Social Security checks will increase in January by an average of about $140 a month as the largest cost of living adjustment in more than 40 years takes place. Marsanne Golsby tells us what it will mean for Louisianans.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Marsanne Golsby.”
______________________________________
The composite ACT scores among Louisiana high school students fell for the fifth year in a row. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
______________________________________
Benefits for Social Ssecurity recipients will increase by 8-point-seven percent next year which is the largest hike since 1981. Louisiana AARP Director of Advocacy Andrew Muhl says the average retired worker benefit for a person in Louisiana is around 14 hundred dollars a month…
Cut 3 (09) “…15-hundred annually”
Muhl says the higher-than-normal cost of living adjustment is needed so seniors do not lose their purchasing power with inflation at eight-percent.
Around 70 million people, including retirees, children, and disabled people, receive Social Security benefits. Muhl says the average increase for disabled workers will be around $106 more per month or $1275 more a year. He points out that Medicare Part B premiums are dropping.
___________________________________________________
A photo of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell traveling first class to Amsterdam last week has emerged after she’s already been ordered to repay the city $30-thousand for upgrading her travel experience to France this past summer. President of the New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission Rafael Goyenche says they asked the city about the price of the Amsterdam ticket and never got a response, so they researched ticket prices.
Goyeneche says according to city policy if an employee travels internationally on a flight for more than ten hours the official is allowed to purchase a business class ticket for no more than 110-percent of the economy price ticket.
Cantrell has also come under fire for the appearance of using a city apartment for personal use. Goyeneche says now the personal security of Councilperson Helena Moreno has been reassigned out of what he believes is retaliation for her being critical of Cantrell, He says the driver has been accused of taking photos of Cantrell using the apartment and sending them to the media.
__________________________________________
The composite ACT scores among Louisiana high school students fell for the fifth year in a row. The Class of 2022 score was 18-point-one down from 18-point-four last year. State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley says he believes it’s mostly pandemic related.
The national average also dropped to 19-point-eight, down from 20-point-three. It’s the first time the national average has been below twenty since 1991. Brumley says the department is hoping to address the drop in scores with their high school accountability proposal that’s on the table. He says there needs to be an emphasis on the ACT because in Louisiana it is the gatekeeper for TOPS and college scholarships.
Because state scores have steadily declined for the last five years Brumley says it’s concerning because the decline pre-dates the pandemic.
Louisiana students performed better on the ACT than four other states in the country, Alabama, Mississippi, Nevada, and Oklahoma.