships involving people of different races. Martin says there could be less positive attitudes towards interracial marriages in Baton Rouge and Lafayette than in other places. She says racial problems exist throughout the country, but those problems are more prevalent in some areas than others.
Martin says it’s always good when racial groups have less social distance between themselves and others because it can be a sign of improving race relations. But she says we are making more strides in some areas than others.
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A report from Credit Suisse finds at least one in five U.S. shopping malls will go out of business within the next five years, because of the growth in online sales. LSU Marketing Professor Dr. Dan Rice says retail sector is not dying but certain retailers in these malls are really hurting.
The report estimates over 86-hundred stores will close in 2017. Rice says with a decline in interest of the anchor stores, or big department stores, there is less foot traffic to other small stores in the mall and that’s hurting small stores in a mall.
Rice says online shopping is growing faster than ever. But he says attracting shoppers to physical stores is still possible, as retail sales are higher than ever.
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Flash flooding is a possibility in south Louisiana, as more heavy rains are expected through today and tomorrow. Donald Jones with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says the Alexandria, Lake Charles and Lafayette areas are under a flash flood watch until 7 p.m. tonight.
Jones says southwest and central Louisiana saw anywhere from 3 to 4 inches of rainfall yesterday, with localized amounts up to 9 inches. He says anywhere that sees heavy rainfall over a short period of time will have the potential for flooding.
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The search is heating up for Jacquelyn “Daisy Lynn” Landry, the 18-year-old girl from Lafayette who was last seen on May 23rd. Her family is desperate to locate their loved one, and Acadian Search and Rescue Director Jeffery Istre says 75% of businesses they went to didn’t even know about Landry’s disappearance…:
Landry was last seen wearing a green Army-colored jacket, jeans, brown sandals, and she has a tattoos of a Chinese symbol above her left breast and a small triangle on the inside of her right wrist. Istre is encouraging the public to share the information poster on the Finding Daisy Lynn Facebook page…:
There has been an arrest made in the case. 22-year-old Malik Davis is charged with second degree murder. Istre says the are also in need of donations and volunteers and you can find those details at the Acadian Search and Rescue Facebook page. He says they are encouraging the public to spread the word far and wide….:
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Heading into the 2017 legislative session, lawmakers talked about reforming Louisiana’s tax structure with 1.3 billion dollars in temporary taxes set to expire next year. But lawmakers will not pass any legislation this year dealing with the fiscal cliff. Baton Rouge Representative Barry Ivey expresses his frustration.
Since legislators failed to pass any tax reform measures in this session, the governor might call for a special session next year to address what would be a one-billion dollar budget deficit. But Ivey doesn’t see any real tax reform changes coming in a special session…
Representative Julie Stokes of Metairie and Ivey proposed a flat income tax. Both bills passed the House, but too late in the process for them to gain traction in the Senate. Stokes says Louisiana will continue to have budget deficits, unless Republicans and Democrats come together…
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