There are less than 12 hours left in the special legislative session, and lawmakers are still trying to address the state’s budget shortfall through a combination of budget cuts and tax increases. Jeremy Alford with la-politics-dot-com says taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, and car rentals are already approved, but more bills are still on the table…:
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He says the current deficit for this fiscal year is $954 million, and next budget year’s shortfall is about $2 billion.

The Storm Prediction Center says much of Louisiana is under the threat for severe weather today. Donald Jones with the National Weather Service says the threat for severe weather includes rounds of heavy rainfall…:
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Most of the state is under a flash flood watch.

LSU Health Shreveport receives a 1.6 million dollar grant to research the connection between alcohol consumption and ischemic (is-scheme-mic) stroke. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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Lawmakers have until 6 pm on Wednesday to figure out how to solve the state’s budget deficit. Emelie Gunn has more on what’s being proposed in the last days of the special session…

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St. Tammany parish sheriff’s detectives are investigating the death of a man from Abita Springs. Investigators say the case is still pending, including autopsy results, identification of the man and determination of the cause of death.

Residents of St. Joseph are petitioning the state government for better water. Garrett Boyte of St. Joseph says manganese is found in St. Joseph’s water at alarmingly high amounts and it has been linked to adverse health effects, especially for infants. Boyte met with Governor John Bel Edwards today and he says the governor is considering proposed legislation to fix Louisiana’s water problems.

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Boyte says 400 water systems in the state are facing similar issues.

Multiple flash flood watches are in effect as north and south Louisiana will see some heavy rainfall. CS Ross with the National Weather Service in Shreveport says we’ll see heavy downpours throughout the week. He says Louisiana will experience storms bringing in high winds and the chance of hail and tornadoes. Ross says there’s also the chance for severe weather moving into Louisiana from Texas.

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The special legislative session ends tomorrow at 6pm, and lawmakers are still trying to address the state’s huge fiscal deficit through a combination of budget cuts and tax increases. We’re waiting to see what legislation will come out. Jeremy Alford with la-politics-dot-com says the certainties in this session include taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, and car rentals, but he says more bills still have to be approved.

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In the House, there has been talk of increasing the state sales tax by more than a penny to increase revenue. Metairie Representative Cameron Henry supports the proposal….

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Democrats oppose this idea. Baton Rouge representative Ted James…

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Senate democrats, who believe businesses are not paying their fair share of taxes, took out some of their frustrations with the president of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Stephen Waguespack. Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau is one of those lawmakers who is not happy that LABI is pushing legislators to increase the state sales tax by more than a penny…

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Waguespack says businesses are already dealing with a horrible economic recession…
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A senate committee approved a bill today that would remove a four-cent sales tax that businesses currently do not have to pay. This is all part of the discussion over how the state should address a massive budget shortfall this fiscal year and next.

The special legislative session ends tomorrow, and lawmakers are still trying to close a massive budget hole for this fiscal year, which could mean raising the state sales tax by more than a penny. But Baton Rouge Representative Ted James doesn’t think that’s a good idea. James says unfortunately there are House members who would rather pass taxes on the consumer and ignore reducing our corporate tax exemptions.

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A state senate committee approved legislation that would remove some tax exemptions for businesses, and that measure now heads to the Senate floor. Louisiana Association of Business and Industry president Stephen Waguespack argues that businesses and taxpayers should share the burden and each take a “middle of the road” hit. But New Orleans Senator Troy Carter says LABI continues to push bills that lead to higher taxes on consumers but doesn’t result in businesses contributing to the higher tax burden.

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Multiple flash flood watches are in effect as north and south Louisiana is expecting a huge amount of rain. CS Ross with the National Weather Service in Shreveport says we’ll see heavy downpours throughout the week.

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Ross says Louisiana will experience some storms bringing in high winds and the chance of hail, along with tornadoes.

St. Joseph residents are pleading with the state government to get cleaner water. Garrett Boyte of St. Joseph says the water there has been yellow or murky brown for over a decade. Boyte and others from the town met with Governor John Bel Edwards and state legislators to discuss raising the standards for water in Louisiana.

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Boyte says manganese has been linked to adverse health effects, especially for infants, and it is found in St. Joseph’s water at alarmingly high amounts.

There’s a push at the state Capitol to increase the state sales tax by more than a penny, something Baton Rouge Representative Ted James objects to….
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James says he would like to see businesses pay higher taxes to help cover the 940-million dollar shortfall.

That topic was up for discussion in a senate committee this morning. Louisiana Association of Business and Industry president Stephen Waguespack was testifying in favor of a measure to increase the state sales by more than one-cent, when New Orleans Senator Karen Peterson lashed out at Waguespack and claimed he helped create the state’s budget problems when he served in the Bobby Jindal adminsitration…
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The special session ends tomorrow night.

Much of the western half of the state is under a tornado watch until six PM tonight. CS Ross, with the National Weather Service in Shreveport, says a strong line of storms is moving into Louisiana from Texas…
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The Storm Prediction Center has much of the state shaded for a slight chance of severe weather tomorrow.

Residents of St. Joseph are petitioning the state government for better water. Garrett Boyte, a resident of St. Joseph, says the water there has been yellow or murky brown for over 10 years. Boyte and others from the town met with Governor John Bel Edwards and state legislators to discuss upping the minimum standards for water in Louisiana….
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Boyte says manganese has been linked to adverse health effects, especially for infants, and it is found in St. Joseph’s water at alarmingly high amounts.

Senate democrats, who believe businesses are not paying their fair share of taxes, took out some of their frustrations with the president of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Stephen Waguespack. Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau is one of those lawmakers who is not happy that LABI is pushing legislators to increase the state sales tax by more than a penny…
cut 12 (10) “…we can’t pay anymore”
Waguespack says businesses are already dealing with a horrible economic recession…
cut 13 (08) “….across the board”
A senate committee approved a bill today that would remove a four-cent sales tax that businesses currently do not have to pay. This is all part of the discussion over how the state should address a massive budget shortfall this fiscal year and next.

Parishes on the western side of the state are under a tornado watch until 6 PM tonight. CS Ross, with the national weather service, says a strong system is moving into Louisiana from Texas…
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There are already reports of power outages in southwest Louisiana as a result of strong winds.

St. Joseph residents are meeting with state officials to get cleaner drinking water in Louisiana. Halen Doughty has the story…
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